European Vacation!
 

I'll be in Europe the last week of June. Definitely starting the trip in Paris and will end in Oxford, England. Any suggestions on where to visit in between?

What sort of thing are you interested in?

I could tell you where the best castles are or where to buy magic mushrooms.

I love European architechture. Would definitely like to see Italy at some point, but not sure that we could do it justice just by passing through. I'd just like to be someplace with plenty of things to do that has beautiful scenery. It would be a great change to look out a window and not see Wal-Mart. :)

Well, if you like architecture, Oxford is home to the oldest English speaking university in the world.

http://www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/

That's about all I can offer, unfortunately. If you'd asked me about magic mushrooms... :)



p.s. thanks for giving me the National Lampoon 'Holiday Road' earworm.

Thanks for the site! I'm actually going with a friend who will be studying at Oxford, so I'll definitely get to see the university.

check http://dps1.travelocity.com/dreamMap...e=dreamMap.pgd

Dream maps can help you figure out what might be in range...

I have travel to france booked for early march...i'll be taking my second week in Athens on a cheap swissair flight...but there were plenty of other cities that have good ticket deals. Ryanair, and some of the other carriers are worth a look as well.

Thanks! I'll definitely look into that. :)

In France, check out the Loire valley- many castles and beautiful scenic areas if you're able to drive a few (or several) hours.

Amsterdam baby!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brussels is absolutely beautiful - The Atomium is worth a visit if you are at all science inclined.

I'm definitely a huge science nerd! :) I'll keep Brussels in mind.

Also, We'll be flying out of either Dayton or Cincinnati. Since we're not sure where we're going first, we've been trying to figure out which European cities would be cheaper to fly into. Any suggestions?

How long are you there? If it's only a week, you're not going to have time to see more than two or maybe three places, so pick carefully...

Ireland.
Scotland.

If you want to see the European side:
Barcelona,
Prague...

I like this site for cheap flights:
www.skyscanner.net

The biggest piece of advice I can give is that the world cup will be going on in Germany. So unless you want to deal with massive crowds of crazed soccer fans, stay out of Germany until after July 9th.

Go to Versailles and the Louvre while you are in Paris. Don't forget the obligatory Eiffel Tower photo.

Poland!
Krackow is beautiful in the summer. and its very cheap and the food is great.

For flights around Europe, try www.easyjet.com for prices.

I actually wouldn't mind, especially if I could get tickets. :)

I'll be able to travel for about a week and a half. Then I'll be in Oxford, England for 3 or 4 days. Besides Paris, we're planning on picking two other places that we'd like to see. Now, if we could just narrow it down!

Between easyjet and www.ryanair.com - -both are kinda like big flying greyhound buses.. No frills.. you pay extra for luggage.. but they are dirt cheap and will get you places... Ryanair has some incredibly cheap prices to go just about anywhere on the continent..

Prague is absolutely beautiful
Ireland - I'd love to see the Giant's causway before I die...

Areas around london are beautiful - i loved canterbury - the cathedral was impressive... on the way out there i also went by stonehenge (it was closed when i was there because of an foot and mouth epidemic) The Lakes Region is probably the most beautiful area in the UK...

My only problem with Ryanair is that the price advertised very rarely matches the price you pay, unlike easyjet.

They are still cheaper than other airlines, though.

Ryanair... eh, I remember once I flew with them from Frankfurt to Tampere(Finland), the plane landed 30 minutes early, literally 30 minutes. The pilot must be speeding... Anyway.

Try
www.blue1.com
A finnish friend of mine told me about that. Cheap flights and such.
Then again if you would by chance go to/from Oslo, try www.norwegian.no - sometimes they get pretty cheap also- you can also try looking at kilroy, but I don't know if they do anything outside the Nordic region.

Europe is a lovely place- I miss it.

Most inexpensive flights to EU are from JFK/EWR - Out of Cincinnati (CVG) onetcly DL and AF fly to Paris

Actually, I've been looking all week. The cheapest flight I've found so far is out of Dayton to Cologne (Koln), Germany. It's running about $200-$300 cheaper than flying straight into Paris.

Still not sure if that's where we'll start our trip or not. Anyone been to Koln? Like/Dislike it - tell me why! :)

Köln has an amazing gothic cathedral, the largest gothic cathedral in the world, I believe. But beyond that, Köln is typical of the Northern Rhine German cities--an industrial town. There's not much there aside from the cathedral. Worth seeing if you're on your way through, especially as it's literally across the street from the train station, but it's not worth a trip in and of itself unless you're really into gothic cathedrals.

Also, don't forget that there are lots more budget airlines than just RyanAir, etc. In fact, I'd say RyanAir is one of the worst of the probably 50+ budget airlines in Europe. Check out Skyscanner.net for the best way to find budget flights.

Where are you flying in/out of? The same city? Open-jaw? That's seriously going to affect what you can do. Do not make the same mistake that most people make on their first trip to Europe of trying to see way too much in too little time and spending more time in planes, trains, or airports than actually doing things. So you have one week after you leave Britain, maybe less after you factor in travel to/from the Continent... Stay in Paris for 3-4 days, then maybe make a day trip or two out of Paris (Normandy, Loire Valley (Chateaux), etc). Take it from someone who just spent six months travelling Europe--travel takes up much more time than you'd think, and it isn't worth it. It's better to get a good feel for one or two places than a window view of 5.

Edit: You could easily fly into Köln and work your way south along the Rhine. Once you get out of the industrial area, the Rhine becomes a beautiful (if touristy, but so is most of Europe) area, with castles literally about every 400 yards along the Rhine. Renting a car is probably the best way to tour this area. And there are tons of great wineries in the area as well, so try to fit in a few tours if possible. You could easily spend a great, leisurely week along the Rhine like that, spending the night in castle hotels overlooking the river, taking riverboat cruises, touring vineyards, etc, with maybe time leftover for a 2-3 day trip somewhere else, maybe south-eastern France or even the Alps if you're really wanting to do more travelling.

I'm flying out of Cincinnati or Dayton - depends on the ticket prices. Don't know what city I'll be flying into, that's what we're trying to decide. We'll definitely be going to Paris at some point in the trip and plan on staying there for at least 3 or 4 days. At the end of the trip, I'll be going with my friend to Oxford, England (where she'll be studying for a few months) and I'll have time then to explore a bit of England. Eventually I'll fly back to the states out of London.

Try using Kayak.com to look for prices from the US to Europe.

And you'd probably do better to just spring for the extra money to fly into Paris. You'll easily spend $200 trying to get from wherever else to Paris anyways.

Also don't forget, the dollar is very weak in comparison to the pound. Budget more than you'd think for England; London is probably the single most expensive place in the world that an American can travel to.

Looks like we've decided to spend the majority of our time in France and England. We tried to pick a third place that we wanted to see, but realized that we didn't want to spend our whole trip traveling to the next destination. With that in mind, for those that have been to Paris and/or London - any suggestions, sites that are must sees? Things like the Eiffel Tower and the Lourve are obvious - what about lesser known places or things I might not think of? Thanks :)

London is pretty awesome, I only spent about five hours there, but I can go again sometime later (currently living in Norfolk). I'd recommend just taking the Tube all over the Circle line, it stops at all the tourist spots like Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral, Museum Road, Buckingham Palace, and so on. You can get a day pass for 4.90 quid, so it's a really cheap, set-your-own-schedule kind of way to see the most popular spots. I believe the changing of the guard happens at 11:30 am (we missed it, and I'm not sure if the time ever changes or not), so keep that in mind, the rest of the stuff is pretty flexible.

Museum Road is pretty awesome, but unless you have kids with you avoid the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. The Natural History Museum is definitely the kind of place you take your kids to when they start asking where babies come from (and you want to respond, "well, you see, once a long time ago there were these things called 'dinosaurs'). Definitely check out the Royal College and V&A, pretty cool stuff there.

Definitely check out an English pub, and definitely go see some live music, while in London. That's all I have to offer for the moment.

There's a small country between France and the UK. BELGIUM !!! Check it out it's pretty cool. Great food and great beer !!!!!
visitbelgium

Brussels was a really neat place - even the smurfs museum was fun... though mayonaisse on french fries is a really bad idea... :D

Great food and beer, eh? I'm sold. :) And I've always heard great things about Brussels. I'll definitely look into this. Thanks!

Brussels would be a great place to stop. You can easily take a train north from Paris to Brussels (I recommend the Thalys) and then take the Eurostar from Brussels to London. Very easy trip and there's lots to see and do in Brussels--wish I'd had more time there. The high-speed trains are worth it just for the experience :) It's a great way to see Europe, and taking the Chunnel is one-of-a-kind.

Looks like our plans are shaping up. We'll be flying into Paris and staying for probably about 4 or 5 days - heading to Brussels for about 2 days - then to London for for a couple days - and finally ending up in Oxford. Thanks to everyone for all your suggestions so far! :)

Enjoy the atomium -- be sure to look for the mannequin pis If you are into cars at all -- autoworld was really neat..

If you have any interest in history at all - NATO headquarters is really intersting...

For a fun time-- a brewery is essential..

If you have any appreciation for architecture -- or even people watching - The Grande Place is amazing... the buildings are beautiful... there's a ton of shops, food places (mmmm mussels), ice cream in a belgium waffle (outstanding) that you can get to go and just wander...

and the one website I can't find-- and I swear it was in brussels... was a cute little miniature tour of europe that you could walk thru -- it was over the top touristy... and kinda resembled a putt putt course - it was nice for a few hours... maybe the closed it - or maybe it was in some other city i forgot i was in...

Enjoy..

Here is the link: minieurope

Thanks for the links! The trip plans are starting to come together. Plane tickets have been purchased - unfortunately we're going to have a 6 hour layover in Chicago because the airline changed our flight out of Dayton. I'm sure we'll keep busy, though. Now I'm looking for power outlet adapters. What are the best ones or the best place to get them? And since I'll be in France and England, I'll need different adapters for both countries, I think? Any other must pack items you all can think of? :)

http://www.magellans.com/ is the best place I've found ....

before you pack your blow dryer and other stuff - check to make sure that it's dual voltage - you also m ioght want to check if the hotel supplies them... Any appliance you bring... confirm it's dual voltage (magellen's actually has pretty informative section on what converters you need...)

Pack light! Don't take anything you can't carry on your back for over an hour at a time. Pack multitaskers. For instance, I pack Dove soap when I travel because it works as a soap, a face wash, and shaving cream (it lathers up better than most soaps and is very moisturizing). I also pack a 2-in-1 shampoo. Skip the hair dryer if at all possible. They take up a lot of room and more often than not you won't have time to use it. Pack all of your toiletries in ziplocs (to protect your stuff from leakage/burstage).

Also, keep in mind that people on the continent dress a lot more nicely than people do here. If you're wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, you will give yourself away as an American. Furthermore, their climate is cooler than here. When I visited in late June/early July I was wearing sweaters constantly because it was 60-65 out and I was used to 75-80.

And don't forget to leave room in your backpack for stuff you'll purchase there and want to bring home. Extra batteries for your digital camera are a must, and any extra memory cards you have.

The biggest advice I can give you is to make a checklist of what you are going to pack and pack it. See if it all fits. If it doesn't, take out what you don't need. Revise the checklist and keep a copy of it with you when you travel. Also, get yourself a little travel wallet you can wear. I had one that had a long strap that I could wear across my body. Under a sweater you couldn't tell that I was wearing it. Keep all of your important documents in here and ON YOU at all times. Don't ever leave your passport unattended, and keep it somewhere locked at night. If you're staying in hostels at all, don't forget to pack a lock. A lock for your backpack isn't a bad idea either.

One week to go! I'm SO excited!!! :) Lists made, a test pack to occur in the next few days, and some final odds and ends to pick up. But, I came up with a question I thought you guys might have a good answer to.

When I head over would it be best to take cash, use my credit card, take travelers checks, or something else? In past experiences, what's worked the best for you all? Thanks! :D

Not all places will take credit cards or Travellers checks - but your ATM card should be accepted at pretty much any bank (if yuo need cash) I have always relied on my ATM Card because I never wanted to carry a big chunk of cash with me-

Credit cards for hotels or big ticket items
Cash For everything else

Thanks Mal! :) And, I even remembered to call my credit card company to let them know I'd be out of the country! Ah, 5 days to go... I should do some laundry before then. :P

When I backpacked around Europe, I brought very few traveler's checks (they are a real pain) and relied instead on my ATM and credit cards. But do be sure to bring $200-300 in cash with you, just in case (that's my opinion).

I recommend changing at least half of that cash into the currency of the country you're arriving in, BEFORE you leave, because you are going to need some cash as soon as you arrive and you don't want to exchange it anywhere near where tourists are known to linger (airports, train stations, etc).

And of course, you'd better be carrying all of this in a travel-wallet thingy that stays right next to your body. I have a "money belt" that I have worn on every international trip, and it never leaves my skin unless I'm in the shower (and it's usually hanging in the shower with me, if I'm in a hostel). It holds my passports, ID, plane tickets, contact info, and all money-related things.

That said, tuck a US$50 into a small pocket on your backpack or in your sock every morning, or something. You never know when you might need it, if all else is lost. The idea is to spread out your risk of being mugged/robbed.

(Sorry if I'm a little paranoid, but I have seen all kinds of shit when traveling internationally... people do stupid things, and there is ALWAYS someone to take advantage of you when you're a foreigner doing something stupid.) :)

The other thing you will want to do -- is make a copy of the first page of your passport... the one that has your photo and other info on it - and keep it somewhere else away from where you are keeping your passport... that way, if for whatever reason your passport gets misplaced... you can get a replacement easier than without it.

The State Department also reccomends that you make another copy of the first page of your passport and leave it with someone you trust (or where someone you trust can get to it) in the United States. Then through a US embassy abroad you can contact that person if you have lost both your passport and the copy you kept with you.

Thanks for all the advice, guys! Copies of the first page of my passport have been made - one for me, one for my dad to hang on to. Also thanks to Abaya, I wouldn't have thought to change any of the money I was taking before I left. Great advice! :)

shoegirl, glad to be of help. :) Believe me, you DON'T want to change money at an airport!!! If you must change money (as opposed to withdrawing it straight out of an ATM/credit card machine), do it at a local bank... not near tourists.

Also, I don't know if you already have this, but I found it invaluable to have Lonely Planet's "Europe on a Shoestring" packed with me for the whole trip. I tore out each country's section as I went through it (I went through 11) to lighten the load, but it may help to have something like that for when you get stuck without accommodation and need a hostel phone number quick. LP rocks!

Bon voyage! Let us know how it goes.

I took Let's Go's guide for Western Europe. I found it to be a great source of information and easy to carry. LP and Let's Go are both great because they cater to budget/student travelers. I also made sure I had all the phone numbers I would possibly need typed up and stuck in multiple places in my bags before leaving.

Oh, and the best piece of advice I can pass on about eating in Paris--just keep your eyes open! We had a lot of picnics and ate a lot of sandwiches, and it's such a great town for that. No need to sit down and eat in a restaurant--getting a baguette and some cheese and wine is so much cheaper and more fun to boot.

We've actually got all of our hostels booked, so hopefully nothing happens to those reservations. If so, I've got names and numbers of a few others that we liked. Plus, I'll have my Rick Steves' "Europe Through the Back Door" book.

And I cannot wait to have a nice picnic in Paris. Definitely no need to eat a lot in restaurants, I'm all for going to the market and having something on the go. Plus, I think I finally have everything I need for my trip - extra camera battery and extra memory card. :)

Oh, I'm excited for you--you're going to have a great time!

Try to locate a Mike's Bike tour - they are located in a bunch of european cites and are a great way to see the city and its architechture. cheap too - only around $15-$20.


*edit*
I found the link for you for a Paris bike tour.

http://www.mikesbiketoursparis.com/

I'm in Paris now and it's fabulous. Just wanted to let you all know I made it over ok and I'm having a blast. And I have one minute left in an internet cafe, so that's all for now! :)

Have fun!!

Ah, I've made it home! I managed to travel to Paris, Brussels, London, and Oxford without getting into any trouble. And before you get more details about my trip I wanted to express my love for TFP Chicago! I had a 5 hour layover in Chicago on my way to Paris and Spectre, SecretMethod, and Onodrim stopped by the airport to hang out with me before I left. But, a little more love goes out to Shesus and JJ (and those who helped get ahold of them) for letting me crash at their apartment on my way back. I got delayed at Heathrow and missed my connecting flight - so instead of being stuck in the airport all night, they picked me up and opened their home to me and I am SO grateful for that. So, big thanks to all the TFPers I got to meet from Chicago.! :D

And now - the short list of the things I did on my vacation:

Paris
-ate a lot of baguettes. they were yummy and cheap! :)
-Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Musee D'Orsay, The Louvre, Rodin Museum, Invalides - Napoleon's Tomb, Pompedeu Center (modern art), St. Chappelle, Sacre Couer, Moulin Rouge, Arc du Triomphe, and took a day trip to Versailles!

Brussels
-had a Belgian Waffle. Best. Thing. Ever. Seriously. :)
-saw the Grand Place, the Atomium, and the peeing boy statue. And spent some good time in a pub. :thumbsup:

London
-London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Picadelly Circus, Notting Hill, and Buckingham Palace - I saw the changing of the guard!
-oh, and I went on a 'Jack the Ripper' walking tour. Tons of fun and Whitechapel isn't a place I'd planned to visit.

Some pictures to come next. :D

Ahh, Europe. What a blast you had... I would LOVE to see pictures!!! I'm so glad you had a great time and stayed safe. Lucky you, meeting the Chicago TFP'ers! :)

Never done the Jack the Ripper tour... something for my next trip to London, for sure. :) Thanks for sharing!!

Betcha can't wait to go again, right? :) RIGHT? It's addicting.

In that case, the Swiss Science Museum Technorama in the Zürich suburb Winterthur is excellent too. I recently visited the Exploratorium in San Francisco and it is definitely not on the same level as the Technorama.

Shit, I see you already got back home. Sorry.

But I must admit traveling is awesome. I love to see different styles of life. Guess that's why I'm a TFPer too! :thumbsup:

I'm finally getting around to posting a few pictures from my vacation! :)

Met Spectre, SecretMethod, and Onodrim in Chicago! They were wonderful and fabulous and helped me kill about 4 hours in the airport. Bad picture of me, but a great one of the Chicago kids. :) (And, if I would've thought about it, I would've gotten a picture with Shesus and JJ at the end of my trip! )

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...tfpchicago.jpg

Paris:

http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...stainglass.jpg

http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ope/prison.jpg

Eiffel Tower
http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ope/eiffel.jpg

http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...pe/eiffel3.jpg


Arc DuTriomphe
http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...urope/arc2.jpg

http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...europe/arc.jpg

Brussels:
http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...pe/bignerd.jpg

http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...rope/atom1.jpg

http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...urope/beer.jpg

London:

http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ndonbridge.jpg

http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ope/london.jpg

http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...rope/guard.jpg

http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...rope/phone.jpg

Yeah, looks like fun! This is a GREAT photo of you :thumbsup:

I'm glad you had a good time on your trip, and it was great to meet you at O'Hare.
Okay, now this was probably not one of my brighter moves, wearing a t-shirt that says "Damageplan" that has an explosion on the front and a large fireball on the back to an airport. Yeah, didn't think that one through. :p

oberon: Thanks! Glad ya liked the picture... I liked the beer. :D

spec: Yep, definitely great meeting you all! And nah, it was a great choice of shirt... gotta keep security on their feet. :p

Knowing oberon, he was probably enjoying your "I Love Nerds" t-shirt.

Looks like you had a lot of fun, shoegirl. :)

fantastic photos! :) i'm glad you had such a great time :)

sweetpea

Snowy: Yep, that's probably it.... but I can't help myself, those nerds are just so darn lovable. :)

Sweetpea: Thanks! I had a great time taking all those pictures. :) I'm ready to go back again.:lol:

Shoegirl, glad to finally see pictures. I was thinking the same thing about not getting a photo with us, but it was a crazy visit. Glad that you made it home safely and if you ever get stuck here again..you know who to call. :)

The photos are awesome. Now I want to visit Europe even more.

I need to get out to the other forums more often. I didn't even know these were here until shesus said, "Wow, you have to see these photos."

Great job with them, shoegirl. We were glad we could help out in your hour of need and it was great meeting you. Too bad it was a rushed visit, though.

Well, the beer and the smile were great too! :cool: