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freebooter posted:Is there a ferry from Helsinki across those islands to Sweden? A friend and I are going to be travelling from Moscow to London in October, and going through Scandinavia looks more attractive than going through Eastern Europe. Check out these two companies: Viking Line http://www.vikingline.fi/index.asp?lang=en Silja Line http://www.tallinksilja.com/en/ Overnight cruises from Helsinki to Stockholm. They're not exactly cheap, but the ships are very luxurious. Another, slightly cheaper option is to go overland to Turku, and catch a boat there.
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Aug 29, 2010 20:14
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Lady Gaza posted:I'm going to Finland, specifically Ylläs, over Christmas. I know it's going to be very cold, about -15C I think, so I've got lots of warm clothes. Has anyone been there or anywhere similar in the Arctic Circle? Any tips? Hopefully will be seeing the Northern Lights, I'm wondering if my camera will hold up in those temperatures. It's going to be so very very dark, enjoy. Keep your feet dry, dress in layers to keep warm, drink lots of water to stay hydrated, and the camera will have abysmal battery life outdoors. Lots of wintery activities available. The place should have tons of young seasonal workers with good English skills.
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Nov 12, 2011 16:10
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Saladman posted:I was curious and you might know—I see this place is a ski resort, but how does that work if they only get like 2 hours of daylight a day from like mid-November until mid-January? Do they have stadium lights on the piste, and no one skis off piste or something (and then they'd only have like, two pistes or something and it's super expensive?)? Or is it shut in the middle of winter and people only go there in fall/winter and winter/spring transitions? Midwinter is definitely high season for the resorts, and they have massive lights covering every (or almost every) piste.
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Nov 20, 2011 13:03
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And in Scandinavia (and Finland) tap water tends to be safer than bottled water.
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Dec 27, 2011 21:58
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Futility101 posted:I am planning a 2 week trip to Austria and Switzerland. I have never been to Europe so I will be compeletly clueless. For those of you that have been to this region where is the best bang for your buck as far as seeing the sights? Also, those who have posted have suggested leasing a car for transporation? Is that a viable option for this region as well? Or should I look into other forms of transporation (i.e. rail)? What's the time of year?
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Jan 2, 2012 16:11
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The Slippery Nipple posted:So I just read on that Savvy Babkpacker site (great site by the way) that European adults don't wear shorts. I'm going to be in southern Spain in the spring/summer for a large amount of my trip, I'm assuming this isn't the case there? Some people do, some people don't. It depends on the weather and which country you're going to, even on the specific part of the country. Contrary to the myth, European people actually do wear shorts. Almost everyone you'll meet in Southern Spain is a tourist anyway, so doesn't matter.
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Nov 11, 2014 21:32
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Christ, just shop around for both hotels and private rentals before you book. Will depend on the area, season and just what happens to be available. In Europe AirBnB is sometimes better than hotels, sometimes worse.
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Jun 28, 2017 13:47
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Residency Evil posted:I used to be a "see as much as you can" type of person, but we spent a week in Paris a few years back and I changed my approach. A week in Paris was still barely scratching the surface, but I'm seeing all of these week long itineraries in Spain having people visit Madrid and Barcelona and feel like it might be a bit much, so I think limiting it to day trips out of Madrid seems the most reasonable. If you're interested in Cordoba, also look into Medina Azahara, which is close'ish to the center, and Castillo Almodovar del Rio, which is further out. If you happen to have a car, there's also some cool mountains to explore just north of the city. I used to live in Cordoba for a bit years ago, and I found it cosier than Sevilla and Valencia.
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Jul 19, 2021 08:58
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Etuni posted:What's a good city to check out for a night while traveling from Amsterdam to Berlin by train? Hanover seems like the obvious option based on location, but should I make it a point to see Düsseldorf or Cologne instead if I only have one night? Would like to limit the number of transfers if possible. Don't go to Hannover, do go to Cologne. Nice riverfront, awesome cathedral, plenty of good beer if you're into that.
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Mar 5, 2022 23:56
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Jerry Manderbilt posted:if I have a week in Munich is it worth earmarking a day to go to Neuschwanstein? I'd bet getting a guided tour since I wouldn't have a car. Neuschwanstein is cool. Other day trips you might want to look into are Salzburg with a cool castle, Garmisch-Partenkirchen for Zguspitze, Germany's tallest mountain, and Berchtesgaden and Königssee for Kehlsteinhaus and a gorgeous Alpine lake.
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Sep 11, 2022 11:42
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GrandmaParty posted:I'm in the early plans of going to sicily and valletta in May. Any tips? I know the mosaic in the royal chapel is amazing. I second Fort St. Elmo and Fort St. Angelo. Upper Barrakka Gardens for a nice view over St. Angelo. Valletta is pretty hilly, but it's not exactly large, so you can cover most of it in like 1-2 days. You can also take a very short ferry trip to Silema and visit Fort Manoel. St. Julian's and Paceville seem to be the party hot spots if you're into that.
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Sep 21, 2022 11:21
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RoRz0r posted:Amsterdam was a great time, them dam boat guys was a great suggestion and I would recommend it to anybody going in the future. Taqueria El Oso has great tacos, next to U Senefelderplatz. Has a bunch of other restaurants in the vicinity too. Cafe Chagall for Russian food, across the street from El Oso. Also liked Hako Ramen, close to U Eberswalder Str. Generally Prenzlauer Berg has a huge variety of options. Bellboy Bar in Mitte has wacky cocktails if you're into that. Area around U Moritzplatz and U Kottbusser Tor seems to have plenty interesting bars but haven't really checked them out. Wherever you go, bring cash.
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Oct 6, 2022 13:37
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Entropist posted:Nope, it is extremely hosed especially after covid, and there are high fees for crossing borders and especially for dropping off in another country. Cars are almost never the answer in Europe, unless it's like far East where there is no good public transport. I'd say car rental is still a very good option in some parts of Europe. You can get pretty good deals from big companies in Germany, as long as you book well in advance and return the car to the same place. Cross country drop-off fees are (and have been) really high. In my experience, having a car gives you a lot of flexibility even in places like Germany with extensive train networks, as long as you stay out of the big cities. For reference, I booked a compact automatic for 24 hours early September and it was about 230€. Drove from Berlin to Munich and back the following day. One-way drop-off fee would've been 40€. Didn't book in advance, so of course more expensive. Then last July I booked a much better car in Southern Germany for 4 days, and it was 350€ total including insurance, because I'd booked like 6 weeks in advance. It was also Friday to Monday which had better prices than during the week. I've found that if you want to get a car for Switzerland, Austria or Northern Italy, it might be much cheaper to pick the car up in Germany, drive to the destination, and then just drive back once you're done. And then in Southern Europe you might have smaller rental places with good prices still, but quality and service varies a lot.
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Oct 23, 2022 11:23
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distortion park posted:Idk 350eur for a four day car hire still seems really expensive. Sometimes you don't have a choice but if there are other options they'll generally be cheaper (unless you have 3 kids or something) Entropist posted:Yeah when I'm thinking of reasonable prices I'm thinking of €20-30 per day, which was possible before Covid in the slightly less expensive European countries. I think this really depends on if you want to pay extra for a "better" car. Looking at Sixt, you can get an economy car for 40€/day for a week next spring from Munich airport without extra insurance. I don't think we'll get back to the really cheap pre-Covid rental prices when using big companies, but they're still decently priced if booking in advance. Having a car opens up some opportunities you wouldn't have otherwise, even with the inflated petrol prices, and there just are places you can't really access the same way without a car. e: I figure the big point here is that you should figure out your needs. Sometimes it's better to have that Interrail pass, sometimes it's better to have a car, even though it might be more expensive. If I rent a car, I'm trying to visit places I couldn't really (easily) visit with a train or a bus, so rental cars have been really helpful for me. But I also like driving, which not everyone does, so YMMV. DanTheFryingPan fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Oct 23, 2022 |
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Oct 23, 2022 20:39
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I've driven through and around Northern Italy several times and I didn't even know they were a thing. Mostly stayed away from bigger cities, though, so maybe I've been lucky. I think driving there is generally fine, it's just that dealing with the big cities can be annoying. Both traffic and parking in Milan was a chore.
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Apr 2, 2023 23:18
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dphi posted:Will be in Salzburg, Austria for ~3 weeks for work next month, open to any suggestions for stuff to do on the weekends. I'll have a car as well so if there's something worth making a drive for, I'd be interested in that as well. Places to avoid, restaurants to visit, etc., appreciate any info! I like Salzburg a lot and think there's tons of stuff to do there. These will be pretty car specific since I like driving in the Alps. Depending on what kind of car you have, might be useful, might not be. In May a lot of the mountain passes should start to open, but check weather forecasts and whether individual destinations are open or not. Berchtesgaden and Königssee were already mentioned. They're really close by and easy to reach. You can visit the Kehlsteinhaus, and take a boat ride on the Königgsee. There's a private road called B999 that costs about 10€, but has a cool ridge that borders Germany and Austria, and is a fun drive. There's a public road 305 from Berchtesgaden to Bad Reichenhall that's also fun and has great views. The Grossglockner road has amazing views, but it'll likely take an entire day. Zell am See is close by, has a cable car with good views. Dachstein is just bit to the south from Salzburg, also has a cable car with great views. Stubai is a bit further out, close to Innsbruck, but another destination with a cable car and great views. If you're willing to do overnight trips, there's passes like Timmelsjoch, Jaufenpass, Stelvio Pass, Brenner Pass next to or in Italy. Munich is a fairly short train ride away. Neuschwanstein Castle is doable as a day trip, but you probably need to book well in advance.
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Apr 8, 2023 13:53
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mobby_6kl posted:You won't believe some of the names that Austrians have, those dirty bastards! You can drive from Wank to Kissing to Petting to (ex) loving in like half a day. 
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Apr 10, 2023 00:17
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How is Uber not the same thing as a taxi from a customer's point of view, exactly? e: I mean what happens very often is I order a car through Uber or a competitor and the car that shows up has a taxi sign on it. DanTheFryingPan fucked around with this message at 14:54 on Sep 21, 2023 |
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Sep 21, 2023 14:51
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