Backpacking Europe

[sdubfid]

I was in europe/bermuda for 4 weeks in june. Air transat flight return to canada was ~$600 all in. Check redflagdeals. Flew in to paris and out of portugal. Pre-booked all the hostels/trains/planes online before I went. Bag weighed 16lbs and was carry on everywhere. Stayed at a couple campgrounds for $10 a night with live band/bar/restauraunt/shuttle service. Went to france, italy, spain, portugal then bermuda.

I had 2 theft issues but they were my own fault and alcohol was involved. Had my phone stolen twice but got it back both times luckily.

[falcon]

yeah I flew Air Trans, it was suuuper cheap. Like under $700 round trip.

Looking for more flights now cause I'm thinking of going to France for a bit. Nothing so far though...

[kungpow]

The 70L bag is only $8 more. Is there any point of getting that or is it way too big? I may want to use the backpack again for longer trips in the future (eg. 2-4weeks).

MEC Brio 60 Backpack $75
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Packs/...-626/mec-brio-
60-backpack.jsp

MEC Brio 70 Backpack $83
MEC Brio 70 Backpack - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

[TOS'd]

Of all the Europe threads this one had the most replies thus far.

For those who have travelled around Europe, what are some must see cities/towns in France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark?

And has anyone bought/used a Euro rail pass in the last couple of years? How was your experience with it?

EDIT: travel dates in June/July

[bcedhk]

Switzerland = Interlaken, zurich
Germany = Berlin
Netherlands = Zaandam (windmills)
Denmark=Copenhagen, Christiania

[falcon]

France, Nice
Spain, San Sebastien (Highly Recommend), Barcelona, Seville
Switzerland, Interlaken, Bern,
Germany, Heidelberg, Berlin, Munich
Netherlands, The obvious Amsterdam
Belgium, Brussels, Ghent, Brugges
Denmark, Copenhangen

Eurail is OK if you are travelling withing a smaller area. I think I spent too much time on trains on the long trips. I suggest budget airlines (if booked in advance) for the longer trips and just paying the train cost for the short one. A lot of regions have discounted fares. For example the "bayern ticket" good for the whole state of Bayern in Germany for up to 5 people for a day (21EUR total) and works on Ubahn, Sbahn. Just not the high speeds.

Make sure you get a bag that fits in Ryan Air and Easy Jets' max bag size for carry on if you fly. If you have to check baggage what was a good deal becomes really really expensive.

[Hondaracer]

In France Id recommend the whole south of France, whether you stick to standard nice, cannes, Monaco or hit up the smaller towns. I absolutely loved the south of France, it's a completely different vibe than paris etc. Totally laid back people just enjoying life.

Switzerland, interlaken and the surrounding mountains are amazing, absolutely amazing. From Interlaken you can go to both the surrounding peaks which are the Schilthorn and the Jungfrau. The schiltorn was the scene for the James Bond movie in her majesty's secret service.

I'd 100% recommend going there if your considering switzerland. Bern also cool but it's quite a bit more "sprawling" and there isn't really a concentration of stuff in the core. Also literally nothing is open on Sunday's, like -nothing- so try to make sunday a travel day or so
Thing. I will post pictures from Interlaken etx when I'm home.

For the euro rail, keep in mind that France is excluded from the euro rail pass.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Download an app call citymapper.
Also, since you are going to Europe where it is known for high thief I would get a bag with more security (recommend by a fellow RS on another thread).Venturesafe™ 65L

Pacsafe - Venturesafe 65L GII anti-theft travel pack

Seems expensive but it does have a lot of security features. I got the smaller daypack for my trip to china.

[pastarocket]

I recommend that you travel to Eastern Europe because countries like Croatia, Czech Republic, and Hungary are more affordable in terms of accommodation, food, and drink compared to Western Europe.

Cities: Czech Republic: Prague. Beautiful architecture, friendly people,
and easy walks around town.

Food: Czech pilsner beer is great!

Croatia: Go to the Plitvice Lakes National Park. Pay the admission to hike through the sixteen lakes within this park. Some of the most beautiful scenery that I've ever seen. Wildlife such as rainbow trout, and ducks are in the different coloured lakes (green, blue, and grey water because of the calcium deposits). Moderate difficulty of hiking. -took me and friends about two hours to hike through the park. Note: Some flooding occurred in parts of the park area, so bring sandals to avoid getting your socks wet on the hiking trail. The admission (10 Euros) includes a boat ride on the lake.

The coastal cities of Splitt and Dubrovnik are beautiful too. -good sightseeing areas include the Roman emperor Constantine's palace.

Note: Croatian girls are HOT! You should see some hotties working at the emperor Constantine's palace exhibit as well as the nearby souvenir shpos.

Transportation: Although train travel is affordable in Eastern Europe, you gotta watch your backpack and other belongings at all time. Especially the laptop.

My buddies and I got frisked by some Czech hotties who were blocking the entrance of our train compartment as we were waiting at a train station. I strongly suggest wearing a money belt in Europe. No valuables, wallets in your shorts or pants pockets. One of my friends had his wallet stolen. Fortunately, the thief was "nice" enough to only take his Euros and put his wallet into a recycling bin inside the train compartment.

The train stations in Eastern Europe are not the only dangerous areas. The trains can be dangerous because of the shady passengers. If you are taking a overnight train, make sure you lock the sliding door of your train seating area. There was this one time where my buddies and I were sleeping in a train trip to Budapest, Hungary from Prague. Some German speaking kids started opening the sliding door to our sleeping area to take our backpacks. Fortunately, I was resting with one eye squinting so I woke up and scared the guys by yelling in English while wearing sunglasses and not shaving for two days.

I recommend the Eastern European cities despite the dangers of travelling by train. -just be aware of the people in your surroundings and always, always wear a money belt.

As for Western Europe, Vienna is a good place for backpacking too because it has reliable transportation like streetcars and fast trains. There are many sight seeing areas like the Habsburg royal palaces and downtown Vienna.

If you get lost like I did, the police in Vienna are very helpful in giving you directions in English.

Vienna must see attractions: Schweizerhaus. This beer garden has some of the best beer in the city. The Budweiser Budvar (not the crap Bud we have here, but the premium lager) is one of their best beers. The beer garden also serves really good wiener schnitzel.

Habsburg royal palaces: The main palace and the smaller winter palace offer guided tours in English. You get a good view of how the emperors lived in their palaces back in the day. Unfortunately, people are not allowed to take pictures inside the palaces.

[blkgsr]

Bayonne/Biaritz on the south west coast of France in the Basque country was great....then head down to San Sebastian for a bit too

[Hondaracer]

Bern in the first picture then the rest are interlaken and the surrounding area, both peaks as well as some of the towns such as Lauterbrunen

IMG_4856-2 by Insomnesia, on Flickr

IMG_4765-2 by Insomnesia, on Flickr

IMG_4756-2 by Insomnesia, on Flickr

IMG_4710-3 by Insomnesia, on Flickr

IMG_4504-2 by Insomnesia, on Flickr

IMG_4465-4 by Insomnesia, on Flickr

[NAM-nam]

I'M going to europe soon, what bag volume should i get to fit ryan air adn easy jet carry on?

also how come you use eurail insead of goeuro?
it seems goeuro is cheaper

[rslater]

Berlin in my opionion if I only had 10 days would be my first choice to spend the bulk of time there. You have so much to do during the day, with an incredible night life, so much rewarding history to learn about and a really all around fulfilling experience!

[JesseBlue]

Have you ever heard of czech street?

[iEatClams]

I posted this in another thread but it doesn't seem to get as much traffic, was wondering what people's experiences were with AirBnB in Europe?

[bcedhk]

Originally Posted by iEatClams

I posted this in another thread but it doesn't seem to get as much traffic, was wondering what people's experiences were with AirBnB in Europe?

I been on a few in popular european cities and had no issues. Just do some reading on reviews, take a look at the location and then go with your own judgement.

[Hondaracer]

Originally Posted by iEatClams

I posted this in another thread but it doesn't seem to get as much traffic, was wondering what people's experiences were with AirBnB in Europe?

Used it for 4 different cities, all excellent experiances.

[Liquid_o2]

Germany I would recommend Berlin/Potsdam and Dresden. Berlin you need at least 3-4 days minimum because there is so much to see and do. A week would be ideal. Dresden has a ton of great history, but you only need two days max there, especially if you aren't into museums which it has a lot of.

Munich was pretty good as well, BMW Museum was really cool, and the Olympic Park is right next door. Great beer gardens obviously, at all times of year, not just during Oktoberfest. Also from Munich, you can easily take a train and do a daytrip to Salzburg.

[falcon]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

For the euro rail, keep in mind that France is excluded from the euro rail pass.

Incorrect. Unless it's changed in a few years. It's only the TGV (Highspeed) that's no included. All regular trains are. I traveled through France on my eurail pass.

[falcon]

Originally Posted by NAM-nam

I'M going to europe soon, what bag volume should i get to fit ryan air adn easy jet carry on?

also how come you use eurail insead of goeuro?
it seems goeuro is cheaper

My Osprey Waypoint 85 is RIGHT on the limit. If you strap it up nice it gets through. But for example American Airlines didn't let it through a few weeks ago on my way back from Miami (mind you this was just one woman, I just went to a different security gate and it was no problem). I really like that bag BTW... check it out. Get something that fits well even if it costs a bit more. You'll be happy you did. I was able to pack all my stuff, extra shoes, laptop and whatever else I had in that bag with no problem and it was only about 45lbs. (lightweight clothing). The second backpack is removable so you can use the main as your carry on, and the backpack as the "personal item".

Osprey Women's Waypoint 85 Lichen M | eBay

I know it says womens, but it's not. It's a unisex bag. Atmosphere is where I bought it. Osprey is the shit.

[falcon]

If you are in Munich, take the time to go to the outskirts. I really liked Kempten. I lived in Oberstdorf for a while... quite nice if you get there around Christmas. Touristy town with good skiing and cheap lift tickets/rentals if you want to go shred for a day or two. There is a hostel in the outskirts of town that is very nice (Jungenherberge) or something like that. I stayed there for a few weeks while looking for work and an apartment.

[TOS'd]

France is included in the eurorail pass, just spoke to a train agency during the travel expo last week.

For France, Spain, and Italy, there is a mandatory reservation fee for the highspeed trains though.

Germany does not have a mandatory fee but it is recommended.

These fees are in addition to having a euro pass. If buying a single ticket, the fee will be built in to the price already.



Lots of info here, haven't had a chance to read everything yet. I'm starting to get a clearer picture of my trip, questions to follow.

[TOS'd]

For those that have bought a euro rail pass, how do the reservations work on high speed trains? Sometimes the cost of the reservation is literally the same price as buying a single ticket. Is this normal?

[asahai69]

i can only speak about germany as i spent a bit of time traveling there. Berlin and Munich are obvious must go's. Both really cool cities. In my opinion Berlin was better. Frankfurt is a bore. Cologne/Dusseldorf/Dortmund area is also awesome. Dont forget Stuttgart. Did the Porsche and Benz factory and museum tours. Total must see for car freaks..

[matrixfwd]

Yes if only 10 days you should just stick to one country otherwise you will be rushing from one place to another. Keep in mind your travel time between cities on the train that you would lose. And the time you need to lose flying from here to there and back again.

Last year I was in Germany for less than 2 weeks, and visited 3 cities there. The castles in Germany are also a must see. Also in Munich you can go to the Dacau Interment camp memorial.

Check out Rick Steeve's Europe books at the library for some good tips.