If any beggar has a sign in English, don’t read it. It’s just to distract you.
You can enter the Louvre through the underground shopping mall and avoid the lines at the pyramid entrance. Also, the museum pass makes a lot of sense even if you just go to the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay, since it lets you skip the very long ticket lines.
The South of France is the world’s single most valuable and popular tourist destination. It will be packed to the rafters. It will also be full of people like you, don’t worry about it. Oh, and something will be stolen from you at some point, there’s not much you can do about it. Think of it as the hunting season, when the migratory hordes carrying far too many valuables congregate in the breeding ground on the Cote d’Azur. And in Italy, if any Gypsy women approach and show you their poor starving baby, run, because they are the most impressive pickpockets that I have ever seen. You have to admire their skill and dexterity. Well, once you’ve worked out how you’re going to manage without a wallet or a passport.
When you get to Greece, don’t say anything even vaguely nice of the Turks. Under no circumstances should you openly disagree that Istanbul should revert to being Constantinople, that it should be in Greece, and that St Sophia should become an Orthodox cathedral again.
Get some Tevas and wear 'em in the shower. And don’t forget to bring your moneybelt into the shower with you if you stay in a hostel.
Barbarian-- who prefers staying in hotels or with family when he visits Europe.
Museums in Paris are free on the first Sunday of every month.
You´ll pay a lot extra for a hotel or hostel that´s near the city centre but it´s nice to go out in the evening and be in walking distance of your hotel. Anyone who´s tried to get a taxi in Paris at 2am on a Saturday night will know what I mean. The metro is really good though but it stops around 1.
I know an excellent very cheap restaurant in the centre of Paris but the name escapes me. Give me a few minutes and I´ll see if I can find it and try to remember anything else useful.
What?! No one’s mentioned the ubiquitous “Make sure a red maple leaf is displayed prominently on your backpack so that everyone will think you’re Canadian” suggestion? I think the Dopers are slipping… someone should tell the Mod’s or something…
Watch out for pickpockets in Rome. The little kids will get to you. If someone comes up to you with a piece of cardboard, blank or not, get away quickly. Really be aware of your surroundings. Watch for pickpockets on the metro in Paris.
Brussels is ok and worth only a day or maybe two. CHAB Van Gogh hostel is rather nice. Bruges was one of my faves and Bauhaus hostel is a great place to stay in with a fun bar.
Use the metro entrance for the Louvre and exit through the pyramid. Don’t go in the fountains- you’ll get yelled at. Some of the best views of Paris are from the steps of Sacre Coeur.
June will be a little crowded- it’s peak tourist season so be prepared. Book at least your first night in Europe. You may want to call a day or two ahead to book in other cities before moving on, just in case.
I found Venice to be depressing. It’s romantic if you like open sewers. In southern italy, some cooking wine is cheaper than the bottled water. It still can get you drunk. To get to Greece, you must navigate sleazy Brindisi first. [traffic cop]nothing to see here, move it along[/tc] At least consider a island hopping to Greece. If you want a break from all those dern ferners over there, the Pink Palace in Corfu is filled with topless western women, whom you can tell by their sunburned boobies.
Ahhh, I was wondering how long it would take before someone mentioned the Palace.
I would suggest not stopping there unless you have a lot of excess time and money and think that drinking all day on the beach, dancing all night, and generally doing a bunch of stuff you don’t want to tell your parents about is a your idea of fun.
