We got some people with UK knowledge here, right?

[Cormacaroni]

Today i walked round my home town taking in sights from 1700-1800's and yeah... dat history

did you see the famous Toilet Paper Tree

[Cormacaroni]

UK history was actually far more exciting than the wife and I thought it would be - it's amazing what a difference actually seeing all the places these people lived, died, murdered, and screwed makes. one of the highlights of our trip was the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour

I remembering visiting place where the Magna Carta was written. That was pretty impressive.

i remember visiting Gettysburg Address place too, very impressive

OH YOU WANT THE NAME? FUCK YOU

[Mr. Gundam]

UK history was actually far more exciting than the wife and I thought it would be - it's amazing what a difference actually seeing all the places these people lived, died, murdered, and screwed makes. one of the highlights of our trip was the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour

I remembering visiting place where the Magna Carta was written. That was pretty impressive.

i remember visiting Gettysburg Address place too, very impressive

OH YOU WANT THE NAME? FUCK YOU

Someone needs their coffee this morning/evening/whateverjapantimeitis.

[Cormacaroni]

It's 2am and I've been drinking with ch1nchilla. Now tell me where the Magna Carta was signed or I will rend your soul

[DCharlieJP]

did you see the famous Toilet Paper Tree

Oh god - there's a whole bunch of them now. Very impressive!

[Don Flamenco]

Ill get Bebpo drunk if he comes to Dublin, then drop him at the local strip club or easy chicks bar (Dicey's) just wait for the thread then

he's gonna bring some floozy back to your place, get her high, then kiss her on the cheek. 

[Verdigris Murder]

Beppo, don't believe the cruel lies about crossing from Ireland to England. England is a more important country than Ireland also.

[Bebpo]

I posted this on gaf as well since they have a lot of Europeans.  But here's my initial travel plan right now, in case any of you have advice:  This plan was based off all the recommendations from this thread so far.

Hey all, looking for advice on this trip plan in the summer time period. As an American, I know very little about modern Europe, so want to have good planning before I go. Planning on staying at BnBs from Airbnb.com for the length of the trip.

-Whether to spend more days/fewer days in any of these places
-Whether to sub out one country for another
-Advice on which city or cities in a country to stay at while seeing that country
-Advice on things to see and do in the limited time in each city

Note: The goal for the pacing I'm going for on this trip is moderate speed. Don't want to be rushing around from place to place. Want to be able to relax and take in the atmosphere. But not planning on just laying all day either. Want to do 1 or 2 things a day for sure.

Week 1:
Day 1 - fly into Zurich, Switzerland - lose a day flying
Day 2 - Switzerland
Day 3 - Switzerland
Day 4 - Germany
Day 5 - Germany
Day 6 - Germany
Day 7 - Germany
Day 8 - Belgium
Day 9 - Belgium
Day 10 - Belgium
Day 11 - Belgium
Day 12 - France
Day 13 - France
Day 14 - France
Day 15 - UK
Day 16 - UK
Day 17 - UK
Day 18 - UK
Day 19 - Ireland
Day 20 - Ireland
Day 21 - Ireland
Day 22 - Fly out of Dublin

Country totals:
Switzerland - 2 days (technically 3, but one is just flying)
Germany - 4 days
Belgium - 4 days
France - 3 days
UK - 4 days
Ireland - 3 days

Goals of the trip:

1. See the scenic countries. Green grass, rivers, castles, great architecture; all the stuff we don't have here in Southern California where it's all brown dirt and desert and boring buildings.

2. Visit museums, historic sites.

3. EAT DELICIOUS FOOD

4. DRINK GOOD BEER

5. Enjoy the nightlife, social life a bit. Not planning on partying super hard, but probably will go to bars/clubs and would love to go see a lot of live music/shows while in the countries.


Also, I should note that I'll be traveling alone in Switzerland/Germany, then meeting up with a friend and traveling for Belgium/France/London/Ireland. Ease of getting around solo and safely is decently important as I only speak English & Japanese.

I'm going to have my friend fly into Belgium and meet me there and then I'll head back to Belfast with her and hang out in Ireland for a few days and then fly home.

[Fifstar]

4 days seems like a lot only for Belgium. Belgium is small and I don't think there is that much too see. Any reason you don't go to the Netherlands? If you're in that part of europe, I'd definetely go to Amsterdam. Beautiful city and it's small enough that you can see a decent chunk of it in one or two days. 3 days is also very little for France, although that's probably unavoidable when you do so many countires in such a short time. Italy is also beautiful, in general you're kinda missing on europe's south. 10 days for germany/switzerland/belgium seems like overkill, those countries are not that exciting.

In germany, you should definetely go to Berlin, maybe the most exciting city in europe and very cheap. Plan two days on a weekend for that. There are lots of small castles scattered around the country, not sure what to recommend here. Maybe Castle Neuschwanstein? I've never been there and I believe it's very touristy. If you're interested in the Cologne Cathedral, apparently Germany's most visited landmark, I could show you around the city. Cologne is close to Belgium and has lots of nice museums, although architecture wise it's pretty ugly and the nightlife while nice enough doesn't compare to Berlin. You should also rent a car and go 180 mph on one of our highways, at least that seems to leave the biggest impression on visting hollywood actors

[Bebpo]

Thanks for the info, might do Amsterdam over Belgium.  Was going to Belgium for the fries, waffles, beer and overall good eatings.  I've heard the food is all amazing there and the people are very friendly.  But could skip it.  I was on the fence with Amsterdam because all I ever hear about it are my friends going there and partying and having crazy Vegas-style stories of eating bananas out of vaginas and pissing on public walls outdoors with strangers.  Not really feeling that kind of experience on this trip.  But if Belgium has a nice pleasant scenic side to it, maybe it's worth a look.


I'm kind deliberately short-changing Paris because I have this feeling its not my kind of city.  I'm looking for green hill countryside and Paris seems like New York City, or Tokyo.  Big, bustling city with everyone in a hurry and your usual city bars, cafes, museums, just with nicer architecture. 


Italy was my #1 place I wanted to go to originally (really want to visit Venice, Rome, the Tuscany area), but everything I read about Italy in late July/early August sounds horrible.  Millions of tourists, super humid, long lines everywhere, everything is expensive.  I dunno, I think I'd rather come back solely for Italy and southern Europe in another trip at a different time of the year.

[cool breeze]

Co-sign on more time for France, less for Germany.  At least those are the places I've visited often for family, and while Germany is a relaxing place and I like it a lot, your time is better spent elsewhere.  On the other end, France has a lot to see and do.  But it's about what you want for your vacation.  It might help if you have a flexible schedule.

And last time I went to Italy (few years ago, Venice, specifically) was in August and the weather wasn't a problem.  There were crowds but it is what it is.  It's one of the places I want to go back to since I didn't enjoy it too much.  Same with the UK, granted, it was mostly London then.  I really enjoyed other places in Italy I've been to.

If you're going to stay in or near Paris, versailles is a short train ride and can kill a good few hours if not half a day depending on how interested you are.  There are the usual popular places you hear about like all the museums, sacre coeur, notre-dame, etc..  Around those areas people will try to scam you in really obvious ways.  Um, German public transportation is way more awesome than what the French use. 

[Mr. Gundam]

The Netherlands is awesome, and so is Amsterdam. However, I have very good friends who live there, so I do totally different things than your typical visitor. We go up and chill in Friesland after a few days of museums, neighborhoods and foodie adventures in Amsterdam.

Belgium is worth your time, too. Antwerp and Brussels are beautiful.

[Bebpo]

Co-sign on more time for France, less for Germany.  At least those are the places I've visited often for family, and while Germany is a relaxing place and I like it a lot, your time is better spent elsewhere.  On the other end, France has a lot to see and do.  But it's about what you want for your vacation.  It might help if you have a flexible schedule.

And last time I went to Italy (few years ago, Venice, specifically) was in August and the weather wasn't a problem.  There were crowds but it is what it is.  It's one of the places I want to go back to since I didn't enjoy it too much.  Same with the UK, granted, it was mostly London then.  I really enjoyed other places in Italy I've been to.

If you're going to stay in or near Paris, versailles is a short train ride and can kill a good few hours if not half a day depending on how interested you are.  There are the usual popular places you hear about like all the museums, sacre coeur, notre-dame, etc..  Around those areas people will try to scam you in really obvious ways.  Um, German public transportation is way more awesome than what the French use.

How many days would be good to spend in France, and should I stay in Paris for all of them and day trip out to places or move around the country in sleeping locations?

[cool breeze]

I think that depends on how interested you're in seeing all the museums.  Can't imagine there won't be long lines if you're going in the summer.

And it's feasible to stay in Paris and travel from there, I guess.  Might end up being a chunk of the day to and from, depending on where you're looking to go.

[DCharlieJP]

Firstly - just to get it out of the way - Paris : the people there suck. However - the rest of the French people are awesome

Belgium - 4 days and you'll be Colin Farrell in "In Brugge" within 2-3 hours. I would take the advice above and do 2 days tops and literally just hit Brugge - eat a bunch of the amazing chocolate and hit the beer tours and then get yourself to Amsterdam

Yes, it's a party city , yes it's got a drugs culture - but the museums are amazing, you can go to Anne Frank's house which is an incredible experience, the architecture is interesting, the canals are awesome, the people are fun and if you get bored of all that then -then- you can have some white beer with a lemon in it, hit up a Dutch Indonesia rice plate shop, go have a toot in a cafe, then take the girl to the sex museum/sex show , even just walk around at night (not sure the red light district is still there - but regardless it's worth seeing).

My ex had family there so I used to spend a lot of time in Amsterdam - loved it so much that prior to moving to Tokyo it was Amsterdam that was our destination of choice.

[Bebpo]

So let's say museums aren't really that important to me the more I think about it.  I like seeing historic sites like palaces, monuments, castles, famous houses.  But going to a museum and seeing great works of art and fossils and stuff just feels like what I can do here at the Getty or at NYC/Chicago museums and is a waste of a European trip time that could be spent on other things.  I really enjoy museums, but I'd rather not be couped up in a crowded museum with tourists when I can be taking a walk in the foreign countryside or sipping tea at a cafe with a beautiful view.

Is it still worth spending 4-5 days in France?  Honestly, I'm not that big on French food, I hear nothing but negative things about the people in Paris, and I've never heard of all that many exciting things to do in Paris besides museums and eating.  Plus it sounds like it'll be really hot and crowded in the summer.  That's why I was sorta thinking just 3 days to see Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, eat some French food and move on.


But yeah, I think I'm cutting Belgium down to 2 days max and spending at least 2 days in Amsterdam due to all the recommendations.

Agenda seems something like:
Germany = historic old school villages + crazy nightlife partying
Amsterdam = scenic + party maybe
Belgium = good eats, some scenic sites
France =
London = Big Ben, otherwise
Edinburgh = Castles and cliffs and cool stuff
Belfast =
Dublin = Kosma's lovely self

Since I'm going to be meeting my friend in Amsterdam at the end of Week 1, I pretty much have a whole week to spend solo first and right now it's looking like 4-5 days in Germany exploring Berlin and one of the smaller older villages, then move to Amsterdam and meet up and do the rest of the trip over 2 1/2 weeks.  I was going to initially do Switzerland + Germany in those 4-5 days before meeting up, but everyone on gaf seems to say Switzerland is a skip and Germany is worth spending a full week in.  The other option is to do something radically different like fly into Portugal or Spain and do those for 4-5 days instead. 

[DCharlieJP]

ADD ANNE FRANK'S HOUSE TO AMSTERDAM OR I'LL MURDER YOU IN THE DIGITAL REALM.

[Cerveza mas fina]

Agenda seems something like:
Germany = historic old school villages + crazy nightlife partying
Amsterdam = scenic + party maybe
Belgium = good eats, some scenic sites
France =
London = Big Ben, otherwise
Edinburgh = Castles and cliffs and cool stuff
Belfast =
Dublin = Kosma's lovely self

Tbh no country in Europe is a skip, don't listen to Gafers.

Belfast = Giants Causeway, tour of troubles areas (maybe go to LondonDerry?)
Amsterdam = + Van Gogh museum, + Zaanse Schans, walk around the city
France = Paris
Edinburgh = Arturs Seat (great views of the city from the top of the volcano)
London = Tate museum, trip to Brighton, Camden Market on the weekend
Belgium = I would got to a WW2 US cementary if you can, Brugge too
Dublin = Going for a hike in Wicklow Mountains, Howth or Bray. Eat some fresh local produce after said hike (Irelands got some of the best beef and fish). Get Drunk.

ADD ANNE FRANK'S HOUSE TO AMSTERDAM OR I'LL MURDER YOU IN THE DIGITAL REALM.

Im so sick of Anne Frank stuff 

If you want to see some real holocaust/ww2 stuff just fly to Krakow and go to Auschwitz, you can do Krakow, Auschwitz, Prague. Flights should be cheap.

[DCharlieJP]

your sick of it because you've seen it X times, Bebpo hasn't and it's daft to not go and see it whilst you are there

[Cerveza mas fina]

I dunno I've never been to the museum, but you are bored to death with Anne Frank when you live in the Netherlands.

Maybe you are right though.

[Bebpo]

The Rail Europe site is really interesting.  Didn't realize how close everything is and how the trains run everywhere.  Pretty awesome, seems like Japan.  (http://www.raileurope.com/)


Been researching German rail lines.  Thinking about doing Zurich -> (2 hours) Freiburg -> (90 mins) -> Heideburg -> (2 hours) Cologne -> (2:30 hours) Amsterdam in the first 6 days.  Then Amsterdam (2 days) -> (2 hours) Brussels (1 day) -> (1:20 hour) Paris, chill in Paris exploring and doing day trips for 5 days, then -> (2 hours) London -> (4 1/2 hour) Edinburgh -> (fly) Belfast -> (2 hour) Dublin over the next 7-8 days.


Any reason to go to Glasgow over Edinburgh?  And what about southwest Ireland?


I think I'll get the German Rail Pass (w/extension) to cover Freiburg -> Brussels and not get the French one for the day trips from Paris (Versailles, Fontainebleau, etc...)


I could skip Switzerland, but if I want to do Freiburg and head north I dunno where in the south of Germany I could fly into instead.  Maybe Munich?  But I think Zurich is actually closer. 

[Fifstar]

Zürich and Freiburg are much better connected than munich and Freiburg, so definetely go with Zürich over munich. Your plan looks Good to me. If you have the Time, you could make a Trip to the Swiss Alps to add another landscape to the Mix. Also, i'd Advice to Take a Slow Train (RE = RegionalExpress) from Heidelberg to Cologne, as the Slow Route is beautiful. You Travel along the curves of the River and can See plenty of vineyards and castles along the surrounding slopes. Will be One Hour longer but it's worth it.

In france i'd make a Trip to the atlantic Coast. Maybe go See the Dune du pyla, europe's biggest Sand Dune and Spent another Day at a Surfing Spot. The Waves there probably aren't that impressive for somebody from California but the Atmosphere is Great.

[Cerveza mas fina]

There is absolutely no reason to go to Glasgow. Its an old industrial city.

Edinburgh is a lovely medieval wonder.

Southwest Ireland is nice, but out of the way. Some nice nature. Best of Ireland IMHO is Claire, Galway, Mayo. Which are you can access from Dooblin.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Glasgow is horrific industrial shit with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Edinburgh, on the other hand, is my favorite city in the world.

The choice is yours!