Europe On A Budget

[DaVincilog]

been to europe 5 years ago but sadly i was still a travel tyro then so we took a bus tour. its okay if you want to see the highlights of europe and don't want any of the usual hassles but i would prefer to go backpacking and explore places on my own. good thing we had a whole week to k*ll before our bus tour which we spent exploring London.

[Magaling]

I agree. Ditch Geneva. It's a boring place. If you're bent on traveling to Switzerland, other cities will probably be of better cultural value. Lucerne is a popular tourist place but all I saw was one huge shopping complex. Actually, I find Switzerland boring. If you're into gorgeous scenery and quiet, then it's a good place for you (parang retirement place nga e ).

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I couldn't agree more. You can get tired of Geneva in minutes. I was in Geneva once for a two-week conference. Geez! There is absolutely nothing to do after the day is over and for two freaking weeks, I'll end my day feeding the ducks and swans at the lake.

 

I've stayed in Bern as well and it isn't that much better. Highlight of my day was to watch the clock tower every 12 noon and that's it.

[Podweed]

i'll be traveling parts of it alone, parts of it with a cousin and some parts with a few friends. and depending on the location of family and friends who live there, i've definitely decided to drop in london, geneva, paris, barcelona, lisbon, amsterdam, rome, florence, vienna, berlin and prague. still thinking if two months is enough for all these places or not.. or if i can squeeze in a couple more cities.

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At the very least, I'm guessing you've already been to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, and Florence. Instead of them, why not visit Edinburgh or Dublin, Lyon, Warsaw, Budapest, Athens, or Istanbul? Those cities are relatively off the beaten path and all are rich in history, culture, and less expensive to stay in.

[Magaling]

Here's an FR on one of my most favorite cities in Europe:

 

MADRID

 

Spain is one of the few places in Europe where you can actually afford to take a cab. Taxi fare from the airport to downtown Madrid would cost you around 20 Euros. Ok, ok, that's around 1,500 pesos, I know. But compared to most other European cities, this is a bargain. Of course, you could always take the train as long as you know which station is closest to your hotel.

 

Places to stay: I like staying in the hotels along Gran Via. Depending on the time of year, you can get rates as low as USD 40/day! Plus, from Gran Via, it's walking distance to the Don Quijote monument, Palacio Real and Plaza Mayor. Retiro Park is merely a 10 Euro cab ride away (again you could always take the train).

 

Places to see: As always, this would depend on how much time you have and what interests you. There are historical sites aplenty! Places popular with tourists include Retiro Park, Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real, etc. If you want to visit places which have a bearing on Philippine history, visit Hotel Ingles. There's a historical marker there that tells you this was the place where Jose Rizal and company met frequently in the late 1800s. At Retiro Park, there are streets named after each former Spanish Colony. Look for Calle Filipinas.

 

Places to eat: Paella is a MUST. Especially paella madrileña. Many restaurants serve paella. I enjoy dining in the restaurants in Plaza Mayor. Try going to the tapas bars in the early evening. Pag sinabing "tapas", baka isipin ninyo parang yung tapang baka natin. Mali! Tapas is the Spanish equivalent of our pulutan. Maraming klase. My favorites are chorizo and tortilla :cool: (hindi yung tortillang Mexicano ha? Pag nasa Madrid ka, ang tawag dun ay torta). Yung torta naman natin which is an omelet actually, yun ang tortilla! My favorite tapas bars are at "Las Cuevas" which are restaurants carved out from the stone foundations of Plaza Mayor. :cool: As you can expect, a lot of Spanish cuisine would be familiar to the average Pinoy. Even the sweets. Pastillas, polvoron, etc. :goatee: You'll also be pleasantly surprised how popular San Miguel beer is in Spain. On a budget? Go to the basement of El Corte Ingles and buy foodstuff at the grocery.

 

Shopping: El Corte Ingles is Spain's answer to Marks & Spencer of the Brits and our very own(brace yourself) SM. The last few times I was in Madrid, I bought Springfield brand shoes at the equivalent of around 1,500 pesos (they sell for 3-4 times more if you buy them at Glorietta). If you have a Spanish-sounding surname, it might be worthwhile to go the El Gran Bazar in Plaza Mayor and check out your family's origin and coat of arms. They have a checklist of surnames and you can order them to print your family's history and coat of arms (with authentication) for 20 Euros. And for another 5 Euros, you can order a "cartel". A cartel is a poster announcing bullfights with a picture of a "torero" (if you're a guy) o kaya flamenco dancer (if you're a girl) with your name on it.

 

Other things to do: Watch a bull fight! "Visit" Museo de Jamon which is actually NOT a museum but a restaurant with legs of ham hanging on all the walls. We're all familiar with jamon serrano. Try jamon jabugo. Mas masarap yon pero halos doble ang presyo.

 

This is also a good chance for you to brush up on your Spanish. You'll realize kung gaano ka-ogags yung mga Pinoy na pinagmamalaki na "coño" daw sila when you realize what that word really means. "Coño" ka ba? Sige na nga. If you insist. :evil: Subukan nyo rin yung mga salitang "puñeta" o kaya "leche". These really don't mean anything to the Spaniards and the only reaction you will probably solicit would be a blank stare. Indeed, Pinoy "Spanish" has really evolved light years away from its original roots.

 

Kung Atenista ka, visit Ateneo de Madrid. It's not a school, mind you. Check it out.

Edited January 28, 2005 by Magaling

[Lana]

Been to Barcelona? Any tips on where to go and what to do?

Have you tried visiting the musuems in Madrid (Prado, etc.) or that isn't your thing?

 

El Corte Ingles is... uh... a shopping mall Boring!

Edited January 28, 2005 by Lana

[Podweed]

Been to Barcelona? Any tips on where to go and what to do?

Have you tried visiting the musuems in Madrid (Prado, etc.) or that isn't your thing?

 

El Corte Ingles is... uh... a shopping mall Boring!

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I've been to the Prado. Must say I can spend days on end inside it.

[missmanners]

thanks for your tips, guys! though my trip is months from now, am dutifully writing down all the relevant things you've suggested. am really grateful! continue posting, please!!! :flowers:

[faithhope78]

I really enjoyed the posts,very informative indeed.

 

 

:mtc:

[Magaling]

Been to Barcelona? Any tips on where to go and what to do?

Have you tried visiting the musuems in Madrid (Prado, etc.) or that isn't your thing?

 

El Corte Ingles is... uh... a shopping mall Boring!

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My Dear Lana:

 

Yes, I've been to Barcelona. There's a "rivalry" that exists between Barceleños and Madrileños (just like Tokyo-Japanese and Osaka-Japanese). Where Madrid is the political and economic center, Barcelona is supposedly the cultural capital of Spain. :cool:

 

Places of interest include the Gothic Quarter where you can find the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família which is one of Gaudi's more popular works. The magic fountains of Montjuic is a sight to behold in the evening. :goatee:

 

My favorite place is the Catedral de Barcelona (different from Sagrada Familia) is also one of the city's most famous landmarks (although it was undergoing renovation when I went there). The Catedral is walking distance from Las Ramblas where you can find hawkers of everything from souvenirs, birds, fruits, flowers, paintings etc. The streets between the Catedral and Las Ramblas are lined with shops selling polvoron, pastillas and other Spanish pastries. Try sampling these and bring some home for pasalubong. They are quite different from our "Pinoy" version. Once you get to Las Ramblas though, watch out for pick pockets!

 

Although I can appreciate art, I can't honestly say that I'm deep into it. Thus, I have not visited any of the museums. Not to mention that I travel mostly on business and so visiting a museum would not be high on my list of things to do. If art is your thing, you might be pleased to know that Barcelona is supposedly the showcase for Dali and Picasso, aside from Gaudi, etc. Copies of their paintings are sold at Las Ramblas.

 

El Corte Ingles is not a mall. It's more of a department store chain just like Mark's & Spencer in the UK. That's only if you are into shopping and you're looking for a place where you might find everything under one roof. It's also where I buy food stuff in lieu of restaurants and burger chains.

 

Well, happy traveling and I hope I can be of some help.

 

Cheers!

Edited February 1, 2005 by Magaling

[missmanners]

hey guys!

 

thanks again for all the info. found everything posted here absobloominutely helpful. my tentative departure date is sometime september. hope with all my might nothing comes up between now and then to force me to postpone it, or worse, cancel!

 

in the meantime, i'm bumping up this thread again. keep on posting guys! every little bit of information helps.

 

thanks again.

 

:flowers:

[missmanners]

AAACCCKK!!!

 

was told this morning i might have to fly out to switzerland as early as next month! will be there for a week on business but i'm sure i'll have downtime as well.

 

anyone else been there? what's to do in zurich and geneva? should i bring thermals?

[wolfy]

AAACCCKK!!!

 

was told this morning i might have to fly out to switzerland as early as next month! will be there for a week on business but i'm sure i'll have downtime as well.

 

anyone else been there? what's to do in zurich and geneva? should i bring thermals?

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You should at least be prepared for the temperature not too exceed 0 degrees at most during the day. And expect lower temps. Thermals .. mmm .. depends on how good u can hold yourself in this cold.

 

Both Zurich and Geneva are perfect tourist spots. Enough to see in the old towns, nice scenery and good restaurants and bars. Haven't been in geneva myself and only travelled past Zurich, but from a distance it looked great and from what what i heard its fun to spend there a few days.

 

By the way .. lots of snow is coming down this year. Make sure you plan a skiing trip.

[gadgets]

first time ko sa zurich, i was on a red eye from ATL which arrived saturday morning, made the mistake of napping sa hotel and waking up at 3PM. well most of the shops in bahnhofstraße have already closed and there was really nothing else to do except to window shop, in hindsight this was good since tulo laway lang ako kasi i couldn't afford what i saw in the windows. this was back in 1998, don't know if it has improved any.

 

the nightlife is quite tame, it mainly in the old town. the time i was there, they has some sort of carnival. lots of brass bands competing against each other on the street, it was fun but it's not as wild as the new orleans mardi gras.

 

as far as bringing thermals, it's better to be safe that sorry. i don't know what your tolerance level is, but the temperature in march is usually in the single digit ©.

 

enjoy your stay in switzerland.

[agxo3]

Lots of good info on theis thread already, but let me add a suggestion and a warning.

 

Suggestion - one way to save (even if you're over 26!) is to stay at youth hostels. They'll take pretty much anyone. Good if you're traveling alone. Cheap. Not fancy and you'll have to share a shower, but what the heck, right?

 

Warning - when in Rome.......be careful of the gypsy kids. REALLY GOOD purse snatchers/pickpockets. Best advice would be to keep your valuables in a waist or shoulder pack that's under your clothes. And just enough money in your pockets for your next stop or two. Nothing in a back pocket - always in a front pocket.

 

There are books by Rick Stevens that you should try to pick up if you can. You may need to buy them through Amazon if your local bookstores don't carry them.

 

Favorite cities -

London - shops, theater (nothing else like it, not even New York), great sights and old buildings (I'm a fan of old architecture)

Paris - great food, great museums, great (and cheap!) wine. So they're a bit on the rude side - look around and you'll see two levels of rudeness - one for Parisiennes and one for everyone else.

Beaune - small town feel, wonderful wine (burgundy! yum!), great food. Great place to walk around.

Amsterdam - EVERYONE speaks English! The funny stuff you can get a the "cafes" (you have to ask for the special menu). Van Gogh and other great masters. A canal tour at night.

Rome (despite the gypsy kids) - old, old, old stuff. 2000 year old blocks of stone that I can STILL read (I took Latin in high school) in the forum and other places. The Pantheon is an architectural marvel, as is St. Peter's Square (actually, it's oval!). Piazza di Navona (an old, as in Roman Empire old, racetrack) is a good place to get some espresso and sit and wtch th epeople. Or, you can sit on the Spanish Steps and watch the crowd.

 

Eat where the locals do. Pub food can be a cliche, but some of teh best food I've had in London was at various pubs. Fish and chips? Battered fried fish (usually cod or haddock) and potatoes. With malt vinegar. When it's good it's very good, when it's bad - yecch! In Paris, the small neighborhood places are the best! Stay away from places with lots of foreigners - typically expensive and not too good (other than Tour d'Argent and Taillavent but those are very, very $$$$).

[scubapro]

Won't recommend backpacking or travelling alone, all kinds of hassles, not only the expenses, the wasted time through immigration (Philippine passport kasi...), connecting transportation..., language problems pa.. ..you will end up frustrated....and dissapointed .... better to join an escorted tour group from any of the following, Contiki specializes for the 18 - 35 age group..., Insight or Trafalgar, also have tours for those below 40's..., if you join their regular tours..., sorry to say, ang kasama mo puro senior citizens..., whereas for the below 40's, puro bars and nightlife for your age group..., local agencies are Rajah and Pan Pacific...