Europe Trip Recommendation

[stignasty]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiener_Riesenrad

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Calgary14

I did the Cinque Terre for a day and it was enough. Maybe another day would be good. You have to rent space on the beach there and when we went it was 23 euros for the whole day.

You saw all 5 towns in one day? That is quite the feat. I found them pretty cool towns to wander around.

Also, you don't have to rent beach space. I'm assuming you stayed in Monterosso if you did rent space, but there is at least 2 public beaches there I believe. The other towns are very small and have minimal beach and there was definitely no rental even if you wanted it at the smaller ones.

[rubecube]

Anyone been to Atrani? Looks like a really cool little village.

[FlamesAddiction]

I haven't had a chance to fully explore Italy (Venice and Trst... er, I mean Trieste are the only 2 cities I have been to), but I have always wanted to go to Sicily. I had neighbours who were Sicilian and they really pushed it hard. It does look nice, and maybe more of what I am kind of into.

Naples is another place that looks nice, but it usually doesn't get a lot of mention. Is it too much of a big city?

[Calgary14]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

You saw all 5 towns in one day? That is quite the feat. I found them pretty cool towns to wander around.

Also, you don't have to rent beach space. I'm assuming you stayed in Monterosso if you did rent space, but there is at least 2 public beaches there I believe. The other towns are very small and have minimal beach and there was definitely no rental even if you wanted it at the smaller ones.

Just one town, and the two beaches there were rental only

[polak]

Couple questions I thought some of you might be able to help me with for my upcoming trip.

- We're driving from Poland to Croatia and the best route takes us through Vienna. Naturally, we figure could stop for dinner and a little driving break there. Just from a quick google search it looks like Stephanplatz is the main "old square". Does that sound about right to people who have been to Vienna? or should we be stopping some where else for the hour or so?

- We're taking a different route home through Hungry on the way back. Anyone have any suggestions on experiencing the nightlife in Budapest? We have heard that it's quite the party city so we're thinking we'll get a hostel or some cheap room for one night and give it a whirl. Anything we should be aware of when booking a place to stay? I don't know how much time we'd have to sight-see.

[DatSOOKin]

Spending a week in Paris, a weekend in London, and a weekend in Brussels for Tomorrowland.
Is there anything spectacular that I must see in any of these places that aren't too obvious? (like the Eiffel tower, etc).

All pointers are appreciated as it's a dream come true of mine to visit Europe, so I'm hoping to make it count!

[Nyah]

Originally Posted by polak

Just from a quick google search it looks like Stephanplatz is the main "old square

Stephanplatz is definitely the main square. Lots of shops & restaurants and the old cathedral. Parking can be a bit of an issue, so if you can park further out, the underground metro is literally the easiest I've ever used and it's pretty cheap. Stephanplatz is at the end of the red line I believe.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Nyah

Stephanplatz is definitely the main square. Lots of shops & restaurants and the old cathedral. Parking can be a bit of an issue, so if you can park further out, the underground metro is literally the easiest I've ever used and it's pretty cheap. Stephanplatz is at the end of the red line I believe.

That sounds like a good idea. Especially cause we'll be in a full size SUV.

Originally Posted by DatSOOKin

Spending a week in Paris, a weekend in London, and a weekend in Brussels for Tomorrowland.
Is there anything spectacular that I must see in any of these places that aren't too obvious? (like the Eiffel tower, etc).

All pointers are appreciated as it's a dream come true of mine to visit Europe, so I'm hoping to make it count!

A week in Paris seems like the bare minimum to hit "the main sites" at a liesurely pace with some shopping and relaxing so I think you'll be good. I suggest tar tar, carpaccio, smoking with the 13 year olds and coffee.

Having a coffee on the Eiffel tower was one of the coolest experiences ever.

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by DatSOOKin

Spending a week in Paris, a weekend in London, and a weekend in Brussels for Tomorrowland.
Is there anything spectacular that I must see in any of these places that aren't too obvious? (like the Eiffel tower, etc).

All pointers are appreciated as it's a dream come true of mine to visit Europe, so I'm hoping to make it count!

Well, the Palace or Versailles is considered a main attraction, but a lot of people skip it because of the commute. If you are in Paris for a week, I would recommend setting aside a day for it. Absolutely awesome place- could spend hours just in the gardens.

Evenings in Montmarte are pretty cool.

[OffsideSpecialist]

Originally Posted by polak

Couple questions I thought some of you might be able to help me with for my upcoming trip.

- We're driving from Poland to Croatia and the best route takes us through Vienna. Naturally, we figure could stop for dinner and a little driving break there. Just from a quick google search it looks like Stephanplatz is the main "old square". Does that sound about right to people who have been to Vienna? or should we be stopping some where else for the hour or so?

- We're taking a different route home through Hungry on the way back. Anyone have any suggestions on experiencing the nightlife in Budapest? We have heard that it's quite the party city so we're thinking we'll get a hostel or some cheap room for one night and give it a whirl. Anything we should be aware of when booking a place to stay? I don't know how much time we'd have to sight-see.

Oh nice, I love both cities (particularly Budapest). Too bad you don't have a bit more time in both of them. I can confirm that Stephanplatz is the main square in Vienna (expect it to be expensive) and also that Vienna has a fantastic subway system, my favourite out of the European cities I've visited. One hour may not be much time to allot yourself to get to the city centre and have a nice meal though.

Based on this list, Lonely Planet has given bars in Budapest the #1 and #2 spots on its 100 great bars list. I visited both of them. The A38 was cool, but for just one night I would recommend visiting Szimpla as part of a pub crawl through the ruins pubs (which is definitely a unique and very fun experience). Also, on some nights they open up the thermal baths for a party. I've never attended one unfortunately, but think it would be tons of fun.

For Hostels I stayed at Carpe Noctem near Nyugati Train Station, and had a fantastic time. It is best for solo travellers or very small groups, but they have some sister hostels that are good for larger groups that are probably worth checking out. If you have time the next day, a visit to a thermal bath can really help with your hangover! I went to Szechenyi Bath, which I believe is the largest in the city, but there are also some others.

Additionally note that unlike neighbouring Austria and Slovakia, Hungary does not use the Euro. They use the Forint (HUF). From what I recall, 1000 HUF is equal to about $5 CAD, and you can grab a beer at a bar for about 400 HUF. The proper pronunciation of the city is Buda-pesht, the locals will be happy with you if you know that lol.

[rubecube]

Alright CP, I have my itinerary basically planned at this point, so just hoping people can give me tips or advice (things to see, nightlife, food, etc.) at any of these spots:

July 23rd - Copenhagen
July 24-26th - Amsterdam
26 - 29th - Exeter/Torquay
29 - Aug. 2nd - London
Aug. 2 - 9th - Italy (Venice, Rome, Atrani)
Aug. 9 - 18th - Budapest
18 - 22 - Ibiza
22 - 26 - Madrid
26 - 28 - Valencia
28 - 31 Barcelona

I'm hitting Sziget in Budapest and plan on doing Vesuvius and Pompeii in Italy, but other than that I'm just kind of winging it. I love history but don't really care about churches and cathedrals. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[nik-]

you get back like 3 days before I leave for Spain.

If at all possible, if you can share some tips on Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona that would be awesome!

That sounds like an awesome trip.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by nik-

you get back like 3 days before I leave for Spain.

If at all possible, if you can share some tips on Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona that would be awesome!

That sounds like an awesome trip.

Will do. Are you going with a friend or wife/girlfriend? I'm doing the hostel thing because they're dirt cheap in Madrid and Valencia (and not too bad in Barcelona).

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Alright CP, I have my itinerary basically planned at this point, so just hoping people can give me tips or advice (things to see, nightlife, food, etc.) at any of these spots:

July 23rd - Copenhagen
July 24-26th - Amsterdam
26 - 29th - Exeter/Torquay
29 - Aug. 2nd - London
Aug. 2 - 9th - Italy (Venice, Rome, Atrani)
Aug. 9 - 18th - Budapest
18 - 22 - Ibiza
22 - 26 - Madrid
26 - 28 - Valencia
28 - 31 Barcelona

I'm hitting Sziget in Budapest and plan on doing Vesuvius and Pompeii in Italy, but other than that I'm just kind of winging it. I love history but don't really care about churches and cathedrals. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Youre going to Devon? Well done. We'll be on the north coast in exactly a month. My favorite place in the world. Never been down to the south, but heard good things. We stay in lynmouth/lynton area.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

Youre going to Devon? Well done. We'll be on the north coast in exactly a month. My favorite place in the world. Never been down to the south, but heard good things. We stay in lynmouth/lynton area.

Yeah, my dad was born in Ashburton and my grandparents used to have a farm around Newton-Abbot. Plus I've heard good things about Torquay.

[polak]

Originally Posted by OffsideSpecialist

Additionally note that unlike neighbouring Austria and Slovakia, Hungary does not use the Euro. They use the Forint (HUF). From what I recall, 1000 HUF is equal to about $5 CAD, and you can grab a beer at a bar for about 400 HUF. The proper pronunciation of the city is Buda-pesht, the locals will be happy with you if you know that lol.

Thanks for the write up! Thermal baths, are they like hot springs? That sounds fantastic for a hangover actually! Especially since we're supposed to drive all the way to Warsaw after and go out again that night!

Originally Posted by rubecube

July 23rd - Copenhagen
July 24-26th - Amsterdam
26 - 29th - Exeter/Torquay
29 - Aug. 2nd - London
Aug. 2 - 9th - Italy (Venice, Rome, Atrani)
Aug. 9 - 18th - Budapest
18 - 22 - Ibiza
22 - 26 - Madrid
26 - 28 - Valencia
28 - 31 Barcelona

I can offer some tips/experiences from the cities I went to:


29 - Aug. 2nd - London

I was only in London for a day on a lay over but even with so little time we were still able to walk to all the big sites (Big Ben/Parliment, Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Tower Bridge, The Shard... etc) in that time. One thing that I will never forget is hopping from bar to bar along the thames. That was a great time.

18 - 22 - Ibiza

Hah, oh Ibiza. Not much to say about it besides it's mexico for Europeans so it's like cancun on steroids? With more naked girls, bigger nightclubs (WAY Bigger) and some of the biggest DJ's on the planet. You can still do some excursions and stuff as well. The island is seperated into districts so look into which one suits what you want to do the best. One thing I'd recommend is decide if you're there to party or to relax. If you want to party, do not stay at an all inclusive resort. They're 100% aimed towards families. Staying at one was probably the biggest regret of my trip. Vice Versa, if you want to relax poolside and nurse your hangover (cause everyone parties in Ibiza at night) in peace and quiet, don't stay at one of the apartment hotels like Jet. Just walking by these hotels and hostels during the day was nuts. Music blasting and people in full party mode by noon.

Also don't stay at Fiesta Club Don Toni. It was the worst hotel I've ever stayed at. Salt water in the taps, the power went out for hours at a time, the wifi we paid 30 euro for didn't work and it's directly under the landing path for planes so every 10 minutes the whole hotel shakes as plane flies 100 ft over it.

22 - 26 - Madrid

Honestly, If I was doing it again, I'd skip Madrid or maybe just hit it for a day. Not much to do. The touristy area is cool in that it's very reminiscent of Paris but I mean, outside of seeing the Palace (which is massive) and Santiago Bernabeu (the stadium), there wasn't much to do. I was there from Monday to Wednesday though so that probably didn't help.

28 - 31 Barcelona

Freaking loved Barcelona. I was there for 4 days as well and felt like that was the perfect amount of time to spend there. We hit a lot of the tourist sites and then partied our minds out during the nights. We got these VIP cards for 40 Euro (I believe) that let us skip the line and pay no cover at a bunch of clubs and bars. The cards also had a number that was basically a concierge service which came in handy when were trying to plot our night. Opium was an amazing nightclub. Huge, right on the beach and full of tourists so english was fair game (although, English was never a problem at any of the clubs we were at). The card was only available to people staying at 4 star+ hotels though.

The closer you stay to La Rambla, the closer you are to the tourist spots but the Metro was super easy to use and the only time it felt sketchy is when I came on it wearing my Borussia Dortmund jersey to go watch the Champions League final. Definitely felt some hostility then (even though Bayern knocked out Barcelona!). Oh checking out Camp Nou is also highly recommended. It's massive!

It's hard to remember specifics from each place but if you have any questions let me know.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by polak

29 - Aug. 2nd - London

I was only in London for a day on a lay over but even with so little time we were still able to walk to all the big sites (Big Ben/Parliment, Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Tower Bridge, The Shard... etc) in that time. One thing that I will never forget is hopping from bar to bar along the thames. That was a great time.

Yeah, I'm pumped for London. I grabbed a hostel in Chelsea, that's above a pub and right on the Thames.

18 - 22 - Ibiza

Hah, oh Ibiza. Not much to say about it besides it's mexico for Europeans so it's like cancun on steroids? With more naked girls, bigger nightclubs (WAY Bigger) and some of the biggest DJ's on the planet. You can still do some excursions and stuff as well. The island is seperated into districts so look into which one suits what you want to do the best. One thing I'd recommend is decide if you're there to party or to relax. If you want to party, do not stay at an all inclusive resort. They're 100% aimed towards families. Staying at one was probably the biggest regret of my trip. Vice Versa, if you want to relax poolside and nurse your hangover (cause everyone parties in Ibiza at night) in peace and quiet, don't stay at one of the apartment hotels like Jet. Just walking by these hotels and hostels during the day was nuts. Music blasting and people in full party mode by noon.

Which part of Ibiza did you stay in? We grabbed a hostel in San Antoni. I heard that it's a good spot to party and a little less pricey than Playa d'en Bossa.

22 - 26 - Madrid

Honestly, If I was doing it again, I'd skip Madrid or maybe just hit it for a day. Not much to do. The touristy area is cool in that it's very reminiscent of Paris but I mean, outside of seeing the Palace (which is massive) and Santiago Bernabeu (the stadium), there wasn't much to do. I was there from Monday to Wednesday though so that probably didn't help.

I'm hoping that since we're there on a weekend we can catch either an Atletico or Real game. Also, the hostel we're staying that does pub crawls and tapas nights, free day tours, etc., so I'm thinking it should be a good time. If not, we might head up to Bilbao or San Sebastian for a day or two.

[polak]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Yeah, I'm pumped for London. I grabbed a hostel in Chelsea, that's above a pub and right on the Thames.

That'll be unreal. "The Anchor" is one pub that stood out to me. They had some great house beer.

Which part of Ibiza did you stay in? We grabbed a hostel in San Antoni. I heard that it's a good spot to party and a little less pricey than Playa d'en Bossa.

We stayed at that hotel I linked in Playa d'en Bossa. San Antoni is the other "club district" I believe so basically you pay more to be on the beach. I was only in San Antoni at nights so I don't know much about it unfortunately. We went to a pretty cool party at an abondoned zoo when were down there. I'd recommend that, it's called Channel Zoo or something like that. Although the music was pretty hardcore (like most of ibiza).

I'm hoping that since we're there on a weekend we can catch either an Atletico or Real game. Also, the hostel we're staying that does pub crawls and tapas nights, free day tours, etc., so I'm thinking it should be a good time. If not, we might head up to Bilbao or San Sebastian for a day or two.

Oh you see we didn't have any kind of planned or organized tourist outings so I'm thinking you'll automatically have a better time in Madrid than we did. When we tried going out on Tuesday we didn't exactly get a welcoming vibe from any of the bars which were packed with locals so that didn't help. Weekends are probably a lot better.

[rubecube]

Did you do any boat parties in Ibiza? We're thinking of doing this one:

http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/night...uit-boat-party

Neither of us are massive EDM guys, but we're cool with most music. We just like going where we can get cheap booze and meet people.