I found out two weeks ago that I’ve won a full scholarship to attend the Wordsworth Summer Program in Grasmere for two whole weeks in July-August. Yay! It’s very prestigious; I’ll be studying in the Lake District where Wordsworth himself wrote, studied, and revolutionized poetry; and I’ll be working daily with some of the best Romantic scholars in the world. Boy am I excited.
But, even BETTER, my parents are so excited that I’ll be out of the house for two weeks that they are going to pay for NINE (count 'em, nine!) days in Europe after the conference is over. Of course, this will be super cheap Europe - I’ll be backpacking about in hostels and traveling on a Europass. But I am quite excited.
So my question to the more travelled Dopers: what are the coolest, cheapest places in Europe? I am thinking Amsterdam, possibly Prague. Any other suggestions? Where can I get the most bang for my buck? What city is your favorite? Which has the best sites? FYI: I’ll be spending a day in London before the conference and I’ll have nine days after. All I know is I have to be in Paris on the last day (my flight is out of Paris - it was cheaper that way).
Most importantly, any European Dopers wanna have a Dopefest sometime after August 10th? As long as I can get there with my Europass, I’ll let you buy me a drink.
I love all of Europe, and found the Czech Republic to be very inexpensive. But with hostels and careful budgeting, any place could be visited. Check out the Eurotrip backpack site at Forums | eurotrip There is a “favorite places” section.
Amsterdam can be done very cheaply from the UK if you’re not fussy – an overnight coach trip from London (11pm gets in around 9am) and cheap dorm rooms in the city centre.
Prague isn’t as cheap as it’s reputed to be, but is still cheaper than western Europe. Flights from the UK can cost around £120.
Mind you, both places are overrun with US tourists. Why not try somewhere like Hamburg, or Nice, or Lisbon?
Unfortunately, we’ll be out of the country (France) for almost all of August. We’ll probably be back the last week, though.
If there is anything I can do to help, let me know. I know <b>andygirl</b> stayed at a relatively cheap hostel in Paris when she was here, so maybe she can give you some advice.
I’d be more than happy to host you if we are here at the time. How exciting!
Prague is an excellent place to visit, unfortunatley nine days is not that long, so you will have to choose wisely. I would recommend Praha, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and any places along the way that you may want to visit. Those are all doable on the cheap. And you’ll wind up in Paris, so you may want to spend a couple of days there. Obviously i named too many there, a piece of advice i would give you is do not rush through these towns, visit fewer but spend more time there, it will be a much more rewarding experience rahter than just quickly visiting.
Enjoy, wish i was in your shoes, a nice littel trip is exactly what I need.
Way-hey! I live a mere handful of miles from the Lake District. It is extremely beautiful, and you will see the very landscapes that inspired the Romantic poets. You must take a day to explore the Duddon Valley, from Duddon Bridge up through Ulpha to the three way junction with the Hardknott and Wrynose passes. It was one of Wordsworths favourite places (as I am sure you know) and it is truly beautiful.
July-Aug is usually a busy time in the Lake District. It wasn’t so much last year, because of the foot-and-mouth restrictions. The tourism sector lost an estimated £230 million. I guess that as a student you don’t have a great deal of money to throw around, but for the sake of the people of Cumbria could you throw a little around while you’re up here?
I like Autumn and Spring here. Today is a beautiful clear day. I shall be taking a walk up onto the common after posting this.
Are you a drinker of beer? We have some of the world’s finest beer up here. The breweries of Jennings, Coniston and Dent produce delicious ales. Coniston Bluebird Ale is a previous CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain. (A mini Dopefest in Cumbria would not be a bad thing!)
Sheep live semi-wild on the fells. They are called hefted sheep, meaning that they don’t need confinement by walls and fences, but ewes bring up their lambs to know the limits of their own territory. Sheep living on the most frequently visited fells are almost tame. They will steal your sandwiches and potato crisps as soon as look at you.
I just wanted to suggest that you choose NO more than 3 places to visit in your 9 days. As for cool places, I have to vote for Barceona and Florence, or if you are feeling adventurous, Budapest.
The best place in the UK to visit in the summer is definetly Brighton, the place is just soooo realxed! The beach is just packed with loads of people just hanging around talking to anyone until the early hours.
It’s about half hour train journey from Gatwick, and there are trains upto Waterloo (I THINK) where you can get the Eurostar into the continent.
If you’ve not travelled in Europe much, then Amsterdam, Paris and Prague are all excellent, although even as a native Amsterdammer, I would not stay in Amsterdam more than a few days without taking some side trips to other Dutch towns. If you’re feeling adventurous, allow me to recommend the Dalmatian coast. The old town of Dubrovnik, the islands off the coast at Split, the quaint village of Primosten, and other areas are great, cheap and off the beaten path.
I had a lot of fun in Antwerp, Belgium last year. It wasn’t too expensive and there was a lot to see and do. Hope you have fun whatever you decide to do!
The coolest place I’ve been to in Europe is Florence, hands down. There’s so much there (and nearby), most importantly Michelangelo’s David, which is the most striking man-made object I’ve ever seen.
Amsterdam and surrounding area. There is a national park not too far out where you can ride a free bike through the park and go to the Kroller-Mueller Museum, one of my fav museums in the world. Dozens of van Goghs and other spectacular art. And the city of Amsterdam itself is wonderful.
I agree with whoever said Brugges, Belgium. It is magical.
I spent a month in Spain, so I am partial to it’s charms. Not only Madrid and Barcelona, but also Toledo and the southern coast.
I could have spent a week in Tarifa on the beach, going to Gibraltar and over to Morocco (easy day trip).
My best friend lives in Zurich. Switzerland is beautiful and relatively small, so you can hit Lucerne and Berne in one day.
If you go to Paris, take the Metro or bus everywhere if it is too far to walk. Driving is an adventure in that city!
I was last in Dubrovnik in '88, but I have kept up with some of my Croatian friends who assure me it is still there. Some damage, even bad damage, was sustained but there has apparently been a lot of reconstruction.
Thanks to everyone for the advice! I’m definitely thinking about Brugges and Amsterdam, and maybe two days in Paris (I really just want to see the Eiffel Tower).
Everyone keep your fingers crossed that I get the research grant I am competing for; if so, I’ll be able to stay in England even longer and travel to Glasgow for my research.
So, more questions: how much luggage should I bring? (I’d like to do just one backpack, but that seems impossible since I’m spending two weeks at a variety of functions in England first). Can I get by on English? (my French is mediocre, and that’s the only other language I know). How much money should I realistically bring (just one or two small souvenirs for my parents; I’m talking travel and hostels)? It seems like a lot of you have experience, so any advice is appreciated.
Where you spend your nine days very much depends on what you’re looking for.
If you’re looking for art, then definitely go to Florence or Paris.
If you want to explore a great social scene with the locals, Amsterdam or Madrid.
If you’re looking for Americans, Prague.
Actually, my recommendation is to explore one place in depth, rather than just city-hopping. For my money, Italy is the most amazing place in Europe. It has wonders of antiquity, a raging art and music scene, wonderful food, and men who are hot, Hot, HOT!
You could easily spend three days in Venice, Florence, and Rome, or all nine days in any one of those cities.
Actually, it was my experience in '98 that if you’re looking for Germans, go to Prague. I spent 10 days there and met a grand total of 1 American (a student from Houston), and everywhere I turned, I either heard German spoken, or saw a German tourist.
Even the American café, The Globe, (which I hear is now closed down), only had one or two others in it the day I wandered by, and I think they were Brits, anyway.
