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Dublin is also very easy to get out of. It's a nice city with lots to do, but if you do want to get out for a bit and give yourself a bit of space from the crowds, other Irish cities like Galway, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and even Belfast are very accessible by rail. I had a day in Galway and loved it, I just wish I could've spent longer there. I also did a very small part of the Dublin Mountains walk, if you're into that sort of thing, from Shankill DART station to the famous Johnnie Fox's pub in Glencullen. There are other, much longer walks all around Ireland that let you see and do more but this was a nice day excursion for someone with poo poo legs like myself.
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Feb 7, 2020 14:47
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I've been to some decent book shops and jazz cafes in the Latin Quarter (I think it still has a bunch of good cinemas too?) but these are rapidly disappearing and, yeah, I wouldn't usually stick around there long otherwise. I kind of feel the same about Montmartre if I'm honest. I stayed in the 9th arr. near Place Pigalle last time I was in Paris and it was fine, cheap for Paris, which was the important thing for me. Some of the bars/clubs around there are infamous for being scams but so long as you're aware of that you can usually spot them a mile off.
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Feb 7, 2020 19:50
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From a Brit's perspective (albeit as one who has not been to Scotland in ages; would love to go again!) I can't imagine doing a day trip to somewhere like Skye from Edinburgh. Glasgow and Edinburgh alone have more than enough for a single trip, and you could still spice things up with a day trip to somewhere like Arran, Stirling, or St Andrews, depending on what you were looking for. For a Highlands/islands trip I'd much prefer to be based in Inverness or somewhere, depending on where I wanted to go and what I wanted to see. I don't drive though, and if you're used to driving long-distance in the US then maybe it's not a big deal. I just wouldn't be able to enjoy a 5-6 hour journey (on progressively smaller roads) with myself at the wheel. Ireland is, in my view, significantly easier to get around, at least without driving. Again, there's plenty to do just in Dublin. The only "international" day trip from Ireland that I would consider would be, like, Belfast.
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Feb 18, 2020 18:42
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Nice to see that Germany is taking a leaf out of the UK's railway book!
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Feb 24, 2020 15:53
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For Copenhagen, if you like to combine your craft beer with meat eating, I've heard good things about Warpigs. I didn't get to go when I was there last month but it was recommended glowingly to me when I was asking for recommendations. https://warpigs.dk/
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Nov 25, 2022 12:14
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Rijsttafel is great, but like tapas I always feel it's better to have someone to share it with. Last time I was in Amsterdam (in September) I was alone, so I opted against it. Bad idea maybe? I remember really liking Desa in De Pijp but I think they have a two-person minimum.
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Dec 9, 2022 10:46
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Every German I've ever met hates DB with a passion. Every Brit I've ever spoken to who's used the trains in Germany says the system is awesome and then has a big cry.
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Jan 4, 2023 20:43
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I'm going to Paris again at the beginning of February. I know the city reasonably well, but I'm always looking out for new food and drink recommendations (particularly if they save a tiny bit of money, lol). Also, any new goings-on? Edit: particularly in and around La Villette 
Hedgehog Pie fucked around with this message at 04:27 on Jan 6, 2023 |
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Jan 6, 2023 01:53
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Gotta get that siesta in baby!
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Mar 4, 2023 13:45
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I'm planning to be in Vienna for a few days next month and was just looking for recommendations - preferably good cheap places to eat/drink/things to do, though I get the feeling looking for cheap options might be a bit futile here. I hope to have a short trip to Bratislava one day and knock off one or two galleries.
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Mar 14, 2023 17:24
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The only European zoos I have fond memories of are Amsterdam and Twycross (in Leicestershire), and the latter might just be more for convenience's sake as it's not far from me, so I got to go with school. I had a long-standing grudge against Paignton Zoo (in Devon) because I was promised pandas, but all they had were red pandas. I got over it eventually as I realised red pandas are super cute. At this point I'd really only recommend European zoos if you have kids with you. The city ones (like Amsterdam) are usually easy to get to at least.
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Mar 15, 2023 17:56
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My dad worked in the rail industry and as a result we got free train travel across much of Europe when I was little. This included sleeper trains. I have fond memories of them, but it was a long time ago. They're definitely not plush for the most part, and obviously them being free helped. They differ from sleeper trains in Australia, Canada and the US in that they're not usually aimed specifically at tourists, but I probably wouldn't consider them nowadays unless I was already on the continent and the pricing and timing were just right.Lady Gaza posted:That being said, I’m against the idea of short haul domestic flights like here in the UK, purely for environmental reasons. It’s just a shame that trains are so slow and expensive here. I try to follow this too. I probably would consider long-distance domestic train travel a lot more if it were significantly cheaper and practical. My first proper trip after the worst of covid was to Glasgow from Birmingham, and try as I might I just couldn't justify taking the train because money was fairly tight at the time. I felt terrible for it, but it was a fraction of the price and got you there in one hour as opposed to something like six hours with multiple changes (Glasgow and Birmingham airports are also relatively trouble-free in my experience). One thing I will say to anyone coming to the UK or Ireland from the continent or travelling the other way: trains and ferries can be a decent option if you have the time and a slightly more lenient budget. Because of the proliferation of budget flights, many of them are quite competitively priced, especially the UK-Ireland ferries. I've not ridden on a long-distance ferry for a long time, but I'm told that they can be decently comfortable, notwithstanding the regularly unpleasant conditions in the Irish and North Seas. Eurostar is a bit more expensive than flying, requires you to get to St Pancras first, and the station facilities leave a lot to be desired (especially at Amsterdam, where the "lounge" just flat-out sucks), but it feels cleaner than flying and is a lot more convenient. The baggage limits are a lot more forgiving, and you go through UK and Schengen passport control together at your starting station, meaning you just get off the train already at your destination without any further faff.
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Mar 21, 2023 16:13
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The best cheap places to eat in central London, in my experience, are in and around Chinatown. I haven't been in a while, and things can come and go quite quickly these days, so I recommend looking up a recent guide for the best places failing recommendations here. Last time I was there I went to a decent pho place on Shaftesbury Avenue, which was within walking distance from the British Museum.
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Apr 13, 2023 00:00
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For affordable no-thrills Indian food, the area around Brick Lane to the east is still pretty good in my experience, even if it's not the authentic hotspot of yesteryear. The above poster is right though, some Indian restaurants are more or less fast food places that cater to people who just want to fill up after a few drinks, so I'd check online or just Google Maps for the best places. There are lots of more upmarket Indian/South Asian places all around London, which will probably be a bit more expensive, but have a look around.
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Apr 13, 2023 15:42
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smackfu posted:The one-ticket-per-card thing seems like it would be a problem for locals too. If Belgium is like the Netherlands, and this is just my own cursory knowledge at best, then locals don't actually buy tickets on a ride-by-ride basis, they have their own personalised cards that they can top up whenever necessary, children included. It's like London's Oyster card system but a bit broader, I guess. Also, I think you usually need an address for these long-term cards, so screw you if you're homeless! (happy to be corrected obvs)
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May 26, 2023 01:37
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Chewbecca posted:
Jesus, and I thought Brits had it bad! (we do in general lol)
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May 31, 2023 19:46
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I went to Amsterdam in September of last year and there were definitely a lot more places insisting on card over cash than there were when I last went pre-covid. It wasn't everywhere, but it was enough for me to notice it. Unfortunately, due to The Thing and other various bollocks, transaction fees are quite a bit higher than they used to be for Brits on the continent, though I believe they're still supposed to be capped if that's an issue. I went to Copenhagen in October and paying with cash there was a bit easier, though I imagine that might change elsewhere in Denmark. Notably, public transport in Amsterdam went card only sometime before covid, and I imagine a lot of Dutch cities have since followed suit, especially under the circumstances.
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Jul 6, 2023 16:02
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I accidentally ended up in Amsterdam on King's Day once. I actually really enjoyed it, though I wasn't staying in a hotel that night and I got some beers the night before to just sit and people-watch with. It was kind of just a chill city-wide party. We don't have a national day in the UK (one of the few countries that doesn't) but if we did I imagine it would be so much worse. King's Day wasn't organised but I liked how on one street you'd have local musicians playing, the next was Pride-themed, etc. Pretty much every Dutch person I've ever met hates Amsterdam, much in the same way that a lot of Brits dislike London. I like it, but idiots treat it like a theme park for adults, and the strip from Dam Square to the RLD is undeniably tacky to accommodate that. I went to The Hague for the first time last year and I quite liked it, it's just that some of the more central sterile areas left me cold (Amsterdam has bits like this too but they're far beyond where most tourists go). I'm always happy to go to the Netherlands, so I'll probably try to get a trip to Rotterdam or Utrecht in sometime. 🙂
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Jul 7, 2023 14:17
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ulvir posted:kind of a dumb question, but anyways: we're heading to vienna in a few days, and as I understand it, austria is still a place where cash is preferred every so often. so, coming from a country where I literally never pay with cash, are safe-ish ATMs (indoors, frequently monitored for skimming equipment, etc) easy to come by there? I was in Vienna in April, and ATMs were pretty common throughout the city, either standalone or in those little rooms with a whole bunch of them.
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Jul 7, 2023 17:28
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I'm thinking of taking a short Eurostar trip to somewhere I've not been before in the hopefully not-too-distant future. I have some vague ideas, but I was wondering if anyone had anything to share in particular about Lille, Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Koln, Rotterdam or Utrecht. I like bars and casual places to eat, a bit of light walking/city-gazing/people-watching, museums/art galleries, parks, and I'm also partial to playing a few video games somewhere if the weather's crap. I'm also not averse to a little smoke in NL. If anyone has any other Eurostar-adjacent quick breaks in mind, please let me know! If the trains are all good (lol), it takes me around 80 minutes to get to London, so that's something I'd have to factor in too, but it's not a massive deal. I've been to Paris and Amsterdam many times already. Thanks!
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Aug 16, 2023 23:04
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distortion park posted:Personally didn't enjoy Koln much. Rotterdam was OK. See if Hamburg is possible on your schedule, that's a great visit and interesting place to just hang around.e: Strasbourg also might be easy from that itinerary I'd really like to go to Hamburg but it might just be a little bit too far for an all-train trip. I'll have a proper look at both though, thanks!
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Aug 17, 2023 02:47
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There have been a lot of horror stories of trying to enter Schengen with a passport on six months or less in the UK since Brexit, and I believe the official advice is "don't risk it". That probably carries over to US passport holders too, given how arbitrary and spiteful the process is on both sides. Being with a band might be different, but I'd still say don't risk it (not that you have a choice sadly).
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Aug 17, 2023 17:51
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greazeball posted:Lol Britain Yeah, I want to kill myself but society and apparently my inner faculties frown upon it. Thank you to everyone who commented on my previous post! I'd like to get another trip in whenever possible (may be never, lol).
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Aug 26, 2023 08:11
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Gov.uk has similar warnings to that, with the terrorism bit probably copied and pasted for every country in western Europe. The main difference I can think of is that, for the Netherlands, I think it clarifies that you can't just smoke weed anywhere, that hallucinogen laws have changed in recent years and that hard drugs are still a big no-no - because people go to Amsterdam in the misguided belief that it's some sort of naughty theme park for adults. Also, I think the entry for France throws shade about strikes and riots. It tends to be rather reliable for entry requirements though, which was handy when covid protocols were still a thing.
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Aug 27, 2023 13:52
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Easychair Bootson posted:I'm looking for a breakfast recommendation in Amsterdam. We've got tickets to the Rijksmuseum at 10:15 and will be walking from our hotel (Kimpton De Witt, near the central train station). Looking for something along the way that's open at 8:00 on a Monday morning. Two that are close to Centraal that I like are Pancakes and Omelegg. Both should be open at that time. The latter in particular has something different every week as a special, and some of them are excellent. They're both popular so they can get busy very quickly, but they're generally quite good at getting people out when necessary. If need be, you can easily get a tram to the Rijksmuseum from Centraal.
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Sep 4, 2023 14:49
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Coffeeshops can open and close rather quickly (and often have unusual opening hours to boot), so I'd recommend checking the Amsterdam Coffeeshop Directory (https://www.coffeeshopdirect.com/index.htm) before venturing forth to any of these, though to my knowledge these are all still open. The directory also has pictures of menus and interiors for some places, which might help. As has been said, pretty much all central Amsterdam coffeeshops are touristy to some degree, and the ones closest to Centraal are tied with those in the RLD for being the worst of the lot. My favourites are typically a little further out: Spirit, out towards the Jordaan, has a larger-than-usual smoking area with pinball machines and a pool table, which might be nice for non-smokers; Bluebird, out towards Waterlooplein, has some really nice staff and better-than-usual social seating areas. Goa is only a block removed from the RLD but is often fairly quiet, and they also have nice sofas, a TV, and an awesome curated hip-hop soundtrack playing non-stop. Tertulia is spoken very highly of (it's run by a mother and daughter and has lots of plants and chessboards inside), but I've never managed to get over there myself. None of these are especially close to Centraal, but the centre of Amsterdam is compact and walkable (just stick to the pavements, or else you'll face the wrath of cycling locals). There used to be a lot more, especially down Warmoestraat, but most of these have since closed. Haarlemmerstraat has the greatest concentration now, but reviews for them tend to be mixed. Some miscellaneous notes that have been repeated ad nauseum but it never hurts to repeat: not all coffeeshops sell lighters/matches/grinders/etc, but you can buy lovely disposable lighters at pretty much any gift shop or convenience store in central Amsterdam. Amsterdam also has a few smoker-friendly bars (this seems to be a begrudged exception you don't really find elsewhere in the country), which are also listed in the directory - you buy your weed at a coffeeshop and then smoke at the bar/cafe in a designated area. You're not supposed to smoke joints mixed with tobacco indoors, though lots of people do it anyway. If all else fails, you can go to a large park (like Vondelpark) on a nice day and smoke in a secluded spot, just check first that there are no children around, as this is a big deal for the Dutch authorities. The rule of thumb, in my experience, is that if there are only other smokers around, you'll be fine, especially if they're locals, but you definitely shouldn't just smoke in the street. Hedgehog Pie fucked around with this message at 16:36 on Sep 9, 2023 |
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Sep 9, 2023 16:22
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Ooh yes, I've heard good things about Katsu too. I've never been, but considering how much easier it is to get to De Pijp on the metro now, it might be one for next time.
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Sep 9, 2023 16:59
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In Europe, you're usually better off getting a train or bus from the airport into the city. Most major European city airports have excellent train links that are fast, convenient and cheap. They may not necessarily be comfy, but if you're only going into the city centre it's usually a short trip. Even cities with airports that aren't directly linked to the railway, like Budapest, usually have a very good value bus service that costs a fraction of a taxi ride.
Hedgehog Pie fucked around with this message at 14:30 on Sep 14, 2023 |
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Sep 14, 2023 14:26
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Good point, my flights to Europe aren't long-haul flights, though I do try to find public transport options even when I'm flying further afield because I'm a massive skinflint (from a third-world country lolol) and I think I just like those options better anyway. I was going to cite getting the train from Narita in Tokyo after a long flight (I first went before they expanded Haneda), but I can't imagine getting a cab is much better in that case, either for the sake of time or your wallet. This is just going from/to the airport to/from the city centre too. For CDG in this instance, I can't picture not taking the RER-metro (though maybe if I have to do Chatelet-Les Halles one more time, maybe I'll change my tune). Hedgehog Pie fucked around with this message at 21:54 on Sep 14, 2023 |
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Sep 14, 2023 21:49
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It's not proper Paris if your hotel doesn't have a tiny screechy lift. Also, everything needs to be brown and yellow.
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Sep 21, 2023 17:36
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Paris is fun, but you've got to accept that it's also a bit of a shithole. I think certain tourists get caught up in the CITY OF LOVE thing and are disappointed at the hygiene/amount of coloured people. The multicultural bits are the best part of Paris btw.
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Oct 18, 2023 21:45
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Regarding a second city to visit, Birmingham has a well-regarded German Christmas market at this time of year. It can get very busy, especially on the weekend, but it's an idea for a (half-)day trip.
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Nov 6, 2023 22:16
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I'm not all that high on Stratford, though that's probably because I live in the area (trains can also be a bit spotty to and from there). I feel like if you just want to see a play, Shakespeare or otherwise, you'll be better off in London. Stratford really only has the RSC, which is great, but that's more or less it. The history side is probably only a bonus if you're not massively into Shakey. Eurostar is also quite good for short international trips. Obviously it's a bit more limited and expensive but it's comfier and more convenient!
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Nov 9, 2023 22:34
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:Wait, a bit more limited? As far as I know the only Eurostar stops are London, Paris, Lille, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Are there others? Yeah, those are pretty much the only direct ones (also Rotterdam), but you can change in Brussels for anywhere else in Belgium for no added fee (I believe) and there's also a connection to Koln.
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Nov 10, 2023 01:38
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I've seen nudity out of the window in Paris before, it's fine!
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Dec 6, 2023 21:00
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WaryWarren posted:Power move, you must be from the Midwest. Nah, that's just classic Parisian.
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Dec 6, 2023 21:58
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Carbon dioxide posted:As well as the other one, the "genetically modified little mermaid". Okay, this I like and I'm sad I didn't see it when I was last there.
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Feb 25, 2024 16:15
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I actually have a very nice picture of my brother and his fiancee at Trevi from not long before covid. It's possible they were just really lucky, I can't remember what time of year they went.
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Apr 3, 2024 06:21
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Grillfiend posted:Bit of a weird question, I'm European but I've never flown to/through Madrid. I'm looking at flights to NYC in November and one of the options has an 18hr layover in Madrid (arriving there in the evening and flying out again in the afternoon). I don't know the airport and the local public transport, how feasible would it be to get there, get to a hotel to sleep and then spend the morning in Madrid before getting back to the airport to fly out? And what would be some must-sees that can be done in the morning? Barajas is a decent airport in my experience, but passport control for non-Schengen flights was a bit chaotic when I was there. I guess you'll still be able to fly through the self-service gates though! It's connected well via the metro and, I think, the cercanias suburban trains. With the metro it took me about 50 minutes to get into the city centre with one or two changes. Nuevos Ministerios station, where the airport line terminates, is a bit of a maze but not too bad. So I'd say it's more than feasible. I'm not sure what you might be able to do in just the morning but the centre is pleasant enough to just walk around. 🙂
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Apr 3, 2024 14:38
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As an art fan, I love the Louvre, but my big tips are: buy your ticket in advance and use the underground entrance in the Carrousel du Louvre as early as possible. It opens, I believe, at 9am. This is the entrance connected to the metro station via a series of underground passageways through a supposedly fancy shopping mall (it's not that fancy, despite what some want you to think), right by the inverted glass pyramid. Don't take any big bags or anything that might need to be checked, because you go through airport-styled security when you enter. You can usually get to the top floor of the Denon Wing, which is where the Italian Renaissance art (including the Mona Lisa) is, fairly quickly this way, before the crowds get too stupid. I strongly recommend looking at a map and picking out a few things you really want to see in advance. The Louvre is massive. I've been there two or three times and I've still not seen everything. Personally, I'm a fan of the Northern European stuff at the top of the Richielieu Wing - Vermeer's Lacemaker is here, and it's usually very quiet compared to the Denon Wing. Also, renovations are STILL going on at the Louvre, so certain galleries are closed on certain days. These are depicted on the website too, along with various other maps. Make sure something you really want to see isn't closed off when you go!
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May 7, 2024 17:21
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