EuroTrip (I know where I'm going this time)

[Ice]

I just got done booking all the hostels we will be staying at. I'm also going to get a 4 country rail pass soon. (I'm the accountant of the group I'm going with, since I'm good with numbers).

I'm going to the following Places:

Brussels
Munich
Bern
Amsterdam
Paris

My point of this thread was to get some insight into each one. What's good to see? Where's good to eat? What's good to do? I know a lot of people on this board are either from Western Europe or have visited there, so you insight would be greatly appreciated.

*Note: Please no suggestions on additional places. I have already booked everything, so I'm stuck to the above.

[seireikhaan]

First and foremost: Make sure to bring plenty of spare cash, I was amazed at how fast mine seemed to evaporate.

I've been to Paris and Munich, although I didn't really spend enough time in Munich to comment much on it. Paris, on the otherhand, I stayed three nights there.

First, I would heavily advise the Eiffel Tower. It'll be busy, but its worth it. The view from the top viewing area is great, it seems as though Paris stretches on forever from to the horizon. Also, if you go by at night, you may get treated to the lights that adorn the tower shining like a great light show. I personally liked the bateax mouches ride on the Seine.

I must caution you, however, to be very careful with your money. In my experience, the Parisian pickpockets were rather skilled. Also, watch for gypsies and con artists who are looking for tourists like you. They will congregate at the tourist attractions, like the tower, Notre Dame, and outside the Louvre. Speaking of the Louvre, it is well worth admission to get into, unless you absolutely detest art of all kinds.

Lastly, if you're looking for some quality(and relatively cheap) french quisine, I would try to save some cash whenever possible. Personally, I found some of the food and beverage stands on the Champs Elysees were of great value. I got an excellent chocolate crepe from a stand for a meager one euro, as opposed to the four to eight you might pay at most of the shops and restaurants. And if you're looking for souvenirs, some of the paintings for sale along the Seine were pretty good as well.

[Csargo]

I just got done booking all the hostels we will be staying at. I'm also going to get a 4 country rail pass soon. (I'm the accountant of the group I'm going with, since I'm good with numbers).

I'm going to the following Places:

Brussels
Munich
Bern
Amsterdam
Paris

My point of this thread was to get some insight into each one. What's good to see? Where's good to eat? What's good to do? I know a lot of people on this board are either from Western Europe or have visited there, so you insight would be greatly appreciated.

*Note: Please no suggestions on additional places. I have already booked everything, so I'm stuck to the above.

~

[Subedei]

Hey, if you are in Munich in Summer you have to check out the "Englischer Garten" [translaters into smth. like "English Garden"which is a park, really big & lots of people there. It is beautiful to chill there in the afternoon. Beergardens, medows, people doing all kinds of sports.....and did i mention the beergardens?!?!?!?!?!

Have a ton of fun, over herei n the old world.

And if U wanna see a medieval town, come to Regensburg, it is only 1.5 hrs. by train from Munich. Well, you said no other places, but it is an amazing town.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

I've never been to Munich but just to give you a heads up it's called München in German. I bet you already know that, but just in case...

Have a great time and make sure to spit on the soccer stadium for me!

Down with Bayern München!

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Down with Bayern München!

Alright...we can get this over with the easy way or the hard way...

*sharpens knives*

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Who do you support anyways? I support FCB, Nürnberg, and Fürth...though I mostly only support Fürth because I have a cousin on Fürth II.

[edyzmedieval]

Bern
Amsterdam

Been to these two, so I can probably share some insight to you.

Amsterdam

First and foremost, go to Amsterdam. The night life and activity of that town is HUGE. If you're around the centre, on day, take a ride on the channels with the boat. It's a really enjoyable trip. After that, visit the Rijksmuseum, the Rembrandt museum and Anne Frank museum if you like history and art.

But the night it's all about Amsterdam. It doesn't matter if you wanna go for a "ride" or you don't, visit the Red Light District. Really crowded, but if you're in a group with more friends, you can have fun. Just in case you need an extra, visit the Sex Museum.

For eating, I tried different restaurants, but I liked the Argentine restaurants. They're always full, and relatively cheap. If you want to go for a shopping spree, the center is full, and you can do some serious exercise too.

Bern

Bern is the total opposite of Amsterdam. I stayed a day in it, and I found it a very relaxing and pleasant city. It's really calm, in comparison with Amsterdam. At 12 midnight the streets were empty. In Amdam they were full like a rush hour.

For sights, visit the Zytglogge, a clock tower with puppets, which is really nice. Make sure to visit the Munster, a 15th century cathedral and the town hall. Since it's a very medieval town, it's good for shopping too. So get some extra cash, especially because it's Switzerland, and it's damned expensive.

Bern is a perfect place for walking, for taking a stroll. So get your legs ready.



Hope it helped you.

[Hepcat]

Well the only on I have been to is Paris. I loved it (not as much as Lyon though it's still wonderful) and I agree with greaterkhaan about the pickpockets and con artists. Though I was so tight fisted with my money that the only thing I brought in France and Spain were postcards, some nice small paintings and food so my mother was shocked by the amount of money I came home with.

I wasn't that impressed by the Eiffel Tower, I hated all the tagging all over it and was probably the only on in our group who didn't leave their name on the Eiffel Tower. The view was spectacular even if I did have to keep my hand on my wallet the entire time (well maybe I didn't have to but I became paranoid after seeing the sign warning about pickpockets). The filth of Paris is something I wasn't too bothered by however quite a few members of our group were disgruntled by the dog poo. Paris has a real charm to it, however the city always seems to be in such a hurry compared to the rest of France.

Ah well, thats my opinion anyway. Good luck on your travels.

[econ21]

My favorite place in Paris is the Musee d'Orsay. It houses nineteenth century art - the Impressionists and that stuff - with an absolutely amazing collection (surely the best in the world). Plus it presents them wonderfully in a old railway station, fairly compact but with enough space and glorious light. By contrast, the Louvre can be a bit oppressive: crowded, sprawling and often dark/stuffy despite the glass pyramid. The modern art stuff in the Pompidou centre always gives me a headache.

From a militaria perspective, there was some interesting stuff in the place with Napoleon's tomb - Les Invalides, IIRC.

[SwordsMaster]

My favorite place in Paris is the Musee d'Orsay. It houses nineteenth century art - the Impressionists and that stuff - with an absolutely amazing collection (surely the best in the world). Plus it presents them wonderfully in a old railway station, fairly compact but with enough space and glorious light. By contrast, the Louvre can be a bit oppressive: crowded, sprawling and often dark/stuffy despite the glass pyramid. The modern art stuff in the Pompidou centre always gives me a headache.

From a militaria perspective, there was some interesting stuff in the place with Napoleon's tomb - Les Invalides, IIRC.

I love Ney's statue by the Invalides. Sword in hand, rousing the men. Makes you wonder if the veterans buried there can here him.

My advice, don't go to Paris to see the Louvre. Just go to Paris. Leave the hotel in the morning and just walk. You might just get somewhere. Ditto for Amsterdam. Or Brussels. Now that i think about it, i do it quite often...

[Ice]

Thanks for the information guys, this has helped a lot. Bern sounds like an awesome place, I can't wait to see all the medieval architecture. I really want to see Napoleon's tomb in Paris now.

[Strike For The South]

How much are you saving? I got bout 1k right now all in all I hope by april of next year to have 6-8k in the bank is this enough?

[Ice]

How much are you saving? I got bout 1k right now all in all I hope by april of next year to have 6-8k in the bank is this enough?

I'm going to end up spending around $2,000 for everything. It just depends on the rail pass you get (mine was $390), your flight whether you need train reservations, where you choose to stay, and how much stuff you buy.

I think $6,000 will be enough money.

[Samurai Waki]

Seriously Hostels are the way to go. Cheap, at about 15 USD per night. I travelled around Europe for about 2 months a couple of years back, and I probably spent less than a 1000$ USD in total staying at places. Although, I did find out an ace-in-the hole when I went through the UK, if you go to any of the Bed and Breakfasts in England say that you were very pleased with the Bed and Breakfast you went too in Scotland, and loved everything about it. The Hosts barely charged me for the night, and I got two excellent meals out of it. If your in Scotland just say vice-versa. Of course, I did feel guilty about exploiting a Countries Patriotism... The Same Could work if you went to Belgium I think. But I only really stopped through, and didn't see much of the sights...

[Moros]

Hmmm torrow I said....

Well anyway Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris, I guess you already got enough info about them. One thing tough, I'd really go and visit the house of Anne Frank. About Münich and Bern I don't have so much to say.
But ofcourse we don't always need to be that serious so you might want to check out one of the beer threads in case you might want to have a taste of a few beers. You don't have to be 21 like in America (silly Americans) so you being 19 would be able to drink anything you like. Tough if I were you I'd keep away from the mushroom tea in the Netherlands .

Anyway whatever you do take your time to get lost in the cities and to enjoy yourselves. Rather not see or visit a few things and have more fun than see a few more things and have less fun.

Ofcourse you need to tell us all about your trip when you're back!

[Ice]

Hmmm torrow I said....
. Tough if I were you I'd keep away from the mushroom tea in the Netherlands .

You've actually got my attention. Could you further elaborate on this tea? :)