Itinerary - I Leave in 3 Days!!!!!

[nels999]

Fly into Nuremburg on 22nd of Sept... staying with a friend who's been living over there for about a year, he's my free guide for Germany.

*1 or 2 days - Oktoberfest
*3 days for Nuremburg and a good hike somewhere nearby
*28th = train to Berlin for a day
*29th fly to Dublin for 3 nights
*Oct. 2nd fly back to Berlin (plane leaves at 5 a.m.)
*Spend 2 to 3 days in Berlin (LOOKING FOR ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO TO MAXIMIZE VISIT HERE)
*Train to Copenhagen - 4 full days in Denmark (spend it all in Copenhagen??? How about some good daytrips or other cities?)
* Oct. 9th Train to Amsterdamn 3-4 days
*Oct. 13 or 14 train to Belgium (Brugge) 2 days
*Train to Paris (3-4 days)

Here's where things are a little up in the air....

Want to head to Nice or somewhere close for 2 - 3 days. Would like to include a wine tour... Is this the right area or should I hit somewhere else in france before nice to fulfill this goal?

After nice was originally planning on some time in Italy, but decided it would be to rushed so I'll have to hit it another trip : )

So my next destination is Greece. Prolly 1 or maybe 2 days in Athens and then to Corfu (unless you've got a better suggestion) for 5 days or so. Originally considered a ferry to Greece, but am leaning towards a flight mainly for time issues.

After Greece it's back to Germany to my buddies for a day then Prague and maybe Cesky Krumlov if there is time.

I fly out from Nuremburg on Nov. 2nd.

I have a Eurorail Youth Select Pass = 10 days in 2 months 4 countries (Germany, Denmark, Benelux, and France).

Keep in mind that this is my first time over there and I will be traveling with a female companion (also a first timer). She's really into nature as am I to an extent. Both want to see museums, art, the obvious must sees, and at 26 and 21 we both like our fair share of partying.

I realize this is posted pretty late in the game, but I am a supreme procrastinator.... I appreciate any and all feedback both before my departure and while I'm over there (I plan on using this as a resource as I go).

Thanks in advance!!!!!!

[herrbert]

Don't spend all the time you have in Denmark in Copenhagen. Two days are enough. The boat trips are pretty cheap and good fun for about an hour, and it will save you a long walk to the little mermaid (the most overrated tourist site in the world!), as they all pass, this little statue. There is a free English booklet that will give you information about the events in the current month (I'm sorry but I've forgotten the name), you can get it at the Tourist Information.

Off course it depends on your interest what is good for a daytrip:

There is a good train-connection to Malmö in Sweden, that might be good for a daytrip. The ride will take just over 45 minutes from Copenhagen Central Station (Kobenhavn H) to Malmö Central Station. And will take you across the Oresund-bridge/tunnel.

Roskilde Cathedral (the place where the Kings and Queens of Denmark are burried, is a worth a visit. And if you decide to go to Roskilde the Viking Museum is also worth a visit.

If you like modern art you can visit the Arken museum, just outside Copenhagen.

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Berlin has a lot to offer, so without knowing you interests it's hard to tell what you should and shouldn't do.

In my opinion the Pergamon-Museum is a must if you are in Berlin, at least if you are interested in the ancient Greek and Middle East (Babylon) civilizations. It also has a collection of Muslim-art. (be aware

If you like a gig in a good atmosphere than take a look if there is something you like at the Kesselhaus (sometimes called Machinen-haus), this is an indoor venue in an old brewery, and it is surrounded by bars, and other smaller stages. I really liked it.

For the rest I think it is best to get on the Metro, and go to the places you like.

For France or Italy I am not a big help.

Happy travellin'

[pointofnoreturn]

One of my best friends goes to Corfu for her holidays and she loves it there but it can be pricey sometimes.

You're travelling in October so I can guess it's a good time to travel but ferries might be scheduled at a slower pace. Have you considered other Greek islands? I've heard rave reviews about Santorini and I'm going to go there for my trip.

[madamtrashheap]

nels999, welcome to the boards.

to add to what the others have suggested, you mentioned wanting to do a wine tour in the Nice region. This is possible, but you should know that the Provence region is known mainly for Rose, rather than the chunkier varieties (Burgundy, Bordeaux, etc). If you do decide to do a tour, check with the Tourist Information at the Train Station when you arrive. Perhaps consider returning to France on another visit and specifically focus on say a tour of the Loire Valley, Bordeaux region, or Burgundy. The Champagne region is not far from Paris, you could always do a day trip there.

Have a look at a few other posts about Nice (particularly in Tips & Hints and Country & City sections). Things around Nice to experience include Monaco (day trip), St Paul de Vence (gorgeous medieval village - great for day trip), Chigall Musuem in Nice (if you're into his art, def worth a visit).

Berlin - where to start?!!! Herrbert's suggestions are great (Kesselhaus is excellent for live gigs, just check out what's on the night you want to go). Big JA to the Pergamon Museum too, in fact the Museum Insel (Museum Island) area is worth sifting through to work out which ones interest you the most. If it is your first time, you should visit the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Museum, if for nothing else but to help you understand what the Wall was about. I lived in Berlin (west) before the Wall came down and am still marvelling at the changes that are taking place, but Checkpoint Charlie is a good intro for people who haven't visited the city before. Other places to consider are: climb the Fernsehturm (TV tower) in Alexanderplatz, look for bullet holes in the back of the Reichstag (Parliament) if you can still get around there (then work out why they are there), stroll through the Tiergarten, walk through KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westerns - department store), take a tour with a guided walking tour company to see more of the city (good for a few hours first thing in the morning) as their guides are pretty good and they cover a lot of the city, visit the Jewish Museum in Schoeneburg (I think, Lindenstrasse), and the new Memorial near the Brandenburg Gate, go inside the little blue church next to the KaiserWilhelm Gedaechtnis Kirche (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church) on Ku'damm, find a cheap restaurant/cafe in Prenzlauerberg or hang out with the "hip" in Mitte (and buy the T-shirt - you'll see what I mean), eat a Berliner (jam-filled doughnut!). And that's just a start!

You'll love Oktoberfest, just remember that the Hofbrauhaus isn't the only beer hall. For a truly Bavarian experience, try the Paulaner beer hall, usually opposite Lowenbrau or Hofbrau, depending on who bid for which site this year. The beer halls get very crowded from about 11am onwards (they open at 10 on weekdays, 9 on weekends from memory).

Amsterdam(age) - apart from the obvious stuff, have a look at the Houseboat Musuem. I'm a big fan of the Van Gogh Museum - don't let the 10am long line scare you, it moves fast. Anne Frankhuis is definitely worth waiting in line for. Also, for a touch of the local scene, wander through the Jordaan area (west of Damrak/Central area).

Brugge - beautiful city, great to wander through; you could also take a day trip to Ypres for WWI battlefields

Paris - ummm, where to start (again!); the main museums (invest in a Musuems & Monuments Card for 2 days if you plan to see a lot of them); other treats include the Musee du Vin (wine museum) - good for education and lunch of wine, bread and cheese - fab!; Musee Rodin (Rodin's Musuem) and gardens; Eglise du Dome (Napoleon's tomb) and Musee de l'Armee (Military Museum); cheap lunch (set menu) at a cafe up in Montmartre near the Sacre Coeur; dance at the club (disco) Batofar - a red boat on the Seine near the Library (daytime it's a cool hangout too).

Dublin - Trinity College & the Book of Kells; Guinness Storehouse (original brewery); Kilmainham Gaol if you feeli like a bit of history, eat at Oliver St John Gogharty's in Temple Bar for great food and good diddly-dee pub music; take a hop-on hop-off bus tour for a good way to get around and sightsee.

Greece - definitely take a day or so to see Athens. I know I've called it the armpit of th earth, but I also think it's worth exploring as it's an interesting city. Most of Greece starts to close down at the end of September so you'll be catching the end of most islands down there. Corfu is fun, and seems to hang on the longest, but as posted elsewhere on this site, Santorini and Mykonos are popular islands too. You could ferry from Italy to Corfu, then fly Corfu to Athens if you wanted to combine the two (cost and time). Overnight ferry from Brindisi (for eg) takes around 9 hours-ish. Otehrwise, give the Cyclades islands some consideration, they won't be too busy but still warm, although a mean wind picks up around now (Autumn).

That should get you started - or at least provide fodder for conversation on the flight over! Happy travels and keep us posted with your trip. ;D

[herrbert]

Just to follow up:

The museum-insel in Berlin is indeed a good place, but when I was there In February of this year, they where doing a lot of work there, and that means that 2 museums where closed for a long time. I think they are still closed, but you can check every easy, when you are there.

I forgot Amsterdam: The van Goghmuseum is indeed a very good museum, it gives a very good chronologic exposition of the work, and live of Vincent van Gogh, and all the signs are in Dutch and English.

If you can find it, there is a very small restaurant near Leidseplein (Leidsekruisstraat 24), that is called 'Kop van Jut', it's small but they have a good menu.

Have a good trip ...

[pointofnoreturn]

Looking forward to hearing from you as you're in Europe (hopefully) because it'd be great to get updates from you every now and then!

[commie]

i always read about "i go and visit (insert some place here)", but i can hardly find any pics about your trips. could you please come back and upload your pictures here after youre back home? thanks

[WillTravel]

Commie, you are welcome to view my pictures here. I never get around to labelling them or anything, so you'll just have to make do. There are pics from the point I started using digital, but I'm not a skilled photographer with any camera:
tinyurl.com/jc4xs