Travelling in Europe

[Shekwan]

How does everyone find Brussels "a bit bland"? It was one of the most amazing places I've ever been to!

Well therre are some nice buildings but all the newer ones are really depressing big grey blocks. If you want to admire Flemish architecture go to Bruges.

do you know what I thought Brussels was like? A big massive Dorset St.

Yeah there are some similarities. But if Dorset street had the same combination of amazing beer, waffles and political relevance I would probably enjoy it too.

 

[Atticus]

I'd be in Helsinki in July (as the plan is currently), with my cousins and my sister. So it's deserted in July, like a mega-ghost town? Or is that more in August-September?

No, it's in June at the time of summer solstice, and just one weekend. July is quite good time to be in Finland, especially if your cousins are natives and you can just hang around with them. There's still nothing special to see or do though.

 

[Winner]

Great advice. Would it be safe to assume that this is pretty much true of most big cities in Europe?

Maybe, but Czech taxi drivers are thieving bastards, keep that in mind.

Is public transport existent/good in the Czech Republic (other than the railway in and out of the country)?

I understand public transportation is very good in the Czech Rep., and pretty cheap by European standards, so there shouldn't be a problem. In big cities there are buses, trams, trolleybuses (and subway in Prague), so you can get anywhere you want. There are also many regional trains and buses, it isn't hard to travel around the country.

So I get the impression that the Czech Rep. is largely known for its castles? I must say, from quick searches, those places look quite pretty.

Castles, historic towns, cathedrals, the usual European stuff.

I won't suggest any natural sites because you'd probably be unimpressed. If you're into military history, you should visit some of the WW2 era fortresses, pretty impressive stuff. Bouda and Hanička are the two fortresses I've visited, the latter has been turned into a major fallout shelter by the commies.

Would it be possible to spend a couple of days in Strasbourg without feeling like your missing out on somewhere else?

I think you can see everything you need to see in one or two days, it isn't a large town.

 

[Camikaze]

Spoiler :

Well, we have an Old Town, which, according to UNESCO World Heritage List is "an outstanding and exceptionally complete and well preserved example of a medieval northern European trading city that retains the salient features of this unique form of economic and social community to a remarkable degree".
In other words, because Tallinn fell from once-important Hanseatic city to become a provincial backwater by the time most other European cities modernized and built boulevards, the walled medieval part of the city has remained very much intact.

Sounds cool. Would you, as a biased local, favour it over Helsinki, as Arwon does?

Apart from that, we specialize in lousy weather and national dishes designed to spook people.

Looks like Norwegians and Estonians have a lot in common.

Spoiler :

Hmm...appetising.

Spoiler :

Wow thats an awesome trip you're going on!

The best advice for any trveller has already been said a few times - pack light. This really cannot be emphasised enough. Don't bring any luggage that you have to check in. All you need is enough clothes for a few days and money, along with any travel documentation and hygiene related stuff.

Another thing I would reccommend is not to get hung up about "attractions" or seeing the famous sites. You learn far more about the country you're in by striking up a conversation whenever you can. After all what makes a country isn't bricks and mortar or some mountain, its the people.

I wouldn't go to Ireland though. There really is nothing of note here. Unless you're interested in something Irish specific like The Troubles or Irish music. Maybe Dublin for a day - Guinness factory, Book of Kells, hit a few pubs. But its a bit of a detour. Maybe you have family here or something?

As for Spain, I would favor Barcelona over Andalucia, but there are some amazing things to do there too. Do both if you can. The Alhambra is amazing. I love Spain because everyone is so laid back. Its a bit of a cliche but its true. Places stay open really late, which is great if you're a night person like me.

I would highly reccommend Belgium and Holland. Nicest people I've met in the few European countries I've been to. Brussels is a bit bland but theres the EU stuff which may interest you. Amsterdam is not half as seedy as people make it out to be, it has some amazing museums (the Rijksmuseum will blow your mind) and galleries aswell as a great nightlife. Also, Febo is genius after the pub.

After that I can't say much. I've only been to other places relatively briefly.

This Alhambra place is beginning to sound really interesting. As for Ireland, I hear that there are some nice scenic spots along the coast? Is this true, or a figment of my fanciful imagination?

Spoiler :

Which way are you coming into Romania, from Bulgaria (south), Moldova (NE), Ukraine (N), Serbia (SW) or Hungary (W)? I can give you a lot of info about various things that you can see along the way.

Well, current plans are to go from Kiev to Bucharest. But, I'm having rather a lot of trouble finding out how to do that without either getting a $500 plane via Budapest, or catching a 27.5 hour train. Is there some good halfway point (other than Moldova, which is too difficult to get into to bother with)? Odessa perhaps?

Spoiler :

Prague is a beautiful City. But do not specifically go to the Charles Bridge. Screw what the tour books said. It's not that amazing, the view is meh-ish. It is full of a people and full of tourist knitches. Only walk through it if it is on the way.

Greece - Fly to Athens. Visit the Acropolis. Fly to Santorini from Athens. Its is beautiful there with all the white and the blue and the cobbled streets and church. Go to Rhodes too. Old Town Rhodes is choked with interesting sites, the Templer Castle, the Huge-ass main street. They have lots of restaurants and cafes that are very good and smashed in the middle of the old streets. Get to the walls. Pretend it 1522 and Suleiman is sieging you. Its awesome.

Is Santorini really worth it? I'm budgeting on A$100 a day (60€, £50, S$130), and from a quick glance at prices, an Athens-Santorini plane ticket is 122€. So more than double my daily budget for everything. So it would have to be pretty good for me to go. Is it that good, or is it missable (?) for the price?

Spoiler :

France - The Versailles deserves at least a half day. Get there early or you will die lining up. And I mean really early. When I went there at like 8.30, there was already a short queue (25 metres) when I got there. I waited for an hour (combination of Striking French workers and opening time) and the queue shot up to 200 metres. It gets longer in the Afternoon. Chances are, because of the large amounts of people, you will not be able to enjoy it slowly. But its worth the visit. Afterwards, go to the Garden behind. Spend a half day there. Rest on the grass, go (rental) biking in the huge compound. It's worth it. There is also a smaller summer palace in the Gardens that is very beautiful and is not really choked with people. Go there too.

Yeah, Versailles sounds amazing. It's on my 'definitely' list.

Spoiler :

For Paris, I suggest you skip the Eiffle Tower and the Arch de Triumph. Its overrated and not worth the trip. Admire it from afar. Go to the Invalides which is the Military war Museum and Napoleon's Tomb. The Notre Dame, The Louve (it can take up and entire day) drinking coffee by the River Seine at sunset.

Luckily I've already been to Paris and seen a lot of the big things (like the Lourve, Arch de Triumph, Eiffel Tower, Sacré Coeur, Notre Dame), so I'll have the luxury of seeing some other things. I just hope the riot police aren't blockading any tourist attractions like last time.

 

[Kraznaya]

I can confirm Tallinn > Helsinki, having visited both.

 

[Squonk]

or can I see nearly identical things elsewhere?

Probably yes. Anyway, btw of the environs of Belarus, Wilno (Vilnius), the capital of Lithuania, is said to be a very nice once-polish city. There's an unique church of St Anne, which is a late gothic - baroque mixture

http://hiker.com.pl/litwa/img/kosciol_sw_anny.jpg

What exactly is there in Lviv that makes it better than Kiev? Is it just a more historic centre, or something?

Perhaps I'm wrong... but Lwow used to be richer, more colourful... Kiev was a clearly Ruthenian (Ukrainian) city, probably with many jews, but less anyone else, while Lwow was polish-german-armenian-jewish-ukrainian mixture. There are 3 or 4 cathedrals there, for once (roman-catholic, greek-catholic, armenian-catholic and, probably, orthodox as well)

So south Spain's the way to go? Interesting. Is it truly better in every aspect, or is it more a matter of personal historical interest and taste? Would it be worth going to, say, Sevilla instead of Barcelona, or is Barcelona a must see?

Sevilla is more beautiful, but due to Gaudi Barcelona is more original, I guess.
I've been only to the very north and very south of Spain, so I can't tell if there's much to see in the middle.

Really? I would've thought you'd need 4 or 5 days in Berlin to see everything. Is there not much to see, or does it just not interest you?

Well, what would you like to see there? The historical centre is not that big, and much of the city was destroyed during ww2, so it's not like you have a lot of secessionist buildings to admire.
Oh, btw of this region, you can save yourself the trouble to visit Sanssouci, it's nothing special.
Dresden is said to be a very nice city, though - but I haven't seen it, so I can't tell.

Would I be correct in assuming I could see pretty everything interesting in Brussels in one day?

Most cities you can visit in 1-2 days, if you start early. But it always depends if you want to visit museums and how many of them, if you want to go dancing or something, or not. If you want to go to a restaurant to taste local food, or not. If you want to take brakes during sight-seeing, or not. I don't know you, I can't tell. I do recall correctly there was much walking in Brussels, more than usual.

This is particularly something I'm not sure about. Barcelona or Bilbao? My sister went to both, and she says that Barcelona wasn't that great, but that Bilbao was brilliant. Is Barcelona just sand and beaches, or is there more to it that I wouldn't get from, say, Bilbao?

Haven't been in Bilbao, unfortunatelly, so I can't compare.

When it comes to Athens... It depends. If you're a fan of ancient greek history, it's worthwhile. If you haven't seen too many ancient ruins yet, it's worthwhile. Go there, otherwise once you may regret that you haven't gone there.

Siena is lovely. there's the cathedral
http://www.travel-destination-pictures.com/data/media/27/siena-dome-interior-italy_744.jpg

the main square is beautiful

http://www.casasisti.com/gallery/itiner/siena.jpg

and there are some nice paintings in the town hall, if I recall
The entire old city has a similar, warm colour...
Well, I don't know. I just recall it as one of the nicest places I've been to.

Anyway, if you come to Warsaw, I can show you around the city I guess.

 

[Shekwan]

As for Ireland, I hear that there are some nice scenic spots along the coast? Is this true, or a figment of my fanciful imagination?

Well theres the cliffs of Moher:

But you've really got to ask yourself if you want to spend money on extra flights to see some coastlines? I'm sure theres equally impressive Atlantic coastline elsewhere in Europe.

If you have any interest in Irish culture and history though you will like it. Gaelic sports, Irish language (Galway is really nice), and the Troubles. But unless you have this specific interest I would say that Ireland is very "skippable".

I guess I'm kind of biased against natural attractions too. You just go see them, say "huh, that was nice". Then what? You may not even enjoy the country (vis a vis food culture etc) you're in, but at least you saw a nice cliff.You get a picture and the "I was there" bragging rights but that about it. A bit of a waste IMHO.

 

[Yeekim]

Sounds cool. Would you, as a biased local, favour it over Helsinki, as Arwon does?

Helsinki (well, Finland overall) is most likely better place to live, but I believe Tallinn to be more interesting for a tourist.
In any case, it takes no more than hour and half by fast ship from one to another - and more than a dozen go every day.
@Lillefix - well, I must concede defeat here.

 

[Camikaze]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I'll reply to the rest in the morning; I need to sleep.

Spoiler :

No, it's in June at the time of summer solstice, and just one weekend. July is quite good time to be in Finland, especially if your cousins are natives and you can just hang around with them. There's still nothing special to see or do though.

My cousins are both Australian, but permanent English residents. They'll be on uni break and will have just finished school, respectively. So I wouldn't have a local with me. Would you, coming from a differing perspective, recommend Tallinn as opposed to Helsinki?

Spoiler :

Maybe, but Czech taxi drivers are thieving bastards, keep that in mind.

I understand public transportation is very good in the Czech Rep., and pretty cheap by European standards, so there shouldn't be a problem. In big cities there are buses, trams, trolleybuses (and subway in Prague), so you can get anywhere you want. There are also many regional trains and buses, it isn't hard to travel around the country.

That's good. One of the major problems with travelling around between cities by trains (well, it would be the same with planes) is finding transport to actually get places once you're there. So good transport network = good destination.

Spoiler :

Castles, historic towns, cathedrals, the usual European stuff.

I won't suggest any natural sites because you'd probably be unimpressed. If you're into military history, you should visit some of the WW2 era fortresses, pretty impressive stuff. Bouda and Hanička are the two fortresses I've visited, the latter has been turned into a major fallout shelter by the commies.

I think you can see everything you need to see in one or two days, it isn't a large town.

Those fortresses sound interesting, I might have to go and see them.

I didn't actually realise how much of a dilemma this thread would cause me. Now I want to stay for 12 months.

 

[Mirc]

Well, current plans are to go from Kiev to Bucharest. But, I'm having rather a lot of trouble finding out how to do that without either getting a $500 plane via Budapest, or catching a 27.5 hour train. Is there some good halfway point (other than Moldova, which is too difficult to get into to bother with)? Odessa perhaps?

You caught me exactly in the point I have no idea about - transport possibilities. Especially in that direction. I've never gone out of Romania by train/car in that direction, so I really have no idea. I'm not sure what a good halfway point would be - a big city with a railway station? In that case, Odessa is perfect (and from what I hear it's quite nice too), but I can't say anything about that. I was gonna suggest places to see on the way, I'm unfortunately completely unable to talk about the connection possibilities and things like these.

 

[Squonk]

Luckily I've already been to Paris and seen a lot of the big things (like the Lourve, Arch de Triumph, Eiffel Tower, Sacré Coeur, Notre Dame), so I'll have the luxury of seeing some other things. I just hope the riot police aren't blockading any tourist attractions like last time.

definitely go to the Invalides, like the man said. Also, there are some nice parks, like Buttes Chaumont, Luxembourg or Monceau.
You have surely seen Sainte-Chapelle, right?
It's definitely a big thing.

 

[aronnax]

Is Santorini really worth it? I'm budgeting on A$100 a day (60€, £50, S$130), and from a quick glance at prices, an Athens-Santorini plane ticket is 122€. So more than double my daily budget for everything. So it would have to be pretty good for me to go. Is it that good, or is it missable (?) for the price?

Hmm then in that case I suggest you just go to Rhodes.

In my experience, Greece is fun once. You can only admire a bunch of ruins so much. Unless you happen to enjoy Ancient Greek Architeture. I enjoyed Rhodes more due to its links with the Templars.

 

[Squonk]

ekhem, Hospitaliers.

 

[TheLastOne36]

Cyprus - This place is amazing. Absolutely love it. During the winter you can go swimming in the Mediterranean, and an hour later be skiing on the mountains. Not to mention beautiful and ancient greek ruins at Paphos. Cyprus is my favorite place in the world.

Romania - Ask Mirc about the place, only been in some place in Transylvania for a few days, it was pretty cool. Tons of castles.

Ukraine - Nothing much here. Like Sqounq said, Lwow and Kiev are only notable places. I was very bored in Ukraine, not to mention political situation is deteriorating.

Belarus - Nothing here.

Lithuania - Likewise, there are some castles and stuff built by Poles that you can see if you are interested.

Baltic States - Riga and Tallinn are pretty cool places. Only go to one though, because they look the same imo. I'd choose Tallinn over Riga because it is cheap to get to Helsinki.

Poland - Only two things you absolutely must see from Poland on a trip to europe that long - Krakow, and Grunwald. I highly recommend Grunwald.

As for Krakow, see this:

I disagree

Prague is nice, but it is a huge tourist trap.

Few basic advice:

- don't, I mean DO NOT EVER TAKE A CAB in Prague. You will get overcharged. The only safe way to use taxi service in Prague is to travel with someone who is a Czech.
- do not eat or buy stuff in places with many tourists, the prices are usually two or three times higher than in the rest of the city
- do not give anything to beggars, these guys earn more than you do.

Krakow is the same as Prague. This is a warning.

Here is the second thing, Bratislava and Budapest are the exact same as Prague, but a better experience overall as they aren't as crowded and you won't get ripped off at every opportunity.

 

[Winner]

Bratislava is actually quite ugly, except very few places in the very center of the city. Totally incomparable with Budapest.

 

[REDY]

I would avoid Bratislava and rather spend more time in neighbouring countries, but thats just me.

 

[Arwon]

Bratislava has a hilarious name though.

 

[Squonk]

Here is the second thing, Bratislava and Budapest are the exact same as Prague, but a better experience overall as they aren't as crowded and you won't get ripped off at every opportunity.

No they aren't. They're not nice.

 

[TheLastOne36]

Maybe I have low standards than. >.<

 

[REDY]

Maybe I have low standards than. >.<

You downgraded Prague and Krakow. But I realy enjoyed Budapest too, I was there only for one day.