3 Weeks in Europe

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by dj_patm

If you've ever taken it I'm sure you've got the "One person is awake at all times" vibe.

Plus there the worst trains on the planet exterior wise...

Ya, I think the old "night train into Krakow or warsaw" stories are just urban legends, but the Czech's I knew would tell me some crazy stuff.

I actually did take the night train from Prague to Krakow, but we were a pretty large group, so we didn't really have to worry. A lot of people that got on at midpoints had to stand in the hallways as the cabins were all full.

[Phanuthier]

Eastern Europe is gonna suck in 5 years or less and it'll be time to find a new hidden gem. I want to some of those recently independent former Soviet states, but some of them are still a little on political turmoil. If I do Europe again within 5 years, I'm doing Romania, Bulgeria (maybe a spot to go with a girlfriend ), Macedonia and finishing off Greece or Turkey - I actually haven't done Greece. Thing with Greece is I can add Albania too - Albania is sweet.

Doubt I'll go to Europe in the next while though, way too much to see in Asia and South America. If things work out, I'm hoping to do India/Nepal/Bangladesh. Otherwise, Peru/Bolivia.

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

Ya, I think the old "night train into Krakow or warsaw" stories are just urban legends, but the Czech's I knew would tell me some crazy stuff.

I have a good friend who lives in Poland (Wrojlaw, I probably spelled that wrong)... he says those horror stories are BS. Dirty yes. I found those general seating seats cleaner than the cabins.

I'll be in for a shock if I do India and hitch a ride on the side of a train

[Berger_4_]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

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'd disagree about Hungary...I only did Budapest and I wasn't the biggest fan. It could have had to do with the fact that it was forty-freaking-five above and I was having to wear suits everywhere, but even with that it was a solid meh.

I'm a huge Slovakia/Slovenia lover...just crazy natural beauty. Check out Plitvice Lakes in Croatia too if you have time. It's really beautiful, plus there's the added bonus of knowing that's where the Croatian civil war started. It was quite the scene driving up there...you take this crappy little road up there and tons of houses still have bullet holes in them and stuff like that. Also there was a rafting trip we did...can't remember where it was exactly but it was really scenic and a ton of fun too. I'll see if I can track down where we were tomorrow.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Berger_4_

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.

Ha when I was in Vienna with a friend (also didn't speak anything besides English) a young, beautiful women helped my friend and I around. She was honestly the 2nd most beautiful women I have ever seen, Rachel MacAdams twin I swear.

Slovakia was the only country I had trouble with in not speaking the native language

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Berger_4_

I'd disagree about Hungary...I only did Budapest and I wasn't the biggest fan. It could have had to do with the fact that it was forty-freaking-five above and I was having to wear suits everywhere, but even with that it was a solid meh.

I'm a huge Slovakia/Slovenia lover...just crazy natural beauty. Check out Plitvice Lakes in Croatia too if you have time. It's really beautiful, plus there's the added bonus of knowing that's where the Croatian civil war started. It was quite the scene driving up there...you take this crappy little road up there and tons of houses still have bullet holes in them and stuff like that. Also there was a rafting trip we did...can't remember where it was exactly but it was really scenic and a ton of fun too. I'll see if I can track down where we were tomorrow.

Slovenia, the alps? I did some white water rafting there. Right through the Valley where some of the WW2 spilled over?

Too bad you didn't like Hungary, I bet it could have been the heat. And with a suit too in that, yuck. Tons of history, cheap, good food, and crazy parties.

I did Plitvice too, I think I recommended that to you very beautiful indeed. 2 towns before Plitvice has this amazing village right over a waterfall that is pretty sweet.

PS : don't you just hate it when jackarses hi-jack your thread to monologue about something that isn't helpful to you?

[dj_patm]

Originally Posted by Berger_4_

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!

Don't get me wrong. I'll be ordering beer left right and center and hopefully having a blast in Poland, however in the other countries its just me and my girlfriend I'm sure we'll get drunk and have wicked vacation sex, but I mean I don't think we'd have much fun, just us two, at a club. We'll walk around and take in the nightlife but I can't see us partying very much.

Originally Posted by Berger_4_

And I don't think too many people rent cars anyway.

I honestly have mapped out the things I want to see and I think I could do it all in the allotted time frame (rushed obviously, but thats what happens when you're a student)

London:
Arrive: Relax walk around and get settled. Maybe shop if we arrive in the morning.
Next day: Check out Parliament, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, The Eye or whatever its called and The cathedral where Sir Isaac Newton is intombed. All of which appears to be within the same area, then walk around some more and more window shopping for the gf. (Would love to check out the bunkers from WW2 but don't think we'd have time)
Departure day: off to Paris!

Paris:
Arrive: Walk around, check out the city, get settled
Day One: Eiffel Tower, Arc d' Triumph, more window shopping, More Eiffel
Day Two: Louvre, Notre Dame, walk around more, relax at bars, hang out.
Departure day: Nice at 6am!

Nice:
Arrive: early morning, drop stuff of at hotel, straight to the beach... Beach all day.
Departure: Wake up early, take train to Monaco, look at yhats, cars, head back, depart to Rome at around midnight.

Rome:
Arrive: Straight to bed. Wake up, Hit up the Vatican, Bust over to the Coliseaum. Walk around
Depart: Poland.


However I am now thinking I'd reverse that to avoid Jet Lag during the best part of the trip...

[Flame Of Liberty]

Originally Posted by dj_patm

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, most people love talking to foreigners. It doesn't matter that you don't speak the language. People love to teach you curse words in their language, it's almost guaranteed ice breaker with almost anyone

As for the night life, in eastern Europe it's dirt cheap, even for a student. 1.5-2 EUR for a mixed drink, 1 EUR for a beer.

I don't know how old are you, but in Czech rep and Slovakia no one would even ask you for an ID (unless you go to a high end-club). If you don't look like a kid, you'll get in even if you're not 18. Buying booze in a supermarket is not a problem either. There are no specialized liquor only stores in these 2 countries. Alcohol is right next to to confectionery aisle

[Berger_4_]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

Slovenia, the alps? I did some white water rafting there. Right through the Valley where some of the WW2 spilled over?

Too bad you didn't like Hungary, I bet it could have been the heat. And with a suit too in that, yuck. Tons of history, cheap, good food, and crazy parties.

I did Plitvice too, I think I recommended that to you very beautiful indeed. 2 towns before Plitvice has this amazing village right over a waterfall that is pretty sweet.

PS : don't you just hate it when jackarses hi-jack your thread to monologue about something that isn't helpful to you?

Might have been Slovenia...Christ that's bugging me now. I'll have to call home and ask mom. She'd know what's up. I recall Lake Bled being pretty sweet...

Slovakia is still a little behind the more tourist-oriented parts of central Europe that's for sure. Old Commie apartment buildings give me the creeps. But since they're still behind on the tourist thing, you can get hotels and stuff for dirt cheap. For two huge rooms in Topolcany (which admittedly isn't much of a tourist town) it was only like 70 bucks a night or something...that's sleeping five people, with tons of room to spare.

I think if I go back, I'll have to give Hungary a second chance...unfortunately for the first two weeks I couldn't really party. Second two weeks with the family was a bit more booze-friendly though haha.

I seem to recall you recommending them to me! I'm glad I was able to convince the family to go check them out. Probably one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

Originally Posted by Flame Of Liberty

I don't know how old are you, but in Czech rep and Slovakia no one would even ask you for an ID (unless you go to a high end-club). If you don't look like a kid, you'll get in even if you're not 18. Buying booze in a supermarket is not a problem either. There are no specialized liquor only stores in these 2 countries. Alcohol is right next to to confectionery aisle

This is where my drinking and smoking habits all started. I felt like such a badass walking into anywhere and getting a pack of Camels and a case of beer. No need for ID, just walk in, buy and walk out! For a baby-faced 17 year old, that was pretty sweet!

Originally Posted by dj_patm

I honestly have mapped out the things I want to see and I think I could do it all in the allotted time frame (rushed obviously, but thats what happens when you're a student)

To me, that's far, far too rushed. I'd rather miss out on a few things and get to really enjoy the stuff I did go see. Plus it gives you a reason to go back! But that's just my take on it. I don't like my trips to be strictly regimented. If I feel like just chilling around the hotel or something one day, then that's what I'll do. I'm there for a vacation, not to be stressed out and tired for a month.

I would agree that you should switch to doing Poland first to get accustomed to the jet lag. When I went, we arrived to Vienna I think 8 am local time and got right into meetings and stuff...it was hell on the body for the first couple of days.

The other thing I'd say was a good idea was to buy a cheap cell phone and a long distance calling card. I think I paid maybe 40 bucks for a T-Mobile cheapo phone and another 20 for a calling card. It was nice to be able to make calls around to the hotels and stuff too, instead of always hunting down pay phones and such.

[rockstar]

Three months is not close to enough, let alone 3 weeks.

I'd keep it simple. Pick a couple of places and explore the hell out of them. It's almost like the more places you visit, the less you actually see.

[dj_patm]

I can definetly see me eliminating some stuff. (Monaco, Rome all together...) But really I'm not the type of person that likes to just stare at one thing for hours. For example once I see Parliament I'll probably just take a few pics, find a cafe near buy, soak it in and move on.

Another example is the Grand Canyon. I HATED it when I went a little while back. It entertained me for about 10 minutes before I wanted to go home... I just like to relax walk around and check stuff out. If I miss something then I'll just have a reason to go again...

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by dj_patm

Don't get me wrong. I'll be ordering beer left right and center and hopefully having a blast in Poland, however in the other countries its just me and my girlfriend I'm sure we'll get drunk and have wicked vacation sex, but I mean I don't think we'd have much fun, just us two, at a club. We'll walk around and take in the nightlife but I can't see us partying very much.



I honestly have mapped out the things I want to see and I think I could do it all in the allotted time frame (rushed obviously, but thats what happens when you're a student)

London:
Arrive: Relax walk around and get settled. Maybe shop if we arrive in the morning.
Next day: Check out Parliament, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, The Eye or whatever its called and The cathedral where Sir Isaac Newton is intombed. All of which appears to be within the same area, then walk around some more and more window shopping for the gf. (Would love to check out the bunkers from WW2 but don't think we'd have time)
Departure day: off to Paris!

Paris:
Arrive: Walk around, check out the city, get settled
Day One: Eiffel Tower, Arc d' Triumph, more window shopping, More Eiffel
Day Two: Louvre, Notre Dame, walk around more, relax at bars, hang out.
Departure day: Nice at 6am!

Nice:
Arrive: early morning, drop stuff of at hotel, straight to the beach... Beach all day.
Departure: Wake up early, take train to Monaco, look at yhats, cars, head back, depart to Rome at around midnight.

Rome:
Arrive: Straight to bed. Wake up, Hit up the Vatican, Bust over to the Coliseaum. Walk around
Depart: Poland.


However I am now thinking I'd reverse that to avoid Jet Lag during the best part of the trip...

If you're set on that schedule, thats cool, but I would recommend that you take out Nice if things are that congested. Travel time really takes up a lot when you take into consideration airports waits, taxi rides etc (especially if you are flying ryanair)

Not to mention that Versailles outside of Paris is quite possibly the greatest place on earth- it is a must see if you don't plan on going back to Paris for a while.

Nice is awesome, but I would personally take those 2-3 days and divide it up between Paris and Rome.

Btw, I stayed in a hostel in Rome that was perfectly fine- very clean, private rooms, cheap and A+ location (right near main train terminal). I can try and find the name if you want.

I have only stayed in hotels in Paris, but I'm sure there are good hostels. A friend told me about a great hostel near St. Paul's in London. If you want hotels, there are cheapies, but you better be careful (want to be comfortable, have a decent location).

btw, you absolutely have to do all this at the end of your trip. First day is always a write off thanks to jet lag.

edit: if you want to get really ruthless, just do 2 of London, Paris, Rome. I can't say which two because they are all awesome. London-Paris is an easy combo though

[dj_patm]

In all honesty, from what I've heard from others in my situation, I'm comfortable cutting Rome and a day in London like I had planned originally (London sched. would stay the same, Rome would be cut) and spending it in Nice... I want Mediterranean relaxation and I'm sure two nights would do me fine...

I dunno. We'll see how it works out.

Another question is when should I book this if I plan on going in early June?? I need to postpone it as much as possible for money issues but yeah.... I don't want to get screwed.

[Flame Of Liberty]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

Not to mention that Versailles outside of Paris is quite possibly the greatest place on earth- it is a must see if you don't plan on going back to Paris for a while.

Interesting, I think that Versailles is one of the biggest letdowns in France. And for the record, I liked Paris, great atmosphere. London on the other hand, I lived there for a while but there's not much I liked about the city.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

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

So, take Ryanair, then take the metro/bus to your hostel/hotel for like 2 euro.

And I took a night train into Poland (Krakow). Did you experience some male Polish love or something?

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by Flame Of Liberty

Interesting, I think that Versailles is one of the biggest letdowns in France. And for the record, I liked Paris, great atmosphere. London on the other hand, I lived there for a while but there's not much I liked about the city.

Seriously? That place is so cool, and big, VERY EFFING BIG. It just sucked the day I went because the palace was closed.


Rome > Any other city your going to dj_patm

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

And I took a night train into Poland (Krakow). Did you experience some male Polish love or something?

Ha, no... I was referring mostly to the myths about Polish train travel at night. My experience was fine.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

Ha, no... I was referring mostly to the myths about Polish train travel at night. My experience was fine.

Out of all the myths I heard almost none of them were/are true. Some are true (I can't remember, I'd have to read my journal again).

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by dj_patm

In all honesty, from what I've heard from others in my situation, I'm comfortable cutting Rome and a day in London like I had planned originally (London sched. would stay the same, Rome would be cut) and spending it in Nice... I want Mediterranean relaxation and I'm sure two nights would do me fine...

I dunno. We'll see how it works out.

Another question is when should I book this if I plan on going in early June?? I need to postpone it as much as possible for money issues but yeah.... I don't want to get screwed.

Yes, if you want relaxation on a beach, Nice is a good pick.

Booking all depends on finding a good price (June is just outside of Europe's busiest season, but still pretty crazy). I personally don't book until a month or two before, but some people might call that crazy.

I would say anything under 1000 each for Calgary-London return is decent for a June flight (thats with taxes). The other flight prices will vary of course, but probably anywhere from $100-$200 each individual flight. As an example, we did London to Prague to Vienna back to London last summer for about $650 on British Airways ($325/person including train from prague to Vienna which was about 80 each). The calgary-london return was about $1100 each Air Canada.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

Yes, if you want relaxation on a beach, Nice is a good pick.

Booking all depends on finding a good price (June is just outside of Europe's busiest season, but still pretty crazy). I personally don't book until a month or two before, but some people might call that crazy.

I would say anything under 1000 each for Calgary-London return is decent for a June flight (thats with taxes). The other flight prices will vary of course, but probably anywhere from $100-$200 each individual flight. As an example, we did London to Prague to Vienna back to London last summer for about $650 on British Airways ($325/person including train from prague to Vienna which was about 80 each). The calgary-london return was about $1100 each Air Canada.

Ewwwww, I did Amsterdam to London for 40 Euro, I did Madrid-Paris for 36 Euro, etc. I think the most I paid was 73 Euro for a flight.

Did you pay $1100 for Calgary-London, or Calgary-London-Calgary? Because I got Calgary-Munich for $520, then London-Calgary for $512.

[Hi-Psi]

Ok, I'll throw in some input since I've been to 3/4 of the countries in Europe.

Personally I would try to cut down your schedule a little, do less cities and see more of each place. As for travel, flights will work but I personally hate Ryan Air so I would never suggest them. Easy Jet is 10 times better and although you might pay a little more, there'll be less hassles and headaches and you won't have to pay extra fees which can really add up with Ryan Air.

As for flights to Europe, check out canadianaffair.com for cheap flights. Prices have gone up in the last few months but you might still be able to get a good deal. I paid just over $225 canadian with taxes included each way through that site last year. If you're paying more than $800 taxes included(Round trip), you're paying too much IMO

One thing I'm noticing is that you have mentioned Hotels... Why are you spending money on hotels if you're on a tight budget? Hotels are boring and they cost an arm and a leg. You're best bet is to go onto hostelworld.com or one of the other hostel booking websites and check out some hostels for the places you plan on going. There are TONS of amazing hostels in all the cities that have been mentioned. Not only are they cheaper but the people you meet in them can leave you with friends and memories to last a lifetime.

Check out +PLUS hostels if you're going to Rome, Prague or Venice! Amazing hostel chain. I stayed at the +PLUS camping in rome and it was great and pretty cheap. There are quite a few really nice hostels in Rome though as well. For Paris I stayed in a B&B since I was with my GF and we wanted a break from hostels but we heard great things about St. Christophers Hostel there, I've stayed in a few of the St.Christophers in other parts of Europe and they were awesome. But like I said, when you find out what city you want to go to, look on a hostel booking website and find the hostel you want and book it. It's simple and will save you a load of time and hassle.

As for places I would suggest going to, I've listed a few.

If you're going to Poland, skip Warsaw and go to Krakow and Zakopane. Krakow has an outstanding nightlife and Flamingo Hostel was the cats ass. They bought us bottles of vodka every night and took us out partying every night, all for free! Zakopane is a nice mountain town with amazing hiking if you're into that sort of thing. That town itself is sort of like Banff and kind of touristy but if you stay at Good Bye Lenin Hostel which is just outside the town, you'll have the hiking trails right at your door step and won't have to deal with any tourists!

For London, the first time I went I didn't care for it, I was younger and it was my first stop on my Europe trip. This year however when I went back I fell in love with it. We stayed a week and it wasn't even close to enough time. There are sooo many things to do and you can save a lot of money on attractions if you know where to look. Like for starters make sure you go to the TKTS Booth inLeicester Square if you want cheap tickets to theatre shows. You can usually have deal for 2-1 on attractions like the Wax museum, Ripleys, London Eye, etc by filling out a form and giving them a train ticket into London. Check out their website for details. As for hostels, almost everything is expensive in London and hostels are no different but we stayed in Astor Hyde Park Hostel and loved it and it was quite a bit cheaper than some of the other hostels. Again check hostelworld.com for more details.

If you have never been to Berlin, I would highly suggest trying to fit it into your plan. It is honestly one of the greatest cities in all of Europe. So much to do and see, a ton of history and amazing nightlife. Seriously, this city is awesome. Didn't stay in a hostel here cus I was stayingwith a friend but I've heard Wombats is really good from a couple friends that have stayed there. Make sure you do the Flat Tire Bike Tour, it's a really good tour and also make sure you go on the New Europe Pub Crawl. We had a kick ass time on it and drank more Jager than we can remember. Also, 2009 was the 20 year anniversary of the Berlin wall coming down so there are lots of memorials up right now and might still have the exhibition on that was up this summer. I'm assuming it will be up until lat this summer, not sure.

If you're planning to catch Oktoberfest I would really start looking for a place to stay cus it's next to impossible to find accomodation as it gets closer and the pricing is astronomical. There are lots of great hostels including Wombats but be prepared to pay out the ass for any type of bed. I will not lie though, we had probably the most fun of our trip in the beer tents at Oktoberfest. There's nothing like going into a tent with 3000 people and dancing on tables while drinking Litre glasses of beer. It as an experience neither of us will ever forget. Also, one thing you absolutely have to do in Munich is go on Mike's Bike Tour. This tour blows any bike tour in Europe out of the water. Ask to have Frankie as your guide, you won't forget it!

As for other Western European countries, I highly suggest Portugal and Spain. Portgal is amazing and quite a bit cheaper than other parts of Western Europe. And in Spain, Granada is one of the most beautiful places you could see, just stunning.

I honestly would highly suggest getting to at least one Eastern European country. I really enjoyed Slovenia for it's natural beauty as some have mentioned and yes, Lake Bled is amazing. I would honestly say Slovenia is probably my favorite country in Eastern Europe.

I really enjoyed the Baltics but I would say Estonia and Latvia(Riga) were my favorites. I didn't really care for Austria or Hungary too much but I didn't get to spend much time eithe country and spent most of my time in Budapest which I didn't really care for as much although it does have a great nightlife. Romania was really good if you like to rough it a bit and realy experience a country. We rented a car there and drove around half the country and then hitchhiked the rest of the way, both were interesting experiences in their own way.

I would say hit up Croatia if you have the choice though, it's stunning and the beaches there are insane. As for all the other countries to choose from like Bosnia, Bulgaria, Albania, etc. I wouldn't suggest those for an inexperienced traveller unless you're really adventurous. Don't get me wrong, they're great countries but wouldn't be something I'd recommend for travel newbies.

Im sure I'm missing some things but it's late so just ask if you have any specific questions or anything. I'd be happy to answer anything you can throw at me.

All the best on your trip!

Jason