Actually, these are good for anywhere you want to travel. Budget Travel asked its readers to provide good packing tips for other travelers. If you want to get the best 5 tips on how to travel light, regardless of your destination or the number of companions, then you should read their winning tips. After you are done and if you still have time, don't forget to check out the runner-ups as well.
The Washington Post got it right: it is a hype. Up until the release date of the movie, everywhere I turned (especially online) I could not escape the explosion of Da Vinci Code hype. That includes travel, of course.
So I was not surprised when European Destinations came up with its own 'A Da Vinci Code European Vacation', a 10-day customizable package starting in Edinburgh, continuing with London, Paris, and ending up in Rome. I even liked the original write-up:
Ahhh, you gotta love that hype. However: seriously, if you are interested, you should go.You might be able to re-read Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” on your way to Europe, but you should set aside at least 10 days of travel if you are to follow the book’s characters in Edinburgh, London, Paris, and Rome.
Start in Edinburgh and work your way South and East, as you will save some time on your transatlantic flight in the critical first days of your trip, when you will need to adjust to Europe’s time.
Just outside Edinburgh, in the village of Roslin, you will get to visit the famous Rosslyn Chapel. While Edinburgh is not a large city, we recommend spending two nights here to allow your body to recover from jetlag and fatigue.
Your next stop will be London after a high-speed train ride aboard the Inter City Express. While in London, don’t forget to visit the Temple Church located in the Bloomsbury neighborhood close to the Temple station, St James’s Park (near St James’s Park station) and the Westminster Abbey (near Westminster Stop). After two nights of London, head for Paris aboard the modern EuroStar.
While in Paris, don’t forget to visit at a minimum the Louvre, the Champs Elysees, Bois de Boulogne, and Saint-Sulpice.
After two nights in the French capital, enjoy a different train ride aboard the comfortable and luxurious Artesia, which will take you on an overnight trip to Rome. Obviously, you would not want to miss out on Vatican City, the center of Catholic Faith. But you should also try to get out and visit the Gandolfo Castle.
While they have ignored this Scandinavian city during their April Budget Europe release, the NY Times thoughtfully published a travel article on Stockholm this past weekend. If you like IKEA, then you will like Stockholm, the thinking goes, but Denny Lee certainly offers you more reasons to like the Swedish capital. From 'Why Go Now' to 'How to Get Around', this article certainly rivals the more established city guides (although not nearly as detailed).
For those in the mood for a bit of Scandinavian exploration, Frommer's guide Europe by Rail promotes a 10-day Scandinavian Triangle: Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm.
I can only offer you the first and the last points, because inter-country railway agreements make rail travel to Oslo less smooth than previously thought. The Scandinavian Triangle will be coming soon to a website near you. However, until then, enjoy the Scandinavian duo: Copenhagen - Stockholm by X2000 (the futuristic-named high-speed train).
As if you needed a truly good reason to visit Prague and the Czech Republic, the NY Times came up with a nice piece on Czech beers and how to best experience them. As it turns out, there are more than 100 breweries in this country, yet the author focuses on the more famous and controversial Budvar in Ceske Budejovice and Pilsner Urquell in Plzen (find out here why).
Since (almost) everything in the Czech Republic is within driving or train riding distance, it is probably a good idea to first check into a hotel in Prague following my earlier advice on its best-selling properties, then follow the beer trail. Cheers, everyone! (or rather, Na zdravÃ!)
This was going to be a book review, but Jewish Roots in Spain by Koldo Chamorro is more of a pictorial than anything else. And the pictures in this book speak of the amazing Jewish heritage in Spain (or Sepharad, as they call Spain in Modern Hebrew).
Spain's history up to 1492 is a study in tolerance and peaceful coexistence of three different ethnic/religious groups: Muslims, Jews (Sephardim), and Christians. While various cities had either Muslim or Christian rulers, all three groups thrived under an almost paradisiacal harmony. The Jewish community in Spain was an important player in the country's politics and finances, regardless of its regional leaders. Sadly, Ferdinand and Isabella wanted a Catholic Spain and forced the Jewish community into a long exile.
They left behind a rich cultural heritage, visible today in the Jewish quarters (or Juderias) of cities like Toledo, Seville, Tarazona, Besalu, Cordoba, Segovia, Hervas, Tudela, Olite, Calatayud, Chelva, Montblanc, Albaracin, Xativa, Sagunto, Girona, Caceres, Daroca, Barcelona, Peniscola.
Do not miss Cordoba's Synagogue, Toledo's Sinagoga del Transito and Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca, as well as Toledo's Sephardic Museum. An interesting piece of trivia: Toledo's famed house of El Greco was actually built and owned by Samuel Levi, treasurer to King Pedro I.
A vacation package following the Jewish Heritage theme is the 8-nighter Spanish Sepharad train package which takes you through Madrid, Cordoba, Girona, and Barcelona or the car and train package Jewish Heritage that adds Toledo to the previously mentioned route.
For a better understanding of Spain's Jewish community contribution to the World Heritage, let us not forget the great intellectual figures of yester-Sepharad: Yehuda Ha-Levi, Shlomo ibn Gabirol - poet born in Malaga, Samuel ibn Negrella, Abraham ibn Ezra, Dunash ibn Labrat, Hasdai ibn Shaprut, Isaac Abravenel, Nahmanides, Samuel Halevi, Abraham Zacut, and Maimonides.
Since the previous post was a bit long, I reposted the list of train packages one can book in Spain. The list of trains is taken from RENFE website (Spanish only) - and the train routes are described on the respective pages (if you follow the link)
LIST OF TRAIN PACKAGES IN SPAIN
Packages with Alaris:
Madrid - Valencia - Barcelona
Packages with Altaria:
Madrid - Barcelona
Barcelona - Madrid - Lisbon
Lisbon - Madrid - Barcelona
Barcelona - San Sebastian - Zaragoza - Madrid
Packages with Alvia coming soon
Packages with Arco coming soon
Packages with AVE:
Timeless Andalucian Journey
Madrid - Cordoba
Madrid - Seville
Madrid - Cordoba - Seville
Madrid - Seville - Granada
Madrid - Cordoba - Seville - Granada
Spanish Sepharad
Madrid - Cordoba - Seville - Granada - Barcelona
Packages with Diurno coming soon
Packages with Estrella:
Barcelona - Bilbao - Zaragoza and Pamplona
Barcelona - San Sebastian - Zaragoza - Madrid
Packages with Euromed coming soon
Packages with Intercity coming soon
Packages with Talgo:
Madrid - Granada
Madrid - Bilbao
Paris - Madrid
Paris - Barcelona
Barcelona - Milan
Madrid - Granada - Barcelona
Spanish Sepharad
Barcelona - San Sebastian - Zaragoza - Madrid
Paris - Barcelona - Milan
Packages with Talgo 200 coming soon
Packages with Trenhotel:
Madrid - Granada - Barcelona
While Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette - Spain (published October 2005, although the original edition dates 1993) is clearly a book for those willing to spend more than a week in Spain, but it does not hurt to browse through, especially if this is your first time outside the United States or the first time in Europe.
Since Spain is a Western-type country, the customs are not that different. But there are "the little differences" such as kissing your friend's cheeks when meeting (opposite sex only), dressing to the latest fashion, keeping your hands above the table while dining. The book if full of advice on everything from how to exchange greetings to what you need to know to start your own business. While customs take longer to change, I must question many of the specific references to the laws and bureaucracy of Spain. Since this book has been likely only updated from its previous issue, chances are that some of the laws have dramatically changed, as Spain became a more prosperous member of the European Union.
Case in point: I opened the book to the chapter on trains. The first statement is: In general, RENFE, the government-run railroad, is below par by European standards. The first high-speed train between Madrid and Seville made its debut just in time for the 1992 expo. I can see clearly that this section has not been properly amended. While traveling between Barcelona and Madrid will probably still require a night train ride (in a comfortable setting), the network of high-speed trains has bloomed in the rest of the country, brining Spain's network up to par.
For a better look at Spain's modern railroads, check out RENFE on the web (Spanish only).
Here is an impressive list of Alta Velocidad (high-speed train) and Larga Distancia (long-distance trains - or train hotels) from their website (I took the liberty to include some train packages that you can book for your traveling pleasure):
Alaris
Packages with Alaris:
Trenhotel
Packages with Trenhotel:
Conde Nast Traveler (August 2006 issue) published a story on Brussels, "Europe's Hot New Capital". (sidenote: I could not link to the article on their website, because this magazine apparently did not embrace the newer business model of giving away free content against massive advertisement on their site). Alas, it's a pretty good story (with lots of good pictures), written and displayed in their characteristic style resembling more a fashion magazine than a travel publication. I did not see any references to prices that made the articles in NY Times Affordable Europe series so much more valuable. It may be that the story's focus was on the city itself and less on the money issue. Could it be that Brussels is not an affordable city? I really doubt it, but this does not explain why the NY Times writers did not include "Europe's Hot New Capital" in their series.
Regardless, here are a few good packages that would make Brussels a lot more affordable than both Conde Nast and the NY Times would make you believe.
London - Brussels
Brussels - Bruges - Paris
London - Paris - Brussels
Amsterdam - Brussels - Paris from $886 (with air from NYC)
Amsterdam - Brussels - Bruges - Paris
So I decided to take the travel book plunge. Fair enough.
The most preparation I have done for any trip was to read travel guides, not travel books. I still have to figure out if a travel book such as One Year in the World by Frances Mayes is targeting people who are about to travel abroad, people who have visited some of the places depicted in the book, or just people who enjoy this type of literature?
I definitely fall in the second category, as I was drawn to this book by the first chapter, on Andalucía. Since during my recent trip to Spain I spent quite a few days in this region, it only seemed fair to start reading it.
Here's the author's itinerary in beautiful Andalucía:
Seville
Italica (first Roman town to be settled in Spain)
Carmona
Ronda
Marbella and Puerto Banus
Antequera – Archidona
Granada (town of Frederico García Lorca and famed Alhambra)
Ubeda
Baeza
Córdoba
After reading this chapter, I wish I had planned my trip more thoroughly. However, Spain is so rich in history, that a 10-day trip is not enough to cover everything. One must focus, pick a theme. I find myself drawn more to the Roman and Moorish heritage of Spain - which means Andalucía and Extremadura would probably be worth exploring in detail. More on how to plan a trip to Spain>>>
I found the chapter extremely informative, and I certainly admire the author's attempt to catch the essence of Andalucía, no matter how hard it is to capture the soul of this region in writing. It made me instantaneously desire to revisit Spain. The second time around I will probably make time to visit the towns of Ronda, Italica, and Granada. The book convinced me.
The best way to experience Central Europe is by train, which happens to be my favorite way of travel in Europe. If you have never experienced other than Amtrak when it comes to train travel, getting around Europe by train might seem like a challenge (it is not). But I will write about train travel in Europe some other time.
So you want to travel to Central Europe (Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary). I recommend trains. Modern, fast, luxurious (if you choose to pay a bit extra), comfortable at night (if you have to travel at night), trains will make even an unlikely trip such as Paris - Berlin - Prague - Budapest possible. While you might want to set aside 10 nights for this particular trip (2 in each city, 2 on the train), this particular vacation would allow you to cut across Europe, while visiting 4 unique cities, 2 of them (Budapest and Prague) having only recently unleashed their potential.
Of course, a perennial favorite is the Prague - Vienna - Budapest package. Three particularly musical cities, with enough music and history to keep you busy for months.
For those short on time, two-city combinations might be the way to go:
Berlin - Prague; Prague - Vienna; Prague - Budapest.
While the infamous "Old vs New Europe" remark is relatively new, expats of all colors have been tacitly gathering in Prague for the past decade, transforming this Czech Republic city into a vibrant European capital in its own right.
And for a good reason: at a fraction of the price, visitors can (still) enjoy Old Europe charm at New Europe prices. Although, when you think of it, everything in Europe is probably old, by American standards.
On a slightly different topic, I wish the NY Times published more articles on major European cities. After their April series that included Prague, I was left waiting for more. Regardless, Evan Rail, the author, correctly identifies Iris Praha as one of the best deals in town.
To that, I would add the following Prague best-selling hotels (once again, I must stress the importance of booking air + hotel together to enjoy real savings):
- Apollo
- Casa Marcello- Central Prague
- City Moran
- Golf
- Mucha
- Union Prague
- Waldstein
But what happens if you have 7-10 days to spend in Europe, want to visit Prague, but you don't want to stay for more than 2-3 days? For this, you might want to see my suggestions for Central European trips.
...where do you start?
Spain is overwhelmingly rich in historic sites, having preserved quite well buildings/ruins/sites going as far back as the Romans and even before them.
Having said that, you will find everywhere a good mix of well maintained Roman, Jewish, Moorish, and Christian sites. It is purely amazing and you will need probably years to visit everything Spain has got to offer.
A good way to go about this is to divide and conquer - focus on the big cities, for example - Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, etc. Or take the Roman's Route for example. Or go for the Way of Saint James - which is a good way to revisit famed Christian sites and pilgrimage attractions. Visit the birth place of conquistadores in Trujillo. Or the castles spread all around the country.
It also depends on how much time you have. If you have less than a week and you have never been to Spain, focus on the big cities, and travel by fast train. If you have 10-14 days, it is worth picking a theme and renting a car to see everything at your own pace (see below my suggestions).
A good way to start is by reading the guides offered by http://www.frommers.com, http://www.lonelyplanet.com, etc. They are usually rather good at giving you a snapshot of everything Spain has to offer, although the amount of information can be a bit overwhelming.
Also try http://www.spain.info - the official Spain tourism website.
For prepackaged suggestions, go to the Spain page and look for the following themed-packages (they all get you to drive, which I think it's a better option if you have the luxury of time):
Northern Spain and the Green Coast;
Magic Triangle
The Way of Saint James;
Dreamy Andalucia;
Or for quick train packages - try any of the following combinations: Madrid - Seville - Cordoba - Granada - Barcelona, etc.
My personal experience: a 10 day trip including Madrid, Cordoba, Seville, Merida, Trujillo, Caceres, Salamanca, Medina del Campo, Coca, Segovia, La Granja de San Ildefonso, Avila, and Toledo - which included a good mix of Roman, Moorish, Jewish, and Christian heritage. We also visited many castles and many past and present cultural centers (such as Salamanca). Trujillo was certainly impressive and we took the obligatory shot with Pizzaro.
In April, the NY Times published a piece on Affordable Europe: Madrid. While not going to the length and depth of a regular Travel Guide, this article provides the reader (i.e., you) with some good tips on where to go, where to stay, etc. in the beautiful Spanish capital.
The author goes over two basic ways of dining in Madrid (or Spain, as a matter of fact) - one is eating tapas in a tapas bar, usually crowded and maybe full of smoke, and the other one is eating a nice meal in a restaurant. Words of advice when it comes to dining in a busy restaurant though: if the location is rather central and touristy, the food might be slightly undercooked, as the restaurant is trying to cycle as many people as they can.
As far as hotels are concerned, I must stress again the importance of booking an air+hotel package instead of booking hotels individually. Typically, you will save more than what you can do with typical air or hotel deals.
Here's a list of hotels of all categories that have proved serious best-sellers in the past:
- Asturias
- Carlton (very good value)
- Florida Norte
- Francisco I
- Gran Atlanta
- Gran Versalles
- Gran Via 65 Aparthotel
- Il Castillas
- Mirasierra Suites
The word is: budget, safe, and acceptable. Do not expect luxury and of course read prior reviews on Tripadvisor.
I wish I could write a post about Paris and its free museums, but this is not going to happen anytime soon, as the museum would probably get mobbed. Nevertheless, there are cheap finds in this city of tourists, even among hotels, according to NY Times article Affordable Europe: Paris by Elaine Sciolino. The article goes on to recommend some hidden gems of restaurants and hotels, as well as some well hidden and small museums for free. Read the whole article >>>.
Ms. Sciolino also warns us that budget hotels in Paris are pretty much "Damp in winter, stuffy in summer, dark all year round" (this has become my favorite quote).
As far as her hotel recommendation goes, the pick in the NY Times matches the positive reviews in tripadvisor. However, I would go on and recommend more than one budget hotel (with surprisingly fair reviews from travelers):
- Amarys Simart
- Anjou
- Aquarelle
- Beaugrenelle
- Bellevue
- Best Western Derby Alma- Eiffel Seine
- Paris 18
- Villa des Ambassadeurs
Of course, for extra peace of mind, do not expect luxury when all you are going is for budget. Budget hotels in large cities in Europe tend to have less space available to visitors than budget hotels in the US.
Thanks again to the excellent material published online by the NY Times on Europe's top best selling cities, we find out that most museums in London are free, which is definitely a bliss, given the exchange rate USD - British Pound.
In fact, this makes otherwise expensive London rather attractive, assuming that you are there for its history and culture and not for its fashion and pubs. Regardless, we find out from the same article that one of the best budget-saver hotels is Kensington Close, a statement with which we agree but we would also like to recommend some other handpicked, budget hotels that are not roaming with London's own version of Cancun spring breakers:
- Oxford;
- Ambassadors Bayswater;
- Central Park;
- Henry the Eighth;
More budget hotels in London here.
Of course, we remain vehemently opposed to the idea of booking a hotel separately, especially if you are planning on combining London with other European cities. For more suggestions on packages that combine London with Paris and other major European cities, go to this page.
Like all answers to life's major questions, it depends.
Chances are thay you probably won't need an agent if you are to book a flight from New York City to Los Angeles and spend less than a $1,000 on a weekend trip to Ocean City.
Things change when it comes to more complex trips or very expensive ones, where you might not feel comfortable charging the family credit card $12,000 over the Internet.
Fodor's Guides has a good online article discussing the merits of (still) having and using a travel agent for your travel plans.
I would say, you could pretty much anything you want online, to include booking a multi-city vacation to Europe, but you still need the comfort of being able to talk or contact a human being who would be able to guide you in the right direction.
Again, from the same excellent series published in the NY Times, Affordable Europe: Barcelona by Andrew Ferren will attempt to show you the best deals in Barcelona.
As far the cheap eats, best deals on cultural events, best things to do for free, and best money saving tips are concerned, Andrew Ferren is providing quite valuable information. However, when it comes to hotels,I must say that booking a hotel room without having the savings built into a package is not the most efficient way to go about traveling. Not to mention there are plenty of not-so-expensive hotel options in Barcelona.
See article on Barcelona in the NY Times.
Packages including Barcelona:
- Madrid - Barcelona;
- Paris - Barcelona;
- Barcelona - Milan;
- Madrid - Valencia - Barcelona;
- Madrid - Granada - Barcelona;
- Artistic Treasures of Spain;
- London - Paris - Barcelona;
- Barcelona - Madrid - Lisbon;
- Barcelona - Paris - Venice - Rome;
In a fashion true to the spirit of Budget Travel Magazine and Frommer's editors - who pride themselves in offering trips for less than $100 per day, NY Times Travel writer Gisela Williams recommends some hotels in Amsterdam where one can stay for less than 100 euros a day. I find that rather steep for a budget suggestion. For example, a package for London - Paris - Amsterdam including 2 nights in each city and train connections goes for roughly $100 a day.
Of course, one might be tempted to book their flight separately, then book one of the two suggested hotels (none of which make my list of recommended budget hotels in Amsterdam). It makes me angry to know that some still believe they can get a better deal if they book each segment of their trip individually.
The article provides some good insights on what to do for free in a country where the US dollar might be struggling.
Read more on Amsterdam on a budget from the NY Times.
Unexpectedly for a daily newspaper, the New York Times has posted a remarkable list of budget suggestions for 16 major cities in Europe - Affordable Europe. What they failed to tell you, though, is that these cities are the top best-selling cities in Europe.
Unexpectedly, because I would expect such a large enterprise coming from one of the established travel guides.
When it comes to beaches and beach destinations, Europe is not on the obvious vacation list for most Americans, who prefer either their highly priced domestic beach spots or the convenient and affordable Mexico and Caribbean, only hours away by plane. Yet Europe has a few aces up its sleeve, from the beautiful Greek Isles and Spain's Ibiza and Mallorca to the French Riviera and the Dalmatian Coast.
This past Sunday, the New York Times has dedicated a long travel article to the French Riviera (or rather, NY Times contributor Seth Sherwood in his The Barefoot Riviera).
The author focuses on the not-so-glamorous, yet charming towns of Villefranche-sur-Mer, Eze, Cagnes-sur-Mer - Côte d’Obscure, as he calls them. These towns are withing miles of glitzy Nice, which in turn is only a few hours by TGV from Paris, should you choose to venture past Paris while in France.
On this French Riviera note, EuropeanDestinations.com has a 6-night package Paris - Nice - allowing any traveler to spend three nights in Paris for a tour de force through its museums and cafes, and three nights in Nice (again, TGV proves to be a great travel resource). While in Nice, don't forget to rent a car and explore all these more unknown towns of the Riviera. You will discover plenty of places to write home about.
Well, we can say this is a blog about Europe or Europe travel. It does not matter. If we are to look for a goal for this blog - it's to simply introduce Europe to the American traveler, maybe in a way that it was not presented before (unless you bought a guide to every country in Europe from one of the companies publishing them: lonely planet, frommer's, etc. I have my favorites when it comes to guides, and I am sure everyone who has ever used at least one guide has their. Bottom line, every guide is pretty much written by a human being, edited by human beings, who inadvertently add their own bias or subjectivism to the pages you read. Bottom line, I only have a vague idea where this will take me or take its readers.
So why start a blog about Europe? For spamming purposes? After all, there are thousands of blogs to be started daily - just like there are thousands of users joining myspace at someone's invitation, without becoming engaged in the website. Let's just say that I want to promote one idea and one company - which I think is pretty good at customizing travel to Europe. So this is a word of caution - but I promise not to spam. Enjoy.