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Back from my trip, the highlights: Berlin: The Typography of Terror museum was the absolute best museum of the entire trip. It houses a large portion of the wall, has a free audio guide that gives you a tour of the property, and best of all - it has free admission! The Deutsches Historisches Museum is also wonderful - we spent about five hours in there and had to finally give up exploring because we were hungry. Rome: Ugh. Go for two days, see all the sights, and then get the gently caress out. There are lots of beautiful things to see, but it is really crowded. And expensive. Definitely buy tickets for all the big sights (Colosseum, Vatican, etc) ahead of time online to skip the lines. Amsterdam: Whomever in this thread suggested the KattenKabinet is my new god. It was 6 euros admission, but it was adorable. Cathag heaven. The best place we ate was called Tomaz. Danish/French cuisine. It is a bit expensive (100 euros for 2 people, 3 courses and 3 drinks each) - but it was delicious and the service was exceptional. Nothing in Barcelona really stuck out at me besides Sagrada Familia. It was nice, but I could happily never go there again. Same with Rome.
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Aug 4, 2012 13:13
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If you just went to Rome to see the most basic things ever and then got out, it's no wonder you didn't like it. Rome is amazing. Yes, it's definitely more crowded than Berlin, but I absolutely LOVED it. There's nothing like wandering into tiny churches that it takes you 15 minutes to find to get a look at a couple Caravaggio paintings, walking 40 minutes in the heat to get to a gelato place near Spagna from Castel Sant'Angelo and then having it be rewarded with the best gelato you've ever tasted in your life. Obviously you had a bad time and all, that's fair enough, but this is more to just let other people know that I found Rome to be an absolutely incredible, vibrant city full of life and awesomness. Plus I found it actually a lot cheaper than most other European cities since we would get away from the touristy areas for things like food.
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Aug 4, 2012 18:31
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I wouldn't say that I had a bad time, per se, but I definitely didn't enjoy the crowded conditions. We were only there 3 nights, so it definitely wasn't enough time to get the subtle nuances like you described. The gelato was amazing, though, no doubt about that.
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Aug 5, 2012 00:53
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I just got back from a month and a half in Oxford, including 5 days in London, 3 in Paris and 5 in Rome, and I have to say that Rome was by far my favorite (and cheapest) city. It was quite crowded but no more so than any other tourist place I've ever been, and walking through the streets at night down to the cheap food places (Trastvere or however it's spelled where everyone everywhere said to go eat) was amazing, the fountains and the late night (non-party) atmosphere are just unparalleled in my own experiences.
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Aug 5, 2012 15:25
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My girlfriend and I are thinking of doing a fairly large driving tour of central and eastern Europe plus some time in Italy next summer. I'm leaning towards a Renault lease, but I'm not sure how to cheaply manage the parking situations in larger cities. Is it usually doable to park in the outskirts and take a bus or train in? We're also looking to utilize a mix of airbnb.com, camping, and couchsurfing for accommodations. Any thoughts on the feasibility of this with a car? If someone has a room to rent in a town center, is parking going to be tricky? I know this is very broad, but any information would be useful. Kinkajou fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Aug 5, 2012 |
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Aug 5, 2012 19:58
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Kinkajou posted:My girlfriend and I are thinking of doing a fairly large driving tour of central and eastern Europe plus some time in Italy next summer. I'm leaning towards a Renault lease, but I'm not sure how to cheaply manage the parking situations in larger cities. Is it usually doable to park in the outskirts and take a bus or train in? Obviously ask in advance for parking availability at places you'd potentially like to stay. Going to require some research/flexibility on your part. I've been researching the topic myself (see previous posts) and it looks like parking at park n rides at the edges of major-ish cities that have metro systems is what we'll be doing anyway. Couple of euro a day, semi-secure parking for basically the cost of a train ticket is our plan. That and sleeping in the car for a night or two.
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Aug 5, 2012 23:52
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FaceEater posted:Obviously ask in advance for parking availability at places you'd potentially like to stay. Going to require some research/flexibility on your part. A couple notes here: • Parking is easy on weekends, even in Paris. Rome and London are the only two cities that I would leave the car on the outskirts; everywhere else I'd drive in and look for a spot. • Most big cities are relatively easy to park in even during the week, just try to avoid going in at rush hour (~8-9:30; 4-6) and you'll be fine. E.g. Vienna, Paris, Geneva, Lyon, Milan, are all honestly quite easy to drive in and find street parking during workdays. I'd say Paris is on par with LA as far as parking availability; you might have to drive around for 5 minutes, but not any longer. • If you don't mind being a dick, you don't have to pay for street parking if your license plates don't match those of the country you're in, because those tickets they write will never find their way to you. • Get a GPS; otherwise driving in cities while looking for parking will be harrowing as you turn the wrong way down one-way streets. This will make the rest of the trip better too, as then you can get off the autoroutes and onto regional highways on occasion. Particularly in France, the autoroutes are crazy expensive.
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Aug 6, 2012 08:12
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Saladman posted:A couple notes here: I think this is a special situation, but I live just outside of Geneva (<10km) with French License plates and got a parking ticket while in Geneva. It took them a year to find me but they did.
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Aug 6, 2012 13:49
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Maxwells Demon posted:I think this is a special situation, but I live just outside of Geneva (<10km) with French License plates and got a parking ticket while in Geneva. It took them a year to find me but they did. I have Swiss plates and have gotten a couple tickets in France, Austria, and Italy and they haven't found me yet. Knock on wood? (been ~ a year for the oldest unpaid.) I'd expect the Swiss to spend more time tracking down parking violations than most/any other country, too. On that note I think euro police/governments are working on some system to track cars across national borders, but IIRC it isn't being implemented until 2013, and it is, at least to start, only for serious crimes (major speeding infractions, drunk driving, etc).
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Aug 6, 2012 15:07
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I got a ticket from Switzerland sent to me in the Netherlands, four months after I got back from my vacation. It was for going five km over the limit in a tunnel. Some police forces will just do everything to catch you. I'd advise to not break the law, unless you know specifically that they can't catch you because it's been reported on. For instance: Dutch license plates in Belgium, because they use different systems and the Dutch government are being dicks towards the Belgians about backwards compatibility. Look for news stories like this if you're planning in advance to break the law. Also ask around to find out whether this situation still exists.
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Aug 6, 2012 18:27
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In some places they might also just tow it away..
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Aug 6, 2012 19:28
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If you were to travel to Rome and wanted to have meals really off the beaten path, how would you go about finding those kinds of places and how much money would that cost? Or is everything tourist-ified and you are boned?
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Aug 6, 2012 20:44
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Rojkir posted:In some places they might also just tow it away.. Like where? I have never seen a car being towed anywhere I've lived or visited in Europe. Have I just missed it?
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Aug 6, 2012 21:08
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greazeball posted:Like where? I have never seen a car being towed anywhere I've lived or visited in Europe. Have I just missed it? once when i was in prague I saw them use some sort of crane-truck to actually hoist and move an incorrectly parked car
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Aug 6, 2012 21:25
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Insane Totoro posted:If you were to travel to Rome and wanted to have meals really off the beaten path, how would you go about finding those kinds of places and how much money would that cost? Or is everything tourist-ified and you are boned? Definitely not all touristy. I went to Rome in 2009 and stayed in Trastevere, what some will call the "artsy" or "rougher" parts of Rome. I found it just fine, with no problems at all the whole week I was there. The streets are great to walk at night and the food is well priced and affordable. We never went back to eating overpriced stuff in the city heart after the first night.
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Aug 6, 2012 21:45
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Rojkir posted:In some places they might also just tow it away.. They're never going to tow a car that's parked in a metered spot but hasn't paid for it. But yeah, they certainly might tow in other places. I've been towed after parking in a loading zone for an hour. Oops. $300 tow and $120 parking ticket. VVV Switzerland, near Lausanne. In the loading zone of a Coop--I thought 11pm on a Saturday would not be a delivery time, but I guess not. Saladman fucked around with this message at 08:35 on Aug 7, 2012 |
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Aug 6, 2012 22:32
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Saladman posted:They're never going to tow a car that's parked in a metered spot but hasn't paid for it. But yeah, they certainly might tow in other places. Where was that?
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Aug 6, 2012 22:48
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Landsknecht posted:once when i was in prague I saw them use some sort of crane-truck to actually hoist and move an incorrectly parked car Central Prague enforces a limited resident-only parking policy that is not satisfactorily communicated to say the least - sometimes it mystifies even the locals. The town hall is also very eager to tow any vehicles violating the rules. So if you go there, I'd park your car at the outskirts just to remain on the safe side.
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Aug 6, 2012 23:12
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I will leave for Budapest tomorrow and stay for three days. Any recommendations on what's cool to do/see?
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Aug 7, 2012 00:16
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Your car can also be wheel clamped all across Europe.
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Aug 7, 2012 11:59
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lucythenomad posted:I will leave for Budapest tomorrow and stay for three days. Any recommendations on what's cool to do/see? Here's a link to a post of mine from a while ago in this thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3318901&userid=140126#post403267281 Budapest is awesome and you'll have a great time - the weather there looks really nice at the moment, sunny but not too hot for lots of walking around - have fun!
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Aug 7, 2012 14:14
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DirtyDirt posted:Definitely not all touristy. I went to Rome in 2009 and stayed in Trastevere, what some will call the "artsy" or "rougher" parts of Rome. I found it just fine, with no problems at all the whole week I was there. The streets are great to walk at night and the food is well priced and affordable. We never went back to eating overpriced stuff in the city heart after the first night. That sounds great. Are there any other city areas you would recommend? We are looking at staying at the Hilton Garden Inn at the Rome Airport. There is a free shuttle to the Rome Airport where I assume you can catch a bus or train into the city. The price of the hotel looks right too. $1300 per person on Expedia including airfare and six nights.
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Aug 7, 2012 14:27
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Insane Totoro posted:We are looking at staying at the Hilton Garden Inn at the Rome Airport. There is a free shuttle to the Rome Airport where I assume you can catch a bus or train into the city. The price of the hotel looks right too. $1300 per person on Expedia including airfare and six nights. For reference, you can get a 7-day card for $32E that will let you go anywhere (except the aiport) on all the transport, which you will need to take if you want to go somewhere like St Paul's Outside the Walls or Ostia Antica, or even if you just want to not walk for like an hour to get between the main city and the Vatican or the Coliseum. Of course, you can also get one ticket for 1E50 that lasts 2 hours if you just need to take a quick trip. I don't know what just the airfare would cost you though, so it might be worth it anyways if it turns out that the hotel is basically free.
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Aug 7, 2012 16:38
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lucythenomad posted:I will leave for Budapest tomorrow and stay for three days. Any recommendations on what's cool to do/see? Make sure to visit a bath house.
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Aug 7, 2012 17:39
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HookShot posted:I'd worry that you're going to be paying a LOT more for transportation than you expect. I think the train ticket to get into the city from the airport is 11E, and I'm not sure if that's one way or return. I'm 99% sure there are no public buses that go to the airport, and I don't know how much the private ones cost, but check that out beforehand. Roma pass is also good, it's 30E and lets you skip the line at the Colosseum(worth it just for this), get into two museums for free (col/for is 1, I would recommend Musee Capitolinee as 2) and a 3 day transport pass. I just got back from there a week ago, the train to the airport takes between 25 and 55 minutes depending on stops and cost me 14E each way, so definitely check the location of the hotel in proximity to the city...
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Aug 7, 2012 20:46
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If your hotel is anywhere near Termini (or you don't mind taking another train once you get there), there are many private shuttle busses that go from the airport to Termini. We took one (terravision) for 8 euro round trip.
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Aug 8, 2012 02:49
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Well it is a moot point now I guess. My wife told me we are going to Krakow instead of Rome. At $1000/person for plane and hotel for six nights I really can't argue against that kind of pricing. We'll be going in June. Any thoughts as to things I should do while I am there, like in terms of eating and boozing?
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Aug 8, 2012 03:05
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Krakow is amazing. There are a lot of pubs in medieval cellars, just walk on the outskirts of the old town and go into tiny doors with music playing. Street foods you should try are zapiekanka and obwarszanka, the latter is a Krakow speciality. There is also a Krakow thing called Bar Mleczne which you may or may not like. Basically it's a tongue in cheek recreation of communist era cafeterias, complete with unhelpful staff and (sometimes) cutlery chained to the tables. Kind of hipstery. For restaurants there are several nice ones in Kaziemierz that serve Jewish cuisine, a bit expensive for Poland but that's still cheap. Things that are good to drink include: Mead, Zoladkowa z Miodem, Tatanka (=Zubrowka and apple juice). Sadly the best nightclub in Krakow collapsed last year and will probably not be rebuilt. RIP Kitsch/OFF/Lubu Dubu 
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Aug 8, 2012 15:52
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Can I just walk into a European T-Mobile store and expect to pay something reasonable if I want a week's worth of 3G service? I already have a Euro-capable cell phone. I just want a prepaid SIM card. What particular street names/areas of Krakow should I be looking for with regards to dining?
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Aug 8, 2012 15:57
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What's some cool stuff to over a few days in Paris?
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Aug 8, 2012 18:02
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Insane Totoro posted:Can I just walk into a European T-Mobile store and expect to pay something reasonable if I want a week's worth of 3G service? I already have a Euro-capable cell phone. I just want a prepaid SIM card. There's Kazimierz like I mentioned. Apart from that I don't recall any specific place, most of our time there we were just sort of wandering and still having a great time.
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Aug 8, 2012 19:11
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Thanks for the info. How much Polish do I need to know? Can I get away with just zero knowledge? Are there any really touristy areas to avoid? Or is it still fairly not too overrun by Americans with beer guts and fanny packs?
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Aug 8, 2012 19:39
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The central plaza and Wawel are both packed with tourists although the season has mostly ended by now. Still worth visiting. We also went on a day trip to Zakopane which was very touristy, I would stay away from there unless you really want to see men wearing sheep fur. You do need to know some polish, most people above 30 do not speak any English. Even being able to point and say "two, please" can be enough.
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Aug 8, 2012 20:04
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I'll be staying in the Kreuzkölln district during my stay in Berlin. I'm stupid and accidentally booked the wrong return flight home. So, I have an extra day on my own without my friends. Is there anything in the area that I absolutely must see that's within walking/biking distance? I may also spend the day shopping, so any store suggestions would be great too. Is anyone else attending Berlin Festival?
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Aug 8, 2012 20:19
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Sorry if this has been talked about, but this poo poo is huge: How is traveling in Greece like at the moment, considering that the place is seriously in the dumps? I'd most likely concentrate on Crete and probably would spend a good chunk of time WWOOFing. Talking to a chick here in the UK, she's making it sound like there are ridiculous amounts of homeless people everywhere, and that's it dangerous. Exaggeration?
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Aug 9, 2012 16:45
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moflika posted:Sorry if this has been talked about, but this poo poo is huge: How is traveling in Greece like at the moment, considering that the place is seriously in the dumps? Cheaper and less touristy than usual, therefore nicer. It's not like they're rioting and burning cars and attacking tourists. My family and several friends went to Greece this summer (inc. Athens and Heraklion) and all loved it.
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Aug 9, 2012 17:26
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That sounds great actually. It would be during low season anyway, but less people is always nice.
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Aug 9, 2012 19:54
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supersteve posted:What's some cool stuff to over a few days in Paris? 1. Don't go to Louvre. Seriously, you need 3-4 days there. Yes, 3-4 whole *days* just at the Louvre. You will pissed at yourself because you are missing all the wonderful things you cannot concentrate on because you've got to keep moving (so much more stuff to see around the corner). 2. Go to see the Eiffel tower, but forget about standing in line for the lift to go to the top. You will be waiting for hours, if not half a day. Eiffel tower is an amazing feat of engineering and you can get the full experience by climbing to the second floor by the stairs. It's cheaper as well. The line to the stairs takes 15-30 minutes, not hours and hours. 3. Go to the Luxembourg gardens just for a stroll or for a picnic. It's absolutely wonderful and completely free. You can spend hours there just admiring the scenery. 4. Have a walk from the Arc de Triomphe to the Concorde along the Champs-Elysees. Just so you can tell other people later that you have done it. Go to dinner every night to a restaurant. Half of the pleasure in staying in Paris is the food. You will not regret it (provided you will not a pick a complete dump to dine at). Where are you staying at? I could maybe recommend some restaurants.
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Aug 9, 2012 21:44
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Thanks for the reply! I'm staying in the Latin quarter (near the st michel metro stop) and would love some food and nightlife recommendations if you're familiar with the area.
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Aug 9, 2012 22:02
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supersteve posted:Thanks for the reply! I'm staying in the Latin quarter (near the st michel metro stop) and would love some food and nightlife recommendations if you're familiar with the area. If you are willing to walk to Blvd Montparnasse, there is a great little (affordable!) restaurant with a Corsican influence. You can't beat the price/quality ratio of this place. It's called L'abri Cotier: http://abri-cotier-paris.fr/ What you want is the "formule" or the fixed price menu, either 19 EUR or 24 EUR for three courses. Corsican house wine was very good and also very reasonably priced (9 EUR for 0.5l). I didn't get a chance to dine at this place but it should be very good and also very affordable, Cafe de la Tourelle: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d1907542-Reviews-Cafe_de_la_Tourelle-Paris_Ile_de_France.html You can ask your hotel to ring them and ask them if they are open (August is the main vacation time in France). If you are willing to spend an extra 10-12 EUR on the taxi ride, you can go to Le Kigawa: http://kigawa.fr/ We had our best dinner in Paris there. 32 EUR for three courses, extremely limited menu but also extremely well prepared and presented. You *have to* reserve before going here, the restaurant is tiny and very popular.
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Aug 10, 2012 00:15
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