Travel EUROPE: Travel Tips & Tricks

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Star said:
Just has a fortnight in Paris and London which is the first major holiday (outside of Asia and resort type vacations) for my three kids (11/9/7).

One of the things that really struck me was the brilliance of their public transport and I'm not a keen user at home. We bought a weekly pass in both cities and stepped on and off trains and buses at will and managed to get everywhere. With Optus now data roaming with sensible rates, all one needs is Google Maps. Lock into your current spot, tap in your desired destinations and this brilliant app will show you the bus and train numbers and stops and time, all on a map so its impossible to get lost. Lots of tips to share but grab a weekly 'oyster' card in London for the tube for about 30 quid an adult.

airbnb.com for accom was similarly brilliant

2 amazing cities too...
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Going in June, family of 5. Any recommendations for a place to stay in Paris?
 

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TheGreatBarryB said:
Going in June, family of 5. Any recommendations for a place to stay in Paris?
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We stayed in this place: https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/209025

Host met us there with croissants and pastries and took us through the apartment. He helped with our luggage and the kids liked the old fashioned lift (many apartments don't have lifts!) This is a short stroll to two train stations and even shorter to a nice local market. It is also a 1800m (yes I measured it) walk to the Champs Elysees. It was also bigger than anything else we considered. It looks to have gone up a little in price but probably exchange rate. I would stay there again if I have my fam with me. Feel free to PM me for Paris info.
 
Don't know what we're (myself and my parents) are going to do while in Paris.

We get in around lunchtime on the 29th of April.
At the moments the plans are

Apr 29) Dinner on the Eiffel tower (parents 25th wedding anniversary) - Already booked
May 1) Disneyland (apparently everything else is shut that day)

No other plans atm.

We leave on the 4th of May.

5 nights at the Citadines near the Louvre (right next to some RER station that goes right out to Disneyland)
Then 1 night at the Mecure by the Eiffel Tower (parents go to Novotel as that's the hotel their tour company uses)
 
Dirty Bird said:
Don't know what we're (myself and my parents) are going to do while in Paris.

We get in around lunchtime on the 29th of April.
At the moments the plans are

Apr 29) Dinner on the Eiffel tower (parents 25th wedding anniversary) - Already booked
May 1) Disneyland (apparently everything else is shut that day)

No other plans atm.

We leave on the 4th of May.

5 nights at the Citadines near the Louvre (right next to some RER station that goes right out to Disneyland)
Then 1 night at the Mecure by the Eiffel Tower (parents go to Novotel as that's the hotel their tour company uses)
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You could do at least a half day out at the Palace of Versailles.
 
Dagless said:
They're all owned by one of four people/groups so it's not like it matters...
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This is pretty much (sadly) true. Some do still have their unique charm however, such as The Churchill Arms near Notting Hill, or the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese that's been around since just after the Great Fire. The Ship in Wandsworth is good for sunny sundays outside (maybe not the best this time of the year!). But as said above just wander around the streets and check them out. Oh how I wish I could be back there!
 

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So as a compromise with my girlfriend, we're going to Europe on Monday night for three weeks...I wanted the US, I've been promised that as the next trip, and I've been allowed as many football games as possible for this trip. :thumbsu:

Melbourne > Abu Dhabi > London (4 nights) > Stoke (2) > Liverpool (2) > Oxford (1) > London (2) > Paris...straight to Reims (2) > Paris (2) > possibly Bordeaux for a night > Lisbon (2) > Madrid (4)

Seeing...
West Ham United vs West Bromwich Albion @ Boleyn Ground (my second and final visit to the ol' girl :( )
Stoke City vs Wrexham @ Brittania Stadium - FA Cup 3rd round (gf's deceased Dad is from Stoke...it's a homage for her, we're second row behind the dugouts which is nice)
Everton vs West Ham United @ Goodison Park - FA Cup 3rd round
Stade De Reims vs St Etienne @ Stade Auguste Delaune (our online ticket permits us a free Big Mac) - Ligue 1
Atletico Madrid vs Granada @ Estadio Vincente Calderon - La Liga

I've previously seen three EPL games, one Championship game and one Bundesliga game (Hertha Berlin vs Bayern Munich, 74k fans there) so it will be interesting to compare the atmospheres and all that sort of stuff.
 
Got my trip coming up in a couple of weeks, very excited! This is what the plan is:

Brisbane>Dublin
Dublin > Cork
Cork > Glasgow
Glasgow > Inverness
Inverness > Edinburgh
Edinburgh > Castle Douglas (family)
Castle Douglas > Glasgow (Celtic vs r*ngers)
Glasgow > Liverpool
Liverpool > London
London > Paris
Paris > Amsterdam
Amsterdam > Hamburg
Hamburg > Berlin
Berlin > Rome
Rome > Brisbane

Paid for everything except for the tail end of the trip, deciding if I should drop Hamburg for a few more days on Berlin and Rome. Any suggestions? Roughly staying in each place 3 days. Going to 3 Celtic games and hopefully catch an EPL game if we get a chance (see if I can convince my girlfriend for 1 more). Leave on the 16th of Jan!
 
Bhoys Dont Cry said:
Got my trip coming up in a couple of weeks, very excited! This is what the plan is:

Brisbane>Dublin
Dublin > Cork
Cork > Glasgow
Glasgow > Inverness
Inverness > Edinburgh
Edinburgh > Castle Douglas (family)
Castle Douglas > Glasgow (Celtic vs r*ngers)
Glasgow > Liverpool
Liverpool > London
London > Paris
Paris > Amsterdam
Amsterdam > Hamburg
Hamburg > Berlin
Berlin > Rome
Rome > Brisbane

Paid for everything except for the tail end of the trip, deciding if I should drop Hamburg for a few more days on Berlin and Rome. Any suggestions? Roughly staying in each place 3 days. Going to 3 Celtic games and hopefully catch an EPL game if we get a chance (see if I can convince my girlfriend for 1 more). Leave on the 16th of Jan!
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IMO thats way too much you'll get burnt out and bored half-way through your trip - moving every 3 days.
The second half looks more interesting for mine and I'd kill hamburg for more time in Berlin. I'd go straight from Glasgow to London myself too.
 
manboob said:
IMO thats way too much you'll get burnt out and bored half-way through your trip - moving every 3 days.
The second half looks more interesting for mine and I'd kill hamburg for more time in Berlin. I'd go straight from Glasgow to London myself too.
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Yep agree, drop Hamburg for more time in Berlin (think of catching a Hertha Berlin as well) and check British Airlines for a cheap flight between Glasgow and London City Airport (I snagged a flight for £33 last Tuesday) and there are plenty of EPL and Championship clubs in London rather than trying to fit a game in between.

Also agree with cutting down on the days of travel, they are lost days and will catch up with you towards the end of the trip costing further days.
 
mcuzzy said:
My sis wants to do a contiki trip but was wondering if she could avoid contiki and do things her own way for a similar price range.
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Depends really.

How much does the Contiki Tour cost and how many of the places that the Tour covers does she want to go to. Might be best to break it down and see which comes out best.
 
Depending how far in advance you can book, sometimes bargains can be had on trains and buses.
Have a look at:-
Rail
National Rail http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Coach
National Express http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx
Megabus http://uk.megabus.com/

Air
Ryan Air http://www.ryanair.com/
Easy Jet http://www.easyjet.com/en/
Wizz Air https://wizzair.com/en-GB/Search

As always when considering airline travel, factor in any luggage, meal requirements, transport connections to/from airports, check in times etc.
 
mcuzzy said:
My sis wants to do a contiki trip but was wondering if she could avoid contiki and do things her own way for a similar price range.
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Will take a bit of work to research this as you'll need to factor in accommodation, sightseeing, transport between cities, taxi rides and/or local transport and/or getting from transport points with her baggage. If your sis doesn't have that long, Contiki it is my quick answer.
If she can go at a more leisurely pace, go solo. Pros and cons of both options- do the research and weigh the pros and cons up.
 
mcuzzy said:
My sis wants to do a contiki trip but was wondering if she could avoid contiki and do things her own way for a similar price range.
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"mcuzzy, post: 36577047, member: 51286"]My sis wants to do a contiki trip but was wondering if she could avoid contiki and do things her own way for a similar price range.[/QUOTE]
Have a look at Busabout. Drops off at a lot of the same accommodation that contiki goes to.
 
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