I might go to Europe

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by OffsideSpecialist

When's the best time to buy flights? The flight I was looking to take has gone from $900 to $1400 over the past couple of days...
Also, skyscanner doesn't seem to do multi-destination flights unfortunately, as they do seem cheaper than everyone else

cmyden is the resident CP expert on flight deals, but kayak.com has a nice feature that shows a graph of the price for the flight along with the likelihood of it going up or down in the near future. It's good for multi-destination trips and playing with long layovers in fun cities too.

[OffsideSpecialist]

I adjusted the return date by one day and suddenly I found a flight for $730

[Bill Bumface]

I would jump on that. Europe for under $1000 in summer is a fantastic deal. I've never been so lucky.

[OffsideSpecialist]

Thanks for all your help so far...I've got my flight booked to Munich now! At this point I'm basically deciding between two nights in Ceske Budejovice or in Bratislava. Does anyone have any recommendation for someone in my situation? Or feel free to recommend another destination in the area!

[Aeneas]

Originally Posted by OffsideSpecialist

Thanks for all your help so far...I've got my flight booked to Munich now! At this point I'm basically deciding between two nights in Ceske Budejovice or in Bratislava. Does anyone have any recommendation for someone in my situation? Or feel free to recommend another destination in the area!

Well, I must say I have a fondness for both those places.

When I was a young man, like you are now, I had the time of my life in Bratislava. Met friends who have become life long ones. The women...ahhhh.

Maybe my perception of Bratislava is swayed by the great great evenings, nights and mornings spent there. But I find it an attractive small city, especially the old center. Also the ruins at Devin are interesting, nearby, and set in a stunning location.

All told I guess I have spent weeks in Bratislava and the surrounding area. I blame this entirely on a couple of outstanding Slovak girls!

Feel free to ask any questions about it, or PM.

When I go to Czech to visit CP's Calgaryboy in Hodonin, for sure I will stop again in Bratislava.

[NBC]

Will you be going to Vienna? Bratislava is a nice small city, a stark contrast to the tourist trap that is Prague and is 60 minutes from Vienna.

It is also on the Prague - Budapest eurail backpacker line but very few get off and explore this lovely little place.

If you do go, there is a new Ibis Hotel a 10 minute bus ride from the train station (not a very nice station) at the foot of the castle and a stone's throw into the old town. Rooms are decent and not too expensive. Stayed there last May.

As the second city of the former Czechoslovakia it really is a stark contrast to Prague where you will be inundated with busloads of camera-toting, socks & sandals-wearing tourists from all over the world.

[Kswiss]

If i remember correctly you can stay in 5 star in Bratislava for $1.35 US.... (btw watch Eurotrip before and after your trip)

Sadly i didnt get a chance to go to Ceske Budejovice but Bratislava is definitely worth it!...Like Aeneas said, Slovak woman are to die for Good thing is too, your money can go pretty far in Bratislava so it shouldnt hit the wallet too hard.

[polak]

I'm in the midst of a big Euro trip right now and I'm currently in Krakow and I gotta say, if you want to party hard for really cheap and also check out nice old buildings and other historic sites (Auschwitz for example) then you should definitely try checking it out.

I've been here three times now, the first time I was basically a local cause I was staying with my cousin, the second time I did all the touristy stuff and this time I've basically only been partying and I have yet to be genuinely bored here so there is a lot to do. There are clubs literally on every street in the old town and they're all pretty big and busy and like I said, they're cheap as balls. If they charge you cover it's $3 and a bottle is $16-$40 depending on the club and liquor. I can't tell you how much drinks are cause I've been sticking to bottles but I know 6 or 7 shots came out to a good chunk less then $30.

I know it's probably not the best party city in the world or anything like that but you can really go crazy due to the exchange rate. All the prices are the same as in Canada but in Zloty which is basically 3 to 1. You say you might not care about money but you will if you're paying 10 Euro a drink like you probably will in some of the bigger cities that have been tossed around here.

Tomorrow I'm off to Madrid and then Barcelona, Ibiza and Paris, I'll give an update on those places later

P.S. I'm Polish and can speak it so that obviously plays a factor in my experience but Krakow is still a big destination so I can't imagine the language barrier will be any different than any other foreign destination city.

[OffsideSpecialist]

So, I think it's going to be Bratislava. Based on all your comments as well as other things I've read online. And polak, I'd love to go to the place you're going to, but I think that will be for another trip!
This means I'll be spending 2 nights in Munich, 2 nights in Fussen, 3 nights in Berlin, 3 nights in Prague, 3 nights in Vienna, 2 nights in Bratislava, 3 nights in Budapest and will be taking the night train from Budapest to Munich and will have most of the last day to spend in Munich. So far there are three things I want to do for sure: Hike to the castle in Fussen, see the East Side Gallery in Berlin and Bike through the Danube valley just outside of Vienna. I'm not entirely sure what I want to do other than that, but I think going there with a clean slate could be benificial as well.

[flylock shox]

That is a good plan. Not too much. Nice mix of stuff.

I suggest you plan Vienna ahead of time though. It just seems like one of those cities that ain't impromptu. Better to have a plan of action.

[drPepper1]

I have about 2-3 weeks off in August and am thinking of booking a bit of a Euro trip myself.

Any estimates of how much spending money I would require for traveling to roughly 4 destinations, hostels, visit sights/museums and of course drinking/partying likely every night till my liver breaks and nose falls off.

Starting point will likely be London for myself, haven't decided where I would go from there

[NBC]

Originally Posted by drPepper1

and of course drinking/partying likely every night till my liver breaks and nose falls off.

Depends where you go. Essentially Europe is made up of p*ssheads, so cheap booze can readily be found. You can get cheap bottles of supermarket wine in France for a few Euros. Pints of ale are relatively cheap £3.20 ($5) in Britain. Some places in Central Europe the beer is cheaper than the water. Trendy clubs and wine bars though will break the bank, regardless of which country you are in.

[Barnet Flame]

I'm in London, where unless you plan on getting hammered in trendy West End bars/clubs, it is far cheaper to go drinking here than it is in Calgary. Also, supermarket booze can be ridiculously cheap if you hot them when a promotion is on, even without promotions, they are still great deals to be had.

If you can't find a decent hostel, Premier Inns and Travel Lodges offer good deals, especially if you look outside of Zone 1 (central London).

Make sure you get a tourist Oyster Card, because your travel will be cheaper and if you are interested in supplementing your boozing with a spot of culture or sightseeing, you can use your Oyster Card and or train tickets to get some 2 for 1s.

I'm on my phone and will post links later.

Also, it is cheap to go from London to Dublin, though I prefer Galway, and hotel accomodation in Ireland is very reasonable.

[polak]

Well it's the second last day of my 5 week European adventure. Had a blast but I have to say, I miss Canada, a lot, so I think it was a perfect amount of time.

After this long, you start to notice that everything in Canada and the US just makes so much more sense. Thats what I miss the most outside of friends and family and my own bed. There are so many little things here in Europe that make you go "wtf were they thinking?" I know a lot of it is from having to build around ancient infrastructure but even a lot of the new, modern stuff makes no sense and it's not just construction, it's also the way that stuff is organized and planned and carried out.

Or maybe that's just cause I've spent the last 5 weeks in Poland, Spain and France where the general attitude seems to be, why do it right when I can do it half assed and have a smoke instead...?

Outside of those little annoyances this trip has been unreal. I'm pretty sure I was on the brink of death from 4 weeks of straight partying. There were 3 days where I didn't have a drink in those 4 weeks. In Ibiza I wasn't home before 7 am, 4 out of the 5 nights. I met so many great people and made so many amazing memories, this will definitely be something I look back on when I'm old and smile. If anyone is reading this and is on the fence about doing a trip like this, DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Senator Clay Davis]

So how exactly do liquor stores work in the UK? I'm heading over next week to see a festival (amongst other things) and we basically land and are driving right to the festival with as few stops as possible. Is it like here where its seperate or is it like the US where you can buy booze at Walgreens or the supermarket?

[cDnStealth]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

So how exactly do liquor stores work in the UK? I'm heading over next week to see a festival (amongst other things) and we basically land and are driving right to the festival with as few stops as possible. Is it like here where its seperate or is it like the US where you can buy booze at Walgreens or the supermarket?

You can can buy your booze directly at the supermarket, walk out the door and start drinking it! Being able to drink anywhere is pretty awesome!

[Barnet Flame]

Some pics taken an hour ago in a Tesco supermarket where I stopped off on my cycle home from work.

I bought some mint sauce for my lamb steaks for £1.38.

These deals are fairly typical. I also saw a 70cl bottle of Grants scotch for £10 in Sainsburys.

When converting to $, multiply by 1.6.

And the above poster is right. In towns and cities, you are never more than staggering distance from a store selling booze.

[Thor]

If your flights allow, do a 2 day stopover on the way in Iceland. If you do it on the weekend you will see a crazy nightlife scene.

But yeah 3 is what I would do in your shoes for sure.

[drPepper1]

Originally Posted by NBC

Depends where you go. Essentially Europe is made up of p*ssheads, so cheap booze can readily be found. You can get cheap bottles of supermarket wine in France for a few Euros. Pints of ale are relatively cheap £3.20 ($5) in Britain. Some places in Central Europe the beer is cheaper than the water. Trendy clubs and wine bars though will break the bank, regardless of which country you are in.

Flight is officially booked! So far I know i'll be heading to Barcelona, Prague and ending in London for the 3 day Reading Festival for now.

As for places to stay, do any of you have experiences with any of the hostels out there? would it be better to rent an apartment room daily or stay at a party hostel?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by drPepper1

Flight is officially booked! So far I know i'll be heading to Barcelona, Prague and ending in London for the 3 day Reading Festival for now.

As for places to stay, do any of you have experiences with any of the hostels out there? would it be better to rent an apartment room daily or stay at a party hostel?

Go to Budapest, just go.