Stare At The Sun

Well, I've heard a lot about it, staying in hostels, roving the country side, etc. But my question is, has anyone ever done it, and is it as easy as it sounds? Whats it like, how is europe? I've barely left Ohio in my life, and i know there is a whole world out there...I'd love to see more of it soon, and I think this might be the best way to do it. So to summarize my rambling, can you still backpack in europe, and sleep in hostels and such. Also, bad points of europe compared to america, and good points.

Thanks for any info.

(Countries i really wanna know about, germany, greece, italy,spain)

Schwan

I did this in August, for a whole month - been in Spain and Italy, among others. Even though I spent most of my time driving in my car, I slept on campings and on road side parkings. There are thousands of campigns anywhere - it's a very popular way to spend holidays in Europe. You will find a camping in every bigger town in the EU countries - especially Spain and Italy. The prices vary. We travelled in a car and there was four of us - the cheapest we payed was 12E per day in inland France, while Spain cost around 25-30E (though these were very nice campigns right next to the beach). We also slept on roadside parkings - there's one every 20 km or so. They're a bit messy, and there's no toilets or showers, and it's illegal really, but we never got bothered by the Police and scenery was strikingly beautiful. Keep in mind that until you're not setting up a tent on the roadside, you're save. Heck, in Italy we were invited for breakfast by people who worked near the place we slept (it was a parking lot). It's also worth noting that setting up tent in Spain in places other then campings is legal, just not next to highways and larger roads. Italy offers many forests and places where you won't be hassled by anybody, especially north, in the Alps. I haven't seen any small, cheap hotels ANYWHERE, though it was something I counted on. Shoddy roadside hotels cost around 60-80E for a two person room, so that was expensive. Also, there's a hotel chain called Formula 1 (I think it's part of the Accor Hotel group) in Germany and France (possibly in other countries, though I can't say for sure). These are fully automated, so you don't deal with clerks or anyone like that, and their cheap - 30E regardless of what kind of room you take (1,2 or 3 person rooms are available). If you've got more questions, fire away. As for EU vs. US, it's much safer in the EU.

dylanmarsh

Your best bet is to fly into Germany rather than London. London is too pricey and most of the bars close at 10pm due to some ridiculous law held over from WWII.

If you fly into Frankfurt, there is a train station there that can take you anywhere you want. I love Amsterdam and Brussells, and those two are only about a half day away from central Germany. I would skip France unless you like to be insulted and feel like a complete moron because you can't speak Frog.

Prague is beautiful and is one of the few cities in Europe that wasn't devasted by the Nazi's. Poland can be boring, but if you go that far east, you might as well go to Russia.

Paris gets old real quick. Brussells is the poor-man's Paris but has a good night life and people that will speak English to you. Amsterdam is on the top of my list; pot, Van Gogh, and hot dutch girls. London sucks. Dublin is cool but that will eat up your budget getting there; although, I've heard there is a ferry that goes from Northern France to there. Germany is very cool and the people are really friendly but don't tend to understand sarcasm. I've never been to Italy but I've also heard good things; just don't bring your special lady friend unless, of course, you want to lose her to Luigi.

Hostels, a train pass, and a couple credit cards are a must. A good backpack that will support your back is a good idea. Hotels, car rentals, and the Red Light Districts will devour your money. Carry minimal cash and make sure to make a photocopy of your passport before leaving; you'll be in a world of hurt if you lose you passport.

Hope this helps.

dailyjo2003

You owe it to yourself to go. Get off the normal tourist paths and see some local culture. You will meet plenty of people so travel with a few friends or go by yourself. Give youself at least 3 weeks or longer. Depends on your personality as to what countries you will like. I liked Italy the best. Go!!

vector_1979

Bars shut at 11pm!! Some bars shut later. Depends which part you are in. Convent Gardens and SOHO have some really cool bars to chill out in.

Although I do agree it can get quite expensive. Depending on the exchange rate. I personally love London. Its great. It blends history and modern buildings. Lots of things to see and do.

Goto the Zoo and see David Blaine sitting in a box at Tower Bridge! Tate Modern Art gallery - got some weird stuff going on in there. The Millenium Eye - very new tourist attraction. Can see the whole of London from up there. Got the typical palace and old buildings to see.

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dimbulb

I've gone "Backpacking" twice in Europe now, once in Switzerland, and once through Scandanavia.

I've gone the hostel/train route, and I find this to be rather economical. Granted the places i've travelled to have astronomical costs of living. Try 10 bucks for a Big Mac Meal in Zurich......

Trains are a GREAT way to travel in Europe. The trains actually come on time (to the minute) , don't really break down, have different classes, so you can get sleepers on overnight journeys. If you're travelling across countries a lot, you might want to consider a rail pass. This gives you unlimited rail travel for over regions ( Europe, Scandanavia, whichever you choose), and you pay a little stipend if you want to upgrade your class.

Hostels are clean, safe and very comfortable. It seems that down comforters seems to be pretty much standard in hostels. Most hostels have 1 or 2 single beds in each room, sometimes with a tap/sink, and bathrooms are normally shared. Sometimes, breakfasts of cereal, bread etc are also available.

I find Lonely Planet to be INDISPENSIBLE for selecting hostels and cheap hotels. Their reviews and the rates listed are normally spot on. Don't backpack without your trusty copy of the Lonely Planet.

People are very friendly, especially in the hostels, and remember to ask your host for any reccomendations regarding sights and eats in the locality.

Get an ISIC card,
http://www.isic.org/
this gives you student discounts on just about everything, museums, rail travel, hostels etc.

You might also want to check out
http://www.iyhf.org/home_gb.html
Being a Hostelling International member lets you stay at their well-run hostels, and gives you a discount too.....

With regards to food, and cheap food, check out the local supermarkets. There will normally be a deli section or whatever. This really saved me a ton of money when i travelled through switzerland and Scandanavia.

Most people speak English, or understand English, so it wasn't much of a problem language wise, well, at least in Scandanavia n Switzerland. My friends who have travelled to Greece, Spain, Italy, Germany, etc haven't had much trouble either.

In America, i normally go the priceline/roadtrip method if i travel, mainly due to your abysmal rail system and overdependence on cars.

dimbulb

Yes, did i mention that rail is probably the best way to travel?
It was quite strange taking the train into Zurich on a Sunday, and seeing the Swiss in their ski gear, boots, skis, snowboards and all on the trains, going to the ski resorts by train.

Cars are typically a very bad way to travel in Europe, particularly if you are travelling to the cities... Parking, and TERRIBLE traffic is reason enough.

With regards to sights, I HIGHLY recommend going to Norway. The fjords are incredible. Its so beautiful, that you kind of get used to it after a while, and after you get back to civilisation, you go "darn.... , i miss that... " . Prettier than the Alps, and the fjords and the surrounding hills are very hikable.

Glacier hiking, and seeing all that blue ice, and being ON the blue ice itself was pretty unforgettable. Not to mention the midnight sun. (ok, i didnt get far north enough to get into the Artic Circle, but i had sunsets at 3am...heh.... )

The problem with European cities is that it tends to be rather dead by 5pm. EVERYTHING except for the bars close after 5, so you end up with the sun setting at midnight, and nothing to do for 7 hours......... so wake up early, and see as many sights as you can, before everything closes.....

almostaugust

Great information everyone. I cant wait to get out there.

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jerseyboy

Rail passes arent always the best way to go, it really depends on how many rail trips you plan on doing. If you are going to be travelling long distances you can actually save money by using one of the many low cost airlines like Easy Jet or Ryan Air. Rail cards also dont get you onto every train, sometimes you have to pay extra for certain trains like the Eurostar.

splck

I HIGHLY recommend people do a backpacking trip around Europe, it will be a trip you'll remember for the rest of your life...

I toured around Europe for almost six months when I was 21. I started in the UK, made my way down to Greece and back up all the way to Finland and back the UK for my flight home. I used two one-month Eurail passes for the bulk of my traveling. My hostle pass made things much cheaper in the Northern countries, but I found it cheaper to share hotel rooms with other travelers while in Italy and Greece. We had a 3 room hotel in downtown Rome with 9 people in it, it cost me about 7 Canadian dollars a day. Whole lot of fun was had there LOL.
One way of saving money was taking a night train (while using Eurail pass) and sleeping on the train. You wake up in a different place, ready for you next adventure.
Look for discount tickets for touristy places, they seem to have deep discounts for young people if you look in the right place.

I had two car rides during my whole trip, once in Liverpool and the other time in Stockholm so I can't speak to the hassles of dealing with cars. I was in Holland last year and it cost me $75 to top up my friends Honda Civic.
I walked across a country in one day LOL. Lichtenstein is a very small place and one of the "things to do" is walk across the country.
My whole trip cost me about $3000 including airfare.


It still amazes me that I was able to live out of my backpack for so long without a care in the world. I'd do it again in a second. The fact that you are even considering doing it is a great plus.
I could go on and on about my trip, but I'll leave it there for now. PM me if you have a question.

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more fire

I live in london, so let me explain british drinking laws.
almost all pubs shut at 11pm sharp, which is fucking annoying but that's the way it is. No shop or off license can legally sell you alchohol after 11 as well. Which means if you want a drink later you have to go either to a club or a bar which has a late license, which lets them serve alchohol until 2am. Although if you want to drink after 11 then be prepaired to pay absolutely extortionate prices.

jerseyboy

More Fire,

Aren't they thinking about letting pubs remain open 24/7? I remember hearing something about that earlier in the year although a lot of places said they really wouldnt consider staying open much past 11.

Spritebox

France owns. I went to France last summer with the intent of travelling across Europe. I ended up staying in France because it owned so much. Best time of my life.

Just learn french. It's not hard. =P

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shrubbery

I'm from Oslo, Norway. If you're coming to Norway, skip Oslo. Most people get really disappointed when they come to the airport here. It isn't like the pictures at all

Go straight to Bergen and the west of Norway. That's where you find the fjords and the beatiful scenery. The north could be interesting if you'd like to see midnight sun.

I went to Svalbard (norwegian island in artica) this summer. God damn cold (freezing temperatures even in summer) but it was worth it. Daylight 24/h .. didn't change a bit at any hours. We went hikin in the middle of the night . Great hikes, but you have to rent a gun if you leave town cause of polar bears. But that's really cheap.. about 10$ for a day. Msg me if you want to know more about Norway and Svalbard!

dimbulb

wished I checked here before going on my trip. Oslo was terrrriby boring. Ditto on Bergen. It's supposed to be very cloudy and foggy in Bergen though. In my 3 days there, there was like 2 hours of sunshine, which was when i managed to get my 'postcard' perfect pictures.

For a quick 1 day look at the fjords, you can try the "Norway in a nutshell" . Its a triangular circuit, from Bergen, to Flam. You get to take mountain trains( the FlamsBana), take a bus ride down a curvy mountain road, take 2 ferries through the Sognefjord, which is one of the bigger, if not the bigger fjord, and the one most tourists see when they go to norway,and basically have the 'fjord' experience,

Shrubbery, I think you're really lucky to be living in Norway. I've read that the northern fjords are narrower and prettier. On my next visit to Norway, I'll probably gun for the Geirangerfjord or the Nordfjord, and whereabouts north of the Artic circle. Might try for glacier hiking on the Jostalbreen too.

http://www.fjordnorway.com

If I ever get married, Norway will be one of the places i'll honeymoon. Hmmm, or I might check out New Zealand... heard both countries have very similar geographies....mmmmm........

Rowan

I got back about two weeks ago from a month long trip to Europe. I went to Paris, Coppenhagen, Prague, Amsterdam, all over Germany, Ireland, and Belgium.

We used the Eurorail where we could and stayed in hostels most of the time. All the hostels were pretty clean and affordable.

Night trains are the best for long distances, saves alot of time to see more instead of traveling.

We used a Rick Steve's Europe thru the back door and was able to see alot of things that weren't just tourist traps.

My two favs were Brugge (near Brussels) and Prague.

tontoom

It is great here in Europe. I live in Denmark. Have been travelling in Norway, Sweden and Finland. They are great countries with beautiful nature. Denmark is ok. But only because of the people liveing there and the little mermaid.

Have a nice trip.

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amonkie

I was lucky enough to be visiting close friends of my family when I was traveling around this summer, so I haven't really had to deal with finding places to sleep. One thing that we did to cut cost that I think was mentioned was hit the local delis and groceries. My friends are Vietnamese, so I definitely have a VERY different experience of Paris than I would have if I went strictly as a tourist.

Trains are a must!!! If you can navigate the trains in Paris, you'll survive anywhere!

If you're planning to travel to Italy, one trip you've gotta take is a drive along the Eastern coastline. There's about a nine hour stretch from Milan to some of the major cities further south, and I could have sworn I was in the Carribean with the deep blue green that I was seeing in the water.

As someone else said, Passports and copies are a must!!! ESPECIALLY in France, I found.

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waxeater

I spent 3 years working and traveling around Europe and the UK and I'd almost say that 70% of the tourists there were Seppo 'Backpackers' (More like Mum and Dad's spoilt little Gap year students) who just tended to hang around each other in bars and clubs being obnoxious.
This is probably being unfair to all of you who are true travellers, but it's always the bad things you remember isn't it?!?
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, be responsible and respect the culture and customs of the place your in. Talk to the locals, spend more than a few days in the smaller places outside the big citys. Sure, go to Barcelona/Prague/Munich/Brussles/Amsterdam etc, enjoy the nightlife, but remember why your there, not to drink with other Seppo's, but to experience other cultures and maybe take some of it away with you. It can change your life, or be a huge drunken waste of money. Your choice.

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irateplatypus

i agree w/you waxeater for my part, but you have no idea why UnlikedOne wants to travel or what he considers to be fun/worthwhile.

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waxeater

All I'm trying to say is that if you want to experience the world, you have to immerse yourself in the culture that your visiting. Push bigotry and racism aside and accept your surroundings while your on the road. Geting hooked up in a mob of one-eyed, europassed, contikifiled "Backpackers" just seems a compleate waste of a potentially awsome experience.
Not to say that joing the mob wouldn't be fun, as I have been there too, but my greatest memories are of those times when I felt compleatly alone in a foriegn country only to find dearest friends and the most beautiful things in unlikely places.
Enjoy it all, but remember why your there.

UTRA

Responding to the comment above about Prague, it is the best place to go in Europe. I highly recommend it to everyone. If you want to save money and get the most out of your experience, that is the place to go.

waxeater

Parage is over priced, over-rated and full of Seppos. Go to Bratislava in Slovakia instead. No 50 Euro Visa required. Food and beer is just as cheap if not cheaper, there is as much if not more to see than Prague and there are NO TOURISTS!!
BEAUTIFUL!!!!

n1ck31

Hmm waxeater i hope i dont end up like those seppo's you mention... im doing the whole backpacking/hostel/eurorail thing this summer with 3 good friends... we definetely want to party, but we are very interested in the culuture and history of europe.

Questions for everyone;
What kind of rail pass should we look for?
How many places can really be visited in roughly 3 weeks of time? we look to spend no more than 4k... hopefully closer to 3k... how long can we stay on this amount of money? The 4 of us are obviously willing to share rooms etc and want to maximize the amount of money spent on culutre and minimize the amount spent on accomadations and travel.

We are thinking of visiting paris, normandy, the south of france, germany (berlin at least... we're not sure how much of each city/countryside we want to see... we need guidance), switzerland, prague and amsterdam. I realize that in 3 weeks all this might not be possible. Which spots are the best?

n1ck31

Oh and i dont think i mentioned we are americans in the northeast, will probably be flying in to paris on american airlines... i can use frequent flyer miles from a relative to lighten the load on the tickets

Tempboy

I went a few years ago..
In three weeks, I went to places in England, France, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Italy.

But I know some people that could spend three weeks in one city. It just depends on what you want to see. If you're in Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and the Arche de Triomphe (sp?), you can do it in a couple days. If you're there for the whole Paris experience, like nightlife, restaurants, etc. etc, you could easily spend a few weeks there, and still have more to see.

floydthebarber

If you're young, do the backpacking. You'll never regret it.

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