Best places in Europe...

[Jzero]

I have only been to London, Berlin, Prague.

I think Berlin was my favorite, though I love London very much.

I think Prague has jumped the shark. Not impressed at all when I went a few years ago. The city is beautiful...exactly what you picture in your mind when you think of an old European city. But I found that it was not cheap at all (Berlin was cheaper, and I think they were taking advantage of the Euro conversion to really mess with the pricing), and everything seemed very tourist-centric. I had a fellow American in shorts and a t-shirt munching Trdelnik realize I was American (not like it's hard to tell) and struck up a conversation in which I'm pretty sure the phrase "Looks just like Busch Gardens" was used. In Berlin I felt like a relatively faceless soul in a normal, cosmopolitan city. In Prague I felt unable to avoid looking like the usual tourist that you should try to rip off. Maybe my expectations were too high after hearing so many friends rave about it over the years, but I wish we had spent those days in Berlin or perhaps elsewhere in Germany.

 

[DaWhim]

europe is a big place, where do u want to go?

for greek island, santorini and crete are must-go.

 

[nageov3t]

I agree with Fern on Nice and Monaco... I disliked both of them.

Nice was kinda boring and the beaches not that great, and everyone in Monaco was just flat out crazy rude.

 

[zinfamous]

Definitely, but Florence is better IMO.

Florence is definitely the best in Italy for history...and just about anything else. Honestly, I could spend 4x teh amount of time in Florence than in Rome to see everything that I really want to see. Plus, it's so much smaller.

If you want off the beaten path, for relaxation, then look into my suggestions of exploring hill towns in Tuscany (Still rather touristy), Borgonge region in France, or the monastaries in Belgium. Last two aren't that easy--it would help to know some locals that will drive you around, or maybe just rent a car as this is not easily train-accessible, but you can say that about any of the off-the-beaten path spots.

Cinque Terra has become VERY touristy over recent years, especially in the high season, but the hiking trails around the northern-most towns remain somewhat isolated, as they aren't as smooth and easy as those starting from Riomaggiore (southern-most, iirc). It's a gorgeous area, and probably easy to relax in the less-visited towns...but it really helps to have some conversational Italian to get by; unlike Florence where English is pretty much the second language.

Now....if you're willing to catch a cheap quick flight (~2.5 hours from Brussels), maybe check out Riga in Latvia. I have personal bias, sure, but it's a pretty rad place that almost no westerners ever think to visit. The Baltics are starting to become a bit more trendy, but most people still never consider those countries as they are relatively far from the main stops in Europe. Riga is very similar to Prague, imo; just watch out for the Russians. :sneaky:

Talin in Estonia is also gorgeous, supposedly. The problem is that exploring more than the capitals of those countries is rather inconvenient--you really need to know someone, I'd think. there are main buses that will take you from city centers to the other major towns, but it's a rather time-consuming affair considering the amount of "stuff" and culture that you'd actually be able to see and experience.

 

[zinfamous]

Czech republic. Excellent and cheap beer, beautiful women, and amazing architecture. What else do you need to see and do in a month's stay in Europe?

In all seriousness, if you do end up going to the Czech republic, drop me a PM. I've been there many times (my father lives in Opava, on the eastern side of the country) and I can give you a detailed roadmap of the must dos, okay to sees, and should avoids.

Best,

Sox

"cheap in Prague" has not been a reality since the Euro was adopted, unfortunately.

or at least...gone are the days of quarter pints of 11% pilsners.

or is that just Prague? You'd obviously know more about this than I.

 

[zinfamous]

and yeah, like Fern said: skip the Louvre--it takes days to get through it, and it's just not worth it if you have limited time. chek out the musee d'Orsay across the street. Far superior, imo.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Florence is awesome and I highly recommend it. I was impressed with Paris as well, which kind of surprised me. Rome is cool for the ruins and history, but the city is tiny compared to Paris and not as well kept. The Vatican is cool and a must see, however.

If you're going to drive, I'd recommend going to Toulouse and driving down to Barcelona. Very scenic and incredibly beautiful with lots of historical sites along the way.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

and yeah, like Fern said: skip the Louvre--it takes days to get through it, and it's just not worth it if you have limited time. chek out the musee d'Orsay across the street. Far superior, imo.

The Orsay is very nice and I do highly recommend it, but the Louvre is out of this world. I didn't see all of the stuff at the Louvre, but I saw what I was interested in for the most part and it was spectacular. I would say that the Louvre is worth making time to see.

If you do go to Paris and want to see the museums such as Orsay, the Louvre, the Cluny, etc, I recommend getting the museum pass. It eliminates having to stand in lines and gets you in to most museums there.

 

[dullard]

My favorite desitinations have been the Amalfi coast in Italy (for the picturesque views and romance) and Barcelona in Spain.

Rome is a must, but it won't be many people's favorite.

Germany was good with the castles and churches, but once you've seen some, you've seen them all. The food just sucked in Germany, and the people in Munich were rude. I spent a summer in the northwest of Germany, in Paderborn. It is great there if you just want a laid back place to relax away from any tourists. But the rest of Germany just didn't do much for me. Skip Germany if you don't have much time.

Portugal is quite nice, but from the little I saw of it, it has turned a bit dumpy. Roofs collapsing, windows broken in, buildings in serious need of remodelling (and that was even more true in areas that you'd expect to be fancy like the main town square).

Florence is definitely the best in Italy for history...and just about anything else. Honestly, I could spend 4x teh amount of time in Florence than in Rome to see everything that I really want to see. Plus, it's so much smaller.

Cinque Terra has become VERY touristy over recent years, especially in the high season, but the hiking trails around the northern-most towns remain somewhat isolated, as they aren't as smooth and easy as those starting from Riomaggiore (southern-most, iirc). It's a gorgeous area, and probably easy to relax in the less-visited towns...but it really helps to have some conversational Italian to get by; unlike Florence where English is pretty much the second language.

I didn't really like Florence. True, I barely got to see much with my wife being sick and everything being closed on the days she was healthy. But, from what I saw, the churches were inferior to other churches in Europe, the main museum, the Uffizi was boring with almost nothing in it, etc. The food was nice, but certainly not as good as Bologna or other areas in Italy.

I seriously considered the Cinque Terra, but I ended up going to the Amalfi coast. The idea is the same, a bunch of small pretty towns on the coast. The difference is that the Amalfi coast has far better scenery than what I've seen in photos of the Cinque Terra. Plus, you get the history of Pompeii just a short (and thrilling) bus ride away.

 

[Fern]

Yea, I will be flying into London than crossing over to Paris. After that travel by train to Italy and work my way through Italy.

I could probably hit up Switzerland on my way from France to Italy so that seems like a good idea...

OK, then I'd suggest going from London to Amsterdam then Paris. Amsterdam is not really out of the way. Besides the old part of Amsterdam, check some of the other sections such as Leidseplein. I used to like staying at one of the 'botels' (boat hotels) near the old/red light district. These are large ships where they rent out cabins fairly cheaply and you're only a short walk from the central train station and old/red light district. There are some good museums in Amsterdam, and of course bars etc. You might wanna try out the Milkweg (milkyway) near Leidseplein. IIRC, a huge club with about 5 different bars in it, usually some live music there too.

If you're going to Italy from Paris I suggest taking the night train to Venice. You get on at Paris (can't remember which train station ATM) at night, go to sleep and wake up in Venice. It's a good time/money saver (you were going to pay to sleep somewhere anywhere and don't waste a day travelling).

Yeah, you'll pass through Switzerland on that 'night train', so if you wanna see Switzerland just hope off the train when it stops there. (I remember being awoken on my way to venice to show my passport etc to the Swiss authorities).

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Least favorite: Venice, Frankfurt, Madrid, Brussels. I didn't care much for Barcelona (Spain) or Bordeaux (France) either. I also don't much like the the whole Cannes/Nice thing, and I found Monaco fairly boring. Those places are for rich old people IMO.

I guess we dodged a bullet -- we went over last November for a couple of weeks and Venice and Brussels were originally on our list, but time constraints forced us to remove them. I didn't care to go to either, but the wife did.

I was in Barcelona for a few days and thought it was interesting and I definitely want to go back to see it.

Most overrated museum: The Louvre (and most of the modern art museums excepting the one near Copenhagen).

I loved the Louvre. I was really impressed and to be honest, was surprised at how well I liked it.

Best food: Italy and France. Amsterdam has an area of great restaurants featuring food from all over.

Agree there.

Edit #2. Istanbul is interesting too. However I left it off because I don't really think of it as being in Europe.

Fern

I really want to go there one day. It sounds like a really cool place.

 

[zinfamous]

The Orsay is very nice and I do highly recommend it, but the Louvre is out of this world. I didn't see all of the stuff at the Louvre, but I saw what I was interested in for the most part and it was spectacular. I would say that the Louvre is worth making time to see.

If you do go to Paris and want to see the museums such as Orsay, the Louvre, the Cluny, etc, I recommend getting the museum pass. It eliminates having to stand in lines and gets you in to most museums there.

the Louvre has some undeniably cool shit (Hammurabi's Code??? WTF!), it's just one of those places that I would only recommend if you plan on devoting 1-2 days to the one place. You can go from d'Orsay, Dali in Mon Marte, maybe even the Rodin museum all in one day. :\

I think if you're willing to spend an entire week in Paris, then the Louvre makes sense; but if you only have 2-3 days, your time can be spent more effectively.

 

[nageov3t]

skip... the louvre?

if I had the time and money, I could spend a week in Paris and do nothing but work my way through the louvre.

I'd actually really love to someday, but I can't quite bring myself to go to Paris by myself and I know that none of my friends would be willing to do it with me.

 

[zinfamous]

My favorite desitinations have been the Amalfi coast in Italy (for the picturesque views and romance) and Barcelona in Spain.

Rome is a must, but it won't be many people's favorite.

Germany was good with the castles and churches, but once you've seen some, you've seen them all. The food just sucked in Germany, and the people in Munich were rude. I spent a summer in the northwest of Germany, in Paderborn. It is great there if you just want a laid back place to relax away from any tourists. But the rest of Germany just didn't do much for me. Skip Germany if you don't have much time.

Portugal is quite nice, but from the little I saw of it, it has turned a bit dumpy. Roofs collapsing, windows broken in, buildings in serious need of remodelling (and that was even more true in areas that you'd expect to be fancy like the main town square).


I didn't really like Florence. True, I barely got to see much with my wife being sick and everything being closed on the days she was healthy. But, from what I saw, the churches were inferior to other churches in Europe, the main museum, the Uffizi was boring with almost nothing in it, etc. The food was nice, but certainly not as good as Bologna or other areas in Italy.

I seriously considered the Cinque Terra, but I ended up going to the Amalfi coast. The idea is the same, a bunch of small pretty towns on the coast. The difference is that the Amalfi coast has far better scenery than what I've seen in photos of the Cinque Terra. Plus, you get the history of Pompeii just a short (and thrilling) bus ride away.

I spent 5 months in Florence, so I'm biased
but, when you take the time, it really is an outstanding place. I have a hardon for Michelangelo, though, so it kinda makes sense. My favorite works of Renaissance art are pretty much all in Florence, plus the architecture, plus the other points of interest just outside of Florence. And between Santa Croce, Santa Maria del Fiore, San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, and even San Miniato way up on the hill, I can't imagine a single town in Europe with as many fascinating, culturally and historically important cathedrals so concentrated.

I'm actually not a fan of Botticelli (which is why 98% of people go to the Uffizi), but the Uffizi is still worth it, imo. Lots of Caravaggio, one of M's rare paintings (la Tondo Dondi--freaking amazing), and some unfinished Da Vinci's, plus The Annunciation. You probably have to be into this sort of thing, but being that only some 13 total works of da Vinci's actually exist, it's cool to be able to take a look at one. same with Michelangelo when it comes to painting--which he despised. However, the Uffizi is an utter pain to get into during the summer. You have to get tickets in advance, and often end up waiting most of a day in line. It's definitely not worth that. The museo del duomo is just as good (I prefer it actually, simply b/c Michelangelo's 2nd pieta is there). Il David is in L'Accademia.

Cinque Terra is great if you're hiking and it's not crowded--the latter can be tough to avoid. I wanted to check out the Amalfi, but I actually never made it south of Rome--hell, I almost didn't make it to Rome! D: But I was satisfied with 3 days there. 1 day has to be the Vatican.

 

[Fern]

Originally Posted by Fern
Least favorite: Venice, Frankfurt, Madrid, Brussels. I didn't care much for Barcelona (Spain) or Bordeaux (France) either. I also don't much like the the whole Cannes/Nice thing, and I found Monaco fairly boring. Those places are for rich old people IMO.

I guess we dodged a bullet -- we went over last November for a couple of weeks and Venice and Brussels were originally on our list, but time constraints forced us to remove them. I didn't care to go to either, but the wife did.

I found Venice to be too touristy for me. One thing I dislike about that is the food really suffers. They know you ain't coming back etc. I remember having the crappiest pizza ever there, and paying way too much for it.

I was there during Carnival (Feb/march time frame), and it's waaay different from the one in New Orleans.

I found brussels boring and don't see how it really offers anything that one won't see elsewhere (e.g., in Paris).

I was in Barcelona for a few days and thought it was interesting and I definitely want to go back to see it.

Well, it's a hugely popular destination. But it reminded me too much of south Florida - lots of big modern 'concrete building' along the beaches (kind of like Nice/Cannes). Having recently lived in the Miami/Ft. lauderdale area just was too much "same -old, same-old" for me personally.

I loved the Louvre. I was really impressed and to be honest, was surprised at how well I liked it.

I've seen every inch of it several times over. Just depends on what you prefer, I'm not really into looking at old statutes anymore. Nor do I wanna see any more of those 'icon' type works, paintings on wood etc with a biblical theme that the Catholic church commissioned. I think the Mona lisa is one of the most boring paintings I've ever seen, along with Whistler's Mother.

I like Van Goh, the pointillist and impressionist artists etc. All personal perference.

[/QUOTE]

I suppose I'm really responding here to make a point to the OP - much of what we recommend, things we enjoyed, is based on our own personal preference.

Accordingly, if it's their first trip try to get a good mix of things so they can find their preference. For example:

Culture - Germanic (Germany or Austria or German part of Switzerland) vs latin (French/Italian/Spain/Portugal) vs Other (Croatia, Czeck, etc)

Big cities vs smaller ones.

Seaside/island vs mountain.

Different kind of art etc.

Different kind of food. Obviously big differences between German/English/french/italian/Scandinavian, but also big differences between regions in many of these countries. French food/wine from the Burgundy (Bourgogne) region is my favorite, but also much different than that from the eastern region in Britanny (celtic influenced and seafood dishes, or Alsace (Germanic influence).

And northern Italy has noticable culteral differnces from that of the south. Etc.
-----------------

Hey OP - this is important if you like good food - stay away from the touristy areas when looking for a restaurant. Usually, not always, it's gonna be inferior (watered down wine, crappy portions, poorly prepared). They know you're not coming back so care less about service/quality and value for the $'s. I.e., if you've just finished visiting the Eiffel Tower or the Coliseum don't look for the nearest restaurant to eat.

When I'm in a new city I look for where the locals eat. I look at the menu and then look in the window to see if it's full of locals or tourists. Lunch is easy, just look for where all the local workers flood to for lunch etc.

Also, if you want to 'blend in' don't dress like an American or act like a dufus tourists (talking very loudly etc). E.g., sounds like you're going to London first so you can head over to the big street market at Camden Locks and pick up some 'pre-owned' Euro-clothing to blend right in. Big cities have big street markets, those are a great place to visit to get a better understanding of the culture etc.

I like blending in, helps keep the petty thieves (gypsies) away and provides better treatment all around.

Good Luck on your trip.

Fern

 

[kami333]

"cheap in Prague" has not been a reality since the Euro was adopted, unfortunately.

or at least...gone are the days of quarter pints of 11% pilsners.

or is that just Prague? You'd obviously know more about this than I.

Just get out of the Old Town/Charles Bridge area and it gets cheaper. Or get even further out, Kolin and Kutna Hora were fairly easy to get to and cheaper.

 

[preslove]

Take the slow train between rome and florence. It's absolutely BEAUTIFUL.

 

[jacob0401]

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions...keep them coming. It is my first time in Europe so it will be interesting and lots of fun!

 

[GTaudiophile]

Oh gees...I am self-described expert on this question.

I've been to Germany just about every year since 1995 and to the Greek isles just about every year since 2002.

More comments to come...

 

[IndyColtsFan]

the Louvre has some undeniably cool shit (Hammurabi's Code??? WTF!),

YES! That was awesome! A lot of the Sumerian artifacts were so freaking cool.

it's just one of those places that I would only recommend if you plan on devoting 1-2 days to the one place. You can go from d'Orsay, Dali in Mon Marte, maybe even the Rodin museum all in one day. :\

We didn't get to see everything we wanted (Versailles being the big one) because our flight plans got hosed and we lost a full day. We hope to go back soon and see what we missed.

 

[GTaudiophile]

First question: What time of year will you be going?
Second question: How old are you?
Third question: Will you be traveling alone?
Fourth question: Budget?

 

[jacob0401]

First question: What time of year will you be going?
Second question: How old are you?
Third question: Will you be traveling alone?
Fourth question: Budget?

Month of June
24
No, me + gf + her cousin
4000-5000 for everything in Europe, plane ticket not included

BTW i think I've seen your greek isle pictures before? you still go those up somewhere? at least i think it was you...

 

[preslove]

YES! That was awesome! A lot of the Sumerian artifacts were so freaking cool.



We didn't get to see everything we wanted (Versailles being the big one) because our flight plans got hosed and we lost a full day. We hope to go back soon and see what we missed.

Inside Versailles is pretty uncomfortable, actually. Most of the rooms are very small and get packed with all the tourists. The gardens, however, are incredible.

 

[GTaudiophile]

No, pics aren't up anymore I don't think...I can check.

$4-5K for all three of you???

 

[jacob0401]

No, pics aren't up anymore I don't think...I can check.

$4-5K for all three of you???

no, definitely not

per person