Best places in Europe...

[GTaudiophile]

Whew.

Okay.

Hotels or Hostels?

Do you want to see as much as you can or do you want to go to relaxing places and chill, blend in?

 

[jacob0401]

Whew.

Okay.

Hotels or Hostels?

Do you want to see as much as you can or do you want to go to relaxing places and chill, blend in?

Probably a mix of hotel and hostels...cheap but not roughing it is good...

I prefer to relax and chill...but we will be doing major cities as well. I'm especially interested in your opinion on greek islands and Mediterranean coastal towns in italy/france/spain

 

[GTaudiophile]

Well, despite the EURO falling a bit lately, it is still stronger than your US Dollar. Also keep in mind that certain locales, especially in France and Italy will be extra expensive.

I would first look into the viability of purchasing a "multiple destination" international ticket. For example, something that would allow you to fly into Athens and depart from Amsterdam or something.

I would suggest something along the following:

WEEK 1 ($$):
Arrive Athens, see Parthenon.
Plane or boat to Santorini. Stay in Oia for about 2 nights/2 full days.
Depart Santorini by boat, arrive Mykonos. Stay for 2 nights/2 full days.
Boat to Athens.
Fly to Rome or bus to Patras and boat to Ancona, Italy and then train to Rome.

WEEK 2 ($$$$):
Rome: 2-3 Nights
Florence: 2 Nights
Depart Florence EARLY AM: Stop in Pisa, see the tower, get back on the train, and head north to the Cinque Terre area.
Cinque Terre: 2-3 Nights. Time to hike the five fjords in a day.

WEEK 3+ ($$$$$):
Depart Italy via Genoa, enter France.
If you can afford it, go to Nice, Cannes, and Monaco. I would say at least a good day at each destination would be nice. This is heart of the French Riviera.
Head north to Paris: Spend at least 3-4 nights there / a good 4 days minimum.

WEEK 4 ($$$):
Fly from Paris to Amsterdam: Spend a good 3 nights there.
Depart from Amsterdam to the States.

You should make the decision of whether you want to fly from destination to destination and save time (sometimes also the cheapest option as well) or opt for trains or buses. This is just a matter of research beforehand to determine how cheap the airfares are vs. a rail pass.

The above is very much a whirlwind tour.

An alternative would be just to park yourself in some exotic locale like a Greek island and just blend in and forget about the world.

Just depends on what you want/need out of this trip.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Prague hands down no comparison.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Krakow, Poland that`s my favorite city in all the world!

 

[zinfamous]

Probably a mix of hotel and hostels...cheap but not roughing it is good...

I prefer to relax and chill...but we will be doing major cities as well. I'm especially interested in your opinion on greek islands and Mediterranean coastal towns in italy/france/spain

dude: COUCHSURFING. it is awesome. and cheap, and way better than hostels for really getting to know places. If you are going to Brussells or Luxembourg (for some crazy reason--cool place though), I can refer you to some awesome hosts.

sorry I didn't suggest this earlier.

 

[zinfamous]

WEEK 2 ($$$$):
Rome: 2-3 Nights
Florence: 2 Nights
Depart Florence EARLY AM: Stop in Pisa, see the tower, get back on the train, and head north to the Cinque Terre area.
Cinque Terre: 2-3 Nights. Time to hike the five fjords in a day.

nice advice. but I would suggest skipping Pisa. gah, it's so worthless. While it's in the opposite direction of Florence > Cinque Terra, Siena would be better.

blah, Pisa. blah!

 

[GTaudiophile]

nice advice. but I would suggest skipping Pisa. gah, it's so worthless. While it's in the opposite direction of Florence > Cinque Terra, Siena would be better.

blah, Pisa. blah!

Or skip both and add Parma?

Face it, he could spend all 4 weeks in Italy and be very happy.

 

[zinfamous]

Or skip both and add Parma?

Face it, he could spend all 4 weeks in Italy and be very happy.

agreed.

...I think I'm the only one that likes Venice. Granted, I was there during non-peak seasons November and New Years, but I freaking love that place. Hard to find another city that compares.

damn expensive though. If I had to pick one place for 4 weeks, it would definitely be Tuscany, based in Florence. Or maybe Sicily, b/c I've never been

As much as I want to recommend places in Switzerland, it's tough when you have limited time and want to see as much as you can. I had a lot of time devoted to mostly Italy and Switzerland (predominantly French), I guess.

 

[txrandom]

"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.

Since when did they start using the Euro in Prague?

I'm about to leave for London, Split (Croatia), Florence, and Paris for two and a half weeks. Any know some hosts that would allow my friend and me to stay?

 

[GTaudiophile]

And yet another option would be to locate the "dream locale" and just pay for a vacation home. I did this in Berlin last year and only paid like 40 EUR a night for a pretty big apartment in the center of the city. Much better than a hostel!

 

[GTaudiophile]

I think these are the images you referred to...

 

[zinfamous]

Since when did they start using the Euro in Prague?

well kiss my grits, I thought they had when they joined the EU

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurozone

Slovakia is in EZ though...weird. the cronen is worth shit. So did things get expensive there simply after joining the EU?

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Prague hands down no comparison.

Prague is ok, but only for a few days IMO. The Czech republic has so much more to offer outside Prague. Konopiste, Karlstejn, Ceske Budjovice, Brno, Plsen, Lysa Hora, etc. All fantastic places to visit. And unlike Prague, you might actually hear the Czech language in those places!

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Since when did they start using the Euro in Prague?

I'm about to leave for London, Split (Croatia), Florence, and Paris for two and a half weeks. Any know some hosts that would allow my friend and me to stay?

The Czechs still use the crown, or koruna. In the late 90's, 1 dollar was about 45 crowns. You could buy beer for ~17 crowns (~30 cents). I still remember buying my entire family (12 people) a 5 course dinner, booze included, for ~17 bucks.

Now, the dollar is worth ~20 crowns, and prices in Prague have really caught up to western markets. You can still get a good deal on food, provided you don't eat in Prague 0-1 (the area immediately surrounding the Charles bridge, old town square, etc.). If you manage to venture outside Prague, prices go down very, very fast. E.g., I bought an entire set of ornate crystal glasses from a factory store in Vrbno for ~30 dollars. That same set likely would have cost 3 or 4 times that in Prague.

 

[GTaudiophile]

The Czechs still use the crown, or koruna. In the late 90's, 1 dollar was about 45 crowns. You could buy beer for ~17 crowns (~30 cents). I still remember buying my entire family (12 people) a 5 course dinner, booze included, for ~17 bucks.

Now, the dollar is worth ~20 crowns, and prices in Prague have really caught up to western markets. You can still get a good deal on food, provided you don't eat in Prague 0-1 (the area immediately surrounding the Charles bridge, old town square, etc.). If you manage to venture outside Prague, prices go down very, very fast. E.g., I bought an entire set of ornate crystal glasses from a factory store in Vrbno for ~30 dollars. That same set might likely would have cost 3 or 4 times that in Prague.

I was in Prague in 2008 and it was not cheap!

But drinking Pilsner Urquell from the tap in Prague is heaven!

As for Poland, I have heard from many sources that Krakow is indeed one of the most beautiful places in Europe.

 

[mafia]

Krakow, Poland that`s my favorite city in all the world!

Indeed. Krakow is a MUST for any Euro Trip.

 

[nageov3t]

I always wanted to go to Poland with my 90 year-old great aunt who lived there through her 20's, but it might be too late now

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I was in Prague in 2008 and it was not cheap!

But drinking Pilsner Urquell from the tap in Prague is heaven!

As for Poland, I have heard from many sources that Krakow is indeed one of the most beautiful places in Europe.

Agreed. Prague definitely is not cheap now. Especially near the old town square. That's what westernization will do to ya.

 

[rasczak]

all in all, have a great trip. you're going to love it.

 

[DivideBYZero]

My favourites:

- London
- Paris
- Barcelona
- Bern, Switzerland
- Copenhagen

Milan was OK, great if you're then moving onto lake Garda. Not done Rome yet and my wife keeps trying to get me there, in fact she's going there for business tomorrow. I really should do it.

Istanbul, as someone mentioned, is VERY interesting and if ever it was possible during a trip it's worth doing. Half of it is on the Euopean continent, even if it's never going to get into the EC! And anyway there's nothing cooler than popping over one of the bridges to 'go to Asia'!

 

[bignateyk]

I was on the greek island of crete for 2 weeks for work. Was nice, but not worth spending your own $$ to go to IMO.

 

[Azurik]

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.

Totally agree. I went to Minsk, Belarus for a week this past winter and it's a total Soviet Union time capsule (Stalin-style buildings and Lenin statues galore). I knew a bunch of girls there that I met here in the states - so I had a great time. I just imagine if I went there alone and without knowing anyone, my experience would definitely be different.

Belarus is NOT tourist-friendly, nevermind the loopholes one needs to go through to get a visa.

 

[Jzero]

And yet another option would be to locate the "dream locale" and just pay for a vacation home. I did this in Berlin last year and only paid like 40 EUR a night for a pretty big apartment in the center of the city. Much better than a hostel!

I did this in Berlin as well. A beautiful apartment right by Schloss Charlottenburg with a balcony overlooking the Spree. It was amazing.

I can't remember what the cost was, but split among 5 people it was way cheaper than a hotel and of course way nicer than a hostel. It also saved a bit on food - we had a stove and fridge (and a top-drawer Solis super-auto espresso machine), so we were able to buy breakfast food and snacks and beer at the grocery store.

I would try to do this for any trip now.

Czech Republic isn't officially on the Euro, but most places in Prague would accept it (and give you a crappy exchange rate plus Koruna for change).

 

[ichy]

Just got back from Madrid. Frikkin awesome city, and much more affordable than a place like Paris.