OT: Europe Trip

[ReginaldDwight]

I'm planning on going to Hong Kong and then London and Iceland in November. Not Europe but will have 1 full day in Hong Kong, for those who've gone there, anything other things to go other than Victoria's peak or Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade that I should do.

I'll likely have 4 nights in London and 2 nights in Reykavik. I've been to London when I was younger and other than a soccer match and hitting up the Eye and other touristy stuff, any recommends on that city. My Iceland is pretty open too.

I would book the blue lagoon in Iceland will be crowded and touristy, but if its the end of your trip and your looking to relax its a pretty good half day .

[BUCKnation]

I'm planning on going to Hong Kong and then London and Iceland in November. Not Europe but will have 1 full day in Hong Kong, for those who've gone there, anything other things to go other than Victoria's peak or Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade that I should do.

I'll likely have 4 nights in London and 2 nights in Reykavik. I've been to London when I was younger and other than a soccer match and hitting up the Eye and other touristy stuff, any recommends on that city. My Iceland is pretty open too.

I would book the blue lagoon in Iceland will be crowded and touristy, but if its the end of your trip and your looking to relax its a pretty good half day .

Yeah, I was definitely going to do that. I was also probably going to do a tour around the golden circle.

[ReginaldDwight]

Greeks, which Island or two should I go to time isnt a factor just want to eat good and drink good wine. Crete seems awesome and I have the time to devote to it but I would like to avoid renting a car if possible.

[Nightfall]

Greeks, which Island or two should I go to time isnt a factor just want to eat good and drink good wine. Crete seems awesome and I have the time to devote to it but I would like to avoid renting a car if possible.

Santorini. Beautiful, great restaurants and wines. And since you will be spending most of the time between Fira and Oia you can do it by bus (only 20' distance) : https://ktel-santorini.gr/ktel/index.php/en/services-eng/timetable-summer-eng (in the summer there are night routes a well). A taxi from Fira to Oia is about 15-20 euro max.

They also have many wine, food/wine tastings of excellent quality: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g189433-Activities-Santorini_Cyclades_South_Aegean.html

[ReginaldDwight]

Greeks, which Island or two should I go to time isnt a factor just want to eat good and drink good wine. Crete seems awesome and I have the time to devote to it but I would like to avoid renting a car if possible.

Santorini. Beautiful, great restaurants and wines. And since you will be spending most of the time between Fira and Oia you can do it by bus (only 20' distance) : https://ktel-santorini.gr/ktel/index.php/en/services-eng/timetable-summer-eng (in the summer there are night routes a well). A taxi from Fira to Oia is about 15-20 euro max.

They also have many wine, food/wine tastings of excellent quality: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g189433-Activities-Santorini_Cyclades_South_Aegean.html

Santorini is for sure on the list, but its pretty expensive per night, some of the less popular islands are much cheaper.

[Nightfall]

Greeks, which Island or two should I go to time isnt a factor just want to eat good and drink good wine. Crete seems awesome and I have the time to devote to it but I would like to avoid renting a car if possible.

Santorini. Beautiful, great restaurants and wines. And since you will be spending most of the time between Fira and Oia you can do it by bus (only 20' distance) : https://ktel-santorini.gr/ktel/index.php/en/services-eng/timetable-summer-eng (in the summer there are night routes a well). A taxi from Fira to Oia is about 15-20 euro max.

They also have many wine, food/wine tastings of excellent quality: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g189433-Activities-Santorini_Cyclades_South_Aegean.html

Santorini is for sure on the list, but its pretty expensive per night, some of the less popular islands are much cheaper.

That is true Santorini is expensive all year long.

Transportation
The problem with most islands is the bad public transportation, though in smaller islands taxi is always an option and is way cheaper than USA for example. Also choosing an island with an airport will save you time and trouble, on the bigger ones you might find direct flight from the USA in the summer otherwise via Athens or Salonika.
The islands that have airport are: Chios (JKH), Chania (CHQ), Corfu (CFU), Heraklion (HER), Ikaria (JIK), Kefalonia (EFL), Kos (KGS), Leros (LRS), Lesvos (MJT), Milos (MLO), Mykonos (JMK), Naxos (JNX), Paros (PAS), Rhodes (RHO), Samos (SMI), Santorini (JTR), Skiathos (JSI), Skyros (SKU), Syros (JSY), Zakynthos (ZTH)

I would avoid Mykonos, Paros, Corfu, and Rhodes durign the summer as they will be packed and expensive.

Food:
All of them have great food. Keep in mind to avoid restaurants in the most touristic areas, where the majority are tourists and not locals, and in the menu you can find all greek dishes regardless of season, plus pizzas, burgers ,etc You can trust most reviews from Tripadvisor and Foursquare as they are also widely used from greeks, while Yelp is not.

Wine:
If you are into good wine, Santorini beats the other destinations hands downs. But you can also consider: Kefalonia, Crete (Heraklion), Zakynthos, or most parts from Peloponese.
Interesting readings:
https://www.winerist.com/blog/entry/best-wineries-to-visit-on-the-greek-islands
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/greece/articles/The-top-10-food-and-drink-holidays-in-Greece/

However if you are more into quantity, or enjoy retsina (I don't) then everywhere is nice At 100+ F degrees anything cold qualifies...
If you are into craft beer, the Corfu's 7 island Brewery produces great beer, especially their Citra Blast IPA is world class. Santorini's Donkey Brewer is also very good.

My personal recommendation from the ones I've been, adn based on beauty,sea, food, moderate prices and not overcrowded the first that comes in mind is Milos. And you can also visit Kimolos (15' ferry ride)

Hope some of the info helps.

Cheers,

Alex

[ReginaldDwight]

Santorini. Beautiful, great restaurants and wines. And since you will be spending most of the time between Fira and Oia you can do it by bus (only 20' distance) : https://ktel-santorini.gr/ktel/index.php/en/services-eng/timetable-summer-eng (in the summer there are night routes a well). A taxi from Fira to Oia is about 15-20 euro max.

They also have many wine, food/wine tastings of excellent quality: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g189433-Activities-Santorini_Cyclades_South_Aegean.html

Santorini is for sure on the list, but its pretty expensive per night, some of the less popular islands are much cheaper.

That is true Santorini is expensive all year long.

Transportation
The problem with most islands is the bad public transportation, though in smaller islands taxi is always an option and is way cheaper than USA for example. Also choosing an island with an airport will save you time and trouble, on the bigger ones you might find direct flight from the USA in the summer otherwise via Athens or Salonika.
The islands that have airport are: Chios (JKH), Chania (CHQ), Corfu (CFU), Heraklion (HER), Ikaria (JIK), Kefalonia (EFL), Kos (KGS), Leros (LRS), Lesvos (MJT), Milos (MLO), Mykonos (JMK), Naxos (JNX), Paros (PAS), Rhodes (RHO), Samos (SMI), Santorini (JTR), Skiathos (JSI), Skyros (SKU), Syros (JSY), Zakynthos (ZTH)

I would avoid Mykonos, Paros, Corfu, and Rhodes durign the summer as they will be packed and expensive.

Food:
All of them have great food. Keep in mind to avoid restaurants in the most touristic areas, where the majority are tourists and not locals, and in the menu you can find all greek dishes regardless of season, plus pizzas, burgers ,etc You can trust most reviews from Tripadvisor and Foursquare as they are also widely used from greeks, while Yelp is not.

Wine:
If you are into good wine, Santorini beats the other destinations hands downs. But you can also consider: Kefalonia, Crete (Heraklion), Zakynthos, or most parts from Peloponese.
Interesting readings:
https://www.winerist.com/blog/entry/best-wineries-to-visit-on-the-greek-islands
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/greece/articles/The-top-10-food-and-drink-holidays-in-Greece/

However if you are more into quantity, or enjoy retsina (I don't) then everywhere is nice At 100+ F degrees anything cold qualifies...
If you are into craft beer, the Corfu's 7 island Brewery produces great beer, especially their Citra Blast IPA is world class. Santorini's Donkey Brewer is also very good.

My personal recommendation from the ones I've been, adn based on beauty,sea, food, moderate prices and not overcrowded the first that comes in mind is Milos. And you can also visit Kimolos (15' ferry ride)

Hope some of the info helps.

Cheers,

Alex

Milos looks pretty awesome thanks for all the info.

[Nightfall]

Milos looks pretty awesome thanks for all the info.

If you decide for Milos, check airbnb. it is widely used and you can find some amazing places, very decent priced
F.ex a Windmill : https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18791564 , there are also some direct by the sea.

[jschligs]

Does anyone have any advice on how to get tickets to West Ham United vs Manchester City in London on 4/29? I'm going to be in London from April 27-30 and there are two ways to get tickets. Option A is to get tickets through the UK version of Stubhub, but, they only ship to UK addresses and I have no idea when they'd arrive. Option B is to go through the West Ham United ticketing situation. You have to buy a membership and then make sure you get lucky enough to get tickets. If you do, I have no idea if they will ship them to me here in the US or if they have a will-call type deal like here in America. Is there an Option C?

Man, they do not make it easy to get Premier League tickets...

[Beorn]

Anyone ever been to Gdansk(Poland), Lviv or Kiev(both in Ukraine)? Leaving for an 8-day trip on Saturday

[globeg]

Does anyone have any advice on how to get tickets to West Ham United vs Manchester City in London on 4/29? I'm going to be in London from April 27-30 and there are two ways to get tickets. Option A is to get tickets through the UK version of Stubhub, but, they only ship to UK addresses and I have no idea when they'd arrive. Option B is to go through the West Ham United ticketing situation. You have to buy a membership and then make sure you get lucky enough to get tickets. If you do, I have no idea if they will ship them to me here in the US or if they have a will-call type deal like here in America. Is there an Option C?

Man, they do not make it easy to get Premier League tickets...

It really is annoying, and it's even worse for London-based teams (btw Man City has one of the easiest systems to buy tickets for home games, as membership is free and ticket prices are really good for the entertainment you're getting).

Some agencies (Thomas Cook etc) offer Ticket and Hotel Packages for Premier League teams. You'll end up overpaying for the ticket if you've already booked accommodation and don't want to use the hotel, but at least it's guaranteed. I'm also pretty sure that you'll find people selling their tickets at various WHU forums

[Besiktas]

Anyone ever been to Gdansk(Poland), Lviv or Kiev(both in Ukraine)? Leaving for an 8-day trip on Saturday

Alone?

if you will be alone in these locations especially in ukraine, Not just for sex tourism but lviv, Dnipro, odessa, Kiev beautiful cities for all angle. Your dollars very valuable against grivna and nightclubs will be very cheap in this case. Also so many things are cheap too for example in 2014 me and my friend spent just 550 grivna for 8 beers, 5 cheeseburger and 2 tequila shots one street restaurant in lviv ( approximately $ 25 i guess ) also landmarks and natural texture of city in lviv was awesome. Everthing is gonna be fun for you i'm sure.

My friend had been in gdansk with Erasmus student changing programme for 5 months in university and he said crazy student Erasmus parties all around the city, that's all i know.

you arranged all things for that trip already so wait and see what will happen have a good travel.

[jschligs]

Does anyone have any advice on how to get tickets to West Ham United vs Manchester City in London on 4/29? I'm going to be in London from April 27-30 and there are two ways to get tickets. Option A is to get tickets through the UK version of Stubhub, but, they only ship to UK addresses and I have no idea when they'd arrive. Option B is to go through the West Ham United ticketing situation. You have to buy a membership and then make sure you get lucky enough to get tickets. If you do, I have no idea if they will ship them to me here in the US or if they have a will-call type deal like here in America. Is there an Option C?

Man, they do not make it easy to get Premier League tickets...

It really is annoying, and it's even worse for London-based teams (btw Man City has one of the easiest systems to buy tickets for home games, as membership is free and ticket prices are really good for the entertainment you're getting).

Some agencies (Thomas Cook etc) offer Ticket and Hotel Packages for Premier League teams. You'll end up overpaying for the ticket if you've already booked accommodation and don't want to use the hotel, but at least it's guaranteed. I'm also pretty sure that you'll find people selling their tickets at various WHU forums

I found that Stubhub's mobile site lets you filter for E-Tickets (the desktop website doesn't for whatever reason) so I can buy them through that for about $60 more. I also put out some feelers to my buddies in London and on reddit. We'll see. This is actually a home game for West Ham.

[Beorn]

Anyone ever been to Gdansk(Poland), Lviv or Kiev(both in Ukraine)? Leaving for an 8-day trip on Saturday

Alone?

if you will be alone in these locations especially in ukraine, Not just for sex tourism but lviv, Dnipro, odessa, Kiev beautiful cities for all angle. Your dollars very valuable against grivna and nightclubs will be very cheap in this case. Also so many things are cheap too for example in 2014 me and my friend spent just 550 grivna for 8 beers, 5 cheeseburger and 2 tequila shots one street restaurant in lviv ( approximately $ 25 i guess ) also landmarks and natural texture of city in lviv was awesome. Everthing is gonna be fun for you i'm sure.

My friend had been in gdansk with Erasmus student changing programme for 5 months in university and he said crazy student Erasmus parties all around the city, that's all i know.

you arranged all things for that trip already so wait and see what will happen have a good travel.

I'm Greek, doing my Erasmus in Vilnius and I made a plan with a couple of friends to do a week-long Vilnius->Gdansk-Lviv-Kiev->Vilnius trip using planes, buses and a train. It will be Gdansk 2 days, Lviv 2 days, Kiev 3 days, in total 120€/person for transportation and the airbnbs.
The funny part is that what begun as a trip for 3 now it's a 9-person tour

[Besiktas]

Anyone ever been to Gdansk(Poland), Lviv or Kiev(both in Ukraine)? Leaving for an 8-day trip on Saturday

Alone?

if you will be alone in these locations especially in ukraine, Not just for sex tourism but lviv, Dnipro, odessa, Kiev beautiful cities for all angle. Your dollars very valuable against grivna and nightclubs will be very cheap in this case. Also so many things are cheap too for example in 2014 me and my friend spent just 550 grivna for 8 beers, 5 cheeseburger and 2 tequila shots one street restaurant in lviv ( approximately $ 25 i guess ) also landmarks and natural texture of city in lviv was awesome. Everthing is gonna be fun for you i'm sure.

My friend had been in gdansk with Erasmus student changing programme for 5 months in university and he said crazy student Erasmus parties all around the city, that's all i know.

you arranged all things for that trip already so wait and see what will happen have a good travel.

I'm Greek, doing my Erasmus in Vilnius and I made a plan with a couple of friends to do a week-long Vilnius->Gdansk-Lviv-Kiev->Vilnius trip using planes, buses and a train. It will be Gdansk 2 days, Lviv 2 days, Kiev 3 days, in total 120€/person for transportation and the airbnbs.
The funny part is that what begun as a trip for 3 now it's a 9-person tour

9 ha! Ndmdmdmdmdkdms but i'm sure will be little bit quantitative decrease in your travel group until saturday

But you decided right places to spend some euros man ndmdmdmdmkdk

When you finished Erasmus maybe you should think about interrail for this summer to travel all around the europe if you love train trip

Because Vilnius doesn't meet your expactations at this time as i see?

[Beorn]

Vilnius is great, I highly recommend it! The old town is stunning, and there are forests and lakes everywhere around the city, but I'm going to take advantage of my spring holidays and visit as much of eastern europe as I can. My next trip will be Krakow, and I've planned 2 more, 1 in Stockholm and 1 in Riga-Tallin-Helsinki, time(and money) permitted.

They have paid and I have booked everything, so there's no going back now

[wapith]

I'm going to Europe for work in July. My week-long trip will end in the Dusseldorf area and then I was planning on staying the weekend somewhere before heading home. Any recommendations on where I should go for quick weekend visit? As I mentioned, I will end the work trip in Dusseldorf on Friday, so would prefer to limit my visit to somewhere within 3-4 hours of there (by train preferred). Would also like to be near a somewhat near a major international airport for cost. So I figured my options are Amsterdam, Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Frankfurt and just staying near Dusseldorf/Cologne. Haven't been to any of those cities, but for reference I have been to Prague and Budapest and loved both of those. I am really into craft beer, I like history/architecture and experiencing "authentic local culture", and not really into super touristy things/sites. Appreciate any input. Thanks!

Edit: Also not interested in drug scene or red light district of Amsterdam... still worth going?

[Nightfall]

.....Amsterdam, Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Frankfurt...... I am really into craft beer......

I erased the irrelevant parts. Now just tell me if you prefer lambics, geuze and sours, or if you prefer other styles for my final recommendations and an endless list of places to visit.

Just for the beauty alone though Antwerp and Ghent, win over Brussels , Frankfurt would be better if you visit older towns in the region. Amsterdam offers you great options for art museums.

[LuessiT]

I'm going to Europe for work in July. My week-long trip will end in the Dusseldorf area and then I was planning on staying the weekend somewhere before heading home. Any recommendations on where I should go for quick weekend visit? As I mentioned, I will end the work trip in Dusseldorf on Friday, so would prefer to limit my visit to somewhere within 3-4 hours of there (by train preferred). Would also like to be near a somewhat near a major international airport for cost. So I figured my options are Amsterdam, Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Frankfurt and just staying near Dusseldorf/Cologne. Haven't been to any of those cities, but for reference I have been to Prague and Budapest and loved both of those. I am really into craft beer, I like history/architecture and experiencing "authentic local culture", and not really into super touristy things/sites. Appreciate any input. Thanks!

Edit: Also not interested in drug scene or red light district of Amsterdam... still worth going?

If you prefer a short trip Köln or Bonn could be options. German cities usually don't have that much historical architecture (e.g. as Prag) due to the war. Bonn is somewhat interesting in that direction since it was the capital of West Germany after the war (and thus the history supersedes the war). Not very beautiful otherwise, though. Amsterdam is still worth a trip even if you're not interested in the drug or red light scene. I've neither been to Brügge nor Gent but I've heard that Gent is very beautiful and Brügge is overrated. Frankfurt gives you the easiest connection via flight (though Brügge, Köln and Amsterdam shouldn't present you with an issue whatsoever).

[DutchManDanFan]

I'm going to Europe for work in July. My week-long trip will end in the Dusseldorf area and then I was planning on staying the weekend somewhere before heading home. Any recommendations on where I should go for quick weekend visit? As I mentioned, I will end the work trip in Dusseldorf on Friday, so would prefer to limit my visit to somewhere within 3-4 hours of there (by train preferred). Would also like to be near a somewhat near a major international airport for cost. So I figured my options are Amsterdam, Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Frankfurt and just staying near Dusseldorf/Cologne. Haven't been to any of those cities, but for reference I have been to Prague and Budapest and loved both of those. I am really into craft beer, I like history/architecture and experiencing "authentic local culture", and not really into super touristy things/sites. Appreciate any input. Thanks!

Edit: Also not interested in drug scene or red light district of Amsterdam... still worth going?

Amsterdam is very crowded, but If you want to visit a city that's totaly different from all other capitals then it's a must see. From Central Station you walk 200-400 meters and then go right for the quiet parts of the canals (red light district is left). Anne Franks house is there somewhere, but it will be a long wait to go in. After that go to the Museumplein (square), where RIJKS museum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk museum (a bathtub) are and also the Concert building (Concertgebouw, if you like classical music). Then you go to the Leidseplein and leave as fast as you can (but you've been there...). Also a boat tour through the canals is always nice to do. You can see a lot in 1 or 2 days.
I have a nephew with an AirB&B in Amsterdam just outside the main center. I can give you his e-mail if you send me a PM.