Eurotrip! Thoughts & suggestions welcome

[blackdogdeek]

What are "the big three"? Prague is a definite, so if you have some places to recommend... spill'em out here! I know my sister will know of places, but obviously that's limited. As I said above, Switzerland is not required...

The big three in Italy are Venice, Rome and Florence.

In Prague, we spent a day walking up to the Castle, another day walking around Old Town and another day walking around New Town and the Jewish Quarter. We also saw La Boheme at the National Opera House for $6.

If Zermatt is anywhere near where you're going to be I'd recommend it just for the scenery. It's got that whole Matterhorn thing.

 

[CraKaJaX]

I read cinque is more then a day trip, but I am going to make it a day trip from MIilan...trains run every 2 hours, so I am not too worried about missing anything.

A lady I worked with at my previous job actually mentioned it to me. Her and her husband have been there multiple times they love it so much. What she told me was you hike up the hills through all the trails (vineyards), taste some wine, get amazing views ... come back down to swim if you want and feast on delicious seafood that is brought in that same day. I -think- she mentioned you can rent boats to take out by the hour as well. I guess you'll find out!

 

[CraKaJaX]

The big three in Italy are Venice, Rome and Florence.

In Prague, we spent a day walking up to the Castle, another day walking around Old Town and another day walking around New Town and the Jewish Quarter. We also saw La Boheme at the National Opera House for $6.

If Zermatt is anywhere near where you're going to be I'd recommend it just for the scenery. It's got that whole Matterhorn thing.

FWIW, this is where my sister is staying: https://www.google.com/maps/place/K...2!3m1!1s0x470b94f4726046fb:0x57a0f8b34f4acce1

.... if the link works....

 

[Broheim]

Concentration camp has been added to the itinerary.... completely forgot about that. Terezin looks like the easiest to get to... and creepy as hell.

I went to Theresienstadt when I was a kid, I can still recall everything about the place. I'd definitely recommend it.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Visit fewer places and spend more time in each. Hitting 6 locations (Prague twice) wastes too much time and money travelling, especially if you really only have 10 days (forfeit 2 days to depart/return and one to jetlag). You could spend the entire trip in just Prague and Munich and still be leaving things to do on the table.

Personally, I'd make the effort to see Budapest. Interesting city with a lot of history.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Here is the Old Town center. We stayed somewhere near here (if link doesn't work just look for Staroměstské náměstí):

https://www.google.com/maps/place/S...ech+Republic!3b1!3m1!1s0x0:0x97ef2407c21e72c4

 

[Exterous]

Wondering if we should substitute Swiss for Austria (any of the cities mentioned above)... Innsbruck looks amazing!

Thanks for the input so far guys - appreciate it

Switzerland isn't bad and I am sure you would enjoy your time there but I find Austria more compelling.

If you go to Innsbruck I would recommend a stop by Mittenwald as well since its pretty close by. 40min by car or about 1 hr by train its a great little town that would almost certainly be worth your while

 

[GTaudiophile]

woooooo, I leave tomorrow for 25 days of EU goodness

milan, venice, pula, plitvic lakes, sibinek, krka, hvar, dubrovnik, athens, zakynthos, milan, cinque terre

renting a car in croatia, few ferries/boats/planes ... should be fun . I've done a similar trip last year, so I know a bit of what to expect!

I've been to every country in the EU, outside of spain, so if you have any questions i'll try to watch this thread and answer em for ya!

Nice. Be sure to hit up the ship wreck beach.

 

[CraKaJaX]

Visit fewer places and spend more time in each. Hitting 6 locations (Prague twice) wastes too much time and money travelling, especially if you really only have 10 days (forfeit 2 days to depart/return and one to jetlag). You could spend the entire trip in just Prague and Munich and still be leaving things to do on the table.

Personally, I'd make the effort to see Budapest. Interesting city with a lot of history.

I have no choice on hitting Prague twice since I fly in and fly out of there.

I see where you're coming from with spending the entire trip in those two cities, considering the size of each and the endless amount of things to see. However since it's my first time there and I'm still (fairly) young, I wanted to get a taste of a little bit of everything. I have no problem walking around a city/town all day, crashing on an overnight train, and then waking up and doing it all over again. My thought is this allows me to get a decent flavor of it all so that when I plan my next trip, I have a sense of countries & places I'd love to see more of and those that I possibly couldn't care for. I don't want to strap myself down to one area unless I have to.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Hiking all five fjords of Cinque Terre takes a day alone. And then after you explore, you want to enjoy one or two of them...the area is also known for its wine making.

I recommended PISA+Cinque Terrer because it's the same distance as Genoa. Florence, Pisa, and Cinque Terre would be even better.

But there is never a shortage of things to do in Italy: you can also pile on Alpine towns like Bellagio on the Como lake and Bormio near Stelvio Pass, etc.

Switzerland is über expensive. We're talking about the $12 USD equivalent for a BigMac. I would either skip completely or hit Interlaken as I mentioned.

If you have any detailed questions about anything related to Germany, let me know.

 

[GTaudiophile]

If variety is what you seek, I highly recommend focusing on Prague, Budapest, Munich (Bavaria), and say Florence/Pisa/CQ. Budapest and Prague are two different cultural experiences and Budapest is cooler IMO. I recommend it.

 

[Gooberlx2]

I have no choice on hitting Prague twice since I fly in and fly out of there

Yeah, I understand that. I just meant it's still equivalent two destinations/day of travel. Sleeping on a train is fine. I've done it. You'll just want to space out the cities such that you actually get real sleep on the train then and, hopefully, not be hassled constantly by customs (this might be an issue travelling across the eurozone border). Young or not, it's not as enjoyable walking around a city dead tired all the time.

 

[CraKaJaX]

If you have any detailed questions about anything related to Germany, let me know.

Beer halls. Not Hofbra. Go

 

[CraKaJaX]

Yeah, I understand that. I just meant it's still equivalent two destinations/day of travel. Sleeping on a train is fine. I've done it. You'll just want to space out the cities such that you actually get real sleep on the train then and, hopefully, not be hassled constantly by customs (this might be an issue travelling across the eurozone border). Young or not, it's not as enjoyable walking around a city dead tired all the time.

Good point! For some reason, what Rick laid out as an example above just appeals to me more than a couple big(ger) cities. I like the idea of seeing the different cultures, landscapes, and tasting different foods & beers.

 

[Exterous]

My thought is this allows me to get a decent flavor of it all so that when I plan my next trip, I have a sense of countries & places I'd love to see more of and those that I possibly couldn't care for. I don't want to strap myself down to one area unless I have to.

This has been our approach and it has worked well. It could backfire on you though if you don't have a chance to go back though. It has also allowed us to take some 'risks' when looking for a place to visit, knowing that even if it doesn't work out well we won't be there long and it wasn't a large chunk of the trip. Sometimes our initial suspicions were correct but others they have made for a nice surprise that make it onto the 'Want to go back to' list

Young or not, it's not as enjoyable walking around a city dead tired all the time.

Pft thats what excessive amounts of coffee is for! Vacations are the only time that I actually drink it

 

[Gooberlx2]

Pft thats what excessive amounts of coffee is for! Vacations are the only time that I actually drink it

Well, good thing that Europeans tend to brew much stronger coffee than what we typically find in the States.

OP, also look into AirBNB for additional options for accommodations. I've scored some pretty rad spots in the past for not much more than you'd spend in a hostel anyway.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Beer halls. Not Hofbra. Go

Augustiner Biergarten or Bierkeller (Near main train station, downtown Munich)
Hacker-Pschorr am Viktualienmarkt (Near Marienplatz, downtown Munich)
Andechs Monastery Brewery (Outside of Munich on the Ammersee Lake)
Tegernsee Brewery (Outside of Munich on the Tegernsee Lake)
Erdinger Weißbier Brewery (Outside of Munich, near airport, in Erding)

If you go to Erding, then also check out the indoor spa and water park.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Well, good thing that Europeans tend to brew much stronger coffee than what we typically find in the States.

OP, also look into AirBNB for additional options for accommodations. I've scored some pretty rad spots in the past for not much more than you'd spend in a hostel anyway.

AirBnB rules. I spent 9 nights in my own modern apartment in Rome for 50% of what a hotel would have cost me.

 

[CraKaJaX]

Well, good thing that Europeans tend to brew much stronger coffee than what we typically find in the States.

OP, also look into AirBNB for additional options for accommodations. I've scored some pretty rad spots in the past for not much more than you'd spend in a hostel anyway.

I require at LEAST two cups a day as it is. My buddies wife is straight from Italy (Rome) and at their wedding this past year her dad (who speaks very little English) was trying to converse to me how coffee in Italy (or Europe for that matter) is a science. Meanwhile I'm a few manhattans deep..... it was quite entertaining. All I can remember is the best "mocha" is at some small shop in Rome... according to him.

AirBNB is a good call. We'll be looking at this for wherever we end up.... which I think has changed majorly since I posted this thread, lol.

This has been our approach and it has worked well. It could backfire on you though if you don't have a chance to go back though. It has also allowed us to take some 'risks' when looking for a place to visit, knowing that even if it doesn't work out well we won't be there long and it wasn't a large chunk of the trip. Sometimes our initial suspicions were correct but others they have made for a nice surprise that make it onto the 'Want to go back to' list

Exactly my thought.

Augustiner Biergarten or Bierkeller (Near main train station, downtown Munich)
Hacker-Pschorr am Viktualienmarkt (Near Marienplatz, downtown Munich)
Andechs Monastery Brewery (Outside of Munich on the Ammersee Lake)
Tegernsee Brewery (Outside of Munich on the Tegernsee Lake)
Erdinger Weißbier Brewery (Outside of Munich, near airport, in Erding)

If you go to Erding, then also check out the indoor spa and water park.

Perfect.... I'm supposed to visit each one in the order given, right?

 

[GTaudiophile]

Not necessarily as they are ALL EPIC!

Of the two in downtown Munich, Augustiner is preferred.

Otherwise the three outside of town are all amazing; I would perhaps lean towards Andechs and Tegernsee as they both have lake views. Erding is also cool if you visit the downtown area and the indoor spa.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I am also considering using AirBNB instead of a traditional hotel, but this would be in London. For those that have used it (especially more than once) have you run into any scammers? Today Show had a Rossen Report regarding the failures of AirBNB.

I'm going to London in December for three weeks and thinking about spending just under US$8K on a place across from Harrods in the Hyde Park area, but compared to the hotels I'd be spending >US$12-14K. The property I am considering is nice in the photographs, but only a handful of feedback (all positive).

Still, the thought of spending US$8K on my first AirBNB transaction seems risky, but the savings seems really good.

 

[DaWhim]

bus your way around, can easily do that. prague is very cheap compare to the rest of the eurozone.

don't bother with genoa, you can stay at cinque terras. just show up, you will find a place to stay. I did for 25 euros a night. head to florence after then fly back to prague from there.

train in italy is very cheap, you can book on the day you get there as long as u avoid summer and major festivals.

 

[CraKaJaX]

bus your way around, can easily do that. prague is very cheap compare to the rest of the eurozone.

don't bother with genoa, you can stay at cinque terras. just show up, you will find a place to stay. I did for 25 euros a night. head to florence after then fly back to prague from there.

train in italy is very cheap, you can book on the day you get there as long as u avoid summer and major festivals.

I actually skyped with my sister last night and we plan on going to Florence in order to get back to Prague. She also mentioned how cheap food and stuff is in Prague..... and also conveniently lives above a grocery store. Yikes! Thanks guys

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Go to Konopiste and and Karlstejn castles when you visit Prague. They are a bit outside the city but are well worth it. Orlik is also worth it, but is a little bit further away than the other two.

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

http://www.hradkarlstejn.cz/en/

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

As for stuff to do in Prague - do the touristy stuff as it is well worth it if you have never done it. Hracany casle, golden lane, the charles bridge, Orlej (the astronomical clock), the jewish quarter, etc. are all great sites and well worth seeing. That said, there is so much to see and do in Prague that you would need at least a year (not kidding) to go through it all.

If you have the opportunity to go further outside of prague, Ceski Budovice and Ceski Krumlov are great. Budovice for the beer. Krumlov for the sites.

Be careful in old town square and some of the other locations at night. The gypsies can be quite aggressive. Not kidding.

Source - my father is Czech and I've been to Prague many times.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I actually skyped with my sister last night and we plan on going to Florence in order to get back to Prague. She also mentioned how cheap food and stuff is in Prague..... and also conveniently lives above a grocery store. Yikes! Thanks guys

Food and beer are quite cheap there as long as you stay out of the tourist traps. First time I went to the CZ (in 1999) you could buy beer for 15cents. Last time I was there beer was ~75 cents. A big increase but still cheap.