First time in Europe
Dec 29th, 2016, 11:06 PM
#1
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First time in Europe
Hi everyone! My husband and I are from Canada and we are traveling to Europe for the very first time in June 2017. We are going for 2 weeks (I know, we wish we could spend more time…). We are landing in London and would like to see Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic. We were thinking about going with a pre-planned trip because we have no idea what we are doing, what to look for, things to see, eat, explore…The pre-planned trip sounds really appealing because it will take us to see the different places, make sure we see the main attractions, show us unique places to eat and make sure we connect with the culture and history. However, we want to grow to be adventurous and independent, but we have literally no idea how to be on our own in Europe.
Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions?
Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions?
Dec 30th, 2016, 01:06 AM
#2
not sure what a pre-planned trip is? Do you mean you sitting on a coach with a bunch of other people? If you do, then you will not get to anywhere unique.
You also need to think do you really want to go to 4 countries in 2 weeks. I'm not sure what the best example is, but can you get to know Florida, Missouri, Carolina in 2 weeks?
In reality we can help you put together an independant trip if you tell us what you like to do.
Age?
Physical limitations/interests?
Interests? Galleries, white water rafting, bell ringing, silver mining, horse riding, wine tasting. No idea how to help if we don't know what you want to do.
For instance Belgium is famously boring unless you want to see WW1 battle sites, drink fantastic beer, eat great chocolate and ... well that's it.
Being on your own is dead easy. You need a few apps and websites. I'd start with the tourist info for each country, seat61.com to understand the trains and skyscanner for the basic info on planes.
Then there is the pace of travel. Let's say you want to go to London (biggest city in Europe by far) this can take up 4 to 5 days without any effort at all, it lets you get into "foreign" without being very "foreign", well at least the language and legal system is similar. Even here you have to, get over jet lag, geet used to a different pace, understand the local train systems etc. Much of this is easy but it consumes 30 minutes of the brain to get around it. So, on my first visit I might cut back from 4 major countries in 2 weeks.
Have fun!
You also need to think do you really want to go to 4 countries in 2 weeks. I'm not sure what the best example is, but can you get to know Florida, Missouri, Carolina in 2 weeks?
In reality we can help you put together an independant trip if you tell us what you like to do.
Age?
Physical limitations/interests?
Interests? Galleries, white water rafting, bell ringing, silver mining, horse riding, wine tasting. No idea how to help if we don't know what you want to do.
For instance Belgium is famously boring unless you want to see WW1 battle sites, drink fantastic beer, eat great chocolate and ... well that's it.
Being on your own is dead easy. You need a few apps and websites. I'd start with the tourist info for each country, seat61.com to understand the trains and skyscanner for the basic info on planes.
Then there is the pace of travel. Let's say you want to go to London (biggest city in Europe by far) this can take up 4 to 5 days without any effort at all, it lets you get into "foreign" without being very "foreign", well at least the language and legal system is similar. Even here you have to, get over jet lag, geet used to a different pace, understand the local train systems etc. Much of this is easy but it consumes 30 minutes of the brain to get around it. So, on my first visit I might cut back from 4 major countries in 2 weeks.
Have fun!
Dec 30th, 2016, 01:46 AM
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I think if you really want to connect with a place, I'd do the two weeks in one country. There's a lot of regional variation, and a very high density of historic sights- you can hardly walk down a street in the old town areas without passing an incredible church or palace or monument.
I actually don't think a tour would be useful. In Germany, transit takes you closer to the sites than a bus would. And so many people speak English that you shouldn't have much trouble. The tours will not take you to unique food spots or attractions- I've seen the groups mostly in the main shopping districts lol. I was passing a group yesterday (in Florence right now) and the tour guide's "valuable" food tip was to have gelato at least once before you go home. There's a gelato space every other block practically and if you don't get one eventually, you probably have strong anti- ice cream beliefs!
if you want a chance to be independent in Europe, here's what I'd do:
Buy a German Rail pass, buy a German guidebook, and take note of everything that looks interesting. (You could do any country, really, but German transit is really easy to get the hang of, plus lodging and food is inexpensive. Then book refundable reservations in all the places you want to see for sure, and if something comes up, then you can cancel one to make room for whatever new place you discovered. It's easy to pick base cities and do day trips as well.
2 weeks will fly by and you still won't see everything in Germany!
But it all depends on your interests. Are you flying into London because you really want to see something there or because it was the cheapest flight?
I actually don't think a tour would be useful. In Germany, transit takes you closer to the sites than a bus would. And so many people speak English that you shouldn't have much trouble. The tours will not take you to unique food spots or attractions- I've seen the groups mostly in the main shopping districts lol. I was passing a group yesterday (in Florence right now) and the tour guide's "valuable" food tip was to have gelato at least once before you go home. There's a gelato space every other block practically and if you don't get one eventually, you probably have strong anti- ice cream beliefs!
if you want a chance to be independent in Europe, here's what I'd do:
Buy a German Rail pass, buy a German guidebook, and take note of everything that looks interesting. (You could do any country, really, but German transit is really easy to get the hang of, plus lodging and food is inexpensive. Then book refundable reservations in all the places you want to see for sure, and if something comes up, then you can cancel one to make room for whatever new place you discovered. It's easy to pick base cities and do day trips as well.
2 weeks will fly by and you still won't see everything in Germany!
But it all depends on your interests. Are you flying into London because you really want to see something there or because it was the cheapest flight?
Dec 30th, 2016, 02:13 AM
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If you want to "make sure you connect with the culture and history," a tour is absolutely not the way to go, and it most certainly won't show you unique places to eat - far from it.
You have picked a fairly bizarre combination of countries to visit (can you even FIND a tour company that would include this strange grouping of countries?), but that's fine if that's what you want. You must have some reasons for that, but you don't say why. Why are you flying into London? Why are you going to Europe with"no idea of what we are doing?"How did you pick those destinations?
There's nothing particularly daunting about visiting Europe on your own. It just takes a lot of planning and research. Get yourselves some guidebooks and maps and start studying. Learn about train travel on the www.seat61.com website and buy tickets 3 months or more in advance. Study up on cheap intra-Europe airlines like EasyJet and Vueling. Limit your destinations - 2 weeks is hardly any time at all to visit the entire continent of Europe.
You have picked a fairly bizarre combination of countries to visit (can you even FIND a tour company that would include this strange grouping of countries?), but that's fine if that's what you want. You must have some reasons for that, but you don't say why. Why are you flying into London? Why are you going to Europe with"no idea of what we are doing?"How did you pick those destinations?
There's nothing particularly daunting about visiting Europe on your own. It just takes a lot of planning and research. Get yourselves some guidebooks and maps and start studying. Learn about train travel on the www.seat61.com website and buy tickets 3 months or more in advance. Study up on cheap intra-Europe airlines like EasyJet and Vueling. Limit your destinations - 2 weeks is hardly any time at all to visit the entire continent of Europe.
Dec 30th, 2016, 02:44 AM
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Hello
You would need at the very least 3-4 days to see some of London.
Then you can take Eurostar to Bruxelles. At least one day there one day to Brugge then up to you to see more of Belgium : Namur gent Antwerpen Ieper Dinant Liege bastogne if interested in WW2 Waterloo if you want to see Napoleon last stand la Vallee de la Molignee to see some of the wilderness Butchenbach la Roche en ARDENNE durbuy all make nice excursions too.
Then you may want to visit the breweries Orval leffe maredsous for a start.
Boring my country ....
Then you can start in Germany a great country 10 or20 times bigger than belgiym with about as much to offer per Skm.
You would need at the very least 3-4 days to see some of London.
Then you can take Eurostar to Bruxelles. At least one day there one day to Brugge then up to you to see more of Belgium : Namur gent Antwerpen Ieper Dinant Liege bastogne if interested in WW2 Waterloo if you want to see Napoleon last stand la Vallee de la Molignee to see some of the wilderness Butchenbach la Roche en ARDENNE durbuy all make nice excursions too.
Then you may want to visit the breweries Orval leffe maredsous for a start.
Boring my country ....
Then you can start in Germany a great country 10 or20 times bigger than belgiym with about as much to offer per Skm.
Dec 30th, 2016, 02:51 AM
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The caves of Han (with zoo) the zoo of Antwerpen the caves of Remouchamps the Zwyn Oostende de Haan at the seaside.
The castle of Bouillon (first king of Jerusalem) the castles of beersel spontin etc. the city of Tournai more frenchlike Mons (you may be there during 'Le Doudou' which brings tens of thousands in the small city.
The castle of Bouillon (first king of Jerusalem) the castles of beersel spontin etc. the city of Tournai more frenchlike Mons (you may be there during 'Le Doudou' which brings tens of thousands in the small city.
Dec 30th, 2016, 02:59 AM
#7
hzieber - what we're all saying is that you are trying to do far too much. one of two countries would be much more achievable and far more rewarding as would doing it yourselves rather than taking a tour. there is plenty of help here from how to find and book the best flights to booking hotels and working out the best transport options.
<<However, we want to grow to be adventurous and independent, but we have literally no idea how to be on our own in Europe.>>
you are not alone!
<<However, we want to grow to be adventurous and independent, but we have literally no idea how to be on our own in Europe.>>
you are not alone!
Dec 30th, 2016, 06:04 AM
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However, we want to grow to be adventurous and independent, but we have literally no idea how to be on our own in Europe.<'
Study the train system -tremendous - and plan your own rail trip- best for going to cities where cars are kind of useless and public transport so so good- great sources to plan an independent train sojourn: www.budgeteuropetravel.com (their online European Planning & Rail Guide has many suggested itineraries; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.
In two weeks plan on no more than 4-5 stops -factoring a day in between traveling to each.
Study the train system -tremendous - and plan your own rail trip- best for going to cities where cars are kind of useless and public transport so so good- great sources to plan an independent train sojourn: www.budgeteuropetravel.com (their online European Planning & Rail Guide has many suggested itineraries; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.
In two weeks plan on no more than 4-5 stops -factoring a day in between traveling to each.
Dec 30th, 2016, 06:28 AM
#9
No reason you can't handle Europe on your own. I would be interested in why you chose those destinations, and whether you have found a tour that includes them.
I agree with the suggestion to read some books, but I would not start with guidebooks to specific places. For a new traveler I recommend "Europe Through the Back Door" and Rough Guide's "First-time Europe". Then you can move on to the glossy picture books, like Eyewitness and Insight and National Geographic, to help decide where you want to go. Only then do you move on to Fodors and Lonely Planet etc for specific places. Your library should have some of these, and you can always hang out at your neighborhood bookstore (even if it's Barnes and Noble).
Besides the sites PQ gives for train travel, I like the Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe for planning.
I agree with the suggestion to read some books, but I would not start with guidebooks to specific places. For a new traveler I recommend "Europe Through the Back Door" and Rough Guide's "First-time Europe". Then you can move on to the glossy picture books, like Eyewitness and Insight and National Geographic, to help decide where you want to go. Only then do you move on to Fodors and Lonely Planet etc for specific places. Your library should have some of these, and you can always hang out at your neighborhood bookstore (even if it's Barnes and Noble).
Besides the sites PQ gives for train travel, I like the Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe for planning.
Dec 31st, 2016, 10:16 PM
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This is all super helpful!! Thank you everyone and sorry for not responding sooner. I did not expect to have so many responses so fast! We are both really interested in castles, historical places, etc...We did see a couple tours that go through those specific countries, but we are now really leaning towards planning our own trip. We want to see Stonehenge, London, Bruges, Dresden, and Prague...We are both so new to this, and will be doing a lot of research. Thank you all for the help!
Jan 1st, 2017, 02:29 AM
#12
We want to see Stonehenge, London, Bruges, Dresden, and Prague...We are both so new to this, and will be doing a lot of research. Thank you all for the help!>>
2 weeks to fit all that in is going to be hard. It looks like two trips to me - one to London and environs [you can do Stonehenge as a day trip] and Belgium, and another to Germany/the Czech Republic. You could see it all of course but you'll spend a lot of time in planes and trains and not much actually seeing and doing. Sometimes less is more.
2 weeks to fit all that in is going to be hard. It looks like two trips to me - one to London and environs [you can do Stonehenge as a day trip] and Belgium, and another to Germany/the Czech Republic. You could see it all of course but you'll spend a lot of time in planes and trains and not much actually seeing and doing. Sometimes less is more.
Jan 1st, 2017, 06:37 AM
#13
Agree with ann that that is a lot for one short trip. You could easily spend all that time in England. Before committing to any kind of specific itinerary, I would recommend reading the books I suggested, then print off a blank calendar page and use it to map out your trip, allowing time for transport between places (you might read this for some context on how long it takes to get from A to B; http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-travelers.cfm ).
Jan 1st, 2017, 07:23 AM
#14
Ditto annhig and thursdaysd.
Instead of running all over Europe which definitely complicates things -- seriously consider just the UK and Belgium this trip -- to sort of get your feet wet. Then another time maybe CZ/Germany/Hungary or something like that.
If you mean 'two weeks' as in 14 days - that will net you 11.5 days free on the ground minus another half to full day every time you move locations. Enough for a taste of London, maybe a couple of days somewhere in the English countryside, and Bruges/Brussels.
Instead of running all over Europe which definitely complicates things -- seriously consider just the UK and Belgium this trip -- to sort of get your feet wet. Then another time maybe CZ/Germany/Hungary or something like that.
If you mean 'two weeks' as in 14 days - that will net you 11.5 days free on the ground minus another half to full day every time you move locations. Enough for a taste of London, maybe a couple of days somewhere in the English countryside, and Bruges/Brussels.
Jan 1st, 2017, 08:33 AM
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>>we have literally no idea how to be on our own in Europe
Don't worry, Europe is the most convenient continent to be on your own. As long as you speak English and smile (but a second language would be a bonus).
I'm not against the idea of a tour -if it makes you feel comfortable- but be sure that there's not much exploration nor uniqueness in a tour, except the kind that is really expensive.
To start it easy, you can read about the countries you want to visit on Lonely Planet - online - I like their short essays, they give you a rough idea about where to begin.
Don't worry, Europe is the most convenient continent to be on your own. As long as you speak English and smile (but a second language would be a bonus).
I'm not against the idea of a tour -if it makes you feel comfortable- but be sure that there's not much exploration nor uniqueness in a tour, except the kind that is really expensive.
To start it easy, you can read about the countries you want to visit on Lonely Planet - online - I like their short essays, they give you a rough idea about where to begin.
Jan 1st, 2017, 12:32 PM
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>I like the Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe for planning.>
Yes indeed -also shows scenic lines and I believe the Thomas Cook European Timetable is now online- nice anyway to look at the timetable when planning trips- easier than going to a bunch of web sites.
Yes indeed -also shows scenic lines and I believe the Thomas Cook European Timetable is now online- nice anyway to look at the timetable when planning trips- easier than going to a bunch of web sites.
