So I'm looking to spend a few weeks in Europe in September/October. Definitely want to hit Oktoberfest in Munich, but other than that not too sure where I should go, so I'm looking for suggestions. I was thinking of doing southern Germany, Italy, France and then Holland (I have family there). I've already been to Berlin and east Germany, Prague, Madrid and London, so not really looking to repeat. Would also love to go to the Spanish coast.
Check out Vernazza in Italy. It's one of 5 little towns in a row in Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera. Awesome place that I had never heard of before - a friend recommended it and it was one of the highlights of our trip to Europe almost 5 years ago.
Since you are already going to Munich, then spend a day at Dachau - the original concentration camp. It's a short trip on the S-Bahn from Munich. Also, go to Neuchwanstein Castle which is in Fussen - about an hour away by train. Also recommend the bike tour through the countryside as well. They take you to Swan Lake (the swans are mean little buggers) and a fun run down a slide for a pit stop.
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Damn, I want to go back to Europe but I only have $92.
I agree with FireInTheHole, if your going to Munich, check out Dachau, and if you like castles, there is a cool castle tour that you can do which takes you to like 3-4 castles + a small German town which is the most German town I have ever seen.
Everyone I talked to when I was in Europe said Italy sucked, but for me Italy was one of my favorite countries. Rome is one hell of a city (one of my fav's, the other being Berlin). Florence is nice, Venice is 'meh', and I never went to any small towns other than pisa (just to see the tower), but again like Fire said, check out the Cinque Terre, although it might be dead in October.
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Edit---Christ, it appears I should read the OP more clearly next time. I've got no goddamn clue where you'd wanna go then dude. Go to Ibiza. Party harder than you've ever partied before. I'd definitely go to a concentration camp if you've never been. It's a very sobering experience, one that I feel everyone should have to do.
PM Phaneuthier...he's done a bunch of travelling over there.
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Not trying to hijack your thread but if I make my own I'm sure people would get mad.
Me and the gf are planning a mini-compressed eurotrip. The plan is:
- 2 nights in London (heard its a hole. Just want to see the main things.)
- 3 nights in Paris (Key part of the trip, Again just want to see the key sights)
- 1 night in Nice (We'd arrive early and leave late so it's almost 2 full days. probably sneak over to Monaco as well just to check it out)
- 1 (2 depending on flight) night in Rome (main sights again)
- a week or two in Poland (Family ... Free!!)
I just budgeted this out and it fits in to our strict budget just barely. We're splitting everything so flights came to 1500-1600 each including fees (luggage, taxes..etc) and Hotels came to 500 bucks each as well.
The part we're not sure of is food. I figure that 300 each should be enough for the first part... am I underestimating that? I know its expensive but that seems like enough for 8 days.
(Sorry, if you want me to make my own thread I will)
Not trying to hijack your thread but if I make my own I'm sure people would get mad.
Me and the gf are planning a mini-compressed eurotrip. The plan is:
- 2 nights in London (heard its a hole. Just want to see the main things.)
- 3 nights in Paris (Key part of the trip, Again just want to see the key sights)
- 1 night in Nice (We'd arrive early and leave late so it's almost 2 full days. probably sneak over to Monaco as well just to check it out)
- 1 (2 depending on flight) night in Rome (main sights again)
- a week or two in Poland (Family ... Free!!)
I just budgeted this out and it fits in to our strict budget just barely. We're splitting everything so flights came to 1500-1600 each including fees (luggage, taxes..etc) and Hotels came to 500 bucks each as well.
The part we're not sure of is food. I figure that 300 each should be enough for the first part... am I underestimating that? I know its expensive but that seems like enough for 8 days.
(Sorry, if you want me to make my own thread I will)
Dude, I don't mean to be a dick, but this is an awful, TRULY AWFUL schedule. You will truly not enjoy your vacation by compressing everything. People say I am mad for visiting 11 countries in 83 days, well I was.
I was in London for a week and I still didn't get time to do everything. I was in Rome for 4 days and I wish I would have stayed longer (didn't get to do everything), Paris you need a week.
2 weeks in Poland...if you really wanted a vacation I would spend 3 days in Poland, and then give the other 11 to London, Paris, and Rome. But family is there so my opinion is bunk.
London is not a "hole" either. It is a very cool place, and it takes days to see everything.
How are you flying between cities? Ryanair? EasyJet?
I could sit down with you and give you a lecture for like 5 hours on what to do in each city, but I think you've already booked everything.
Anyway, good luck.
P.S. If you want to see all the main sites in a small period of time do a free tour. I didn't find out about them until I got there, but I took on where ever they had them. They go over most of the sites in about a 3-4 hour walk (includes lunch break). That is the only thing I can think of which will let you see all the main sites in your short time frame.
It seems by your OP that you are set on going to western European destinations... While there are an endless number of cities you could visit in the west (Nice, Munich, Florence), I would highly recommend that you consider some less likely eastern destinations such as Croatia and Budapest. The nicest beaches I have ever seen (and I have been to many) are in Croatia.
If you're set on western Europe, I wouldn't underestimate how awesome Florence and Tuscany are. Venice is nice, but a bit of a downer if you're not with a significant other IMO. Rome can be done in 2-3 days.
Munich is the best destination in Germany IMO. Zurich and Geneva in Switz are great, but expensive. Vienna is awesome too.
The French riviera is great in southern France. Nice was the highlight for me. I have family in Marseille, but it's not as impressive as Nice.
btw, these are all very mainstream recommendations... If you were going for more than 3 weeks, I would definitely bring up some other places.
Last edited by Flabbibulin; 02-09-2010 at 06:36 AM.
I havent booked anything. I can almost guarantee that me and you are not into the same things. To put into perspective, I was getting bored in NYC for a week and I had spent 2 days watching the US Open. That was with 3 of my best friends. (Being under 21 had something to do with that I'm sure)
I know I'm rushing it but me and my girlfriend don't know anybody in any of those countries, nor do we know French or Italian. That rules out pretty much all nightlife and things of that nature.
Also neither of us are old enough to rent a car so we can't go to far from our hotel.
My friend has done this exact same trip basically in the same circumstances and he said it was awesome.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to spend a week in all those places but I really REALLY can't afford that and honestly, not being that big of history or art buff, I don't think I would enjoy spending that much time in those places, not knowing the language or having anyone to show us around.
(Yeah we'd be flying EasyJet from London-Paris, Paris-Nice, Nice-Rome and then RyanAir or LOT from Rome to Krakow)
I'm also thinking we should reverse out itenerary so that we get over Jetlag in poland and not the second part.
Dude, I don't mean to be a dick, but this is an awful, TRULY AWFUL schedule. You will truly not enjoy your vacation by compressing everything. People say I am mad for visiting 11 countries in 83 days, well I was.
I was in London for a week and I still didn't get time to do everything. I was in Rome for 4 days and I wish I would have stayed longer (didn't get to do everything), Paris you need a week.
2 weeks in Poland...if you really wanted a vacation I would spend 3 days in Poland, and then give the other 11 to London, Paris, and Rome. But family is there so my opinion is bunk.
London is not a "hole" either. It is a very cool place, and it takes days to see everything.
How are you flying between cities? Ryanair? EasyJet?
I could sit down with you and give you a lecture for like 5 hours on what to do in each city, but I think you've already booked everything.
Anyway, good luck.
P.S. If you want to see all the main sites in a small period of time do a free tour. I didn't find out about them until I got there, but I took on where ever they had them. They go over most of the sites in about a 3-4 hour walk (includes lunch break). That is the only thing I can think of which will let you see all the main sites in your short time frame.
It all depends what you want and how much cash you have-
Some people prefer a lazier schedule where you don't have to be rushed, while others want to fit in as much as you can. I usually gave myself 3 days per city (Paris and London are always the exception). Rome can easily be done in 3 full days.
Poland was nice, but Warsaw is pretty far out of the way. Krakow is a much nicer destination, and I think Auschwitz is only an hour away.
Careful on RyanAir and some of the discount airlines as they fly you to the dive airports an hour away!
Ps- dont take the night train into Poland.. ha
Last edited by Flabbibulin; 02-09-2010 at 06:37 AM.
Given what you've seen and want to see, I have a few ideas. If you were like me (not sure if you are) I like to see something really different. I'd do Italy (Rome, move your way up to Venice with stops along whatever you like, spend about 1 weeks) then mozy over to Yugaslavia. From Venice to Ljubljana (via Trieste, not worth more then a couple hours in a train switch over) and Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania are easy to hop around via bus. Zagreb, is your central stop but there's nothing to see there unless you like to shop. Dubrovnik is a good bus hub to hop between Bosnia and Montenegro. Sarajavo I believe can bus you into Albania.
I thought Hungary was really worth it. I'd combine Hungary-Poland-Czech-Slovakia. (Hungary and Poland are both worth 10 days on their own, Slovakia can take up a few days... sounds like you've already done Czech)... I loved Slovakia, most people seem to hate it, but I love that stark beauty. Depending on how you do Poland, Estonia is really unique and worth it. Russia is a flat out beauty (St Petersburg) but the visa might be a pain to get for you.
I think the rest of Europe is more or less covered, or other posters can give their 2 cents.
I know many people say fly those cheap bum airlines. I'm not a fan. Flying around and going to small airports is a waste of time, and those planes are pretty flakey. Save your time and find a simpler and easy route IMO.
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Given what you've seen and want to see, I have a few ideas. If you were like me (not sure if you are) I like to see something really different. I'd do Italy (Rome, move your way up to Venice with stops along whatever you like, spend about 1 weeks) then mozy over to Yugaslavia. From Venice to Ljubljana (via Trieste, not worth more then a couple hours in a train switch over) and Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania are easy to hop around via bus. Zagreb, is your central stop but there's nothing to see there unless you like to shop. Dubrovnik is a good bus hub to hop between Bosnia and Montenegro. Sarajavo I believe can bus you into Albania.
I thought Hungary was really worth it. I'd combine Hungary-Poland-Czech-Slovakia. (Hungary and Poland are both worth 10 days on their own, Slovakia can take up a few days... sounds like you've already done Czech)... I loved Slovakia, most people seem to hate it, but I love that stark beauty. Depending on how you do Poland, Estonia is really unique and worth it. Russia is a flat out beauty (St Petersburg) but the visa might be a pain to get for you.
I think the rest of Europe is more or less covered, or other posters can give their 2 cents.
I know many people say fly those cheap bum airlines. I'm not a fan. Flying around and going to small airports is a waste of time, and those planes are pretty flakey. Save your time and find a simpler and easy route IMO.
This guy knows what he's talking about! I usually never bring up Eastern cities when friends ask me, as most people are set on all the western countries. The highlights of my time in Europe are a lot of the places you mentioned, although I never made it into Russia because of the Visa situation.
Great recommendations, but I admit those are some pretty ballsy destinations if you're a first timer.
ps. sorry if I'm all over your thread jjbouma. Nothing gets me going like talking about Europe.
Last edited by Flabbibulin; 02-08-2010 at 12:58 AM.
I've already seen all there is to see in Poland. I've been there too many times to count. I'm still going for a while as my Grandparents are getting old and I won't have much time to see them again.
Well there's only one airport in Nice and the Rome flight is to the main one I'm pretty sure. I should double check Paris though but I think it was the main one as well.
And yeah Poland is sketchy at best. Stay out of the smaller towns and walking alone at night isn't the best call. Flashing cash is never a good idea even if you're with locals.
Thanks Flab! What was your problem on a Polish train, just that it was dirty?
I'd disagree with you on Rome and Poland. I think they're both worth at least a week. Poland, I really liked Warsaw and I think its a good choice to swing through Krakow and Gdansk. Auchiwitz is a must, and Malbrock is one of the most underrated sites especially for such a historic and strategic area. The salt mines are really popular and most people's "must" ... but I found it a little touristy, forced and artificial; only the church thing was cool IMO.
I love that sketchy, stark stuff though. Probably why I loved Bosnia and Serbia so much. Some people might be uncomfortable.
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"With a coach and a player, sometimes there's just so much respect there that it's boils over"
-Taylor Hall
I went to Charles University in Prague for a couple years, so I tend show favoritism to that city- absolutely amazing, but you mentioned you've already been there. While going to school there, we took weekend trips to every European destination imaginable.
It seems by your OP that you are set on going to western European destinations... While there are an endless number of cities you could visit in the west (Nice, Munich, Florence), I would highly recommend that you consider some less likely eastern destinations such as Croatia and Budapest. The nicest beaches I have ever seen (and I have been to many) are in Croatia.
If you're set on western Europe, I wouldn't underestimate how awesome Florence and Tuscany are. Venice is nice, but a bit of a downer if you're not with a significant other IMO. Rome can be done in 2-3 days.
Munich is the best destination in Germany IMO. Zurich and Geneva in Switz are great, but expensive. Vienna is awesome too.
The French riviera is great in southern France. Nice was the highlight for me. I have family in Marseille, but it's not as impressive as Nice.
btw, these are all very mainstream recommendations... If you were going for more than 3 weeks, I would definitely bring up some other places.
Nothing is better though than my motherland of Finland!!!
Yeah I'm fairly set on doing some western Europe countries in this trip just due to the fact that I might be going to a conference in the third week of September in Florence and then want to be in Munich for Oktoberfest, so I'll probably save eastern Europe for another trip.
I know I'm rushing it but me and my girlfriend don't know anybody in any of those countries, nor do we know French or Italian. That rules out pretty much all nightlife and things of that nature.
Also neither of us are old enough to rent a car so we can't go to far from our hotel.
When I was over in Central/Eastern Europe I found that I had some of the best times because of the language barrier. I'll never forget trying to navigate Vienna's LRT system with some Aussie and Kiwi friends...none of us spoke a lick of anything other than English. It was fun to get help from people who weren't much better in English than we were in Austrian or German. I thought it was just a blast to go into a restaurant, point at some random thing on the menu and just hoped what you got was good.
Although that was more off the beaten path sort of stuff...if you stick to the touristy things, most everything is translated to English.
I dunno how you can rule out nightlife though...you don't need to speak the language to order a beer! It's like the universal name for it haha. Vodka is vodka and whiskey is whiskey!
And I don't think too many people rent cars anyway. Pretty well anywhere you'll want to go is accessible by train/bus or at the very least by taxi. My parents rented a car for the couple weeks they were over there with me, and it was nice then but that's cause we drove through like 4 countries. To rent a car in your timeframe would be foolish anyways.
__________________
Let's get drunk and do philosophy.
If you took a burger off the grill and slapped it on your face, I'm pretty sure it would burn you. - kermitology
This guy knows what he's talking about! I usually never bring up Eastern cities when friends ask me, as most people are set on all the western countries. The highlights of my time in Europe are a lot of the places you mentioned, although I never made it into Russia because of the Visa situation.
Great recommendations, but I admit those are some pretty ballsy destinations if you're a first timer.
ps. sorry if I'm all over your thread jjbouma. Nothing gets me going like talking about Europe.
No worries, yeah I get excited by travel talk too! And sketchier places don't really freak me out... I spent 3 months traveling all over Asia and ran into some hairy situations!
When I was over in Central/Eastern Europe I found that I had some of the best times because of the language barrier. I'll never forget trying to navigate Vienna's LRT system with some Aussie and Kiwi friends...none of us spoke a lick of anything other than English. It was fun to get help from people who weren't much better in English than we were in Austrian or German. I thought it was just a blast to go into a restaurant, point at some random thing on the menu and just hoped what you got was good.
Although that was more off the beaten path sort of stuff...if you stick to the touristy things, most everything is translated to English.
I dunno how you can rule out nightlife though...you don't need to speak the language to order a beer! It's like the universal name for it haha. Vodka is vodka and whiskey is whiskey!
And I don't think too many people rent cars anyway. Pretty well anywhere you'll want to go is accessible by train/bus or at the very least by taxi. My parents rented a car for the couple weeks they were over there with me, and it was nice then but that's cause we drove through like 4 countries. To rent a car in your timeframe would be foolish anyways.
I'll second the language barrier being a non-issue when it comes to nightlife. I know you mentioned you are going with your gf but going out is more fun when you can't speak the language, it's crazy how well you communicate through gesturing. Also, I was able to rent a car when I was 19 in Germany so that should be a possibility for you.
3 Weeks in Europe
