divinewind27 Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Hello, I'm heading to Europe on May 15th for a month, specifically to: Glasgow, London, Paris, Berlin, Kiev, Vienna, Venice, and Rome. I'm a young guy going solo, first time I've done an endeavor like this so I'm a bit nervous... I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for day trips, sights, accommodations, etc. even the odd worthwhile record shop Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcm1610 Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 London.. when you get there, it's worth it to do the London Eye. It gives you a cool look at the city. Museums are free, so visit the British Museum and some of the other stuff. Walk along the Thames and experience the street performers if they're out. Go to Bcukingham Palace, but you don't have to spend all day.. try to figure out when the changing of the guard happens. Picadilly Circus is fun for a night or two if you want to go out, but there's pubs all over the place. I spent 6 months there, and honestly I had a lot of fun just roaming around the City Center and wandering around. Just experience the city as best you can without being a jackass North American traveler. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, being Canadian and all. I only spent a night in Glasgow and none of those other places. This was probably poor advice anyway, but I did a lot of little things rather than super-touristy things when I spent my time in England. I had 7 months, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylekrische Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 If you want to hit the tourist aspect of Paris, I highly recommend the Paris Pass. I don't know what your budget is like but I bought the 2 day pass and it was awesome. I woke up at 630am everyday and didn't come back to my hostel until midnight and it was a blast. I was seeing 10-15 attractions a day. Best part about it is busses run for 12 hours a day hitting 7 or 8 of the major attractions every 15 minutes. You can hop on at the eiffel tower and take it to the Louvre and so on. It is super touristy but it's all stuff I found really enjoyable. Plus, I was there for a week so I did my tourist days and my personal days. If you want to hit the Louvre and fully take it in, you'll need basically two days. I flew through it and now wish I had more time there. As for other attractions there I really loved the Shakespeare bookstore. One of the best bookstores I have ever been in. Plus it houses writers upstairs rent free while their working on their craft. I hit a bunch of Cafes with historical relevance to my interest and took some time just snapping pictures and enjoying being there. Plus, being Canadian I had to learn French in school so it was super easy to get around and interact and their subway system is flawless. Bummer you are missing Poland, I lived there for 3.5 months last year and it was fantastic. Can't wait to go back. Italy I found great for eating/drinking but not to great attraction wise and it is definitely a very odd culture. Be happy you're not traveling there with your girlfriend. I was with mine and knew some Italian and goddam those guys will say whatever is on their mind. http://www.parispass.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jryall Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I can recommend you good record stores in London, Berlin and Prague. Sadly not much going on over here (Italy). Are you travelling by plane or with a rail pass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papermonsters Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I am pretty jealous man. I really want to visit Europe. Some of my friends are over there right now and it bums me out so hard that I can't be there with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divinewind27 Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 Thanks very much for your input everyone, feel free to keep it coming it is definitely helpful. I plan on trying to experience the city without a tied down itinerary but certainly there are some.. *cough* touristy things I'd like to see. I appreciate the insight Matt I see where you're coming from. For Paris I'm only staying 2 days unfortunately, and one of those will be heading to the Normandy beaches so I'm hoping to pack in the 2nd day with as much as I can, thank you for that link Kyle seems like a good opportunity; if I had more time I would definitely head to Poland, Sweden, etc. Kiev I know nothing about it's just a place that has an airport and runs tours to Chernobyl which is the reason I'm going there. Jryall that would be great, travelling by train except for a flight from Berlin to Kiev and Kiev to Vienna. Macho man I was in a similar boat last summer when my friends went and I couldn't afford it, that's what sparked me booking this year, everyone I've talked to that has gone has said "everyone should do it once." Maybe soon you can make it happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcm1610 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Oh, in London, definitely get a day pass for the Tube. After like 2 or 3 rides, it pays for itself. Otherwise you'll spend way more than you have to just to get around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smailtronic Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Check out the London Underground website for a tube map that also shows which stops to get off at for which sights. It's nice to have it printed out, or in your phone, so you can get where you're going quickly. Also, I haven't been for a few years, but the exchange rate in the UK was always brutal. May be a little different with you being Canadian, but certainly worth checking in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcm1610 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Ugh, I was there when it was like $1.98 per GBP. It was brutal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyacrash Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 My friend and I just got back from two weeks in Europe. Frankfurt, Prague, Vienna, Venice, Rome, Monte Carlo, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. It was amazing. We only had 1-2 days in each city, but we killed it, were gone all day every day. Typically we just got a free map from the tourist info at each city's train station and walked to whatever we wanted to see, mostly major sites kinda thing. The best advice I can give you is don't set any restrictions for yourself, go see whatever you want to see then move on. That's what we did, no strict schedule and it was a blast. But I understand that might not work for everyone. Have fun dude! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jryall Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 If you already bought your rail pass don't bother but you might find some real cheap flight rates for in-EU flights here www.skyscanner.com They also have an app for Android (and maybe iPhone too). Stores in Berlin: Bis Auf Messer, HHV.de, Audio-In in Friedrichschain. Core-tex in Kreuzberg. Stores in London: Rough Trade (both shops, Portobello and Brick Lane), all the Musical Exchange shops (Berwick st, Camden, Notting Hill). All Ages and Off the Table in Camden. Stores in Prague: Rekomando. Go to Amsterdam and while in Italy come visit my area (Pisa, Cinque Terre, Porto Venere) and enjoy some COLD Mediterranean sea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.