Europe Trip Help

BCRockies

Good afternoon!

My sister and I am planning a trip to Europe in September and we're both making lists of places we would like to go. We're going to Greece (2 weeks), Italy (2 weeks), Switzerland (1/2 week), and France (1/2 week).

I was wondering if anyone knew about some 'must-sees' in these countries or some websites that would help me coming up with a good list. Open to suggestions but as this is a first trip for both of us to these countries, I'm unsure about what we should see and what isn't that big of deal.

We will be backpacking it so easily accessible by foot or transit attractions would be great.

Thanks ladies

catemeg

That sounds amazing!  I'm glad you get to do that with your sister.

I've done a lot of backpacking and traveling in general through Europe, though most of those countries are still on my "to see" list.  If you have any general questions about how to pack for such a long trip, general travel advice, I'm happy to help (PM me).

The one place I've been is France - my best piece of advice is eat lots of food and drink lots of wine!  The stuff they sell at the grocery stores and corner bakeries are incredible.  Cheese....yummmm!

oceana919

France is awesome. Be sure to spend some time:

a) Strolling around Le Louvre. Don't attempt to try and see the entire museum, because you won't be able to. Sit down, look at the various sections, and pick 3-4 you really want to see, and take your time seeing them. When I was there, we went through the antiquities (Eygpt and Middle East), sculpture, and some of the classical painting (including the Mona Lisa).

b) Spend an afternoon people watching in Montemart. Go check out the Sacre Couer (which I think is pretty than the Notre Dame), have a bowl of French onion soup and a bottle of wine at a little sidewalk cafe, and people watch. I did some my best eating, shopping, and relaxing in Montemart.

c) Be sure to go down to the Eiffel Tower one night and watch it sparkle. It's absolutely gorgeous at night.

d) Eat lots and lots of bread. Seriously.

e) Learn the bare basics of the language. I learned basic greetings, commands and how to ask a few basic things in French before I left. Vendors I talked to figured out right away I was American, but they were so much more helpful because they realized I was at least making the effort to try and follow their culture.

catemeg

I totally agree with Oceana - knowing at least a few phrases in each language seriously helps win people over.  French people were super nice, and I think a lot of it was simply because I didn't just assume they spoke English - I tried my darndest until they realized I was inept and switched to English for me. 

Ana_2985

It really depends what you're interested in.  Do you like cities?  Small towns?  Are you interested in art/museums?  Do you like architecture?

Switzerland is amazing.  I'm probably not much help because I had a car and I imagine if you're backpacking you'll be using the train.  I don't know where the train goes and if these places are going to be easily accessible to you, but I recommend visiting the Bernese Oberland.  In particular, Interlaken, Grindelwald, and Murren.  These are popular areas so you should be able to get there.

For Italy, I preferred Northern and Central Italy.  The scenery is beautiful and I loved the cities there.  You should take a day to see Venice (easy by train).  I also liked Torino very much and it would be easy to go from here to Switzerland and France.

You should definitely go to Cinque Terre.  It's a trail that goes along the coast and passes through 5 towns in Italy.  It's really beautiful and you can complete it in one day or take some time and spend a night or town in the towns along the way.

In France, there is a cool little town called Eze.  It's just a really neat place to visit.  It's on the coast and it's built up on a hillside.  Cars can't fit up the streets so it's a nice place to walk around.  It's also very close to Monaco and Nice so you could see those places as well.

As far as books or websites go, I had a Lonely Planet book for Switzerland that I found was really helpful.

yellowroseFRA

Hi there, I live in Germany and have been using Lonely Planets for trip planning forever, and love them - they have maps, and their hotels recs are affordable, clean and usually pretty cute. Since you'll be going by train and walking, this will probably dictate your route to some degree - Greece, for example, doesn't have alot of train routes and the ones they do have are very slow, so you'll probably want to fly through athens to one of the islands, then either fly or take a ferry to Italy. I love Greece, and would recommend spending at least two days in Athens and at least three days on the island of your choice. Athens is big, modern and eclectic, with fascinating street life and incredible museums, but to feel the picture-postcard Greece, go to Santorini or maybe Mykonos - they're both easily reachable by ferry and gorgeous. The Hotel Kalimera in Akrotiri, Santorini is the most atmospheric and beautiful hotel I've ever stayed in and it's about 40 a room!

In Switzerland, I'd recommend seeing both the countryside and the cities, too - Bern is traditional and relaxed, Zurich is a great museum destination and is the heart of German-speaking Switzerland and Geneva is elegant, very French and has an amazing view over a beautiful lake to the Alps. If you are getting a rail pass, try riding the Glacier Express libe between St. Moritz and Zermatt - both are cute mountain towns, and the scenery between the two is heartstopping. Zermatt is also car-free and the jumpoff point for visiting the Matterhorn.

As far as France goes, I second what everyone said about speaking French. My boyfriend and I had a wonderful experience there, and I found the people to be especially polite - maybe more than here in Germany! But I speak French, and since BF is Russian, we speak German with each other, and honestly, I think this may affect people's attitudes. In Paris, go on an open boat ride! They are only 8 euro, and are such a romantic way to see the city. Plus, you can take the best pictures of Notre Dame and the Eiffel tower from the water. We had a really nice and cheap ( by Paris standards, but it is a pricey city) hotel in the Latin Quarter called Hotel de l'Esperance - they have a website, and for 80 euro you get a very decent but small double close to the Metro and in a pretty neighborhood.

Sorry if this was more info than you wanted, but I love to travel and hope you have a great experience too! PS - consider Germany : ) For castles and half-timbered cuteness, it has no equal, and actually, your train will likely pass through it at some point anyway.

desertsun

You MUST go to Florence and spend time in the Uffizi if you have any interest whatsoever in Renaissance art. But, in addition, I highly recommend spending a night or two in Fiesole, a little town in the hills above the Arno river. It's a short ride on the #7 Bus. Charming place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, plus cool Roman ruins!

Kroliczku

Hey!!! Thats great that you and your sister are taking such a nice trip!! My BF and I go to Europe for one month each summer. Last year we were in Italy, so tomorrow when I'm not super exhausted....I can write you some must-sees from our trip that we really enjoyed (we were only there for one week....with two weeks you'll be able to cover MUCH more!). We're also spending a week in Greece this summer, so I'll give you some of the things on our list that we're excited about   

I'm wicked exhausted tonight..but...I'll be back with some good info for you tomorrow  

lodonnell616

Sounds like a fantastic trip--Europe is normally quite nice in September, so good choice.

Paris is a MUST, thought with 1/2 week I'd suggest staying only in Paris as there is so much to see!

In Switzerland, I'd suggest the Jungfraujochbahn.  Its a train that goes up a mountain, can be a bit pricey but the view is supposed to be phenomenal.

I've been to Athens and some of the Cyclades--I highly recommend getting the ferries out to them and just chilling on the beach, and of course enjoying some lovely greek food.

Also, DITTO on the Lonely Planet guides.  I usually use them for picking restaurants in places that I'm not familiar with, and have never been dissapointed.

If you're looking to stay on the cheap, you should sign up for couchsurfring.org!

One more thing--must give a plug for Germany, I know its not on your list but Oktoberfest in Munich is actually in September and it is something you MUST do in your lifetime.

BCRockies

OMG ~ you guys just made my night! I'm actually stuck in the Vancouver airport until 8:30 am (currently 2:00 am) awaiting my next flight to get home and was worried I wouldn't have anything to do. I think I may be searching on the lonely planet website for the next few hours!

And thanks for the input on the language barriers. The plus side is that in Canada, French is mandatory from grades 1-9 or 10. Albeit it's 'Quebec' French but phrases are similar. I'll have to remember to look up some basic Greek, Italian and German.

We were thinking about stopping in Germany before Athens as the flight is a bit cheaper but I think it may have just been a quick layover. I will pass the idea to my sister about staying a couple of days We always celebrated Oktoberfest in Ontario (city was founded by German descendents) but it would awesome to celebrate in Germany!

And I apologize if my post seems 'over excited' ~ I'm wired on coffee to keep me awake right now

aperitisa

Oh Oh! I can help with the Greece stuff.  My family has two homes there and I have spent 13 summers there.  Feel free to PM me with ANY questions you  have. 

Obviously you need to spend a couple days in Athens.  I really don't recommend much more than 4.  See the acropolis and the Parthenon. There are a couple great museums around that area.  Also, walk through the plaka on the way down from the acropolis.  I would recommend taking a day trip to Olympia or Delphi if you have the time and resources.  Both are AMAZING.  I definitely recommend you visit the islands (but I'm a bit biased because we are from the islands.) Satonrini is gorgeous and extremely tourist friendly.  It can be really hoping.  Rhodes is fascinating!  There is the old fort that you can tour.  If you can, take a donkey ride up to Lindos and enjoy beautiful ruins and views.  Boat rides around the island are also a great way to spend the day. 

Ok, that is the short Greek info post :-)  Really, feel free to ask away!

kplusmequalslove

Aix de Province is a great little town that is young and hip!  In Paris, if you want a cool touristy spot have some kir (white wine and creme de cassis) at le closerie des lilacs.  It's amazing!  In Germany if you have any interest in cars you can go to Stuttgart to see the Porche factory.  In Italy, if you're in Venice, skip the gondola ride.  It's overpriced and you can get a great dinner for how much you'd end up spending.  Try to make it to the Amalfi Coast.  It's beautiful!  Have fun and bon voyage!

catemeg

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_europe-trip?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:7698dfa0-3fca-49e9-801f-4e65171253bfPost:456c5dc0-947a-4a6c-8884-090cafff2c3f">Re: Europe Trip Help</a>:
[QUOTE]Aix de Province is a great little town that is young and hip!  In Paris, if you want a cool touristy spot have some kir (white wine and creme de cassis) at le closerie des lilacs.  It's amazing!  In Germany if you have any interest in cars you can go to Stuttgart to see the Porche factory.  In Italy, if you're in Venice, skip the gondola ride.  It's overpriced and you can get a great dinner for how much you'd end up spending.  Try to make it to the Amalfi Coast.  It's beautiful!  Have fun and bon voyage!
Posted by kplusmequalslove[/QUOTE]

When I was in Paris, I was told to order "Kir Royal" which meant sparkling white - try the "Kir Royal Pesch" - it's peach flavored champagne!  I could drink that allllll day!

Also, I'll be in Paris this fall.  If you're much of a wine lover, there are daily trains to Reims and Epernay, the Champagne region.  You can do a day trip to sample wines from some of the world's most reknowned wineries, including Moet & Chandon, Perrier Joulet, etc.  We plan on renting bikes and riding between the vineyards, then getting a bottle and some cheese and going and having our own little picnic!

Acrosthec

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_europe-trip?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:7698dfa0-3fca-49e9-801f-4e65171253bfPost:e551c630-3210-419d-9116-c77e74faa567">Re: Europe Trip Help</a>:
[QUOTE]Oh Oh! I can help with the Greece stuff.  My family has two homes there and I have spent 13 summers there.  Feel free to PM me with ANY questions you  have.  Obviously you need to spend a couple days in Athens.  I really don't recommend much more than 4.  See the acropolis and the Parthenon. There are a couple great museums around that area.  Also, walk through the plaka on the way down from the acropolis.  I would recommend taking a day trip to Olympia or Delphi if you have the time and resources.  Both are AMAZING.  I definitely recommend you visit the islands (but I'm a bit biased because we are from the islands.) Satonrini is gorgeous and extremely tourist friendly.  It can be really hoping.  Rhodes is fascinating!  There is the old fort that you can tour.  If you can, take a donkey ride up to Lindos and enjoy beautiful ruins and views.  Boat rides around the island are also a great way to spend the day.  Ok, that is the short Greek info post :-)  Really, feel free to ask away!
Posted by aperitisa[/QUOTE]

I second all of this.  Greece is my favorite.

I also really enjoyed Crete if you're going to get to tour the islands, and we spend a few days just relaxing on Corfu.  Mykonos and Delos are also interesting.  I was tired of Athens after 2 days.  Once you see the Acropolis and the Parthenon and their associated museums, and walk through the Plaka, there's really very little I found that was worth doing.  I did get tear-gassed when I tried to see Syntagma square, so keep it in mind that protests are held there and be prepared to avoid that area (get a map...I didn't even know I was near there until it was too late).  Also, we stayed at a hotel on Omonia square...NOT the best place to be at night unless you're looking for drugs, or at least it wasn't in 2006.  Things may have changed since.

Have fun!

notquiteblushing

This thread makes me jealous. I've only every been to London which doesn't really count as Europe.  It was okay.  I am dying to see the Amalfi Coast though, go there!

Ana_2985

I second the suggestion to do the Jungfraujochbahn, visit Fiesole, and drink peach champagne (in Venice it's called a Bellini, but you can get it bottled all over Italy).

I hope you like wine because at most restaurants you can order a liter of the house wine and it's cheaper than soda and water.  Maybe not water.

And Lemon Soda/Limonada con soda!  It's just carbonated lemonade, but I love that stuff.  I smuggle it back with me when I leave the country. 

If you go to Rome to visit the Colosseum and the Forum, go to the Forum first.  You can get a double ticket there so you don't have to wait in line again at the Colosseum where the line is always ridiculous.

Vanessa&Tony

I'll be in Europe this September too! We're going to hit up Oktoberfest! Have you thought about going?

BCRockies

Thanks for the great ideas! My page of things to do has now evolved into a few pages! It's going to be hard to pick and choose. This is getting me so excited.

That peach champagne sounds amazing! I'm most exicted for the food and wine.

Acro ~ thanks for the tip on the maps. I added it to our list of things we need.

Cate ~ winery tours is a great idea! I'm going to PM you.