jo mama, Bruges is very scenic with canals and medieval architecture, it's often called the Venice of Northern Europe. You can sit by the Belfry tower and be mesmerized by the music. Antwerp is where all the action is though - some of the best bars in Europe. rock, I stayed near the Arc de Triomphe once and did not like it very much. Too touristy on one hand and business-district-like on the other. I stayed there in the Etoile area and ended up changing hotels mid-trip to a place across from Notre Dame. If possible, I would recommend staying near the river or even in the Latin Quarter or Les Halles. You should be able to easily get around on foot or by the efficient Metro subway, which has trains come by like every 2-3 minutes. Krosfyah's suggestions for sightseeing are a good start, and you can try and add a 1/2 day trip to the Palace of Versailles if you have time. One area I really enjoy in Paris is the Bastille. Lots of cool eateries, shops, architecture, and nightlife. There's a place there I liked called Bar des Ferailleurs which is popular with locals. The store SJC mentioned, Galleries Lafayette in the 'Opera' district, is like their version of Macy's and is good for reasonably priced clothing. That same area will also have a lot of other nice stores for clothing, as will Les Halles. Food is good to very good all over Paris, depending on how much you spend. Maybe try at least one each of the boulangeries, creperies, pattiseries, outdoor cafes, bistro's while you're there. The 'prix fixe' menus for dinner can be a good deal, too.
In high school, I stayed in Paris a few times with a host family, they lived near the Arc de Triomphe (Rue de Courcelles). I agree with pippendagimp that the Quartier Latin would be much better. If you were with a girl, I would recommend the Hotel Buci Latin, quite romantic (well, I once broke up with a girlfriend there, but it is still romantic - I think it is now called the Artus Hotel). Since you are alone, might as well go for something cheaper. But I'd definitely recommend the Quartier Latin. Here's an article about a nice street in the Quartier Latin: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/paris/110492
You gave some great hints, krosfyah, but I have to disagree with #2. Using ATM's in Europe can be a hit-or-miss proposition. While I was in Europe recently, my ATM card (I use Wells Fargo) worked in only about 1 out of 3 ATM's. And I was slapped with a nasty fee by both my bank (for international withdrawal) and the ATM, negating any good exchange rate I might have received. Just a suggestion...
I know it depends on personal tastes, but I hated Amsterdam. Paris is one of the very special cities in the world. If you like museums AT ALL, you must go to the Louvre. It is truly fantastic IMO (but the Mona Lisa is nothing special). From the Arc de Triomphe, walk the Champs Elysee a few blocks. One time we saw Martina Hingis in a perfume store, the day before she melted down against an aging Steffi Graff in the French Open final. Nobody was crowding her and she was just like everyone else. This could only happen in Paris. The rudeness people talk about in Paris is way exaggerated. However, at the airports, the rudeness of the employees is deservedly legendary though my last 2 times there I had no problems.
Interesting, I've used ATMs all over Europe & Asia (including mainland China) with no suprises. Mine is BofA. Whatever you do, don't exchange money at your hotel unless you want to be ripped off. One last comment, the pickpockets in Paris are everywhere, and they are usually young kids. My brother caught one with his wallet and an adult quickly rushed in to bail him out. If you must carry a wallet, put it in your front pocket and walk with your hands in your pocket.
That reminds me of a story...I was once in the metro and it was really crowded. I had some French Franc bill in my front pocket. It was so crowded that people were kind of pressed against each other. Anyway, I felt something in my front pocket (not what you think), and I knew it was not MY hand that was there. When we got to the stop, I had a little bit of room and checked my front pocket and realized that the bill was gone - I couldn't tell who had done it because there were so many people in front of me - but I said really loudly in French "GIVE ME THE MONEY BACK"....and, surprise, the guy right in front of me gave it back to me, put his finger on his mouth, gave me an embarrassed smile, and got the hell out of the metro. I screamed something at him, but he was gone quickly. Anyway, not sure why I am telling this story, other than to say...watch your stuff, apostolic3 is absolutely right about the pickpockets...
dont forget, mushrooms are legal too. have some before you go to the van gogh museum. these links came in handy for my trip to amsterdam. we tried to visit as many of them as we could. http://www.coffeeshop.freeuk.com/General/CupShops.html http://www.coffeeshop.freeuk.com/ACDfrmGu.html?ACDpage=General/Map.html i have some more links if anyone is interested
thats what i was worried about, but due to work, early december is pretty much the only time i can get 2 weeks off. ive also heard it gets dark around 3. at least the tourist crowds should be down. is it snow, rain, extreme cold or a combo of all? not to derail the thread, but regarding germany... what would you recommend for a first time traveler? im going to be spending about 8-9 days in germany. the major cities id like to see are berlin (of course), munich and cologne (mainly for the dom). other than that, im pretty open - ill be traveling by train. any skiing areas? spooky castles?
I doubt it, but if that's the reason he's better off going to Switzerland. A much more beautiful country, and MUCH better weather. Not to mention...it's legal there too.....
I just saw this thread so sorry for my late reaction. First paris, i went there this summer(i have been there 3 time before). I liked the grave of napoleon alot, there is also a museum of war(great old weapons from the ttime of napoleon. It is called don l'invalides. I also like the Museum of natural history, especially the paleonthology department of it(but then again I am a biologist). I also like montmatre. Just walking around and we bought a drawing of my girlfriend and me(if you are getting a drawing be sure to try to reduce the price, the Americans that were drawned before us payed about 20 euro's more then we did). I also like the boat over the seine. ofcourse are all the very touristic things great. If you want a good vieuw over the city go to the Montparnasse(it is a high building, about the height of the eifeltoure, but then you can pay less, and also see the eifeltour. Do not go to the moulin rouge, it is very expensive(but then again if you ike it you can go). When you visit the louvre make sure you know what you want to see, because you can walk in there for days and not see everyting. About Amsterdam. Why do i get the impression that when people think Amsterdam they think about Pot and Hookers? . one thing i do not understand, is the red light district really that special for foreigners? because every big town has such a district in holland,(Amsterdam is the biggest). And yes pot is legal, you just have to go to a coffee shop. And make sure you only buy from those people, do not trust people who offer you some on the streets. My parents life in a town 20 minutes south of Amsterdam, so i have been there alot, however i did not see alot of touristic places. Amsterdam has some great places to visit, ofcourse the ann frank house(however i went to the musea of the holocast in israel, that was so impressive, nobody ,of the group i was there with, talked for about a hour after we left. i will never forget that musea). I'm not a big fan of painters, so i cannot say if those museas are good or not(i never vissited one). Maybe it is fun to take a bouttrip in the waters of amsterdam. Jo Mama in the winter it is pretty cold in holland i think generally about 0 degrees however if it is a cold winter it can freeze about 10-15 degrees, but that hasn't happened in about 4 year(i want to iceskate again ), it can rain and it can snow. Mostly the rain and snow is the most anoying thing about dutch weather , in december it starts getting dark around 4 PM, but in amsterdam there are alot of lights so you can still se alot of interesting things. Rock how long will you stay in Amsterdam? and what are you planning to see?
True, not every ATM works but finding one that does isn't that big a deal. The machines have stickers on them of which types of cards they accept and you just match that to what's on the back of your card. So you can quickly see what machines will work without even stopping. And it is much less of a hassel than carry a wad of cash from the currency exchange at the airport or searching for any other currency exchanges once your in the city. Yes, you will basically always get raped when you exchange money. The question comes down to how much money do you want to carry around and how much effort do you want to go through while on vacation looking for more money. If you want to feel safer and not bother with banks while on vacation, ATMs are the way to go. To each his own.
When you're done being a tourist in Paris hit these bars: La Suite and then my favorite L'Toile. Incredible women....and btw don't be shy about talking to random girls in a cafe, if they like you they're pretty open and will sometimes be willing to go to a bar or someplace on the spot. The girls will pay their own cover and will not accept when you ask to buy them a drink, but the custom is that they'll drink out of yours. (Which is better for $30 a drink!) I went to a few underground techno parties that were great, but we just made friends w/ some Parisians and had them show us the way.
I was just in Paris this past February. I loved it. You are lucky. Walking is a great suggestion. There is so much to see just walking around. The metro is convenient and easy to use if you are making a longer journey. I stayed in the Marais. There are some really good and inexpensive places to eat over there. Don't let people psyche you out with French hate Americans line. People there have always been very nice and helpful to me. There are some quick cultural differences and being aware of them can help. They don't think it is nice, but closer to senility to walk around smiling at everyone you pass on the street. If you go into a shop, always give the shopkeeper a friendly greeting. It is the custom, and they might think it rude to just walk in without it. Just do that and you will see that the vast majority will be very nice to you. There is just so much to do, that you shouldn't try and fit everything in. Just enjoy as much as possible the things you do, and realize you will have to come back again. Depending on what your interests are you can see sites of literary interest, historical interest, arts interest, whatever. It is all there. Amsterdam is often only thought of as a place for pot to be legal. But in the short time I was there, I found that they have some really delicious desserts that are for sale from street vendors, and great museums as well.
Ditto. Paris restaurants are fab. WRT sight seeing, Paris is hard to screw up. It sounds like you have a great hotel location, so you are good to go. I've been to Amsterdam also. I was only there a day or two. I took a canal boat tour and you should too.
for europe travel, do you recommend getting reservations for hotels? nothing fancy, just the average room w/ shared bathroom-deal. id like to avoid being tied down by reservations. i prefer just coming into town and finding a place, usually from out of my trusty "lets go" travel guide.
I used to travel like that, but often, it ends up being more expensive, plus, you waste time looking for a place when you are there, and you might have the stress of looking for a room and having to run from one hotel to another because they are all sold out. Make reservations which can be canceled until 6 P.M. of the day of arrival. Many hotels offer that.
