Off the beaten track
 

BERLIN, CZECH REPUBLIC, AMSTERDAM, PARIS, BARCELONA, ROME, FLORENCE,

What some of the off the beaten track experiences we shouldn't miss out on ??? What tops you lists as must do's in each of these great cities?

Seeking inspiration :)

Start by reading some guidebooks.

The Czech Republic is a country, not a city.
I'm afraid they are all on a well beaten path. If you really want to get off that path consider other towns and cities in the same countries.

Do you want off the beaten track or must do? They are two different things.

What are your interests?

Have you been to any of these places before? Are you going to all of these places in the near future?

I'll tell you that my list of must do's would probably be no different than any major guidebook, so I won't go into that.

I've only been to only four of those, and for the CR, in Prague, I really liked the modern art museum which most tourists don't go to, even though it is a major museum. But of course, you have to like modern art. It's north across the river. I think best way is a tram to Veltrzni. It's in Veletržní palác

I also really like the City of Prague museum, which is maybe better known, it's near the FLorenc metro stop. Again, you have to like history to enjoy it, but it is done very well compared to some other city museums that are about the city's history.

Interest mostly in food places, cool pubs bars, a list of must dos, something I might not find on a google search

I doubt there is anything that you can't find using google. All must dos are there.

OMG can people be helpful....... if you got nothing useful to say don't say it Adrienne Hetismij2

Czech Republic:
Telc

Barcelona:
Casa Battlo
La Pedrera
Parc Guell
Sagrada Familia
Palau de la Musica
Gothic Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia
Ramblas
Sant Pau Hospital
Flamenco
Palau Güell
MNAC

The must-dos vary according to taste and unless we know yours I wouldn't know how to answer - the guidebooks and travel DVDs offer all the obvious choices, so pick according to your likes and dislikes.

But you're right to ask about off-the-beaten-track items, and don't let the naysayers distract you. There are always off-the-beaten-track items even in the most overrun places, and they might either be so hidden in a footnote of a guidebook as to be easily overlooked, or not mentioned at all.

For now just two items for Berlin: A big part of the literary history of the city are Brecht and Tucholksy, and I just learned that each have a museum - probably not in any guidebook, but if you know your literature and their importance you may want to go:

The apartment where Bertolt Brecht and Helene Weigel lived is preserved and open to the public, at Chausseestr. 125, in the building named after Brecht, with a "Brechtkeller" restaurant in the basement. There is apparently no plaque, you'll have to ask around to get to see the apartment, I don't know about opening hours etc.

And in nearby Brandenburg there is a Tucholsky museum
http://tinyurl.com/mnxtpev (you may need Google Translate for this).

In Prague, when you visit the Hradschin, walk to the far end, away from the big entrance, past many administrative buildings, and look for the gate that lets you out through the wall above a steep "hanging garden" that has a zig-zag path down to the river level. I think it's called "Great Fürstenberk Garden" - you can see it on Google if you bring up the Hradschin (Hradčany) and zoom in on the narrow (right) end, then switch to satellite view. It's a great way to get away from the masses above, although the locals know it, so you won't be alone, but your camera will love the flowers and the city panorama below!

Another cool thing in Prague to get away from the masses - rent a rowboat on the island off Masarykovo nabi - the address is Slovanský ostrov 226/8, 110 00 Praha, the place is also known as Žofín.

For Paris, I'll bet you'll find some places in this list that you'd consider "off the beaten track"- see if you agree: www.patroc.com/paris/free-museums.html

For Florence, I suggest taking the local commuter train into the mountains to Borgo San Lorenzo for an off-the-beaten-track small-town experience. You'll be among commuters, nary a tourist in sight, and in Borgo you have a half day of immersion in Italian life that will feel refreshing. See
http://www.comune.borgo-san-lorenzo....che/index.html and www.mugellotoscana.it

If you want to combine that train trip with a visit to Ravenna, take the 07:29 departure, regional train 21457, that goes slowly across the mountains, stops in many places (incl. Borgo S.L.), and gets to Ravenna at 10:02. It's a slow train, you'll get to see sights and regular folks coming and going, a relaxing trip (all other trains for Ravenna go on the fast tracks via a switch in Bologna).

Ravenna is not exactly off the beaten track, although it is surprising how relatively few people go there, even though it is sort of between Florence and Venice, and nobody who goes to see the mosaics comes away disappointed, they are a world treasure (http://www.ravennamosaici.it)

That evening you can get back to Florence by faster train, via Bologna.

Happy trails!

Hardly anyone who visits the Czech Republic seems to venture beyond Prague and perhaps Cesky Krumlov, which is actually a shame regarding how much more this country has to offer, so all the rest of the country must be considered "off the beaten path", even places with Unesco World Heritage status.

Allow me to mention just a few options that we visited on a recent trip:

Olomouc
Brno
Palaces of Lednice and Valtice
The caves in the Moravian karst
Kroměříž
Telč
Třebič
Třeboň
Hluboka palace
Holašovice
České Budějovice
and the Bohemian spa towns

Well ... it's probably not that far off the beaten track, but it is a little outside the tourist areas ... in Amsterdam you might take a look at the Albert Cuyp Market, which is a fun half-day out.

I agree that Brno in the Czech Republic is worth seeing, but can't speak to whether it is under-visited or not. I went there for work and found it to be a charming small city - all except for the railway station, which was surprisingly grotty, but fascinating. Make sure you get to the main square and the shopping street leading to it too. Learn some Czech, not much English present there.

Lavandula

I quite enjoyed Brno too, but I thought the caves nearby were overrated. And I also really liked Slovakia, formerly part of the same country - not Bratislava, but the Tatras and Levoce.

Sorry I only saw your post after I gave you a list of must dos. If I had seen it before I would not have spent the time.

All the contributions so far are available via google therefore nothing you want.

Thank you to the kind and thoughtful people for you suggestions

Must-do's and "off the beaten track" (a phrase I have come to despise, because it assumes you've been on the "beaten track" so often you only want really out-of-the-way suggestions, and that is pretty much never the case because people haven't even been "on the beaten track." ) are diametrically opposed.

You want off the beaten track in Paris? Go to the market in Belleville. Go to the Roma shantytowns in the outskirts. Go to Dreux and look at how people live in the projects. Get on a bus and take it to its last stop and then find your way back into central Paris. That's "off the beaten path." The phrase is just so flimsy and notional at best. You can always find " off the beaten path" if you just use your instinct and wander.

Here's some things in Amsterdam on and off the beaten track!

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ite-things.cfm

In Florence check out the daytrips/cooking classes/winery tours with accidentaltourist.com. We had a spectacular day
At an old farmhouse in the Chianti hills making pasta and then a lunch prepared by the owner. Great scenery, excellent food and a fantastic insight into a true Italian home experience,

It is so hard to respond to a post such as yours without knowing some really important things first. Have you been to these locations before? How long do you have in Europe? Are you planning to visit all of the cities/countries you have listed or are you trying to choose based on input from us? When are you planning to travel?

One thing we have learned after a couple of dozen trips to the destinations you have listed is that the reason for going in the first place is to see the "must sees/must dos". But once you have visited these cities, you will run into "off the beaten track" things. Guidebooks and maps are a good start. And one of the most valuable things we do when planning to visit a new place is to look at itineraries and trip reports on this forum. We get great ideas for our trips that way. Happy planning.