|
So I am flying to Vienna in 3 hours, anyone have any suggestions of places to see and eat at? How about nightlife? Additionally, with another London question. I have a 6 hour layover in Heathrow. Is that enough time to go downtown for an hour and look around and then get back? Its on a Tuesday. Cheesemaster200 fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Sep 9, 2010 |
#
¿
Sep 9, 2010 20:07
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 1, 2024 23:35 |
|
|
I'm going to be going to Oktoberfest next year with a lot of people. Is there a hostel in Munich that anyone knows of which has dorm type accommodation (like 10 beds or something) which can be rented out?
|
|
#
¿
Sep 16, 2011 20:16
|
|
|
Anyone have recommendations for a good hostel in Prague?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 24, 2012 15:02
|
|
|
I have an extra day on my trip to central Europe and I don't know if I should spend it in Warsaw, Krakow, Bratislava or Budapest. Which city would benefit the most from more time?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 14, 2015 04:42
|
|
|
Anyone have a good hotel in Krakow near the old town? Looking for a place for me and my girlfriend. We are open to hostels, so long as they have private rooms.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 20, 2015 01:18
|
|
|
I have a business trip next month that will entail spending five days in Amsterdam from Monday to Friday, then have the weekend off for myself, then travel to Antwerp for four days for work again from Monday to Thursday. Afterwards, I have a four day weekend from Friday to Monday before flying back on Tuesday. So the questions I have: - Should I just spend the first weekend in Amsterdam, or try to go to Brussels or something? I will be working while over there the for the first five days, so I probably won't get to play tourist. - My company is paying for the hotel over the first weekend in Amsterdam. I usually travel with Hilton, but the Amsterdam Hilton is a bit to the south of the old town, but close to museums. Is this necessarily a negative? Are there places to go out drinking/eating around there? - Is Brussels even worth visiting? - Where should I go for the four days afterward? Never been to Switzerland, so looking at potentially going there. Should I bother with more time in Belgium? Luxembourg?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 18, 2016 15:55
|
|
|
I am headed to Rome in a month, and am wondering if I should stay near the forum or along the river in the western part of the old city. Refer to attached map. Should I stay at location A or B? What would be the advantages of each? My biggest goal is to go for quaint walks around the city at night and more enjoy the atmosphere.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 18, 2017 16:13
|
|
|
B also has an indoor pool and rooftop bar, so I think I will go with that.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 18, 2017 17:34
|
|
|
I arrive in LHR on Thursday @ 9:50AM and depart LHR on Day 4 @ 3:40PM. Essentially two full days and two half days in the UK. I have been to London numerous times and seen most of the major tourist attractions. I was thinking of doing something more afield, potentially 2-3 nights in Edinburgh. Is this worth it? The train is only 4 hours, and it would be an interesting trip since I am by myself. I have never been to Scotland, so I thought I would try it out. Should I do that or try to stay in and around London some more? London is a great city to just wander around in and I could surely keep myself busy. What about around in England? I have always wanted to see Stonehenge. quote:My wife and I are going for about 5 days at the end of May (Ascension weekend--is that a big holiday there? Will things be closed?). Cheesemaster200 fucked around with this message at 20:58 on Apr 25, 2017 |
|
#
¿
Apr 25, 2017 20:54
|
|
|
WaryWarren posted:amalfi and cinque terre are so overrated. and the locals hate the tourists there. not that an american tourist would be self-aware enough to notice. there was an article in the guardian this week about venice planning to ban fast food/kebab shops in a fruitless effort to retain some of their distinct culture. also, a lot of "tourists go home" flyers plastered on buildings. last time i was there, i noticed that there is a large disney store near san marco. lol I am taking the lady over to Italy for two weeks at the end of this month. I spent a weekend in Rome back in 2005 when I was studying abroad, and never really had much of an inclination to go back due to the proliferation of tour groups. This time we are going to Venice, Florence and Rome so we can say we have been to these places while removing any guilt if I never go back. I am bracing for crowds, but tried to reserve all the major things in advance. Likewise, we are staying what I am hoping is a bit off the beaten path in Venice, so hopefully we can chill around places that don't get the cruise ship crush.
|
|
#
¿
May 7, 2017 17:44
|
|
|
Carbon dioxide posted:Google reviews for random non-public buildings are always the best. Reviews of random poo poo in Pyongyang are always my favorite.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 22, 2017 02:42
|
|
|
Whats a good place to visit in Europe in January; skiing excepted? I think I may do a few days skiing in Switzerland or Austria, and then a couple days in a city in that area. Flights are real cheap from the mid-atlantic right now.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 9, 2017 21:35
|
|
|
What would be a good place to go to in Europe for one week in January?
|
|
#
¿
Nov 2, 2017 00:08
|
|
|
Saladman posted:Any major city or anywhere far south enough so that the weather won't blow, like Malta or Seville or Marrakech (if Morocco is Europe enough for you). I went to Malta last year in winter, and Marrakech the year before, and god drat it was nice to get somewhere with sun. Backstory: I booked a $500 flight out of BWI into LHR and back Friday-Sunday. Checking the flights, I can do RT to most places in Europe for like $100-200 from there. I have been to practically everywhere in Europe except the Iberian Peninsula, Switzerland and Greece, but have never been there in winter. I ski, but Switzerland seems rather expensive for that and I keep reading the cities are rather boring. Greece is a possibility, but it is a long flight and the islands are apparently all shut down from a tourist infrastructure standpoint. I was looking to go to Seville and the surrounds or maybe Portugal Lisbon to Porto, but I can't seem to get a warm and fuzzy feeling around that. I really like central Europe, so was considering bouncing around Germany, Austria and Czech to some cities I haven't been to. quote:I'm flying into Amsterdam (because it was cheap) from Texas in late February, and have 4 nights to kill before meeting up with friends in Brussels. I'm struggling to determine how to divide my time between Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent. I'll probably spend at least one night in Amsterdam since i'm flying in there. Cheesemaster200 fucked around with this message at 23:44 on Nov 2, 2017 |
|
#
¿
Nov 2, 2017 23:42
|
|
|
My current predicament: I have eight days to potentially see southern Spain. Cities that I am currently looking to mix and match to my itinerary are: Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Gibraltar. I definitely want to see Granada, but it is also one of the hardest places to get in or out of. I need to start and end the trip to someplace with a major airport with non-stop flights to London. I want to avoid buses if possible and stick to trains. How much time are each city worth, and what would be a good itinerary?
|
|
#
¿
Nov 17, 2017 22:13
|
|
|
What is the quickest way to get to Seville from the Madrid Airport? Additionally, do Spanish trains tend to sell out, or can I generally buy tickets at the station? Asking about a Saturday in January. Another unrelated question, if I had to choose 3 days in Porto and 2 days in Lisbon, or vice versa, what would be best for a tourist interested in history and food? Cheesemaster200 fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Dec 6, 2017 |
|
#
¿
Dec 6, 2017 21:32
|
|
|
HookShot posted:But yeah, I've had the same experience in tons of places where I don't speak the language. The food ends up being way better since it's not overpriced tourist crap, even if you're basically just pointing randomly and getting a surprise meal.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 24, 2017 03:04
|
|
|
Just booked my trip to Porto and Lisbon for two weeks from now. Are there any museums in Lison, Porto or Sintra that need advanced reservations? Do I need to book trains in advance between the two cities, or will it be available during the week at this time? Any recommendations on things to do?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 31, 2017 18:53
|
|
|
Ghent was my favorite city in Belgium. It had a beautiful and walkable medieval center, but wasn't overrun with tourists in the same way Bruges was. Brussels was okay, but it felt very sanitized. I recommend going over to the Cantillion brewery. For as much as everyone hypes it up, you expect it to be some sort of uber-commercialized tourist trap, but it really wasn't.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 8, 2018 02:59
|
|
|
I am looking to do a month or so backpacking through Europe with my wife this summer, starting around mid-July. Our tentative itinerary is Paris->Freiburg->Heidelberg->Munich->Budapest->Brasov->Bucharest->Veliko Tarnovo->Istanbul. Not so much concerned about the tentative plan, but am wondering what train/hostel/hotel prices are like when you do things last minute during the summer. I would prefer to be flexible, but at the same time I don't want to get completely hosed with waiting to the last minute. How much different are last minute costs versus booking months in advance?
|
|
#
¿
Mar 7, 2019 22:18
|
|
|
Saladman posted:Also I know you're not asking about your itinerary, but why Freiburg? It's OK but it's basically a less-pretty version of Heidelberg. They're both student towns in hilly forested countryside, but Heidelberg is much more unique. Colmar & Kayserberg > Freiburg, unless you're going to Freiburg to visit a friend... in which case make sure to get to Colmar and Kayserberg for a daytrip, and much better if you have a car for Kayserberg. We are billing this as a "grand journey" from Paris or London (haven't figured out the start yet) to Istanbul, and Freiburg appeared to be a good stop from a rail connection perspective. My wife specifically wants to spend time in the black forest and it also seemed like a good base for doing that. Colmar looks very nice; is there a train from Freiburg? We are also planning to spend a minimum of 3-days in each location we visit. If we book trains when we arrive in each place for our next destination, would that be considered "last minute"? Also, how do train changes generally work, specifically with D-Bahn?
|
|
#
¿
Mar 8, 2019 03:36
|
|
|
I am doing a long backpacking trip later this year and I still can't get a hold on what stuff I should book in advance, and what can be left to ad lib exploring. I would prefer to not book things in advance to give flexibility. However we will be traveling for 2-3 weeks in western Europe starting in mid-July. I feel like a lot of stuff would book up. I also don't want to get reamed on cost because we waited to the last minute. I know trains tend to get expensive if you don't book in advance, and I am sure hotels/hostels are a similar concept. Anyone have any experience from their trip in July/August with last minute bookings? Also, if the trains are all booked/expensive, is there a bus option that is fairly prevalent? I guess what I am asking is how much flexibility can you have for cheaper independent backpacking in Europe in the summer. Cheesemaster200 fucked around with this message at 16:40 on Mar 18, 2019 |
|
#
¿
Mar 18, 2019 16:31
|
|
|
Ras Het posted:There's buses for pretty much every route that there's trains for the exact reason you're thinking of, because they're cheaper. Hotels don't necessarily get more expensive, but availability might be a problem in smaller cities during the holiday season, same with airbnb. Basically to get flexibility you will be trading off travel time when you end up sitting in buses instead of trains. Buses sell out too, but many companies will just hire extra ones for popular routes. The majority of our time in Europe will be spent in Romania and Bulgaria. I am less concerned about trains and/or hotels selling out there from what I have read. My concern is really the trip from Paris-Budapest.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 18, 2019 17:34
|
|
|
Amsterdam's population has increased rather dramatically in the last 20 years (~150k people, or +15%). That is a lot of people to absorb in a city whose layout originates from the 16th century and much of its housing stock before year 1900. Airbnb is likely not helping the housing problems they are having, but I also don't think it is the root cause either. This is not a situation unique to Amsterdam, and Airbnb tends to make an easy target for politicians everywhere to mask their inaction on housing policy.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 20, 2019 04:19
|
|
|
Is Salzburg worth 2-3 days or is that too much?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 1, 2019 03:39
|
|
|
That's always my biggest problem with traveling; figuring out how long to stay in each location. The flip side of the DK guides are the lonely planet books. They thoroughly go through each location but lack any sense of realism with their itineraries. You will get a book on Peru or something, and they will show a 4-week, 6-week and 8-week itinerary with spending absurd amounts of time in each location. Who has that much time to spend in Peru? It is definitely geared towards the gap year/backpacker tourist, but still. I am currently planning a quasi-open ended "backpacking" trip during a mid-life career transition, and I am still going back and forth to spend two or three days in each town or city. Hence why I keep asking all these seemingly random questions.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 2, 2019 01:59
|
|
|
webmeister posted:2-3 days is usually enough time in any moderate sized tourist destination to see what you want. There are some tentpole-level tourist destinations where you could spend a week (eg London, Rome, New York etc), but unless you're going for something specific you don't need that long. Yeah, I did a six-week trip back in 2013 under a similar situation and the constant uncertainty really got to me. About two weeks into India I finally just aborted and headed to Thailand for a week on the beach... For this trip I am trying to plan European lodging and travel in advance (to save money), and do a lot of preliminary research for the more adventurous places. Also planning to base myself in strategically located towns so I can do a lot of day trips, etc. without moving much.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 2, 2019 15:02
|
|
|
Booked and finalized my itinerary for the European part of my around-the-world trip. The intent is to do a "train journey" from western Europe to Istanbul, before heading out to Asia and beyond. 3-Days: Gengenbach (Black Forest) 2-Days: Heidelberg 3-Days: Munich 3-Days: Salzburg 3-Days: Vienna 1-Day: Sighisoara 3-Days: Brasov 3-Days: Bucharest 3-Days: Veliko Tarnovo 5-Days: Istanbul After that it is off to China. I have been to Munich, Vienna and Istanbul before, but looking for tips on the other places. Also, any ideas for day trips from Istanbul? I am thinking of going over to the Princes Islands.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 22, 2019 16:54
|
|
|
Entropist posted:Sighisoara is a small fortified town, nice for just walking around the old center for a day. Do take some time to appreciate the covered walkway to the church and the church itself. There are many towers around for a nice view. There are various nice little shops run by a single person with local productss/beer/wine etc. which I can't find back now because they're not on Google Maps. This is great, thanks! Looking to do 4 hours in Sinaia as a train stopover. Doesn't seem like a fun place to stay the night, but the castles seem impressive.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 22, 2019 18:15
|
|
|
Residency Evil posted:We did Italy in July 2 years ago because of scheduling issues. We avoided southern Italy and stuck to more Northern parts. The furthest south we went was Florence, and we did: Venice is great if you sleep til noon and wander the streets til 1AM. During the day you have the tour groups and cruise ships which makes it horrible. Once it clears out is is very nice.
|
|
#
¿
May 9, 2019 20:18
|
|
|
Trying to take a train from Bucharest Nord to Halkali outside of Istanbul with a stop in Veliko Tarnovo for three nights. I can book Bucharest->Veliko Tarnovo and Bucharest->Halkali tickets on the Romanian railways site, but I can't book the Veliko Tarnovo->Halkali online. Will I be able to book the ticket into Halkali in Bucharest a few days before, or even in the Veliko Tarnovo station? Mind you it will be a sleeper (hopefully). Also, should I book domestic trains in Romania in advance online, or just do it at the station? Cheesemaster200 fucked around with this message at 19:14 on Jun 2, 2019 |
|
#
¿
Jun 2, 2019 19:06
|
|
|
Saladman posted:Personally I find the cruise ship / tour bus destinations to be much more disruptive than family / backpacker / whatever hotspots, since the cruise ship / tour bus groups will be like 60 people standing in the exact same spot and not moving, tuning out the world while listening to some guide on a headset, while smaller groups of travellers will be more evenly dispersed and also paying attention to the world around them. Might I recommend Venice as a nice spot to travel too during cruise season.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 13, 2019 22:40
|
|
|
Antwerp if you want a more "local" experience. There isn't too much of a tourist vibe there, due to lack of distinct tourist attractions. I found this to be a good thing, but not good for an instagram vacation. Brugge was just the opposite, very tourist oriented. However there are a lot of things to do for a tourist. Ghent was right in the middle; a decent amount of tourist infrastructure, but very easy to get off the beaten path. Brussels get a bad reputation for some reason, but I found it to be a very interesting city. It is bigger and more cosmopolitan than the other belgian hot spots, but enjoyable.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 21, 2019 15:31
|
|
|
I will be in Gengenbach Germany for three days in July but haven't really planned much out. I was planning on just winging it and asking for recommendations on nice towns to do day trips from. That being said, does anyone have any suggestions?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 23, 2019 22:14
|
|
|
I am currently in the midst of 3.5 days in madrid+toledo and 3.5 days in Barcelona and I am feeling rushed. I have done porto/lisbon/sintra in a 9-day trip in the past and that felt like that was a very good timeframe for those cities.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2019 16:15
|
|
|
I think it depends on your travel style. Some people appreciate the "journey" while some other people like to linger more. I have a spreadsheet that I plan my vacations out which has one column per day, each with 24 rows. I plan out all my travel time this way to visualize how much I am in each location, versus how much I am traveling in between locations. This method has been pretty successful in bringing most of my overstretched trips down to earth.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 13, 2019 14:16
|
|
|
webmeister posted:Yeah, Euronet is the company I was specifically referring to with the yellow branding. Even if you decline their conversion rate they tack on a colossal fee for using the machine, on top of whatever your bank might charge. And they do the scammy thing by offering you huge amounts of money since it’s an unfamiliar currency. One of the most prominent options on their machines is about two months salary in Czech Republic Deutsch Bank ATMs had no fees when I was in Barcelona and Madrid a week or so ago. Caixa Bank (local bank) tried to charge me 5 euro per transaction. If you get caught at an ATM with high fees, just decline the transaction and try something else if you have the time. quote:If you go to Europe with a CC without knowing the pin and without any cash money you just screwed yourself. Cheesemaster200 fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Jul 20, 2019 |
|
#
¿
Jul 20, 2019 22:40
|
|
|
I literally just came from loving Madrid to Salzburg expecting some cool mountain air after baking in Spain. We climbed the Untersberg today and nearly died from the heat. Not only was it hot, but there was *zero* breeze, event at the near 6,000 foot summit. loving miserable.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 26, 2019 14:58
|
|
|
webmeister posted:Everywhere in the world, I've found that someone spruiking out front for the restaurant is usually a bad sign. Honestly, stick to Google reviews (particularly the ones in Portuguese) as it tends to prioritise local reviews. The flip side to this is that if you are in a very tourist-central location with lots of such restaurants, don't go wandering around aimlessly looking for an "authentic" dining experience while you starve to death and piss off your travel companions. Many times these restaurants are in scenic locations (e.g. main squares), and while the food may be sub-par you will make up for it with good views. I have a friend who always makes a point to get the best <insert local food here> wherever he visits. The problem is that he spends half a day traveling to the outskirts of town doing it, wasting time he could otherwise enjoy drinking an overpriced beer at a nice central location. We all want to be savvy travelers who eat at authentic local establishments, but sometimes that is not in sync with limited timeframes and the reality that you are in fact a tourist.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 1, 2019 20:04
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 1, 2024 23:35 |
|
|
Misc posted:the vatican museum has this ikea showroom floor plan that forces you to shuffle through the whole thing in a day. the result was that i remember almost nothing i saw because every centimeter of every room is covered in stuff. the overwhelming vibe is shock and awe with iphone shutter noises as the soundtrack. The problem with the vatican museum is the multitude of tour groups which just thrust you along through the entire visit. You can't really stop and enjoy something, especially if it is on the tour guide radar. Any important pieces would be swamped with people. I always remember my visit there where I stopped to view Augustus of Prima Porta, a statue of Ceasar Augustus which I have seen a lot in my reading on ancient Rome. Apparently this wasn't on the tour guide itinerary and had literally nobody near it. However when I went down the corridor to some selfie-worthie atrium there were nearly 100 people taking pictures with selfie-sticks of random poo poo they probably have no knowledge of but was on the tour itinerary. It's a phenomenon you see all over the world. People are more concerned with their instagram posts of supposedly famous things, even though they have no idea what it is or why it is famous.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 6, 2019 20:16
|
|