Travel EUROPE: Travel Tips & Tricks

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smiddy9 said:
You my friend are a star!! Absolute legend! We get in late on a Sunday night! Where do you recommend heading out from there? Bar/Club recommendations?
Cheers
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Assuming your accommodation is central then any of the listed bars in the main square would be your best bet. If you get in after midnight Pijalnia bar is your best bet.
 
hirdy_is_champ said:
Thanks for the advice mate. Mostar does look lovely, and is only a couple of hours from Split. Just thinking now Split might be a bit closer to things such as Plitvice lakes. I love natural beauty, even if it goes against what I said before about swarming with tourists... Anyway nothing is set in stone yet. Looking at doing this next year.
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Plitvice is very nice and worth seeing. Day trip is all you need. For natural beauty in that region Montenegro is great. All mountains and fjords. Slovenia at the other end of the coast is more alpine pretty but a bit clean and tidy for my tastes. You sound like you know Western Europe anyway. Go east I always say !
 
Borderline said:
Hostels are buzzing all year round, you'll have no problem finding any people who want to go out and party or do whatever. Also can't recommend enough doing the pub crawls, tours etc organised by the hostels, they take you to some really cool places that you'd never find by yourself, also some pretty neat discounts for drinks and club entry. It's a great way to meet the other people in your hostel.

As for the cities, assuming you're just going to the main, most popular Western European countries you can't go wrong, every city is different and has its own characteristics but they're all brilliant in their own way. I'd recommend Berlin, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona just as a starting point, but definitely try and see more! It's worth doing research about the areas around the hostels though, especially with London and Paris, you can land in some pretty dingy and nasty areas, often these will be the cheapest hostels though so if you don't mind that then it's fine.
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Yeah did a pub crawl last year in London and loved it. Will most likely do a a couple in the cities that we go to.

At this stage we're going to (in no particular order) Liverpool (soccer), London, Paris, Barcelona, Munich (could potentially swap with Berlin), Athens/Greek Islands (to visit mate's family), Venice, Swiss Alps and then on the maybes are Madrid, Monaco and Instanbul.

One place I'd really love to go to is Sweden to see the Northern lights. Has anyone done it? Massive detour compared to everywhere else I'm going but it would be incredible to go see.

Yeah I've got a few friends who have been to many of the cities in summer so will most likely go to the same ones they went to should they have good reviews. In London I went to the Generator and it was incredibly fun, and it's part of the reason why I don't want to do a tour this time.
 

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OzBomber said:
Yeah did a pub crawl last year in London and loved it. Will most likely do a a couple in the cities that we go to.

At this stage we're going to (in no particular order) Liverpool (soccer), London, Paris, Barcelona, Munich (could potentially swap with Berlin), Athens/Greek Islands (to visit mate's family), Venice, Swiss Alps and then on the maybes are Madrid, Monaco and Instanbul.

One place I'd really love to go to is Sweden to see the Northern lights. Has anyone done it? Massive detour compared to everywhere else I'm going but it would be incredible to go see.

Yeah I've got a few friends who have been to many of the cities in summer so will most likely go to the same ones they went to should they have good reviews. In London I went to the Generator and it was incredibly fun, and it's part of the reason why I don't want to do a tour this time.
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Sounds awesome mate! I went to Madrid too and loved it, slightly less commercial than Barcelona in that there's less English around and McDonalds, Starbucks etc. really nice nightlife there too! I went to both Berlin and Munich but unfortunately was only there for 2 days each, Munich is really nice but most people seem to prefer Berlin, but you wouldn't be disappointed with either.
 
Currently in Avignon. Any recommendations?
 
OzBomber said:
Yeah did a pub crawl last year in London and loved it. Will most likely do a a couple in the cities that we go to.

At this stage we're going to (in no particular order) Liverpool (soccer), London, Paris, Barcelona, Munich (could potentially swap with Berlin), Athens/Greek Islands (to visit mate's family), Venice, Swiss Alps and then on the maybes are Madrid, Monaco and Instanbul.

One place I'd really love to go to is Sweden to see the Northern lights. Has anyone done it? Massive detour compared to everywhere else I'm going but it would be incredible to go see.

Yeah I've got a few friends who have been to many of the cities in summer so will most likely go to the same ones they went to should they have good reviews. In London I went to the Generator and it was incredibly fun, and it's part of the reason why I don't want to do a tour this time.
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Get to Sweden fella!! Crackin country!
 
The Dice Man said:
No not really. It's like any other French town. Visit the pope place. Drink some rose. Peeve on cute French women. Cava?
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Some very nice towns and sites. Some of the English of the locals is deplorable. Did a wine tour with a local who has travelled extensively so knows his s**t (including English) and can highly recommend. Shows you sites, wine ettiquette and how to choose a nice wine, not by the price - It was with Avingon Wine Tours!

We have our own car too and driving around here is ridiculous, small roads and they are aggressive drivers.

At dinner last night in the heart of Avingon we had the pleasure of seeing what looked to be a business man, fly kick a bum/druggie in the chest for harassing him. The bum went on to softly face plant against the wall. Fair to say the missus took this as a significant cue to leave and get back to the car before dark.
 
Ohhh and Rose here is deliscous, unlike the fruity/girly s**t we have back in Aus!
 
One more night here then on our way to Bordeaux then Spain, Croatia and hopefully Greece.

Ohh never order a cab in France btw. They start the meter from when they get the notification to pick you up.

And it's fricken hot atm. Reaching 36 degrees.

Also Swisse Alps around Jungfrau is easily the best scenery I've ever witnessed. Better than Sapa, Vietnam, the U.S coast lines, all of Aus and the Grand Canyon. I'll throw some photos up when i get back home in a month.
 
G'd day everyone! Here in Oxford, UK working for 3 months and then planning to travel after it. At the moment I've given myself about 10 days until my return flight to Australia, but judging by the responses in this thread, I should probably extend it. :p

Initially I was thinking of doing the big 4; namely Germany, France, Italy and Spain. 2 days in Paris, 3 days in Berlin, 2 days in Rome and 2 days in Barcelona, but after reading some lesser known countries that are becoming popular places to visit, my whole itinerary is up in arms again. Right now, I finish work on the 2nd of October, and my return flight is on the 12th, but again I'm most likely going to be extending by a couple of weeks.

How's AirBNB for accommodation for my type of travelling? Not too many days in a city, then fly out, or would being a hotel be better? There's still a lot of research to be done as well, but I'm keen on your opinions, those who've gone to the above countries and many more, key do's and don'ts and best places to visit etc;. Appreciate it!
 
ThePezDispenser said:
Ohhh and Rose here is deliscous, unlike the fruity/girly s**t we have back in Aus!
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Australians have much sweeter tastes compared to the French. When I went back to oz after 2 years here drinking rosé daily it was disturbing the rosé available. Can't find a decent one under AUD15 but here if your spending more than 3 euros a bottle your spending too much.
 

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Rubix WingMan said:
G'd day everyone! Here in Oxford, UK working for 3 months and then planning to travel after it. At the moment I've given myself about 10 days until my return flight to Australia, but judging by the responses in this thread, I should probably extend it. :p

Initially I was thinking of doing the big 4; namely Germany, France, Italy and Spain. 2 days in Paris, 3 days in Berlin, 2 days in Rome and 2 days in Barcelona, but after reading some lesser known countries that are becoming popular places to visit, my whole itinerary is up in arms again. Right now, I finish work on the 2nd of October, and my return flight is on the 12th, but again I'm most likely going to be extending by a couple of weeks.

How's AirBNB for accommodation for my type of travelling? Not too many days in a city, then fly out, or would being a hotel be better? There's still a lot of research to be done as well, but I'm keen on your opinions, those who've gone to the above countries and many more, key do's and don'ts and best places to visit etc;. Appreciate it!
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Keep in mind your traveling between Paris - Berlin - Rome - Barcelona that's 3 days of the 10 (noting you have likely left a day free I'm guess for your flight home) you'll be travelling so keep in mind how you intend to get to each city (Train or Plane). So 2 days in Rome basically becomes 1 and half in a best case situation, 1 day in a worse case. Same goes for the last three cities of the 4 if flying. I would say your rushing to fit to much in that timeframe, but it can be done. If you could extend you trip by even 5 days you could do - 3 days travel, day of departure, 3 days in Paris, 3 days in Barcelona, 2 days in Rome and 3 days in Berlin and not seem like a rushed trip. That would then open up further extensions and further cities, one I would say would be Vienna if I had a choice for 2 days.

As for AirBNB if researched well it can be a great option, but rather than look at hotels also consider hostels. The cities your going to have some top quality ones at fair prices considering the cities. My key DO's are Research, planning, questioning, learning key phasing for French and Spanish, more research and the sense to trust the locals know how to have a good time.
 
Thinking of going either May 2016 or September 2016. Don't want to go in their Summer as I don't like extreme heat.
In regards to flights am just trying to work out when it's best to book. As early as possible or wait for some sort of sale/deal?
Also what's considered a "good" price for Economy or Premium Economy?
Would probably land in either Italy or Greece.
 
juss said:
Thinking of going either May 2016 or September 2016. Don't want to go in their Summer as I don't like extreme heat.
In regards to flights am just trying to work out when it's best to book. As early as possible or wait for some sort of sale/deal?
Also what's considered a "good" price for Economy or Premium Economy?
Would probably land in either Italy or Greece.
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It will more than likely be hot in may.

Use sites like edreams or sky scanner to get an idea of the price range. From this far out, you should be able to pick up something under 1900.

Italy has 3 main airports for intercontinental flights, Rome, Milan and Venice. So if you're flexible with where you're going, be sure to check flights to these cities as you might be able to find something a bit cheaper. I recently used Venice, and found it was far less of a cluster * than using Rome.
 
Been in Europe about five and a half weeks and I've hit my last 10 days. Anyway, this query is about Eurail and specifically pre-booked seats.

Now I'm in Paris and aiming to get to Milan, Munich, Budapest, or Prague. Opinions on those cities don't matter. I just need to get to one.

I had to get a longer train from Amsterdam to here as I hadn't pre booked, but I still got out that night. I'm fearing I could be stranded here for another few days - not good considering the clock's ticking.

One: will I snag a ticket to one of these places tomorrow night?

Two: should I get a ticket to anywhere, as long as it's somewhere else, then try and connect from there to one of those above cities?

Three: ever just jumped on board? I was never checked for an actual ticket previously with my eurail, just the date. Is this asking for trouble with a 10 plus hour ride? Will I end up sitting in an aisle? Or is it easy to do?

Thanks a lot, getting a bit urgent.
 
Silent Alarm said:
Been in Europe about five and a half weeks and I've hit my last 10 days. Anyway, this query is about Eurail and specifically pre-booked seats.

Now I'm in Paris and aiming to get to Milan, Munich, Budapest, or Prague. Opinions on those cities don't matter. I just need to get to one.

I had to get a longer train from Amsterdam to here as I hadn't pre booked, but I still got out that night. I'm fearing I could be stranded here for another few days - not good considering the clock's ticking.

One: will I snag a ticket to one of these places tomorrow night?

Two: should I get a ticket to anywhere, as long as it's somewhere else, then try and connect from there to one of those above cities?

Three: ever just jumped on board? I was never checked for an actual ticket previously with my eurail, just the date. Is this asking for trouble with a 10 plus hour ride? Will I end up sitting in an aisle? Or is it easy to do?

Thanks a lot, getting a bit urgent.
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With Eurail you need to have a reserved seat booking on most French Trains and at this time of year its worth while. Maybe head to the nearest station tomorrow AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE to orgainise a booking. As to which city, Munich would be the easiest to get to with Prague the best option IMO.

But to answer you three questions

1) Depends what's available, but don't leave it until the time of departure get it organised as soon as you can so you know what your looking at.
2) With a Eurail pass it could work, get a train into Germany and then connect to where you want to go - the French system is the part that will cause most of your problems at this stage.
3) I have for a Berlin to Amsterdam train and just had my dates checked. Wouldn't advise it in France however. Turn over an hour tomorrow morning to heading off to TGV stations to book and check your options. Always better to get the next trip booking out of the way on a Eurail pass in France before doing anything else.
 
robbieando said:
With Eurail you need to have a reserved seat booking on most French Trains and at this time of year its worth while. Maybe head to the nearest station tomorrow AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE to orgainise a booking. As to which city, Munich would be the easiest to get to with Prague the best option IMO.

But to answer you three questions

1) Depends what's available, but don't leave it until the time of departure get it organised as soon as you can so you know what your looking at.
2) With a Eurail pass it could work, get a train into Germany and then connect to where you want to go - the French system is the part that will cause most of your problems at this stage.
3) I have for a Berlin to Amsterdam train and just had my dates checked. Wouldn't advise it in France however. Turn over an hour tomorrow morning to heading off to TGV stations to book and check your options. Always better to get the next trip booking out of the way on a Eurail pass in France before doing anything else.
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Thanks a lot, appreciate it.

Ended up snagging an early one to Berlin then Budapest for tomorrow. All good.
 
smiddy9 said:
Get to Sweden fella!! Crackin country!
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You reckon?

Rude, cold, unengaging people. Stockholm is pretty in the sun or grey, and I was in Solna so it was nice to be in the suburbs a bit as well. But honestly - it's not worth the trip up there. It's good for three days but then it's not economical.

Also, Sweden and Denmark (I had a ball in Copenhagen, was there for a street festival and have never made so many stories in one night) are a little devoid of culture. You kind of struggle to find a nice cafe, or a decent place to get dinner. There's not many street vendors. And they're all obsessed with McDonalds - which for such intelligent countries, is seriously depressing to see.

Oh yeah and good luck drinking in Sweden. The state owns their bottle shops. They're hard to stumble across and extremely weird inside.

Anyway - anyone have ideas and recommendations for Budapest? Good hostels? Good meals? Good clubs? Hidden gems? Cool suburbs?
 
ThePezDispenser said:
Some very nice towns and sites. Some of the English of the locals is deplorable. Did a wine tour with a local who has travelled extensively so knows his s**t (including English) and can highly recommend. Shows you sites, wine ettiquette and how to choose a nice wine, not by the price - It was with Avingon Wine Tours!

We have our own car too and driving around here is ridiculous, small roads and they are aggressive drivers.

At dinner last night in the heart of Avingon we had the pleasure of seeing what looked to be a business man, fly kick a bum/druggie in the chest for harassing him. The bum went on to softly face plant against the wall. Fair to say the missus took this as a significant cue to leave and get back to the car before dark.
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Ummmmm, you're in France mate, putain merde.

How's your French?
 
One thing everyone who goes to Europe should do is go to Delerium in Brussels and see if you can beat my record for consuming Karmaliet Triples.
 
juss said:
Any airline recomendations? Thinking of flying Qatar Airways Melbourne to Rome as they are rated pretty highly online.
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What's the stopover time?

I've never flown with them as I hear the airport in Abu Dabi is a shocker and from looking previously the stopover is usually 6 hours.

Emirates is very good in terms of service, stopover times and Dubai airport. They might charge a bit extra, but if you're saving 4 hours on a trip it can be worth it (depending on your circumstances).
 
Stronzo said:
What's the stopover time?

I've never flown with them as I hear the airport in Abu Dabi is a shocker and from looking previously the stopover is usually 6 hours.

Emirates is very good in terms of service, stopover times and Dubai airport. They might charge a bit extra, but if you're saving 4 hours on a trip it can be worth it (depending on your circumstances).
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Short stopover, entire commute from Melb to Greece is listed as about 21 hours
 
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