Going to Europe for my first time...solo

[fiveleafclover]

I want to go somewhere in Europe this summer, or maybe next summer if Bush's Economy doesn't allow me to have the funds. I've never been anywhere out of the country. And I'll be going alone since it's my favorite way to travel. Amsterdam seems like a good idea to me. It has the hash bars, of course. That's a plus. But also the architecture and museums. My travel time will be short, maybe a week or two.

I'm not completely sold on Amsterdam. Germany could be nice, and so could England. Does anyone have any suggestions? Any place is good as long as the crime isn't horrendous. The only foreign language I know is German...barely. I figure being a girl alone, I might be better off sticking to the cities rather than the countryside.

I'll be away from my computer for a little while, but I'll check back as soon as I can to read any replies.

[Calliope]

1. London

Everybody should go to London at least once.

[fiveleafclover]

6. London is a place I'd love to see

As a Beatles fan, I've always wanted to go to London, then head north to Liverpool. But I've been warned Liverpool is now sort of a tourist trap for Beatles fans, so I'm a little cautious about that.

You're right though, everybody should go to London once and check out the changing of the guards and eat some fish and chips! :D I love fish and chips!

[smirkymonkey]

23. The only problem w/ London is that it's VERY expensive right

now. You pay almost twice what you would pay in a US city for the same thing. The UK on the whole is very spendy these days, but you might have an easier time of it in one of the smaller cities such as Bath, York or even Edinburgh.

[spindrifter]

2. How about Barcelona?

It is a fantastic city, easy to get around. The food is fantabulous. You can easily visit other towns of great historic interest. Plus, the Gaudi architecture is unbelieveably cool. Strolling down Las Ramblas will give you a constantly changing show. On Sundays there is a stamp market off Las Ramblas where all these old geezers come and pore over their philatilistic wonders and it looks like something out of the '50's. Plus, there are interesting clubs, plenty of North African influence. And--depending on where you live, you may have a connecting flight from Amsterdam, anyhow.
Amsterdam was my first trip to Europe many years ago--before the coffee shops. The museums were incredible and we had a wonderful time.
Each place that we suggest will be a wonderful introduction to life a little bit different than we live here, so enjoy your trip.

[fiveleafclover]

4. I hadn't really thought about Barcelona

I just did a little googling on it and it sounds really interesting. A friend of mine went a few years ago and couldn't stop talking about how great the place was. Thanks, spindrifter, I'll put that on my list of places to think about.

[Inland]

12. Second Barcelona.

If you want to go to places where it's just cool to BE there, Barcelona fits the bill. You can hang out all day on the Rambla and the entire world will pass by sooner or later.

[wake.up.america]

16. Las Ramblas, the port, La Familia Sagrada, etc.

[Inland]

17. Familia Sagrada is a trip. Or it looks like a trip. nt

[wake.up.america]

18. Actually, not much to see from the inside.. A perpetual building site.

[SodoffBush]

22. Cadaques on the Costa Brava was nice in 1989

last time I was there. It's about a 2 hr. busride no. of Barcelona, very close to where Salvador Dali eventually moved, from Figueres. I think you can tour his house now.

Sevilla has lots of late-night tapa bars, and the Alhambra was incredible. It's easy to travel by bus/train in Spain.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. I'm a big fan of the Insight Guides, which are available in most

large bookstores. They make an effort to include beautiful photographs and lots of cultural background, although you should probably use something else for practicalities such as hotels and restaurants. Watch Rick Steves' programs on public TV or get his guidebooks, which are really aimed at beginning travelers.

In order to decide where to go, get the Insight Guide to Continental Europe, which has summaries of all the major countries. You can use it to figure out which countries appeal to you the most. Then get a more practical guidebook (Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Rick Steves) for the countries you actually decide to visit.

I'm planning to return to Europe for the first time in decades next summer (:cross fingers:) and even though I'll be with a tour group for ten days before going off on my own, I'm following the same pattern as I have for my travels in Asia: read the Insight Guidebook first to narrow down my destinations, then get a more practical guidebook with hotel and transporation details to plan the actual itinerary and accommodations.

[fiveleafclover]

5. Thanks for the tip, Lydia

I'll have to see if my local bookstores have those (I'm sure they do). I've haven't looked at any of the Insight Guides, but I definately will. I'll keep an eye out for Rick Steves on tv.

[Kellanved]

7. It really depends on how much time you want to spend

With enough time to plan ahead, you can get very cheap flights from any European city to another using carriers like easyjet, ryanair or air Berlin (10-50 Euros).

Crime should not be your main concern in any of the cities normally deemed interesting. Petty theft is a problem, but the crime rates are generally not especially high. The best approach might be to narrow the field of the cities seeming interesting and then looking for the best ways to get from one from city to another. Also look for special events and decide whatever or not they interest you. It might be worth some trouble to catch an interesting event, but you certainly don't want to be in a city where an event not interesting for you is taking place - the prices skyrocket around major festivals.

That said: Berlin is always worth a trip ;-). It can match London and Paris in most areas and it is a whole lot cheaper.

[fiveleafclover]

8. Thanks Kellanved

I hadn't really thought about Berlin. I just looked it up and it really is cheaper, from what I saw. How much German do I need to get around Berlin? My German is...eh, Ok. The great thing about German-speaking countries, though, is that it's never hard to order beer. :thumbsup:

[Kellanved]

9. Generally not much

The locals appreciate the effort if tourists try to speak German, but most young people are at least able (and willing) to understand English. The Berliners are still very rough manner-wise, but they don't mean to be. It's just the way they are.

Pretty much all tours and guides are available in English in Berlin itself, but in Potsdam Russian is still more common than English. It might be necessary to use a private guide there.

Berlin is a city where it pays to plan ahead: some things are free, but require early registration; most important among those are the various Reichstag tours.
Other things are expensive, but need an early registration nonetheless; tickets for the Philharmonic for instance.

The major museums are good for at least four days, five if you include Potsdam. An exhaustive tour can take far longer. (About 6 "have to" museums (Jewish Museum, Pergamon, New & Old National Gallery, Historical Museum, Guggenheim) , another 10 (Technical Museum, Gemäldegallerie, City Museum, ...) are worth a visit and about double that number (Newton, Flick, Movies, Natural History, Wall Museum, Allied forces, ...) are at least interesting. That's not counting locations like memorials or buildings.)

It's also very cheap to get to other cities, either by train (OK, just Amsterdam by train) or by plane.

[Patiod]

10. Venice

I spent 5 days there for work a year and a half ago in June, 95% of the time on my own (one night my clients did include me in their dinner plans at a ritzy restaurant, which was nice) for a convention of European physicians that we needed to interview. My first time in Europe.

It is an amazingly SAFE place - NO bad neighborhoods and VERY little crime (think about it -- where exactly does the purse snatcher escape to?) I'm a woman and I walked alone all the time, sometimes quite late at night, and have never felt safer.

Tons of shopping, museums, but for me most of all it was just the joy of walking walking walking. You inevitably get lost, but that's when you come upon lovely little courtyards with fountains in the middle, or beautiful old palaces, or a really cool little restaurants,

Also, I enjoyed all the tiny cafes - my last day I got "trapped" at an outdoor table (under an awning) during a downpour for several hours. Doesn't suck to be "trapped" with sore feet, a good book, a carafe of wine, a great view of the Cannaregio, all the seafood I could order, and a nice couple from Spain (who spoke a little English) at the next table.

Also, there are no cars in Venice, which is not so impressive when you read about it, but it's what makes the place so wonderful and other-worldly. Just imagine walking the streets of a city at night, smelling the jasmine (in June at least) and NO CARS. The only sounds are the boat engines (sometimes) and the sounds of people's footsteps in the alleys. Every night I used to sit in the window of my hotel and have a glass of wine and just listen to the quiet and the footsteps.

The only 2 downsides are
1) I couldn't get a decent table at a good restaurant because I was traveling alone (I saw solo guys discriminated against the same way). At one place, I almost started crying: "but I walked all the way from the Castello! And I'll be in and out in an hour! And I'll overtip!". Fortunately the young woman owner took pity on me and seated me. Since there's no real concept of "turning tables" in Italy - once you're seated, a table is considered yours for the night - so if you tell them you'll be in and out in an hour or so, they may be more willing to let you have a good table.

2) the crowds in the San Marco area are hair-tearingly enormous and annoying. To get from my hotel to my base of operations for work, I had to cross 3 bridges and the square, and it was INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING. Fortunately, most tourists don't get beyond San Marco. There were many other places where I had the streets and alleys almost to myself.

[marmar]

11. Amsterdam is a great place for a solo traveler

First off, it's a place where more than any other, you're completely free what you want to do. There are lots of solo travelers, so dining solo doesn't produce the awkwardness that it does in some other places. Also, it's really compact and very easy to manage, but yet has plenty of world-class museums and attractions of cities much bigger.
Thirdly, there's no language barrier. Almost everyone in A'dam can speak English better than most of your friends, and they can usually speak a couple of other non-Dutch languages too.
And there's the vibe - mellow, chilled-out, accepting and fun. There's no place like it!
I also love London, Paris, Barcelona and Berlin. Combining A'dam with either of them, esp. London and Paris, would be fairly cheap and easy. (Express Thalys trains to Paris, cheap flights to London). I suspect there are cheap flights on transavia, air berlin or easyjet to berlin and barcelona too.

[elehhhhna]

20. Yep. I spent a few days alone there and LOVED it.

[Inland]

13. self delete

[FM Arouet666]

14. Lots of ideas.

I love Amsterdam, but it can be a bit gritty. Don't get me wrong, I am sitting here wearing a Holland T-shirt with a big green leaf on the front, but the city can be a bit of a shock. For a girl going solo Amsterdam would not be my first pic. However, if 'coffee bars' is what you are after and a wild party scene, Holland is the place to be.

If history and architecture are important, I would suggest Italy or France. France will be very expensive. Paris is the greatest city on the planet. Narrowly edging out Tokyo and Manhattan. Italy is do-able on a budget. When I first started to travel I stuck with one city, spent a week or so in one place, a few day trips, things were easy. Now, I go nuts, multiple countries, cars, planes etc. Lots of learning experiences in between. Start out simply and work up.

As for Italy, I love Rome, big enough to spend a week, safe, and lots to do. Florence, Milan, Venice are nice, but I couldn't spend a week in each place unless I took a lot of outside trips. With Rome, you can stay in the city a week without a problem. Florence is nice but you have to rent a car and drive around Tuscany. A week in Florence alone will drive you nuts.

London is a great city, everyone speaks your language, lots to do, a week in London is well spent.

Germany is nice, but you would have to travel around to get a good experience. I could spend a week or two in Germany, but not in one location.

Spain is a wonderful country, Madrid for the art and history with day trips around the country side, lots of buses to take you around. Or Barcelona, Majorca and Ibiza to party and feast like a king, or queen. However, no one speaks english. They are not rude about it, they just don't speak English.

Eastern Europe, Greece, Turkey, Scandinavia all have some pluses, I haven't traveled extensively to these locals, my Turkey/Egypt trip got scuttled with the recent uproar over the cartoons. Just not safe. Prague and Budapest are nice cities but not first choices, however everyone spoke english. I was beginning to worry that Czech was a dead language, but the country side yielded the requisite language barrier, lots of smiling and nodding.

If I was traveling to Europe for the first time I would fly to Amsterdam, stay a few days, then take a train to Paris and fly back from there, or Fly to Rome or London for a week. You don't have to do everything in one trip, get your 'travel legs' first, start easy and work up.

[wake.up.america]

15. I'm biased of course, I suggest Salzburg, Berchtesgaden, Munich...

Please forward questions to me, as I have worked a travel guide in those areas.

[wakeme2008]

19. Trains :)

I was in Amsterdam around 10 years ago and went to the train station to go to Rotterdam. There were hundreds of kids 13-17 in age in group of around 5 traveling around Europe by train.

I do not known about the old Soviet Union countries but the old Europe is pretty safe.

[SodoffBush]

21. Amsterdam is A LOT different from the rest of the Netherlands

I enjoy other places in the Netherlands, but I got my bicycle stolen in Amsterdam, so hold a bit of a grudge. Lots of druggies there, and they steal bikes.

The Netherlands is the most, or one of the most, populated countries in Europe, and I feel rather claustrophobic there. In Germany, once you get out of Frankfurt (do so immediately), the crime is minimal.
France is one of my favorite countries. Paris has crime, especially on the train from the airport to the city (pickpockets), so you have to be careful w/that. Once outside of Paris, life is a bit less hectic. I like the Burgandie/Jura region. Do you like wine?

Try to go somewhere for two weeks, at least. Trains are easy to get around on.

Beerfests start in Germany in Sept. Stuttgart has a nice one, the Bad Canstetter. Avoid Munich's. Too crowded.

London would be easy, and if you can get out into the countryside, there's so much to do.

[smirkymonkey]

24. My favorite places...

Anywhere in Italy (except I don't really care much for Rome, although it is something to see), Paris and the French countryside, especially Provence - Arles, Avignon, Aix, etc.

Bruges, Belgium was one of my favorite places - so charming and quaint, not too big. I like the UK and Ireland (especially the Cotswolds & the West Coast of Ireland) but they aren't quite as exotic as the continent. Also like Vienna & Salzburg, Austria, Munich & Heidelburg Germany. I would LOVE to go to Prague and the Bohemian countryside, although I haven't been there yet.

As a woman, I found that I was less harassed in the Northern European countries - Italy and the South of France were the worst, especially if you are a blond woman travelling alone.

[donco6]

25. I love Germany.

I've been to Frankfurt, Munich, Cologne and other places in Bavaria. Also to Salzburg, Austria - which I'd revisit in a SECOND. In fact, if I did it again, I'd probably stay the entire time in the Salzburg region. Just beautiful. People were friendly. Great food. Fun trips to take. Lovely, lovely town. Huge cathedral. Castle. You name it - if it's got "european" written on it, Salzburg has it.

And don't miss the Sound of Music tour. What a hoot!

[spindrifter]

26. My quasi-son-in-law just returned

from a great trip to England and the Netherlands. He spent most of the trip in London, but flew to Amsterdam and stayed in Utrecht, which he thought was great--an old, old city with loads of color. He used to live in London and was pretty familiar with the main sights, so this was sort of a refresher. The twist was that he wandered around East London a lot, finding lots of little markets untainted by tourists. Said most of the great museums he was interested in in Amsterdam were closed for refurbishing. Still, there was plenty to do.