Traveling in Europe

[gekko]

Hi everyone!

I'll be traveling through Europe for most of May and am looking for advice either from locals or other travelers for things I should be sure not to miss. I'll be seeing the following:

London*
Amsterdam
Rhine Valley (St. Goar)
Lucerne
Innsbruck
Venice
Rome
Florence
French Riviera
Monaco
Lyon
Paris*

*This is predominantly a group tour, though there will be plenty of free time for exploring. My girlfriend and I will be spending extra time on our own at the start and end of the tour in London and Paris, respectively. I'll be receiving a detailed itinerary in the next week or so for the tour portion.

We'll have a little under a week in London and Paris and one to two days in each of the other cities. We're focusing on planning our time alone, since we'll want to remain as flexible as possible when we're on tour with other people.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[eppie]

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I'm living close to London at the moment, so if you want to go for a pint give me a shout. :)

London has great museums and most of the big ones (the ones you really want to visit) are free.....this is great because you can pop in for an hour and if you don't like it you go to another one.
Most special is probably the British museum which has so must stolen stuff from Egypt, Assyria, Greece etc. that you wonder if they still have something left in those countries. Seriously it is fantastic. The national gallery, Tate modern gallery, Imperial war museum are also very good but if you visit museums often (and you go to some pretty nice places on your tour) you might get tired of paintings.:D
If it is your first time you might want to take a open double decker bus tour (hop-on hop-off). Awfully touristy but a quick way to see most of the landmarks like tower bridge, big ben etc. (things that actually are not very great, but they are famous, so a 1 minute look from to bus is enough).
For food, try some Indian or Bengali, and have lunch in pubs (the food there is not fantastic but they have at least some atmosphere).
London is fantastic for shopping, but very very expensive, so don't take you girlfriend to Harrods, Selfridges, Regent Street, Oxford Street and Carnaby street.
On saturday or sunday you might consider an afternoon tea (with champagne) in one of the 5 star hotels (reservation necessary) (will be around 35 pounds pp but very romantic).

Amsterdam: nice relaxed atmosphere, just walk around...if you feel like it go and smoke some weed (never did it but supposed to be the best in the world). The famous rijksmuseum is closed so you will have to queue up for the van Gogh museum (very nice but too long lines)

Rhine valley; two words, white wine

Luzern;?? nice swiss town, but don't know much about it. (try the fondue)
Innsbruck; same as Luzern but than in austria....better for winter

Venezia: very nice but careful of the restaurants, expensive and unfriendly staff (goes for all the tourist places in Italy).
Rome: the high point of your trip...the most beautiful city on earth. Just be careful not to fall over historic structures and watch your wallet. Try to visit as many things as you can, forum romanum circo massimo, trastevere terme di Caracalla, colloseo vaticano (the sistine chapel only is open in the morning if I am correct). For restaurants try to find something a bit away from the main streets and not too close to the famous buildings. (look for trattoria or osteria, for typical food and nice atmosphere).
Firenze, almost as nice as Rome. If you want to visit the Uffizi (and you want that) book in advance otherwise prepare to stand in line for hours. Go up the Duomo.

I have not been very often in France, except for Paris. It is comparable in London in a certain way, only the food is generally a lot better.:)Visit your famous landmarks, and because you will be there a bit longer go to the Louvre and musee d'orsay for sure. Try onion soup.

For the bigger cities don't go really to the outskirts...nothing to see and often a bit rougher.

I hope this chaotic piece of text helps you a bit. If not I can explain some more if necessary.

I think you will have a nice holiday. (at least if you don't land on terminal 5 in London :blink:)

[kandrathe]

I'll be traveling through Europe for most of May and am looking for advice either from locals or other travelers for things I should be sure not to miss.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I travel often for business, and one thing I always try to do is to look up the local festivals that are happening while I'm there. The best advice I can give is to go where the locals go, it will be the most educational and most fun you'll have. Try to dress like a European, that way you'll blend in better. When you get off the tour bus, flee. Go somewhere they would never think of going. You'll want to see some of the touristy stuff, but get off the beaten track as soon as you've sated your "tourist" palate.

[Jim]

Hi :D

Have a Safe trip, I will spare you ALL my NAVY stories. ***

Here is a British news paper :P
Breaking news, Britain, politics, comment the Daily Mail

For your Laptop & Rent a Car: :blink:
Calculate distance between two locations

Leaning Tower of Pisa

*** When I was visiting Ports in the Navy I always made an effort to go on tours, they are well worth the money you see More for LE$$ !

I walked completly around all 8 levels of the tower, Just so I could post it here 45 years later, that is how memories are made :whistling:

[Kylearan]

Hi,

I'll be traveling through Europe for most of May and am looking for advice either from locals or other travelers for things I should be sure not to miss. I'll be seeing the following:
[...]
Rhine Valley (St. Goar)

Yay, Rhine Romantics... amazing how we Germans are getting reduced so often to either that or Bavaria. :rolleyes:But seriously, I live only a couple of kilometers north of St. Goar (in Bonn), and this is really a beautiful area. Lots of castles and castle ruins, and I mean lots - dozens, literally. Hard to single out one and recommend it - it depends on what type of castle you want to see, the romantically but historically inaccurately restored castle with a guided tour and souvenir shop, or the old castle ruin that you have to explore by yourself, or something inbetween. You will be able to see all of that easily...

As eppie already mentioned, don't make the mistake to drink red wine there. White wine is what the area is known for.

Apart from the beautiful surroundings, it's a bit dead there though. Only few people live there, and only because of you tourists;). But it's a nice area for walking or hiking, and Boppard (a few kilometers north) offers a nice climbing tour (apprentice level, you get equipment there if you want to).

-Kylearan

[Kylearan]

Hi,

Try to dress like a European, that way you'll blend in better.

I'd love to see a bus full of tourists from overseas trying to dress like "a European"! :lol:

-Kylearan

[kandrathe]

Hi,
I'd love to see a bus full of tourists from overseas trying to dress like "a European"! :lol:

-Kylearan

It starts with no jeans, no t-shirts and no tennis shoes. :lol: That distinctly American casual wardrobe. Oh, another tip: Get some heavy soled shoes for long walks and hiking in ruins. I ended up last time I was in Norway buying (CAT American) shoes since the thin soled ones were allowing my feet to get bruised on the cobblestones.



I would say natural fibers are popular in slacks and shirts with more muted color schemes. Then also more classic shoe, and belt styles. In northern areas, wool sweaters are popular alternatives to jackets. What not to wear in Europe!

[gekko]

It starts with no jeans, no t-shirts and no tennis shoes. :lol: That distinctly American casual wardrobe.

That part won't be a problem on two accounts:

First, we're Canadian.

Second, we're not bringing any jeans or tennis shoes. I've convinced my girlfriend to travel light, so we're bringing only checked baggage - one backpack each.

gekko

[kandrathe]

That part won't be a problem on two accounts:

First, we're Canadian.

Second, we're not bringing any jeans or tennis shoes. I've convinced my girlfriend to travel light, so we're bringing only checked baggage - one backpack each.

gekko

Canadian!



That brings it's own stereotypes!

[Occhidiangela]

Hi everyone!

I'll be traveling through Europe for most of May and am looking for advice either from locals or other travelers for things I should be sure not to miss. I'll be seeing the following:

London*
Amsterdam
Rhine Valley (St. Goar)
Lucerne
Innsbruck
Venice
Rome
Florence
French Riviera
Monaco
Lyon
Paris*

*This is predominantly a group tour, though there will be plenty of free time for exploring. My girlfriend and I will be spending extra time on our own at the start and end of the tour in London and Paris, respectively. I'll be receiving a detailed itinerary in the next week or so for the tour portion.

We'll have a little under a week in London and Paris and one to two days in each of the other cities. We're focusing on planning our time alone, since we'll want to remain as flexible as possible when we're on tour with other people.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Venice: not sure how much time you'll have, but the Doge's palace is an eye opener. Also, the Murano glass factory. Your budget may or may not support that.

Rome: I suspect your tour group will hit the high points, but IMO Rome takes a week on its own.

Firenza/Florence: the bread sucks. The rest of the food and wine is delightful. See David, if you can. The Ufizi is, IMO, a bloody bore as a guided tour, but on the other hand, if you are into art, it's overwhelming in its inventory.

Your trip looks to be a great one, I hope you enjoy it to the max.

Occhi

[kandrathe]

The Ufizi is, IMO, a bloody bore as a guided tour, but on the other hand, if you are into art, it's overwhelming in its inventory.

My impression of touring Uffizi was... Hey! Look! Another Tintaretto!

[gekko]

Thanks for all the input everyone. Our itinerary is starting to take definite shape (somewhat hindered by our tour group dragging its feet on getting us their part of the plans).

While I've got your attention, I'm also looking for somewhat more important advice: alcohol. I need some suggestions for just what I should be drinking at each of my stops.

I like good, not outrageously priced drinks. I don't mind paying for a good quality drink but I also work on a student's budget:). I drink a little bit of everything depending on the time and place. When I drink beer I tend to drink Rickard's Red, Sleeman Clear or Alexander Keith's. I really enjoy a nice Bordeaux Merlot, particularly with dinner. When I go to the bars I tend to order Jack and Coke, and when my parents are supplying the booze there's not much better than a nice Hennessy after we eat.

So, any suggestions for what I should imbibe on my journey would be most welcome. I'd prefer to try local beverages as I travel, trying new labels that I wouldn't otherwise have access to.

gekko

[eppie]

So, any suggestions for what I should imbibe on my journey would be most welcome. I'd prefer to try local beverages as I travel, trying new labels that I wouldn't otherwise have access to.

gekko

That is the whole point. Local is nicer, ecologically better and usually also cheaper. In general don't go for the Jack and coke...leave that for when your back. If you happend to stumble on a Scotsman and tell him that you want to mix whisky he might hit you.....so if you want whisky drink it pure, no coke, no ice.
In London stick to beer and specifically drink ales (sometimes called bitter) it is usually not cold (as lager) but the english hardly make any lager, and the stuff they serve in pubs (import from europe) is usually without froth (foam, whatever it is called). If you plan to drink beers more often ask for the guest-ale.....this way you don't have to drink the same one all the time.

In amsterdam stick to lager beer (pils). You will find a lot of Heineken but if you look for it you will aslo find the other brands (the stuff from limburg (south) is very good in my opinion. If you want stronger stuff ask for a jenever where the older ones are more charachteristic just like what happens with whisky or tequilla.

In the southern parts go for wine. Usually the winelists specify the local stuff, and the waiters will for sure tell you. Always best to order a bottle in the touristy places instead of a jug (at least you know what you get, and with another winescandal in Italy you might not want to take the cheapest ones). I can give you some specified information, but as I said usually the waiters can tell you the local choice. Of course giving names of the winemakers does not make a lot of sense seeing that every restaurant has a different menu.
Still in Florence try things like Brunello, Chianti Classico or Nobile......but they will also be more expensive in general. In Rome try Montefiascone. In Venice for red try valpolicella, for white everything local.
Conclude meals with grappa especially in the north. Limoncello is another option, sometimes it is on the house.