vacation advice superthread

[Dex_star]

Whats up guys

From June 3rd to the 28th Illl be traveling through Europe on an already established route. I was just hoping you guys can suggest some must see shops, restaurants, or anything else. All the historic stuff will probably be covered as this is a tour, so anything else you think is a must would be appreciated. Heres my schedule:

June

4-5 London

6-8 Paris

9-10 Nice

11-13 Cinque Terre

14-15 Rome

16-17 Florence

18 Venice

19-21 Interlaken

22-24 Munich

25- Bacharach

26-27 Amsterdam

We have free time in all cities after we see the site, so i want to be sure not to miss any stores as I probably wont be returning for a while (im 18 and have been saving like crazy). SO any help would be apprecisted... Thanks

[Tisswat]

That looks like a hectic schedule. Skipping some stops is not an option?

[mike lowrey]

wow sounds like a great trip! I haven't been to all of the places but I'll be glad to give tips on the ones I've been to. however before listing any stores, what kind of stuff are you into? streetwear, designer fashion, less known brands..? and for restaurants, something very casual or upscale, or in between?

[polishmike]

We have free time in all cities after we see the site

From your schedule it doesn't look like you'll have any time at all. 2 days in Paris will feel like 20 min and one day in Venice even shorter. I would also try to skip few spots.

[Dex_star]

yea we have the option of skipping spots, what do u suggest?

as for shops.. im pretty much open to streetwear and high end, mostly to check out the architecture and stuff as i plan to only spend about 1,000 and wont be able to splurge on higher end stuff... the usual Sufu brands i guess... but basicaly stuff i cant find here in the states.. so no H&M or generic streetwear and such

mike... I can go with either... it would be cool if u just list ur favs and why

thanks for the help all

[polishmike]

I just recently went with few of my friends to warsaw>krakow>prague in 12 days. It was not enough time since we took trains between these cities. I also know these cities pretty well so there wasn't much of guessing where to eat or party. We did sightseeing during the day and went out every night. We were exhausted after the trip since we didn't sleep much.

So with all this in mind I think you should rethink your schedule. I would try to be in big cities on the weekends. Make sure you're not on a plane or train on Friday night. Make sure you have all tickets and hotels/hostels booked in advance. You don't want to deal with anything when you arrive in the new city in the middle of the night.

Are you traveling by planes? Do you have money for hotels, travel or does the $1000 include that? I would shop in Paris and London and just have fun everywhere else.

[shwanger]

I just recently went with few of my friends to warsaw>krakow>prague in 12 days. It was not enough time since we took trains between these cities. I also know these cities pretty well so there wasn't much of guessing where to eat or party. We did sightseeing during the day and went out every night. We were exhausted after the trip since we didn't sleep much.

So with all this in mind I think you should rethink your schedule. I would try to be in big cities on the weekends. Make sure you're not on a plane or train on Friday night. Make sure you have all tickets and hotels/hostels booked in advance. You don't want to deal with anything when you arrive in the new city in the middle of the night.

Are you traveling by planes? Do you have money for hotels, travel or does the $1000 include that? I would shop in Paris and London and just have fun everywhere else.

ill take ya to a nice hostel.

[nairb49]

^^is that supposed to be creepy, funny? don't get it.

Whats up guys

From June 3rd to the 28th Illl be traveling through Europe on an already established route. I was just hoping you guys can suggest some must see shops, restaurants, or anything else. All the historic stuff will probably be covered as this is a tour, so anything else you think is a must would be appreciated. Heres my schedule:

June

4-5 London

6-8 Paris

9-10 Nice

11-13 Cinque Terre

14-15 Rome

16-17 Florence

18 Venice

19-21 Interlaken

22-24 Munich

25- Bacharach

26-27 Amsterdam

We have free time in all cities after we see the site, so i want to be sure not to miss any stores as I probably wont be returning for a while (im 18 and have been saving like crazy). SO any help would be apprecisted... Thanks

Sounds like an amazing time. Did a similar trip, but as suggested above, I would definitely recommend leaving a couple places out to be able to spend more time in each city.

Otherwise it turns into kind of a sightseeing tour, where you get off the train, snap a few pictures, go out and get drunk, sleep in, and back onto the train.

As to what cities to leave out, thats tough, all great choices.

Personal opinion, skip Nice and Venice, as both (although beautiful) are quite pricey and VERY touristy around that time of year. Add those days onto Paris and Rome.

Skip Bacharach, and spend the extra day in Amsterdam.

btw, how are you travelling? train/plane etc? That could change a lot.

And, if this is an organized tour, its unlikely you're goign to have all that much free time to shop around for cool stores, as they're generally all over the place and travel time/getting lost time will add up alot faster than you think.

Either way, have an amazing time!

edit: hmm, you probably won't really have the flexibility I suggested with your itinerary....

[Dex_star]

in reply to what i can remember....

yes its an organized tour.. so the schedule is set, tho i can skip over some

ill be traveling via eurorail

nairb... i was thinking the same about amsterdam... anyone have any reason NOT to skip bacharach?

and polishmike... the 1000 is extra pocket money for food (other than breakfast and dinner) and shopping... the hotel, airfare, train tickets, and everything else is taken care of ($3800 in total, good deal btw?)

thanks for all the help

[isoform]

i just did this kind of trip, except-- i had a few more days, i was by myself with a strict budget. no set agenda (thanku eurail pass--and i really abused it with three 8 hour train rides, lmao--never again!), and stayed over a week in Berlin and another week in Paris.

it was still intense even with the week long "breaks" (Berlin included new year's so it was non-stop for 3 days)... and the LONG, boring train rides were really draining.

Amsterdam -- everyone i knew rec'd The Flying Pig hostel. i stayed in the one downtown and it was pretty solid and memorable--it was close to Centraal, clean enough, logical, and fun plus free internet, nice ppl and staff (but it just occured to me this doesn't help you, haha--sorry! next time mosdef'y stay here!).

Paris -- the superfuture city guide is pretty great for shopping. i stayed mostly around the 1st (Louvre), 2nd (Les Halles*great shopping imo), 3rd-4th (Marais), 11th (Oberkampf/Bastille), and St Germaine (extremely posh) neighborhoods.

AND just so you know--France goes on sale around the first week of June i think (and again during the second week of January). So you should definitely stop by the huge department stores like Printemps to see what's up (unintentionally, the two times i have been in Paris were when these insane sales are kicked off--for example, i got a pair of beautiful 200euro french boots for 50euros from Printemps this past trip)--and if you buy more than a certain amt you can get the tax back (but it is limited to certain nations--but I'm pretty sure the US and Canada are included)!

Munich -- ...has great food, but I don't remember the great place/s I ate at because I found them while wandering//i mean being lost//in the city. there's a Free Tour that's given in Munich run by the same good ppl who do Berlin's Free Tour, but I found this out when I was in Berlin, so I don't know how great it is--this is relevant to you because the Free Tour people do a Pub Crawl. :]

Switzerland

Re: Interlaken -- this place is seriously expensive -- i met lots of ppl with similar budgets that ended up just hanging out in their hostel because even snow walking was way too expensive--but i went to Europe in Dec/Jan (highseason), maybe June is diff, but I doubt it.

Alternatives -- Lausanne (beautiful), Basel, or Zurich are pretty cool Swiss cities from the impressions I got -- Basel was unexpectedly very good (the ~8hour train from Berlin to Basel was grueling--especially a bit hungover and w/o a seat so I planned only one night in Basel and to continue on to Luzern, but ended up staying a bit longer due to the many museums within the cute city--well worth it and i would've stayed longer if i had time!).

But if yer going on to Munich, Zurich may be a more practical city to visit.

Still do the train ride through Interlaken because it was really worth it--no need to pay extra for the "scenic" cars because all the views were the same/good enough. :]

...and pick up a Freitag bag from Switzerland (you'll have the most options and it's as cheap/expensive if you get it elsewhere esp. stateside).

Edit:

I spent a total of 2500 USD on this 29 day trip (Ams > Munich > Berlin > Basel > Luzern > Bern > Lyons > Paris)... I was staying at hostels and buying my food from supermarkets and preparing my own meals most days--but was able to go out, shop in Paris, sightsee, and eat well when I felt like it. ...and I went during Dec/Jan (off season) and Berlin was cheap!

(Berlin and Lyon are my new fav. Euro cities :])

[mike lowrey]

I agree with my polish equivalent, shop in paris and london and have fun elsewhere. but remember that london isn't cheap.

my suggestion is that make/get an accurate map if you have many places to go to in a short time, mark the locations carefully so you dont need to spend time looking for anything.

heres something that comes to mind:

london: my personal must go's are dover street market, browns, libertys and selfridges. you can find more detailed info in some of the london threads. for sneakers theres several size?'s around and footpatrol in soho. plus hideout is worth checking if youre into that stuff, depending on the time they can have some really cool stuff. for restaurants, if you want something more casual or for a quick bite, check out mr. jerks - its a very small carribean place in soho (189 wardour st.) with very good chicken, I go there every time I'm in london. I think you could actually round up all of these in a day plus some other places in soho if youre quick

paris: check out this thread I made about paris stores. for restaurants, I really liked Kong. its on top of the Kenzo building right next to point neuf. really nice looking place, food was good, nothing out of this world, but nice. best thing is the place and the view. you need to reserve a table but they speak good english, ask for a table upstairs. downstairs turns into a nightclub at around 11pm, nice place to grab some drinks after dinner. Palais De Tokyo is open til midnight so its a good place to spend the evening, odd art, a nice bookstore and a good restaurant.

nice: nice isn't that huge on shopping, personally I like it because its a good beach-city combination. you can find the main shopping areas in some shopping guides, but I'd probably concentrate on checking out the city and hitting the beach for a bit. be sure to go to the old flower market area, its really cool and has some nice restaurants, also some tourist spots though.

venice: not much advice to give, I'd focus on seeing the city here too. since you have only a day you probably wont have much time in addition to a basic tour of the sights.

[swisloc]

in reply to what i can remember....

yes its an organized tour.. so the schedule is set, tho i can skip over some

ill be traveling via eurorail

nairb... i was thinking the same about amsterdam... anyone have any reason NOT to skip bacharach?

and polishmike... the 1000 is extra pocket money for food (other than breakfast and dinner) and shopping... the hotel, airfare, train tickets, and everything else is taken care of ($3800 in total, good deal btw?)

thanks for all the help

i would seriously consider skipping the following cities:

Venice

Bacharach

Cinque Terre

here's why: based on your schedule, skipping these cities will give you more time in Florence, Rome, and Amsterdam, which are far superior IMO.

Venice, why obviously historic and beautiful, is a tourist trap. many venetians have long since moved off the island of venice (the city center/the part with canals) to the mainland, which you will notice as soon as the sun goes down (i.e. no one's around).

Cique Terre is MOBBED in June. i wouldn't even think of going there unless it was mid april or late september. Unlike the cities, which will also be crowded, these are TINY towns and there is nowhere for the thousands of tourists to go, so it seems even more crowded...at least in the cities the crowds are spread around to the many sites.

[nairb49]

if you plan on travelling by eurorail, that leaves even less time, so I re-recommend skipping aforementioned places.

swisloc makes and excellent point about cinque terre in june. it is a stunningly beautiful place, but part of the beauty is in the serenity and quiet lifestyle, which is essentially abolished in june. but if you plan on staying with the tour group, you will be surrounded by tourists anyway....

[123ok]

the pastry at maison bertaux in london is very tasty as well even though you are going to paris.

[ChadM]

I was in Interlaken around the same time in June last year. I would reccomend you skip it. It's really touristy with a bunch of college students. As someone mentioned, it is also really expensive. Just going up on one of the mountains was over $100.

[swisloc]

I was in Interlaken around the same time in June last year. I would reccomend you skip it. It's really touristy with a bunch of college students. As someone mentioned, it is also really expensive. Just going up on one of the mountains was over $100.

Interlaken might be the most overrated tourist/young person destination in Europe. Super expensive, and not even in the high alps, but in the valley below the Jungfrau region. If you want to really see the mountains, and do it cheaply, take a train to Zermatt (where no cars are even allowed), buy a ski pass (on the glacier next to the Matterhorn they ski year round), and take the tram to the top where you are literally standing on a snowy ridge with one foot in Italy and one in Switzerland, w/ the matterhorn towering above you. it's amazing.

[Dex_star]

thanks for all the great and insightful info guys

+rep all around

im gonna show this thread to my friend that im going with so we can decide on what to do exactly

[sarlo]

In amsterdam go and see "Maddam Tousseau" it's a house of wax great to see.. it's at "De Dam"

[Tisswat]

In amsterdam go and see "Maddam Tousseau" it's a house of wax great to see.. it's at "De Dam"

I hope you're being sarcastic.

[sarlo]

I hope you're being sarcastic.

heheh you got me

[Blanc0]

So, I know there is another thread similar to this, but my schedule is not so hectic:

May 8th: Amsterdam for 6 daze. Then 14 days in Northern Italy. I've been to Amsterdam, so I pretty much know what's up there (I picked up shopping tips from the other Amsterdam thread, but any GREAT vintage suggestions would be cool, as well as what are the BEST coffee shops to go to-since I live in SF bay area, we definitely get comprable if not better herbs here, so I'm looking for the cream of the crop), but any things that are out of the "tourist norm" would be nice.

Mainly I am looking for suggestions for Italy. Flying into Milan, but besides that, no plans yet. ANY suggestions are welcome.

THANKS!

[nairb49]

Do you have to stay in the north?

Milan is a bit dull, imo, not much to do/see there, and its such a hub/touristy place that alot trying to immerse yourself in the culture gets tough.

I really highly recommend going a bit south to L'Acquila, the capital of the Abruzzo region. Tiny town with only one square/marketplace, but its stunning and really worth it if you want to get a feel for what life in Italy is all about.

No hostels there, but the 3 star hotels there are dirt cheap.

[azn8oi]

Shanghai for a week, and then Seoul for 3！

[d0h15]

I'm going to Italy for shopping and partying in July (don't know yet how long 3 days - 1 week), then to Croatia a week and in August to London.

[dismalfuture]

I have 10 days off in July and August so I'll probably go home to see my parents in St. Louis, haven't done that in a couple years. Or, I might meet them in Brisbane on their trip to Australia and we'd all get a real vacation out of it.

I'll probably call in seick for a few days too and do Japan one week and Hong Kong another week sometime too, haven't been to either in a year. My wardrobe is dyin here.

[xerikx]

Right now I'm going to Ecuador from May 14-24th

Then, I go to whatever unheard of town in Southern US for the company I work for.

[FactoryPeople]

Coachella! Any superfuturarians going?

[englandmj7]

Right now I'm going to Ecuador from May 14-24th

Then, I go to whatever unheard of town in Southern US for the company I work for.

Make sure to eat some cuy......

http://www.pilotguides.com/destination_guide/south_america/ecuador_and_the_galapagos_islands/guinea_pig.php

That or ceviche (which is truly amazing).

[xerikx]

Make sure to eat some cuy......

http://www.pilotguides.com/destination_guide/south_america/ecuador_and_the_galapagos_islands/guinea_pig.php

That or ceviche (which is truly amazing).

haha trust me, i've already been told about the guinea pig

[soraanaam]

june i will be teaching english in china, then july i will be in taiwan, taipei for a month visitng my cousins relatives