I am planning my next trip to Europe, and I am hoping others can pass along their advice on how to really experience local culture. I do not want to go to Paris, for example, and stay in the biggest tourist hotel downtown. I would far prefer a little alpine village with fewer tourists. I want to find out how the local people really live. The only problem is that it seems to be a bit more difficult to plan a trip to such out of the way places. I know everyone will tell me to just go and wing it, but I'm very nervous about that, especially since it will be nearing high season when I go. I'd be more comfortable with definite reservations. Any advice?

I doubt anyoneon this site will tell you to go and wing it--we live to plan! <BR>Have you thought of joining Servas? If you're accepted, you stay with families rather than in hotels. Not sure when you're leaving or if you'll have time to apply; there's a section of Rick Steve's graffiti wall devoted to Servas.

I sat with a Bavarian group at the Hofbrahaus one time. Talk about cultural immersion....I am still recovering.

Becky, My wife and I are in the "wing-it" camp for room reservations. We decided early on we did not want to be tied down to having to be someplace because of reservations, we enjoy setting our own pace. This has led to a few close calls but we haven't slept on a park bench yet. We do have an itinerary, but it's not set in stone. We tour on bikes and this seems to open opportunities for conversation with people, e.g. in the Mosel valley this spring we noticed the tracks in the vineyards, used by tractors for cultivating etc. We saw a guy just starting up the hill and we stopped to watch, he saw us, we started a conversation (sort of, he's Polish, we're American and we're in Germany). He invited my wife to get on the wagon he was hauling for a ride up the vineyard, at the least a 45 degree slope. We've stopped to talk to a guy stacking peat in Ireland, other people on bikes and just plain folks, asking for directions. Regarding high season, we always plan our trips so we return the day before the airlines start the high season fares.

I'm firmly in the don't wing it camp. Its just a personal preference, but I like to know where I'm going to be sleeping at night before I travel. My suggestion for the best way to experience local culture would be to rent a cottage or villa for a week or more. You stay in one place, so you have more time to really get to know that place. You go to the market like alocal to buy food, and do some cooking or picnics. If you're interested, e-mail me, I can send you pointers to several rental places on the web. The easiest (most popular?) areas to do this seem to be Tuscany and Provence, but I've seen ads for places in the Alps, the Greek Islands, and all over.

There are tons of ways to get cultural immersion instead of a superficial experience, and whether you've got reservations or not has very little to do with it. Some ideas; <BR>-- The fewer people you travel with, the more likely you are to meet local people. <BR>-- Don't concentrate on seeing the famous sights. There are all kinds of smaller gems in Europe, which the local tourist offices love to tell you about, and which attract local people as well as tourists. <BR>-- Learn some of the language of each country you visit. It only takes a few phrases to cover most situations you'll find yourself in, and people will be far more responsive. <BR>-- Learn something of the history and customs of each country you'll visit. You'll be less likely to offend anyone, and you may even impress them with how interested you are in their country. <BR>-- Pull up the advice about what to wear (neutral colors, no shorts, etc.) on this forum's search. You don't need to pass yourself off as a local, just to dress so that you aren't obviously setting yourself apart. <BR>-- Travel slowly. Beth's advice about renting a self-catering unit for a week is excellent. Gites de France (www.gites-de-france.fr) has listings all over France. <BR>-- Visit smaller towns, away from major tourist destinations. The Alps can be even more touristy than Paris, but there are also little places off the beaten path. Also look into areas like the Massif Central, which get relatively little foreign tourism. <BR>-- Spending more money is not necessarily better. In two star hotels and B&Bs, you'll be more likely to find the other guests are from the country you're visiting. Likewise, little, family-run restaurants frequented by locals can give you good experiences (and good food, too!) <BR>-- Finally, have the right attitude. Don't compare everything you see to back home. Try to understand it on its own terms, even if you don't necessarily like it. (On that last point, it sounds like you're off to a good start!)

We rent houses all the time and love it (you haven't experienced a local culture until you've been grocery shopping. Just trying to figure out how to weight the produce or get a shopping cart is an adventure). The alternative is a 'stay with a family' which many countries support through their tourist bureau. <BR>We stay in all sorts of off the beaten path places; it's no more difficult to put together that trip than to an unkown big city (I've never been to Prague, so I would be at the library for a month doing research. Same thing for off the beaten path; just do research). If you get TOO far off, there's no (or limited) public transportation. Decide what country, then use the web for maps and rr/bus schedules. <BR>Even in a big city (like Paris or London), you can find 'hoods with small hotels or b&bs that give you the real flavor of that city. <BR>Oh yeah find out if there are any local festivals/celebrations. Nothing like a greased pole contest to get you into the swing of things. <BR>

Becky, <BR>I absolutely *love* staying in the small towns/ out-of-the-way places! You really learn alot about a country/people that way. <BR>Are you driving and covering a great distance? If so, it may be a bit difficult to "wing-it" in the popular travel places during high season. My suggestion would be to pick an area to visit (drive to), pick a centrally located city and hotel, then take day-trips from there. It worked beautifully for us in Germany. We stayed in a very small town (Mitterfels) in Eastern Bavaria then took day-trips from there. We got a big dose of the local culture(including the local celery liquor that I call rot-gut) and got to see many things that the "average tourist" doesn't see. <BR>Remember that most of the gasthaus's (the word in Germany) and smaller hotels are not listed in many travel books/brochures. This is a plus for people who want to "wing-it", but also they may be hard to find unless you stop at a tourist office, ask someone for suggestions, or get on various web pages. <BR>Martha B. has many great suggestions. Definitely visit a local grocery store. It is an indication of the local choice in food and you meet the nicest people there. Btw, in Europe, take cloth bags to put your groceries in...many places outside big cities don't have plastic or paper bags (or "bag-boys"). <BR>Elvira's suggestion of local festivals is a great one! We had a blast at one! <BR>Kittie