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Help me plan my awesome euro trip

and wine, paella, cuchinillo, manchego... oh the food. I want to go back.
 
$2500 per person might be a little light depending on how long you're planning on staying.
 
Manifest Destiny said:
Go to interlaken, switzerland. Hang glide there. Die happy.
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you know, when I read first saw this thread i immediately thought interlaken because that's my favorite place ever, but in the scheme of a trip like this it doesn't make much sense if they're looking for night life, etc. i only really recall one bar that had much going on at night, and it was connected to a hostel. i LOVE interlaken and really think anyone can be happy there, but if it's a eurotrip/drunkytime it's kind of out of the way to just go there. and hang gliding is $$.
 
Marquee Moon said:
You are 25 and graduating from UVA with jobs and worrying about how much money you have for a Europe trip? Do you think when you are 35 and miserable that u will be worried about how much money you spent a decade earlier?

Pick an itinerary, go, have a blast and spend too much money. I promise you there will be no regrets 10 years later (unless you do what I'm advising you not to do).
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+1
 
HuskyDeac said:
Berlin, Prague, Krakow, Budapest. Cheaper than Western Europe, some of the best nightlife on the continent, awesome beer and food, amazing history and day trip options, easy train rides between the cities.
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Paws rep. Hard to beat that list for drunky-time, women and siteseeing. Especially if you aren't on buckets budget.
 
Just to follow up on what vad said, that list really is great. In particular, I think Berlin might be the most fun/vibrant city in Europe right now. I wouldn't necessarily say it's the best party city, but it's close. I would say if I were going anywhere with a group of non-attached or minimally attached guys, Berlin would be pretty high up on my list.
 
Berlin is the hipster / art / music capital of Europe right now, especially the eastern part of the city. Housing is very, very cheap and it's turned into an extremely vibrant scene. Easy to fly to as well from the US. I'd highly recommend starting there. Make sure you have a plan on where to go beforehand though, there's not one central place to just go and bar hop ... you'll need to make a list of hot spots you want to hit (lonelyplanet.com, etc can help with this) before you land.

I'd go to Krakow next (it works way better train wise to go Berlin > Krakow > Prague > Budapest than any other way). It's the best (and most perfectly preserved) of the old central European medieval cities, and it's a ridiculous party city. Get very, very drunk for very, very cheap in one of the 900 million cellar bars around the city, stumble around the giant squares and hit on stupidly hot Polish girls. You can take a day trip to Auschwitz if you want to see humanity at it's most evil (recommended, though it'll turn your stomach) as well ... then spend that evening in Kazimierz, the old Jewish neighborhood of Krakow which was completely emptied into Auschwitz and is only now returning to full population (though not of Jews, mostly young hip artsy types).

Go on the train from there to Prague, which is fairy tale beautiful and fairy tail partyish. Get offered blow and hookers while standing in front of 13th century churches. Drink gallons of Czech beer, absinth and Becherovka. Hit on so many women so far out of your league you'll have skewed standards for life.

Then on to Budapest, where you can marvel at the ridiculous size of the city ... remembering it was one of the co-capitals of half of Europe for a long period of time. Go to giant markets, eat awesome food and soak in natural hot springs that were built for emperors (seriously one of the coolest things you can do in all of Europe). Walk the chain bridge over the Danube and wander around Buda castle. Hit on more ridiculous women.

Take the hydrofoil up the Danube to Vienna, spend a day marvelling at the stunning architecture and palaces. Wonder why the city is so empty (answer: it's August and the rich Viennese ... aka, all of them ... are on holiday somewhere else). Admire the streets so clean you can eat off of them. Get drunk with me and vadtoy, if we aren't on holiday too.

Fly home from Vienna.



That's how I'd do it.
 
lbE08 said:
you know, when I read first saw this thread i immediately thought interlaken because that's my favorite place ever, but in the scheme of a trip like this it doesn't make much sense if they're looking for night life, etc. i only really recall one bar that had much going on at night, and it was connected to a hostel. i LOVE interlaken and really think anyone can be happy there, but if it's a eurotrip/drunkytime it's kind of out of the way to just go there. and hang gliding is $$.
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That bar is awesome though- the one in te basement. We stayed at that hostel.
 
lbE08 said:
Barcelona --> Madrid --> Granada --> Sevilla --> Lisboa. That would be an amazing trip. All great night life.
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My wife and I did a trip like this several years ago, minus Barcelona, that I would highly recommend:

1) Lisbon - great city - spend at least one evening going to restaurants that offer Fado music. And buy a CD at your table from one of the singers.

2) Portugese Algarve - beautiful area and would give you your beach fix. Book now, however. Great golf too, if you play.

3) Tariffa - small Spanish town near Gibralter. Sit on the terrace at night, have a glass of wine, and look across the straights to the lights of Morroco. Had one of the best meals in my life at a hole in the wall restaurant in Tariffa. Dad was the chef, daughter was the waitress, no menu, not a word of English. We just ate what they were serving that night.

4) Tangier and Fes, Morroco - Tangier is OK, but a little like the Tijuanna of Morroco. Medina at Fes was so cool. We spent all day there.

5) Gilbraltar - go to the top of the rock. Just watch out for the little apes who'll jump right in your car. Very cool British/Spanish town.

6) Sevilla - beautiful town. We spent three days here.

7) Madrid - do a tapas crawl in the area near Puerta de Sol. A different tapas and a different glass of wine in each tapas bar.

We missed Barcelona, which someday I want to get to. This was a two week trip and probably my favorite Euro trip of all time.
 
What is the best way to do hotels if there are 5-6 of us? We'd like to save money, so we don't mind doing 2 to a bed and/or taking turns sleeping on the floor if necessary. We also don't need lots of amenities, but we want somewhere safe.
 
vadimivich said:
Berlin is the hipster / art / music capital of Europe right now, especially the eastern part of the city. Housing is very, very cheap and it's turned into an extremely vibrant scene. Easy to fly to as well from the US. I'd highly recommend starting there. Make sure you have a plan on where to go beforehand though, there's not one central place to just go and bar hop ... you'll need to make a list of hot spots you want to hit (lonelyplanet.com, etc can help with this) before you land.

I'd go to Krakow next (it works way better train wise to go Berlin > Krakow > Prague > Budapest than any other way). It's the best (and most perfectly preserved) of the old central European medieval cities, and it's a ridiculous party city. Get very, very drunk for very, very cheap in one of the 900 million cellar bars around the city, stumble around the giant squares and hit on stupidly hot Polish girls. You can take a day trip to Auschwitz if you want to see humanity at it's most evil (recommended, though it'll turn your stomach) as well ... then spend that evening in Kazimierz, the old Jewish neighborhood of Krakow which was completely emptied into Auschwitz and is only now returning to full population (though not of Jews, mostly young hip artsy types).

Go on the train from there to Prague, which is fairy tale beautiful and fairy tail partyish. Get offered blow and hookers while standing in front of 13th century churches. Drink gallons of Czech beer, absinth and Becherovka. Hit on so many women so far out of your league you'll have skewed standards for life.

Then on to Budapest, where you can marvel at the ridiculous size of the city ... remembering it was one of the co-capitals of half of Europe for a long period of time. Go to giant markets, eat awesome food and soak in natural hot springs that were built for emperors (seriously one of the coolest things you can do in all of Europe). Walk the chain bridge over the Danube and wander around Buda castle. Hit on more ridiculous women.

Take the hydrofoil up the Danube to Vienna, spend a day marvelling at the stunning architecture and palaces. Wonder why the city is so empty (answer: it's August and the rich Viennese ... aka, all of them ... are on holiday somewhere else). Admire the streets so clean you can eat off of them. Get drunk with me and vadtoy, if we aren't on holiday too.

Fly home from Vienna.



That's how I'd do it.
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This sounds full of win.
 
ilovewfu said:
What is the best way to do hotels if there are 5-6 of us? We'd like to save money, so we don't mind doing 2 to a bed and/or taking turns sleeping on the floor if necessary. We also don't need lots of amenities, but we want somewhere safe.
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It sounds like you're looking for hostels. You can often find 6 person rooms or larger and you can easily keep an eye out for one another. Hostels also have a more vibrant party scene with people looking to meet up with strangers and hang out.
 
WFU03 said:
It sounds like you're looking for hostels. You can often find 6 person rooms or larger and you can easily keep an eye out for one another. Hostels also have a more vibrant party scene with people looking to meet up with strangers and hang out.
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This is a good recomendation and something we did a lot when younger. Unless you wanted to stay in expensive American hotels, which kills the whole experience IMO, most of the rooms you'll find willl have one double or two singles.
 
I recommend Spain. I went to Ibiza and Barcelona last year and had a blast at both locations. Barcelona was even better than Ibiza. I was only in Spain for a week and it was not nearly enough time. Pick 2 or 3 cities so you don't spread yourself too thin.
 
Related question: Tell me about hostels. I know nothing about them. Just tell me everything relevant. (I will google them now too, so don't give me an ICGTFY).
 
ilovewfu said:
Related question: Tell me about hostels. I know nothing about them. Just tell me everything relevant. (I will google them now too, so don't give me an ICGTFY).
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PM Husky, seriously. Ask him whatever you want to know.

Further, if I were going to travel anywhere and especially if I were planning on staying at hostels, I would trust Husky 110% and not just because he's my BIL
 
hostels are the shit. and bofunk, yes, the bar i was talking about in interlaken is in the basement of the one hostel.
 
ilovewfu said:
Related question: Tell me about hostels. I know nothing about them. Just tell me everything relevant. (I will google them now too, so don't give me an ICGTFY).
Click to expand...

Most are basically like dorm rooms - shared bathrooms and big rooms full of bunkbeds. They charge by the person for each night, and you can try and make sure you all end up in the same big room when you book. Most cities during the high period it'll be about 15-20 euros a night, per person. Maybe less in some places. Hostels are also the center of the "backpacking party scene" in Europe, meaning you'll often have tons of foreigners all on vacation and all looking for the same things in one.

You can use a site like http://www.hostelworld.com to check out reviews and highly rated ones, etc. Don't expect the nicest beds ever (again, most are basically college dorm quality) but it's cheap, they'll be plenty of people to party with and they are safe.
 
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