European Backpacking Vacation

[Dakana]

Hey Euro BGs/Travelers-
I’m going to Europe for 5.5 weeks here on the 27th. I’m just taking time off and backpacking with my rail pass and I’m looking for a local sense of things that are awesome to see/do. I love doing pretty much anything as long as there’s some exploration involved. Here’s my tentative list of places I wanna go but feel free to tell me they suck or recommend new places. Also if anyone lived in one of these places and wants to hang out and show me around let me know.

London
Paris
Copenhagen
Amsterdam
Berlin
Prauge
Dracula’s Castle
Istanbul
Athens
Rome/Vatican
Venice
Zurich
Madrid
Barcelona

[wop]

<- London/Paris

[ZarakiKujata]

I'd imagine wop would be fun to hang out w/ as long as he is paying for your scarves.

I'm actually going to be in Copenhagen starting the 22nd, and can make some suggestions for Prague as well.

[pussenboots]

I would recomend further south in Italy if you are able to. Definitely Amalfi and my favorite being Palermo, you can actually get a night cruise from Napoli to Sicily for pretty cheap and I found Sicily much better than most of mainland Italy. But if you don't go too far south, atleast add Rome to the list, its a must see, nothing like the view from atop the bascilla.

[Dakana]

<- London/Paris

Let's do something then!

I'd imagine wop would be fun to hang out w/ as long as he is paying for your scarves.

I'm actually going to be in Copenhagen starting the 22nd, and can make some suggestions for Prague as well.

Let me know

I would recomend further south in Italy if you are able to. Definitely Amalfi and my favorite being Palermo, you can actually get a night cruise from Napoli to Sicily for pretty cheap and I found Sicily much better than most of mainland Italy. But if you don't go too far south, atleast add Rome to the list, its a must see, nothing like the view from atop the bascilla.

How much better would you say? I'm all down for adding new places but I'm tight on time as it is . I am going to be in Rome though defiantly

[pussenboots]

Well, you can get to Amalfi in a couple hours from Rome, if tight on time then pass up on Sicily cause you will want to spend too much time there, people are so nice, scenery is amazing not to mention the food.

Some advice for Rome, don't eat on the main path, try to venture off into the local areas, it will be much much cheaper and 100 times better, wish I had my ex's Japanese guide book, had such better recomendations than the lonely planet did. Must seas there, definitely St. Peters, climb the bascilla, Vatican museum and the Collosseum. Other than they, just venture around, also great shopping in Rome.

[Cadsuane]

If you're in Spain hit up Portugal. Madrid's kind of redundant after Barcelona. Lisbon's a really amazing city.

[Syntex]

Don't stay at a hostel. I saw the movie and its all true.

[Zoolander]

If you're in Spain hit up Portugal. Madrid's kind of redundant after Barcelona. Lisbon's a really amazing city.

wat? Barcelona & Madrid were completely different during my experience with the two cities. The Prado and a way more chill atmosphere in Madrid made it well worth a few days there for me. Barcelona was way more bustling & fast past/city scene than Madrid. And finding legit Tapas bars in Madrid was a lot easier than in Barcelona.

when are you in Spain? Running of the Bulls is a bus ride away in Pamplona and well worth the experience if you like insane partying, an unforgetable experience, & arent a total pussy/idiot who runs from a bull looking backwards instead of ahead.

[Dakana]

I'm going to miss the running of the bulls by a week.

[Darlantan]

Yeah, the two cities are very different from each other. Idk, I would prefer to go to some other place than Madrid, but I am definitely biased as I have been there like 50 times and not in many of the other awesome places Europe has to offer.

[Dakana]

Yeah, the two cities are very different from each other. Idk, I would prefer to go to some other place than Madrid, but I am definitely biased as I have been there like 50 times and not in many of the other awesome places Europe has to offer.

Madrid was a specific last minute addition since their pride is the same time as I'll be in that area

[Darlantan]

Madrid is fine, and has a lot to see, it just isnt as attractive to me as many other cities are, part of it may be because I have been there many times, as I said. You havent really said you want to see really different places, but if this was the case, you could skip Madrid, or part of the time you would spend around there, go to Lisbon in Portugal as Cadsuane sugested, or rather (personal opinion), go further down south in Spain and hit some of the andalusian cities like Sevilla and Córdoba. They are beautiful, have a lot to see, and most of it is vastly different from what you will have in sight in all the other cities around EU.

Edit: Idk about your rail pass, but Barcelona and Sevilla are linked by the high speed train Ave, which may be a good option. I'll be around EU as well if all goes as planned, but it will be later (sometime in August) and only two weeks, so no option to hang out, but here's wishing we have some awesome time in our adventure.

[Kohan]

Madrid is fine, and has a lot to see, it just isnt as attractive to me as many other cities are, part of it may be because I have been there many times, as I said. You havent really said you want to see really different places, but if this was the case, you could skip Madrid, or part of the time you would spend around there, go to Lisbon in Portugal as Cadsuane sugested, or rather (personal opinion), go further down south in Spain and hit some of the andalusian cities like Sevilla and Córdoba. They are beautiful, have a lot to see, and most of it is vastly different from what you will have in sight in all the other cities around EU.

This man knows everything, and all should listen to him.

[volcanicweather]

If you're going all the way to Copenhagen, why not go to Oslo and Stockholm as well? Both cities are simply awesome in the summer and are only a 6 or 7 hour train ride from each other. If it was me I would cut out Istanbul and replace it with the two cities I mentioned because...

a) It's going to be pretty hot in Istanbul during the summer compared to Oslo / Stockholm
b) Lots of northern Europeans vacation to the south in the summer (they get way more vacation than US workaholics)
c) You're going to have to spend almost a solid day traveling to/from Istanbul

I would also consider not going to Athens (Greece is broke) and Dracula's Castle (Romania is a poor country) but instead taking an inexpensive overnight boat to Helsinki and a boat/train to Tallinn(Estonia) or St. Petersburg. You'll have a great time in all 3 of those cities.

[solanis]

Istanbul will take you maybe 2 days tops to get a comprehensive feel for the city, and the food there sucks. I know Venice like the back of my hand after summering there for most of my life, so if you have any specific questions I can help, although we stay at our apartment and not a hotel so I'm not versed on hostels. It's a great city to use as a launch pad to explore other nearby cities, like Padua. Not a fan of Madrid but you can't die without seeing the Prado, and Zurich itself is totally outshone by the lakes and mountains within easy access of it.

[Dakana]

If you're going all the way to Copenhagen, why not go to Oslo and Stockholm as well? Both cities are simply awesome in the summer and are only a 6 or 7 hour train ride from each other. If it was me I would cut out Istanbul and replace it with the two cities I mentioned because...

a) It's going to be pretty hot in Istanbul during the summer compared to Oslo / Stockholm
b) Lots of northern Europeans vacation to the south in the summer (they get way more vacation than US workaholics)
c) You're going to have to spend almost a solid day traveling to/from Istanbul

I would also consider not going to Athens (Greece is broke) and Dracula's Castle (Romania is a poor country) but instead taking an inexpensive overnight boat to Helsinki and a boat/train to Tallinn(Estonia) or St. Petersburg. You'll have a great time in all 3 of those cities.

I've been thinking of cutting out Istanbul/Athens out of my itinerary since they are so far out of the way. Has anyone been there recently to say what they are like right now?

[thetruepandagod]

Don't go to athens right now wait a few years, no idea on istanbul.

[Dakana]

Don't go to athens right now wait a few years, no idea on istanbul.

Any reason other than they are poor? Or is there something about that that I'm missing? I really wanted to see the Parthenon but I'm beginning to understand that I'm probably trying to do way too much in such a small amount of time so I want to make the right cuts. 5 weeks started out seeming like so much but now I wish I had all summer to take off .

[Galaika]

Istanbul is my favourite city at the moment, amazing to see, but it is well out of your way for a backpacking trip round Europe. I'd say cut it out and re-visit some other time