Would love some advice on a trip.

[COYOTE JLR]

Hey there folks. I'm planning on heading over to Europe this summer with a couple of friends. I've already purchased tickets in to Frankfurt, Germany for June 14th since I found a great deal on them. From there, I'm planning on heading up to Northern Germany for a couple of days, to visit family there, before heading South to France for a couple of days and then Italy and eventually Spain. Planning on only spending a couple days in France before heading to Italy.

What I'm looking for is some advice on places to see and visit or things to avoid. I'll be quite honest, at this point in time, I really don't know much about Spain or Italy at all, but I'm planning on fixing that before I get over there. I'm hoping that some more learned and experience brothers can chime in, because I'd love to hear some first hand experiences.

Now, we've got to keep in mind that the two people I'm traveling with are both, petite, attractive, young ladies freshly graduated from college and they've not done much of any traveling outside of the states before. I feel a strong sense of responsibility for their safety and would much prefer to try and stay away from sketchy places.

We're looking at being over there for about 3 weeks and our rough itinerary is:

Frankfurt, Germany
Lubeck, Germany
Carcassonne, France
Naples, Italy (Visit Pompei and Capri)
Rome, Italy
Cinque Terre, Italy
Florence, Italy
Barcelona, Spain
Madrid, Spain

Probably only going to spend 2-3 days in any one spot, but there's a lot that we're wanting to see and there's not much set in stone. Do you folks see anything that would be best to avoid or is there anything that you think we should most definitely consider adding?

Thanks brothers!

Jacob

 

[Fox]

I lived in Germany for a couple of years in the early 70s. I enjoyed the heck out of it. I would seriously consider adding Munich in Germany and Venice in Italy. Your Spanish choices sound great. I never cared for France much, but did enjoy the eastern part of the country near the German and Belgian borders. Paris sucked. Belgium and the Netherlands were a blast.

Consider Greece if there is any way you can work it in to your schedule. Part of the European experience is deciding whether you want a historical perspective or one of culture. That choice can affect where you want to travel.

Are you traveling mostly by rail? Eurail passes used to be the shiznit.

Regarding safety, just watch six, especially where the young ladies are concerned. I suspect the European Lotharios will be your biggest concern. . .:hysterica

 

[dpricenator]

Stay away from the town in that movie Hostel...just sayin


and uh, what about Amsterdam?

 

[njstone]

So much to say, I'll keep it brief for now.

First off, congrats! This trip will be epic. Mentally prepare to be tired and that some days you might not feel like doing anything ... it'll be your call of course to take a day to relax or to press on.

Two things I'll say right off by your itinerary:

1) Italy:
Rome is HUGE and AWESOME, you'll probably want at least 4 days there, more if you like to just stroll around and enjoy stuff rather than blitzkrieg and "see everything" (my first time in Rome we spent 4 days and felt like we just scratched the surface).

Naples is the butt-hole of Italy ... okay, the port/shore is pretty and the site at Pompeii is awesome, a must-see for sure. But for the city itself, I'd suggest you hit the awesome museum in town and pretty much skip the rest. Naples is still run by the Mafia, and it feels like it. Garbage everywhere, eerie stuff going on, it was just weird. We actually did Naples and Pompeii all in one long day as a day-trip from Rome (that was pretty tiring, but it can be done). Maybe the touristy areas of Naples are better, I don't know

Florence and the Cinque Terra are both are well worth the trip. We did Florence in a day, and spent several in the Cinque Terra relaxing (we chose Cornelia, beautiful and quiet). You can even do Piza in a few hours on your way to the Cinque Terra if you want to see the tower (which is cool).

BTW, the trains in Italy are cheap but can be frustrating. Sometimes they're late, sometimes they don't come, sometimes they are so packed full that it's hilarious. Nobody seems to care when you say things like "There was supposed to be a train here at 6pm, it's 6:45!" We actually had one of the ticket-sellers laugh at us one time. Trains in German-speaking countries, however, are outstanding and on-time.

2) In Germany, I highly recommend the Rhine River area not too far from Frankfurt (best white wine in the world) and a river cruise if you can (beautiful river lined with castles on either side). Munich is also very cool, and from there you can take a day-trip to my favorite castle in Europe: Neuschwanstein. We did a guided tour out of Munich (coach bus, etc) which ended up being great, but you can also rent a car if you prefer to take your time. That tour included the bus fare and 3 castle tours for like $100, but that was in 2005. Incredible country down there.

3) I'd love to see Carcassone some day when I go back to Europe, but we did Rotenburg instead in Germany, another walled-city. It was very cool, and might be closer to you/easier to do than Carcassone, I'm not sure. But I love the game Carcassone so it would be fun to go there

 

[aea6574]

For Madrid, I have some cigar shops and a hotel that had a great smoking room last year(but a new law may have stopped that). Also some nice places to eat.

For Frankfurt, I know of a hotel with a very nice smoking lounge.

I will look them up over the next couple of days and post.

Best regards, tony

 

[COYOTE JLR]

I lived in Germany for a couple of years in the early 70s. I enjoyed the heck out of it. I would seriously consider adding Munich in Germany and Venice in Italy. Your Spanish choices sound great. I never cared for France much, but did enjoy the eastern part of the country near the German and Belgian borders. Paris sucked. Belgium and the Netherlands were a blast.

Consider Greece if there is any way you can work it in to your schedule. Part of the European experience is deciding whether you want a historical perspective or one of culture. That choice can affect where you want to travel.

Are you traveling mostly by rail? Eurail passes used to be the shiznit.

Regarding safety, just watch six, especially where the young ladies are concerned. I suspect the European Lotharios will be your biggest concern. . .:hysterica

We have talked a little bit about Munich. One of my friends has a friend in that area. It's all a matter of time and cost. We're all poor. lol.

I think we've more or less ruled out Venice, but it was on the table for a while.

I would LOVE to go back to Belgium. That has been my absolute favorite place to visit. I traveled through Belgium, Northern France, and Germany a few years back. I think my travel partners are more inclined to spend more time in the South, unfortunately. Oh well, it'll just be an excuse to come again.

We thought about Greece, but figured that it probably wasn't going to be the most practical target for this trip. I've actually got other family that will be traveling in Europe during the same stretch and they'll be spending most of their time between Greece and Italy. Hopefully, we'll meet up with them in Rome or Florence.

Yeah, we're planning on doing almost all of our travel by rail. We can get a group traveler discount so we'll be saving a lot of money that way.

Stay away from the town in that movie Hostel...just sayin


and uh, what about Amsterdam?

Ha ha ha! Good advice.

As for Amsterdam... We're not much for the partying scene.

So much to say, I'll keep it brief for now.

First off, congrats! This trip will be epic. Mentally prepare to be tired and that some days you might not feel like doing anything ... it'll be your call of course to take a day to relax or to press on.

Two things I'll say right off by your itinerary:

1) Italy:
Rome is HUGE and AWESOME, you'll probably want at least 4 days there, more if you like to just stroll around and enjoy stuff rather than blitzkrieg and "see everything" (my first time in Rome we spent 4 days and felt like we just scratched the surface).

Naples is the butt-hole of Italy ... okay, the port/shore is pretty and the site at Pompeii is awesome, a must-see for sure. But for the city itself, I'd suggest you hit the awesome museum in town and pretty much skip the rest. Naples is still run by the Mafia, and it feels like it. Garbage everywhere, eerie stuff going on, it was just weird. We actually did Naples and Pompeii all in one long day as a day-trip from Rome (that was pretty tiring, but it can be done). Maybe the touristy areas of Naples are better, I don't know

Florence and the Cinque Terra are both are well worth the trip. We did Florence in a day, and spent several in the Cinque Terra relaxing (we chose Cornelia, beautiful and quiet). You can even do Piza in a few hours on your way to the Cinque Terra if you want to see the tower (which is cool).

BTW, the trains in Italy are cheap but can be frustrating. Sometimes they're late, sometimes they don't come, sometimes they are so packed full that it's hilarious. Nobody seems to care when you say things like "There was supposed to be a train here at 6pm, it's 6:45!" We actually had one of the ticket-sellers laugh at us one time. Trains in German-speaking countries, however, are outstanding and on-time.

2) In Germany, I highly recommend the Rhine River area not too far from Frankfurt (best white wine in the world) and a river cruise if you can (beautiful river lined with castles on either side). Munich is also very cool, and from there you can take a day-trip to my favorite castle in Europe: Neuschwanstein. We did a guided tour out of Munich (coach bus, etc) which ended up being great, but you can also rent a car if you prefer to take your time. That tour included the bus fare and 3 castle tours for like $100, but that was in 2005. Incredible country down there.

3) I'd love to see Carcassone some day when I go back to Europe, but we did Rotenburg instead in Germany, another walled-city. It was very cool, and might be closer to you/easier to do than Carcassone, I'm not sure. But I love the game Carcassone so it would be fun to go there

Thanks dude. I've been really debating on how long to stay in Rome. I know at least three days... I'm torn. It's all a matter of time and cost I'm afraid. I've also been told that I should consider seeing Aquileia. Do you know anything about that? The couple people I've spoken to have said that in their mind, it was as fun as Rome, but less crowded.

I keep hearing this about Naples... I don't have any drive to go there other than the fact taht I want to see Pompei and Mt Vesuvius. Maybe we'll scratch it all together or only spend a day there... maybe spend more time at the Cinque Terre. Ha ha ha. So many things to consider.

Thank you for the insight on the trains. That's good to know, because every place I've been so far, the trains run with amazing precision. It'll be good to be prepared for this.

Yeah, one of the things we're wanting to do while in Frankfurt is hit the Rhine. Still trying to figure out if we could do a cruise type of deal like you said you got down in Munich. Haven't found much info yet, but I haven't looked into that particular aspect too hard. That does sound like an excellent deal in Munich. I'll have to talk to the girls and see if we could find time to get over there.

Carcassonne looks amazing to me and I may have some loose connections with a couple that owns a vineyard about 10 kilometers away. Hoping I can contact them and get the skinny on the region.

For Madrid, I have some cigar shops and a hotel that had a great smoking room last year(but a new law may have stopped that). Also some nice places to eat.

For Frankfurt, I know of a hotel with a very nice smoking lounge.

I will look them up over the next couple of days and post.

Best regards, tony

I would really appreciate that dude. I think the girls may drag me out clubbing a couple of times so I'll make sure to get my kicks in with a nice cigar or ten. ^_^

Just an extra thanks to all of you guys. I really appreciate all the input and advice. When I traveled in Europe last time it was with another guy and I was in territory that I had more connections with so I'm happy with any help I can get

 

[jayro75]

If you're looking to avoid sketchy places and keep the girls safe I'd skip Naples. I do business in Italy and that's the advice my Italian colleagues have always given me.Rome and Florence are both great cities with lots to see and do. My advice in Italy is to try and get restaurant recommendations from locals. There's quite a difference between the way they eat and what you will typically find at the tourist traps your hotel will recommend.

 

[Thegreekone]

What, no Greece? :disappoin

Dude, if you are there in LATE July or early August, I will be too. Island life is pretty special. Just sayin..... :yes:

 

[COYOTE JLR]

If you're looking to avoid sketchy places and keep the girls safe I'd skip Naples. I do business in Italy and that's the advice my Italian colleagues have always given me.Rome and Florence are both great cities with lots to see and do. My advice in Italy is to try and get restaurant recommendations from locals. There's quite a difference between the way they eat and what you will typically find at the tourist traps your hotel will recommend.

Thanks for the advice man. I'm pretty sure I'm going to try and talk the girls out of Naples entirely at this point. There are plenty of things for us to see and do over there.

What, no Greece? :disappoin

Dude, if you are there in LATE July or early August, I will be too. Island life is pretty special. Just sayin..... :yes:

I'd like to man, but cost wise.... Gotta keep in mind that I'm a poor college student paying for schooling out of pocket and that I'm doing great if I make $700 in a month. lol. I can only afford so much time away from work and can only hit so many places. Hopefully I'll start getting more money in, but as it is now, I'm super cheap with everything except for my guns and my cigars. :cbig:

I can't deny that it'd be freaking awesome to meet a brother over there for a herf.

 

[ChazHollywood]

The wife and I did a week in Florence with a couple friends back a few years ago. Awesome food and wine and all sorts of things to walk around and see. Jayro is spot-on regarding restaurants. We even had real good luck with random places we wandered into off the main tourist stretches.

The Uffizi gallery is a big draw over there. I'm not a huge Italian Renaissance fan, but if that's your thing, check it out. Don't get ripped off buying tickets off sketchy internet sites, just go to the gallery and buy advance tickets for the next day.

Seriously consider seeing David, and if you end up in Pisa make sure you climb the tower. Those are the two things I didn't want to do that I'm *really* glad to have gotten talked into.

As for Amsterdam, there's plenty to check out even if you don't smoke or party.

-Charles