artsy trip ideas

[Robyn]

hey,
i'm from canada and planning a trip to europe for the end of the summer, but can't figure out which places i REALLY want to see...i'll be travelling with my boyfriend who is big into historical war sites and he is on a limited budget. i too am on a very limited budget, but am VERY willing to cheap-it out in order to see the most that i can. another rather akward detail is that i am vegan...i have lived in university res though, and feel that i can find veggies if i look hard enough for them...
i'm a fine arts student, so i want to see museums with work by van gogh, rodin, picasso...stuff like that, i'm not crazy about touristy stuff, or really much of the historical sites that my boyfriend wants to go to, but i'll compromise, i'm sure he doesn't want to see alot of my stuff!...i want to get a good idea of the REAL culture without traveling too far from the major cities and spending too much on transport...
i want to go to specifically london...edinburgh, paris, the isle of man...and any other places in the uk, france, germany (auschwitz?)...any ideas?
and any suggestions on places to go camping?
thanks!!!

[WillTravel]

Paris is a must with your art interests. There are some war and resistance and deportation places to visit as well.

London has lots of art, and lots to cater to war interests too.

Berlin is also very good for art and obviously war. You can see even more war and royalty places if you take a 1-hour trip to Potsdam.

Auschwitz is in Poland, and usually done as a daytrip from Krakow.

If you are staying in major cities, I doubt camping will save much if anything. You'll be far enough away that you have to use more expensive transport. Look for cheap hostels.

How long is your trip? The places your boyfriend wants to go to may cost extra expense (like some in Northern France), so that has to be considered too.

[Kamilla]

Hi Robyn!
As i understood you are going to visit London as well! Good choice! I can share some tips with you.
First of all, for cheap accommodation make use of youth hostels. Best Hostel is HI at Kings Cross, pay anything under 24 pounds and you will be staying in a dump!
Secondly, if you are a vegan, go to Tai buffet - all you can eat for a fiver (5GBP) & totally vegan. Great way of getting a cheap nourishing meal, packed full of fresh veggies, tofu & some seitan based dishes.
The places to visit you should choose by yourself. There are a lot of sights of interest. The only thing I can suggest is buying Travel card and finding one of the bus routes that goes past all the attractions. It's the least expensive ways of seeing the sights of London, especially if you are short with time.

Hope these tips are useful,
Cheers,
Kamilla
The Savvy Traveler Quiz Master