Experiencing European cities in a different way

May 6, 2008 3:15 AM

I'm interrailing & backpacking through central/southern Europe in May/June. What are the quintessential things that I must do in each city I visit? Any general travel advice would also be much appreciated.

I am 19 and studying in northern Europe right now, and after my IB exams I plan on Interrailing with two friends (both girls) to the following places in this order: Copenhagen, Dortmund, Kiel, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Bari (Italy), Athens, Tirana (Albania). I am staying with friends for most of these places, except Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Athens, so I'm not very worried for the other destinations as we will have a local/native speaker to take us around to the sights.

We don't have much time in these fabulous (and unfortunately huge) capitals, only around 3-4 days for each. I really want to experience something in each of these cities that's unique to the place, not merely doing touristy stuff or tiring myself out in huge national museums. I'm excited about the coffeehouses in Vienna and the teashops in Prague. Are there any other "quintessential" and preferrably affordable things we can do while spending time in Berlin/Prague/Vienna/Athens? Markets (flea?), walks, food, particular neighbourhoods and shops? Should I go to the beach in Athens?

Any tips for three 18/19 yr old girls who are staying in hostels in these cities is also appreciated, as is advice on the Interrail pass. Do we need to book way ahead of time for inter-city trains? How often would we need to pay an extra fee? Are the sleeper cars safe?

posted by monocot to travel & transportation (19 comments total)

Interailing gives you great flexibility in terms of your itinerary. One mistake that many people seem to make is to try to see too much in the time available. It sounds like you are wise to that pitfall since you talk about spending several days in each place rather than flitting in and out. Another problem comes from tying down your plans too much however - and you need to be aware of this I think. One of the real pleasures of travelling this way is that you can act on a whim to take unscheduled detours and avoid places that turn out not to be as great as you had hoped. Because you are travelling in May and June you will not yet be in the full heat of the holiday season: hostels (etc) should be open but not yet full. My advice would be that you try to tie down where you expect to be on a particular day as little as possible.
posted by rongorongo at 3:57 AM on May 6

A lot of people are going to come in a few minutes and tell you that it's way more worthwhile to spend a couple of weeks in a single place and get a "feel" for it so you appreciate the trip more, but I'm going to suggest the opposite this first time around. Three or four days per city is actually quite a bit of time... you can do a lot in three or four days, though you should probably assume at least a day of travel. My first day in London I had a traditional English Breakfast (courtesy of a friend living in town), then proceeded to see St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey (where there was an impromptu visit by the Queen), Nelson's Column, Buckingham, and my very first real live McLaren F1. That alone made the day. My point is, if you're in full-on Tourist Mode and plan routes and times carefully, you can crack out a half-dozen "Big Items"--you know... must-sees--then relax the next couple of days and go at your own pace and not feel like you're missing anything.

I advise scrutiny when spending. One of the tricks I've seen used by the Australians (who, for financial and geographical reasons tend to take extraordinarily long Interrail trips on the cheap... like, 8-12 months for $3.52 and a pocketful of lint) was to eat tons of bread. Bread is usually very cheap, and in Europe, first thing in the morning, there's nothing as wonderful as a fresh loaf of whatever-country-you're-in's bread. That shit will keep your legs moving throughout the day. It's also easy (and cheap) to make bread something else. Hey, bread and a can of tomato sauce... it's like bruscietta! Throw on a slice of cheese... it's, uh, a pizza! It's just fabulous how versatile bread can be.

Anyway, the money you save eating bread can usually afford you at least one really nice meal out per city, because you need to experience that as well as the poor-crazed-starving-tourist running frantically from museum to museum leaving a trail of breadcrumbs behind you.

Do we need to book way ahead of time for inter-city trains? How often would we need to pay an extra fee? Are the sleeper cars safe?

In reverse order...

The general rule is that sleeper cars become more dangerous the further east and further south you go. I've never had any problems, but two girls together might. Two girls will not, however, have any problems finding two dopey, harmless guys keep them company for those legs of the trip. Be smart--if your gut tells you something is wrong, let your friend know.

I never had to book a train more than a few hours before it was leaving. There's a yearly schedule published by Interrail that shows you all the major train times. Figure out your primary route first, then start laying out how much time you want to spend at each on a calendar. Watch out for Sundays or holidays, but other then that, tickets are no problem. Couchettes and sleepers tend to cost more. Couchettes (if memory serves) recline a bit further than the average seat. They're also a bit roomier, and not much more than regular seats. There were only a few legs where we specifically planned to sleep on the rails... Nice to Barcelona was one, I think Prague to Budapest was another... in those cases, it's smart to get your ticket in the morning. But the shorter or more popular routes? With those you can pretty-much just show up at the station with your gear and get a ticket a half an hour before it takes off.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:08 AM on May 6

This is sorta lame, but when I arrive at a new city and I haven't been there before, I pay for a hop-on-hop-off bus for the first day, just to get a sense of what's out there and general orientation. Then I spend the next few days going back to the things that were really interesting. It is also is a good way to be 1/4th asleep the first day.
posted by k8t at 4:37 AM on May 6

>Should I go to the beach in Athens?

No.
posted by pompomtom at 4:45 AM on May 6

Do check if your train will go through somewhere interesting as you go from one city to another. You may be able to stop off for a few hours.
posted by Idcoytco at 5:20 AM on May 6

In general, I would say Kiel and Dortmund would not be on my list of must do German cities. Despite having undergone some modernisation of late, they are both at heart former industrial cities. You'll find more rewarding cultural experiences elsewhere in Germany, why not try Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover or Lubek in the north.
posted by munchbunch at 5:23 AM on May 6

I recommend stopping in Kraków between Berlin and Prague. Same great history/castles/etc, a lot less prostitues.
posted by jedrek at 5:42 AM on May 6

munchbunch: she's staying with friends in those cities (everywhere except Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Athens).
posted by jacalata at 6:26 AM on May 6

My experience travelling through Germany on a Eurail pass was that it's always a good idea to make a reservation first (usually I had no problems getting seats if I reserved them a day or 2 in advance). You can do this at the train station (many stations in Germany now have computer kiosks so you don't need to worry as much about the language barrier, if that's a problem) and I believe it cost about 7 euros for each reservation. This was well worth the price, in my opinion--if you don't have a reservation, you might well end up sitting on the floor or standing in the aisles...which can be particularly bad if you're planning to rest and re-charge on these trips between cities. Plus, it's much more fun when you can sit together with your friends!

One other thing that is obvious but sometimes forgotten is that every country has its own holidays. You might want to keep track of national holidays that occur during your trip, as travel usually picks up considerably when people have extra time off, and finding seats on inter-city trains becomes much harder than normal.
posted by Jemstar at 6:28 AM on May 6

>>Should I go to the beach in Athens?

>No.

Some explanation: The best Greek beaches are on the islands or the less developed bits of the mainland. There are beaches accessible from Athens but, if you want to spend time on the beach, you would be better stopping off somewhere before Athens on your way south - or even opting to catch a ferry from Piraeus (Athens' port) to one of the nearer islands for a day or two.

You need to think what you want out of your visit to Greece: if the Parthenon and the National Archaeological Museum are major attractions for you then go for it - but if you would prefer a day or two on a beach I would head straight to the port and pick an island. The ferry fair will probably not be covered by your Interrail ticket - but you may get a discount and prices can be reasonable anyway.
posted by rongorongo at 7:12 AM on May 6

I've been living in Vienna since January, so I have a few suggestions:

* See the Opera
There will be guys dressed up like Mozart trying to sell you tickets to bad concerts for too much money. It is a much better deal to get standing room tickets at the Staatsoper (which cost between 2.5-3.50 €) You can find the schedule at the opera or online. Depending on the night and the performance you might need to get there a little early if you want to get the really good standing room seats (the 3.50 ones). Bring a scarf to mark your spot on the railing. Note that if you really can't stand for the 2-4 hours an opera might run, you don't have to stay for the whole thing and if you really want to sit, you might also look into the Volksoper, one of the other main opera houses, which often has student rush tickets for €10. Speaking of the Volksoper, if you will be in Vienna on June 22 you should absolutely not miss the ballet at the Volksoper that night, Tanzhommage an Queen. It's a ballet to the music of Queen and one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

*The Vienna Woods
I reccomend either going to Kahlenberg in the North or to Kirche am Steinhof near Ottakring. Most any guide book should be able to tell you how to get to these places. Once you are there, I would would reccomend just wandering around on the many, many trails. It is incredible. Once you are finished, you might want to stop at one of the Heuriger, a type of local wine pub/restaurant, for dinner. The food and wine are usually amazing and fairly cheap as well.

*Bratislava
Capital of Slovakia. It only takes 1 hour to get here by train, which runs almost every hour. Easy day trip. The old town is really cool as Bratislava castle. The 2 other things which are really cool here are Slavin memorial, a soviet war memorial on a hill overlooking the city, and Devin Castle, a ruined castle overlooking the Danube which requires an ~30 minute bus ride to get to.

*Restaurants
Centimeter: serves HUGE proportions of pretty good food for quite cheap. Occasionally has slow service.
Side Step: Spanish Tapas bar in the Josefstadt, kind of close to the Rathaus. Probably my favorite restaurant in Vienna. The wine here is simply amazing, and the food is no slouch.
Sausage Stands: There are a ton of these around the city. The one in the Hoher Markt is supposed to be especially good, but most any is great.
Zanoni & Zanoni: One of the best places to get ice cream, just off of Stephansplatz.


*Belvedere
If you only seen one art museum, make it this one. The exhibit coming at the end of this month ( sounds amazing. The nice thing about the Belvedere is that it is not so big as the Kunsthistoriches Museum, much more managable in an hour or 2 at most.

*Prater
Vienna's largest park. Has an amusement park inside of it (I recommend the bumper cars).

*Naschmarkt
Vienna's best market. Try to come here on a Saturday so that you can see the gigantic flea market as well. The food here is great and even if you don't buy much it is worth a walk through.
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Hope that helps. If you have any questions about anything, don't hesitate to ask. And like Jemstar said, you should be careful of which days you are coming. Note that almost EVERYTHING in Vienna is closed on Sunday, except for some restaurants and museums.

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Also the Schwarz Cafe in Berlin is amazing and it's open 24 hours.
posted by pwicks at 7:21 AM on May 6

Vienna: If you like wine and if the weather's nice, then absolutely go to a heuriger! The good ones are not in the center of the city, but you can usually get there with a combination of strassenbahn and foot.

My favorite heuriger was called Josef Lier, I think, but I can't find it on Google... it's been a few years.

Also, the tour of St. Stephen's crypt was fascinating, in that gazing-at-piles-of-bones-oh-the-humanity way. Probably similar to other such tours across Europe, though.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 8:37 AM on May 6

In Prague, don't stay put around Charles Bridge. The area around it is sprawling with tourists, while a couple of blocks away the city is just as interesting. Walking along the river, both to the north and to the south, is worthwhile and while you're at it you can also catch a glimpse of the Dancing House. The St Vitus cathedral is a quite impressive Gothic revival building (if you're interested in architecture, Prague has its fair share of Jugendstil), though you can just as well randomly walk around and enjoy the ambiance. I also remember cheap, good cafés and bars.

If you want to visit a museum without spending a lot of time, try either the small Mucha museum with his Art Nouveau posters for Sarah Bernhardt or the relatively recent Kafka museum, which manages to be, at times, kafkaesque. You don't often see a museum more interesting than its collection. If you travel to Prague by night keep an eye on your belongings, especially when it begins dawning and most people are fast asleep. Some Interrail sleeper cabins allow you to lock the door from inside; that should do the trick.

Athens has a big suburban area, but you'll normally spend most of your time in the center, which is usually defined by triangle of Omonoia, Syntagma and Monastiraki squares. Omonoia has lost most of its charm through multiple bad renovations, but the walk through Panepistimiou Street to Syntagma is characteristic of Athens and Syntagma itself is a nice place to hang around. This ties into Monastiraki and Plaka, which have the flea market, traditional buildings and the occasional outbursts of ruins. Though the cafés in Plaka are okay, if overpriced, thou shalt not randomly eat in Plaka. Due to a project called the unification of archaeological sites, different sites are connected through a pedestrian street. You can also reach Piraeus, the city's harbor, by train and spend some time there.

There are many recent nighttime options in Gazi, and plenty of restaurants, cafés and bars all throughout the city. Many Greeks sit in cafés sipping frappé coffee for hours, preferably during working hours. A printed copy of Athens in your pocket might be helpful in sorting all your options out; the suggested price feature is especially helpful. This site may also be of use. As for transportation: Metro & train=good, tram=reliable but slow, bus=don't even bother figuring the lines out, unless needed.

Artifacts of the archaic age are what comes to mind first, but the Cycladic culture collection (skip the others) in the Cycladic art museum is constantly neglected, even if it's unique, influential and doesn't draw every single tourist. If you brave the crowd or wake up early, Acropolis is what the aforementioned people see, though for a good reason. Caveeat: If any of you are into sculpture, go see the sculptures collection in the archaeological museum.

Don't forget to bring your sunglasses/hat, the sun can be taxing in the summer. The beaches have become more popular during the last few years, thanks in part to the cleaning system installed on an island next to Piraeus. The beaches of Voula and Vouliagmeni have blue flags, though the second one is budget-breaking and the first one probably has an entrance fee too. My preferred beach in Attika is Porto Rafti, which can be reached from the city center by bus. That'll take some planning though.

If you want more info, MefiMail me. I may have some free time between exams.

Usually, the less you value your time, the fewer fees you have to pay. I didn't face any problems booking tickets a couple of days before the date, for international routes.
posted by ersatz at 8:59 AM on May 6

Oh, and Lycabettus hill is the place to go if you want some shade or trees around you. The chaotic (lack of) city planning at your feet will be exposed, but the hill itself is cool.
posted by ersatz at 9:05 AM on May 6

Thanks a million for the detailed responses and advice! I have much more info now to start researching on...
posted by monocot at 10:06 AM on May 6

jacalata: Staying with friends may well make them a lot more fun.
posted by munchbunch at 10:21 AM on May 6

Some other tidbits you might find useful...

• Most Scandinavian trains are single-class. That is to say, unlike just about everywhere else in Europe, when you buy a ticket to Stockholm, everyone gets the same kind of seat. Being Scandinavia, those seats are generous, reclinable... they're even socially good designs: the seats are two left and two right (like I said... large) with at least a couple of arrangements for parties of four, where two groups of seats face each other with a large table to separate them (great for card games). It's just about the most democratic train system I've ever used.


• Where ever you go, try and think of at least one quintessential food that best embodies the country you're visiting. Make that at least one meal. This can get pretty fun, and you're free to use whatever interpretation of "national cuisine" as you wish. Beer counts as a cuisine.


• Most people end up doing a loop or half-loop when they plan their travels out. That usually makes the most sense, because you want to minimize the amount of time spent stuck on a train (or worse, stuck in a train station).
  
  That said, try to take at least one city or town or whatever at some point that is completely off the itinerary. Sometimes (often, actually), it's those random jaunts... those road less traveled moments that end up being the only things you even remember. This is wisdom talking to you, now, so listen up. That "spur of the moment" feeling of freedom, where you're standing in front of a signpost with thirteen signs nailed to it, with arrows pointing to different countries in every direction, and you can just do it without any fear of consequence... that feeling is hard to replace, and you'll kick yourself if you don't embrace it at least a little.


• Thinking back on all the various electronic crap I've lugged with me across the planet, these are what I'd recommend:
  
  
  1. Music. You need music. That means you need batteries or a charger. I'll assume a charger. And a converter if the charger isn't universal (get a universal one.) See how easily one thing becomes three with electronic gear?
     
     Because I like spinal column injury, I also brought along a pair of small, battery-powered speakers. I did this after discovering that more times then not I've been in a situation with a group of people that I'm meeting for the first time, and it's nice to have some atmosphere. If you can play guitar, one of those travel guitars are awesome, but big. You gotta really play guitar to carry one of those things around, but man are they cool to have if you do.
  
  
  2. Two words: immersion heater. These little suckers take up no room, weigh nothing... they're basically just a plug, a wire, and a loop of metal. They get very hot. You put them in a metal container, add some water... presto, you've increased your budget menu options an order of magnitude. Pasta, soup, rice... all kinds of cheap, tasty shit just waiting for you to cook up.
  
  
  3. A camera. You need a camera because your memory--which may be fine now--is going to suck in twenty years. It will suck even more in thirty. I realize this is hard, but try and take more pictures of people then of places. Anyone can buy a postcard of the statue of David. But that funny pair of Italian dudes that took you for rides on their Vespas at the Trevi Fountain, remember them? What did they look like, again? That's why you bring a camera. Cheap is fine. Just be sure to email yourself your pictures every week or so to keep a backup in case the camera is stolen. Internet kiosks abound.

posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:25 PM on May 6

General travel advice: There are lots of good websites connected with travel, some of them with a forum where you can learn from other people's experience and ask specific questions. The Lonely Planet Thorn Tree is a famous example.

Before I travel I buy a guidebook secondhand off the internet. I think it is worth paying enough to get the newest version. Even in this WWW age, it is sometimes useful to be able to pull out a paper version and take an instant look.
posted by Idcoytco at 6:59 AM on May 10

If your staying in hostels one of your best options is to ask other people staying there exactly this question everywhere you go - Not only will you get some random answers you might not find another way, but it's a good way to strike up conversation with people.

On the language front most people will know some English anywhere you go anyway, but try to learn for each country: Hello, Excuse Me, Please, Thank You, Good Bye - and you'll get by fine with that and a smile. Even if you have a native language speaker with you it's good to make the effort.
posted by paulfreeman at 7:48 AM on May 12