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Planning Europe trip...advice/suggestions wanted - Page 2

post #16 of 29
4/5/10 at 6:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ambulance Chaser View Post
I agree with gdl that there is absolutely no reason to go to Brussels.

why?
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post #17 of 29
4/5/10 at 9:11pm
Because Brussels is an absolute waste of time especially given the other choices, sure it's nice (sometimes) but that's about it. Overall pretty boring, can't think of anything worth the trip.
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post #18 of 29
4/6/10 at 3:06pm
I found London to be cheaper than Paris, at least not more expensive. Vienna is nice, I would love to live there, but I did not find the city very exciting. Madrid is wayy more boring than Barcelona. Who are you going with? If I only had two weeks I would see Amsterdam for a day or two, hit Paris, then Barcelona, Rome and Florence. If you are going alone I would recommend staying in hostels and going on pub crawls to meet people.
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post #19 of 29
4/6/10 at 3:30pm
I was just in Brussels for the easter weekend. Those who say it has nothing to recommend it are kidding themselves, especially for a short stay. The architecture in the city centre is beautiful and a delight to look at as you wander around. The Grand Place is especially stunning, but so is all the art nouveau. The streets are almost entirely paved, making the city very picturesque. The royal museums and the recently-built Magritte annex are quite impressive if you're looking for something to do for a few hours. I will, contrary to the naysayers, confirm for you that elsewhere in Europe and especially in Paris, it is nearly impossible to find most Belgian beers. If you really love the stuff, then you need to visit one of the many beer shops in Brussels which claim to sell over 150 varieties (though be warned, it's not cheap). The city also has the advantage of being extremely cheap. A train ticket from Paris to Brussels costs about 100 euros round-trip and takes less than 1h15. I stayed in a 4-star hotel on the Avenue Louise (the luxury shopping strip) for 80 euros a night. If you know where to look, eating is not expensive either. In all, if you really want to go, don't let yourself be dissuaded. Two weeks is not a lot of time, but you can have a very enjoyable 2 nights/3 days in Brussels. And I live in Paris, for what it's worth.
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post #20 of 29
4/6/10 at 3:47pm
I will add, in the context of the original discussion, that I'm not sure your plan is ideal. To hit 5 cities in 2 weeks is somewhat superficial and not very realistic. Calculate what percentage of your trip you'd be spending in transit between cities. It could very well add up to a few days, which is a sizeable chunk of your time. Also consider the logic of your circuit. Madrid to Barcelona is an easy displacement, but from Barcelona to Paris is 9 hours by train, and not very cheap. By plane it's even more expensive, though admittedly less long, but then you have to deal with security lineups, getting from the airport to your hotel, and so forth. That also takes money and time. Paris --> Brussels --> Amsterdam makes sense because the cities are not far apart. In all, it will depend on how you want to spend your time. If you don't need to spend more than 2-4 days in each location and it doesn't bother you to spend plenty of time in transit, then by all means go for it. If it were me, I'd choose regions that are easily accessible via one another to keep costs and travel to a minimum, thereby reserving a maximum of time for tourism.
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post #21 of 29
4/6/10 at 3:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gdl203 View Post
Yes. You can find Belgian beer all over Europe without having to be in Brussels.

Come on! If a person is into Belgian beer, then Brussels is the place to visit.
This is like saying there is not point of going to US as Budveiser is available worldwide.

I'm not a huge fan of Brussels either, but you can not beat it if it is the Belgian beer you are looking for.
Lambic hunting can be so much fun. If you do some research before getting there, your stay will be soooo good.

Oh...and stay out of the Turkish parts during the night.
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post #22 of 29
4/6/10 at 3:51pm
I'll just add that I've done rushed 1-2 week trips through europe and much prefer to spend 3-5 days in 3 places instead. It takes half a day to arrive, settle in, get the lay of the land, and explore, then 1-2 more to actually start "getting" a city. Plus travel costs and constant new lodgings increases costs, chances of losing things, and overall emotional drain. Honestly paris takes 3-5 days as does Barcelona. Plenty to see in both. I suggest Paris, french countryside (Bordeaux?), and Barcelona for a start. then maybe Cote azure like Marseille or Monaco, or nice, cannes... then if you want either head further south to Milan, or Modena/Bologne etc, or further north maybe past Geneva then to Lyon, etc. London, is, well damn expensive, but there's a lot to see there. For 2 weeks, the best trip might be London, Paris, Barcelona with 5 days each less travel time. Each unique with lots to do. taht way you get city, countryside, beach consider looking up the 1-2 week itineraries for trips done by guys like Contiki, Top Deck, etc just to see where they go and how long they stay in each place. Should give you ideas about what's worht it/not. use hostelworld or hostelbookers. Also consider couch surfing... especially where rent is high like london.
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post #23 of 29
4/8/10 at 12:50am
To hit 5 cities in 2 weeks is somewhat superficial and not very realistic. Calculate what percentage of your trip you'd be spending in transit between cities. It could very well add up to a few days, which is a sizeable chunk of your time.

i hit about 13 in 14 days...flew into london,stayed one day took the chunnel to paris (two days) rented a car and then proceeded straight down the line,Limoges,Sarlat.Bordeaux,Arcachon (largest sand dune in europe) nice,Eze,Monte carlo,San Remo...back to Strassbourg (left the car) took train back to Berlin (highly recommended) and flew back from Hamburg ...total of about 7000Km ,total cost of trip $3k including flight and car.anything is possible
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post #24 of 29
4/9/10 at 4:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by frenchy View Post
To hit 5 cities in 2 weeks is somewhat superficial and not very realistic. Calculate what percentage of your trip you'd be spending in transit between cities. It could very well add up to a few days, which is a sizeable chunk of your time.

i hit about 13 in 14 days...flew into london,stayed one day took the chunnel to paris (two days) rented a car and then proceeded straight down the line,Limoges,Sarlat.Bordeaux,Arcachon (largest sand dune in europe) nice,Eze,Monte carlo,San Remo...back to Strassbourg (left the car) took train back to Berlin (highly recommended) and flew back from Hamburg ...total of about 7000Km ,total cost of trip $3k including flight and car.anything is possible

What's the fun in that?

If it's the first time in Europa i'd try to see only 2 or 3 cities. And see them a bit more in depth. Paris, Rome, London, Barcalona, Berlin, Vienna. Can't go wrong in any of those cities.

Amsterdam is fun for a weekend only, it's just to small to stay interesting. To me Brussels is just plain boring. But OK, if it's for the beer
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post #25 of 29
4/9/10 at 3:08pm
i must say this is an awesome thread.
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post #26 of 29
4/10/10 at 12:27am
ehhh try it then you will know,ive been a total of 9 times since 1994,2 of those were those kind of road trips,the other ones were lengthier exploration types...and i gotta tell ya,after a day or two even amsterdam, london and paris gets pretty boring (unless youre banging a hot local, then sure stay a bit longer)0 other then that get in and get out and move on to the next adventure,im assuming this guys young so wants to have a bit of a thrill not walk around romnaticizing like an old fart
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post #27 of 29
4/10/10 at 12:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roy View Post
What's the fun in that?

If it's the first time in Europa i'd try to see only 2 or 3 cities. And see them a bit more in depth. Paris, Rome, London, Barcalona, Berlin, Vienna. Can't go wrong in any of those cities.

Amsterdam is fun for a weekend only, it's just to small to stay interesting. To me Brussels is just plain boring. But OK, if it's for the beer

ehhh try it then you will know,ive been a total of 9 times since 1994,2 of those were those kind of road trips,the other ones were lengthier exploration types...and i gotta tell ya,after a day or two even amsterdam, london and paris gets pretty boring (unless youre banging a hot local, then sure stay a bit longer)0 other then that get in and get out and move on to the next adventure,im assuming this guys young so wants to have a bit of a thrill not walk around romnaticizing like an old fart
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post #28 of 29
4/11/10 at 8:51pm
IMO skip London. on paper its a great city - tons of museum (and most are free), rotating schedule of cuture and arts display, absolutely huge, a neighborhood for every taste, largest immigrant community in the world means any type of food you like, terrific tube system, etc etc but for some inarticulate, intangible reason its just never "clicked" for me, even after 7 separate weekends. to be sure the company you keep influences your experiences, but ive explored it with colleagues, personal friends, old college friends, new friends, and its just never "there". could just be me, though. not saying its a bad city per se, but i can name 5 euro capitals i enjoyed more. however if you love shopping - esp if you are SF-centric, then its quite hard to beat
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post #29 of 29
4/11/10 at 9:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trompe le Monde View Post
IMO skip London.

on paper its a great city - tons of museum (and most are free), rotating schedule of cuture and arts display, absolutely huge, a neighborhood for every taste, largest immigrant community in the world means any type of food you like, terrific tube system, etc etc

but for some inarticulate, intangible reason its just never "clicked" for me, even after 7 separate weekends. to be sure the company you keep influences your experiences, but ive explored it with colleagues, personal friends, old college friends, new friends, and its just never "there".

could just be me, though. not saying its a bad city per se, but i can name 5 euro capitals i enjoyed more.

however if you love shopping - esp if you are SF-centric, then its quite hard to beat

I'm skipping London because I feel it's best enjoyed with a lot more money than I'll be bringing and that it doesn't have the historical appeal and aesthetic of Paris.
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