Euro trip 2009! Thoughts/experiences/opinions requested...

[da#1skinsfan]

Looking for those of you who have made a similar trip or been to the below cities...

Our mini-trip itinerary (length of stay for each is flexible and TBD):

Land in Amsterdam - 2 days
Train to Paris - 3 days
Flight to Barcelona - 4 days

What should we do in these cities? what MUST we see? where should we avoid? what do we NEED to bring? If you could do it all over again where would you spend more/less time? what attractions/bars/restaurants/museums/etc are mandatory? Experience and advice appreciated...

[jpyaks3]

In Barcelona go to the beaches. There is also a bar called Chupitos that specializes in shots at a reasonable price which is pretty fun, there is also a travelers bar that is pretty cool both of these bars have a fair amount of other people traveling. Las Ramblas is really cool and fun to walk through. Definitely check out the Sagrada Familia it is incredible. Barcelona was one of my favorite cities in Europe.

Also did a few days in Amsterdam, I would skip the Heineken tour there are better things to do in Amsterdam. Also there is a group that runs free tours that is pretty good, there should be info on that wherever you are staying, its definitely worth taking a morning to check out. Anything else you have heard about Amsterdam is probably true so have fun and be safe.

[Ellis]

This reminds me of #19 and #120 of this site...

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-people-like/

Enjoy!

[techboy]

1. Pack Light

2. Pack Light

3. Pack Light. My wife and I travel to Europe every year, and we each take one carry-on size bag each. That's it. The freedom is amazing, especially on public transit like trains and buses, where there's no room for huge luggage and the typical overpacked American is getting glared at, if he fits on the bus at all.

Our first trip to Paris, we took large suitcases, and Amy got caught in one of the Metro turnstiles, with her luggage making it through and she behind the bars. Not fun, and neither were the cobbled streets and lack of elevators.

When we did have an elevator, it was literally two people and one piece of luggage, or one person and two pieces of luggage. That was it (there was a sign). That's not uncommon, when there's an elevator at all.

Pack light.

Packing Light and Right (http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlight.htm), from the Rick Steves website (more on him in a minute), will get you started.

Onebag.com (http://www.onebag.com/) is another excellent resource, from a guy who does it on business. You can too.

You won't regret it. I promise.

4. Get the appropriate Rick Steves guide for each city you visit. They are unbelievably good for two reasons.

First, instead of a dry, short listing of hundreds of sites and attractions, they focus in on just the good stuff, and also what's overrated. He is an art lover, so you need to keep that in mind when bunches of art museums get his highest rating, but he's always been spot on in his reviews of the best attractions, restaurants, and hotels.

Second, and perhaps even more important, he gives practical information not found in other guidebooks, like how to skip lines and where to find a clean bathroom (very important in Europe, and not to be taken for granted like in America).

For a bit of a taste, here are some articles on the Netherlands (http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/ben/ben_menu.htm), here's his stuff on France (http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/france/france_menu.htm), and here's his stuff on Spain (http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/spain/spain_menu.htm).

Pay special attention to the walking tours (fantastic!) and I've always found his suggested iteneraries very useful for planning, even though I do usually make some changes.

Paris in One to Seven Days (http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/france/parisitin.htm), for instance, suggests this for Paris:


Paris in One, Two, or Three Busy Days
Sights are listed in descending order of importance. If you have only one day, just do Day 1 (below); for two days, add Day 2. If you want to fit in Versailles on a three-day visit, try the afternoon of the second day (easier) or the third day.

Day 1
Morning: Follow Historic Paris Walk from Rick's Paris guidebook, featuring Ile de la Cité, Notre-Dame, Latin Quarter, and Sainte-Chapelle.

Afternoon: Tour the Louvre.

Evening: Enjoy the Trocadéro scene and a twilight ride up the Eiffel Tower.

Day 2
Morning: Follow the book's Champs-Elysées Walk from the Arc de Triomphe down the grand avenue des Champs-Elysées to Tuileries Garden.

Midday: Cross the pedestrian bridge from the Tuileries Garden, then tour the Orsay Museum.

Afternoon: Tour the Rodin Museum or Napoleon's Tomb, or visit Versailles (take the RER suburban train direct from Orsay).

Evening: Cruise the Seine River, take Paris Vision's night-time Illumination bus tour, or follow Rick's Paris guidebook's Floodlit Paris Taxi Tour

Day 3
Morning: Ride the RER suburban train out to Versailles.

Afternoon: Follow the book's Marais Walk.

Evening: Take the book's Montmartre Walk, featuring the Sacré-Coeur basilica.

5. I actually just came back from Paris, and along with the standard biggies like the Louvre (use the Rick Steves tour to hit the highlights without exhausting yourself, you could spend years there), the Eiffel Tower, and so on, I very much recommend the evening walks in Trocadero and Montmarte (happening night life), as well as the evening boat cruise on the Seine.

6. Most of the practical stuff you need is in the books, but one thing I'd emphasize is to use ATMs to get cash. The exchange rate is way better than anything you'll get any other way. Check with your bank to see if you have a fee tacked on, and if it's big (more than 1%), open another account for the trip. My Fidelity ATM card has 0% on foreign transactions, and many credit unions are very good about that too.

I pay cash everywhere, and replenish with ATMs.

7. Wear a money belt. Violent crime is almost non-existent, but Americans are popular targets for pickpockets. I've heard Spain is especially bad, along with Italy (which we love, so don't worry too much about it).

8. Watch out for scammers. Montmarte in particular has guys that ask you to help demonstrate making a bracelet, then muscle you into buying it. They're very aggressive.

9. Eat a lot of baguettes and pastry in Paris. :)

10. A fantastic place to stay in Paris is Hotel Dieu Hospitel (http://www.hotel-hospitel.com/ang/accueil.htm). It is on the fifth floor of a working hospital complex (and there are gurneys on the bottom floor of the elevator area, which is a little weird), but it's very comfortable (the rooms were originally for families of patients), the service is good, the rates are very reasonable for Paris, and the location is unbelievable. It's 50 feet from Notre Dame, the only hotel on the original island which is the start and center of Paris.

We stayed there in April, and loved it.

If you have any other questions, let me know. I know Paris a lot better than Amsterdam (where I've been for a day) and Spain (not at all yet), but like I said, we go to Europe every year, sometimes twice.

[da#1skinsfan]

You rock man thanks for all the tips. I will heed every word - packing light no doubt. Rick Steves' advice is very good, I'll read through all the links as well.

Verifying with my bank about the fees now...good call. It looks like no ATM charges (incl in my plan) but they do jack up the conversion rate just a bit versus giving a flat % charge, will find out what the increase is tomorrow.

[techboy]

Verifying with my bank about the fees now...good call. It looks like no ATM charges (incl in my plan) but they do jack up the conversion rate just a bit versus giving a flat % charge, will find out what the increase is tomorrow.

Visa and Mastercard charge 1% for the conversion, and that's pretty hard to avoid (though a few cards actually seem to eat the fee, as well as not tacking anything on) so the real question is how much they pass along.

Some banks, like Bank of America, tack on 3%.

If you don't like what you hear, like I said, the Fidelity Smartcash account is good (it actually seems to eat the 1% VISA fee, and doesn't tack anything on, it's what I use now), as are a lot of credit unions. My Apple Federal Credit Union account, for instance, passes on the 1% but doesn't add anything else.

The Flyertalk Wiki (http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange) has a lot of great information about credit and ATM cards overseas, and which cards charge what.

[Toe Jam]

You're forgetting one important detail, OP:

Taking Toe Jam on your trip will make it much more enjoyable.

[Elessar78]

I used to spend summers in Paris because my mom always had a conference there. I know of a "secret" entrance into the Louvre, it's not really secret but no one seems to know about it. PM me if you want the info.

If they still have it, buy the tourist card. Offers you a discounted rate to pretty much all the museums in Paris and plus you don't have to stand in line to buy tickets.

If you don't speak any French, try to learn basic phrases and when you ask people for something (directions, purchases) try it in French first. The BIG secret in Paris is that 90% of the people speak English pretty well, but they get offended when you try to speak English to them. Once they see you struggling in French they'll usually just respond in English. Usually.

Wear comfortable shoes, you'll be walking a lot.

Barcelona is hot. The winds sweep across the Sahara across the sea and into Barcelona. Dress accordingly. The main language in Barca is Catalan, although they most likely know Spanish. Just pointing it out because the signs maybe different. The subway is a pretty efficient way to get around the city.

I went there before the Euro and the dollar was strong. I was still in college but man did me and my girlfriend live like kings! We ate at like 5-star restaurants for the equivalent of $40.

[techboy]

I used to spend summers in Paris because my mom always had a conference there. I know of a "secret" entrance into the Louvre, it's not really secret but no one seems to know about it. PM me if you want the info.


It's in the Rick Steves book, too. We used it, breezed right in while others waited in line. Good example of the practical stuff I mentioned.



If they still have it, buy the tourist card. Offers you a discounted rate to pretty much all the museums in Paris and plus you don't have to stand in line to buy tickets.


Official webiste here (http://www.parismuseumpass.com/en/home.php), very useful, requires a little planning because it's sold in 2, 4, and 6 day versions, and some museums are free or cheap anyway. Good in combination with "secret" entrance to Louvre, as it saves the ticket buying lines by buying this somewhere else.



If you don't speak any French, try to learn basic phrases and when you ask people for something (directions, purchases) try it in French first. The BIG secret in Paris is that 90% of the people speak English pretty well, but they get offended when you try to speak English to them. Once they see you struggling in French they'll usually just respond in English. Usually.


I forgot that one, but very true. Amy and I found the French to be warm and helpful, probably more so than in the U.S., to be totally honest. The key was that I mangled their language first, and then they spoke English to me. Of course, occasionally they think they understand me and I get something weird at the bakery, but that's part of the fun. :)

If you go in trying English first, you'll get about the same response as you would speaking French first in an American establishment.

I had a little bit of French in High School, but if not, it's easy to learn at least please, thank you, excuse me, and two, and Rick Steves guidebooks have survival phrases. His phrase books are really good too, especially the menu decoder.

The other thing is that the French are much more formal than we are, so it's good practice to say "Bonjour Monsieur" or "Madame" and so on when entering a shop.

[Special K]

I'll second Techboy's recommendation on Rick Steve's books. I've travelled around Europe on multiple occasions and really utilize his advice.

Amsterdam, definitely look at the Van Gogh museum and Red Light District. The Red Light District is pretty insane...it's fun watching all the Asian businessmen oogle over the prostitutes in the windows.

In Paris, there's this really awesome Celtic bar a few blocks down from the 3 Ducks Hostel that's AWESOME. I think my friend and I went there every night while in Paris. Montmarte area was my favorite venture in Paris too. Really cool, lots of street artists to buy neat stuff from.

General travelling tips I always abide by when I'm in Europe or elsewhere:

- Lookout for pickpockets. They'll target you everywhere, including subways and trains.

- Although I think it's better to pack light as Techboy said, it won't kill you if you take a fair amount with you. I'm a chick and am horrible at packing, I always pack a pretty hefty load, but it's never bothered me to cart the stuff around.

- Make sure you take a copy of your passport with you.

- Even if you don't know the languages, I would suggest learning a few common phrases. It shows respect and people are much, much, much more inclined to help you if you act humble and show you are putting in the effort to communicate with them.

- HAVE FUN!!! :D

[Corcaigh]

Much of the stuff has already been covered, but where possible, walk from place to place. You get a great flavor of the city that way and come across stuff you wouldn't other wise.

Wandering around Montmartre and hanging out at Sacre-Coeur in the evening is great. To take a break from walking a ride on the Bateaux Mouches are cool too.

A guided trip on the Amsterdam canals in the evening is nice also.

[techboy]

Amsterdam, definitely look at the Van Gogh museum and Red Light District. The Red Light District is pretty insane...it's fun watching all the Asian businessmen oogle over the prostitutes in the windows.


Interestingly, I just read an article that said that the Dutch government is buying out some of the windows in the Red Light District and putting in fashion displays and the like.

Oh... In Amsterdam, don't miss the Anne Frank House. Very powerful.



- Although I think it's better to pack light as Techboy said, it won't kill you if you take a fair amount with you.


Say it ain't so, keeastman, say it ain't so. :(

[Special K]

Interestingly, I just read an article that said that the Dutch government is buying out some of the windows in the Red Light District and putting in fashion displays and the like.

Oh... In Amsterdam, don't miss the Anne Frank House. Very powerful.
Why would they ruin the Red Light District like that!?! lol. Really, the best part about it, besides being pretty shocked, was watching the businessmen :laugh:

I totally forgot about the Anne Frank House too. That is definitely a must-see when over there.




Say it ain't so, keeastman, say it ain't so. :( Yeah, I'm a bit notorious for my "non-light" packing :D But hey, I don't complain or expect anyone to carry anything for me...and I always fit because I don't do square-like suitcases, but I will bring a nice-sized rolling duffle :thumbsup:

[Zhouse]

I don't know what types of things you're looking for. But it will definitely be an nice trip.

-Avoid taking pictures or even bringing a camera to the red light district. Outside the obvious Amsterdam activities, it's actually a very pretty city. Take time to tour it.

- After the touristy things to see in Paris, it's just another tourist filled big city. Although corner coffee shop and bars in the outskirt of the cities are a lot of fun.

-Barcelona is my favorite city. You will notice different social classes no too far from each other and everyone is just so laid back and accepting. Also has a flavor of a big city. You can spend an entire day by the coast (where Christopher Columbus' statue is at). If you like sangrias I recommend The black Sheep, it's a traditional Catalan style bar