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suggestions for TRAVELING TO EUROPE

Digger_Phelps_IIDigger_Phelps_II 174 Posts
edited April 2013 in Strut Central
I know many of you are well traveled..i was looking for any tips/recomendations/suggestions/warnings for someone who is
hoping to take in Europe for the first time this summer...my family & i are hoping to take in multiple cities (preferably on a guided tour) but we are not certain of our destination(s)..

any ideas on:
-best travel agencies?
-cheapest alternatives?
-best locations?
-what to avoid?
-what to remember ?
-.etc?

we are coming in totally blind to this so any response would be greatly appreciated..thanks!

  Comments

  • Possum SlimPossum Slim 353 Posts
    I'm happy to offer any advice if you plan on coming to Edinburgh.
  • DuderonomyDuderonomy Haut de la Garenne 7,794 Posts
    Countries outside of the Euro might be good - Hungary for example uses a different currency and is much cheaper as a result (plus Budapest is a great city for a 3-4 day visit). Istanbul (Turkey) also on their own currency, and amazing - beautiful, historical, exotic, but also a lot cleaner and more orderly than some other arabic/middle eastern cities I've been to, PLUS you can buy beer easily (but not that cheaply).
    France is a must if you love your food & drink, Spain has better weather, Belgium for some take-your-mouth-off beer experiences...

    The more you can organise yourself, the more money you'll save.
    Would've thought with the t'internet that booking train & coach trips etc online should be easy enough.

    b/w

    Wear a Canadian maple leaf :lol:
  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,391 Posts
    Duderonomy said:

    Wear a Canadian maple leaf :lol:

    Ha! Took me a long time to work out that Canadian backpackers aren't quite as numerous or as patriotic as I thought...

    As for European hols, how are you planning to get around? Train could be a pretty good option (UK aside) - not too pricey, you get to see the country, usually quicker than flying with all the airport waiting and shuttling and when you get out you're in the heart of the city straight away.
  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,960 Posts
    What size group / what ages are the party? If you've toddlers or seniors, there's not much point doing a lot of walking and your travel options may differ if you can't all fit into one car.
  • Possum SlimPossum Slim 353 Posts
    Italy's arguably the best country I've visited. Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome all excellent places and quite different from each other.
  • ppadilhappadilha 2,244 Posts
    the Euro Rail Pass is a pretty good deal if you're trying to visit multiple cities. The price varies based on number of countries, duration of visit, etc, so you can figure out what works best. Plus I imagine that with kids traveling by train can be much more fun than dealing with airports, and some of the train rides are really beautiful, especially in the Alps. Best to pick an area that you'd like to explore e.g. Spain/France, Germany/Austria/Czech, no need to hop around the entire continent. Most cities have cheaper alternatives to hotels, in Spain there's hostals (at least that's what it's called in Barcelona) that are halfway between a hotel and a hostel - you get your own room w/ private bathroom, just doesn't have all the amenities of a hotel.
  • Possum SlimPossum Slim 353 Posts
    You can get some very good prices on monthly train passes for travel in Spain/Italy that will allow you maybe 3-4 journeys in the space of a month. Nice train services as well, puts the UK to shame in that respect.
  • DuderonomyDuderonomy Haut de la Garenne 7,794 Posts
    SP 1200 said:
    Nice train services as well, puts the UK to shame in that respect.

    The list of European things that puts the UK to shame is long and varied :lol:

    Hoping to visit my friend in Barca in the next couple of months, and have a friend with a place in Rome who needs to be tapped up...


    My brother has friends in Rio, and he doesn't even like football!
    I should go next year on his behalf or something.
  • piedpiperpiedpiper 1,279 Posts
    How much time do you have and what??s the Budget? Do you have some must sees on the list already?

    In General: don??t try to do too much, there are really many things to do. If you have never been to Europe France and Italy would be the most usual choices, but you could easily spend two great weeks just in Spain or Germany as well (happy to assist if you decide to come to Berlin) - or London alone is worth a few days for sure. If you are keen to move beyond the very usual suspects I personally strongly recommend eastern and southeastern Europe - Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia... endless options again. While railpasses are very good options, there are a couple of low cost airlines as well that could help to make the most of your time and money.
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,475 Posts
    SP 1200 said:
    Italy's arguably the best country I've visited. Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome all excellent places and quite different from each other.

    I've visited all those plus Bologna and could not agree more. I stay trying to figure out how I'm going to get back there because it is awesome. On the down side, it is pricey, so if money's a concern, you'll need to plot carefully.

    I'll throw a suggestion for Croatia in, too. I guess it's really exploded as a tourist spot over the past couple of years, so I don't know what the crowds are like these days, but I freaking loved it. Dubrovnik is fantastic.
  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    air bnb can be a very good option for lodgings...ranges from low budget to high end rentals.
    and if you and yours are up to it, couch surfing.com is a great way to keep costs down and meet the people
    i used airbnb last summer in amsterdam, became friends with my host and now have a free place to stay anytime i visit.

    especially if you got kids, dont spend too much time traveling between places. pick an area, like people already said.
    guided tours will move slow and dwell on crowded churches and things that you may or may not be interested in

    i would pick one or two areas, get a lonely planet or peruse internet travel forum websites.
  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    DJ_Enki said:
    SP 1200 said:
    Italy's arguably the best country I've visited. Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome all excellent places and quite different from each other.

    I've visited all those plus Bologna and could not agree more. I stay trying to figure out how I'm going to get back there because it is awesome. On the down side, it is pricey, so if money's a concern, you'll need to plot carefully.

    One thing I would add about Italy is that the food and wine are incredible, and really varied from region to region. In a lot of ways going to Italy is like going to several different country countries - it's very different from North to South.

    And yeah, don't try and pack in too much stuff, give yourself the flexibility to decide on the fly what to do. You might fall in love with a place and not want to leave or decide another place isn't that great and want to move on.
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,475 Posts
    Horseleech said:
    DJ_Enki said:
    SP 1200 said:
    Italy's arguably the best country I've visited. Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome all excellent places and quite different from each other.

    I've visited all those plus Bologna and could not agree more. I stay trying to figure out how I'm going to get back there because it is awesome. On the down side, it is pricey, so if money's a concern, you'll need to plot carefully.

    One thing I would add about Italy is that the food and wine are incredible, and really varied from region to region. In a lot of ways going to Italy is like going to several different country countries - it's very different from North to South.

    And yeah, don't try and pack in too much stuff, give yourself the flexibility to decide on the fly what to do. You might fall in love with a place and not want to leave or decide another place isn't that great and want to move on.



    Each place I've gone in Italy has been very different. Hell, Bologna and Florence aren't that far apart geographically, but their cuisine is starkly different (and both very good). Each region is more or less a country unto itself.

    Flexibility is good, too. During our trip last year, as soon as we got to Cinque Terre, we fell in love with the place and changed our schedule to spend more time there and less time in Rome, which turned out to be a great call.
  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    spot on about italy.
    keep in mind, its NOT a very old nation. mid 1800s maybe? just a cobbled together accumulation of fiefdoms that didnt particularly like each other. the regional dialects can be uninteligible even to italians and the food does vary greatly. i am partial to the food around Bologna and Emilia Romagna. food in Tuscany is grossly overr hyped in the united states and is not the best...altho you can find wonderful food everywhere in italy

    if you end up bear bologna, rimini, riccione (the emilia romagna region) hit me up...ill be out there in june
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    SP 1200 said:
    You can get some very good prices on monthly train passes for travel in Spain/Italy that will allow you maybe 3-4 journeys in the space of a month. Nice train services as well, puts the UK to shame in that respect.

    This is pretty useful if you want to plan a train journey around Europe.
  • pimlicosquirrelpimlicosquirrel 772 Posts
    * Co-sign Airbnb, great way to immerse yourself in local culture as opposed to staying in tourist zones, best for longer term stays, ie; week +
    * Do NOT do guided tours ever (imo)
    * Plan extensively and be ready to ditch your plan totally and with out reservations
    * If your flush and have time maybe rent a motorhome and pick a route, be ideal for a family
    * Never let (the idea of) danger deprive you of experience
    * Trains are great ways to see a countries in general and largely inexpensive
    * Every country in Europe is worth seeing
    * Get your Visas in order prior to departure
    * Your own interests are a good self guided, planning aid
    * Fuck tourist attractions (kind of)
    * Be aware of seasonal influences on your own personal interests eg; no snow in summer, when are cultural festivals or events, etc...
    * We usually rough out a route on a map when we plan and vaguely figure out how we are going to do it and how wildly we can diverge from the tourist routes

    Most importantly...
    * Never take photos of you or your family in front of things :NO:


    Do you have a rough route? might help with suggestions. I'm totally envious btw.
  • Digger_Phelps_IIDigger_Phelps_II 174 Posts
    thanks you all for all the great responses.
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