Best European Travel Web Sites: 2010
What Web sites have helped you plan your trip? What do you like about the various sites? Anything missing that we could add to ours?
- Please don't post questions here. Use our Travelers Helpline.
Accomodation tips Barcelona
www.dailyflats.com helped me find a fantastic apartment for my trip to Barcelona, there were no hidden charges and it was as easy as booking a hotel. The apartment was fantastic and worked out the same price as a midrange hotel. Really fantastic site!
John
Rogers, FL USA Tue 12/28/2010
B&B SMART lovely place in the heart of Rome!
B&B SMART website: http://www.bandbromeitaly.com
My girlfriend and i were a traveling on our first trip to Rome. I can honestly say that the B&b smart was the best stay ever! The staff was very pleasant, always willing to when we arrived we were offered our choice of two rooms since we were early in the afternoon and other guests had not arrived yet. I had originally requested a room to the rear of the building to be a bit quieter-however the room on the Via Cavour side was larger and it was nicer looking at people and things happening than the back of buildings. We were very pleased with our very large room, bed was comfortable, bathroom very clean. Plenty of hot water and pressure too. Our schedule was busy with tours and the staff delivered our breakfast tray to our room each morning as we had requested right on time. Breakfast was very good. (very good coffee!) Our room was also spotless and very clean. the Lift worked fine, the staff assisted with any of our needs for extra glasses, towels and to call a cab.
The neighborhood is great. There is a public school across the street but down a half block either direction are great deli's, cafes and grocery stores as well as a few gift shops. There is also a very nice church called Basilica di Santa Mary Maggiore (the 2nd biggest in Rome) near the B&B.
My girlfriend and I spent several nights out late siteseeing Ancient Rome bathed in lights..its beautiful and the night life is great and not once did we feel at all unsafe or ill at ease. Each time we returned, the staff at the hotel made us feel very welcomed. We plan on staying at the b&b smart again next year on a return visit..
A only suggestions would be: offer a pump pot of coffee (that is delicious) in the morning for those of us who like seconds.
I wouldn't hesitate at all to comeback again....Very very nice..!
Angela and Jeremy from Canada
Angela
Montreal, Canada Tue 12/14/2010
Going to Sicily?? Contact Marcello Baglioni @ Agave Travel Creative - A true gem!!
After 3 weeks in Venice, Florence and Chianti we thought it couldn't get any better...how wrong we were! Sicily is the new Tuscany...but at the same time raw and real, with a culturally rich and complex blend of amazing food, wine, history, culture and landscapes that outshine other regions of Italy. In Sicily, you really need somebody who gets both the local culture and international traveler's needs to help you navigate your trip and cultivate the right experience with personal care and passion. All I can say is that Marcello's (http://www.agavetravelcreative.com/) expert guidance, insiders knowledge to local experiences really helped us get the most out of our time while feeling part of the Sicilian family. Originally from the Los Angeles, California area, Marcello grew up in his father's Italian restaurant, Emilios, and has an innate passion for food, wine and local culture. As a personal chef looking for rich, real and regional culinary experiences, I really could not have asked or expected more than the magical itinerary of culinary adventures the Agave Travel Creative team created for us that ranged from tasting amazing wines overlooking the volcanic valleys of Mt. Etna to guided culinary tours of outdoor food markets, not to mention the precious restaurant recommendations. Marcello and Agave Travel Creative really made our trip to Sicily unforgettable.
Kicki Larsson
Los Angeles, CA USA Sun 11/07/2010
Comprehensive Online City Guides
I was surprised at how helpful this site is, from Sweden's SAS website: http://www.flysas.com/en/us/Travel_info/Destination_guides/ It offers what appear to be comprehensive city guides for cities all over the world, not just in Scandanavia.
Alison
Auburn, WA USA Tue 10/12/2010
hotel praises
We stayed at the Kraneturm in Bacharach, Germany. Thanks for the recommendation. It was fabulous! Kurt and Fatima were most kind. However you warned us that our river-side rooms would be noisy due to the train tracks below. Not so. The soundproof walls and windows and the sturdy building meant not a rattle, and hardly a sound. The church bells were far louder! No earplugs needed! Also we stayed at Pension Becker in Rothenberg. I believe that was your recommendation also and the couple who owns it was so kind that they twice moved their cars so we could have their parking spaces!
mary
seaford, va USA Mon 10/11/2010
hotels
I have found a website:www.thezouk.com When travelling around Europe I use this to find accomodation. No surfing - the offers come to me.
ole brandt
Copenhagen, Denmark Thu 09/30/2010
Rome
It's not exactly a travel web site, but Anyone interested in Roman History and Architecture should check this link out: http://academicearth.org/lectures/intro-roman-architecture There are 24 Lectures on Roman Architecture each a little over 1 hour long. I'm going to Rome in November 2010 really enjoyed every lecture. If you love Roman history these are a must see.
Les
Mechainicsville, MD USA Sun 09/12/2010
TEFL website with useful Europe travel info forum
I don't know if this will help you as it isn't specifically a Europe travel site. It's the website of the ITTP TEFL Prague course I took this year (so I could travel and teach English), and they have what I consider a useful forum page where folks discuss European travel tips, etc. http://www.tefl-prague.com
Sean
Prague, Praha Czech Rep Fri 09/10/2010
Website for hotels and other accommodations in Rome
Just wanted to recommend the website nycerome.com if you are looking for an accommodation in the center of Rome. Accommodations can be ordered by price range (cheap, budget, comfort or luxury), by category (i.e. b&b, hotel, flat...)or also by location. Easy to navigate, pleasant website, a lot of pictures of the city and of the hotels. It definitely boosted our urge to re-discover Rome...
Sandra
Bordeaux, France Tue 08/10/2010
Loire Valley websites
Loire Valley Accommodation:
www.experienceloire.com www.gitelink.com
With kids in tow:
www.ciaobambino.com www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk www.familyfriendlyholidays.com
Background:
http:averygrandpressigny.blogspot.html http:daysontheclaise.blogpot.html check out their links too!
www.ligeris.com - TOURS and the surround
'Loches' - don't forget Loches!! and the many smaller historic towns and villages such as Montresor, le Grand Pressigny, Descartes aside the headline museum pieces of Amboise, Chenonceau, Villandry etc. etc.
Nicole Crawford
le Grand Pressigny, France Wed 07/14/2010
Searching outside of Rome city limits
If you use Trip advisor to search for B&B's, Restaurants, etc in the area outside of the city limits of Rome, be aware that Trip Advisor will limit its searches ONLY to the Rome metropolitan area. If you want any of the outlying area, try searching Lazio. I think that will work.
Bill
Dayton, OH USA Mon 07/12/2010
New website for hotel reviews
I just heard of a new website where you can plug in different searches for hotels (i.e., Barcelona, near beach), etc., and it will then show all online reviews for the hotels it finds. You can then sort by price, score or # of stars. It's located at http://en.trustyou.com/
Mardee
Cincinnati, OH USA Fri 07/09/2010
Ten Week in Europe Travel Blog
My wife and I spent ten weeks traveling through Europe last summer and we had a blog for family and friends. It's hard to believe that we were in Amsterdam this time last year. We got a lot out of the Rick Steves website, books and videos so I thought it would be nice to give back to the RS community. The link is http://tenweeksineurope.blogspot.com/
Conor
Potomac Falls, VA USA Tue 07/06/2010
RAILEUROPE PASS ONLINE PROBLEMS
RailEurope web flaw. Beware of booking on-line trips with Rail Europe passes. The website allows reservations for travel e.g. Prague to Budapest (via Slovakia). It doesn't warn on-line users of a special $ fee that the pass doesn't cover. So during travel, the conductor will charge you on the spot. When I notified RailEurope they said its the users resp to check or otherwise book with them and pay their fee for additional research. Very very poor customer service.
Angie
Honolulu, HI USA Wed 06/23/2010
Best Sicilian Travel Agent and Guide
Laurie Harris
When my sister and I decided to travel to Sicily for a destination wedding in May/June of 2010, we expected to have a good time. But thanks to Marcello Baglioni and AgaVe Travel Creative, our expectations were wildly exceeded!
Marcello's unique Sicilian expertise, local connections and intuitive skills were invaluable and like a Sicilian genie granting wishes, Marcello & AgaVe made beautiful things happen for us everyday!
Starting with the romantic Sicilian countryside wedding...we were lacking music so AgaVe came to the rescue with an amazing local folk band who created the perfect festive vibe needed for such a special occasion...next day AgaVe salvaged our group from an average tourist bar and whisked us up to the 5th floor patio of a beautiful hotel bar for an apertivo overlooking the most breathtaking sunset sea views, appointments were made in the best local spa where we enjoyed deluxe treatments, we visited an exquisite and unique olive ranch overlooking the turquoise Mediterranean and got great seats to the Greek Theatre performance. We were introduced to the best locals wine bar called Solaria and it's charming owner, Enzo and we now have friends for life. Without AgaVe we wouldn't have known how to order an almond granita with a shot of espresso (served with brioche for dipping) or be able to locate the very best pizza in Siracusa!
On top of all the varied and rich experiences we had, AgaVe was there to assure our safety and comfort as well. When the brakes on our rental car faltered, Marcello made a call to the rental agency and saw to the effortless exchange for a new car, no questions asked!
Our trip was a life-changing dream... an experience that we will treasure forever! Without Marcello and AgaVe providing their extra magical powers this dream could not have come true! Milli Grazii, Marcello!!!
Nancy Harris Nash/San Antonio, Texas
Laurie Harris/Austin, Texas
Laurie Harris
Austin, TX USA Wed 06/16/2010
Travel Sites for Spain
Great sites for Madrid and Barcelona are:
www.madridman.com and www.barcelonaman.com
Sarah Bates
Fallbrook, CA USA Tue 06/15/2010
response to destinationeurope.com
She was called and emailed 5 times, no response... you were on vacation... and never responded. One would assume you no longer are doing business... please don't slanderize our company, for your mishap
John
New York, NY USA Wed 06/02/2010
Don't use David
David began to arrange my travel and then never called me back from european destinations.com
Linda F
Danville, pa USA Fri 05/28/2010
ParisFlatRent - Thanks a million guys !
I was in Paris with my grand daughter to celebrate her high school graduation. The location of the flat was perfect as we were able to get around mainly by walking, access to Metro and tour buses were very convenient. I would like to thank Giovanni and Aurelien for helping to make my stay in Paris unforgettable.
Nancy
Paris, France Tue 05/25/2010
PartyEarth.com
Partyearth.com. Great website for bars, clubs, and other nightlife in major European cities
Danny
Los Angeles, CA USA Fri 05/21/2010
Parisbestlodge Paris. Perfect for us!
Extremely happy with Parisbestlodge in Paris. Vacation rentals by owner direct. Rooms are charming, clean. Thierry, the owner, is prompt to answer and help you. My first experience in paris. The perfect catch.
lesnuages
USA Sat 04/24/2010
Best Sicily Travel agent
My wife and I recently spent a week in Sicily and the trip was planned with the help of Agave Travel (www.agavetravelcreative.com), which is located in Siracusa. Agave is expert in arranging for incredibly knowledgeable guides, who one and all were very Italian and very kind. They provided a very rich experience on every aspect of our Sicilian tour. Our cooking class for two was conducted by a chef who was chosen to take part in the Slow Food annual cooking competition in Savoy. Our guide for our walk on Mt. Etna was a trained rock climbed and vulcanologist. The guide who led us through Taorimina had a PhD in archeology and had just returned from a dig in Crete. And so on. Marcello, who runs Agave, was always helpful (like finding a dentist when my wife got a toothache). If you want to really get to know Sicily in the shortest time, Agave is the right choice.
Alan Engelberg
Los Altos, CA USA Fri 04/16/2010
Cinque Terre
Hi, I was just passing by this forum and want to suggest a site where my wife and I found information on the Cinque Terre, Italy.
http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en
A nice tourist guide with helpful information, tips, pictures, weather forecast, accomodations directory.
Regards
Stefan & Dorette
Munich, GERMANY Thu 04/15/2010
Best European Travel Agency
I am with Jim from AZ, Destination Europe Travel has been my lifeline when traveling. They designed an awesome itinerary and it was 1st class all the way. The owner David Biery makes each trip the best it can be by maximizing time and budget. I would really recommend them. The website is www.destinationeuropetravel.info. i am also including their email as Jim did.
Have Fun,
Susan
Susan Collins
Wausau, WI USA Wed 03/31/2010
hotels
For hotel booking in Europe (i'm an american military member living here) i use booking.com. You can pick what area you want to be in and the prices are reasonable.
gforce79
APO, AE USA Sat 03/27/2010
Favorite Site
By far my favorite site for European travel is www.europeupclose.com. They have experts who write consistently and their articles are packed with useful info.
Janet
Northampton, MA USA Tue 03/16/2010
Blogs are Primary Source Documents!
I use tripadvisor to search for b&bs and hostels--you can click on the different tabs at the top, and even specify how much you're willing to spend. i also very much value the user reviews. also, we booked an apartment in paris on vrbo.com, which is a great idea for anyone, especially anyone with a family. i also like to search blogs, as i find that i get a better idea of what a place (or process, such as trip planning) is REALLY like from actual people who take the time to write about it. i keep one of my own (http://elbodans.wordpress.com/) to share with others. right now it is all about the process of planning, and there are lots of blogs out there that are similar. just type the name of the city you are going to visit followed by the word 'blog' into a search engine. you'll be amazed at the wealth of information.
though, of course, this is my favorite site!
Tracy
Macungie, PA USA Wed 03/10/2010
Five-Minute Films on European Art & Destinations
5 Minute YouTube Videos on European Sites and Art: http://www.youtube.com/giotheblogger
Gio
Chicago, IL USA Tue 03/09/2010
discount air travel and hotels/B&B's within Europe
Hands down best website for cheap flights is www.SkyScanner.net. I've flown between Dublin/Vienna for $35, and from Brussels/Rome for $30.
Unfortunately you have to pack a little lighter than US/Europe trans-continental flights, but it saves you tons of cash and time over a long-distance train any day.
I've also managed to find excellent European hotels and B&B's thru www.Booking.com. Their reviews are pretty excellent, much more thorough than with American websites.
SpunkyBunks
Rio Rancho, NM USA Tue 03/09/2010
Croatia tour
I recommend travel agency NATURA-TURIST, www.plitvicebooking.com for short or long-term vacation rentals in The Plitvice Lakes National Park region including Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. I had a great experience with them! If You need transfers, accomodation, local guiding contact them, e-mail is natura-turist@gs.t-com.hr
Tom
Castle Rock, WA USA Thu 03/04/2010
Apartment Rentals
If you're looking to rent an apartment in Italy I recommend http://www.rome-accom.com We stayed near the Piazza Navona in Rome and walked just about everywhere. The apartment was clean and exactly what was resented on the website. Don’t be afraid to negotiate a cash price.
Jim
Scottsdale, AZ USA Fri 02/26/2010
Best European Travel Agency
For the Best Experience in booking European Travel... I would highly suggest Destination Europe Travel. I have used them many of times and they got me the best rates and best accomdations. They are booking a tour for my church to Rome Currently. The Owner will take good care of you. His name is David Biery, the site is www.destinationeuropetravel.info
I am putting their email for correspondance.
safe travels,
Jim Scott
Tucson, AZ
Jim Scott
Tucson, AZ USA Thu 02/25/2010
Romania Travel
In planning our private trip to Romania we found this web site most informative and helpful. They are adept at planning trips to Romania and the countries of the Balkans.
www.tours-of-romania.com
Stu Johnson
Seattle, WA USA Thu 02/11/2010