My Big Adventure

[Shannonw72]

I just found out that my best friend is getting stationed in the UK this coming spring and so I've started planning for a visit! I've never left the US before so naturally I want to see EVERYTHING! I want to visit the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, and maybe Spain. I'll have a 5000-6000 USD budget (which will have to include airfare) and plan on going in the late summer/early fall for 3-4 weeks. I will ride trains, planes, buses, boats, and whatever else I need to get where I'm going. I don't care about fancy hotel rooms or first class airfare, but I also don't want to have to call Liam Neeson to get me out of a bind. I need advice, tips, ideas, etc. as far as what to do, where to go, how to save during this trip so I can stretch my budget to do as much as possible. Any help is much appreciated!

[MariahSnow]

I've never done the whole european backpacking thing, but I know many who have and who have done it cheaply. I think making smart choices about food and lodging is your best bet to save money. Airfare is always going to suck, so be prepared for that. Hostels seem to be the way to go, although I don't know much about them in Europe. I'd say start with a plan. Perhaps it's easiest to travel in a circle (Ireland, UK, Germany, France, Spain). If you have 3-4 weeks and 5 desinations, you'll be able to spend about 3-4 days in each place, so keep that in mind. That might only allow you to hit the big ticket items.

 

When I planned a trip to San Fran last summer, I wrote down things I absolutely wanted to see, like things that would break the trip if I didn't get a chance to see. That will at least help break down the trip. What do you want to see in the UK? Is London enough or do you want to see Scotland, too?

[Shannonw72]

Thanks for the input, MariahSnow! I had planned on staying in hostels when possible and also have done the research for airfare. Although I'm a huge history buff, I wanted to make this trip more about immersing myself into the culture of each place I visit rather than sight-seeing. I mostly just want to go eat the food, drink the beer, and meet people from a different neck of the woods than I'm used to.

[CormacMacG]

I'm from Dublin (Ireland), and to be honest I find it quite hard to tell people what to do or where to stay when they come here, because I rarely do the touristy stuff myself. I'll give it a shot though...

In the city, there are a number of good tours you can do, including a walking tour of the inner city that includes Trinity college and the book of Kells. I think that the college grounds and the book are a must-see, as when visiting the book you can also view the old Trinity Library that is one of the most beautiful (and tiny) libraries you'll see in Europe. The walking tour however isn't for everyone, and the book of Kells entry price can be paid seperately (I think it's about €6, not going to break the bank). There is another tour of the city called the Viking Splash Experience, which is an amphibious boat-bus that tours the streets of Dublin before driving into the Liffey river and exploring the docks a bit, which is good fun. You roar at pedestrians, learn about the different historic buildings and have a bit of childish fun.

If Vikings are your thing, there are a number of activities you can do, including the famous Woodquay excavations and the reconstruction of the ssmall viking village both held now in Dublinia, which is attached to the nicest cathedral in Dublin, Christchurch, so you can get two things out of the way in one go.

Comedy is big here, so if you're coming I'd check out if there are any good gigs on around the city, Vicar Street, the Olympia theatre, The Laughter Lounge are some of the main venues. If you want to check out some indie bands and that kind of scene, the above venues are good for that, as are the Academy, the Village and my personal favourite tiny venue, Whelan's bar. J.J. Smiths is a great spot to catch some jazz if that's what you're into.

If you like big, USA style clubs for late night dancing, check out Wrights Venue in Swords, a little bit outside the city. It's where the Paris Hiltonesque celebrities tend to go when they come here from abroad, or if you want just a fancy night with some heels on the Vintage Cocktail Club (reservation required) or Lillie's Bordello are where you'll find a classy night. If you'd rather have a drink in somewhere with good music (but expensive drinks) check out Dakota or 39. If the hipster, cheap drink scene is more your thing, NoName Bar on Fade Street (the sign is just a snail shell) or Market bar across the road from it are both cool, as are Whelan's, the Workman's Club, Grand Social and The Bernard Shaw (a particularly cool smoking area with a big bus converted into a shelter and loads of graffiti). If you want specialty drinking, I strongly believe the Long Stone has the best pint of Guinness in Dublin, the Bison Bar is the place to check out all the different whiskeys we have to offer, and Ukiyo Bar is one of the most fun weekend nights out you can have, with karaoke and japanese drinks, and the friendliest bar staff you're likely to find.

If you want to check out some of the other touristy stuff, I'd highly reccomend the Science Gallery, which is on the grounds of Trinity College, The Guinness Brewery is great, and offers a good look at the city. For the sport culture, the museum in Croke Park outlines the history of Irish Gaelic sports and is definitely interesting as it played such a major part in our cultural revolution in the early 20th century. The Samuel Becket Museum is great as is Dublin Castle. To be honest, that's just the tip of the iceberg, all the museum stuff is good.

For theatre, the Project Arts Centre is a hub of young, experimental theatre makers, and there's always something interesting going on there. For more traditional theatre check out whats on in the Abbey or the Gaeity, but be prepared to spend more on a ticket. 

Apart from that, you can go to the zoo, wander the phoenix park or St. Anne's Park, go out the coast to Howth and get the famous fish and chips from Beshoffs, or go out the other coast to Dun Laoighre (pronounced dunn leery) and see if you can find the tiny hatch in the coast road wall that sells whippy icecream cones. The walk from Clontarf Dart Station along the coast and across the bridge to the Bull Island is one of my great pleasures, although the walk takes at least an hour in full, plus whatever time you might spend on the island.

In terms of accommodation there are millions of areas you can stay, but as a rule of thumb, the closer to O'Connell Street the better for mobility, but the more expensive. Check out how you would get to the city center from anywhere you check out. Travel isn't difficult but delays are an issue if you only have a couple of days here.

In London, England, if you go there, there are, I'm sure, better authorities than me. (How many commas can you fit in a sentence??) I stayed in the Generator Hostel there, and it was cheap, clean, pleasant and easily accessed from the rest of the city. Going out in London is tough, I wouldn't really recommend central london (bond street area) because it's expensive and hard to get in anywhere, instead try see if there are events on in Dalston, Hackney or Shoreditch, you could find somewhere cool that's a once off night out.

All museums in London are good, but if you're as big a Harry Potter nerd as I am, the Harry Potter experience is a must-see, where they've opened the studios the films were made in to the public. I'd go back a hundred times it's that good.

Hope that's of some use...

I'll post again with some France/Germany/Italy/Spain stuff if there are particular areas/cities you want to go to? And if you want me to keep talking...

Best of Luck

Cormac.

[CormacMacG]

Sweet Odin's Spoons that was a long post, sorry if it's a bit overwhelming!

For travel around Europe on trains this is an indispensable tool: 

http://www.interrail.ie/interrail-global-pass?gclid=CLKp4LCR9rsCFaFF2wodSXIAjA

[Shannonw72]

Cormac,

Thanks for all the info (and the laughs). I think you've missed your calling as a witty tour guide. I am definitely going to research some of the places you've listed. My best friend, who I'll be visiting in England, is a HUGE Harry Potter fan so that's a must see. I'm not really into the nightclub scene, nor am I interested in the artsy scene. Alluding to my previous response, I mostly want to eat, drink, and meet people. Although I am not opposed to some sightseeing, I do not want it to dictate my visits. I would love to see any indie music venues or the comedy clubs sound interesting. Keep the info coming!

[fleaball]

First let me say I'm super jealous! (Second, I feel the need to go to Dublin now.)

 

Okay, now that's out of the way. I don't really have tips for what to see, but I have some practical advice.

 

• Couchsurfing could also be an option, depending on how comfortable you feel with it. I haven't done it myself but I know people who've had good experiences, and your host/s would probably be a great resource on the local area.
• If you're in school now or have an old school ID without an expiration date, bring it. When I was in France it seemed like there was a student discount for everything. 
• Do your research on hostels. Some have curfews and will lock you out. Some/most? have kitchens and sometimes breakfast in the morning. Buying food at a grocery store and cooking on your own is cheaper than eating out every night. 
• If your credit card company offers EMV chip cards, request one. America is behind the times and credit cards with just a magnetic stripe aren't taken everywhere.
• Random: If you have a Bank of America checking account, or are willing to open one and deal with their bullshit, you can use that debit card at certain banks in certain countries (Barclay's in the UK, Deutsche Bank in Germany, BNP Paribas in France, and I'm pretty sure there's one in Spain?) without incurring a foreign ATM fee. There's still a currency conversion fee, but it saves you about $5 a pop for ATM withdrawals.

I swear I had more useful information than that. I'll come back if I think of anything else.

[Shannonw72]

Awesome info, fleaball. I might look into a couple of those options. The couch surfing thing sounds interesting!

[Toast013]

Since you're going to be in that area I highly recommend stopping in Amsterdam. Holland is a great country and Amsterdam is a beautiful city. The Anne Frank house and the rijks museum are are worth the visit.

Also if you're going to Germany, the old part of Heidelberg is my favorite place in the world but it might be a little far south if you're trying to get to Spain as well.

You'll probably want to stop in Paris. This can get expensive quickly, so be careful. The hop-on/hop-off buses are totally worth it in Paris because you get a lot of historical background while seeing the city without having to try to navigate too much (which really isn't too hard but still). Go to sacré-cœur/ montmatre while you're their. It's great and the shops at the market are fun.

If you're at all in to history I would say a trip to Normandy would be well worth your time. When I went we took an overnight ferry from England to Caen which puts you right near where you need to be for that.

As far as money saving goes, find the local supermarket and buy food their. It's cheaper and I personally think it allows you to better understand what the country your in is really like. And who doesn't like a picnic?