Finaly going to europe...after everyones europe threads!

[ViviTheMage]

Sooo, me and the GF decided to finaly go to europe! First time for both of us.

We are leaving December 20th to London. We return January 3rd from Paris.

I have heard paris is great during new years, and London is awesome during Christmas! I was thinking.

I spent 650$ round trip (into LON from MSP, out of PAR back to MSP) on tickets that was including taxes and surcharges...was that a good job?

I have T-Mobile here in the states on a SE W810i...if I contact T-Mobile and get my phone setup, would it work over in Europe...or should I just pick up a separate sim card when I land?

We want to take a trip over to brussels , maybe for 2-3 days....is it worth the money/time to train there from LON , before we go to paris?

We plan on using hostels as our primary means of sleeping...I have been browsing couch surfers for the past year or so and it seems like a great way to meet people in the city and get a personal tour guide! Is that generally a good or bad idea to use?

If we do get hostels, are we allowed to lock our stuffs in a room and not have to haul it around? Depending on this, should I bring my laptop? It is a 15.4" currently...I have been thinking of picking up an M1210 to use as ways to look up hostels, restaurants, train travel plans, etc...as well, what is a good backup for daytrips, if not ALL of my luggage ?

Are there maps for us when we arrive in each city, or should I be getting them prior to entering the city? As well, are there any good books to pick up on info for great tourist stuff and other things that are fun and must see? We would rather take our time in each city then be rushed, when we go next time we can see if we can do the 'hit all you can in a month' thing...we want to soak it in first ^_^.

since it is dec/jan should we be worried about nothing to do -- because it is there tourist down season.

Thanks, that's all for now

one more : Who has the best 'christmas' and 'new years eve' parties? haha
second question : When is a good time to start booking my train tickets?
third new question! :

Would it be wise to rent a car for the 14-15 days we are there? It seems the cheapest train tickets from london to germany would be around 200$ a peice, then we'd have to spend another 200$ , each, to get to paris.

I assume renting a car would be cheaper..id love to drive there version of a stick to, on the opposite side of the street! I have a GPS with European maps I could bring along incase I do get lost and we could use the car as our main storage for our luggage !

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
...

$650 per person? that seems like a great deal. i priced going to TX from PA a few months back and the lowest i found was like $450! how did you get it so cheap?

 

[ViviTheMage]

pont, please dont quote the whole post!! haha. I looked for a few months, and its through NWA so I get the mileage!

I got it from studentuniverse.com ... they are both nonstop flights with dinner!

was that 450$ pretax? pretax these tickets were 500$ or so.

 

[RollWave]

get a sim card over there. It'll be easier than messing with your TMobile service and probably cheaper.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: RollWave
get a sim card over there. It'll be easier than messing with your TMobile service and probably cheaper.

thanks for that...any recommendations ? I am thinking a prepay would be handy, can I get it prior to arriving via the mail?

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Sooo, me and the GF decided to finaly go to europe! First time for both of us.


We want to take a trip over to brussels , maybe for 2-3 days....is it worth the money/time to train there from LON , before we go to paris?

forget Brussels.... spend a few days in Brugges instead.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Sooo, me and the GF decided to finaly go to europe! First time for both of us.


We want to take a trip over to brussels , maybe for 2-3 days....is it worth the money/time to train there from LON , before we go to paris?

forget Brussels.... spend a few days in Brugges instead.

Why do you say there? What would we do there?

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
pont, please dont quote the whole post!! haha. I looked for a few months, and its through NWA so I get the mileage!

I got it from studentuniverse.com ... they are both nonstop flights with dinner!

was that 450$ pretax? pretax these tickets were 500$ or so.

i don't know if it was pretax or not. i was looking at those sites that supposedly offer lower airfare, like Orbitz and Travelocity.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Travelocity and Orbitz were horrible .. they were in the 900-1000$ range.

I generally don't use those sites, its usually kayak.com or student fare sites.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Sooo, me and the GF decided to finaly go to europe! First time for both of us.


We want to take a trip over to brussels , maybe for 2-3 days....is it worth the money/time to train there from LON , before we go to paris?

forget Brussels.... spend a few days in Brugges instead.

Why do you say there? What would we do there?

Site seeing, eating, drinking, museums, shopping.... its touristy, but worth it nonetheless. Brugges is basically a town straight out of 1400's that was as rich if not richer than London at the same time. But its canals silted up and the town went dormant for many centuries. It was never bombed either. if you must spend time in Brussels, then I would suggest you just day trip on a train from either Brugges or Paris.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Travelocity and Orbitz were horrible .. they were in the 900-1000$ range.

I generally don't use those sites, its usually kayak.com or student fare sites.

i ahd never heard of those sites until now.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Travelocity and Orbitz were horrible .. they were in the 900-1000$ range.

I generally don't use those sites, its usually kayak.com or student fare sites.

i had never heard of those sites until now.

you will be happy with the prices! I used them to get a ticket to NYC from MSP 2 days before I left and got it for 105$!

HomeBrewerDude, I turn 21 on December 1st, and the GF does not drink, nor have we ever, but I think we will try our first taste of alcohol over in Europe when we are there. badass, I know...I will take the trip to brugges instead, that sounds like what we wanted to see while we were in Brussels, old school German stuff

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Travelocity and Orbitz were horrible .. they were in the 900-1000$ range.

I generally don't use those sites, its usually kayak.com or student fare sites.

i had never heard of those sites until now.

you will be happy with the prices! I used them to get a ticket to NYC from MSP 2 days before I left and got it for 105$!

HomeBrewerDude, I turn 21 on December 1st, and the GF does not drink, nor have we ever, but I think we will try our first taste of alcohol over in Europe when we are there. badass, I know...I will take the trip to brugges instead, that sounds like what we wanted to see while we were in Brussels, old school German stuff

You'll be there on the off season, but if you're able to be there over the weekend, you might be able to get a Quasi Modo tours: http://www.quasimodo.be/ I've only heard and read excellent things about this tour company. We would have done them but we were unable to be in Brugges over the weekend.

 

[illusion88]

leave your laptop at home. Internet is easy to access and cheap, no need to bring a computer. Leave the cell phone and get a phone card + Use pay phones. Easy.
Also, get a Eurorail pass if you are under 25. You get 8 days of travel for $400 or something. IF you plan on going on any long train rides, this is a real bargin.

 

[krunchykrome]

That sounds awesome. Have fun!

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: illusion88
leave your laptop at home. Internet is easy to access and cheap, no need to bring a computer. Leave the cell phone and get a phone card + Use pay phones. Easy.
Also, get a Eurorail pass if you are under 25. You get 8 days of travel for $400 or something. IF you plan on going on any long train rides, this is a real bargin.

I am contemplating on this too....if we need 2 train rides, LON > BRUGGES > PAR

...would we save money by getting the eurorail pass? As well, does the EuroRail hit LONDON?

Originally posted by: illusion88
leave your laptop at home. Internet is easy to access and cheap, no need to bring a computer. Leave the cell phone and get a phone card + Use pay phones. Easy.
Also, get a Eurorail pass if you are under 25. You get 8 days of travel for $400 or something. IF you plan on going on any long train rides, this is a real bargin.

I have a lot of stuff that I would use on my laptop for bookings, itenery lookups , etc...is there a lot of free range wireless around? I would hate to spend a lot of time in internet cafe's searching for stuff when I have it all bookmarked on my lappy.

I was thinking of the phone card too, but would a cellphone be much more convenient ?

Originally posted by: krunchykrome
That sounds awesome. Have fun!

buy your own ticket you can come

 

[davestar]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
I have T-Mobile here in the states on a SE W810i...if I contact T-Mobile and get my phone setup, would it work over in Europe...or should I just pick up a separate sim card when I land?

since you're only going for ~2 weeks, you could always just not use a cell phone. what do you need it for?

If we do get hostels, are we allowed to lock our stuffs in a room and not have to haul it around? Depending on this, should I bring my laptop? It is a 15.4" currently...I have been thinking of picking up an M1210 to use as ways to look up hostels, restaurants, train travel plans, etc...as well, what is a good backup for daytrips, if not ALL of my luggage?

most hostel have lockers/chests/etc in your room that you can lock your belongings in. bring your own lock - they don't supply them. make sure you check Hostelworld reviews before booking any hostel.

Are there maps for us when we arrive in each city, or should I be getting them prior to entering the city? As well, are there any good books to pick up on info for great tourist stuff and other things that are fun and must see?

a decent hostel should supply good walking maps. i like to find a decent one online and print it out so that i have something with me when i arrive. most hostel travellers like Lonely Planet travel books, but i'm not totally sold on them. i have a Let's Go book for Eastern Europe that's pretty good, but a mix of internet sites and a few books is probably your best (and most balanced) bet. Virtualtourist is a good place to check out.

second question : When is a good time to start booking my train tickets?

you generally don't need to book train tickets too far in advance unless you're trying to get on a VERY popular route or get an overnight train. booking once you're there is generally the best (and only) way to go. you can get rail passes while in the US, but they've become less and less cost effective over the years.

 

[ViviTheMage]

well thank you dav!

I will not be bringing my laptop for sure then. I will just make sure to have hostels booked before I leave. I will check out hostel world prior to booking too.

I will take a look for good travel books prior to leaving, thanks a bunch!

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
buy your own ticket you can come

can i share a bed with your gf? :laugh:

 

[elektrolokomotive]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
I will take the trip to brugges instead, that sounds like what we wanted to see while we were in Brussels, old school German stuff

I you want to see old school German stuff, why don't you go to Germany? Belgium /= Germany.

 

[Kwaipie]

Brugge is no more than a one day excursion. I would probably spend one day in Brussels, one day in Brugge, then on to Paris. The EuroStar goes from London Waterloo station to either Paris or Brussels, I think roughly the same price. There are weekend excursion and holiday fares available, far less expensive than regular fares. Eurostar is more like an airline than a train though, be at least an hour early for your departure. If it were me, I'd fly into London, spend 5 days, take a weekend Eurostar to Brussels Midi station, book a hotel right outside the train station for convenience. The Brussels Grand Place is only a few blocks from there, then get up the next morning take your luggage to the train station, leave in "Left Luggage" and get on the one hour train to Brugges, spend the day there, train back to Bru, hop on a Thalys to Paris Nord.

Edited to add that it looks like Eurostar is changing the London terminus to St. Pancras in November.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: elektrolokomotive

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
I will take the trip to brugges instead, that sounds like what we wanted to see while we were in Brussels, old school German stuff

I you want to see old school German stuff, why don't you go to Germany? Belgium /= Germany.

its a much longer train ride if I can tell from google maps .

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
buy your own ticket you can come

can i share a bed with your gf? :laugh:

MMM no wai!

kwai, sounds like a good idea, I just want to see some old school stuff, spend a lot more time in LON and PAR.

 

[kami333]

Personally I think a cell phone is not necessary but an extremely convinient when travelling with other people. There's been times where I've missed a train, got lost, got seperated, etc where not having a cell phone would have wasted hours of our time.

 

[akshatp]

If you absolutely need a cell phone, make sure yours is unlocked (ie, can be used with other providers sim card) and stop at the Dixon's in Terminal 3 at Heathrow (assuming you are going to Heathrow and not Gatwick) and pick up a Pay as you Go sim card with 10 or 20 pounds worth of credit. Pop it in your phone, activate and you are all set. Text messaging is the best and cheapest form of comunication there. Calling landlines and "same network" cell phones is also not bad, but calling other network's cell phones is VERY expensive. Try to get an O2 or Orange sim. I had Virgin before and found their coverage to be shoddy in some rural areas... O2 was alot better. I have no experience with Vodafone...

 

[ViviTheMage]

Would it be wise to rent a car for the 14-15 days we are there? It seems the cheapest train tickets from london to germany would be around 200$ a peice, then we'd have to spend another 200$ , each, to get to paris.

I assume renting a car would be cheaper..id love to drive there version of a stick to, on the opposite side of the street! I have a GPS with European maps I could bring along incase I do get lost and we could use the car as our main storage for our luggage !