Europe - Which Countries? How Much Time?...Vacation

sub'd for info. My wife and I plan to head to Europe sometime soon

Great info so far, keep it comin!

 

In some cities the exchange rates in the actual city are ridiculous. Also never exchange at a train station or airport they're huge ripoffs. Most ATM's will give you almost exactly what the actual exchange rate is and the only city I saw give even close to the actual exchange rate was Prague. But make sure to keep track of how much you're spending I pulled out $1200 in Berlin in just spending money

 

That approach will never yield the best experience.

 

I moved to London about 6 months ago but have travelled Europe a decent amount over the years. A lot of no brainer advice I'd think, obviously Paris, Italy, etc. Off the beaten path though I'd suggest a night or two in Bratislava, Slovakia. Bratislava is fairly inexpensive and you can do Vienna in an hour by boat or train and Budapest in Hungary in the other direction in about the same time. Two nights staying in Bratislava gives you easy access to two painless day trips to two amazing cities. And Bratislava is a cool little spot on it's own anyway for nightlife.

Also, I haven't been able to go yet but have friends who've gone to Dubrovnik, Croatia and that's pretty high on my list of places to go. I personally think best bet is to just pick a handful of places and try to make the most of it. If you try to cram too much crap in it starts to feel too much like work. No matter what you do you wont be able to see "everything" or probably even all you want to see. There's just too much. Just pick a handful of places that are "must see" by your standards and go without worrying about what you weren't able to do or see.

 

Next October. We were looking for a boat ride to New Zealand... do you have a link for that? I read that they didn't have any because of rough waters. Great barrier reef look amazing.

 

Cool, going in their spring.
The jet boat we went on was on a river,I think it was this one http://www.jetthrills.com

We went fishing in one of the bays in NZ to.

The great barrier read is amazing, we went out on the quicksilver boat and did the scuba diving and snorkeling off the platform they have.

 

Been to Europe four times .We love it .People are very nice & proud of their countries . Greece & Italy are our favorites . Go with public transportation , its fun to be with real people. Watch out for the pick-pockets in Rome ! Eat in the smaller taverns on the side streets .the food is good & cheaper. Athens ,Santorini are the best in Greece.Go to The Placa section in Athens. Venice & Rome are our fovorites in Italy . Ride on the Vaporettos in Venice. They are like a bus on the water. You are going to love it. Don't try to cram in too many countries. The pace of life is slower in Europe so enjoy it ! Sept & Oct are a great time to go.

All the Best,
greenpants...mike

PS. Istanbul is a very cool place too . Went last year,but the area is a bit sketchy now due to the politics next door in Syria

 

That's really pretty packed to enjoy all those countries. Add a week if you can or cut it down a few countries.

 

Munich in late September is a good time to go to Deutschland. Oktoberfest is awesome, good food and great bier.

 

Not sure if original dude is even checking this anymore or whatever but another thing I would recommend is signing up for email newsletters from Ryan Air and Easy Jet. Both are low cost euro carriers kind of like Jet Blue and maybe Southwest in the US.

If you are willing to venture out on your own versus a multi day "tour" or whatever, you can plan ahead and book pretty cheap air travel from place to place depending on timing based on the sales they have. Just as a for instance....if you start in London, you can get to Dublin for an overnighter or even a day trip actually for like 19 pounds each way so say $60 give or take on exchange rate.

Wife and I flew to Bratislava for about 40 pounds each way and were able to do an easy day trip to Vienna which is only about an hour ride by bus and cost like 9 euro or something. You could go the other way to Budapest from Bratislava for the same cost. Sometimes if you catch the right deals its actually cheaper to fly than rent a car or take the train.

 

Always a good idea to check in with your Embassy. Should anything happen during your travels.

 

I second this, I'm stationed in Germany. Been to Oktoberfest the past 2 years.

 

If you want to do something unique, two lesser known destinations is theisland nation Malta and geek island Santorini.

Malta is kind of a combination of Italian, Greek, and British culture, has agreat night scene if you are into that and Gozo Island (ferry from Malta) isabout 40 year in the past if you are looking for a historic scene and culture. Greatall around culture and nightlife experience as well as amazing food.



I can honestly say Santorini should be on the top 10 vacation destinations.Best vegetables and wine in the world, hands down (due to the unique volcanicsoil). Add Greek style cooking and you get the best dinning in the world handsdown (this is my favorite http://www.mamashouse-santorini.gr/gallery.html.Owner is an elder lady from CA and curses like a sailor). While I wouldprobably avoid Greece, Santorini is generally removed from the political andeconomic turmoil of the mainland.

 

My opinion is to drastically cut down the number of countries you want to see in two weeks, and instead enjoy a handful of countries. If you cram ten countries into your itinerary, you'll spend most of your time traveling and not seeing anything. Do you really want to come back saying, "oh yeh, I went to Italy," when in fact all you did was pass through? You can spend two weeks in one country very, very easily, touring different parts, and not get bored. Pick three countries not too far apart, and really enjoy them.

Edit: Little background on me: Born in Germany, lived there for several years, currently work for a German firm and regularly travel to Germany on business and visit family while I'm there. Been to England and Scotland (10 days), Italy (Venice and Dolomites), Switzerland, Belgium, Greek island of Corfu.

 

I didn't have problems adjusting to the time because I immediately started drinking and partying but I crashed on the layover on the way back home. Not always the case though.

 

OP - any update on your travel plans?

I think we're looking at going late-July/early August, but still undecided on where. I know we want to go to Paris (my wife has a quest to visit all of the Disneylands), but I don't know where else is feasible in 2 weeks. We were thinking of doing a mostly Spain/Portugal trip, then going to Paris for a couple of days. Or we might just stay on the France side of the Pyrenees mountains and do a France, Italy, and maybe UK trip. But again, don't know what's really feasible with ~14 day vacay (including traveling days). Any tips would be great

 

Yes I have an update. I have read all your responses. Thanks so much. I will try to respond to them individually when I get time. Long story short, Europe is a no go. I was supposed to go with my sister and she bailed. I'm kind of glad because Europe wasn't my first choice, although is like to get there eventually. I am now looking at the Galápagos Islands. Possibly South America.

 

That kinda sucks man. I look at vacations to new places like a lotta things in life...you don't know what you don't know. I hope you get to visit the EU sometime soon.

 

I will. Either 2015 or 2016 for sure.

 

just thought I'd update.

Booked a 14 day trip to Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, and Paris. All the hotels and flights came out to $5k total. Already thinking of the mods I coulda done with that $ LOL