OT-Traveling in Europe

[steger_3434]

I just showed my wife this thread and she was blown away with the amount of information. Thanks a lot guys!! She did have a question. She was wondering about staying in Hostels. Are they save and worth the savings in Europe or is it better just to get a hotel? What would you do with your luggage if you were in a hostel? I, personally, don't want to stay in one. Mostly that is due to it just being weird and a horror movie based off of it, but maybe they're ok?

Also, St. Nick, Joanna, Dutchman, etc: I'll keep in touch with you guys about this as the time gets closer. Thanks a lot.

ps: St. Nick, Wright still sucks!!

[drew881]

I actually went to the town in the Czech Republic (movie set in Slovakia) where Hostel was shot (Chesky Krumlov). It is amazing if you get the chance to go in the summer.

As far as hostels, they can be great, or very bad. Just find one that is relatively new (many nice ones have websites where you can see the rooms and book online) and you can even get your own room that will still be cheaper than a hotel room. If you get your own room, then that solves the luggage issue. Otherwise, some hostels have lockers if you are in a common room. The only thing a hostel won't have usually is its own bathroom, so you will have to share that. On the other end of the spectrum there are hostels that literally have twenty bunkbeds in a room, which is a bit crazy. I don't really mind this, but if you are with your wife in europe, this isn't really the way to go.

[St.Nick]

I actually went to the town in the Czech Republic (movie set in Slovakia) where Hostel was shot (Chesky Krumlov). It is amazing if you get the chance to go in the summer.

As far as hostels, they can be great, or very bad. Just find one that is relatively new (many nice ones have websites where you can see the rooms and book online) and you can even get your own room that will still be cheaper than a hotel room. If you get your own room, then that solves the luggage issue. Otherwise, some hostels have lockers if you are in a common room. The only thing a hostel won't have usually is its own bathroom, so you will have to share that. On the other end of the spectrum there are hostels that literally have twenty bunkbeds in a room, which is a bit crazy. I don't really mind this, but if you are with your wife in europe, this isn't really the way to go.

Thats right. Cesky Krumlov is one of the most visually beautiful towns I've ever seen. (Take a look at some photos):

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=cesky+krumlov&s=int

When my buddy and I went there we rented a canoe and hopped on the river that flows through the city. It takes you out to a forest, where there is nothing there except once every 30-45 minutes or so you reach a little outdoor beer bar/bbq restaurant, often with live music and lots of locals having a good time. It was a great trip. Our little room right on the river cost about $18 a person. We had roast duck for dinner for $6 a person, washed down with $1 beers. Thats hard to beat.

What is interesting is that this movie "Hostel" is supposed to be set in Slovakia, but they filmed it in Czech Republic, used Czech actors who were speaking Russian, and they played Russian and Czech music. There was nothing Slovak about it, just a potshot at the image of the country. Needless to say, the Slovaks weren't so happy about this depiction.

Staying in hostels is thrifty, but it is not so comfy usually. Like Drew said, you can get 20 beds in a room, dirty bathrooms, people waking you up late at night or early in the morning, and so on. If you really hunt around online, you can find a nice hostel that is small and comfy, but good luck getting an open bed there in high season. It will be PACKED.

I believe that pensions/small apartments are the way to go in Europe. You stay in a real neighborhood (not just in the touristy areas with the hotels or the dangerous areas where the hostels are), its cheaper, and if you are on a budget then you can cook your own food (or if you make nice, sometimes the owner will cook for you at the pension!). Take a look around http://www.craigslist.org for private places to rent. I'm sure there are lots of other sites advertising this, as well.

[drew881]

Yeah. Good point about the apartments. We did this in Berlin and Croatia (both through companies as opposed to private people, but I don't think there is a big difference). The deals were decent. Hotel prices or cheaper, and you get your own place, so if you like to cook, have some coffee, etc it is a decent deal. Some places charge ridiculous cleaning fees, which is lame, and other times you will have to negotiate a way to pick up a key (no check-in desk like a hostel or hoteL). In addition to Craigslist, google the town name+apartment vacation rentals or some combination of that. Some companies own a group of apartments and rent them out.

[Lietuva]

If you are really interested in seeing Auschwitz you can easily get to the viscinity from Paris by air. From Paris Beauvais to Katowice with WizzAir or from Paris Orly to Krakow with Transavia. Beauvais is about 1 hour 20 minutes from Paris, but buses leave frequently to and from the city center and are reasonably priced (I believe I paid about 13 euros each way). Beauvais tends to have the ultra cheap flights. Orly is much closer to the city center, Transavia is a great airline, I've flown with them many times but my instinct is that you will likely pay a bit more for this flight.

Auschwitz is midway between Katowice and Krakow. If you want to take a guided tour make your way from Krakow. Katowice is nothing special and does not have a big tourist industry, it would be more of an adventure to get to Auschwitz from Katowice, but it is certainly possible. However, Krakow is a fantastic city and if you're going all the way to Poland and will be in the area spend at least a day there before making your way back. Eight days will pass quite quickly, you can get a taste for a few locations or see one or two in depth. It really depends on your preferences.