Posted on 09/29/2014 9:05:14 AM PDT by babylon_times
Me and a few friends will be spending 3 weeks in Europe Early next summer.... Has anyone here been over there? What are a few things "We shouldn't miss"?
I found Heidelberg and Nuremberg interesting, as well as Munich and just about anywhere in Bavaria. But I also liked Amsterdam and much of Denmark. Didn’t care much for France (more precisely, Paris) even though parts of it are beautiful. Only made it to Barcelona in Spain, which was a mix of beauty and filth. Absolutely loved Switzerland and Austria. And would recommend England if you’re into history or the literary arts at all.
I’d like to visit Prague, St . Petersburg, Montenegro, and Thermopylae (Greece). I’d avoid anything with a sizable raghead population (au revoir, Paris and ta-ta much of London, along with Stockholm and Copenhagen).
I went last year, I really enjoyed Holland, especially the seaside village of Volendam, and Amsterdam, as well.
Switzerland was beautiful as well, especially Lucerne, but it isn’t cheap. I became more of a Francophile after visiting France as well, I’m even trying to learn the language, the French countryside can’t be beat.
Next year we’re going to Central Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Vienna (inc. a day trip to Bratislava))
The one thing I am most forward to seeing is the Wieliczka Salt Mine near Krakow.
The conventional wisdom is Rome and Paris. Prague is widely considered the jewel of Central Europe. Greek Isles if you are looking to kick back.
My wife and I travel widely. Whenever I meet another frequent traveler, I ask them for their favorites - been doing this over twenty years. Rome, Paris and Greek Isles top the list, but for different reasons.
The bottom line is that it depends on what you like, because there are a lifetime of good options. I’ll echo what others have said...if you must pick one country, go to Italy. History, art, great food, vibrant culture - in Italy you can live the sweet life (if you already have money). There are so many worthy things to recommend, if something interests you, just do it. One time we picked a stop at random in Switzerland (Zug) to break up a train trip, and it was magical and memorable. Singing with the Irish, hiking fjords in Norway - there is just no end to the unique and lovely options in Europe.
If its your first time, you will probably want to jam in as much as you can. The big cities will have hop-on/hop-off buses that run the circuit of major tourist attractions, so you can hit a lot of highlights in one day. Don’t be afraid of the subway systems, they are often faster than traffic.
Watch out for gypsy pickpockets in Rome, Con artists in Paris, and bag thieves on the trains in Italy - they all look for tourists and focus on tourist areas. Traffic in Rome and lines at the Vatican are particularly long (get tickets ahead of time on the Internet if you want to see their museum and Sistine Chapel). If art is your thing, don’t miss Florence.
I usually just use credit cards and withdraw Euros from ATMs - most are on the major networks like Plus or Cirrus (look for their logos on your card, or check with your bank) Credit cards allow cash advances from machines if you have a PIN code.
Go with good company and keep a light heart to enjoy your time.
PARIS!!!
I would add, get a credit card that doesn’t charge Foreign Transaction fees, we use the Capital One Venture Card when we travel abroad.
Also you can use your cell phone by having Skype installed and just using it to make calls, the drawback is you’ll have to be in an area that has Wi-Fi, prepay your account with about 10-20 dollars and that should pretty much cover all of the calls you need to make.
Time of year has a lot to do with enjoyment of Ireland. Being a maritime climate, late summer to early fall will give you the greatest likelihood of sunshine. Where you are matters, there are gorgeous parts of Dublin and grubby parts of Dublin. Dublin 4, Ballsbridge is very nice and where I always set up base when I went.
But, it's the country outside of Dublin that's the attraction. The highway down to Bray and eventually Waterford can be stunning, cliff top along the Irish Sea. If you golf, the Curragh. Out to Howth Head, a few castles, Dromoland, others.
What really spoke to me was going up into the hills and mountains of County Wicklow and visiting Glendalough, though. Ireland is gorgeous if you see it in the sunshine at the right time of year. Every shade of green imaginable and then some. The south of Ireland is very nice, too, Cork and environs.
Don't let one disappointing trip turn you off of Ireland, in other words.
Also, be warned...Zurich is one of (if not THE) most expensive cities in Europe.
ANY city in Switzerland, Austria or Bavaria, especially Salzberg.
My only advice would be to make sure you take washcloths with you.
I loved Denmark,especially Copenhagen.
Cool place.
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Speaking of London, if you go there, do the “London Walks” tours. The best thing about them is you can just show up, and they are fairly inexpensive. I believe they also have similar tours for Paris, as well.
Great overnight cruise between Copenhagen and Oslo.
Lots of backpackers on this ship.
Krakow is beautiful. Lots of history.
Innsbruck, Austria and St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Absolutely.
Funny that you should say that. My first time to France was to visit a friend who lived in Salignac, just 10 miles away.
-PJ
Don’t go. You’ll probably die of either Ebola or an ISIS attack.
He has visited Copenhagen and Stockholm and says they are very expensive. One of his favorite places is Prague, and has been there several times. On his last trip this past May, besides going to Germany, he visited Slovenia and Budapest, and enjoyed both. He will be going back to Budapest again on his next trip.
Quite frankly, a lot of great suggestions on this thread. Many have suggested Italy with good cause. The food is great and there’s so much to see. I have visited Rome (Roma) and Florence (Firenze) 5 times each and still feel I have only scratched the surface.
May I suggest a few especially charming places in Italy - Ravenna, Lucca, and Siena. Less hectic than bigger cities even during tourist season. You can actually rent and ride bikes on Lucca’s medieval wall. Lots of neat little piazzas with Siena’s larger Piazza del Campo as one of my favorites.
Siena hosts the Palio di Siena - a medieval bareback horserace in the Piazza - in July and August.
Southern France, especially the Provence region, is one of my favorites in May and June. If you’re a gear head like me, the 24 Hours of LeMans in northern France is fun - one big carnival in addition to auto racing.
If you go to TripAdvisor, many folks post photos which can give you an idea of how those places mentioned above look like.
I disagree. I honestly thought I would hate Venice, but I loved the place. Just don't stay in the touristy area near St. Mark's Square or right next to the Rialto Bridge. Find a hotel or apartment in a neighborhood where Venetians actually live like Cannaregio or Castello, and enjoy the food, wine, and people. Also, I have three important rules for dining in Venice (or any city in Italy): Do not eat at anyplace that advertises a tourist menu; has someone standing out front trying to woo you in to the place; or has a plastic case out front with fake food.
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