I leave Wednesday for Europe... any last minute suggestions?

[Trevelyan]

Well, the time has finally arrived.

I graduated last Thursday and this Wednesday I get on a plane for Germany with 3 of my friends.

Here's where we are going:

Frankfurt
Munich
Venice
Rome
Florence
Bern
Luxembourg
Brussels
Amsterdam
Paris
London

This is gonna rock.

 

[theNEOone]

wow, sounds like fun. you staying at the hostile youth centers...............ermmm, i mean youth hostiles???

 

[Muck]

Take a dump at the airport. It's a long plane ride to Europe.

 

[Zrom999]

Pack a big knife in your suitcase.

 

[ndee]

not comin' to Zurich? Shame on you!

 

[iamme]

wow, sounds like a blast. have fun

 

[THELAIR]

How long are you going to be in Europe for?

I backpacked bymyself for 3.5 months and the best times of my life there were Barcelonna and Amsterdam.... truely awsome.

If u have the chance, check out barcelonna. Rome is pretty kewl too, the pub crawls rock.

My only suggestoin is DONT OVER PACK... its europe... you can buy normal clothes over there if neccessary. I had a pair of cargo pants, shorts, and a pair of nice black dress slacks, that were kinda wrinkle resistent... and then 6 different types of shirts. Lasted me almost 4 months.

 

[Babbles]

Watch your money and belongings while in Italy, especially Rome and Florence.

The gypsies are en masse and very, very deft. Trust me on this.
Carry your money in your front pocket and hold tight to stuff, I would not wear a backpack. If you want, when in Rome and Florence in touristy areas you can usually spend a few to scan the crowd and you will see the gypsy kids working the crowd. Usually the pickpockets are more women, women w/babies, and kids.

When I was in Switzerland, I was told that was the only country in Europe that did not have gypsies in it. I believe them, the Swiss are like way paranoid.

Anyhow, they also like carbonated water over there so if you drink non-carbonated bottle water over here in the states make sure you get agua no gas or whatever the hell they may call it. Just keep on eye on that.

When in Munich MAKE SURE YOU GO TO HOFFBRAUHAUS. It is off the Maziplan (sp?) square (I think), totally awesome and kick butt place.

Also, I wouldn't worry about carrying too much cash, but then again I went before the Euro was out and used. Most credit cards actually give a pretty good exchange rate and are widely accepted and easy to use (except at the Eiffel Tower).

When eating out, do not tip. Well you could, but prices of the meal includes tip so unless you get really cool awesome service, gratuity is already included. Unless that has changed recently and I have never been to the UK so they may be different.

In Italy drink all the Chianti you can, and in Germany drink all the Beer you can. Usually cheaper than sodas and other drinks.

Have fun!!!

 

[her209]

Do you know of any monkeys? 12 of them to be exact.

 

[FoBoT]

take some cold medicine and some diarehha medicine (with you, don't "take" is now, just bring some along on the trip)

 

[thraxes]

Wouldn't stay long in Frankfurt, it's just a plain boring business city with not much touristy / partywise going on (trust me I live there). The only place where you may have some fun is in a Apfelwein pub in Sachsenhausen. After that make track to Munich asap!! Hofbrauhaus, Englischer Garten, the general atmosphere of Munich is 1000fold better than here in Frankfurt.

PM me if you have any detailed questions about the Rhein Main area.

 

[kuk]

Originally posted by: ndee
not comin' to Zurich? Shame on you!

I have a lot of friends who moved this year to Zurich ... if there's a chance for me to go, I'll stop by and say hi to you ndee.

 

[Aceshigh]

If you do any shopping in London, save your receipts and get your VAT tax refunded at the airport. I forgot to do that last time I was there and missed out on getting some money back.

 

[Trevelyan]

Wow thanks for all the replies guys!

Yes, me and my friends already have reservations for the hostels we are staying in... so for only about 20 bucks per person per night... not too shabby.

Believe it or not Zrom, I opted to go to Zurich, but none of my friends really wanted to... shame on them!!

I forgot to say we will be there for 3 weeks... not too long, but all we can really afford.

 

[Trevelyan]

Originally posted by: Babbles
Watch your money and belongings while in Italy, especially Rome and Florence.

The gypsies are en masse and very, very deft. Trust me on this.
Carry your money in your front pocket and hold tight to stuff, I would not wear a backpack. If you want, when in Rome and Florence in touristy areas you can usually spend a few to scan the crowd and you will see the gypsy kids working the crowd. Usually the pickpockets are more women, women w/babies, and kids.

When I was in Switzerland, I was told that was the only country in Europe that did not have gypsies in it. I believe them, the Swiss are like way paranoid.

Anyhow, they also like carbonated water over there so if you drink non-carbonated bottle water over here in the states make sure you get agua no gas or whatever the hell they may call it. Just keep on eye on that.

When in Munich MAKE SURE YOU GO TO HOFFBRAUHAUS. It is off the Maziplan (sp?) square (I think), totally awesome and kick butt place.

Also, I wouldn't worry about carrying too much cash, but then again I went before the Euro was out and used. Most credit cards actually give a pretty good exchange rate and are widely accepted and easy to use (except at the Eiffel Tower).

When eating out, do not tip. Well you could, but prices of the meal includes tip so unless you get really cool awesome service, gratuity is already included. Unless that has changed recently and I have never been to the UK so they may be different.

In Italy drink all the Chianti you can, and in Germany drink all the Beer you can. Usually cheaper than sodas and other drinks.

Have fun!!!

Wow thanks a LOT for all the tips. I'm gonna write this stuff down and definately check out the Hoffbrauhaus now.

I also have a money belt that I can wear under my clothing, and that's where I'll keep everything.

 

[Martin]

have fun.

 

[fatbaby]

and don't forget, beware of very hairy camel toes

 

[DrVos]

Dude, you are going to have so much fun! I went with a couple of friends last summer and had a blast. I can not over stress how important it is not to over pack! You will want to bring enough of a range of clothing to get you from different kinds of weather you'll experience (Chilly in London and HOT in Rome) but not bring stuff you wont wear more than once. A pair of light khaki pants, a sweater and a wind breaker should be sufficient to keep you warm in the northern countries and modest enough in Rome.

There is way too much to share in one post but I'd highly suggest skipping over Belgium and heading over to Brugge. I wasn't very impressed by Belgium on my trip there but had a great time in the Medieval setting of Brugge. If you do get a chance to visit Brugge, check out Quasimodo Bicycle Tours, they offer bicycle rides through the countryside and neighboring Flanders that are alot of fun.

Have a great time man! PM me if you want suggestions on Hostels, restaraunts, cool stuff to see, etc.

 

[AnyMal]

As someone pointed out, don't carry a backpack or fanny pack, those are magnets for thievs who prey on tourists. Consider taking at least part of your money in Travelers Checks, they can be replaced if lost or stolen. There was a good suggestion about diarrhea medicine, a local cousine may not agree with your stomach. Buy bottled water instead of drinking from fountains. Avoid local tourist traps, your hotel employees should be able to tell you where to eat and shop the cheapest. Ask about local museums, most of them will have a free admissions day at least once a week. Be respectful of local customs. Learn few words in local languages, like good day/morning, thank you, how are you, so forth.. You'll be surprised how much better people will receive you, even if you only know couple of words in their language.

Last but not least, get the addresses and phone numbers of local US embassies/consulats. You never know...

 

[glenn1]

Consider taking at least part of your money in Travelers Checks, they can be replaced if lost or stolen.

Euro denominated travelers checks are a PITA, most merchants would give you an odd look at best and many won't take them at all. We ran into so many problems with them when i was over there a couple months ago that we traded them in for regular Euros at the first opportunity, getting whacked for the changer's fee in addition to the original fee to buy them. Save yourself the trouble and just get some Euro notes before you leave or hit the Bureau de Change when you get there.

 

[purplehippo]

don't drink the water

 

[purplehippo]

sorry for the double post

 

[DaFinn]

Originally posted by: purplehippo
don't drink the water

and why would that be?

 

[DaFinn]

Originally posted by: thraxes
Wouldn't stay long in Frankfurt, it's just a plain boring business city with not much touristy / partywise going on (trust me I live there). The only place where you may have some fun is in a Apfelwein pub in Sachsenhausen. After that make track to Munich asap!! Hofbrauhaus, Englischer Garten, the general atmosphere of Munich is 1000fold better than here in Frankfurt.

PM me if you have any detailed questions about the Rhein Main area.

Unless there is some cool Exhibition going on... and why don't you mention the "Bierhalle"? I go to F:furt 4 times a year to participate in Exhibitions, and NEVER had any problems finding a good party! :beer:

 

[conjur]

That's pretty damn aggressive for 3 weeks. You'll see like one or two buildings and suck down a beer, maybe, and then it will be time to head to the next destination.