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Post by Patrick on Jul 9, 2002 22:32:23 GMT -5
Hi Everyone, and great site Kim (found it in the travel section of the newspaper in a recent article.) I'm planning a trip for next May and I'm wondering if anyone has advice on what to see in certain cities. Interesting sites, monuments, buildings, scenery, etc... I've got a rough route that I'm going to modify a bit based on what cities I may or may not want to see or add some that are worth seeing. Here is my plan for cities so far... gives you an idea of my route. Dublin, Ireland Belfast, Northern Ireland Glasgow, Scotland Edinburgh, Scotland Liverpool, England London, England Paris, France Brussels, Belgium Amsterdam, Netherlands Hannover, Germany Berlin, Germany Hamburg, Germany Copenhagen, Denmark Göteborg, Sweden Oslo, Norway Karlstad, Sweden Stockholm, Sweden Helsinki, Finland If anyone's been to these cities and has some advice on what's good to check out, all suggestions are welcome. First hand info from fellow travellers is the best advice usually! Let me know if I'm missing any really good stops along that general route as well.  Thanks everyone! |
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Post by Kim on Jul 9, 2002 23:51:51 GMT -5
I've been to all but Helsinki and Karlstad.
What I would do is skip Brussels-hit Brugges instead.
Or definatly daytrip to Brugges-don't miss it.
Spend a couple days in Oslo then head up to Bergen, Norway for a couple days to see the fjords. Do a "Norway in a Nutshell" tour in Bergen to see them-phenomenal.
I'll let you know if I think of anything else..
(Glad you saw the article, I finally rounded up a couple copies!)
Kim
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Post by Patrick on Jul 10, 2002 17:14:50 GMT -5
Thanks for the info Kim.
I've taken note of Brugges, Belgium. It seems to be a popular stop!
I checked out the "Norway in a Nutshell Tour" and it looks really neat, I may end up cutting out time in Germany to stay an extra day or so in the Scandinavian countries. (Would love to do everything, but I can't be in Europe forever unfortunately) : )
Another thought came up the other day as well... Do you think it would be a big problem having a one-way ticket to Ireland from Toronto, and a one way home from Helsinki?
I was reading about the problems with one way tickets at the London airport, so I'm just wondering what you think.
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Post by Kim on Jul 10, 2002 17:35:38 GMT -5
It actually doesn't have to be two one way tickets.
There is a thing called an "open jaw" ticket, which means you fly into one place and out of another.
Ask your travel agent about how much each one is-sometimes it's cheaper to do one, and sometimes another.
One way tickets aren't always a problem-but in London they usually are. Other airports aren't so strict. Although who knows after 9/11
You can also do what I did, which was have a year open ticket which was good to fly home anytime within a year.
I then got a "Return to Amsterdam" ticket (that's where I was flying in and out of) for super cheap which meant I could fly from anywhere in Europe back to Amsterdam to fly out.
Don't know if this is available for all countries.
Kim
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Post by Patrick on Jul 12, 2002 15:47:11 GMT -5
Neat, I'll look into that as well! Saving$ would be excellent If anyone else has suggestions for attractions to see or has been to any of the cities I listed, your advice would be great! Thanks. Patrick. |
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Post by nitsansh on Jul 17, 2002 13:45:16 GMT -5
Why do you ignore the entire southern half of the continent?
Return ticket is usually much cheaper than open jaw or a combination of 2 one-ways.
Unless you get a good deal to open jaw, get a return ticket to one of the major hubs. London is a good choice. From there you have cheap flights to almost any place in Europe.Not sure about Finland, but you can fly to some other destinations in Scandinavia, including Stockholm, Oslo or Goteborg.
With a railpass, you allways have the option to backtrack by rail. It'll take about 2 days, though, to get from Helsinki to London.
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Post by Patrick on Jul 18, 2002 12:41:44 GMT -5
I guess I am kind of ignoring the entire southern half of europe, but for a reason. I just visited Spain, Southern France, Monaco and Italy about two months ago. I would go back to these places in the future (they were great) but I'd rather see some cities I haven't been to first.
As for the flights - I've been reading about the cheap inter-europe flights etc.. and I guess I'll have to discuss options with my travel agent, or scour the newspapers and internet to see what's cheapest.
Thanks for the tips!
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Post by nitsansh on Jul 18, 2002 15:50:20 GMT -5
Are you going to see any of the countryside?
Ireland, Scotland and especially Norway have beautiful landscapes. If you go there, spare some time from the big cities for the country.
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Post by Patrick on Jul 18, 2002 19:51:07 GMT -5
I'm probably going to take bus tours or something in a few select places such as Scotland and Norway. I actually like that better then hanging out in the cities all day looking through shops and stuff. I'll have to consult on this stuff with my travel partner too |
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Post by nitsansh on Jul 18, 2002 20:43:33 GMT -5
The bus tours in Scotland are a good deal. You can also do it yourself...
I did a tour in Ireland and it was very nice and cheap. 8 days tour was 163 Pounds, with hostels, food and transport from London included.
Norway is the most beautiful country in Europe IMO. Don't miss it!
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Post by Patrick on Jul 19, 2002 14:26:53 GMT -5
That sounds like a really good deal for 8 days. Unfortunately I probably can't take more than 3 or 4 weeks, so I can't stay in each city for days on end. As for Norway, I'll probably spend 2 or 3 days there and check out the coastline etc. I'm aiming to spend most of my time in the UK and Scandinavia. Gotta come up with some $$$ though for all the expensive places or I'll be living off water and KD while i'm there. |
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Post by Kim on Jul 19, 2002 15:07:14 GMT -5
Hmmm... <trying to remember if there even was KD in Scandinavia>
;D
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Post by Patrick on Jul 19, 2002 15:17:54 GMT -5
;D I don't think so... apparentely it's tough to get your hands on a lot of north american stuff there unless you live in Stockholm.
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Post by nitsansh on Jul 19, 2002 17:06:47 GMT -5
That sounds like a really good deal for 8 days. I forgot to mention... that was 14 years ago! |
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Post by nitsansh on Jul 19, 2002 17:39:42 GMT -5
Unfortunately I probably can't take more than 3 or 4 weeks, so I can't stay in each city for days on end. You must be kiding... there are 18 places on your list, and you want to make it in 3-4 weeks?? the likes of London and Paris... don't tell me you're gonna stay there only a couple of days... you need 4 days at least for those gigantic cities... and most other places, in particular the capitals, deserve 2-3 days... 3 days in Norway is a joke... that's just the time you need to get to Bergen and back, and YOU DON'T DO THIS ROUTE BY NIGHT! If that's the time frame you've got, you should cut your itenerary. 10-12 cities will be a reasonable itinerary for your trip. You plan to visit 10 countries in less than a month... I did all these and just one more in 3.5 months! I would take out: Belfast Liverpool Brussels Hannover Hamburg Goteborg Karlstad I would also reconsider Helsinki. Unless you get a good offer for a flight out of there, you would have to take the ferry back to Stockholm. I would add 3-days bus tour in Scotland, and 3 days for return trip Oslo-Bergen with Norway in a Nutshell included. Or at least make it as a day trip from Oslo. With maximum use of night travel, you can make it in 3-4 weeks time. Recommended night journeys: Amsterdam-Berlin, Copenhagen-Oslo, Oslo-Stockholm, Stockholm-Helsinki or Turku. |
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Thanks everyone!
