[Mafia]

So in may me and a friend will be going to frankfurt germany. we will probably only be staying for 2 weeks but we will go from frankfurt, to munich, to innsbruck(austria) to venice italy and then to rome and maybe some cities along the way. i know a lot of you have been to europe if not live there. any good spots to visit, stay(mainly hostels or cheap hotels probably), night spots to go out and party, and really nice stuff that you just won't see in the states. thanks in advance for replies.

[badidea]

Leave Frankfurt as fast as you can because 2 weeks are by far not enough time for your trip and the other cities are much more beautiful - especially Italy!
Don't forget to make a stop in Firenze on your way from Venetia to Roma!

[effgee]

You guys traveling by car, train, plane? Any particular reason you're stopping in Innsbruck? What hotspots are you looking for? Partying? Culture? Old "crap" to look at?

And yeah - as mentioned by the "Torfstecher" (= badidea, for the non-german speaking crowd) above, get the hell out of Frankfurt. Arrive at the airport, rent a car and stay in Heidelberg (30mins south of Frankfurt) over night, spend a day there and then get traveling.

[TETENAL]

Originally posted by badidea:
Leave Frankfurt as fast as you can because 2 weeks are by far not enough time for your trip and the other cities are much more beautiful - especially Italy!

Er, no. Frankfurt is a beautiful city and well worth a visit.

[effgee]

Originally posted by TETENAL:
Er, no. Frankfurt is a beautiful city and well worth a visit.

I knew you were gonna say that




It's actually not as terrible as badidea and myself made it out to be. But if you're in Europe for a short time only (< 4 wks.) there's lots of other places where you'll get a better bang for your buck (as in: more stuff to see; my $.02 - no offense)

[TETENAL]

Originally posted by effgee:
It's actually not as terrible as badidea and myself made it out to be. But if you're in Europe for a short time only (< 4 wks.) there's lots of other places where you'll get a better bang for your buck (as in: more stuff to see; my $.02 - no offense)

He is landing at Frankfurt, he is going to visit it. And that's a very good idea. The city is one of the most beautiful and spectacular in Europe. You certainly get more "bang for your buck" than in Munich (or Heidelberg ).

[badidea]

What's a "Torfstecher" and where did I say that Frankfurt is ugly (I was thinking it but how should you know )??

[effgee]

Originally posted by TETENAL:
He is landing at Frankfurt, he is going to visit it. And that's a very good idea. The city is one of the most beautiful and spectacular in Europe. You certainly get more "bang for your buck" than in Munich (or Heidelberg

That's wishful thinking as much as it is bullsh!t.

I was aware of the fact that a lot of people in Frankfurt suffered from the incurable "We really want to be a large city but we're not" syndrome - I just didn't think you were one of them.

Frankfurt is nothing but a very tall village in which the percentage of wannabe's (= mid-level employees of banks, brokerages, insurance co's, etc.) who excel at little else aside from making fools of themselves has reached extremely unhealthy levels.

You're telling me you truly believe that Frankfurt, in comparison to Heidelberg, is the better choice for a one-day trip? In that case, I also have a bridge up for sale which you might be interested in.

Frankly, I don't give a crap as to "what city is prettier than the next" but the guy is in Europe for two weeks only - the least you can do is give him some honest advice that is not tainted by laughable regional "pride".

[sgb]

hi
that's a lot of europe in just 2 weeks. maybe i am a bit biased, but try to stay in munich for 2-3 days, it is just awsome in spring time. you will have just missed the "litte oktoberfest" (=munich spring festival) though which ends on may 1st. still, enjoy your stay!!!

[AppleOptionFour]

I read the topic of this thread and thought: "Yeah, great idea...where can I get free wireless the next time Im in Europe."

[roberto blanco]

dp

[roberto blanco]

Originally posted by TETENAL:
Er, no. Frankfurt is a beautiful city and well worth a visit.

LOL.

[visit: barcelona, paris and dublin (and if you've got some time left over, london)]

my .2 €

[Scifience]

Did anybody else click this thread thinking "Wi-Fi?" Or am I just that much of a geek?

[skalie]

To each their own, Frankfurt has incredibly large brothels and you can score and shoot up heroin in the park. ( Disclaimer...... I haven't been there for 15 years, things may have changed )

Heidelberg on the other hand has a very quaint "old town" where you can eat German sausage, drink German beer and ponder the Rhine.

Personally, with two weeks, I'd try not to add cities into the schedule, but rather spend more days in the ones you're already going to. Five days in Rome or so, get a little acquainted, get one's bearings, not have to leave the hotel before 12 for a change.

[skalie]

Originally posted by Mafia:
any good spots to visit, stay(mainly hostels or cheap hotels probably), night spots to go out and party, and really nice stuff that you just won't see in the states

Amsterdam

[entrox]

Going to Austria and not visiting Vienna? Don't be foolish.. it's only 4-5 hours away from Innsbruck and is well worth the visit. There's so much to see (and eat.. REAL Sachertorte!)

[tae667]

1) Stay more than two weeks
2) Come to north!

[historylme]

Originally posted by AppleOptionFour:
I read the topic of this thread and thought: "Yeah, great idea...where can I get free wireless the next time Im in Europe."

LOL, that's funny.

On Topic:
Go to Eastern Europe if possible.

[JohnSmithXTREME]

Every time someone goes on a vacation they post a thread about it. Something tells me that since all of us here are anti-social MacNN forum users, we are not going to have any valuable insight on where to find the best places to party.

[Mafia]

thanks for the replies.
in response to staying longer then 2 weeks. i am 18 and will be leaving with a little less then 1800 euro's. so money is definitely a factor. the main reason we are stopping in innsbruck is it is on the way to venice from munich and would only use half a day on our eurorail pass. we are departing from amsterdam so we will probably be taking a train from rome to amsterdam to leave.

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by Mafia:
thanks for the replies.
in response to staying longer then 2 weeks. i am 18 and will be leaving with a little less then 1800 euro's. so money is definitely a factor. the main reason we are stopping in innsbruck is it is on the way to venice from munich and would only use half a day on our eurorail pass. we are departing from amsterdam so we will probably be taking a train from rome to amsterdam to leave.

I'm 10 years out of date (I left Germany in 1995), but I don't think my 2 cents will have depreciated that badly for these purposes.

I was stationed close to Frankfurt and Heidelberg. Frankfurt is better if you want to go shopping or nightclubbing, but Heidelberg is a lot better if you want to just see a very pretty town, drink a couple of beers, and realize you aren't in the US any more. There's a nice little square at the end of the pedestrianized shopping street with a number of cafe's where you can sit. It has a very nice view of the castle. I used to take newbies there asap to get them out of the barracks. It's a nice spot.

There is a bar/restaurant about a block from there down a side street near the river. It is called the Schnookeloch. It's reasonably famous as a hangout for the frats from Heidelberg. It's fun to see the students with the face scars from duelling (which I understand is illegal).

Innsbrueck I don't know. I only spend a couple of days in Munich and frankly, I was drunk the whole time. I can't help you there.

Venice is nice and a good thing to see. But it's very expensive and touristy. My advice is to get up very early one morning -- 4 or 5 am -- and go for a walk. It's the only time you will ever see the city itself without the crowd. The nice thing is Venice is small so you can easily see the main sights -- Piazza San Marco, the Rialto, Doge's Palace, and so on.

If you can go to Florence. Drag yourself through the Uffizi, see the David, and go to the Science Museum and pay your respects to Gallileo's preserved right middle finger.

Siena is worth a stop if you can spend the time.

Rome is huge. Don't expect to see much on one trip. You can do the Vatican and the Coliseum and the forum in one day, but you will be wiped out. Toss your coin in the Trevi fountain and come back another time.

My advice for saving money is to backpack and stay in youth hostels (you will meet a lot of people that way too) or go camping. All of these places have well equipped camp sites and hostels.

Buy lunch in restaurants if you must, but get dinner at the market. You will save a ton of cash that way. You can save a lot of money by going to the little family restarants down the side streets

Save time by taking night trains from city to city. Sleeping cars are worth it if you can spare the cash.

[Mastrap]

Originally posted by effgee:
That's wishful thinking as much as it is bullsh!t.

Indeed. The best thing about Frankfurt is the airport. Frankfurt itself doesn't come even close to cities like Berlin, Hamburg or Munich, never mind other European cities like London and Paris. It's deeply provincial. Heidelberg is beautiful and well worth the visit, as mentioned by Simey. Munich is worth a stay and has an excellent youth hostel if I remember correctly.

[Mafia]

Originally posted by SimeyTheLimey:
I'm 10 years out of date (I left Germany in 1995), but I don't think my 2 cents will have depreciated that badly for these purposes.

I was stationed close to Frankfurt and Heidelberg. Frankfurt is better if you want to go shopping or nightclubbing, but Heidelberg is a lot better if you want to just see a very pretty town, drink a couple of beers, and realize you aren't in the US any more. There's a nice little square at the end of the pedestrianized shopping street with a number of cafe's where you can sit. It has a very nice view of the castle. I used to take newbies there asap to get them out of the barracks. It's a nice spot.

There is a bar/restaurant about a block from there down a side street near the river. It is called the Schnookeloch. It's reasonably famous as a hangout for the frats from Heidelberg. It's fun to see the students with the face scars from duelling (which I understand is illegal).

Innsbrueck I don't know. I only spend a couple of days in Munich and frankly, I was drunk the whole time. I can't help you there.

Venice is nice and a good thing to see. But it's very expensive and touristy. My advice is to get up very early one morning -- 4 or 5 am -- and go for a walk. It's the only time you will ever see the city itself without the crowd. The nice thing is Venice is small so you can easily see the main sights -- Piazza San Marco, the Rialto, Doge's Palace, and so on.

If you can go to Florence. Drag yourself through the Uffizi, see the David, and go to the Science Museum and pay your respects to Gallileo's preserved right middle finger.

Siena is worth a stop if you can spend the time.

Rome is huge. Don't expect to see much on one trip. You can do the Vatican and the Coliseum and the forum in one day, but you will be wiped out. Toss your coin in the Trevi fountain and come back another time.

My advice for saving money is to backpack and stay in youth hostels (you will meet a lot of people that way too) or go camping. All of these places have well equipped camp sites and hostels.

Buy lunch in restaurants if you must, but get dinner at the market. You will save a ton of cash that way. You can save a lot of money by going to the little family restarants down the side streets

Save time by taking night trains from city to city. Sleeping cars are worth it if you can spare the cash.

thank you so much for the advice.

i think we are actually deciding to circle around germany (frankfurt, heidelberg, munich, berlin, hannover, and then leave from amsterdam).

it was too unrealistic (financially and time wise) to see all the places we want to see. so we are going to concentrate on germany and spending enough time in each city to really enjoy it and see it.

[effgee]

Originally posted by Mafia:
... i think we are actually deciding to circle around germany (frankfurt, heidelberg, munich, berlin, hannover, and then leave from amsterdam). ...

(frankfurt, heidelberg, munich, berlin, cologne, and then leave from amsterdam)

fixed&trade;

Also, if you have the time, spend a day or two visiting badidea/analogika in Hamburg (on the weekend!!) - from the Reeperbahn to the little Elbe River beach halfway out to Blankenese back to the Mojo Club ("Yo, fishheads - is that place still around?" It used to be great.) and the fish market at 5am - it's well worth the visit.

Let me put it this way - even though Hannover/Cologne are en route to Amsterdam (coming from Berlin), imho, you'd be better off seeing Hamburg instead.

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by Mafia:
thank you so much for the advice.

i think we are actually deciding to circle around germany (frankfurt, heidelberg, munich, berlin, hannover, and then leave from amsterdam).

it was too unrealistic (financially and time wise) to see all the places we want to see. so we are going to concentrate on germany and spending enough time in each city to really enjoy it and see it.

I think that is very smart. It's a big mistake to think you can see all of Europe on one trip. You are young, just make yourself a promise to go back.

By the way, if you are staying in Heidelberg for a few days, you could easily take a quick side trip to Worms. It's about a 1 hour drive, maybe less. Or from Frankfurt you could go over to Mainz (about 30 minutes by car). There is a car ferry over to Ruedesheim, which is touristy as hell, but pretty. Plus, you can tour the distillery. There are also boat trips along the Rhein to see the castles.

[nostalgic aside]One of my best memories of Germany was the time I got to fly up the Rhein river in a military helicopter "nap of the Earth" (way lower than civilian aircraft are allowed to go). That was fun.

I'm glad to hear you are going to Berlin. Fun, fun, fun city.

Originally posted by effgee:
[BLet me put it this way - even though Hannover/Cologne are en route to Amsterdam (coming from Berlin), imho, you'd be better off seeing Hamburg instead.

AFAIR, he'll have to change trains in Cologne. He could easily fit in 2-3 hours to see the cathederal. That is definitely worth it. Other than that, I don't recall there being a whole lot in Cologne to see that is that extraordinary from a tourist's POV. We can blame the US Army Air Force and RAF. However, Koelsch is good.

[roberto blanco]

Originally posted by Mafia:
circle around germany (frankfurt, heidelberg...

when in heidelberg make sure to stop by:

the "mohr" (probably still the best bar/party in town), the "lager" is also pretty good.

the "deep" (best "club" in heidelberg and still fairly new (kind of pricey though))

for a really good dinner visit the "weisse bock" (also kind of expense, but hey, some of the best food i've ever had)

don't spend too much time at the castle or cheesy "touristy" places. take a boat trip instead...some really nice scenery in the area.

have a great time.

[11011001]

Originally posted by Scifience:
Did anybody else click this thread thinking "Wi-Fi?" Or am I just that much of a geek?

Yes, you beat me to it. I thought I was being clever in my stupidity.

edit: you too AppleOptionFour

[badidea]

Originally posted by effgee:
... the Mojo Club ("Yo, fishheads - is that place still around?"

Long gone! The Mojo had to leave because the building it was in was supposed to be torn down...
...it's still there and some other club moved in where the Mojo was - don't know if it is any good, I have never been there...
...and I also have no idea why this building is still standing - seems that I missed some news a long time ago!

[iREZ]

Originally posted by Scifience:
Did anybody else click this thread thinking "Wi-Fi?" Or am I just that much of a geek?

I'm a nerd too!!

[effgee]

Originally posted by badidea:
Long gone! The Mojo had to leave because ...

It's gone?



What's the world coming to? I loved that place ...

[KeyLimePi]

Originally posted by badidea:

Don't forget to make a stop in Firenze on your way from Venetia to Roma!

My girlfriend and I are going to Florence and Sienna in a couple weeks. Any advice (first trip to Italy)

[shabbasuraj]

Berlin