[Blue Ninja]

Hey evilore you want some housing in Belgium? i have a spare sofa and that would be the second american gaffer (irishninja) this year that can enjoy beer chocolate and stuff. and my epic gamecollection. I live is one of the most beautifullest cities in belgium (better then brugges). so pm me or something like that. so i can give you more info.

Impossible.

[Johnlenham]

I skipped to page four after the first page but have you looked into getting an Interrail pass?

Basiclay you pay X amount of money and you can use european trains to go to X amount of stops and can get you most of the way around Europe.

Those pics of Portugual looked nuts.

[Glass Rebel]

Kosovo

If you have any interest in the Kosovo war or Yugoslavia in general you owe it to yourself to visit Kosovo.

This is probably the closest you will ever come to see a country still trying to rebuild itself even over a decade after war has passed. Tell me if you're interested to know more about it or shoot me a PM. I'll even be there from 18/19 July to 6 August and I'd be happy to show you Pristina.

[Micerider]

Those pics of Portugual looked nuts.

Oh Madeira is something special. I'll try to post a few pics of my trip there 4 years ago, it might give some ideas to Evilore. If you enjoy hiking without having to set the camp in the wilderness to see some truely astounding landscapes (most big hikes are doable within a day), that's the place you're looking for.

[Fritz]

Oh Madeira is something special. I'll try to post a few pics of my trip there 4 years ago, it might give some ideas to Evilore. If you enjoy hiking without having to set the camp in the wilderness to see some truely astounding landscapes (most big hikes are doable within a day), that's the place you're looking for.

Is Madeira all about hiking though? How are the beaches, architecture etc.? I am looking into my next holiday here.

[Blue Ninja]

Oh Madeira is something special. I'll try to post a few pics of my trip there 4 years ago, it might give some ideas to Evilore. If you enjoy hiking without having to set the camp in the wilderness to see some truely astounding landscapes (most big hikes are doable within a day), that's the place you're looking for.

Very interesting. I might try and go there this summer.

[Vagabundo]

Evilore, if you do stay in Ireland at all make sure you stay in some B&B's, most have a homely feel and they can point you to good things to do locally, and you'll still get to mix with other travelers.

There are tonnes of high quality B&Bs around and they are usually where the Irish stay if they are travelling in Ireland.

[Micerider]

Is Madeira all about hiking though? How are the beaches, architecture etc.? I am looking into my next holiday here.

Well, you would be VERY disapointed if you go to Madeira for beaches...there are none :p.

Well, that's partly true, there is one artifical beach on Madeira and one "Sea Pool" carved in the Rock as well (very nice).

However, very close to Madeira (and part of the same autonomous region of Portugal) you have another tiny island : Porto Santo, which is basically one long natural Beach of 9 kilometers.

Madeira, it's rather for wonderfull soft-hiking (along the levadas -small water canals crossing the entire island-) and mid-high hiking (the Hike of the tree "Picos", a bit more "physical" but absolutely breath-taking.

I am at work right now, but I'll definetely try to post a few pics when coming back home.

Stealth Edit : the architecture has nothing astounding either. There are a few nice spots with really nice buildings, but nothing like what you could visit in mainland Portugal (or the rest of Europe, for what matters).

[Kwixotik]

If you stay in Amsterdam at all, I recommend the Flying Pig Hostel Uptown. Very chill environment and its got a smoking room attached to the bar where you'll meet a lot of travelers. Good music too.

And if you're up for seeing some beautiful scenery, I recommend stopping by Lucerne, Switzerland. You can rent a boat and take it out onto the huge lake with mountains around you on every side. It's breathtaking.

If you're headed to Italy, I hear Florence is the best city to visit. You can do Venice in a day, there's really not a ton to see/do there.

Also, Strasbourg, France is a really cool city. It was my home base when I was studying abroad. If you happen to go there, the Strasbourg cathedral is really something to see. Just wander the streets around the city centre and along the canal and you'll definitely run into cool places and have interesting experiences. French people always came up and talked to me around the canal area lol. Petite France in Strasbourg is also worth seeing.

Another edit. I keep remembering things. The English Garden in Munich is awesome if you're ever around there.

[Micerider]

If you're headed to Italy, I hear Florence is the best city to visit. You can do Venice in a day, there's really not a ton to see/do there. Also, Strasbourg, France is a really cool city. It was my home base when I was studying abroad. If you happen to go there, the Strasbourg cathedral is really something to see. Just wander the streets around the city centre and along the canal and you'll definitely run into cool places and have interesting experiences. French people always came up and talked to me around the canal area lol. Petite France in Strasbourg is also worth seeing.

Florence is nice, but what you really should not miss is it's surrounding. Going to Florence without discovering a bit more of Tuscany would be a waste (one of the most Beautiful region in Europe for me).

Strasbourg is nice as well, very culturally-rich city and this is the "land of my Ancestors" (I am belgian, but my mother was born there).

One thing that I would recommand when considering France/Spain, is to take the south-west of France (aahh, le "Pays Cathare") with a lot of interesting stuffs if you are into Medieval castle (Carcassone, Peyrepertuse). You can then move down to Barcelona by taking the north-eastern spanish coast (via Banyuls with a nice stop in Cadaquès).

[Vagabundo]

I have to say I took a week driving around Florence and Tuscany (Sienna, etc) and it is an amazing part of the world. However be prepared for many locals not speaking any English (some of the most memorable bits of the trip was learning a bit of Italian to communicate: I'm pretty bad with languages so that involved me wishing lots of Italians beuanos aires as a fairwell Good Night. lol. they were very patient).

[SLV]

Evilore, if you do decide to visit Latvia, then after sightseeing Riga you definetly have to come to Sigulda, i can offer you free lodging, a guided tour from me all over the Latvias number one tourism city's tourist points of interest, as well as traditional Latvian grilling and the best bear or even mead you have ever tasted. All on me, like Onkelc i am also serious.

[Johnlenham]

Dudes going to be able to travel forever with all these free housing and guide offers haha

[godelsmetric]

You can stay with me EvilLore.



To be honest in the UK outside of London there's probably not a much that's interesting from a touristy perspective. I guess maybe like Cambridge and Oxford?

[Johnlenham]

You can stay with me EvilLore. To be honest in the UK outside of London there's probably not a much that's interesting from a touristy perspective. I guess maybe like Cambridge and Oxford?

Bath? Bristol? Glasgow? Southwest coast? Shakespears place of birth that name escapes me? Manchester is supposed to be pretty good.

[Linius]

If you like The Beatles liverpool is surely a must when visiting the UK.

[tirant]

Don't support this nonsense. The bulls are all killed in cruel bullfights later in the day.

Just don't go to the bullfight later in the day.

Pamplona in july is something to hate or love. I suppose if you love being around thousands of drunk people and partying all day long you can love it. I did when I was 21 and I loved it.

Besides that, Pamplona is nothing special. In Spain I wouldn't miss Barcelona, Granada, and the north - north/west part. Amazing food, amazing landscapes and amazing gothic and romanesque monuments.

I'm specially in love with old Kingdom of Asturias/Leon (Galicia, Asturias and Leon). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2O5s00uAQ4 It's a pity they don't take care of their old monuments. I even saw an old castle from the XII century that was used by a shepherd to keep his sheeps. It was on sale for around €3,000...

[RJT]

Is Madeira all about hiking though? How are the beaches, architecture etc.? I am looking into my next holiday here.

Madeira is composed of two islands. The main island has almost no beaches, but has some interesting towns. The best thing is definitely the hikes, but you can also spend a few days traveling by car.



The smaller Island (Porto Santo) is famous for the beaches:

[Johnlenham]

^ Do Want.

[Linius]

My parents just got back from Madeira. They brought me some Poncho, the local drink. From the photo's the island looked quite nice. Also saw some weird fellas pushing people in carts down a hill :P



Something like this.

[godelsmetric]

Bath? Bristol? Glasgow? Southwest coast? Shakespears place of birth that name escapes me? Manchester is supposed to be pretty good.

Ooh, Bath and Glasgow, good point.

[Corto]

My parents just got back from Madeira. They brought me some Poncho, the local drink. From the photo's the island looked quite nice. Also saw some weird fellas pushing people in carts down a hill :P [img] http://i.imgur.com/wMDUk.jpg [/img] Something like this.

hehehe It's Poncha. A sugar cane brandy. Dangerous stuff... Madeira is also beautiful, my honeymoon was there so I am a little biased. But Azores is a bit more "untouched" and natural. If you go to Madeira - Funchal you need to go to a small restaurant in Funchal near the Public Market (another must-visit awesome colors, fragrances, friendly people) named Jaquet. The owner is a riot, and as the restaurant is almost side by side with the market you will get fresh fish, vegetables everything top notch quality. Nothing too fancy, just a welcoming, lighthearted place.

[Micerider]

hehehe It's Poncha. A sugar cane brandy. Dangerous stuff... Madeira is also beautiful, my honeymoon was there so I am a little biased. But Azores is a bit more "untouched" and natural. If you go to Madeira - Funchal you need to go to a small restaurant in Funchal near the Public Market (another must-visit awesome colors, fragrances, friendly people) named Jaquet. The owner is a riot, and as the restaurant is almost side by side with the market you will get fresh fish, vegetables everything top notch quality. Nothing too fancy, just a welcoming, lighthearted place.

No wonder that you like Madeira with your Avatar ;)

As far as restaurants are concerned in Funchal, nothing can beat "Amarzem do sal". Discovered it "by mistake" in a small street and found it fantastic.

[StoppedInTracks]

You planning on visiting Poland or Czech Republic?

[Linius]

The locals told my parents with some pride that Ronaldo is from their island :P

Anyways, I've been visiting Andalucia (south of Spain) for quite a few times now and that's a really awesome area to take a look. One town in particular I fell in love with, Ronda. It's an old town with some impressive sights such as the Puente Nuevo. They also have a very nice bull fighters arena over there. Though I'm not that fund of bull fighting in general this Arena is quite impressive.
Then there's Granada with it's massive Alhambra. An old fortress constructed by the Arabs in the fourteenth century. If you wanna see the third largest cathedral in Europe you should pay a visit to Sevilla. For more Cathedral fun you can visit Cordoba, the location of the Mezquita Cathedral. A cathedral with quite some history. It began as a church but when the moores invaded Spain they turned it into a mosque. During the Spanish reconquistion it became a church again. Nowadays you can still see both cultures coming together in one building.
Besides the obvious cultural stuff down there they also have some awesome 'white-washed villages'. Small hill side towns only containing white painted houses (because of the immense heath). It's a typical Andalucian tradition. I really liked Mijas.

EDIT (added some pictures)

Puenta Nuevo



Alhambra



Cathedral de Sevilla



Mijas

[i nerini del buio]

If you have time, you should visit Scilla (Italy)
There's not much to do there actually, but it's a beautiful place and you can see Sicily across the sea.

Maybe once you're there you can go see these two:



You can find them in the Magna Grecia National Museum of Reggio Calabria

You should absolutely visit Sicily too. It's the most beautiful region in Italy, in my opinion.

[Backwards Marathon]

Planning a trip after undergrad graduation, this thread will come in handy

[Xater]

You are cordially invited to enjoy a few days of my cooking, a few restaurant visits of your choice as well as some Autobahn speeding and maybe a bit of Nürburgring driving if you feel to drop by at my place. Please send me a PM if you'd appreciate that. Edit: I'd take care of decent housing as well. Edit2: Cologne/Rhineland area, that is.

Sure ;b

If you make it to the Cologne area you should let German GAF know. A lot of us are from Northrhine Westphalia including myself. Definitely a meetup possibility with maybe some sightseeing ;)

Also because I have just been there and loved it I'd recommend Budpest. Beautiful and interesting city with lots of cool stuff to see.

[Vivalaraza]

There is nothing to see here in London. Save yourself the money

That's how it seems when you're lucky enough to be living in a city like London. Only realised this when I left London. There is so much to do and see in London. Whether it's right for this particular trip of Evi's i'm not sure. Pay it a fleeting visit but really to see London properly you'll want to come over and visit and put yourself up in a nice hotel, as opposed to your hiking across the continent idea.

I reccomend south of Spain, Andalucia. Went there last summer and it was just beautiful. So much to do and see and the cities are bursting with culture. Granada in particular was lovely.

[Bitmap Frogs]

Just don't go to the bullfight later in the day. Pamplona in july is something to hate or love. I suppose if you love being around thousands of drunk people and partying all day long you can love it. I did when I was 21 and I loved it. Besides that, Pamplona is nothing special. In Spain I wouldn't miss Barcelona, Granada, and the north - north/west part. Amazing food, amazing landscapes and amazing gothic and romanesque monuments. I'm specially in love with old Kingdom of Asturias/Leon (Galicia, Asturias and Leon). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2O5s00uAQ4 It's a pity they don't take care of their old monuments. I even saw an old castle from the XII century that was used by a shepherd to keep his sheeps. It was on sale for around €3,000...

I have to say if you want a party, nothing beats the San Fermines.

It's what.. 3 days? of non-stop drinking and partying. Things get crazy there. And I mean real crazy.

Running the bulls is a one-in-a-lifetime experience, but they always kill someone every year, so up to you ;D

[onesvenus]

Well, if you go to Spain I'd say that you should visit Granada, such a wonderful place with the mix between spanish and arabic cultures.




And If you want to come to a town in the pirinees to go trecking, Berga, my hometown. An amazing place just 100km north of Barcelona and where the pirinees start. Of course if you do come here, please contact me, maybe I could rearrange work to have some spare days to go trekking and show you some landscapes.





And I know this won't be a good received idea around here but why don't you go to the regions that want it's freedom from their countries? North Ireland, Catalonia, Basque Country, .. I think that would be a good way to connect with the culture and know a different point of view about each country.

[SLV]

BTW that offer is available to any decent gaffer visiting Latvia :P

About Germany GAF, i am going on holiday to Germany myself from 29. June till 11. July, any gaffers near Oberstdorf ?

[DrM]

You should stop in Slovenia, we have everything. Mountains, rivers, old towns, sea, thermal spas, wine... :)

[Nista]

This thread is making me jealous of all the Euro-GAFers. It's not half as pretty around here during the summer. :)

I need to find some time in my schedule for a real vacation like that. Or find an excuse to get sent to Gamescom and then travel around Germany drinking beer.

[cheddar]

I sent a message to EL, but to everyone else: if there's any way I can help anyone who's going to travel Europe, let me know! I'm finishing up my 4 month trip through:

Italy (Rome, Florence, Naples, Catania)
Ukraine (Kiev, Kamianets-Podilskyi)
Moldova (Chisinau)
Romania (Bucharest, Brasov, Cluj)
Bulgaria (Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv)
Turkey (Istanbul, Fethiye, Goreme, Urfa, Hasankeyf, Trabzon)
Georgia (Batumi, Tbilisi)

with brief visits to other cities.

[Bitmap Frogs]

And I know this won't be a good received idea around here but why don't you go to the regions that want it's freedom from their countries? North Ireland, Catalonia, Basque Country, .. I think that would be a good way to connect with the culture and know a different point of view about each country.

Oh please, this is not the place.

Besides, I don't know about Basque Country nor North Ireland but the majority of Catalans do not desire independence thus it is misleading to paint Catalonia that way.

[EviLore]

Phew, I'm overwhelmed with recommendations and support and offers of hospitality. What a wonderful problem to be subjected to :D. Thanks for all the posts so far.

[Scipius]

Phew, I'm overwhelmed with recommendations and support and offers of hospitality. What a wonderful problem to be subjected to :D. Thanks for all the posts so far.

That was the likely result given your request; there's simply too much to see in a densely populated continent with 2000+ years of architectural history, and that's ignoring the natural sights.

You could make a basic itinerary based on what you yourself really want to visit, then ask GAF to fill in the trips in between those spots. Based on that feedback you can better gauge how long those trips will take as well.

Just remember, you will be leaving wishing you had been able to visit more in any case.

[kharma45]

Oh please, this is not the place. Besides, I don't know about Basque Country nor North Ireland but the majority of Catalans do not desire independence thus it is misleading to paint Catalonia that way.

And nor will Northern Ireland be leaving the UK any time soon either.

That's how it seems when you're lucky enough to be living in a city like London. Only realised this when I left London. There is so much to do and see in London. Whether it's right for this particular trip of Evi's i'm not sure. Pay it a fleeting visit but really to see London properly you'll want to come over and visit and put yourself up in a nice hotel, as opposed to your hiking across the continent idea. I reccomend south of Spain, Andalucia. Went there last summer and it was just beautiful. So much to do and see and the cities are bursting with culture. Granada in particular was lovely.

Yeah for outsiders London almost as too much to do, I was there for 4 days last week and didn't have enough time to do all that I'd want to do.

[Zeouterlimits]

Phew, I'm overwhelmed with recommendations and support and offers of hospitality. What a wonderful problem to be subjected to :D. Thanks for all the posts so far.

Speaking of which, I've just moved into a new apartment with a spare bedroom.
Already offered it to Blue Ninja, but of course you'd be welcome too.

It's in the SW of Ireland.

[CassSept]

Oh also right, since you will be visiting Poland if you were going between Tatry and Mazury and wanted to stay for one day in Warsaw feel free to ask, I have a spare room.

[IceCold]

Is Madeira all about hiking though? How are the beaches, architecture etc.? I am looking into my next holiday here.

Here are some pics of it:

Looks nice. It also has the biggest laurisilva forest in the world. Which is the ancient vegetation of the Mediterranean basin. The Azores is also a really cool place to visit if you are into nature and stuff. It has cool architecture as well. Angra Do Heroismo is particularly nice. I wouldn't go to there for a Europe trip though. It's pretty isolated and expensive to go.

[TheRagnCajun]

Awesome thread. Great suggestions for Italy and Germany.

Can EuroGAF give some advice for Switzerland and Austria? I'm planning a trip myself...

[Fxp]

If EviLore decides to go as far as Latvia (recommended on first page) I'll gladly be your guide for a few days :)

[Fritz]

Thanks guys. Madeira and the Azores are stunning.

[thezerofire]

I'll be keeping a tab on this thread. I'm going to be doing pretty much the same thing after I graduate next year. Good luck and safe travels!

[angelkimne]

Well, I'll try to give you some more general advice;

MOUNTAINS!!!
If you want mountain landscapes, then you're pretty much obligated to visit the Alps, being by far the grandest range in Europe. My personal recommendation is the small Jungfrau region in Switzerland. I've been to a number of different places, but it wins with ease. I won't give you some HDR'd wonder-photo, just three fairly pedestrian ones I took (last summer);







Switzerland overall is remarkable for it's excellent train system, which will take you pretty much anywhere superfast, as well as for having many of the prettiest train journey's in the world, as you may find out if you look for 'list of the world's prettiest train journey' sort of articles... so, if yiou get a Eurail pass, I'd recommend stopping by there.

The other country I have to recommend for mountaineering and wonderful sights in Norway. They aren't as tall as they make them in the Alps, but there are Fjords, and Fjords pretty much fuel the Norwegian tourism industry. This is your typical awe-inspiring view.

Finally, if you plan to head to the ~Iberian peninsula (e.g. Spain or Portugal), there's no good reason not to stop by in the Pyrenees, seeing as they're right in your way.

Otherwise, I think it's fair to say the Alps are the best place to go for mountains, and I think Switzerland is where you'll find the best sights within.


Old Towns
London and Paris are probably the world cities of Europe but you have to see at least some of the towns that are famous for their beauty as much as their size.

I won't say too much, just offer a few considerations off the top off my head; Venice, Florence, Dubrovnik, Bruges, Cambridge/Oxford, Bern...


Beaches
Well that one should be easy, beautiful beaches are hardly in short supply in Southern Europe in the Summer. But I guess I'm partial to the Adriatic.


Yeah, I'm off, but I hope what I got down was at least vaguely interesting and useful.

[-BLITZ-]

If anyone has tips for Romania I'm all ears.

Visiting Transilvania, the same how Prince Charles did (thank you for showing that Romania has ineed some unique places) since everything from there is connect to the wild, hills, lakes, vegetation in the middle of Carpati Mountains on old folclor tradition and wealthy food. The North-West of the Romania is the best place to settle.

But do not think that is a good idea to visit Bucharest Capital (South) only because the word Capital, you may think is a good place to visit. Is similar to New York heavy traffic cars and polution with less trees and heavy cement with lot of hoboes ready to snatch all your money, especially taxi drivers that ask for lot of greens since you don't know the real value of our money or lie for a higher price as they are doing this everytime when tourists are coming. And very little English if someone knows. Yeah, who has my age there is no problem with languages as most of us know up to 3/4.

Do not try to consider that is worth to visit Bucharest for the old architectural buldings of the 1920 since most of them are nearly to collaps. Spain (fotball reference) was suprised by how great Bucharest is looking, but our guys choosed only good routes for old buldings early reconditioned from last year and this year, in the heart of the city (Basarab passage bridge). It looks good indeed, but covers only small districts. Bucharest is not worse, but is a place with lots of + and - so its your own risk to take. For example, two weeks a go, a cruise ship with New York passengers, most of them elders, wanted to visit museums and other places, when they found out that everything was closed on that day because of some whatever-relegion-day, contrary to their tickets that everything was open for public. They didn't like the situation, but here, it happens all the time. There is no control on tourism. To not forget, lots of dogs on streets as Spain confirmed it too when they visit Bucharest. Better yet, visit Iasi, is placed exactly on east side of our Romania and is 4 times better than Bucharest, I can confirm that, I visit the city myself and is a splendor.

I live in South-East too, below Iasi, but I don't know who may want to visit my city; is a good place with lot of green and very clean. My city is connected with on 5 main roads so you can't get lost, plus and one of them is so long, I call it the Strip from Las Vegas because of the small palm trees that can be found in the middle of road. At night the city is very active with open restaurants and enough lights/neons to consider that nobody doesn't want to go home. We have a shore too and it was fully reconditioned on scale of 2/3km.

Don't try beaches this year as well because we have algaes all over the place and everything stinks with the color of the sand GREY, better yet go to Bulgaria that is 7 times better than here. We go there actually for being treaty better on hotels, but from what I heard and know, last two years, a lot of our own cars are being stolen from there,


Forgot to mention, lot of beautiful woman on each corner or step you make. If you are a soft one, you will walk with your * up all the time.

Here is a list of all the cities from Romania. Mine is 7th. Just go to their links and look at the pictures, don't mind the language.
http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lista_o...n_Rom%C3%A2nia

[Micerider]

As promised, a few pics from my trip to Madeira a few years ago :

[sphinx]

If you make it to the Cologne area you should let German GAF know. A lot of us are from Northrhine Westphalia including myself. Definitely a meetup possibility with maybe some sightseeing ;) Also because I have just been there and loved it I'd recommend Budpest. Beautiful and interesting city with lots of cool stuff to see.

oh please let me know! I am in Bremen but I can take the train, it's a bit fr but for a GAF meet up, I'd do it.