ironman
Hey guys,
Well after 27 years, i decided that i need to travel maybe like 6 - 7 days to Europe,
The Last 3 days would be in Germany (as my main goal is watching a tournament there --- Yes i know that's silly but i want to)
I have some questions if possible,
Any advice on what to do during those first 3 days (not necessarily in Germany)?
Maybe Belgium, Amsterdam, Berlin ?
No idea, since i never traveled.
And about the Schengen, is the German embassy hard to reach?
Sorry for the long post, but i am kind of lost due to the visa requirements, costs, and none of my friends is able to travel atm, that's why i am a bit hesitated.
Thank you for your help.
TheStunMan
Since you are traveling alone and for the first time, i suggest to book a trip, change it to Japan and i'm willing to join.
Salloum
Belgium is nice but pretty boring if you're traveling for the first time. I suggest Amsterdam or Berlin, both amazing places, especially Amsterdam if you like what's there.
xazbrat
Amsterdam is nice--lots to do. If you want more scenic stuff and try other things, try going to Munich and its surroundings. Bavaria is stunning and lots of outside stuff to do and get to see an area of Germany that wasn't too affected by WW2.
And Belgium is known for 3 things: Chocolates, beer, and according to Top Gear, the most roadways per capita in Europe. And there is the famous peeing fountain too.
Totoro
Berlin for the amazing nightlife
Amsterdam to chill and blaze it
Bavaria for the scenery the culture and the beer
Prague if you want your eyes to witness one of the most beautiful cities in the world
Cologne if you can attend any Gaming conferences/events if that's what you're into.
Go to Brussels and type ISIS into you're phone several times you'll probably end up being on the Interpol wanted list lol.
Tip: Most Germans dislike Arabs because once they look at us they think we're Turkish, and Turks there have a bad reputation. Also, there's a pretty strong Lebanese presence there (Mainly related to Mafia etc...)
I would go for Cologne if there are any gaming related events, Berlin for the nightlife.
Joe
My favorite places in Europe
- I would avoid Brussels now because of the recent terrorism happening there. Not that it's dangerous in any sort, but you'll see the army everywhere and checkpoints and shit. It's annoying. Outside the capital, Belgium is pretty chill right now. If you like beer I strongly recommend visiting the breweries there. Belgian beer is famous all across the world, and for good reasons.
- Amsterdam is a beautiful city. Yes, it's legal to smoke weed and go to prostitutes there, but the city has so much more to offer. It's one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It's full of canals, bridges, some of the most amazing parks you can see and one of the best party scenes you'll ever come across.
- Prague is gorgeous. Seriously beautiful. I could just walk around the city for days and not get enough.
- I like southern cities. Florence, Rome and Naples in Italy. Sevilla in Spain. The Greek Islands. The South of France. Everything around the Mediterranean is gorgeous and sunny and great. Southern Europe is generally cheaper to go around than Northern Europe
- If you get a chance to go to Portugal don't miss it.
Extra tips
- My favorite way to go around is by train. It's usually cheaper, faster and more comfortable than the plane. If train is a bit expensive for your budget, consider bus rides. They're less comfortable and slower, but usually dirt cheap and you can take a ride overnight to save on hotel bills
- Don't sleep at hotels. Look for hostels. They'll usually have a lot of travelers in their 20s looking to make friends and socialize. Hostels are more fun and cheaper than hotels. If you want to treat yourself to luxury, better rent an apartment on AirBnB than go to the hotel.
- In Southern cities expect nobody to speak English, except people who work in the tourism industry. In Northern cities (in Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, the nordics Denmark, Sweden, Finland) English is much much more prevalent.
- Nordic countries are super expensive.
rolf
ironman wroteHey guys,
Well after 27 years, i decided that i need to travel maybe like 6 - 7 days to Europe,
The Last 3 days would be in Germany (as my main goal is watching a tournament there --- Yes i know that's silly but i want to)
Thats not silly that's all what it's about. You will find many people doing that and if it's silly then you will find many others being silly too.
You can pick the destination you feel like seeing. When you pick one, I recommend looking for things to do online, or asking people who went there so that you can fully take advantage of your time there. On the other hand, you could just chill and just randomly visit the place and get a vibe for it.
For the budget, same thing. You can get an idea of costs online. You don't need to go for hotels and expensive options, you can rent airbnbs or hostels and eat cheap if you want. But do factor in a good additional budget so that you don't need to worry.
Also for the tickets, accomodation, these things are cheaper bought online and in advance. I could list some werbsites here, but let me know if you want me to.
Elied
I'm actually travelling to Europe at the end of next month, just waiting to get the visa accepted. I'm going along with a friend and plan to go 5 days to Paris then 3 days to Brussels (We have an old friend there that we're going to visit). Other than the obvious stuff like the Eiffel tower, Montmartre, Champ Elysée what places do you guys recommend checking out. We don't mind going to neighbouring countries for something as long as it is worth the hassle. Also do you suggest we book our tickets online or through an agency ? A lot of people have been reporting having their credit card information stolen from flight booking sights(even the official ones like MEA or AirFrance websites). Any input is highly appreciated.
NuclearVision
Credit cards stolen? People exagerate, besides companies such as mea etc use credit processors, they don't just take your number and order and employee to suck money out of it. You'll find your self a good deal online.
As for the trip, visit france you won't regret it, you'll have a wide variety of monuments to visit and maybe forget about the tournament,
if you like nature however belgium/germany is a must.
Use the metro it's not cheap but it's cheaper.
Food shouldn't be a problem just take care for the restaurants you choose, you don't wanna spend a fortune on food, that's not the purpose.
Try not to sleep in big cities like paris for instance, if you don't have to, it'll be expensive.
Find hotels online, you'll find yourself pretty good deals.
Don't travel alone it's ugly, confusing, and boring.
Have fun, you'll remember the trip forever.
Elied
We've already found a great place on Airbnb with a pretty good price inside of Paris. Well even credit processors are prone to being compromised. It is true that the prices are somewhat cheaper online but is cheap enough to risk it ? We haven't found a deal that would save more than 30$ and honestly we're tempted to go with the agency (Although this is only for the flights and not the entire trip).
tech-guru
Paris , is my sweet stop when I always Travel to Europe:
1-Disney Land Europe
2-Park Asterix
3-Champs-Élysées
4-Saint Micheal
4-Montmartre
5-Galeries Lafayette
6-La Défense
7-Montparnasse (Dinning in the Top Floor is Superb)
8- Eiffel Tower
Switzerland is another Sweet Spot (Geneva)
Die_Kapitan
Hamburg is a great city to visit, especially if you visit the Reeperbahn or the district of St Pauli in general, even better if you like football, the atmosphere in the Millerntor is fantastic. There's also Valencia but since it's in Spain you'll have a hard communicating unless you speak Spanish as English isn't that widely spoken in Spain. Prague is also worth the visit, and so is Gdańsk, both have pretty great historical sites, and in the case of the latter it's pretty cool to visit the city that started WWII.
rolf
Elied wroteAlso do you suggest we book our tickets online or through an agency ? A lot of people have been reporting having their credit card information stolen from flight booking sights(even the official ones like MEA or AirFrance websites).
Online as I previously said, of course.
I use my credit card. If you're worried use an internet-only prepaid card. You can use your regular card in person.
An important point about credit cards: have some backup cash or a backup plan in case you loose it! Also check conversion rates and withdrawal fees with your bank when leaving that is another reason why converting cash before leaving can save you trouble. I used to go to Burj Hammoud to exchange it there.
But not too much cash, it can also be lost, or stolen.
rolf
ironman wrote
Any advice on what to do during those first 3 days (not necessarily in Germany)?
Maybe Belgium, Amsterdam, Berlin ?
If you're in Germany, you have to check out Berlin.
Don't loose too much time at checkpoint Charlie. Maybe visit the East Side Gallery, stroll at Tempelhof if the weather is nice, have a burger at Burgermeister (warning: there might be a very long queue), spend a night at Kreutzberg or just get drunk somewhere (but stay safe). Berlin is quite a city, and a very green city.
Amsterdam is really nice also. If your'e into the "coffee shops" you'll have your mind blown, but try not to miss the rest of the city.
In Belgium there's Bruges, quite touristy small old city with some canals, if you're into that.
Bruxelles has all these companies skyscraper next to old habitations.
ironman
Thank you guys for your amazing responses, well the problem is that my friends aren't able to join(Financial reasons, family reasons etc) so i will probably be going alone.
My main goal yes is visiting cologne to watch the ESL major (CSGO), but since it's only 3 days long, i said ill take a week off and spend like 4 days somewhere in Europe, and 3 days in cologne,
But i suppose i won't enjoy being alone there, still thinking about it, wish me luck :D
Thanks once again.
Salloum
If you postpone the trip and others will join you then, I suggest you do that, I've traveled alone before and it's fine but having one or more companions will be much more fun for you. If they can't make it anyway, just go man, life is really short and traveling is one of the best experience someone can have.
rolf
ironman wrote
But i suppose i won't enjoy being alone there, still thinking about it, wish me luck
I don't believe that is true. I've done much travel "alone". Don't stay in a hotel, don't behave like you're on a business trip, be sociable, and you will meet others like you.
Being alone has it's advantages. You are more free to meet whoever you want, go wherever you want and it avoids fights. It's a different experience.
In some difficult moments you will wish you had a travel partner, but your travel is short, you should be OK.
Totoro
Best tip if you're travelling alone is Hostels. They're everywhere, cheap, and many people are travelling alone as well.
Salloum
Problem with hostels (in my opinion) is that you usually have to share bathrooms with others on your floor. If this bothers you or not comes down to your personality but to me I could never.
Totoro
Salloum wroteProblem with hostels (in my opinion) is that you usually have to share bathrooms with others on your floor. If this bothers you or not comes down to your personality but to me I could never.
Pooping is human my friend. Unless you're sharing a bathroom in India and the toilet is a hole in the ground and people wipe their butt holes with their left hand+Water. I've seen this and it was pretty disgusting.
Thankfully he's going to Europe and he won't encounter a similar situation at all.