Europeans - Best places to travel??

[Twiens]

Doing a euro trip in September/October with a few friends. Any suggestions?

I'm definitely interested in Munich for Octoberfest but it's also expensive as shit. Dublin? London?

[StephHamann]

Prague is cheap and good

[Lebowsky]

Prague is cheap and good
This. You can do Prague + Vienna + Budapest in 6 or 7 days. Prague and Budapest are cheap (for European capitals), beautiful and lots of fun. Vienna is impressive as hell.

[sd3035]

depends what your interests are

[aj1987]

Croatia. Going there around the same time.

[masonanddixon]

Slovenia is supposed to be the nicest place in Europe. I've never been interested in Europe though.

Place is decrepit for the most part and its people are largely degenerate.

[dunksby]

Slovenia is supposed to be the nicest place in Europe. I've never been interested in Europe though.

Place is decrepit for the most part and its people are largely degenerate.
This, do not go to Serbia.

[Jasi]

How long are you staying?

[dunksby]

Doing a euro trip in September/October with a few friends. Any suggestions?

I'm definitely interested in Munich for Octoberfest but it's also expensive as shit. Dublin? London?
If you want a trip around big cities and capitals I'd recommend: Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Warsaw, Prague, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and London. You probably don't have time and resources to visit all of them and spend quality time so you gotta pick a few based on what you want to do and how much you want to spend. Octoberfest is a bit overrated so if you are doubtful about that you can scratch it off your list, Berlin is ideal if you want to go clubbing, Barcelona is great for partying too with a dose of culture and history. Rome is strictly culture and history IMO but others might disagree, Prague falls into Barcelona category, Warsaw and Vienna are beautiful too. The two must visits are London and Amsterdam though, for obvious reasons.

[Lebowsky]

If you want a trip around big cities and capitals I'd recommend: Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Warsaw, Prague, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and London. You probably don't have time and resources to visit all of them and spend quality time so you gotta pick a few based on what you want to do and how much you want to spend. Octoberfest is a bit overrated so if you are doubtful about that you can scratch it off your list, Berlin is ideal if you want to go clubbing, Barcelona is great for partying too with a dose of culture and history. Rome is strictly culture and history IMO but others might disagree, Prague falls into Barcelona category, Warsaw and Vienna are beautiful too. The two must visits are London and Amsterdam though, for obvious reasons.
Krakow is better than Warsaw by a wide margin, imo.

[dunksby]

Krakow is better than Warsaw by a wide margin, imo.
Never been to Krakow, so I take your word for it.

[LBJ 23]

Slovenia is supposed to be the nicest place in Europe. I've never been interested in Europe though.


I don't know about the nicest place in Europe, but it's certainly at the absolute top when it comes to the ratio between beautifull places and travelling distance between those places. EDIT: thinking about it, you're probably right, having such a big variety of sightseeings on such a small territory it probably does make it the nicest place in Europe.

Here are some pics of the places you can visit 1-3 hours apart driving with a car.


http://www.portoroz.si/si/imagelib/12-land/default/images/Piran/Piranska_modrina.jpg

http://www.park-skocjanske-jame.si/image/medium/2415

The story about this castle will impress anyone

http://www.naprostem.si/uploads/news/predjamski_grad_2708.jpg

http://s.inyourpocket.com/gallery/108186.jpg

http://www.gradtur.si/large/bohinj-jezero_5_p49.jpg

http://www.carsokras.eu/img/tempo_libero/77_DSC_0206---TOP_Fotogregor_g.png

Like I said, the main advantage is that Slovenia being such a small country, you can visit a ton of really beautifull places in a short time and you don't have to travel between countries etc...here I posted just some pics, there are a lot of other beautifull sightseeings there which I left out.

[Jasi]

Please use smaller pics... the thread became unreadable.

EDIT - Thanks.

[Jasi]

It's an impossible task to select just a few places to visit if you don't put some constraints.
- How long do you plan to stay?
- Does your budget allow for a number of middle-haul flights in the same trip?
- What are your personal preferences? Would you enjoy a mountain location more than a seaside location or a metropolitan one? Do you look for nightlife and partying or you don't care? Do you value historical/cultural visits? Swarming multicultural urban landscapes? Serene countryside stays?

[Lebowsky]

Never been to Krakow, so I take your word for it.
See most of Warsaw was destroyed in WWII, whereas Krakow remained mostly untouched. It is a beautiful, beautiful place with a young university town vibe to it. A bit hipster-ish, but great nonetheless.

[kurple]

Prague is cheap and good
Prague is not cheap tbh. Not compared to Germany, Poland and most Central European cities/countries

Amsterdam, Roma, Hamburg, Barcelona, Krak

[rufuspaul]

Just got back from 12 days in Europe (thanks Jasi for the tips on Italia). Started in Rome and went to Siena, Florence, Pisa, Bologna, Venice, Verona, Lucerne and Engelberg in Switzerland, Paris, and ended in London.

My faves were Tuscany and Switzerland. I could easily live in either of those places.

[Jasi]

:cheers: It seems you had a nice trip and you learnt your Italian!

[Twiens]

It's an impossible task to select just a few places to visit if you don't put some constraints.
- How long do you plan to stay?
- Does your budget allow for a number of middle-haul flights in the same trip?
- What are your personal preferences? Would you enjoy a mountain location more than a seaside location or a metropolitan one? Do you look for nightlife and partying or you don't care? Do you value historical/cultural visits? Swarming multicultural urban landscapes? Serene countryside stays?

1. Three weeks
2. Yes. It looks like flights within Europe are incredibly cheap too.
3. A combination really. I want to party, but I also want to sight-see. I've done too many binge drinking trips to Vegas/Mexico so just looking for something different.

[Twiens]

Also, I'm from Canada so I'll probably start somewhere in Western Europe to keep costs down on the initial flight. Either Ireland, Scotland or UK to start most likely.

[Dresta]

See most of Warsaw was destroyed in WWII, whereas Krakow remained mostly untouched. It is a beautiful, beautiful place with a young university town vibe to it. A bit hipster-ish, but great nonetheless.
Yeah, there's a lot of ugliness in Warsaw--a kind of Nazi/Soviet leftover (nazis destroyed everything beautiful, Soviets swept in and build some ugly-ass shit). I don't know any Poles who don't despise this monstrosity, for example:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Culture_and_Science



Also, I wouldn't recommend Amsterdam if you are going to go to the Netherlands (especially on the weekends--nightmare!), because many other places are just as nice, far less busy, and less filled with lit prostitute windows, endless coffee shops, and loud and obnoxious British tourists (or some moron whiteying on the pavement). Its museums (though I like the Rijks) are massively overpriced too, and you can't go anywhere without being run down by cyclists and mopeds (negligible room for walking). It's a really nice city, but if you go to the Netherlands and only stop in Amsterdam, you're really missing out.

Utrecht, Leiden, The Hague, Harlaam, Delft, Maastricht, etc. are really, really nice places, and don't have the same drawbacks as Amsterdam.

[rufuspaul]

:cheers: It seems you had a nice trip and you learnt your Italian!


:oldlol: Un'altra birra per favore --- I got that one down.

[~primetime~]

Just got back from 12 days in Europe (thanks Jasi for the tips on Italia). Started in Rome and went to Siena, Florence, Pisa, Bologna, Venice, Verona, Lucerne and Engelberg in Switzerland, Paris, and ended in London.

My faves were Tuscany and Switzerland. I could easily live in either of those places.
Was that a group tour or something? Both times I have been to Europe I basically stayed in the same area for the most part...moving around that much from day to day seems like it would be a little exhausting...is that accurate?

Also, it seems like it wouldn't give you much time at these places, you could easily spend a whole week in Rome and still leave not having experienced it all, Paris too, I stayed there a week and left thinking "I need to go back so I can do this and that"

[~primetime~]

I'm going to Ireland next year...anyone have any experience/advice with that?

[rufuspaul]

Was that a group tour or something? Both times I have been to Europe I basically stayed in the same area for the most part...moving around that much from day to day seems like it would be a little exhausting...is that accurate?

Also, it seems like it wouldn't give you much time at these places, you could easily spend a whole week in Rome and still leave not having experienced it all, Paris too, I stayed there a week and left thinking "I need to go back so I can do this and that"

It was a tour. We stayed 2 days each in Rome, Florence, Venice, Switzerland, Paris and London. We took our 12 year old daughter and this tour was geared towards families so she wound up making some friends. It was her first time in Europe so this was an overview of some of the highlights. I'm sure she'll want to come back and spend more time when she's older.

I've spent longer times in London and Paris and like you I still didn't see everything I wanted to. The great thing about this tour group was that we didn't have to wait in line to see anything and when we arrived at our next hotel the check-in was already handled and we never had to lug our bags around. Some of the things we saw:

Rome: Forum, Circus Maximum, Coliseum, St. Peter's, Sistine Chapel, Pantheon, Trevi fountain. Stayed 2 nights in a hotel with a rooftop pool overlooking the city and had a dinner in a really cool pizza place where the kids got to make their own pizzas.

Siena: Spent the day here on our way to Florence. The Palio was that night (ask Jasi) so it was really cool. Great food.

Florence: Our 2 days here included a drive out to see the leaning tower of Pisa and have a fabulous meal on a working vineyard/olive farm. A fantastic Tuscan experience.

Had lunch in Bologna on our way to Venice. It's the ultimate food town.

Venice: Private gondola ride complete with musicians and singers. Private glass blowing demonstration at Murano glass. Private boat excursion/dinner on Burano.

In Switzerland we went to to top of a 10,000 ft. snow-covered mountain and had a cruise on Lake Lucerne.

You get the picture. I wouldn't have done half of these things on my own. The line to the Eiffel Tower alone would have taken half a day to get through but we just skipped ahead of everybody.

[~primetime~]

That sounds like a hell of trip Rufus, I might have to follow your lead when my kids are older.

[Nick Young]

Stay away from France.

[rufuspaul]

That sounds like a hell of trip Rufus, I might have to follow your lead when my kids are older.

Yeah if my wife and I were on our own we wouldn't have done a tour. Jasi was a big help in suggesting things to do and see when we were on our own. You can tell he's proud of his country and rightfully so. Italy is amazing.

[~primetime~]

Italy is definitely amazing, I did 5 days in Rome and 5 days Amalfi Coast.

And I definitely plan on returning to see other parts.

If you haven't done the Amalfi Coast you should return as well.

[Jasi]

Yeah if my wife and I were on our own we wouldn't have done a tour. Jasi was a big help in suggesting things to do and see when we were on our own. You can tell he's proud of his country and rightfully so. Italy is amazing.

I am glad if my hints were useful.

The whole Europe is amazing. Despite the terrible scars it's receiving :(

[Jasi]

1. Three weeks
2. Yes. It looks like flights within Europe are incredibly cheap too.
3. A combination really. I want to party, but I also want to sight-see. I've done too many binge drinking trips to Vegas/Mexico so just looking for something different.

Fine. Three weeks is a nice span, you can see a lot of things.
For flights, use no-frills airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet (with these two you can pretty much fly from everywhere to everywhere in Europe). Others include Germanwings, Airberlin, Transavia, Vueling, Wizzair.
At this point you have no real "planning" requirement and you can just pick the places that intrigue you the most from the lists that have been posted so far.

Personally, I second the Prague, Budapest, Vienna recommendations, but they're the same type of city (former capitals of the Austrian-Hungarian empire or attached kingdoms). Not saying they're all alike, they're actually quite different especially Prague, but you if you group up different types of European ambiences, they belong to the same one. So maybe pick only one. Either one, really. I prefer Budapest but it's a toss up.

Other must-see cities, IMO, are, in this order:
Rome
Paris
Lisbon <--- underrated
Berlin

Not a fan of Barcelona and I don't know Madrid enough to put them in this shortlist, but consider them.
It's really about personal preferences, you won't be disappointed with other cities such as London, Amsterdam, Venice, Florence, Stockholm, Krakow, Edinburgh and many more. Take a look at pictures around and pick. All of them have vibrant life too.

Other than cities, consider natural areas such as the Scottish highlands, the Alps in Switzerland and in Slovenia (Lake Bled is stunning), the Fjords in Norway, the Amalfi Coast in Italy, the Basque area in Spain, national parks in Montenegro, and the countryside in Tuscany (Italy) and in Normandy (France), with Mont St Michel being one of the most wondrous places in the world.

[arkain]

Did a trip to Italy recently as well. 10 days in Florence and surrounding Tuscan region. I prefer to pick a base and stay close by, get a good feel of that region.

- Florence - amazing city, it's got a bit of everything. Beautiful history and a great nightlife.
- Siena - small city, but has it's own charm, very highly recommended, especially once the sun sets, the main square is a lot of fun.
- Montepulciano - a good stop on your drive through the Tuscan hillside
- Chianti wineries - gorgeous scenery and delicious italian wine, this is heaven!
- Cinque Terre - 5 small fishing villages on the coast and amazing hikes between them, highly recommended!

I'm posting some pics on my photography instagram if you want to check them out: https://www.instagram.com/100grys/

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ue2kOpb5F6b2QDonZoCCl1ZyuQFihbadz-0ATEu1snApFJJQNfrpMIHtcgGAOuvUOUPq2jSZ9c26VXDc3lkt fdmNX5hsIZOgLiTfPt9uY4c27d6mECxsL1TAHFOej_QrFjFaL9 1NOYNJ25WeWajH66z5de3wkB4WQXiPHK8LfjrSqnrMQxN7ulki bBmsxoH0H-eXzNkI4FCsnUGFLI50OH_MzxZSsjyVCu8uklPYkbfi5x_c5S3w TIst3bhtjBO99ET79Rnb89pRaX5IULpqW0uRe_wpWl-s8GivKMDo9PiCpYppUu08FqPz_TKm0m5EMTaeTNb-Q_SjmRPFeJgkqwyYDWyH2tBIeSp-0W1jtgxx5ni1kIRW5O0lny9OvCksZe3ighzL8nPO5gt86Bk-zPI4s3IGDMkCHLziAcWCQab8DucKzIDYba0Tf_2uXYmw12yQd1 WUqLY04cwDWAFkWVlTsUIPeDjiIc5ntBamxCiq2ReimX__XNPm _DZ24iblN38QXjC50ZuLPyM1mh484Pz9VpHnHuDooSxxG8ggXZ 7_FTkZY0GPg_VsZcVi2Ir_NemDptVcfd03zyCXhHn6Oa_2Zg=w 561-h316-no

I'm liking the recs in this thread, Prague to Vienna to Budapest sounds like a great one and is next on my list and so is Slovenia now.

[ISHGoat]

Best place to travel? Any place without muzzies and negros.

[Facepalm]

Best place to travel? Any place without muzzies and negros.
Sounds like Japan would be perfect

[sd3035]

Sounds like Japan would be perfect

Nigerians have already invaded Tokyo

[ISHGoat]

Sounds like Japan would be perfect

Japan, Korea, China, and rich parts of Europe that criminals/terrorists (aka blacks and muslims) can't afford such as Monaco, Luxembourg, etc.

[pauk]

The Balkans... :rockon:

[Jasi]

Speaking of beautiful places. I was in the Dolomites this weekend.

Took this picture yesterday morning.
Seriously in awe at this, my wife and I spent hours taking pictures all around the lake. It's called Lake Carezza.

https://s31.postimg.org/npopf31cr/P60717_134542a.jpg