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Amsterdam Vs. Barcelona

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Amsterdam Vs. Barcelona

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Old May 22nd, 2014, 07:37 PM
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Amsterdam Vs. Barcelona

I am choosing between a 10-day trip which will include 3 nights in Amsterdam, 3 nights in Paris, and 2 nights in London or a 12-day trip which will include 3 nights in London, 3 nights in Paris, and 4 nights in Barcelona. I cannot decide between the two, hoping someone with experience in the different cities can give me some insight.
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Old May 22nd, 2014, 07:50 PM
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These are tours? How are they getting from city to city - bus, train, flight, etc? Are those your only choices? Two nights in London is only one day, not enough time to see much and two days in Paris is also very little.

If you are set on one of these, I would probably do the 12 day, but wonder how you would be getting from Paris to Barcelona, not on a long bus trip I hope.

Why not plan your own trip and get exactly what you want rather than what someone else creates?
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Old May 22nd, 2014, 07:53 PM
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Both cities are wonderful to visit, and you can't go wrong with either, but between the 2, I would choose Barcelona before Amsterdam. There's much to see in both cities, but Barcelona 's got so much energy and so much to see. The Gaudi structures have stayed with me years after our visit. Barcelona is a bigger city, so will take more time to get around, but I think worthwhile.

And the latter trip gives you 3 nights in London, which is much better than just 2 nights?

Go for the 12-night trip!
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Old May 22nd, 2014, 07:56 PM
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Sassafrass makes a good point -- are you committed to just these 2 tours for a reason?

Sorry about the us intended "?" After "....2 nights" in the above post.
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Old May 22nd, 2014, 08:00 PM
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I'm with Progol.
Amsterdam is a very worthwhile city with some great attractions, but there is nothing on earth like the buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi. If you have any interest in architecture and amazing structures, then it's Barcelona for sure.
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Old May 22nd, 2014, 08:26 PM
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I am 19 years old and not comfortable with planning and traveling completely on my own. However, with these torus it is a way for me to do something on my own but not completely. These are not the only torus to choose from and I am open to other city suggestions
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Old May 22nd, 2014, 09:26 PM
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Fair enough.

London, Paris and Barcelona would make a fine introduction to Europe. I would want more time in each, but you will still see a lot of interesting sites. How does the tour move between cities ?
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Old May 23rd, 2014, 10:23 AM
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Pick the 10 day trip.

Why? Because with the money saved, you could stay 1-2 extra nights in the starting and/or ending city and experiment briefly with planning and traveling on your own, to give you confidence for the future.

Some day you'll be able to visit Barcelona on your own. Meanwhile, enjoy Amsterdam.
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Old May 23rd, 2014, 10:52 AM
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Why not give us links to the two tours so we can look for any red flags/ pit falls.

I'd also maybe consider the 10 day tour and add a couple of days on your own at the beginning and/or end.
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Old May 23rd, 2014, 11:06 AM
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I'm sorry - but 8 nights is NOT 10 days - it's actually 7 days. (Tour companies always play this game since they think it makes it sound like a better deal.)

And I wouldn't do any of these. Two places is plenty if you want to see much of anything. Three is a waste of time and money.

If you are not comfortable doing everything yourself look at packages that get you flights, hotels, airport transfers and a half day city tour. Then you can do whatever you want with the other days. I would stay in one city and see at least the major sights and then do a couple of day tours (which you can organize on the spot through your hotel).
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Old May 23rd, 2014, 11:45 AM
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I'd go with Amsterdam/London/Paris for your first tour/trip.
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Old May 23rd, 2014, 11:46 AM
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Save Barcelona for when you ARE more comfortable traveling on your own.
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Old May 23rd, 2014, 12:12 PM
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I'd do the longer trip. You need at least three nights in London, if possible. After this first trip you'll be ready to start planning the next one and will feel more comfortable traveling on your own.
Enjoy!
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Old May 23rd, 2014, 12:23 PM
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I prefer Barcelona, but would go with Amsterdam along with London and Paris, also. It just fits better and isn't as far away, makes more sense. Barcelona would be better paired with something else in Spain or southern France.

However, if you are flying to Barcelona from Paris (hard to believe a tour would do that), and you get two more days, I suppose the distance doesn't matter. I still think Amsterdam goes better, but ultimately they are just completely different cities so it's just your choice as to which one you most want to see.
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Old May 23rd, 2014, 12:51 PM
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If the tour starts in Amsterdam and ends in London then consider adding a couple of days on your own at the end of the tour so you can see more of London. Hopefully by then you will feel more confident and can enjoy the time.
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Old May 25th, 2014, 07:14 AM
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www.efcollegebreak.com is the website
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Old May 25th, 2014, 08:28 AM
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If you enjoy art of a type then Amsterdam with the VanGogh and the Rijksmuseum (amongst others) would be hard to beat. I love Barcelona which has its own architectural attractions and museums.

I am not sure why people think cities have to "fit together" some way but to each their own.
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Old May 25th, 2014, 09:12 AM
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Barcelona has several nice beaches ... just sayin'.

Either Amsterdam or BCN would be fine (I've been to AMS six times -- usually a brief stopover on the way to Tanzania, and to BCN twice -- most recently last week). But I think I'd go with the longer trip and pick Barcelona. Great food culture, a lot of different cultural things to do, lots of young people, beaches ...

Dukey1 wrote: 'I am not sure why people think cities have to "fit together" some way but to each their own.'

I think the concern was that Barcelona was too far away if they were taking a bus, given how close the other three cities are. But it looks like the tour has an evening flight from Paris to BCN (I'd guess on Vueling ) so I don't think it's a concern.
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Old May 25th, 2014, 12:17 PM
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Just returned from our first week in Amsterdam but have been to Barcelona on numerous occasions. The museums are better in Amsterdam but the art in Barcelona is in the streets in the Gothic and moderisme architecture of Gaudi and Puig. There is a rare joie de vivre in Barcelona, although the people of Amsterdam are generally open to the next joke.

The food is better in Barcelona and although you can visit Girona, Monserrat, and Figueres from Barcelona, you can easily reach Delft, Haarlem, The Hague, and Rotterdam from Amsterdam each with their charms.

The people from Amsterdam are lunatics on bikes, while the Catalans will go to out of their way to remind you of their unique culture.

Would you prefer a North Sea or a e Mediterranean culture?
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