Europe On A Budget

[titing_galit]

I plan to go to Cyprus and Spain this coming September... anybody here who's been there? Tips please!

 

 

Where in Spain do you intend to go? I've been to Madrid, Toledo and Barcelona. Madrid for culture, Toledo ok for sightseeing, Barcelona for shopping-and some sightseeing.

[dj_flip03]

Here's a stupid(?) question:

 

If I wanna tour EUROPE, what VISA should I get? Can I just get a plane ticket to, let's say, France or Italy? Or do I have to secure different VISAS? How about the SHENGEN visa? To those who have travelled and/or will be travelling, what VISA do you guys have?

[scionmd]

re visa if traveling to europe you need shengen visa 1 visa for most of europe but not all... like if your going to switzerland you need a visa from that country and in u.k you need to get their visa also... france germany belgium austria netherlands shengen visa will do.. you need the visa to get to europe unlike here in asia asean members dont need visa just a plane ticket will do.

[dj_flip03]

re visa if traveling to europe you need shengen visa 1 visa for most of europe but not all... like if your going to switzerland you need a visa from that country and in u.k you need to get their visa also... france germany belgium austria netherlands shengen visa will do.. you need the visa to get to europe unlike here in asia asean members dont need visa just a plane ticket will do.

 

 

Ok. Now, I wonder if its easy to acquire a shengen visa..? How much would it cost?

[shadowspy]

just applied the other day and it costs 60 euros...di ko lang alam kung mahirap kasi this is my third time na mag apply ng schengen (france). The first two, I was sponsored by the italian government kaya no hassle. though yung mga nakasabay ko nun sa embassy mukhang nahirapan.

[shadowspy]

guys, any suggestion kung ano magandang puntahan sa paris? of course other than louvre, eiffel tower, notre dame, sacre coeur, moulin rouge, orsay and other common tourist stuff...will stay for several days in paris and gusto ko sana makita yung ibang sights other than the common touristy stuff. any help is appreciated.

[titing_galit]

DJFlip,

 

Hindi naman ganun kahirap kumuha ng Schengen Visa dito sa atin. But of course, your documents should be in order. In fact, yung 1 consul sa Spanish Embassy magaling magtagalog.

 

 

guys, any suggestion kung ano magandang puntahan sa paris? of course other than louvre, eiffel tower, notre dame, sacre coeur, moulin rouge, orsay and other common tourist stuff...will stay for several days in paris and gusto ko sana makita yung ibang sights other than the common touristy stuff. any help is appreciated.

 

 

Tapos na ba French Open? When I was there last time, French Open kasi. Though mahirap kumuha ng tickets.

[Mike Chester]

guys, any suggestion kung ano magandang puntahan sa paris? of course other than louvre, eiffel tower, notre dame, sacre coeur, moulin rouge, orsay and other common tourist stuff...will stay for several days in paris and gusto ko sana makita yung ibang sights other than the common touristy stuff. any help is appreciated.

 

Try mo punta sa Chatelet or Les Halle magkalapit lang yun, hindi mo ma miss ito kasi ito ang may pinakamalaking Metro Station sa Paris. You will see some weird French architectural design dun sa mga malls nila, then puntahan mo rin ung isang old church dun, sa harap ng church may isang malaking head and hand stone sculpture. Sa Les Halle dami ring mga night markets with affordable prices kung budget shopper ka.

 

Sa restaurant naman, try mo ung sa St. Michelet, lapit lang ito sa Notre Dame, you can find various restaurant there by each country. Pero ang pinaka madami ay ung mga Greek restaurants.

 

And if you haven't been sa Chateau de Versailles, I recommend to visit that castle, mga 45 mins by train lang naman from Paris center. May mga package ticket na sa mga metro station where you can buy both the train and the entrance fee ticket sa castle.

[Mike Chester]

DJFlip,

 

Hindi naman ganun kahirap kumuha ng Schengen Visa dito sa atin. But of course, your documents should be in order. In fact, yung 1 consul sa Spanish Embassy magaling magtagalog.

Tapos na ba French Open? When I was there last time, French Open kasi. Though mahirap kumuha ng tickets.

 

French Open sa last week of May pa ata, sayang nga hindi ko siya maabutan pag punta ko dun next month.

[joesix2nine]

I have been to Paris, Germany, Italy and Switzerland a couple of times but not once did I let a travel agency arrange the tour for me. What I do is organize the countries I will go to including the hotels and when I get there, I call a local tour agent and arrange the tour by myself. In every hotel, you get brochures for the local tour and you can choose right there and there where you want to go. Thing is, I like to wake in my own time, change my itinerary capriciously, go to off beaten paths and meet the local people as much as possible. I also want to eat what I want and not the pre-arranged, commission-add-on restaurants that the tour agent has set for you. I was in a tour group with my in-laws, who insisted in having everything pre-arranged and I tell you, I cannot eat what they try to shove down my throat. I can see our neighbors getting really delicious food while we get all the really cheap ones. Remember, they will take you where it will be profitable for them. Be adventurous but don't be stupid. The europeans may be more educated than most of us and they are quite proud of their cultural and economic status but like in every jungle, the predators lurk for easy prey. If you know how to go around Manila whithout being mugged, you should know how not to tempt the would be muggers. Never had an unfortunate experience in Europe (well our airline lost our baggage twice), but I can sense the opportunists when I see one. Avoid the sweet talkers; they don't care a hoot about you.

 

So far, Paris never ceases to amaze me. The Parisians loved their city so much that they opted to declare it an open city. The German commander who lived there once did not think twice in preserving the city. You can understand why the Parisians are considered a bit rude, their city is just so fabulous!

[juniperxxx]

Need reco on the French cities of Lourdes and Avignon - where in the city best to stay? Thanks

[noypi^]

easyjet, bmi and ryan air lang katapat nyan! pagdating nyo duon sa lugar, dun na lang makipag haggle sa mga hotels.

[jamboree168]

anybody can help me where to find cheap hotels at uk? restos?i be representing the philippines again and schedule at june leaing to london, after months of adventure I am planning to stay in londo for days any reco's?

[chink masta]

you can also work your schedule with the trains. take night trips so you can sleep and spend the night on the move to another country

[shadowspy]

one way to save money is to buy your food at local groceries...it makes you feel more like a local. in terms of accommodation, sleeper trains are a great way of traveling and saving on hotels. corail lunea of sncf (french rail company) is great. I took a 9 hour train from st gervais (near chamonix) to paris. the beds are clean and they give bottled water and a night kit.