Travelers Helpline: Classic View
All together, we have a wealth of European travel experience. This is your chance to help or be helped. If you've got a question about traveling in Europe, we think there's a Rick Steves Community member with an answer...
RE: CDG to Hotel Esmeralda in Paris
It is my grandmother's second and my first! We would GREATLY love any and all suggestions you may have! I'm glad that it sounds like you had a fabulours time. We are very excited. We are staying for six days and then heading to the Sarlat area for nine. Thank you for the help!
Jenn
Coeur d'Alene 4/7/13
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RE: Kinsale - B&B and seafood restaurant recommendations
Cathy,
In Kinsale, there are two restaurants that I would recommend for great seafood. Fishy-Fishy Café is one of them. I was back there a few years back, and had the breaded & fried prawns served with a Scampi sauce, which was excellent! This place fills up quick with locals, who stay there most of the day. Therefore, for lunch get there when they open. If I recall, they do not take reservations. I am not sure for dinner, for back when I went, they only served lunch.
Another great seafood restaurant is Jim Edwards. They serve an excellent seafood cold plate with prawns, crab, salmon, lobster & oysters that can't be missed! They also serve great steaks. Note: early reservations are must!
Kaz
Santa Clarita, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: So Confused - RER or Metro to Versailles
Wikitravel has some good info about transportation options for getting to Versailles from various locations in/around Paris. Regarding getting there by city bus it says:
"Route 171 travels between Pont de Sèvres (at the end of Métro line 9) to Versailles. The bus journey from the station to the château takes approximately 30 min."
http://wikitravel.org/en/Versailles
Elle
L.A., CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Travel from Naples to sicily
Fly from Naples to Palermo (Volotea or Alitalia).
Visit Palermo and Monreale (no more than 2 days).
After visiting Palermo, rent a car and head out. These are the absolute must see of Sicily (besides Palermo). You'll need at least 10 days for just the top sights.
West of Palermo: Segesta, Erice, Zingaro Reserve, Selinunte.
Further South: Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples, Piazza Armerina, Caltagirone, Ragusa.
Eastern Sicily: Taormina, Syracuse, Mt. Etna.
North Sicily: aeolian islands, Cefalu'.
Roberto
Fremont, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Prescription or extra pair of glasses?
My eyesight is so bad, I've actually had nightmares about hypothetically loosing my glasses overseas. So yeah I always bring a spare pair; without specs I would be in worse shape than Mr. Magoo.
And speaking of spare things, if you are parking your car at the airport, be sure to bring along your extra set of keys.
Michael Schneider
New Paltz, NY 4/7/13
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RE: plantar fasciitis - What did you do on your trip?
Taping!
Master a favorite taping technique and tape your foot on a daily basis.
It can be very hard to tape in the beginning but it gives you immediate relief and help to keep your foot from more strain. You can find a good guide about it in: http://www.plantar-fasciitis-elrofeet.com/plantar_fasciitis_taping.html
Find the most effective way for you to tape and do it!
Ez
Tel Aviv 4/7/13
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RE: CDG to Hotel Esmeralda in Paris
Jenn, Is this your first time to Paris? Our favorite vacation of all was our first time to Paris! Have you stayed in this area? It is fantastic! Let us know if you need restaurant/sightseeing ideas. Bring a small lock to lock to one of the brideges you'll be walking across ( http://www.bonjourparis.com/story/paris-love-locks-love-that-wont-die/ ) ; and bring a journal and pen to write poetry at Shakespear and company around the corner from you. Oh, and when your feet are tired, hop onto a BatoBus ( http://www.batobus.com/english/index.htm ) for a cheap city tour (this is where you can make up your cab fare... the batobus takes the exact same route as the expensive dinner cruises!)
Jean-Paul
indianapolis 4/7/13
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RE: Contacting hotels after arrival in Italy
It won't hurt to call to confirm, however it's likely not necessary. Phone rather than email.
If you plan to build an ark I hope it's not for the month of July. You won't see enough water to wet the ground, let alone float something.
Roberto
Fremont, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel stay in Florence
If you are not renting upon arrival, but rather the next day you should rent from a city office rather than the airport, you are likely to save some rental fees.
The area near the airport is called Novoli. It's not the place I would choose to stay. Not because of safety of course (Ukiah is probably more dangerous) but because it's an ugly dormitory neighborhood full of high rise condos that shuts down in the evening.
There is a new Hilton Garden Inn near the new Courthouse (the hugest and tallest Courthouse you'll ever see). Or you could go to Sesto Fiorentino (the suburb next to the airport) and stay at the Villa Stanley, just blocks from the University of Michigan Florence Campus.
Either way you are a distance from Florence historical center. Change your car rental arrangements if you can.
Roberto
Fremont, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Hut to Hut Hiking
This was just on RS European Headlines on Wednesday.
http://www.cabanedesvignettes.ch/
http://www.sac-cas.ch/en/huts/search-a-hut.html
Sam
Green Bay 4/7/13
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Contacting hotels after arrival in Italy
I thought that I probably should contact the different hotels a day before each arrival to insure everything is OK. I have confirmations for all my hotels except for two small room rentals that I corresponded by email. Do you think that is a good idea and should I use phone or email?
Thanks again for all your help!! Only a month before we leave and I'm getting more exited every day. It's the first time that I have made my own trip plans and itinerary. We will be going for Forty days!! I told my wife I'd bring tools to build an Ark!
Thanks once more!! Jim ;-)
Jim
Brookings, Oregon USA 4/7/13
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RE: Travel from Portland to Paris
Second part, yes, lots of people fly Icelandic from Seattle, but as you can see from the schedule, it leaves Seattle late afternoon and lands in Iceland first thing the following morning.
Sam
Green Bay 4/7/13
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RE: two nights in London in June, where to stay?
I stayed at Base2Stay Kensington,, loved it. Close to two tube stations, two great musuems ( V@A and Natural History) two good grocers .
The room is very comfy , small , but well put together,,down duvets, modern lovely bathroom good water pressure, and best of all a tiny kitchenette , just a 1/2 fridge, small sink, , microwave and tea/coffee set up, great way to save by having a quick breakfast in room, or a late night snack, they have amazing ions of foods at grocers you can take and warm up in room..
Lovely quiet nights, but only a block or so away from main streets buses, tubes etc.. I would stay there again in heartbeat.
pat
victoria Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Paris to Charles de Gaulle airport in June
Here's good info about public ground transport to/from Paris and CDG: Paris to/from CDG airport
I have always had good luck using the Les Cars Air France bus service from Gare de Lyon. Slower than the train but it's worked well for me.
Elle
L.A., CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: CDG to Hotel Esmeralda in Paris
Thank you for all of your help!
In Response:
-Get a lower level floor at the hotel. Thank you! We asked for a lower level with a few, yeah we want the both of both worlds, and they even volunteered to help us with our baggage. So far, they are seeming like a great hotel!
-Taxi vs. Metro: We will definitely not be taking the metro as I believe it would just set us off on the wrong foot for our trip. She deserves the best (wish I could afford a horse and carriage, now THAT would be cool!)!
-Shuttle vs. Taxi: The shuttle option shows about 38euros one way and the taxi is said to be about 48euros... if we can find a way to arrange for pick up for the shuttle it might just be worth not waiting in the taxi line. We come in about 8:30 am (which is amusing to me as we leave home at 8:30 the day before).
Merci for all your help! Truly appreciate it!!
Jenn
Coeur d'Alene 4/7/13
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RE: Travel from Portland to Paris
"Does it make sense to fly overnight or is jet lag always a given"
It's not "or," it's "and." Given that Paris is 9 hours ahead of Portland, it's hard to avoid jet lag, no matter how you fly between them.
The only day flights to Europe are from Chicago, Boston and New York (and possibly DC) to London. They have ardent fans because, while you "waste" a day flying, you depart in the morning and land at night, get to bed, and then are relatively rested the next day. Some west coast residents are such fans of these that they fly to the east coast a day early and spend a night in a hotel to catch one of them. But for you, this would be PDX to JFK to LHR to Paris (last leg can be on the train). Unless you're really set on a day flight, this will take a lot longer and be a lot harder than the easier options.
If you are connecting on the east coast to non-day flights, you have to get an early flight from your home city to connect the same day to Europe. You can also connect in the "middle" of the US, like SLC or Chicago; Chicago, in particular, has nonstop service to a variety of cities, so this can be a good option.
However, most west coast residents prefer to fly nonstop to Europe, then change in Europe to their final city. This is faster (sometimes substantially) than changing on the east coast of the US, and if you miss the connection on the east coast, the next flight may be the next day, while in Europe, the next flight is likely only a few hours later.
As said above, apparently the only nonstop out of Portland OR is to Amsterdam. Luckily for you, it's a user-friendly airport, very good to change flights in, and has lots of ways to kill time if you have a longer connection.
To find all flight options, use http://www.kayak.com; you then book directly with the airline.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Following Springsteen Tour
Monchengladbach is about 10 miles west of Dusseldorf, Werchter is about 10 mile northeast of Brussels airport. The 2 are about 80 miles from each other. So flying in and out of Brussels or Dusseldorf seems like a good plan. Getting to Leipzig from Monchengladbach via train is pretty easy. Leipzig to Rome is a hike, but you have 3 full days, so maybe check out Munich or Florence on the way to Rome. RyanAir has cheap flights to Brussels from Rome, but they use secondary airports, not the main airports, so keep that in mind, and they charge for anything extra they can including $75 to print your boarding pass at the airport (you need to print them at your hotel).
Surprisingly, some people posted last week on the Helpline who are flying from South Africa to Paris for the concert there.
Sam
Green Bay 4/7/13
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RE: handicap help @ train station for departure?
"Harold has read my mind correctly...."
Thanks for the confirmation!
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: handicap help @ train station for departure?
Craig, I used your question as a chance to learn more about Gare de Lyon and am glad to share what I found. Here is a link to an excellent PDF map of the station: http://parisbytrain.com/files/2008/06/Plan_de_la_gare_de_Lyon.pdf
You can easily see the 2 zones of platforms: YELLOW with letters (upper left) and BLUE numbered platforms. Someone on a Frommers message board said that the ZONE will be posted on the electronic monitors before the specific platform letter or number (Voie) will be, so if you can't get porter assistance, you can at least move close to the correct Zone as soon as it's posted and then watch the monitors there for the platform to be posted.
I can't vouch for the above, but it might help, and at least the map will certainly give you a visual sense of the station's layout ahead of time.
Best of luck to you and your wife. Happy travels!
Elle
L.A., CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: rhine town/river
Ruedesheim is THE most touristy town in all of Germany. Chock full of one tacky souvenir shop after another, crowds of bussed in tourists and cruise ship tourists. Though it has cute houses, you can find the same cute houses in every other town along the Rhine.
Check out Bacharach, Ober-Wesel, St. Goar, Elteville, or Lorch. Look at their websites and photos online to see which one appeals to you the most, or perhaps has the castle that you like the most.
Jo
Frankfurt Germany 4/7/13
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RE: Travel from Portland to Paris
First, as Ken has indicated, most flights to Europe are overnight. Probably all from the West Coast. Second, for those of us in the Portland vicinity, we like the PDX - AMS nonstop (Delta). Your first leg is to Europe so flight delays won't cause you to miss your overseas flight, and you can easily get from AMS to Paris or anywhere else in Europe via plane or train. Another easy route to Paris on Delta is PDX-SLC-CDG. Have a great trip.
Galen
Dallas United States 4/7/13
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Hut to Hut Hiking
Thinking about going hut-to-hut hiking in the Swiss Alps in early July. Does anyone know if reservations are needed? Would prefer not to, if possible, to keep my itinerary flexible.
Russ
Union City, California USA 4/7/13
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RE: transportation from Amsterdam airport
Pam,
Take the train from Schipol to Amsterdam Centraal. Note: buy the ticket from the ticket windows. I had trouble with my American ATM card & credit card. Once at Centraal Station, if you are packing light, it's only about a 10-15 min. walk to Dam Square, straight down Damrak. You can also take one of the trams in front of Centraal Station. For tickets & routes, you can purchase your ticket or transportation pass at the GVB Transit office located across from Centraal Station.
Kaz
Santa Clarita, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Travel from Portland to Paris
Peggy,
Many flights tend to be "overnight flights" due to the fact that you're travelling east, and you'll generally arrive in Europe the day after you depart. For example, if I depart my home airport in the afternoon, I'll arrive in Europe on the morning of the following day (which is about 02:00 home time). Yes, jet lag is always a given (in my experience). Everyone seems to have their own methods for dealing with that.
I'd suggest using a non-stop if at all possible, as those will have the shortest travel times. I checked briefly but wasn't able to find any non-stops from PDX. However there were some available from SEA with Delta or Air France, with a flight time of about 10.5 hours.
Happy travels!
Ken
Vernon Canada 4/7/13
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RE: plantar fasciitis - What did you do on your trip?
Once I got my orthotics, I haven't had any problems at all, traveling or not. As Ken does, I just move the orthotics from one pair of shoes to the others (they fit all of my shoes).
Nancy
Bloomington, IL USA 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in Paris
BD there are market streets all over Paris, and I mean that, so please don't feel you need to limit yourself to Rue Cler for that experience.. Paris is a city with more then 3 million people in central city , so trust me they all have their market street faves and its not all in the 7th..
pat
victoria Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Best online travel info sites
Sally second and third the recommendation for tripadvisor.com forum especially, one thing that I like about them is they have country and even city specific forums and are very well used so lots of feedback available. I also use their hotel review sections for ideas and recommendations, I do read them carefully ,, and sometimes even contact the posters for specific questions .
pat
victoria Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Day train to Krakow from Budapest
Cathy,
I asked the same question myself when traveling from Krakow to Budapest. I went in Sept. of last year. I voted in favor of flying with Ryan Air. It was my first time in flying commuter flights in Europe, but it did go smoothly. The days and times are limited, but you might want to look into this as an option if you decide that you do not want to travel this route via rail.
Kaz
Santa Clarita, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Time in Rome
the Spanish Steps are just steps.... But if you walk up them, turn right and walk along the Belvedere to Villa Medici, there is a fine view of Rome. You can tour the Villa in English at noon any day. A nice respite from the city.
The Trevi is best before 08:00 when no one is there. Walk through at night, but visit it in the early morning before the hoards descend.
Not to miss is the Pantheon, also best early in the morning before the crowds descend.
Laurel
Rome, Italy 4/7/13
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RE: rothenburg
There are also two Frankfurts and they are on oppisite sides of the country so be careful when setting your GPS if driving or buying tickets if traveling by train .
George
Levelland, Texas USA 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in Paris
B.D.,
It was about 7 years ago, but I stayed at the Hotel Grand Leveque and loved it. It is located right on Rue Cler. The room was small, but clean. The staff was great and the location was great. It also had a great price. Rue Cler is located walking distance from the Eiffel Tower near the Ecole Militaire Metro Stop. Rue Cler and has a cheese shop, wine ship, fish shop, boulangerie, patisserie, a few fruit/vegetable shop & café's along this boulevard. Aside from a few delivery vehicles, it is a pedestrian street. You also might want to look up Hotel du Champs de Mar.
Note: Please look research both their current pricing as well recent reviews. I have heard a few negative comments on some reviews on both places recently, as I was there in 2006.
Kaz
Santa Clarita, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Where to Order Luggage
the Travelpro Maxlite 2 25 inch Expandable Rolling suitcase. Color : Ocean Blue, or Black.
Price = $ 118.99 at www.Wayfair.com (it formerly was www.luggage.com)
Ron
southwest, Missouri U.S.A. 4/7/13
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RE: handicap help @ train station for departure?
Harold has read my mind correctly....
Nigel
East Midlands England 4/7/13
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RE: Paris scotland Northern Ireland and london
rajh,
Given the four places you mentioned, you might consider something like this:
> Book open jaw flights, inbound Paris, outbound Belfast or Dublin.
> Arrange your route this way:
- Paris (EuroStar to London)
- London (East Coast Rail to Edinburgh)
- Edinburgh (EasyJet to Belfast)
- Belfast & northern Ireland
Without having some idea on what you want to see in each place, it's difficult to know where a rental car will be useful. You won't need a car in Paris or London, as they both have excellent transit systems.
Good luck with your planning!
Ken
Vernon Canada 4/7/13
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RE: rothenburg
Frank,
The Rothenburg recommended by Rick Steves is definitely Rothenburg ob der Tauber. When asking for directions or train connections, you must mention this name in full, for there is another Rothenburg.
Kaz
Santa Clarita, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Actv strike in Venice on Monday, April 8th
Yes, take the train over the causeway. Santa Lucia is probably even closer than Piazzale Roma, but if not, only 20 minutes walk.
Sam
Green Bay 4/7/13
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RE: Sacrifice Vienna?
Brian; I think you will spend too much of your valuable time riding trains . As stated by others the larger towns deserve at least two days each . If you want to see Berlin, Prague, and Vienna (all on the east) then Paris should probably wait for another trip. My wife and I really enjoyed Vienna and the Melk Abby was great. We traveled southern Germany and northern Austria in 11 very busy days, or 13 days if you count flying to and from Europe .
George
Levelland, Texas USA 4/7/13
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RE: plantar fasciitis - What did you do on your trip?
A single cortisone shot did wonders for me before a week long trip to San Francisco and the Napa Valley
Kathleen
Victoria, BC Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Sacrifice Vienna?
I would (and I shudder at the thought) drop Paris and keep Vienna. Paris is worth a week on its own, so keep it on reserve for the next time. You have a logical circuit Amsterdam,Berlin,Prague,Vienna,Munich, with good direct rail connections. Amsterdam-Berlin is the longest leg at 6 hours. Its nice to stay at least 2 nights each stop and preferably 3. Pulling up stakes every day gets tiresome. Maybe spend a night at Hallstatt on the way to Munich. You can cover a lot of stops headquartering in Munich, (Fussen,Salzburg). Innsbruck is not worth the time IMHO.
Paris kind of sticks out like a sore thumb on this itinerary. Too much time getting in and out. France deserves its own 2 week trip.
Sam
Green Bay 4/7/13
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RE: Time in Rome
Paticia,
No problem. I would devote on full day to the Vatican (Vatican Museum & St. Peters Basilica) I took a tour of The Vatican Museum with Through Eternity Tours (www.througheternity.com) and I am glad I did! The VM is too huge. They did a great job in explaining the highlights of the museum and gave the art a lot of meaning. This tour ends in the Sistine Chapel. St. Peters Basilica is a must also. You can do this after the tour. Just be sure to check their hours.
I would devote the next day to the Colosseum/Palantine Hill/Forum. If you do not purchase the Roma Pass, bypass the line (it will be long) at the Colosseum by purchasing the Colosseum /Palatine/Forum Pass at the Palatine ticket window. The line will very short there. You might have to go into the Palatine, but this is something that you would want to see anyway. For both the Vatican & Colosseum, start early in the morning.
Devote one of your evenings to the Trevi Fountain, for you will want to see this in the evening. The Spanish Step can be done before or after seeing the Trevi Fountain, depending on if you want to see them during the day or in the evening. Note: I was disappointed in the Spanish steps as well. I went in the evening, and there were many people partying there with many alcohol bottles laying around.
Kaz
Santa Clarita, CA USA 4/7/13
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Travel from Portland to Paris
Any guidelines as to what type of flights are best? Does it make sense to fly overnight or is jet lag always a given. I see flights that stop in Seattle and then Iceland. Has anyone done this?
Peggy
West Linn, OR USA 4/7/13
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RE: Best online travel info sites
I agree with Jo that TripAdvisor and Fodors are two good places, besides this Helpline, to get travel information online. If you're looking for more budget advice, you should also look at the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree.
For accommodation, there's hotels.com, booking.com, and venere.com for standard hotels, and hostelworld.com and hostelbookers.com for lower priced places (not all are hostels). You can get last minute hotel deals on laterooms.com and hrs.com.
For central and eastern Europe, inyourpocket.com has online guides (as well as paper ones) for many places. Looking at their website, I see they cover lots of places in Croatia, and a few in Bulgaria and Romania.
Large cities should have English language guidebooks for sale in main bookstores; if you do want to buy a guidebook once you arrive, ask around for stores that might stock them.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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Hotel stay in Florence
Hello,
We will be arriving in Florence and picking up our car the day before we head out for Tuscany. We are looking for a nice place to stay for that one night that is near enough to the airport car pick up that we don't have to do a lot of driving that day. Any suggestions?
Thanks so much!
Les
Les
Ukiah 4/7/13
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RE: Connection Time Between Frankfurt and Budapest on Lufthansa
That should be sufficient if on time. We have made tighter connections through Frankfurt in the past. It is helpful to seats on the left side of the plane and as close to the exit door as possible. We missed a tight connection once because the plane was 20 mins late and we sat in the far right corner of the plane which meant that we were nearly the last ones off after 20 minutes.
Frank
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO USA 4/7/13
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RE: Spanish Steps Restaurant
I believe you may be referring to Ristorante il Gabriello at Via Vittoria 51- come down the steps turn right and it's just 3 blocks and around the corner from Spanish Steps. Organic products from family farm. A great splurge meal. And you can also get out of there with a reasonable bill if you order carefully. Everything we ate was wonderful and the lemon gelatto was the best I ate in Italy.
Sharon
Santa Fe 4/7/13
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RE: Paris scotland Northern Ireland and london
hi,
look at traveling in some type of path and not backtracking and so on.
also, you may want to look at round trip (r/t) flights in/out of the cities you want to go to and see how airfairs are. Sometimes, the cost cost of getting to/from a city from the usa will decide where you start. also, look at different days of the week and weekends flights. you can also try flying in one city and out another too.
i more or less did you trip last year and was like this:
> Dublin > Edninburgh > London > Normandy > Paris > amsterdam.
a started in Dublin and flew out of Amsterdam. But i was lucky to find a one way ticket out of amsterdam fairly inexpensive. Im flying in/out of amsterdam this fall ,but no such good luck in one way ticket though.
just a comment. 2 weeks isnt alot of time for your trip. if you want to see anything in London and Paris those could take 4~5 days each thats more than half your days there. Edinburgh can take 3 days. Also, the days i state are so you are not rushed in my opinion (imo).
as far as cars, it would depend on where you want to go. I used trains from Edinburgh to London to Paris and it was nice. If you want to drive in N. Ireland or ? i can see that but dont discount the trains to some of the larger towns.
happy trails.
Ray
Portland, Oregon USA 4/7/13
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RE: Connection Time Between Frankfurt and Budapest on Lufthansa
Lufthansa only uses Terminal 1, so you don't need to worry about going between terminals.
Have a look on the Arrival and Departure boards of the Frankfurt airport to see which gates your flights usually use. It doesn't guarantee anything, but it will give you an idea. Look at the airport map to see where these gates are.
http://www.frankfurt-airport.com/content/frankfurt_airport/en.html
Jo
Frankfurt Germany 4/7/13
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RE: Best online travel info sites
Have you had a look at the forums on Trip Advisor or perhaps Fodors? Lots of info available and you can ask specific questions and have them answered by Destination Experts or others that have visited the same cities or sites.
Jo
Frankfurt Germany 4/7/13
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RE: Walking Shoes
Munro shoes are great shoes for any temperature or walking condition. They offer styles which are more for hard core walking and also Mary Jane type styles. I have numerous pairs of Munro's. I have used them for five years in a row in Europe. You can find them at Nordstrom, Nordstrom.com and at Zappos.com. Both Nordstrom and Zappos offer free shipping. Zappos offers free shipping both directions. If you don't care for the shoes from Nordstrom, you can return them to any Nordstrom or send them back to Nordstrom, for a small fee.
Elaine
Mission Viejo, Calif. USA 4/7/13
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RE: transportation from Amsterdam airport
hi
cant make it easier then above other then chauffeured limo.
happy trails.
Ray
Portland, Oregon USA 4/7/13
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RE: London to Bruges
Yes, you take the Eurostar to Brussels Midi and transfer to a local domestic train to Bruges. These domestic trains are not bookable in advance (which is why you can't find out how to do it). There are two trains an hour on this route, and no reservations are possible.
The "discount" ticket you are referring to is an ABS ( All Belgian Stations) add-on to your Eurostar ticket. This will cover your Brussels to Bruges travel on any train. More details from the Man In Seat 61, here (under "Going to Bruges?"): http://tinyurl.com/bteyj58.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: good walking shoes or ballet flats?
The problem with Vans shoes, is they don't have any arch support. Neither do Sketchers. You might want to look at Munro's. They have a number of styles. One pair I have, I wear instead of regular New Balance shoes. They even have velcro on them, but look nice. I also have Munro's which look dressy, like Mary Jane's. They offer great support and are attractive. You can find them at Nordstom stores, Nordstrom.com or at Zappos.com. Both offer free shipping. Zappos also offers free return shipping. At Nordstrom you can either return them to any Nordstrom's or ship them back to Nordstrom. My orthopedist told me never to wear Sketchers or Vans. I also was told not to wear wedge shoes.
Elaine
Mission Viejo, Calif. USA 4/7/13
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RE: York or Edinburgh?
Pamela's right. Before I went to Scotland, I thought of England and Scotland as basically one place. I then spent 4 days in Scotland (3 in Edinburgh and 1 in Glasgow), in 1993. I didn't get to any other part of the country, and I haven't been back since. But I will never think of them as "twins" again. Just those 4 days were enough to emphasize to me how different they are. Whatever the status of Scotland and its independence, it's a totally different culture, and I don't mean stereotypical things like kilts and bagpipes (which are, shall we say, in short supply in Glasgow and Edinburgh).
I actually preferred Glasgow to both Edinburgh and York, but I seem to be in the minority. Of the two you asked about, if you only have time for one, I'd pick Edinburgh. Do be prepared for a language barrier; while not everyone will have a thick Trainspotting style accent, enough of them will to make communication difficult at times.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: 1 day for tuscan hill towns - is rental car worth it?
Sarah,
"considering we will need an international license, insurance, etc"
Just to clarify, the International Driver's Permit is not a "license" per se, but must be used in conjunction with your home D.L.
When visiting hill towns, you'll also have to be careful to avoid Zona Traffico Limitato areas, which are prevalent in many towns in Italy. Unlike Florence which uses a network of automated Cameras to record violations, smaller towns usually rely on "old fashioned methods" to identify violators.
One advantage of the car is that you won't have to configure your schedule to match Bus timetables, so it will be more efficient.
Happy travels!
Ken
Vernon Canada 4/7/13
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Planning trip to Ireland with an Elderly
Hi,
I'm planning an 8 day trip to Ireland on Nov. 2013 with my family. There will be 5 of us, including my grandmother. Only one person in my party has been to Ireland, Dublin specifically. My main concern is picking cities/attractions that my family will find interesting and, more importantly, will be easy for my grandmother to navigate/participate in. My grandmother is in her early 80s. She ambulates independently and still with superb cognitive skills =) Her only main issue would be not being able to tolerate walking long distances.
Our wish list for this trip would: castles/churches/medieval towns which have maintained most/if not all/ of its original look and quaint "walking towns" with beautiful sceneries and easy access to attractions (I think Dingle would be our best bet). I'm aware that daylight is cut short during November.
How we plan to get around in Ireland:
A.) We are open to renting a car but only one person in my party can drive using right hand drive. Ideally, if we can take public transportation to take us to our lodging and then join public tours/take public transportation to see attractions, that will be much preferred. I know though we have to pack light and sensibly if we choose this route.
We can either fly into Shannon or Dublin and vice versa.
B.) We would prefer to stay in B&Bs or lodgings that are close, if not within the town center, easy access to public transportation, quaint/cozy/clean with en suite bathrooms (a must for my mother) and WIFI would be awesome.
I have Rick Steve's Ireland travel guide book; however, traveling during the month of November, I'm not sure which ones I can skip or still visit. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated as I would like to make this trip memorable without the added stress of attempting to "see everything", especially for my grandmother.
Thanks.
Abigail
LA 4/7/13
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RE: Coastal towns to visit near Loire Valley
Jim, we flew into Paris and took the TGV down to Tours, which is smack in the middle of the Loire Valley. The train ride was less than 2 hours, and there is a car-rental company literally right outside of the train station. You might consider arriving in Tours, enjoying this area, then drive up to Mt St Michel and leaving from Pontorson (Mt. St. Michel area).
Jean-Paul
indianapolis 4/7/13
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RE: Europe in January/February
If you are into theater and music then winter is the time to go to Paris, Rome, Vienna, Budapest, Moscow. But if its your first visit to Paris and expect to have any of the experiences that most people dream of I would suggest you wait. But that's just me. Jerusalem is good in the winter, Istanbul is a little border line but good. Moscow and St Petersburg are great because so much of what they are was carved by the brutal winters. I'm not suggesting not going to Paris, just sharing the way my mind works.
James
Frisco 4/7/13
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RE: Where to Order Luggage
Marshall's or TJMaxx
I bought my mother a 25" the other day. Weighs 4 pounds. Cost $59.
Who cares if it only lives through one trip.
And I can fit this and my luggage in the trunk of my convertible. But what Thomas describes is pretty normal for me. I do it all the time to haul stuff in my car :)
Carol
Atlanta, GA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Torn about our days in Italy
Keith,
The Cinque Terre is an absolute jewel of a place. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it to everyone. However, looking at your itinerary, I would leave the Cinque Terre for another trip.
First, since it is not on the main rail routes, and is a little out of the way, the schedule is limited. Thus, it will take more time to get there. Once you got there, you will have no time to enjoy what the CT has to offer.
Second, to really enjoy the CT, you will need at least 2 days/nights there. The CT is a place to slow down your itinerary and just settle into. It's charm is the people, the picturesque scenery and getting to enjoy un touristy Italian culture. By adding this to your trip, you will rush the rest of your trip without getting to enjoy beauty of the Cinque Terre. I spent 3 nights there and regret not spending more time there.
Kaz
Santa Clarita, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Following Springsteen Tour
The biggest problem with driving is that if you rent a car in one country and drop it in another, there is a large fee ($500 or more). Then there's gas, tolls, and parking (all potentially much higher than you're used to in the US). Then, there's any tickets you get for entering forbidden parts of cities in Italy (look up ZTL's and understand them thoroughly if you plan to drive in Italy), or being caught by speed cameras. This is a two step, two fee process: the rental company will charge you for providing your information to the ticket-issuing authority, and you then get the ticket itself, months after your trip (and these tickets aren't cheap).
All that said, driving is certainly one way to do it if you're properly prepared. Look at http://www.viamichelin.com/ to plan routes and estimate costs.
Another way is by train. Look at this link to learn how the use the Bahn website to find train schedules: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/db_tips.htm. Bahn will not have prices for trains outside of Germany. For trains from Geneva, use http://www.sbb.ch/home.html; at the top middle of the page, choose "en" to change it to English. If you need train prices within Italy, use http://www.trenitalia.com/; use British flag on upper right to change to English.
For Rome to Belgium, you may want to fly. Look at http://www.skyscanner.com/ to find flights within Europe.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Barcelona to Paris
Suzie, right now, I think the only run you can see on www.renfe.com is the night train to Paris-Austerlitz. No train changes but it takes 12hrs. I believe that day trains are coming online in May or June. They are finishing up the track improvements to get the French TGVs past Figueres and into Barcelona. You could fly so much faster and cheaper on www.vueling.com.
Larry
Elk Grove, CA USA 4/7/13
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Spanish Steps Restaurant
My wife and I went to Italy in 2008 and ate at this great restaurant near the spanish steps that was a recommendation from one of your books that I can't find. It was around the corner from the spanish steps. The owner was great, he drove a Harley and played 80's rock. I have friends that are over there right now and can't find the name of the restaurant to tell them the name, can you help?
Jon
Tulsa 4/7/13
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RE: Sim Card
Thanks for the great info. Will be going to Paris, 4 days, Munich, 2 days, Austria, 2 days, Italy,8days.
Thomas
West Linn, Oregon USA 4/7/13
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RE: Rhine River Cruise to Train Station Access
The K-D boats I have been on all have sumptious restaurants on board and don't cost an arm and a leg. Grabbing a bite on board is a good option.
Sam
Green Bay 4/7/13
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RE: good walking shoes or ballet flats?
I had forgotten about Arcopedicos. I've never worn them but a friend at work has two pair and absolutely loves them. Bought one pair on clearance at a store in LA and loved them enough to pay full price online for another pair. Seemed to have a very short break in period, too, so they might be worth a try. Good luck!
Leslie
Orange USA 4/7/13
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Following Springsteen Tour
My husband and I will be following the Springsteen tour for two weeks in July. It will be my first trip to Europe, there are so many questions. Most importantly, our itinerary. We will be going from Geneva to monchengladbach, to Leipzig, to Rome to werchter Belgium. Wow, still not even sure where these all are. My husband thinks it is best to rent a car and drive the whole time. Seems like way too much driving to me. Any suggestions for the best choice for travel on the route?
Shelly
Walkerton, In USA 4/7/13
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RE: ipad or smart phone usage in The Netherlands
I also love traveling with my iPad and iPhone. I am also on AT&T and have had great luck with service over the years. It is much easier to email, check websites, etc. with the iPad than the phone. I have the camera connector and daily transfer my pictures from the camera memory card to the iPad. I can see the pictures that way, and have a backup in case something happens to the memory card.
Denice
Cleveland USA 4/7/13
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RE: 1 day for tuscan hill towns - is rental car worth it?
For sure, rent a car. If you are concerned re driving, which you should not be, you Can find a driver/tour guide with a car thru the hotel.
Well worth it to leave the big cities. We go to Italy most years. Haven't been to a big city in 10 years cause the countryside is so beautiful.
I am a fan of Pienza, Montalcino montepulciano area. For a full day trip, you can make 2 of them to give you a taste for a future return trip.
We do love the wines, so Montalcino is our favorite.
Skip
Atlanta, Ga 4/7/13
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RE: Pergamon museum
Bev,
the Pergamon Museum is named after the Pergamon Altar. For me, it was the Ishtar Gate from ancient Babylon that just blew me away.
The museum houses a large antiquity collection, the Middle East museum, and the museum of Islamic art.
Beatrix
Calgary 4/7/13
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RE: York or Edinburgh?
If you want to be introduced to a new country, then go to Edinburgh. York is wonderful, but Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and so has a lot more to offer. The castle, the museums, New Town, Holyrood Palace and so much more. The country is voting on independence a year for this October, so visit now while it's still part of the UK! : )
Pam
Pamela
New York City (formerly Madison), NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Hotels in Budapest
Ellis,
I went as a single traveler. I was looking for a room, en suite, that was centrally located, in a safe neighborhood, that was clean and well maintained at a good price. I found this in Ibis – Centrum.
Granted, Ibis chain of business style hotels. However, it's cultural charm is located just out the front door on Raday Utca. Raday Utca is a lively street, lined with outdoor café's and restaurants, as far as the eye can see, filled with locals. Besides an occasional car, it seemed like a pedestrian only street. It had many great choices to dine, or just wind down with a drink, and it's just outside the door. I loved this street so much, that I spent all three of my evenings, dining at my favorite restaurant in Budapest!
My room was very clean, and well kept. It was spacious for European standards. The bathroom was en suite, very clean and came with modern fixtures. The English speaking staff was very helpful, professional and someone was available 24-7. It provided free internet access as well as free Wi-Fi access. To add to this, the price is hard to beat! I got the room for approximately $77.00 a night (Internet deal back in Sept. 2012).
The location is prime. It is a stones throw away from Kalvin Ter, which has a Metro Stop (Blue Metro Line/M3) as well as tram stop.
There are many good choices in Budapest. This is just my experience. Have a good trip!
Kaz
Santa Clarita, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Sacrifice Vienna?
Ditto James, and to emphasize, that's two full days at a bare minimum (you can easily spend much more time in each of these). With only two weeks (and is that 14 days in Europe, or only 12 when you subtract flight days), I think you are already trying to see much too much (5 cities in 4 countries). You have to allow for travel time. For instance, Berlin to Prague is 5 hours; when you add in getting between your hotel and the station on each end, and checking in and out, much of a day is used. Even if you like an aggressive itinerary, don't try to add anything else.
Don't make the mistake of trying to pack too much in (a common mistake with a rail pass, as people are determined to "get their money's worth"). You will end up with a lovely tour - of European train stations.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Torn about our days in Italy
You already have a pretty quick-moving trip, and to add in the Cinque Terre would add hours of travel time (vs. enjoying-your-vacation time). Only you can decide if that tradeoff is worth it to you.
Lexma
Denver 4/7/13
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RE: Best place in London to buy a SIM?
I know there's definitely a big Vodafone shop in Heathrow Terminal 5.
If you aren't sure which carrier to go with, Car Phone Warehouse has SIMs for all the major carriers (except they no longer seem to carry Virgin Mobile, for some reason). The salespeople there will help you sort out the carrier and plan that suits you best. Useful comparison of the current offerings here: http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/price-plans/sim-only/pay-as-you-go/regular-sims
Micky
San Francisco, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: transportation from Amsterdam airport
Train to Amsterdam Centraal, then tram to Dam Square.
Sam
Green Bay 4/7/13
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RE: plantar fasciitis - What did you do on your trip?
I've had two bouts of it but never on vacation. With a couple of pt sessions, better shoes, and following all my doctor's and pt's orders it went away in about 2 months so hopefully you'll be done with it before you go in Sept. I rolled a tennis ball with my foot (instead of the frozen water bottle) and did some stretching exercises, iced it and took ibu when it got really bad. There's lots of orthopaedic socks, inserts, boots, braces, etc., some are small and easy to take with you. When you get back to your hotel after sightseeing, put your feet up and stay off them as much as possible and maybe you can avoid the issue. I hope it gets better before you go, good luck.
Nancy
Corvallis, OR USA 4/7/13
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RE: Gites in France (Burgundy)
try www.airbnb.com
Crista
Mankato, MN USA 4/7/13
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RE: Ireland in June
Kathy,
A good rain coat and an umbrella (you can by them cheap over there) should suffice. I was in Southern Ireland for 2 weeks during June, a few years back. The few times that it did rain, it was not the freezing cold rain of winters. Just have your umbrella and rain coat handy.
In general, it always rains in Ireland. There is no getting around that. However, I noticed that their rains tend to last an hour or so at the most, and then clears up. Thus, I would not change any of your plans due to rain. The only exception if you will be hiking, on a boat, etc....
Being from Southern California, I am not used to rain either. I actually found that the rain, mist and low clouds only add beauty the experience. I absolutely loved it! You'll do fine! Enjoy your trip!
Kaz
Santa Clarita, CA USA 4/7/13
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London to Bruges
Hello, I am trying to figure out how to travel from London to Bruges, Belguim. It looks as though I will take the Eurostar to Brussells Midi then take a local train to Bruges. If this is correct, I cannot find the site to book a local train out of Midi. Also, does Eurostar offer some sort of discount since I will have traveled on their train? I think I read about this somewhere. Going in September.
luann
cleveland, ohio usa 4/7/13
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RE: how to select a decent wine for gift to host
Sally , wine is a lovely gift but you know flowers are absolutely suitable hostess gift too, at least in France.
pat
victoria Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Paris accommodations
Hi Ingrid! We are renting an apartment via airbnb. We have done this several times and have had excellent experiences. You can indicate specific amenities you would like, price range and the area you would like to stay. We have a place in the 3rd - had stayed in that area several years ago and loved it!
Enjoy!
Crista
Mankato, MN USA 4/7/13
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RE: plantar fasciitis - What did you do on your trip?
I have not had a bout of PF on vacation, but I ward it off with a product called YogaToes. I wear them for an hour or so at night when my heel starts to feel twinge-y...but you have to work up to an hour. At first 5 minutes or so is all I could do. There are also some softer sock-like toe stretchers called Happy Feet that would probably be easier to travel with. I am headed to Italy in May and have the YogaToes staged for the trip already!
There is also a Canadian product which is similar to YogaToes called Joyatoes. I believe the company is from BC. I have not tried these, but have seen reviews comparing them favorably.
Pam
Troy, Idaho USA 4/7/13
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RE: Gps not for iPad or iPhone
Others may have some ideas for you, but when in the cities and villages I try to use a good old fashioned paper map. I do have a GPS that I use for driving but don't really bother with anything electronic while seeing the cities. You can usually get a local map for free and just ditch it when you move on to your next location.
Terry kathryn
Ann Arbor, Mi 4/7/13
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RE: York or Edinburgh?
Oh, I disagree! York is well worth 3 days.
Day 1: the Minster plus its undercroft and tower in the morning, the Yorkshire Museum in the afternoon, a ghost tour in the evening.
Day 2: spend the day rambling through the old city: the Shambles, various snickelways, the city walls, Barley House, Micklegate Bar, Jorvik, the Merchant Adventurers' House, tea at Betty's...
Day 3: York Castle Museum or the National Railway Museum, depending on what suits your fancy.
Micky
San Francisco, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: traveling in Sicily with kids
Don't rent a car in Naples or Palermo. You don't want to drive in either city. Seattle driving is to Southern Italian driving as a kiddie pool is to river rapids. If you're thinking of doing Naples and then the Amalfi Coast, get the car on your way out in Salerno and continue on south toward the ferry to Messina. If you just fly from Naples to Palermo, you might consider heading out to Agrigento and picking a car up there.
It all depends on if you're planning on seeing more of western or eastern Sicily. I you're going to be staying on the western side of the island for more than a week, I found that it's cheaper to rent a small apartment (I was looking at homeaway.com) than stay in a hotel.
Kat
Seattle 4/7/13
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RE: Travel Southern Spain to Southern Portugal
If you are flying in and out of Malaga you can easily rent a car at the airport and drive to Portugal. Great way to explore n your own and not have to sit on a bus for hours. You do not need to drop it in another country and as I remember it the rates were quite reasonable for a week rental.
Terry kathryn
Ann Arbor, Mi 4/7/13
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RE: Driving in Tuscany and itinerary help
There are several Frommer's books about scenic drives in Italy that you might benefit from taking a look at. One is Frommer's Italy's Best-Loved Driving Tours and the other is Frommer's 25 Great Drives in Tuscany in Umbria.
I recommend you avoid booking a tour and just hit the open road by yourselves. It's a lot of fun, and no more difficult than country driving anywhere in the US or UK. The roads can be a bit serpentine at times, so just go at your pace, and don't get flustered if the locals tailgate you, wanting to go faster. They know all the best places to pass you, believe me.
Don't waste the days you have with a car on San Gigmignano, Volterra or Arezzo. They're easily reached by bus or train from Siena or Florence, and your car would just sit in a parking garage or lot most of the day. Use the days you have a car to visit places like Montalcino, the abbey of Monte Oliveto and the Colli Senesi... having a car is your big opportunity to see all the special little things that most tourists don't get out and see.
Kat
Seattle 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in Paris
If you're looking for something less expensive, you can try the places listed on EuroCheapo: http://www.eurocheapo.com/paris/features/where-to-stay-in-paris.html. Among their listings is the place I stay, the Grand Hotel des Balcons (official website here: http://balcons.com/). The lobby is nice, but the rooms are more basic; the neighborhood is great, and getting to Gare du Nord would be a straight shot on Metro line 4 from the Odeon stop. One potential problem in June: no A/C.
Be aware that the places listed in EuroCheapo are not secrets, so they can get booked up fast. Don't cancel your current hotel until you get another confirmed booking.
Even if you don't use their hotels, EuroCheapo has neighborhood summaries, which will help you choose a hotel location better.
I agree that getting Rick's books will be a great money-saving tool.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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transportation from Amsterdam airport
We are staying the Best Western at Dam Square. What is the easiest and most economic way to get to our hotel from the airport.
Pam
Cornish 4/7/13
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RE: Hotels in Budapest
Peter, geee, thanks for the pressure. Just kidding. I've never had anyone complain about the place and the location is prime. Since its about 3 blocks from my apartment the guide I put together for my guests is pretty appropriate.
Go here http://budapestflat.shutterfly.com/fivedaysinbudapest
and look on the right for "The Guide"
Let me know if I can help you with anything else.
James
Frisco 4/7/13
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RE: Travel from Naples to sicily
For the sake of your own sanity, do not have the car in either Naples or Palermo. A flight from Naples' Capodichino to Palermo or Catania will take you about 50 minutes. Pick up a car once you head out of the city, and you will save yourself a million headaches.
Kat
Seattle 4/7/13
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Canterbury
We are planning a trip out to Canterbury and Dover. Taking the train from London. Should we plan a day in Canterbury and spend the night there and then take the train to Dover or try to do it all in one day? Advice? Hotel suggestions in Canterbury?
Leigh Anne
Portland, OR 97229 4/7/13
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RE: how to select a decent wine for gift to host
And go to a wine shop, as Laura said, and not a supermarket, unless it's one with a wine shop inside.
Bets
Bloomington 4/7/13
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RE: handicap help @ train station for departure?
Yes, you tip them in Paris too because they are independently employed and rely on tips just like porters and curbside check in people in the US. Very much worth it.
Bets
Bloomington 4/7/13
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RE: Europe in January/February
Agree with the others. If you're prepared to bundle up and focus on indoor activities, it can be a good time to come to Paris. It's also prime time for cultural events (opera, symphony, ballet), if that interests you.
I've only been to Paris at that time, so I don't know about Spain or other parts of France.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Best of 10 days
Ten days always means different things but if you truly have 10 full days on the ground then London and Paris via the train is excellent. 3 days in Paris, four days in London and 3 more days in Paris. Great trip. We've done the same sort of thing a couple of times and have enjoyed it; but it would be better with an open jaw ticket arriving in London and departing Paris. That will save you 3 hours of traveling.
James
Frisco 4/7/13
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RE: Hotels in Budapest
Just booked K&K Opera for 3 nights May 23 to May 26,2013 315 Euros for two based on James recommendation. I will post results. Thank You, James. Peter Austin
Peter
Austin, TX 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel du Lac Varenna Web site
Works fine on mine too (Windows 7 and Firefox), although it was slow to load.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Italy bulgaria and open jaw tickets
If you are asking what I think you are asking (and I agree it's not clear), you want to go to Italy, spend 2.5 weeks, then go to Bulgaria, then come back to the US. If that's what you want, you need to start by figuring out where in Bulgaria you will fly to. Then go to the Wikipedia page for that airport, and see which cities in Italy have service to it.
Then, you can start to plan an Italy itinerary. For instance, if you need to fly from Rome to Sofia, and there are no other nonstops from other Italian cities (I'm just making this up as an example), you will want to start in northern Ialy and work south to end your Italy trip in Rome. If, on the other hand, the only flight from Italy to Sofia is out of Milan, you will want to work your way north.
To find open jaw flights, use the "multi city" option on Kayak.com. To find flights within Europe (on both budget airlines and "legacy" carriers like Alitalia), use Skyscanner.com.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Sacrifice Vienna?
Vienna, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Prague and Munich each deserve at least two full days each; even three if you can. A full day is when you wake up and go to bed in the same town. If you aren't doing at least that much you might want to reconsider.
James
Frisco 4/7/13
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RE: Swiss Rail Pass 4 consecutive days
A 3-day Flex pass would cost less than the 4-day Swiss Pass. Either one will give you a discount on lifts in the Zermatt area, but neither will fully cover the ride. And there is no lifton the Matterhorn. You can ride ski lifts up Kleine Matterhorn, but for best views of the mountain Imsuggest the Gornergrat train.
As Larry says, for such a short trip there is likely to be a better choice, especially if you are going up the Jungfrau. Passes like the Swiss Pas are more cost-effective when you are traveling greater distances. So it would help to know where you plan to travel each day.
Lola
Seattle, WA 4/7/13
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Rome Hotel Decision: Albergo del Senato or Abruzzi?
Will be in Rome 3 days end of August this year. Looking for a Hotel near Pantheon with good air-conditioning & a lift. Trying to decide whether to stay at Hotel Albergo del Senato or Hotel Abruzzi. Anyone stay either place during summer months to be able to determine coolness level as well as sound proofing for noise levels at night? Albergo I know is a bit pricier but we can swing it. Guess I'm trying to determine if it's truly worth it or not. Also wondering about the shower situation in these hotels as husband is over 6'2". Many thanks to all you fellow travelers!
Jan
Arlington, VA USA 4/7/13
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RE: York or Edinburgh?
York doesn't have enough for three full days. Edinburgh almost does.
Ed
Pensacola 4/7/13
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RE: Europe in January/February
Everyone is different, but every time I have gone some place in the winter that's great in warm weather (like Spain) I've regretted it. Where you end up in Spain might be 50F in February but are you going to enjoy it? It's like going to the beach in Texas in February, sure it's warmer than the beach in New Jersey but it's still a cold beach. Go someplace where the cold works for you, not against you.
James
Frisco 4/7/13
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RE: Transportation using rail
Irene, where are you getting your ticket prices? Not Rail Europe, I hope. Buying in advance, you can buy 2d class tickets on bahn.de for 39 euro From Warsaw to Berlin, also 39€ from Berlin to Prague; 44 € for Prague to Salzburg, and 19-22€ for Passau to Munich. Bahn.de doesn't show Salzburg to Passau but it can't be much; you would check that on the Austrian site Oebb.
That adds up to 144 € per person, without that one leg. A railpass will cost you much more
Lola
Seattle, WA 4/7/13
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RE: Where to stay on Amalfi Coast
I just wrote a HUGE reply, and it got lost! Argh!
So I think you have 3 options-Salerno, Amalfi, or Sorrento, meaning that they are the places that you would find it easiest to base from and move about the area. I lived in Salerno for 2 years and I LOVE it.
Here are some tips
Amalfi is my fav resort-ish town, one of the transportation hubs on the peninsula, easy to get to Positano, Ravello, Amalfi, Sorrento, and Salerno by bus or ferry (one mode of transport, no changes-Capri quite possibly too, not sure if you need to change at Positano). There is great hiking, a small beach, but it is so relaxing.
Sorrento is on the Naples side, accessible by ferries and the circumvesuviana (subway-ish/regional train). Larger city, more nightlife and things to entice such a large group. Easy access to Positano, Naples, Capri, Herculaneum, and Pompeii. Some people love it, I'm not a huge fan since I prefer the other side of the peninsula. But a great base for transport.
Salerno is a large city, with ease of transport on bus, ferry, or train to Paestum, Naples, Amalfi, Capri, Positano, Herculaneum, and Pompei, meaning only one mode of transport needed for any of those trips. The seawalk is one of the most relaxing and fascinating places to be, where you can people-watch all day or just stare out into the water. Great restaurants, shopping, and italian real life experience. I think it would be easier to find what you need lodging wise and exploration for a group of 8 in a bigger locale. Definitely not a tourist feel.
I would say that Sorrento or Salerno is your best choice because of the transport needs for the exploration of the area. I don't want for y'all to be bored in a town, ut I'm not sure what you are looking for, but I would choose a larger place than Amalfi for a long stay unless you are wanting a total chill out part of your trip.
Katherine
Atlanta, GA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Ireland in June
When we were in Ireland last April it rained almost everyday. HOWEVER, the rain really lasted more than twenty minutes, then there would be beautiful fluffy clouds and intermittent sunshine. Some days, it only rained once, some days the cycle repeated a few times. The rain wasn't the hard-driving downpour variety, but soft showers. It's like the weather in the Pacific northwest if you have been in that area. Find a waterPROOF (not water-repellant or resistent) parka with a hood you can flip up when it rains. Check out Duluth Trading Co.; they have good ones which are light-weight and much cheaper than Goretex. Many walking shoes are water-proof - that's also useful. Mine are Salomon brand. If you do feel chilly, there are lots of good sweater shops.
Cynthia
Gig Harbor, Washington USA 4/7/13
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Barcelona to Paris
Is there a high speed train from Barcelona to Paris? Is there a change of trains? Which station in Paris for arrival?
Suzie
Lockhart, TX USA 4/7/13
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RE: Transportation using rail
Christie
Thank you for your quick response. I'll take that into consideration.
Irene
Cleveland, Ohio USA 4/7/13
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RE: transportation from naples to Amalfi
Great idea. Metro del Mare. Here's a link to a route map. You might want to check the schedule. At this time, I only see one ferry departing at 8:30 from Beverello that goes to Amalfi. 2hrs. They have more ferries during the summer but I don't think they have posted the summer schedule yet. There may be hydrofoils as well. Alilauro has more frequent ferries from Naples to Sorrento right now but not farther on to Amalfi.
http://gyazo.com/d7f71fa3c2f6cad7f693b15538608c9f
Larry
Elk Grove, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Berlin Philharmonic Tickets
Anna and Carol:
Success, I finally heard from the Berlin Philharmonic. It seems we made contact just in time as they were just about sold out for the performance.
Jon
Cincinnati, OH USA 4/7/13
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RE: CDG to Hotel Esmeralda in Paris
Why not take a shuttle?
http://www.paris-shuttle.com/
Alexander
Manhattan, KS 4/7/13
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RE: Connection Time Between Frankfurt and Budapest on Lufthansa
Transferring to another Flight / Terminal: If you do not yet have a boarding card for your connecting flight, you can obtain one at the gate or at the Transfer Desk in the B Concourse of Terminal 1.
U.S. Arrivals are being processed at Area A where they go through passport control only ; US departures use the Z gates.
If you need to transfer inside Terminal 1between B gates (T1B) and A or Z gates (T1A), you can use transfer tunnel outside security, or the SkyLine train inside security, which leaves every 2-3 mins. An escalator from lower level A gates connects to upper level Z gates.
If you need to transfer between the two terminals, use the free SkyLine train which connects - inside the secured area - A & B gates & stops between D & E gates, and comes around every two minutes.
To connect from level 1 baggage claim A, B & C to E & D, use the shuttle bus outside.
http://www.ifly.com/frankfurt-airport/terminal-map
James
Frisco 4/7/13
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RE: France or Turkey
I love both Turkey (only been once) and France (been multiple times), but I, too, am puzzled by your friends' statement that one is "much better" than the other. They are certainly different, and both are very popular places to go. It's like saying that seeing the Bryce, Zion and Arches National Parks in Utah would be a "much better trip" than seeing New York City and Washington, DC - they are two different kinds of trips, and it's not a contest as to which is better, except for individual interests, logistics, etc.
If you want to learn more about Turkey, you can start with http://turkeytravelplanner.com/
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Berlin and Dresden trip, September 2012
Harold
Great information. I will plan on getting Rick Steve's book on Germany. You really gave me such great detailed information. I am very much looking forward to our trip in Sept 2013.
Irene
Cleveland, Ohio USA 4/7/13
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RE: Ireland in June
I remember reading a piece on traveling in Ireland (I think it was in the New York Times, but I'm not sure). Upon arriving in Dublin Airport in June, the writer was surprised to see big posters in the airport saying "Book your summer sun getaway to the Canaries now!" Summer sun getaway? Doesn't Ireland get sun in the summer? He then learned that the answer is, sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't. So, if you need predictably "good weather," you're going to the wrong country, even in the summer.
Since you're used to hot weather, with the dampness it may feel very cold to you, whatever the thermometer says. I have this problem in London and Amsterdam, which probably aren't quite as damp as Ireland, and I'm from New York, which isn't as hot as Austin. I found that when it was 50 degrees F in those cities, I had to wear several cotton layers, or I froze. But if I tried to wear a wool sweater instead of a cotton one, I roasted, since it wasn't really cold enough for that (but it sure felt like it without all the layers).
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Travelcard vs Oyster- 3 questions
Yes - you need a photo for a 7 day travel card with the National Rail logo.
No - you can't buy attraction tickets in advance with the 2For1 scheme.
This might help: http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london
Marco
Oxford, Oxon United Kingdom 4/7/13
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RE: Portugal Itinerary Advice
If ancient history interests you, there is a beautiful Roman villa site at Condeixa Nova, which is quite close to Coimbra. Also in that general vicinity is the monastery at Batalha. I'd take one night off either Nazare or Porto and add it to Coimbra in order to be able to visit those places.
Rosalyn
Berkeley 4/7/13
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York or Edinburgh?
We will be in England in October and have three days and two nights to either visit York or Edinburgh. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Michael
Fairhope, Alabama USA 4/7/13
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RE: Connection Time Between Frankfurt and Budapest on Lufthansa
I've changed in Frankfurt a number of times when coming out of Budapest. It's a pretty efficient airport but on my last two flights it was a pretty good walk to the next gate. My rule is nothing less than 2 hours, but I have an hour and ten minute lay over in about three weeks on the return flight. HA!!! I can hardly wait. If I miss it then I spend the night in Frankfurt.
James
Frisco 4/7/13
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RE: handicap help @ train station for departure?
While waiting for Nigel, I'll try to clarify as best I can (having only arrived in Gare de Lyon, but never departed from there). Most train stations have one set of tracks, so, no matter how many tracks there are, you go to that area to board. But, per the Paris By Train page linked above (it's also detailed in Rick's books), Gare de Lyon has two sets of tracks in two separate areas. So, in a situation like yours where you can't run from one area to the other, you could have trouble.
What Nigel is suggesting is that, while the tracks are posted only a certain amount of time before departure, the station staff know the tracks long before they are posted (I know this from Penn Station in New York City, which uses a similar system). So, if you get a wheelchair in the station, the staff will take you to the correct track ahead of time. That's what happens in New York when you get a "redcap" to take your bags; even if the track is not yet posted, they will take you to the train and seat you on it, which is a great help for anyone with any mobility impairment. In New York a tip is expected for this (and worth every penny, particularly on a crowded train); I have no idea about Paris.
Do I have it right, Nigel?
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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Where to stay on Amalfi Coast
We are a group of 8 people traveling to Amalfi Coast in mid-September. We are trying to determine what our home base should be. We will be spending 4 nights on Amalfi. We will not have our own vehicle. We will be arriving from Rome into Naples via train. We will be flying out of Naples. We are concerned about moving from place to place on the coast and returning to the airport in Naples. Where should we stay? What do you think of Salerno as a home base? I really like the look of Positano but maybe not very practical. Thank you for any help.
Christine
New Lisbon 4/7/13
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places to stay in Luxembourg
Can anyone recommend a place to stay in Luxembourg City? Clean,centrally located.
Julie
Sacramento 4/7/13
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RE: Swiss Rail Pass 4 consecutive days
I suspect that you are about to spend about $293 (275CHF) for a 4-day consecutive rail pass. Depending on where you are traveling in Switzerland, you may be paying too much for rail travel. Also, if you intend to go up to the Jungfrau or Schilthorn, no rail pass covers more than 50% of the fare. Let us know where you intend to travel by rail in Switzerland and we can advise you further.
You can also attend our upcoming RS travel group meeting at Panera's in Natomas at 10:00am on April 20 and we'll have 6-8 well seasoned travelers that can assist you.
Larry
Elk Grove, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Is this crazy? Fly to Dublin to get to London?
i don't know about flights to London via Dublin but i spend 4 days in Dublin, i highly recommend the hop on-hop off bus get a 2 or 3 day pass an won't have to worry about transportation. a must see in my book are St patrick's cathedral, christ church cathedral, book of kells, natural museum of archaeology and History (bog bodies equal parts disturbing and interesting) Guinness store house, and kilmainham gaol. if you have time Dublinia is interesting but if you can't do it it's fine. i enjoyed just wondering around St Stephen's green and the other parks too. have fun! hope this helps.
Stephanie
Raleigh, NC 4/7/13
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RE: Hotels
I didn't see any mention of Munich in your other thread, but you may be around there during Oktoberfest time (Sept 21 - Oct 6)...
Eileen
Texan in CA 4/7/13
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RE: Day Trips - Paris
Hi, thanks to everyone who responded. Your suggestions and information are very helpful. We are doing the RS Belgium-Holland tour, stopping off in Paris for a few days to get over the jet lag before we begin. We did the Paris and the Loire in 2009 and have been to Normandy, Giverny, and Versailles. I wouldn't mind seeing Versailles again and I'm also very interested in Chantilly (I watched the James Bond film the other night and it looks very nice). There is so much to see in France, I'm sure this will not be our last visit! Thanks for all your help!
Donna
Cleveland, OH 4/7/13
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RE: Hotels in Siena - Tuscany
We stayed at Hotel Garden 15 years ago on our first European adventure. We paid dearly for the A/C after one night in a great Sienese hotel that had NO air flow...during a heat wave :-( We went to a hotel-finding booth and handed them a credit card ;-) It was so nice - the restaurant was good, the rooms and grounds were really pretty, and the A/C kept a-blowin'. We usually took the bus into town (bus stop at the hotel), but did walk a time or two. Sadly, the last time I looked at their website (~1 1/2 years ago), the price structure was waaaay out of our league. Still, it looked really nice and was still receiving good reviews.
Eileen
Texan in CA 4/7/13
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RE: two nights in London in June, where to stay?
i stayed at the Luna Simone hotel near Victoria Station. could walk to major sites like Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abby and Hyde Park. and Victoria Station has bus and tube access. the price was perfect for me (less then 100 pounds/night) bed was really comfortable. food was great. breakfast included in the price of the room. here is the link to their site. even better if you arrive early or leave town late they will hold your bags for you. behind the counter that is staffed all day. the only problem i had was the key for the outer door was a little tricky for me but the staff was great. and the owners were very nice.
http://www.lunasimonehotel.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=8
Stephanie
Raleigh, NC 4/7/13
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RE: Travel from Naples to sicily
We researched that issue last year and concluded that the most sensible thing to do was to fly. The train ride, as I recall, was quite long and not all that inexpensive. We got tickets on Alitalia for a little over $100. Contrary to their reputation, all went smoothly. A word of caution about car rentals: we had a bad experience with Hertz at the Catania airport. I consider them to be a gang of smooth-talking scam artists. We rented through Autoeurope or Gemut - - can't remember which; and I'll never again accept a referral to Hertz from them.
Rosalyn
Berkeley 4/7/13
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RE: Ireland - the gathering
i spent a week in Ireland in september and there were not many large crowds. there was a redo of the gaelic football championship the sunday i was leaving so Saturday Dublin was packed. i guess that game is normally done in august but it ended in a tie so they had a rematch. depending on when you go to Dublin, they have a one night a year only culture night. the museums are open late, some sites that are pay to see are free and some places that are closed to the public are open. that brings in people from all over the country. (i enjoyed meeting the mayor and toured the mayor's house) i think the summer (june-august) has the largest crowds since schools are out and more people travel. september had a nice mix of decent weather and smaller crowds.
Stephanie
Raleigh, NC 4/7/13
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RE: rhine town/river
We are travelling by car coming from rothenburg and going to amsterdam. We would like to split the trip so we thought we would stay 1 night and do the river, how about rudesheim i heard good things about that town. Thanks
marianne
pittston 4/7/13
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Sacrifice Vienna?
Taking my wife on her first trip to Europe for two weeks in late summer. We have a pretty aggressive itinerary that includes Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Prague and Munich/surrounding area (Fussen, Salzburg and Hallstatt). Would it be a grave mistake to bypass Vienna to allow for an extra day(s) in one of our other destinations? Are Salzburg, Hallstatt, and possibly Innsbruck, enough to satisfy the Austrian experience? I travelled throughout Western Europe in the 80's, but never Vienna - so I don't know what I could be missing. Appreciate your thoughts... BTW, we'll be on a Global Eurail pass.
Brian
Tacoma, WA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Getting to Pompeii from Sorrento and best tour option other than Manfredo
Eeeeek - You could do this, but I'm really leaning towards suggesting that you stay in Sorrento. There's great shopping/strolling, lots of good restaurants, different types of scenic viewpoints (Sorrento is on several different levels on the cliffside), and it's such an easy town to stroll through. Lots of places to just 'hang out', too.
This way, you'll have to start planing your return trip - as independent travelers! - and take as much time as you'd like at Pompeii!
If you are VERY motivated and decide to go for it anyway, make sure you have your ducks in a row (know how to get to the train station from the dock, copies of the train skeds, etc) and make a plan of attack. Always know how to get to the next dock/town if you don't make it back from a shore excursion! The entrance to the site is just across the train station, so at least that is a 'known', but in Sept we stood in line for the longest time for entry tickets :-( The clock kept ticking...
Eileen
Texan in CA 4/7/13
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Norway
We would like to travel from Oslo to Balestrand in October via the first part of the nutshell route? The express boat is not running. How can we get there? Preferably the most scenic.
Diane
Shoreline, Wa Usa 4/7/13
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RE: Gites in France (Burgundy)
Try www.gites-de-france.com
Rosalyn
Berkeley 4/7/13
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RE: Travel Insurance
Yes, as Frank says, you would not purchase this insurance through the airline, but through an insurance company. Insure My Trip dot com is a website that will allow you to compare multiple policies.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Upgrading using award miles
Mileage aware travel is very fluctuant. A route that is not available today may become available tomorrow. So, if you do want to go to Paris (or anywhere else you are told has no availability), keep checking. And if you have to go via an inconvenient connection (say, Istanbul), keep checking back, because a better way may become available (say, through Frankfurt).
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Travelcard vs Oyster- 3 questions
Yes, actually I did find that out that it is with the National Rail. I did a Search on Rick Steves and I see i am not the only one that gets confused by all this.
So if this is the way we decide to go, we need the one with crows feet on it. As for the 30, I never did see a price for the 7 day zone 1 & 2. Just the other for the 1-6.
Is it the kind we need a passport type picture though for the travelcard?
Also, So, even though we've got our 2 for 1 voucher we will still need to stand in a line up and purchase the other ticket. Correct?
If this is the case... can we get any savings from getting tickets ahead of time online with a discount?
Shelley
Ardrossan, Alberta Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Ireland in June
a decent tench coat or rain coat and umbrella should be enough. kind of depends on where you are going. i went on a 3 day tour of southern Ireland with 'Paddy Wagon Tours' (they were great!) in September when we stopped at a small village named "Cong" it was sunny when we got off the bus, started to pour rain, then 10 minutes later bright an sunny again. western Ireland was sunny and windy i also spent 4 days in Dublin where it rained once or twice for a few minutes.
for June you may need something more substantial then shorts and tees. 2 pairs of Khaki pants and some sturdy socks, a 3 button down shirts and a cardigan were all i took and did not feel i needed more. i walked a lot in Dublin so that helped keep me warm. i had my normal walking shoes and a pair of comfy oxfords never had an issue of wet socks or cold toes. hope this helps. I traveled alone and had so much fun.
Stephanie
Raleigh, NC 4/7/13
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RE: Transportation from Toulon Port to Provence
Do you have Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruises book yet? If not, get it. It will answer all your questions about which ports are easy to do yourself, and which ones are best with a tour (either the ship's or one you arrange yourself).
For more information about cruises, THE place to go online is Cruise Critic. Here's their France ports message board: http://tinyurl.com/cdbsfhn
And here are their Roll Calls, where you can sign up for your sailing, so you can join others in a private tour to cut costs, while still having a better experience than a ship tour: http://tinyurl.com/ap7h55m
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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Gites in France (Burgundy)
My wife and I would like to stay in a gite for a week in Burgundy. We have not been having success in accessing the www.gite.com website (only one choice here) or Rick's other site which shows up only in French. Actually, after listening to the podcast we would like to stay at Steve Smith's family gite. How do we find this gite? Are there other good gites in Burgundy we should consider?
David
Langhorne, PA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Swiss Rail Pass 4 consecutive days
Four means four. So, if you buy a four day pass and only use it on three days, you don't get any discount or refund. But, there's no penalty or anything like that if you don't use it; you just make the rail company happy for buying something you didn't get full use of <g>.
I know nothing about Swiss Rail Passes, but if you post your complete itinerary, others can say if your plan is the most effective cost-wise (since you already know that you really only need 3 days).
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Transportation using rail
Hi Irene
Poland is not a part of the Eurail Pass. You would need to pay extra for parts of your trip that traverse Poland. Add that to price of any pass you are comparing.
Christi
Whitsett, TX United States 4/7/13
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RE: Travelcard vs Oyster- 3 questions
"I was just on looking at the price of Travelcards and it says they are: Zones 1 - 6 adult 7 Day Travelcard: £55.60 not the 30 you quoted."
You are both right. Miranda's price is for a 1-2 zone Travelcard, and your price is for a 1-6 zone Travelcard. The only time most people go outside zones 1 and 2 is to go to Heathrow (and even then, they cannot use the Travelcard if they go by any method other than the Tube). So, just get a 1-2 zone Travelcard.
"I also noted that they do not mention the 2 for 1 admissions discount on the tfl website."
Exactly. That's because the 2 for 1 offers are not from TFL. They are from National Rail only. If you are trying to get the 2 for 1 offers and are planning to use a Travelcard for this (rather than an actual rail ticket), you must make sure you buy your Travelcard from a train office, not a TFL office, and that it has the "crows feet" National Rail logo, not the "circle with a slash" TFL logo.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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Gps not for iPad or iPhone
I realize this must be a question that is now "prehistoric", but I need some guidance on purchasing a gps handheld unit. We are planning a trip in the fall starting in Paris and ending in Naples, Italy. We will be using all public transportation including trains, (no cars). We do not have a iPhone or iPad tHat is compatible for this. I want it just for basic directions in the cities (we have found, by previous experience, that we are directionally challenged and need help). Basic directions to hotels, restaurants, sightseeing, etc. The more I look on line, the more confused I'm getting, and then I also see the information I do find are 3 - 4 years old. I also find that some of the gps units recommended are more for automobile driving, which quite often would not help with walking distances. Any suggestions would be grateful!
Lynette
Enon, Ohio USA 4/7/13
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RE: how to select a decent wine for gift to host
Ask the salesperson in the wine shop to help you select. Let them know what you want to spend.
Laura
Virginia USA 4/7/13
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RE: Dordogne anyone?
Well interesting as I plan to avoid the foie gras at all costs, I can't believe what they do to the poor animals... so that's the least of my reasons for going there.. but I guess in the end it's too much to do, and since I've never seen the Loire Valley that would be easier... or just do the Avalon river cruise through Burgundy and relax... this is exhausting... !
suzan
la, ca 4/7/13
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RE: Switzerland
It must be in Glion. You take the funi from Territet on lake Geneva up to Glion.
It could be the hotel Victoria in Glion.
Mark
Santa Barbara, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Travelcard vs Oyster- 3 questions
Shelley, Miranda quoted the price for a zone 1-2 travelcard, not a zone 1-6 card. Most tourist sights are within zone 1-2, so most tourists only buy a zone 1-2 card.
If you go to Tfl.gov.uk, you can see rates and maps which show the zones.
Laura
Virginia USA 4/7/13
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RE: (Late Dec 13 - Early Jan 14) Multi-Country? Open Plans!
No one? Really?
Rae
Cary, NC USA 4/7/13
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Transportation using rail
Traveling from Warsaw, Poland to Berlin, Germany, then Berlin to Prague, Czec Republic, Prague to Salzburg,Austria, Salzburg to Passau, Germany and finally Passau Germany to Munich. Point to point was appox $800.00 for 2 seniors 2nd class. Poland is not a choice to pick when I am trying to figure out rail pass cost. Is Poland not part of the Eurail system? If so then what do I do? Irene
Irene
Cleveland, Ohio USA 4/7/13
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RE: Day Trips - Paris
Not knowing which RS tour you're taking, I don't know what you'll see with your tour group. Another possibility is St Denis; you're not so far out of town, and it's extremely interesting (if you're into that sort of thing). Of course, I'd love to just wander around the city - visit the parks unrushed with some picnic goodies, have the time to really appreciate the architecture, recuperate from the flight (ugh), sit and people-watch, whatever.
There is a beautiful American Military Cemetery just outside Paris in Suresnes (beautiful views of Paris are a bonus!).
I also liked the Chateau de Vincennes - the grounds are gorgeous! Bring a picnic...and it's not outside the city, either.
Eileen
Texan in CA 4/7/13
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RE: scenic route from Florence to Naples or Naples to Rome, etc
The train site is (trenitalia.com) Stations: Roma Termini-Roma Tiburtina
Time is 7 minutes cost is 1 euro
gerri
lexington 4/7/13
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RE: Connection Time Between Frankfurt and Budapest on Lufthansa
I've made 90 minute connections several times at FRA, which of course is no guarantee you will. But the airport is efficient, and as long as you follow the signs and don't exit into baggage claim when you mean to go to your connecting flight, you'll be fine. I actually made this mistake, and was still fine. And as long as your flights are all on one ticket, you will be put on the next available flight to Budapest if your arriving flight from Denver is late (if you're on separate tickets, however, you're on your own if there are any problems).
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Travel from Naples to sicily
Yeah. We were wondering if it would just be easier to rent a car once we get to sicily. I will check that out, then see how we get ourselves to Sicily.....train maybe?
Sherry
Hendersonville 4/7/13
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RE: Berlin, Germany and Salzburg,Austria
First of all, do you have Rick Steves' guidebooks (or any other guidebooks) for these locations? In the 2000 character limit of this helpline, we cannot write a guidebook for you, and particularly in Berlin which has so much to see and do, your "must sees" for a 3 day visit will probably be different from mine.
Second, what is your budget range, in euros? "Reasonable" means different things to different people.
Third, Berlin is a huge and spread out city. You can't walk everywhere, but the mass transit (U-Bhan, S-Bahn, trams and buses) is excellent. Berlin also has multiple train stations, but now has one main one (Hauptbahnhof). While you can stay near the Hauptbahnhof if you wish, it's not as pleasing as staying in a more residential area, which will have more restaurants, etc. In September 2012, I enjoyed my stays at the Hotel Kastanienhof (in the former East) and Pension Peters (in the former West). Details are here in my trip report, which also explains what I saw and did (it was my third trip): http://tinyurl.com/9woj9zo.
I haven't been to Salzburg.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in or near Bruges
Bev,
You might have a look at Hotel Adornes. It's a wonderful hotel in a great location, and I believe they do offer limited parking. I'd suggest booking as soon as possible though.
Happy travels!
Ken
Vernon Canada 4/7/13
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Best online travel info sites
I'm taking off on a journey that may extend beyond my planned itinerary. I'm concerned that I may be in transit without a proper guidebook in English for countries such as Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, England, etc. Are there suggestions for info packed travel sites on the internet? Thanks!
Sally
Lavelle 4/7/13
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how to select a decent wine for gift to host
Hello, I need a little guidance as to how to select a decent wine when I am in Europe to bring to my hosts as I am a not drinker. Thanks for any input.
Sally
Lavelle 4/7/13
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Belfast hotel
We have one night in Belfast before boarding the ferry to Scotland in the morning. We're looking for a hotel within walking to pubs and cafe's. big or small is fine, we won't be spending much time in the room. Thanks!
kate
Pleasant hill, Ca 4/7/13
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RE: Prescription or extra pair of glasses?
Let's see.
Behind Door One you have trying to grope your way to the glasses store since you can't read a map. Needing to stope enroute to use the facilities and you mis-gender yourself. You'll wander into three gelato joints and come out with cones stuck to your eyes. When you finally get to where you were headed, you find out that your new jobber-dos will be ready a week from next Tuesday.
Behind Door Two ........
Ed
Pensacola 4/7/13
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RE: Torn about our days in Italy
Keith,
It would help to have some idea how important each place is to you (between Rome and the Cinque Terre). A few thoughts.....
Rome is an incredible city with so MUCH to see and LOTS of history. Even 3 days won't be enough to do more than just scratch the surface.
The C.T. is a more rustic area with no Museums or other attractions of that type. The area itself (A UNESCO World Heritage site) IS the "Museum" in a way. The pace of life is more relaxed and it's a great place to "recharge batteries" after strenuous touring in other areas.
You could certainly add one night in the Cinque Terre, which may provide your group with a bit of a "breather" in the middle of your holiday. If you decide to do that I would strongly suggest that you get something booked SOON! At this late date, you may have to take what you can get and adjust your budget accordingly.
If you decide to skip one day in Rome, you should be able to cover the highlights if you plan carefully. I'm assuming you'll want to visit the Colosseum, the Forum and the Vatican?
Transportation between each place isn't all that difficult. From Florence to the Cinque Terre (using La Spezia as an example) will be a short as 2H:10M. It's only a few minutes from there to whichever C.T. town you choose to stay.
Transportation from the C.T. to Rome is also not hard. There are a few direct trains (no changes) every day from La Spezia, with a travel time of about 3H:45M. For example, there's a departure at 08:07, arriving Roma Termini at 11:50. The next direct train is at 10:07, arriving 14:16. You can easily get from the town you're staying to La Spezia in a few minutes (but you'll have to check the schedules, as the trains stop in some of the towns at irregular intervals).
Cheers!
Ken
Vernon Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Travel from Naples to sicily
Sherry, I have never rented a car in Italy but I have seen posts here about higher fees for renting on the mainland and then taking the car to Sicily. Check with rental companies and compare those costs (plus ferrying the car back and forth) with just renting a car when you arrive in Sicily.
Zoe
Toledo, Ohio US 4/7/13
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Berlin, Germany and Salzburg,Austria
We are spending 3 nights in Berlin and two nights in Salzburg. Would like to find a nice reasonable hotel walking distance from the train. Most see recommendations. Irene
Irene
Cleveland, Ohio USA 4/7/13
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RE: Prescription or extra pair of glasses?
Thanks everyone, I'll definitely will bring an older pair!!
Jim
Brookings, Oregon USA 4/7/13
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Connection Time Between Frankfurt and Budapest on Lufthansa
In the near future, I'm flying from Denver into Frankfurt, and then connecting on to Budapest. All these flights are on Lufthansa. I noticed that I have a 1 hour and 30 minute layover between my Frankfurt arrival and my connecting flight to Budapest. Do I have enough time to make this flight? What do you recommend I do to make sure I make my connecting flight on time? Thanks.
Ronald
Colorado Springs 4/7/13
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RE: Prescription or extra pair of glasses?
I need my glasses and take both a second pair and a prescription. The second pair is my old prescription. I've never had to have glasses made overseas, but I can't take the chance.
Zoe
Toledo, Ohio US 4/7/13
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RE: Where to stay in Tuscany
Maybe stay in an apt in Florence? You can take the train or bus to those other locations. You'd need a car/bus/tour to get to the Chianti area, though...Siena is one of my favorite places, so that would be an OK place to plant yourselves. No drinking and driving there, though :-(
I still vote for the Florence apt. But...it would make a HUGE difference if I knew why you wanted to see all of these places! If you want to see 'David' then split, staying in Florence would make no sense...
Eileen
Texan in CA 4/7/13
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RE: The last 4 days in the south of France, where/what to do?
We stayed in Arles for a week at Hotel Calendal (a Rick Steves suggestion) and took wonderful day trips - Les Baux, Roussillon, Gordes, Pont due Gard, Nimes, and many others. Visited several wineries.
Clifton
Norman, OK USA 4/7/13
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Travel from Naples to sicily
What is the most direct way of traveling from Naples to Sicily? We will need a car when traveling around Sicily so we are not sure if it's easier to drive, fly, take a ferry? Just wondering what is the preferred method of travel to Sicily.
Thanks
Sherry
Sherry
Hendersonville 4/7/13
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RE: Running of the Bulls?
Hi Laura,
It really depends what day you're going. The weekends are crazy and the 7th is always crazy. Since the bulls run every day July 7th through 14th inclusive, you have many opportunities. You're right to look for creative housing solutions, as staying in Pamplona can cost EUR 200 to 600 a night during the fiesta. Many people stay on the outskirts of town for less.
Just so you know, it is almost impossible to get a view of the bull run from the barricades. You have to claim your spot by 6am and you'll still be fighting to keep it for two hours. Also, don't sit on the first barricade, because it is reserved for police.
The best way to see the bull run is from a rented balcony. It is well worth the cost in terms of actually seeing the run.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Mark
Dallas, TX USA 4/7/13
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RE: Travelcard vs Oyster- 3 questions
Miranda I was just on looking at the price of Travelcards and it says they are: Zones 1 - 6 adult 7 Day Travelcard: £55.60 not the 30 you quoted.
Nigel, yes we go to Stonehenge and return... It's just a day trip or in this case a 1/2 day trip.
I also noted that they do not mention the 2 for 1 admissions discount on the tfl website.
Shelley
Ardrossan, Alberta Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Amsterdam underground transportation
Thanks Ray,
I understand the ride is about 15 minutes, so if we have to stand it should be fine. I imagine it will be crowded in the middle of June. Our flight gets in around 8:45 AM, maybe we will beat the traffic!!Can't imagine dragging a big suitcase and carry on up a flight of stairs
Francesca
Norfolk, VA USA 4/7/13
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RE: transportation from naples to Amalfi
Yes Carol,
The ferry line Metro del Mare will take you to Amalfi.
Location is about 1 block west of the terminal your ship will dock at.
Should be easy
gerri
lexington 4/7/13
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Swiss Rail Pass 4 consecutive days
Going to purchase a Swiss Rail Pass for FOUR consecutive day-
Will be traveling on 3 of those days- one day I will be in Zermatt o/night.
On this day I won't be traveling except locally in Zermatt maybe to the Matterhorn- Does this count as a day? May be stupid Q- because the pass says FOUR Consecutive DAYS- but one of the days I won't be taking the trains. Thanks- Mary
mary
sacramento, california usa 4/7/13
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RE: Travel Insurance
The airline insurance might not be the best policy. Go to insuremytrip.com to review various policies. Not all polices are the same and do not cover the same items. Read the fine print very carefully.
Frank
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO USA 4/7/13
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RE: Actv strike in Venice on Monday, April 8th
Since I don't know where the parking facility is (I would have used Google Streetview and looked for a taxi stand)...would you consider training over?
Sorry; I hope someone else can actually help you ;-)
Eileen
Texan in CA 4/7/13
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RE: Prescription or extra pair of glasses?
I always travel with an old pair of glasses in my carry on. I just need them for reading. Without them even when I put my Kindle on giant script it's hard on my eyes. Had my glasses break while having lunch in a connecting airport once at the beginning of a 5 week trip. Managed to fix them with a paperclip but never again! Once blinded twice shy:) My husband can't see 30 ft ahead without his glasses. He carries an extra pair in his carry on and I carry a third pair of his old glasses. A lot depends on just how much you need those glasses.
Marie
San Diego, CA United States 4/7/13
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RE: Shuttles London to Harwich
is that the train from Liverpool station?
Nancy
Portland, OR USA 4/7/13
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RE: Shuttles London to Harwich
Ya, but the train is the best and easiest way to get there. Train stops about 30 yards from the ship.
Frank
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO USA 4/7/13
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RE: Cinque Terre day with or without tour guide
Keith,
The "short answer" is - it depends. It's very easy to walk around and explore each of the five towns of the Cinque Terre on your own. You can have a look at the small shops in each town, dine in the restaurants, perhaps go for a swim or just enjoy the ambience.
However, if you'd like to learn something of the interesting history of that area and the unique nature of each of the five towns, then a short guided tour might be a good idea. I use local tours in some places (although I haven't done that yet in the C.T), and find that they make the visit much more interesting and memorable. Even a short guided tour (2 hours?) would probably work.
I can recommend a great Guide in that area if you're interested.
Cheers!
Ken
Vernon Canada 4/7/13
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Paris scotland Northern Ireland and london
I would like to start planning a 2 week vacation including Paris , Northern Ireland Scotland and london..I would like to rent a car and for some parts of the trip can anyone help with planning an effective route?
rajh
Tampa, Fl usa 4/7/13
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RE: Hotels
You will be fine but need some flexibility. TI is a good source or go to Trip Adviser and make a list of hotels, phone numbers you would be interested in using and call a day or two before you arrive. Even keep the hotels that are booked now as they will have cancellations.
Frank
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO USA 4/7/13
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Paris (with Toddler) and other questions
I'm planning to be in Paris from August 4-8th. We will be travelling with a toddler (2 years old).
I am looking for an affordable 1 bedroom apartment suite (where I can close off one room so my daughter can nap in the afternoon and maybe one of us can escape to explore!) and in a central location, either arr 4,5,6. Any specific recommendations? I am hoping to spend around $100-$150 euros.
I have read some things to do with toddlers, like Luxembourg Gardens and Jardin des Tulleries. We will already have been in France for 1 week, so we will be over the jetlag. We plan on just exploring some of the sights by foot and picnicking where we can. Any other suggestions for other things to do?
Would the Modern Museum in George Pompidou be a good one to take a little one to for a quick saunter?
What about the restaurant at the Orsay Museum? Any reviews?
Has any one tried the hammam in the latin quarter? I was thinking I could escape for a few hours!
Wendy
Victoria Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Christmas in Italy: Florence
Many, many thanks! Printed it out for my next Florence/Rome trip!!
donna
roswell, ga usa 4/7/13
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RE: Italy car drop off/train...easier in Pisa or Livorno
Thank you Ed! You're awesome!
Marisa
Fallbrook, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Prescription or extra pair of glasses?
Jim,
I always bring at least one pair of extra prescription glasses, always packed in my carry-on. I'm not able to function well without glasses, so those are an essential piece of travel gear.
I usually have a pair of prescription Sunglasses as well. I have a copy of my prescription if needed, although I'm not sure how practical that would be as it could take a week or so to make a new pair of glasses. I'm not usually in one place for that length of time.
Cheers!
Ken
Vernon Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Pergamon museum
Sarah,
I visited the Pergamon last year and had bought the three day Museum Pass. There was a long queue for people waiting to buy tickets, but people who already had passes (or tickets) could walk right in. I believe that they had a sign out front indicating this.
Laura
Virginia USA 4/7/13
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RE: Day Trips - Paris
We've been to all the sites mentioned in the previous posts. We took a train trip to Vernon, then bicycled to Giverny to Monet's place. It was a great day. We also have visited Versailles and Chartres. Because we were based in Paris we got a museum pass (a Rick Steves suggestion) and as well as getting us in all the Paris Museums it got us in Versaille past the mile long line and to the front of the line. You can catch a train from Paris. Versailles, to me is worth the trip. Chartres is lovely, too, and you can take the train. The cathedral's stained glass is beautiful. There is a very, very old labarynth (sp?) under the chairs that people walked in the old days. The stones are indented from the use.
Clifton
Norman, OK USA 4/7/13
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RE: Andros vs. Naxos
Dawn
I agree with Lee. Andros is like Naxos was 20 years ago, in terms of tourist development. It also has great walking.
I'd recommend Chora, the main town, which is an hour by bus from the port.
Hopefully our write up will give you a flavour of the place
http://www.greekramblings.org.uk/Andros.html
I'm happy to try and answer specific questions if you want to message me.
Cheers
Alan
PS It is also worth knowing that Andros is only two hours from Rafina on the mainland, and that in turn is only an hour by bus from the airport. If you are short of time you will spend less time travelling than if you go down to Naxos.
Alan
Brighton UK 4/7/13
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RE: plantar fasciitis - What did you do on your trip?
Shelley,
"If you have had plantar fasciitis and went on a trip what did you do to help it out."
After I obtained the custom fitted Ortho in-serts from the Podiatrist, I haven't had to do anything to "help it out". I just walk normally for as long as I want and no exercises, ice, Ibuprofen or other methods have been necessary. I packed along an extra pair of shoes on my 2010 trip, and as long as I used the in-serts in whatever pair I was wearing, I had no problems. Last year I only brought one pair, and still no problems.
Cheers!
Ken
Vernon Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Prescription or extra pair of glasses?
I don't because if I lost my glass I could get by. But if I had really bad eye sight I would bring an extra pair. You don't have the time to go looking for someone to make you a new pair.
Frank
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO USA 4/7/13
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RE: Prescription or extra pair of glasses?
I would travel with an extra (old) pair; that would save a lot of time.
Eileen
Texan in CA 4/7/13
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RE: Amsterdam underground transportation
hi,
i just remember the people mover ramp at Schiphol. you really cant miss them.
as far as taxi vs train, its train all the way for me.
just so you know the ones i used were double decker. Im sure if there are other types , i will be corrected. The trains are like a split level house. Theres an foyer (main level with train station) and stairs up or down to either level, no lift or ramp.
If you care, you can stand there since its not a long trip.
happy trails.
Ray
Portland, Oregon USA 4/7/13
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Driving in Tuscany and itinerary help
Hello All,
We are planning a 2 week trip to Italy covering Rome, Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre etc. We will have 2 days in Florence (to see the city) and 2 additional days where we can visit Tuscany. My questions are:
1. What is the best way to see Tuscany in these 2 days?
2. Do we book a tour? Or do we drive?
3. How hard is it to drive in Tuscany? We have driven in UK and in Germany and we were OK with that. Is driving in Tuscany really hard?
4. We are interested in visiting the smaller hill towns such as Volterra, Montepulciano, San Gimignano etc. How hard would it be rent a car in a place like Florence airport or Siena and then drive around to visit the towns?
5. Would it make sense to change our itinerary a bit and instead of spending 2 nights in Florence, we spend 2 nights elsewhere (Sienna..?) with the rental car?
6. Any recommended tours or driving websites for Tuscany?
I have gotten so much help from this forum in the past for all my trips that I am hoping that you folks will be able to help us out in this query as well.
Warm regards,
AB
AB
Superior 4/7/13
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Prescription or extra pair of glasses?
When you travel abroad, do bring an extra pair of glasses or a prescription?
Thanks Jim
Jim
Brookings, Oregon USA 4/7/13
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RE: Best of 10 days
You got advice from probably the most well traveled duo on here! Just do one or the other and don't waste your precious days in airports/train stations. I love both Paris and Rome. If you decide on Paris, look at the post by the young and precocious Bryn -- she's had a great Paris itinerary that's been well "tweaked" by the other posters!
donna
roswell, ga usa 4/7/13
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RE: Pergamon museum
I'm sorry Sarah and Beatrix,
I have never been to Berlin. My travel to Germany was limited to the Munich area and along the Rhine and Mosel Rivers in 1972. However, my husband and I did fly into the Frankfurt airport on our way to Colmar.
We have spent much more time in France because I can speak French well enough to be understood if people ignore my grammar and conjucations. My husband studied German in HS but that was a looooog time ago. We have also travelled in Italy.
Perhaps, someday I will go to Berlin but after Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Croatia, Greece...but I still love France!
If and when I go to Berlin, I will put the Pergamon Museum on my list since everyone knows about it. In what, if anything special, does the Pergamon specialize?
Bev
Decorah, Iowa USA 4/7/13
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RE: transportation from naples to Amalfi
Let me be more clear about our plans. We are leaving a cruise ship one night early in Naples because it is closer to Amalfi(Atrani). We thought it would be easy to go from Naples by boat to Amalfi instead of by bus or taxi. We will be staying in Atrani for a week and will spend the week exploring from there. I'm looking for suggestions to consider if it is advisable to try the boat idea or not. We thought it would be a scenic ride. Thanks for the responses.
Carol
Gold Canyon 4/7/13
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RE: Paris Itinerary for 5 days
Bryn! I'm so excited for you and you have a great plan (except maybe a little too much the first day). It's so good I'm printing it out because I want to take my Grand daughter to Paris -- so I'm using your plan. She will be 12 when we take this trip.
Your parents are to be congratulated for giving you this big responsibility!
You've undoubtably learned a lot in this planning phase, and did an
awesome job!
Thanks RS posters -- I'm printing the whole thing out for MY trip planning purpose!
donna
roswell, ga usa 4/7/13
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RE: Transportation from Toulon Port to Provence
Sorry. We are on a cruise and checking out options, i.e., ship tour, private tour or tour on our own with the Rick Steves book. We've done the ship's tour on a previous trip and are taking relatives with us this time and really not excited about spending the day with 40 other people waiting around but not sure we can make better arrangements with the time we have. Thanks.
Clifton
Norman, OK USA 4/7/13
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RE: Any Recourse w/Botched Flights and Delays??
Sam,
Lake Tahoe ;-)
Eileen
Texan in CA 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in or near Bruges
The Hotel Patritius was booked. We will try some of the other hotels. Thanks for the posts. I will look forward to more.
We had only planned to stay two nights...do I hear that the number should be three?
It is also great to read the interesting responses on the post made by Brian. Thanks also to those who have done that.
Bev
Decorah, Iowa USA 4/7/13
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RE: Transportation from Toulon Port to Provence
Clifton,
It seems like you're asking the same question for several places, but your need is unclear. Are you on a cruise and doing your own excursions? Do you want to drive the car/van, or are you looking for somebody to do it for you?
Give us a bit of a hint and you'll get better answers.
Ed
Pensacola 4/7/13
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Hotels
I asked a question last week about reservations on train travel in Germany and I thank all of you who responded but now I have another question. When tying to find hotels or B&B's I notice some of them are really being booked up in some of the cities we'll be visiting in September. We can't make that many reservations in advance since our itinerary will be day to day. What experience has anyone had in booking places at Tourist Offices upon arrival in a city? There will be 4 of us.
Ronald
Bartlesville 4/7/13
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RE: Ireland in June
Kathy - We have been in Ireland in early June and we only had one day of rain. You just never know. We had days where we wore shorts and days for long pants and sweaters. Just be sure to take a rain jacket and use layers. You will have a wonderful time. Ireland is our favorite place. Have a pint of Guinness for me.
Rosemary
Lakewood, CO 4/7/13
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RE: Transportation Livorno to Florence
Bus to the train station in Livorno, then take the train.
A self-drive van/car's too much of a pain in the tail for that one.
If you're talking about a private hire, beats me, but you ought to spell it out if that's your intention.
Ed
Pensacola 4/7/13
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RE: Upgrading using award miles
Thank you for this information! We are rethinking our whole itinerary with another city as our start point. We have been to Paris a couple of times so don't need to make it an effort particularly if it is going to be crowded!
Andrea
Portland, OR USA 4/7/13
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RE: Shuttles London to Harwich
Thanks for the spelling check. funny. I don't want to use the train because of baggage and the age of some travelers. We are staying near Trafalgar Square
Nancy
Portland, OR USA 4/7/13
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RE: passau vs regensburg
We have visited both and you are not going to lose with either. Passau is more scenically situated on a peninsula between the merging of the Inn and Danube Rivers. If you are into Gothic Cathedrals, Regensburg has a pretty spectacular one. Just wandering the alleyways and plazas in Regensburg is a treat. Flip a coin and you will win. Gary
Gary Mc
Salt Lake City 4/7/13
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RE: Getting to Pompeii from Sorrento and best tour option other than Manfredo
The ship company has a tour but it takes all day and it's on a bus. It doesn't make sense to me. Disembarking shouldn't take long on a small ship (300 as opposed to 1,000s) I hope.
Lisa
Basking Ridge, New Jersey United States 4/7/13
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Transportation from Toulon Port to Provence
Anyone rented a car from the Toulon Port and traveled in Provence? What's the best transportation company for 5 people?
Clifton
Norman, OK USA 4/7/13
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RE: Best of 10 days
I pretty much agree with Pat, but since you're using Paris both ways, apparently, it'd mean a double-Eurostar run. I'd still do it - - I herded a couple of really short runts back and forth a few months ago and it wasn't bad at all.
I think if you tried to make an even split with anything else and Amsterdam, you might be twiddling your thumbs for a couple of days right in Amsterdam.
Observation: people form St Jons are vaguely familiar with heat and humidity, so summer in Rome ain't bad at all - - kind of a nice break.
Ed
Pensacola 4/7/13
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RE: Getting to Pompeii from Sorrento and best tour option other than Manfredo
Thank you. I appreciate the information. I had heard about the train.
Yes, I hope to come back multiple times.
It's my first cruise ever. I shunned them for years and never thought I'd be caught on one. I'm actually looking forward to it. We're planning 2 days in Rome before the cruise starts and 1 day at the end. I'd like to try the Top Bike rentals in Rome as we're both active and prefer biking/hiking to bus tours.
I went to Italy back in 2008 and my fiance hasn't ever been. When you have little time, this seems to beat the bus tours because you can keep everything in your cabin and just get off and explore. We're very active so we're looking forward to hanging out on the islands. It's a smaller ship, only 300 people, so it gets to go to ports that the bigger ships (and most foot/bus travelers never get to visit).
Lisa
Basking Ridge, New Jersey United States 4/7/13
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Travel Insurance
We will be traveling to Italy in May. We are using our miles so in the event that we have to cancel, we pay $150 per ticket. However I am wondering about travel insurance for the hotels, etc. Many have strict cancellation policies which I understand but can we purchase travel insurance through the airline for that?
Thanks,
Paticia
Redwood City, CA USA 4/7/13
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Transportation Livorno to Florence
Any suggestions for reliable transportation from the port at Livorno to Florence and return travel?
Clifton
Norman, OK USA 4/7/13
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RE: Best of 10 days
Debra, I have been to many cities in Europe, including of course London and Paris ( my fave) and frankly with only 10 days you should keep it simple , unless you are the type that is really go go go.. ( and some people are) .
I would fly into London 4-5 days there then take Eurostar to Paris and 4-5 days there and then fly home from Paris.
Paris and London can easily fill more then 5 days each, ( and don't forget to consider a daytrip from London( say Windsor, Bath, Brighton etc) and from Paris (Versailles, Chartres, Riems). From Paris you could also do a nice overnight visit to the Loire Valley Chateaus..
Do remember this when planning, when you move from anywhere to anywhere it generally eats up at least 1/2 a day.. with only 10 days why spend it doing a tour of train stations and airports..
PS you could also do a London/Amsterdam split or even London/Rome split,, a lot depends on what you want to do . Also when is trip, would not recommend Rome in July or August unless you are good with brutal heat.
pat
victoria Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Italy car drop off/train...easier in Pisa or Livorno
Livorno.
You drive almost by it heading for Pisa, and the train station is easier to hit.
I've no idea which train would work out better.
If you wind up using Pisa, you'll be well-clear of the ztls with a southern approach to the station.
Ed
Pensacola 4/7/13
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RE: trouble walking
Michelle, has this person already made arrangements for his/her oxygen? How about for your flight?
Would s/he consider a folding wheelchair that you could bring from the States? Some even come with a carrying case when not being used. It would really save their energy and your itinerary.
Eileen
Texan in CA 4/7/13
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RE: Rhine River Cruise to Train Station Access
Lee, thank you very much for your comment. If we would like to have lunch somewhere between a dock and a train station, where would you suggest to get off?
Hiroko
Brooklyn 4/7/13
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RE: Upgrading using award miles
Andrea , you couldn't have picked a busier month for a visit to Paris so doubt many point systems are going to have any flight upgrades left available for that time period. September is still very popular with tourists, but what makes it really insane is that September is Paris's very busy trade/business show and fashion season month..
pat
victoria Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Torn about our days in Italy
You really don't have enough time to add an overnight to the CT. It takes a few hours to get to CT from Florence and even longer to get from the CT to Rome. You'll waste most of an entire day just traveling. I would spend the three nights in Florence, four nights in rome and two nights in Venice. Even that is not enough time to hit the highlights but it's more time than the alternative
Donna
donna
cranberry twp, PA United States 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in or near Bruges
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza (RS recommended) and loved it.
We loved Bruges. Fairy tale town, so charming and so fun.
We rented bikes there for 24 hrs and had a lot of fun riding all over town, the old center, the residential areas, all around the town next to a modern canal and park, and out into the country to the small town of Damme.
We spent 3 nights there and didn't want to leave.
Susan
Sausalito , California 4/7/13
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RE: Italy car drop off/train...easier in Pisa or Livorno
Pomarance :) - I was just wondering if the logistics of one was easier than the other - I don't think there's much difference in drive time -
Thanks for responding!
Marisa
Fallbrook, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Dordogne anyone?
"Spend the two nights in one of your other destinations or somewhere closer."
I agree with Carroll. I'd spend that time in Paris and/or the Loire.
I like the Loire way more than the Dordogne. Just goes to show how everyone's different.
Susan
Sausalito , California 4/7/13
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Biking in Beaune and Colmar
Hello. The wife and I are going to France, and wanted to know if anybody has any good routes/tips for biking in both the Beaune and Colmar areas. Neither of us have been to either area, but we do have some simple routes in Colmar (ie. the Wine Route). We've biked in France on several different occasions, so are fairly comfortable biking there.
Beaune we are going to wing as of now (OK, we have a BASIC idea of a couple of routes). Regarding Colmar - can anyone tell me if it's feasible to bike into Germany from Colmar (terrain, traffic, etc.)? Any additional information is welcome.
Thanks,
JP
Jan
Chicago, IL US 4/7/13
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RE: Italy car drop off/train...easier in Pisa or Livorno
Since Pisa and Livorno are both in Tuscany and you'll be in Tuscany anyway . . . .
How's about a bit of a clue where you're actually coming from ?
Ed
Pensacola 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in or near Bruges
We stayed at the Hans Memling Hotel and liked it. It is a short walk from the Market Square. Parking is nearby. The reviews on booking.com are pretty accurate.
Gerard
Atlanta 4/7/13
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RE: Edinburgh hotels
Thank you all for the suggestions. I've booked 2 nights at Six Brunton Place..will post how our adventure went on our return in July.
kate
Pleasant hill, Ca 4/7/13
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RE: London Travel card (2 for 1 London)
7 consecutive days - although this can start on any day you choose.
The travelcard is a railway ticket for the purposes of the promotion if bought on paper and not oyster. The ticket is fed into the slot on the barrier.
Marco
Oxford, Oxon United Kingdom 4/7/13
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Italy car drop off/train...easier in Pisa or Livorno
We'll be driving north from our lodging in Tuscany to drop off a rental car and get a train to Rome. I can drop off in either Livorno or Pisa. Anyone know if one drop-off site is easier than another if I need a train connection to Rome?
Thank you,
Marisa
Marisa
Fallbrook, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: traveling in Sicily with kids
2) siracusa , taormina , erice. Erice is my favourite (remember to bring winter clothes)
4) plane, the trip by ferry is 10 hours long....
andrea
Milano 4/7/13
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RE: Dordogne anyone?
You've chosen four areas in France that are well worth visiting, but if it were me, the travel time in between would eat up too much time. If you're going to visit the Dordogne - which is gorgeous, very interesting and has great food, I would also suggest as much time as you can (4 nights or more). You could rent a car out of Nice and drive to the Dordogne. It makes less sense to drive from the Dordogne to the Loire Valley, just because it would be such a long drive.
Both times we've visiting the Dordogne, we've taken the train to/from Paris to Brive, then rented a car from Brive.
I'm sure you've already thought about why you want to visit the Dordogne and the Loire Valley, but my comparison of the two (I've visited both several times) is that I much prefer the Dordogne. The scenery there is more dramatic, so I find it more beautiful, and the cuisine of southwest France, for someone who loves foie gras, cannot be beat. The chateaux in the Loire Valley are amazing, but I enjoy more visiting the older castles in the Dordogne.
Lexma
Denver 4/7/13
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RE: Paris Itinerary for 5 days
Hi again! I replied to the other thread but it told me that my message was too long so I put it here instead...
I think that your new 1st day plan is much better! Jet lag can be overwhelming when it hits so just strolling around the gardens and walking to Ile St Luis for ice cream is perfect. If you start at Luxembourg Gardens it's a lovely walk through the Latin Quarter and then past Notre Dame cathedral to Bertillion. A great introduction to the city! Just a few doors down from the ice cream place on the same side of the street is a small shop that sells meteorites, fossils, and other such things - I took my son there when he was about your brother's age and could hardly get him out! Might be something fun for your brother! We haven't been there for a few years so I hope it's still there.
If the rest of your time is similar to your Rue Cler, Louvre, Eiffel Tower day then I think you have a good plan. Something to know about the Louvre is that they are open in the evening on Wednesday and Friday nights; I think until almost 10PM - if you are going to be in Paris on a Friday this is a great time to go. There are far fewer people and crowds...you can actually get close to the Mona Lisa!
Since you had St Chapelle on your list for your first day, I hope that you were able to put it somewhere else in your trip. You must see it! There is no room like it anywhere else in the world. If you can go late in the day when the sun is slanting through the glass then that is the time to go. It's always stunning but late afternoon sun is the best.
I didn't know Nicolas Flamel's house is in Paris?? That's so cool!
I'd be happy to look at your new itinerary if you want!
Anita
Anita
Long Beach, California USA 4/7/13
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RE: good walking shoes or ballet flats?
Arcopedico makes some cute shoes. At least I don't think some of them look like "granny shoes!" http://www.zappos.com/arcopedico-women-flats/CK_XARC11wE6AuYVWgEJwAEB4gIFBwEYAgs.zso?s=recentSalesStyle/desc/&zfcTest=sb%3A0%2Cipp2%3A0
Shirley
Underhill, VT United States 4/7/13
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RE: Transportation
The RER B line connects Nord to both airports.
Heading south you get off at Antony and catch the val shuttle train the last little bit.
Ed
Pensacola 4/7/13
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RE: Unusual Museums: Belgium and Netherlands
The Torture Museum while interesting was quite sickening. I wouldn't recommend it to a friend. I would however suggest Rembrandthuis museum. Very interesting and not nearly as crowed as the Rijksmuesum.
Sylvia
Toronto, Ontario Canada 4/7/13
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Best of 10 days
Hi my question to those of you have traveled Europe we are flying in and out of Paris...10 days what countries or cities would you recommend and duration in each? We would like to include London. Celebrating 10 years of marriage and husbands 60th bday.
Debra Walters
St. Johns, Florida Usa 4/7/13
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RE: Suitcases- 2 vs 4 wheels
I lived in Europe last year and traveled a lot on trains, often with suitcases.
It is true that 4-wheelers (which I had) don't function well on cobblestones, or uneven or hilly sidewalks, so I just used it as a two-wheeler. But in large train stations or airports with flat surfaces, they work great and I was glad for at least some opportunity to use the 4 wheels, and get a respite from the weight of my luggage. You can use it either way, why not have both options?
BG
Albany, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Tieks Ballet Flats?
I have a similar foot. I have found that El Naturalistas fit well. They have them at Zappos. I wore them all over London last year, walking 5-7 miles a day, and they were my favorites! They have a LOT of heel cushioning.
Shirley
Underhill, VT United States 4/7/13
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RE: travel in Northern Spain
Brad-
Thank you for your thoughtful and meaningful suggestions. Wish us luck!
Ron
Ron
Moraga, California USA 4/7/13
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RE: Amsterdam lodging question
I'm with Andre. Stay at an airport hotel and commute by train into Amsterdam at least for your last day. If you leave your hotel early, you can spend a full day and evening in Amsterdam the day before your flight and then return by train to your hotel. Because you are so close to the airport, you can sleep til 5:00 am without having to worry about your Taxi not showing up!
Sylvia
Toronto, Ontario Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Pergamon museum
Bev,
I thought the Pergamon museum is quite well known? It's almost like asking which city the Louvre is in. It's the most visited museum in all of Germany ... and to answer your question it is in Berlin.
Sorry Sarah, I have no experience with online tickets. They were not available when we toured the museum.
Beatrix
Calgary 4/7/13
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RE: plantar fasciitis - What did you do on your trip?
I too have plantar fasciitis, which is fortunately not too bad with rest now. But I know that the cobblestones of Europe will be hard on me. My physical therapist has checked over my spine, hips, knee/hip movement, and foot movement as well. Seems that often plantar fasciitis can result from an imbalance or twisting and weak muscles. Also a lack of flexibility. In my case, I have weak hamstrings, and some twisting of the hips, and some lack of flexibility. My PT says that I will be ready for my trip in June to Europe for 3 weeks. I have to do several exercises working my upper leg muscles as well as heel and calf stretches, which must be done upon getting out of bed.
It was suggested that I ride an exercise bicycle until I am able to walk better. Also, my rheumatologist gave me a "burst and taper" of Prednisone to take if my foot acts up in Europe.
My PT also suggested that Birks are too hard, and that I should have a lot of heel cushioning as well as arch support. I wear El Naturalistas, and those have proven very comfortable. (I was in London for 2 weeks last June.)
Sorry for the long post.
Shirley
Underhill, VT United States 4/7/13
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Transportation
Once we check into our hotel BestWestern Orly, transportation to the closest HopON Hopoff location?
Jane
McKinney 4/7/13
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RE: Le Marais, Paris
L'as du Falafel, Les Philosophes, A Petite Fer a Cheval, Breakfast in America (for American food), Suzette Crepes (or any other crepe place), Cafe Hugo (in Place des Vosges), Chez Janou (on outskirts of the Marais), Lizard Lounge (for lunch, happy hour and beyond), Mariage Feres (tea salon), Or just walk around and find a place that looks interesting - you will see many.
BG
Albany, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Dordogne anyone?
Our trip was a train and bus trip. When we stayed in a rented house in Aillac, a small village in the Dordogne valley, we did everything including a day trip to the Caves by bus. Although interesting , you don't actually get to see the Real Caves, but only a reproduction. Because it's in the middle of nowhere, I'm not sure 2 days is enough if you have to bus it as the bus system is reliable but not particularly frequent.
Sylvia
Toronto, Ontario Canada 4/7/13
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Transportation
We are arriving in Paris from London on the Eurostar, what is the best way to get to ORLY?
Jane
McKinney 4/7/13
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RE: Favorite Cheap Eats?
I also like "Nordsee" in Germany with shops in almost every "Fussgaengerzone" (pedestrian streets). You can get very good fish buns there.
Jo mentioned already the food stands at local farmers' markets. My favourite there: potato pancakes with apple sauce. A plate with three of them looks small but they are so yummy and so filling!
Beatrix
Calgary 4/7/13
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RE: Use of iphone 5 in Europe
Here's what I did last fall while touring Scandinavia and St. Petersburg. I got a personal phone number from Skype and used the Skype app in my iPhone 5. Phone calls work great and cost pennies per minute. Only drawback is you have to be where there's WiFi to really save anything while using this.
I also downloaded and used CityMaps2Go for use in finding my way around. The GPS works fine in the iPHone without having to use cellular connections. Maps are already downloaded into the phone so you don't need cellular for these maps.
Daniel
Longwood, FL USA 4/7/13
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RE: DOGES PALACE SECRETS
Kim, I think your boys will like the part of the tour that crosses the bridge of sighs and goes into the prison for sure.
BG
Albany, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Taking CPAP machine to Europe
Julie, One alternative you might want to consider is getting an oral appliance to use and leave the CPAP at home. They take up a fraction of the space and are MUCH simpler. There are some negatives though....
1. They're only recommended for people with OBSTRUCTIVE sleep apnea...NOT central or mixed sleep apnea. In addition, your apnea has to be classified as mild to moderate....not severe.
2. These things are expensive....expect 2-3 grand. Less than a CPAP but still expensive. Medical ins. sometimes helps.
3. There are not that many dentists trained in sleep medicine that offer this service. You'd have to look around.
This link may help you find one....
http://www.somnomed.com/For_Patients/Patient_Resources.aspx
Good luck.
Daniel
Longwood, FL USA 4/7/13
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RE: Bruges
This advice is great for me, too. I am taking a day trip from Brussels to Bruge in June. Thank you!
Shirley
Underhill, VT United States 4/7/13
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RE: Schauffhausen - is it a must-see
Thank you for your helpful responses. Schauffhausen is somewhat out of the way so we will research alternate possibilities.
vera
Three HIlls 4/7/13
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RE: Portugal Itinerary Advice
I have only been to Porto and Lisbon. I was there in 2012.
Lisbon:
I liked the monasteiro de Jeronimos, the Belem tower, the castello and a day trip to Sintra ( We took the train). The market is also fun -Mercado da Ribeira close to the Cais do Sodre train station.
You must also try to find places to listen to fado music at night.
In Coimbra, or rather just outside of it, the food specialty is roast baby pig - super crispy skin and a bit of some green sauce - yummy
We also saw Obidos for about a half a day.
I do like Port so I loved Porto. The view from Porto across the river to the port houses is beautiful. The port houses are wonderful if you like port. Even it you don't, it's worthwhile seeing Grahams or one of the houses where you get a tour as well as a tasting.
In Porto, you can also take a river cruise up the Douro river. There are several to choose from including some that are tours with a combination of train and boat to see the Douro valley which is absolutely beautiful or just a river cruise within the urban area. A day trip to the valley and some of the wineries is also a possibility - beautiful scenery.
Pretty much everyone in Portugal seems to speak English. The older people (by which I mean people my age - 57) spoke Portuguese and French. The younger people all seem to speak excellent English. People everywhere were exceptionally nice and helpful. The only place where I found no English or French speakers were in a little local fish stand where we bought fresh fish for dinner.
Food and wine are plentiful and very reasonably priced. Do not miss the pastries in Portugal. Every place seems to have their own special pastry and they are all delicious.
shirley
Toronto Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Irish Car Rentals
"drive on the other side and use the opposite feet "....Frightening mis-information - the accelerator and brake pedals are in the same positions as they are in an American car.
Cynthia
Gig Harbor, Washington USA 4/7/13
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RE: Andros vs. Naxos
Andros will be less touristy.
Lee
Global Family 4/7/13
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RE: Crete to Santorini to Crete
1.5 hours is plenty of time if the ferry isn't delayed, but it's clearly a risk. You're smart to be asking about it. Unfortunately there are no other options except flying back through Athens, nothing direct.
Lee
Global Family 4/7/13
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RE: Women's Travel Buddy, Buddies, Group. Interested ladies?
Thanks, Waz, for starting this thread.
I'm interested in exploring the possibility of finding an easy-going 50+ female travel buddy to join forces on future Rick Steves tours. I've gone solo on 5 tours and have loved each one, with 2 more committed for 2013. Rick's tours offer unbeatable logistical convenience, freedom and support, as well as opportunities to meet like-minded people. However, experience has proven there are some aspects where signing up for a tour with a pre-arranged buddy would be helpful.
Examples: Free-time solo dining decisions can be awkward, safety considerations related to venturing out in cities alone at night or on solo walks/hikes/bike rides, roommate configurations, planning possible pre- and post-tour extensions, etc.
I will be glad to share my experiences with anyone who Direct Messages me. I'm also open to non-guided travel with one or more travel buddies. My interests are broad and eclectic, with a focus on art, culture, a bit of history, and natural beauty; relaxing into and absorbing the local ambiance; collecting memories (rather than things); etc. Quality outweighs quantity.
Cheers, and happy travels!
Elle
L.A., CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: handicap help @ train station for departure?
Niegel, sorry I'm not sure I'm following what you're asking? Can you restate for me please. By the way, I've decided to look at booking a train leaving later in the morning to avoid the main early morning rush hour.
craig
prior lake, mn 4/7/13
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RE: Edinburgh "Left Baggage" Options
You're going to love it. BTW walking = hiking in the UK. :) The weather is very, very changeable. It can be raining and windy in the west and sunny and calm in the Cairngorms. Have fun!
Pamela
New York City (formerly Madison), NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Dordogne anyone?
hi,
i have NOT been to Dordogne, YET, but that in my itinary when i return to France. I expect to drive there even though i dont like to drive. But i do make exceptions and that will be one of them. as far as getting there, i plan on taking a train from paris so, part of my trip will be car free.
Depending on where you will be invading France, a train or plane maybe possible.
Happy trails.
Ray
Portland, Oregon USA 4/7/13
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RE: Changing trains in Paris
Metro line 14 goes directly from Saint-Lazare to Gare de Lyon in 9 minutes.
Tim
Minneapolis, MN USA 4/7/13
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RE: Driving
Other people will see it differently than I do, I am sure, so I will give my personal opinion.
The drive between Genova (Genoa) and the French border I find not particularly wonderful; and with the venetian blind effect on the highway caused by the interminable tunnels I dislike it.
The drive from the Italian border along the French and Monaco coast is wonderful but you do have to get off the Autoroute. Get up to the 3 different levels of the Corniches (carefully - the edges are non existent in places, that's where many accidents have occurred) and really drink in the magnificent views of the Cote d'Azur as you look over the cliff edges. We go as often as we can. West of Nice it is very built up and remains that way. That's where you would want to get up into the mountains if you don't like the built up area along the coast. Be prepared for narrow twisty roads.
Nigel
East Midlands England 4/7/13
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RE: Switzerland
I remember we took the train, I think to Geneva, where we were supposed to catch a ferry to the hotel. But we were too late for the ferry. Friendly folk at TI arranged a train ride around the lake to the hotel. The hotel was high up the mountain and we had to take a funicular(sp?) up from where the boat landed. Not much else was there. My husband and I arrived a day earlier than the tour group we were with. We had arranged a pre-tour trip to Oberammergau for the Passion Play. Made our way to the hotel on Lake Geneva on our own.
jean
irving, TX 4/7/13
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RE: Need Itinerary help
@ Ruth,
OK, we have been hammering this out all night. Does this sound doable:
San Fran to Amsterdam (6 days - but would take train to Brussels for 3 of those days) unfortunately having to go back to Amsterdam for flight to Prague (3 days) then London for 6 days. Does the amount of time in each sound reasonable? I tried to figure out taking train instead of flying, but it actually seemed long and expensive. SFO-Amsterdam-Prague-London-SFO. Thoughts?!
you mention Brussels, but i dont see it on your last part ....SFO>AMS>...ect.
do you mean?
3 days - amsterdam
3 days - Brussels
3 days - Prague
6 days - London
in my opinion (imo) trains are good for close in travel most of the time. Youre not doing close in travel, you are traveling THROUGH a country and its not a small one at that. So to save some time, you will need to fly.
you could probably cut london down to 4 or 5 but that will depend on what you 2 want to do/see.
If you look at flying out of Amsterdam to Prague, there are inexpensive flights, depending on when you want to go.
do some more homework for this in order:
3 days - amsterdam
fly from AMS to Prague
3 days - Prague
Fly from Prague to Brussels
3 days - Brussels
Fly from Brussels to London
you are going to spend time FLYING everywhere. but thats up to you. THINK TRAVELING IN A PATH!
by the way (btw) depending WHEN you will be flying, the flights i found were < 100 USD and were non stop.
i left making it home for you since you already had it planned.
Happy trails.
Ray
Portland, Oregon USA 4/7/13
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Crete to Santorini to Crete
I may have the opportunity to visit Crete next week and am trying to find the best way to get from Chania to Santorini for 1-2 days then back. I've been looking at a ferry route from Chania to Piraeus with a transfer to a Santorini ferry but the Arrival from Chania is only 1 1/2 hours prior to the Santorini departure. Is that realistically enough time? Back looks fairly simple (ferry to Herakilo, then kick around Crete for a few days by bus/taxi before heading back to Chania) but I've not played this game before. Am I missing anything obvious? I won't have the luxury of planing ahead so if I can make this work so it will all be "as I go". Any pointers, recommendations, or experiential advice would be appreciated.
Thanks All.
William
William
Jacksonville, FLA 4/7/13
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RE: plantar fasciitis - What did you do on your trip?
Ibuprofen is fine, but to get the maximum benefit, you have to take it three times a day. Talk to your doctor about other similar medications that don't require as frequent dosing (celecoxib, meloxicam, naproxen, piroxicam, etc).
Tom
Hüttenfeld, Hessen Germany 4/7/13
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RE: Bag of ice
My husband and I are renting a car for a month in May to explore northern Spain. We are driving between accommodations that include pensions, hotels,and apartments with kitchens. I wondered if we might buy a styrofoam chest for the truck or boot of the car and some ice at grocery stores to transport food safely (i.e., not encourage bacteria), especially when we are going from an apartment to an apartment with a kitchen where we may have accumulated a few perishable items. Any luck finding foodstores or gas stations that sell bags of ice?
kathleen
Jackson, GA USA 4/7/13
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Ireland in June
I am getting nervous reading about how much it rains in Ireland. Will we need waterproof hiking pants and boots for the RS 14 days in Ireland? We are on tour beginning June 16 through the end of the month. We are from Texas and do not do cold all that well. Is it cold in June with the rain?
Kathy
Ausitn 4/7/13
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Actv strike in Venice on Monday, April 8th
We are in Tuscany now and will be driving to Venice tomorrow. Our plan is to park in Marghera. Originally we were going to take the bus to pizazzle Roma. The owner of the b&b said it is a 15 minute walk from Piazzale Roma to the b&b. we don't mind walking. My question is how difficult will it be to get a land taxi to Piazzale Roma from the parking facility in Marghera? A little hiccup, but not letting it spoil the trip!
camille
point pleasant beach, nj usa 4/7/13
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RE: scenic route from Florence to Naples or Naples to Rome, etc
1. Difficult to answer that one. You see, the best views are of the hilltops, the hilltop views, the hilltop towns. Trains are scared of hills and do everything in their power to avoid them. Trains also hate winding around corners if they want to go fast. If they can't avoid hills they go through in many tunnels. Most people prefer to go fast so they can get to their destinations more quickly and get back, so train lines - the slower ones as well as the faster ones - tend to be relatively straight lines on flat ground.
My suggestion is to spend some time in the hill towns of Tuscany and perhaps Orvieto. There are Regionale trains but although they are on different tracks than the high speed trains they are adjacent.
2. see number 1. If your son is looking on the .Italo website that is all he will find. You need to be on the Trenitalia website for the Regionale trains and their schedule isn't posted more than a week in advance. Look at the same day of the week this week. The schedules won't change much. Or use the comprehensive Bahn website and check the "Local" box.
Second question number 1. The fare is just one Metro ticket.
Second question number 2. I was able to choose my seats in February. I didn't know that the .Italo website had changed.
Nigel
East Midlands England 4/7/13
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RE: Where to stay in Tuscany
With kids in their 20's I would stay in Florence. You won't even need a car, except for the day you want to tour the. Chianti. If you do rent a car, do so only for the time necessary to visit the countryside and preferably choose accommodations with parking, preferably just outside the ZTL. I'll tell you where if you decide to take that route. You don't need a car for Pisa or Siena or Lucca. They are accessible via train or bus from Florence.
Roberto
Fremont, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: keukenhof anyone?
Thank you all.
Temperatures are forecast to be in the high 40's/low 50's this week. Fingers crossed. :)
Billy
Burlington, KY USA 4/7/13
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RE: rhine town/river
Do answer Russ's questions. A lot could depend on what your plans are.
Without knowing anything else, I would suggest staying in either St. Goar or Bacharach. They are on the same side of the river and only a few minutes apart by train.
The trip by boat, up the river (to the SE, St. Goar to Bacharach, against the current), takes 70 minutes. The trip down the river (with the current to St. Goar) takes only 40 minutes. There are really not 70 minutes of things to see between St. Goar and Bacharach; take the boat from Bacharach to St. Goar. Use the train either to get to Bacharach or to get back.
While in St. Goar, tour the ruins of Rheinfels castle.
Lee
Lakewood, Colorado 4/7/13
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RE: Schauffhausen - is it a must-see
Mentioning Schauffhausen brings back memories of our trip in '84. We stayed at the Park Hotel. It was like a medieval castle, beautiful. But I think we were the only guests that night. The bathroom was on another floor. I had to get up during the night to find the W.C. It felt like an Abbot and Castello movie with monsters behind every tapestry hanging on the walls. It was pretty creepy being the only guests. Normally, it would have been fantastic. For this reason, I will never forget Schauffhausen, but the Rhinfalls are worth a visit.
Jana
Aberdeen, Washington U.S. 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in or near Bruges
We liked the Lace Hotel. It is an easy walk to the heart of the old town and best of all, it's about 200 feet from a really nice 3000 car underground parking garage. Here are two critical facts if you choose to stay there.
1) The address is 'T Zand 5. If you do not use the ' your GPS will not find the address. Guess how I learned that.
2) If you do not have a chip and pin credit card, the only entrance to the garage that takes cash is the one at the southeast corner of the big market square that is over the garage. Learned that the hard way too, in the rein.
A great afternoon snack is hot chocolate and a waffle upstairs at the Old Chocolate House at 1 Mariastraat. We never had anything like it.
Have a great stay
Irv
Beverly Hills, MI 4/7/13
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RE: traveling in Sicily with kids
Mistake on the agriturismo: Villa Antonella Azienda Agriturismo.
This is a lovely family, but they speak very limited English. The grand-
mother and son-in-law did all of the cooking, and they love children. They were considering putting in a pool while we were there, and don't know if they did it yet or not. Our guide was a cousin or some relative (?) and he
made everything re language barrier quite smoothe!
They press their own olives for olive oil, make their own cheese, bake bread, they grow every fruit you can imagine - lemons, limes oranges, apples, kiwi, grapes, etc. They have ducks/ducklings, goats, chickens, ponies...and acres and acres of olive trees. This is more of an "estate" than what you might consider a farm! The rooms are simple but comfy and clean. I don't know if the girls would be bored or not (?) If you stay up in Taormina, it may be more exciting
donna
roswell, ga usa 4/7/13
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RE: London Travel card (2 for 1 London)
Hi,
Was wondering, when I purchase the 7 Travelcard from the rail station, is the card valid for 7 consecutive days or can I use it on any 7 days of my choosing-not all in a row? Also, my rail tickets will be expired at the time I want to use the Travelcard in London-London is my final railstop-will I still be able to use the 2 for 1 deal? I've read the Ttravelcard is a paper ticket is that correct? Do I scan it the same way as an Oyster card.
Thanks so much for the info.
Peter
DELTONA, FL - Flori USA 4/7/13
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RE: Bag of ice
Ice is less rare in Europe than it was 30 years ago. But we still get an occasional question here about whether the ice (or water) is safe to put in your glass! And there are plenty of supermarkets in big cities. Perhaps the question is whether a pension-level accomodation can spare enough ice for your cooler? I imagine it's proportional to the size of the hotel. I think it's unwise to generalize about as big a country as you are asking about. For example, are you camping? And don't hostels prohibit hot plates?
Example: When we were last in New Mexico, it would often have been a 20-mile drive to buy ice. But I feel confident that the National Parks concessionaires had ice for sale, if you were camping there.
We were in a big enough hotel in Porto, Portugal (I mean, less wealthy a country than Spain) that when my wife twisted her ankle on the cobblestones, the bar sent up a bag of ice with no charge. (There were no ice machines in the hall!)
Tim
Wyckoff, NJ USA 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in or near Bruges
Thanks! We will look at the link. What did you like best about Bruges?
Bev
Decorah, Iowa USA 4/7/13
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RE: rhine town/river
Are you cruising on the day of arrival or the next morning? Where are you coming from / going to, and about what time will you arrive and leave? Traveling by railpass or car? Do you intend to tour a castle, or just cruise past them all?
Russ
Paradise 4/7/13
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RE: traveling in Sicily with kids
I rented an apartment in Taormina in the Northeast side. This has to be the "Wedding Destination" for all of Europe, and because you have girls I think they would really enjoy this. We were caught up in at least two wedding parties walking through the streets! We did NOT use a car, but a very reasonable priced driver/tour guide who took us to a beautiful Agriturismo (farm) for a wonderful outdoor meal, and tour of the farm and its many animals. They have a facebook page" villa antonella agriturismo, I think, but you can also "google" it. You could stay there with a car.
Taormina has lovely greek ruins, many fabulous churches, amazing views of the med., fabulous food/restaurants and is close to Mt. Etna, which is still making (small but visible) eruptions. magicofsicily.com was our rental agent and tour guide website. We also took a tour of a magnificent vineyard with wine tasting, but I think there were families -- so your girls could probably sip something else!
Some of the accommodations available at magicofsicily have pools, if you're going in summer.
What a great trip for your family!
(We flew! The ferry was quite long, and the flights were pretty inexpensive, and we because of the location, didn't need a car because
the guide (charming Angelo) did the driving. They've branched out quite a bit and do more day trips than they did 2 1/2 years ago.
donna
roswell, ga usa 4/7/13
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RE: Dordogne anyone?
I could stay 3, maybe even 4 nights; but I'm afraid of cliff-top driving, so want to be sure it's safe, easy travel, not hill tops and windy, curvy roads... like I've seen on the Riviera and in Italy... given that's the case, where would we get the car? We plan to fly into Nice, stay in Cannes (?) a few nights and head to see the cave dwellings... then head to Loire Valley 2 nights (?), where I guess we could leave the car before heading off to Paris via train and home.... Does this sound doable ? Certainly sounds exciting...
suzan
la, ca 4/7/13
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RE: Bologna
I was just in Bologna, in December, and stayed at the Art Hotel Orologio. The room was comfortable, the bathroom spacious, and the included prima colazione buffet was well stocked.
The hotel is about 100 paces off the Piazza Maggiore, in the centre of the city.
While in Bologna, be sure to enjoy a glass of nocino after your dinner.
George
Canada 4/7/13
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RE: France or Turkey
I think many people would agree that Turkey is a good value for the money and that's what makes it stand out. You can have a fairly inexpensive trip, relative to Western Europe, and still see some wonderful sites - particularly ancient ruins, Ottoman architecture, and lots of beautiful coastline that is much less developed (and great food, especially if you like fresh fish, kebabs, and mezze). Check out Lonely Planet's Turkey book and see what areas look appealing.
If you do go to Turkey, you don't need to go to Istanbul but can go straight to the coast (although you'll always have to fly through Istanbul) or the Cappadoccia region (among others) if you want something more laid back. It's a huge country so it just depends whether something there piques your interest. You should ask your friends what they meant exactly by "better trip" - you'll probably get a far more useful answer than asking random folks to make a comparison without knowing your interests or preferences.
Agnes
Alexandria, VA USA 4/7/13
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Bag of ice
Can you buy bags of ice in Spain to keep food cool traveling from one place to another?
kathleen
Jackson, GA USA 4/7/13
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RE: rothenburg
Maybe yes and maybe no. There are several Rothenburg in Germany. The Rothenburg that is popular with R Steves is ob der Tauber - meaning Rothenburg over the river Tauber. Generally on this site Rothenburg does mean Rjothenburg ob der Tauber. However looking for train schedules etc. than it needs to be ob der Tauber so not to be confused with other Rothenburg.
Frank
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO USA 4/7/13
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RE: Storage lockers in Athens
Pacific Travel at the Airport offers a baggage storage service down at the end of the Arrivals Hall near Door #1. This would be convenient since you'll already be at the airport.
You can store luggage in the large lockers at the Monastiraki Metro Station in Central Athens but there are only a limited number of lockers, meaning no guarantees finding an empty one, and you will be restricted by the size as to how large a suitcase or bag you can store.
Lee
Global Family 4/7/13
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RE: Favorite Cheap Eats?
Paris has wonderful bakeries; some have individual quiches and desserts that can be eaten picnic-style. When I am in Paris I like to eat in the Asian delis; the plat du jour is usually a good deal at about $7-10. In Spain, I've eaten at Fresc; it is a deli-type place with salads, pizzas, soups, etc.
In Italy I look for pizza-by-the-slice and gelato; ensalata mixta (sp) can be an almost full meal. There are some cafes in Italy that specialize in pasta and salads for about $10. In the Cinque Terre, foccacia (a bread with toppings) is often available in bakeries.
I rarely eat an evening meal while in Europe. My habit is to eat a substantial breakfast where I am staying, then have a real meal in the afternoon. Often I will buy cheese, crackers or bread, fresh fruit, and yoghurt to have in my room.
Swan
Napa, CA 4/7/13
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RE: Dordogne anyone?
I have to echo Carroll, though the Dordogne is a great area. I can't imagine an easy way to get there by train from the Riviera and then go on by train to the Loire. You'd be spending a lot of time and $ in transit for a relatively short time there.
You might think again about driving. I've driven in LA and understand your reluctance, but except around Paris (and perhaps other big cities) French roads and autoroutes are pretty easy and uncrowded. The rural autoroutes are probably close to a Californian's fantasy of what freeways should be like: wide, fast, uncrowded, scenic, well served by rest areas ("aires"). Of course this is because they're not freeways, they have rather stiff tolls.
The Dordogne is very hard to see without a car, but if you went through it driving between Riviera and Loire you could spend a night or two and visit one or two of the caves (from what I've heard, Peche Merle and Lascaux II would be the best choices). The prehistory museum in Les Eyzies (sp?) is also very good and not far from Lascaux II.
Dick
Olympia, WA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Le Marais, Paris
I would suggest that you delete the question here and post it in "To the West" for more responses. There will be more posters about France in that section.
Bev
Decorah, Iowa USA 4/7/13
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RE: Suitcases- 2 vs 4 wheels
Hi Frank - glad you find me interesting ;)
I'm actually very appreciative to receive all feedback from everyone on here, it has greatly helped to shape many aspects of my trip planning I truly couldn't have done alone!
*
I bought the 4-wheeler prior to posting this question.
Post-purchase, I considered it may not be ideal for Italy, as many have confirmed- Especially since it has 4 small wheels as opposed to 2 large, 2 small.
I am able to return it, that's why I inquired.
Anyways, just for the record, I'm beyond grateful to everyone that has responded.
Cat
Paia, HI USA 4/7/13
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RE: plantar fasciitis - What did you do on your trip?
Were you given a boot to wear at night? If so, you may want to consider taking it. Having had at least two or three bouts of P.F., I wore my boot every night. I had to go to a week-long conference in Las Vegas and took the boot. I even packed it for a trip to Mexico.
Depending on the severity of your problem, the boot may be a good thing. Tie shoes are also better than slip-ons or flats. They may not be the most attractive shoe but comfort will be an issue for you.
Also, I have custom orthodics for my shoes that I wear all the time when I travel. I would discuss ALL the options with my foot doctor to get the best recomendations. Since you are going in the fall, you have time to determine the best course of action.
I also wear compression socks so that helps my feet and legs whenever I am walking. Not such a great look with shorts and NO, I only wear them with pants.
You did get a lot of good information with your March posting about the topic.
Bev
Decorah, Iowa USA 4/7/13
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Le Marais, Paris
I am looking for advice on where to eat lunch or dinner in the
Le Marais district.
Brenda
Carterville, Illinois United States 4/7/13
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RE: Manchester UK accomodations
I haven't stayed in Manchester but we spent a night at the Best Western Cresta Court in Altrincham, a southern suburb near the airport, before flying home a couple of years ago. See http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/GB/EN/Manchester-hotels/BEST-WESTERN-Cresta-Court-Hotel/Hotel-Overview.do?propertyCode=83373&group=&srcPage=Hotel&isMapOpen=false&edHotels=.
It was fine for our purposes, with free parking and an easy drive to the airport. There isn't much to see in Altrincham, but the hotel is about a block from the station with an easy train connection to Manchester. I wouldn't recommend this place as a base for Manchester sightseeing, but as a good value for car travel within striking distance of Manchester Airport and North Wales.
Dick
Olympia, WA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Tough choices
Your itinerary would fit into a two week vacation better. I agree with the suggestion to skip York until next time.
Swan
Napa, CA 4/7/13
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RE: Need Itinerary help
OK, we have been hammering this out all night. Does this sound doable:
San Fran to Amsterdam (6 days - but would take train to Brussels for 3 of those days) unfortunately having to go back to Amsterdam for flight to Prague (3 days) then London for 6 days. Does the amount of time in each sound reasonable? I tried to figure out taking train instead of flying, but it actually seemed long and expensive. SFO-Amsterdam-Prague-London-SFO. Thoughts?!
Ruth
Livermore, CA United States 4/7/13
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RE: Pergamon museum
OK, I give up. In what country and city is the Pergamon Museum located?
Bev
Decorah, Iowa USA 4/7/13
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RE: Travelcard vs Oyster- 3 questions
1. agree with Miranda
2. Yes
3. Half day to Stonehenge, see Stonehenge, come back from Stonehenge? Are you using a time-turner? There is only a one day Travelcard or a 7 day Travelcard. Agree with Miranda.
Nigel
East Midlands England 4/7/13
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RE: France or Turkey
Just one opinion but for a relaxing trip that's 8 days in length, I'd pick France. Istanbul is a huge city and getting to other parts of Turkey can be complicated. I'd save Turkey for a trip when you have more time.
Sharon
Atlanta 4/7/13
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Upgrading using award miles
We would like to purchase economy tickets and use miles to upgrade. We have done this several times with no problem. United now tells us that there are no upgrades available through any city to Paris in the entire month of September. Does anyone have experience working the system or know something we don't?
Anyone used "BookMyAward"?
Andrea
Portland, OR USA 4/7/13
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RE: CDG to Hotel Esmeralda in Paris
I am going to second Jean-Paul's suggestion! TAKE A TAXI! You will be tired and it will be a lot easier for your grandmere! Even though she may protest, tell her that someone in their 60s says to "take a taxi".
You can tell her that the person in her 60's is a wimp but put her and yourself in the taxi. You will appreciate it in the long run! Save a few euros someplace else.
Bev
Decorah, Iowa USA 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in or near Bruges
It's In Bruges - http://www.hotelpatritius.be/
Sharon
Atlanta 4/7/13
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Changing trains in Paris
I have train reservations from Caen to Lausanne. Our train goes from Caen to Paris St. Lazare arriving at 3:16 pm; train departs from Paris Gare-Lyon at 3:58. What is the best way to get from Lazare to Gare-Lyon in that amount of time?
Leona
Lake Forest Park, WA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Bologna
Albrego Centrale - right is the center of town near the main square.
Great place - I would highly recommend it.
Check tripadvisor and venere.com
Frances
San Diego, 4/7/13
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RE: From Prague to Bologna- Itinerary Help
Hi,
Based on your plans so far above, I would heartily suggest more time to be spent visiting Vienna. Maybe more days?
For the northern route: go to Berlin and Leipzig or Dresden, OR, just spend all the left over days in Berlin.
Fred
San Francisco 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in or near Bruges
Where is the hotel located? In Bruges OR near Bruges? Thanks!
Bev
Decorah, Iowa USA 4/7/13
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RE: passau vs regensburg
I have not been to Passau, but I was in Regensburg at the end of November last year. I thought it was one of the prettiest towns I've ever seen. We were there for two nights and the only building we went in was the cathedral. I just loved walking around the town and doing a little window shopping. The Christmas decorations were beautiful. Would love to go back in warmer weather.
Carroll
Pittsburgh, PA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Favorite Cheap Eats?
I can't wait to try all these food items.
Food is the most important way to experience a culture.
Many people believe that you have to eat in expensive restaurants to get this experience. It's just not true. Yes, when traveling alone with my husband we enjoy $300 dinners but we also enjoy hole in the wall cheap eats.
I can't wait to have:
an espresso for 1€
Raw herring in Amsterdam
A giant Bavarian pretzel for 1€
A baguette in a Paris for 1€
Pom frittes in Belgium with mayo
A braut on a bun in Germany
A macaroon in Paris
Fried sardine sandwich in Lisbon
Jamön sandwich in Madrid for 2€
A Mac and cheese croquette out of a machine in Amsterdam for 2€
Gelato in Rome
I can't wait to make this list longer!
Also does anyone know of a place in Rome that sells Aranchini? We love to get these in Boston!
Stay-ce
Northern California 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in Trani
We stayed at Albergo Lucy last fall and loved it. Large rooms (we had a balcony), perfect location near the harbor, easy walk from the train station, wonderful helpful owner Luca.
We had a fabulous dinner at Osteria Ferro e Fuaco in Trani. Highly recommend. Also really enjoyed a day trip to nearby Margherita di Savoia. Picturesque little town with gorgeous huge sandy beach; you can tour the large salt plains nearby if you arrange your timing right. (We didn't.)
Also nearby is Castel del Monte, and very interesting is Dolmen la Chianca, a prehistoric cemetery with a burial chamber that looks like Stonehenge.
Great area!
Charlene
Centennial, CO US 4/7/13
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RE: Tough choices
I think Carroll hit on a key point: minimize time in transit. That probably means postpone York till next time. Blenheim is a good place and close to your route, but maybe not worth the extra time given the tough choices you have to make. Maybe it should just be LHR-Oxford-Cotswolds-Bath-London. Your husband must have spent some time in London when he was at Oxford, maybe you have too. Three days is a mighty short time for London unless you've already seen a lot and have some definite priorities.
You're calling this the "trip of a lifetime" and I don't know your circumstances, but if at all possible, as RS advises, "assume you will return." This is really advice to pace yourself so the trip doesn't become a blur of rushing from place to place. Hopefully you will return, and if not your memories are likely to be better if you don't try to see too much. Hope it's a great experience.
Dick
Olympia, WA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Dordogne anyone?
For just two nights and with no car, I don't think it makes sense to visit the Dordogne region. Spend the two nights in one of your other destinations or somewhere closer.
Carroll
Pittsburgh, PA USA 4/7/13
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France or Turkey
We are planning an 8 day trip in October to Provence and friends of our suggested Turkey as being a much better trip. We want relaxation along with sight seeing so the large cities are not exciting me. Any suggestions from folks whom have travelled to both?
David
Chicago 4/7/13
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RE: london bank holiday closures may 27
Because the kiddos will be out in the wild (English schools don't finish for the year until July) for the holiday there will be plenty of folk about.
Expect the Friday and Monday to be worst (especially on the roads and transport).
Nigel
East Midlands England 4/7/13
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RE: Tough choices
You really nee to think about what YOU enjoy doing and seeing and choose accordingly. I would take a small village over a fancy manor house any day, so I would (and did) skip Blenheim in order to see the Cotswolds.
I loved Bath - in addition to the Roman Baths, which I thought were fabulous, I loved the Georgian architecture. It's a very pretty town and fun to walk around. There's lots to see nearby, but you probably don't have time for that, particularly if you are going to York.
I loved York too, but I would prefer to have another day in London. Also, the shorter the time frame, the less time I want to spend in transit. Oxford, the Cotwolds and Bath are all in the same area and not that far from London, so that works well. But if Bath doesn't sound like someplace you would like, don't go there just because other people like it.
While you could do York as a day trip from London, I wouldn't. Do you really want to spend 4 hours plus (you have to allow time to get to and from the train stations too) in transit on one day when you have so few days to work with? Only you can decide.
Carroll
Pittsburgh, PA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Venice to Rome
Unless you're already at the Venice airport (as in, just landed there), the train makes much more sense. No security to go through, and the stations are right in town. The fastest train will get you to Rome Termini in under four hours. And you get much more room on the train, with pretty views for parts of the trip. Stretch out, get up whenever you want, meet nice people, etc. Second class on the fast trains (the Frecce trains) is fine for most people. Go to www.roninrome.com for good info on the Italian train system, including the difference between 1st and 2nd class.
If you buy your tickets online ahead of time, this route can be as cheap as 29 euros. You would buy tickets from Venezia Santa Lucia to Roma Termini. www.trenitalia.com
Happy travels.
Michael
Seattle, WA USA 4/7/13
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RE: handicap help @ train station for departure?
The biggest difficulty at Gare de Lyon for people in your situation is that there is not only one main track area, there are two.
One area is designated by track letters and the other is designated by track numbers. I've made that journey to Nice a few times and, certainly for the first train of the day which is the only one we use, there doesn't seem to be a consistent departure track. So it is waiting around in the vicinity of the Train Bleu restaurant under the palm trees waiting for it to come up and hoiking over to the other side of the station when the wrong news comes up (more often than not).
It will be really good to have somebody on the ground this week scoping this out for you....
Can I suggest that getting in with the ladies in the information point and arranging a wheel chair if your wife wouldn't mind?
Often the train staff will know where a train will come in long before it is advertised on the screens - and they will be keen to help in special circumstances.
I know that we on the British railways are like that and I know that my French colleagues are the same.
Nigel
East Midlands England 4/7/13
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RE: plantar fasciitis - What did you do on your trip?
I had this a few years back after too much barefoot beach walking. I put a water bottle in the freezer and then, seated, rolled each foot back and forth on it, getting the ice and stretching at the same time. Did this for quite awhile and wore extra arch support until the problem receded, it took a few months as I recall. But if your trip isn't till fall you should have time to get better.
All your ideas make sense to me, but it would sure help to be healed before you start the trip. You can ride as much as possible and you'll still need/want to walk a lot to get the most out of your sightseeing. I'd definitely break in your shoes and bring two pairs. I usually bring Birkenstock slip-on sandals along with my sturdy Rockports, they work well indoors and on short walks outside, at pools and beaches, etc., and they're very light. Arch support is key, imho. But you must be getting some good advice and exercises already. Good luck!
Dick
Olympia, WA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Laides of a Certain Age European Travel ~ Let's Connect!!
Hi all!
Made a general post here a few months ago, but am now hoping to crystalize real plans for travel to France Sept 2013 ... but can only convince myself I can afford it if I have a great travel companion to share cost of hotel/apartment, maybe even a rental car for a few days, etc. Does this sound appealing to anyone? One or two like-minded travel partners would be great!
Right now (because of when I can find the cheapest flights) looking at departing U.S. on Sept. 5, returning Sept. 16 (flying in/out of Paris). Would love to spend 4-5 days in Paris, open to location balance of time (Provence, Alsace, Burgundy, ???). When in Paris, love to walk, walk, and walk/explore some more. Typically book modest accommodations (2* or so, or apartment). Haven't booked flights yet, but like to finalize in next week or so, if possible ... Message me if this sounds appealing :)
Shelly
Charlotte, NC USA 4/7/13
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RE: Favorite Cheap Eats?
There are take out fish and chips places all over the UK - cheap, filling and delicious. Pret a Manger (hope I got that right) shops have delicious sandwiches you can take out. Also, pub food is usually reasonable.
In France you will find take out crepes places - also cheap, filling and delicious. The bakeries in France and Belgium have great sandwiches, quiches, etc. for reasonable prices. The street markets have all kinds of take out food for excellent prices.
In Germany you can get wurst sandwiches lots of places. I couldn't eat them every day, but they can be delicious.
Carroll
Pittsburgh, PA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Hotels in Paris
One thing for sure, if you stay in the 7th you'll be in the company of many Americans. For some reason when people hear Paris their first thought is the Eiffel Tower. The more trips you take the more you'll find out there's a WHOLE lot more in Paris other than the Eiffel Tower and cafes full of fellow Americans on the 7th.
Tim
Knoxville, TN USA 4/7/13
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rothenburg
May be a siily question but what is the difference between Rothenburg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber or are they th eone in the same
marianne
pittston 4/7/13
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traveling in Sicily with kids
We're hoping to spend about 5 days in Sicily with our kids (girls, 10 and 14)in June 2013, we want to see part of Italy off the beaten path. Specific questions:
1) we plan to rent a car, what is a recommended small area we can cover (we'd rather not spend more than 3 hours/day driving max)
2) towns/sites we shouldn't miss
3) any tips on staying in homes/pensions run by families
4) we had planned to rent a car in Naples and drive down and take a ferry -- reommended? not recommended? how does cost compare with flying Naples - Palermo and renting a car there?
Thanks! Sara
Sara
Seattle, WA USA 4/7/13
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rhine town/river
Planning on staying 1 night in the Rhine area and taking a short river cruise, We are just passing through. Any suggestions as to what town
marianne
pittston 4/7/13
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RE: Getting to Pompeii from Sorrento and best tour option other than Manfredo
It takes 30 minutes to get from Sorrento to Pompeii. Only you know when your ship will get you to shore and when your ship requires you to be back on board. Take that time period, subtract an hour for roundtrip train travel and then you'll have your remaining available hours.
Hopefully you'll get to visit again sometime when you're not on a cruise. Cruising is not the best way to really "see" and "experience" Europe.
Tim
Knoxville, TN USA 4/7/13
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RE: Venice to Rome
train
Tim
Knoxville, TN USA 4/7/13
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RE: Lyon, France Airport connections
I took RhoneExpress recently and was not impressed - it's a long walk from the terminal and most of the ticket machines were not working. Also Vieux-Lyon Metro station is very deep and has a long escalator so may not be the best if you have a lot of luggage.
Philip
London United Kingdom 4/7/13
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Venice to Rome
What is the best and fastest way to travel from Venice to Rome?
Darrell
Greenfield, Indiana USA 4/7/13
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RE: off-line maps/gps
One free app that I use on my iPhone 4S is NavFree. It is excellent, fast, reliable and has plenty of POIs. The memory is good to have because the downloads are big but once you have it there is no more data useage. And it is, as the name implies, completely FREE. Once you have it you can add additional countries for a fee but the better way is just to get the complete version for the next country which is then free. I, for example, keep the UK/Ireland one all the time and when I went to Italy I just got the Italy version which I now keep as well.
Its very fast, and in side-by-side tests with my top level Garmin stand-alone it had the same amount or more data on screen and chose the same routes.
Finding an address by post code or just by town is slightly fiddly because it requires an actual street before it will locate. In the UK I always put in Church street because almost everywhere has one.
It works very well walking as well as driving.
Try it in the US and see if you like it. You can always erase it.
>>Do be aware that using GPS continuously will drain your battery more quickly than not using it.
Nigel
East Midlands England 4/7/13
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RE: Cinque Terre day with or without tour guide
The towns of the Cinque Terre are not that large. Except for the steepness of some, they are very easy to walk around. You wouldn't need a guide to walk the famous coastal trails.
Larry
Elk Grove, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Italy train strikes - using pre-purchased tickets next day
Sorry for my delay in replying, but I do have an & some websites.
2 are in Italian, but you can use Google Translate.
1- Lists of strikes
http://www.cgsse.it/
2-Minister of Transport (it says strikes of national importance)
http://www.mit.gov.it/mit/site.php?p=scioperi
On the Trenitalia website, they show the "essential services" that will occur on strike days
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2bb0f8fcf75ca110VgnVCM1000003f16f90aRCRD
I think I got the sites from the SlowTravel website - excellent
http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/italy_transport_strikes/
I got a reply from the author of the SlowTravel blog on the SlowTravel Forum who told me that he 'understood' that the strike was only of support personnel & the trains might run.
So, finally, I wrote the "Customer Service" section of Trenitalia. They replied the next day saying exactly what the SlowTravel guy said. Yes - there was a National Train Strike, but it was only of support people (like those cleaning the cars) & all trains would run that day.
Sandra
Palo Alto, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Germany itinerary
If you are traveling by train, go to bahn.de and plug in each of your trips and get an idea of the time spent on trains. If using a car, then try the same on viamichelin.com.
I think you area trying to do too much.
stephen
Greeley, co usa 4/7/13
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RE: Italy bulgaria and open jaw tickets
You can look at prices using the multi-city function on Kayak or ITA matrix. Putting Bulgaria in the mix might bring Turkish airlines into play, a good option.
Sam
Green Bay 4/7/13
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Torn about our days in Italy
So we arrive in Italy (Florence) on June 30th. We leave on July 9th (Night Train) for Vienna.
Our 1st 3 nights are non-refundable in Florence.
Plan was for then 4 nights at Rome Hotel. We were leaving Florence in the evening for Rome. We would have 3 full days in Rome. Possible day trip to Pompei/Amalfi. Then leave at night for Venice.
Then 2 nights in Venice.
Should we change to the following:
Instead of head to Rome checkin to Hotel in Cinque Terre on July 3rd and head to Rome on July 4th. This would remove 1 of the complete days in Rome.
Evening in Florence
Florence Full Day
Florence Full Day
Cinque Terre Full Day
Afternoon in Rome
Rome Full Day
Rome Full Day
Evening in Venice
Venice Full Day
Night Train to Vienna
Keith
Lemont, Illinois United States 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel du Lac Varenna Web site
Have you tried this one?
http://www.albergodulac.com/
It works just fine on my computer.
Lola
Seattle, WA 4/7/13
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RE: Travelcard vs Oyster- 3 questions
1. If you want to use the 2 for 1, then the paper Travelcard issued by National Rail is best. If you have no use for the 2for1, then getting your Travelcard from TfL at the airport would be less of a hassle. It will be issued on a Oyster card. You can also add PAYG to cover the fare difference from the airport to London. This is based on arriving at Heathrow or London City instead of Gatwick, Luton, etc.
2. Yes. The offers are valid for the dates your card have been issued.
3. A zones 1-2 7-day card is £30.40, and covers peak travel, while 4 one day off-peak cards will be £29.20/peak will cost £35.20 and you may have to make more than one trip to buy the cards.
Miranda
The Midwest USA 4/7/13
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RE: Europe in January/February
Well I guess you are aware the weather will be different then going in spring, summer or fall, ( and Paris actually had more then a dusting of snow about a month ago, in fact they got a fair amount and some cold weather, but from pictures posted on another forum I go on by visitors its amazingly beautiful in the snow anyways). As Christi pointed out there are some good things about going in off season too, no crowds at major sites, and yes, you can still enjoy a few outdoor cafes!
Spain , will also be in winter( same with southern France so make no beach plans, lol ) , so as long as you understand and plan on bringing some comfortable warm clothes etc , and have a list of "rainy day" sites then you should be fine. One thing is I know some of the smaller towns along the coast of Spain practically close down for tourists ( a hotel we stayed at on the Costa Brava closes its doors from November to April) but if you are planning on bigger cities then it will be like Paris, smaller to no crowds and most places will of course be open!
Enjoy the trip for what it will be, in Paris you can buy hot roasted chestnuts and mulled wine from street carts, and on a clear cold day if you are bundled up, how fun it will be to enjoy those and while walking along the Seine!
pat
victoria Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Getting to Pompeii from Sorrento and best tour option other than Manfredo
You will be so crunched for time! If the ship leaves at 3PM, don't you have to be on board before that time? If the ship arrives at 8AM, how long will it take you to disembark? Perhaps this trip, just stick with Sorrento. It's an enjoyable little town, you can walk all over, do a little shopping, enjoy the views and have a nice relaxed lunch.
IMO, trying to get to Pompei, view the sites and get back to Sorrento to board your ship would rush you too much.
If the ship company offers a tour of Pomepi, that might be the best way to do it to save time. they know the time constraints and can work with those.
We were in Sorrento a few years ago and took a bus tour to Pompei and then Vesuvio, we left Sorrento at 8AM and got back at 5PM, I'm judging the time you have on our experience.
you are at the mercy of the trains, and walking and figuring everything out
Take time, slow down and have some gelato in Sorrento! Or even Lemoncello!
Ellen
Centennial, CO USA 4/7/13
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RE: Europe in January/February
We were in Paris first week of Feb and weather was fairly pleasant, although we did visit the Eiffel Tower during a sleet/rain/snow squall (all of those in the space of 20 minutes). Locals were awed by a coating of snow the week before, but it was all gone when we got there. Would seem tropical compared to northeren Indiana. This was the coldest winter in Europe for several years. Spain will be even warmer, Maybe North Carolina or northeren California. Also cultural type stuff, music, theater, museum shows, will be in full swing.
Sam
Green Bay 4/7/13
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RE: Driving
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. Could you possibly tell me which are the most scenic stretches and maybe we could just plan driving a shorter distance and catching some of those.
Debbie
Debbie
Portlanld, OR USA 4/7/13
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RE: Where to stay in Tuscany
We went to Tuscany last fall. We stayed in Castellina in Chianti (which was a great centrally located point for what we did). We loved Siena - the Duomo and Plaza are absolutely must see. We also visited Montelpuciano, Florence, Volterra, San Gimignano and Greve. Siena was my personal favorite. For a smaller town - Volterra was incomparable.
Dave
Phoenix, Arizona United States 4/7/13
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RE: plantar fasciitis - What did you do on your trip?
I have been brother with it off and on for many years. But believe it can be avoided and prevented with proper exercise and footwear. If I get lazy with the exercises, it will return within a month and takes another month or two to get rid of it. My principle exercise is to stand on a bottom step, grip the front of the step with my toes and drop my heels till it hurts. About ten cycles or so a couple of times a day will prevent the return and more often if I am having problems. The goal is to get rid of it and not to tolerate the pain. If you work at it, you should be able to get rid of the pain by pain and then just kept the exercises going.
Frank
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO USA 4/7/13
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RE: The East Coast of Italy
Hi,
My wife and I are planning a second trip to Italy and we're interested in looking into the eastern coast. Several months ago the NY Times did an article on what they called 'The New Amalfi Coast' or something to that effect - which is on the eastern coast. But we can't remember the name of the region/area/city. If anyone knows what I'm referring to - I'd really appreciate your help.
Thanks!
Dave
Phoenix, Arizona United States 4/7/13
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RE: Lyon, France Airport connections
Thanks Sam and Kim for your replies. I will check out the airport website. We tare kind of leaning towards taxi just because it's our first day in France after a long trip. On the other hand the train situation sounds fairly straightforward. Anyway thanks again.
Jennifer
Jennifer
Carmel, Ca United States 4/7/13
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Dordogne anyone?
I think I've decided against a luxury river cruise to Burgundy and am now heading towards Dordogne, Loire Valley and Paris, starting on the Riviera.
I want to see the cave paintings, but getting to this region - Dordogne - without a car may not be worth it.... I will have about 2 nights, I have emailed Phillipe(listed in Rick's book)... We could rent a car, but living in L.A., a car is one thing we'd rather not drive on a trip. What do you think?
suzan
la, ca 4/7/13
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Getting to Pompeii from Sorrento and best tour option other than Manfredo
Hi, We'll be on a Windstar/Windsurf cruise on our honeymoon in a few weeks. It will take us to Sorrento. We'd like to get to Pompeii and back well before the ship leaves. The ship arrives at 8am and will leave at 3pm. Is it possible to get a train to Pompeii and take a tour and still have time to see Sorrento for a little bit before the ship leaves?
Lisa
Basking Ridge, New Jersey United States 4/7/13
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scenic route from Florence to Naples or Naples to Rome, etc
Hi all. This will be the first and only trip I will ever have in Europe so I want to make the most of it. I will be traveling at the end of May from Florence to Naples and then from Naples to Rome. I have been reading that for both there is beautiful countryside to see if you take the scenic route. Can anyone help with several questions? Whether you can answer all or just one, it will be appreciated.
1. From where to where is the best of the two for a great view?
2. What train(s) can I take to get a view? (all I can find are bullet
trains and I read that they are not the trains to take for views)
I also have some other questions related to my trip...
1. Arriving in Rome, how fare is the Tiburtina station from the Termini
station?
2. My son is booking italo trains directly from their site and says you can't
pick your seats. DOES ANYONE KNOW A WAY TO BOOK AND BE ABLE TO PICK
YOUR OWN SEAT, even if it's from another booking site?
Thank you all so much!
rochelle
allentown, pa usa 4/7/13
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RE: Suitcases- 2 vs 4 wheels
I think it is interesting that CAT bought the 4 wheeler and then came here and asked our opinion about buying 4 wheels. And then seems surprised by the mostly negative comments about 4 wheels. As I use to tell my students, "If you are not prepared to accept any answer, then don't ask the question."
Frank
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO USA 4/7/13
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Cinque Terre day with or without tour guide
Thoughts? Should we use a guide or walk around ourselves?
Keith
Lemont, Illinois United States 4/7/13
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RE: Lyon, France Airport connections
You might email the airport here: access@lyonaeroports.com
for more transport options, and your hotel. List taxi estimate to Lyon Part-Dieu as 55 to 60 Euro in the evening.
Sam
Green Bay 4/7/13
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RE: Amsterdam lodging question
We were in Amsterdam recently and had a 9:00 AM flight (friends traveling with us had an 8:15 an flight). We stayed at the Canal House near the Anne Frank Huis and left the hotel by prearranged taxi for the airport at 5:40 and had plenty of time before our flights. There was very little traffic that early. My recommendation is to stay where you want in Amsterdam and enjoy the city.
Jim
Houston, TX USA 4/7/13
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plantar fasciitis - What did you do on your trip?
Hello. I posted a question a while ago about plantar fasciitis and got a big response. I've been buying some really good shoes, and working on breaking them in now. Also going to Physio and got some awesome stretches and strength training exercises. We go on our trip this fall so I've got some time and will do all I can until then.
What I'd like to know is- If you have had plantar fasciitis and went on a trip what did you do to help it out.
I've been thinking a lot about it and what I've come up with is:
-Take transportation buses/etc whereever possible
-Stretch at every opportunity
-Bring some ice to use part way through the day
-Bring Ibprofen
-Break in my shoes before leaving for trip
-Bring a change of shoes in backpack to change into part way through the day
Your ideas please. thanks all.
Shelley
Ardrossan, Alberta Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Tough choices
We have visited most of England's regions on various trips. Here are my suggestions: skip Bath unless you are a major fan of Jane Austen and Georgian England. There's plenty to see in the area roughly bordered by Oxford, Wells / Glastonbury, Salisbury, and Winchester. Loads of pretty scenery, ruined abbeys, castles, gardens, and stone circles.....If you add one more day to London, you could easily do York (which is fascinating) as a day trip from London. Trains leave Kings' Cross station frequently, it's two hours each way. From the train station it is an easy level walk into the historic center. You can get your "Roman fix," if desired, by checking out the museum under the Minster. Don't bother climbing the tower with such a short amount of time - the view is underwhelming, considering how many steps one needs to climb to get there.
Cynthia
Gig Harbor, Washington USA 4/7/13
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Travelcard vs Oyster- 3 questions
Ok, Sorry, I know this gets asked a lot but let me ask these questions:
#1 If there is no difference cost and savings wise, isn't it better to get the Travelcard BECAUSE of the 2 for 1 Savings on several attractions?
#2 If we get a Travelcard for longer ie: 7 days, then the vouchers should be good for any of those days as well. Correct?
# 3 We are only in London for 4 1/2 days and one day will be a 1/2 day trip to Stonehenge. Should we just get a 4 day Travelcard and then pay for for the extra day as we need? Thanks all.
Shelley
Ardrossan, Alberta Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Ireland - the gathering
We will be traveling to Ireland in June and wondered about The Gathering also. Check this site: www.thegatheringireland.com/Gathering
for information on dates and activities in the areas you are planning to visit. It seems that the activities are held in different areas of Ireland though out the year. We did not think The Gathering and the possibility of increased tourism would be a problem for our travel plans. So far, we have been able to book at B&B's without a problem. As the last poster mentioned September should be a great time for your visit to Ireland.
Barbara
Barbara
Indianapolis, IN USA 4/7/13
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Storage lockers in Athens
Hi, we fly into Athens then quickly board a ferry to go to Hydra. We would prefer to store most of our luggage and only take a backpack for our nights in Hydra. Where would be the best place to store our luggage for three days before we return to Athens to continue on our Greek adventure? Best being most secure plus convenient. Thanks for your help!
Amy
Cincinnati, OH USA 4/7/13
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RE: Metro to Vatican
Yes, along Via Ottaviano from the metro stop to the Vatican are many inexpensive places to eat and drink. I stayed near this area for a week last June.
Allen
Lafayette, LA 4/7/13
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RE: Trip insurance
Andrea, the one time we had to submit a claim to Travel Guard we were very pleased with the results. Could not have asked for better response. They do have several tiers of policies that cover different things so be sure and look at all of them. TC
TC
Atlanta 4/7/13
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RE: Low Fee Debit Cards
The Schwab deal does seem to good to be true, but it is true. I always use a Schwab Visa Debit card as the primary ATM cash card when traveling anywhere. Schwab never charges a fee, and if the bank that owns the ATM charges a fee, then a credit will appear by the end of the month.
To get the card, you must have a Schwab brokerage account tied into a Schwab checking account. This can be done by mail.
So right now, I think this is a really good deal. If they start charging fees, then all bets are off.
Allen
Lafayette, LA 4/7/13
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RE: Europe in January/February
We love Paris in January! Many of the outdoor cafes have clear vinyl walls & heaters so you can still sit & watch Paris go by. January is sale month - plan your shopping! There are NO lines - ANYWHERE!!!! You can walk right up to the Mona no problem. The city is not over run with tourists so it seems the Parisians are in very good spirits! Scarf, hat & gloves are a must if you plan on doing any walking in the city. A mid calf coat is also advisable - and layers - that way if it does warm up (which it can hit the 50's easily) you are still comfortable. We have been 4 times in January - only once did it snow and that was just a dusting.
Don't worry and enjoy your trip!
Christi
Whitsett, TX United States 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in Paris
Terri, I sympathize with your predicament and London especially is expensive. If you're stuck having to plan everything yourself have you bought Rick's books for the various cities or countries you're visiting? A good guide book you can trust will make this process much more manageable. The important thing is to find a book that fits your budget, interests and travel style.
Personally I try not to spend too much money on the room - as long as it's a clean and safe retreat that's enough. You spend most of your day out seeing things so I try to save money on the room and spend it out seeing stuff instead.
On Rick's recommendation stayed in Hotel Champs du Mars near the Eiffel Tower. This is a family run hotel in a great area but it is across town from where you're discussing. I just went on line and their prices are running ~120euro or US$150/night and I with internet searches and potential deals I would expect you can find a great place for in this price range.
I know spending more time on the planning probably sounds crazy but I would recommend spending some time going through some travel books and videos and finding the company pr person that's fits you best. RS Europe book is full of helpful "how to travel" information like money, phones, packing etc. A good guide book can save you a ton of money and time when you travel and way more than pay for themselves.
Good luck with everything,
=Tod
Tod
San Diego, CA USA 4/7/13
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RE: Low Fee Debit Cards
BNL d'Italia is a member of the Bank of America Global Alliance. No fees to use your BofA ATM card this bank's ATM machines in Italy. Likewise, the Italian traveler can use his or her BNL ATM card in BofA machines in the USA. However, if you use your BofA ATM card in any other bank's ATM machine in Italy, you will pay fees. But, BNL is just fine.
Larry
Elk Grove, CA USA 4/7/13
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Hotel du Lac Varenna Web site
I cannot locate a Web site for Hotel du Lac in Varenna that works. Does anyone have a way to reach their Web site?
Jackie
Whitesburg, Georgia USA 4/7/13
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RE: Provence itinerary
I guess it all depends on how far you're willing to drive for a day-trip. All of your stated destinations are within my max drive time for a day-trip, all <2 hrs each way. Nimes is the farthest at probably 1-3/4hr, Aix is the closest at about 45 mins. If you want to stay in one place on the Med then go with that condo in Cassis, I would.
If you do four day trips and spent the other days hanging around Cassis and the water it wouldn't be too much and you could always check into maybe taking the train somewhere for one of the days to reduce the driving.
Sounds like an amazing vacation to me.
Nancy
Corvallis, OR USA 4/7/13
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RE: iPhone settings
In addition to turning off cellular data, I would do one additional thing, just for peace mind. Reset data tracking to zero, so you can check to ensure that you haven't sent/received data in any way other than wifi.
Settings> General > Usage > Cellular Usage > Reset Statistics
Do this just before turning off the device when in the plane getting ready for takeoff.
Allen
Lafayette, LA 4/7/13
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RE: Low Fee Debit Cards
My debit card is with Bank of America and I pay no fees for the card because I have one direct deposit per month. When in Italy, I use BNL bank ATM's and there is no fee. I can withdraw up to 600 euros per day.
Celeste
Alachua, FL USA 4/7/13
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RE: Check mailed letter to Italy LC770506535US
I've never had a problem with USPS. In fact, all my problems have been with UPS, who frequently leave my packages at the wrong address. FedEx has done it once too. How strange we've all had such different experiences!
Celeste
Alachua, FL USA 4/7/13
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RE: Booking apartments
I have rented apartments in both places from vrbo.com and been very pleased. PM me if you'd like more info.
Celeste
Alachua, FL USA 4/7/13
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RE: Valid IDs???
I usually pay cash for what I buy, so I do not need to carry my ATM cards (I usually bring 3) or credit cards (2) with me all of the time. We always seem to have a problem at one place or another with at least one of the cards (not always the same card)....that's why we carry multiple cards. Those along with the cash are quite bulky. I used to carry everything with me until someone tried to pick-pocket me on the Barcelona metro. But, alas, I was quite a bit younger and faster then. He would have gotten everything if I was not fast enough and fairly street-wise. I find money belts quite uncomfortable if I carry everything in them. I have visited countries throughout Asia, Europe(including Russia), the Middle East, Great Britain and the Americas (North, Central and South) and have never been asked by anyone to see my passport (except where expected). Anyway, that is why I would rather use a safe, and never had a problem leaving my stuff in them.
Don
Santa Fe, NM USA 4/7/13
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RE: Europe in January/February
Not to be overly negative - BUT - it can be very cold and damp if not snowing at that time of year. The days will be very short, sunlight weak, as most of Europe is much further north (nearer the Canadian boarder) than Indiana. But if you prepare for that type of weather, focus on indoor activities, have some flexibility, you will be fine as the crowds are much smaller. And if traveling via train, ice storms can really tear up a train schedule.
Frank
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO USA 4/7/13
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RE: Navigaing Customs with just carry-ons
I just want to commend you for doing carry-on only. After several trips to Italy, I can tell you it's the best way to travel! If we find something we really want to buy that can't be carried on, we buy it and have it shipped to us.
Celeste
Alachua, FL USA 4/7/13
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RE: Rick Steves; Venice hotel recommendations
We've stayed near the train station several times, but I prefer the Castello area next to San Marco. It's a lovely, residential area that's less than 10 minutes (by foot) from the main sections of Venice.
Celeste
Alachua, FL USA 4/7/13
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RE: Italy bulgaria and open jaw tickets
Not sure what you are asking. You do open jaw by flying into Rome and home from Milan or Venice under a multi-city ticket. Easy and often cheaper than some RT tickets. Put pins in a map and arrange your trip is as straight line as possible. For the places you list a car would be more of an expensive problem than using the train. If you need a car for a day or two then rent for a day but in Florence, Rome, etc. you could get some very expensive TLZ tickets about a year after you return from Italy. In Venice it is a double problem as you pay for a car to sit in an expensive parking garage.
Frank
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO USA 4/7/13
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RE: Rome to Venezia Mestre by train
Mestre is to Venice what the oil refineries are to northern New Jersey - nasty places where you do NOT want to stay!
Celeste
Alachua, FL USA 4/7/13
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RE: Unusual Museums: Belgium and Netherlands
I neglected to single out the Middelheim outdoor sculpture park in Antwerp. (Good weather only.) It's a long walk from a long public transportation ride. But it is more comprehensive than the excellent sculpture garden at the Netherlands stand-out Kröller-Muller Museum. Note that the latter has free "white bicycles" to ride from the outer gateways to the regional park. But the sculpture garden is pedestrian only.
Tim
Wyckoff, NJ USA 4/7/13
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RE: Where to stay in Tuscany
We've spent months in Italy and Siena remains our most favorite place. But when you visit Florence, take the bus so you don't have to find a parking spot.
Celeste
Alachua, FL USA 4/7/13
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RE: Time in Rome
I agree, the Spanish Steps were a waste for us. And be very careful of the pickpockets at the Trevi Fountain. It's pretty, both in the daytime and at night, but the immense crowds ruined it for me. I'd prefer Piazza Navona anyday.
Celeste
Alachua, FL USA 4/7/13
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RE: Central Rome to Civitavecchia
Except some cruise ship prohibit bring wine on board so you be sure you can bring wine before making the stop.
Frank
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO USA 4/7/13
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Mani Peninsula, Greece
I'd like to explore the Mani peninsula for a few days while in Greece. I'm trying to, first, figure how to get there from Athens or from one of the Cyclades. Is there anyway to go from any of the Cyclades islands close to Gythion by ferry, or do I have to go back through Pireas port?
If there is no water option, what's the best land travel? I would prefer not to drive from Athens, but I haven't yet been able to find good information on trains or buses that would get me to the peninsula. Anyone have any experience there?
thanks much!
Dawn
seattle, Washington United States 4/7/13
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RE: Central Rome to Civitavecchia
It's much easier (but much more expensive) to use a car service. I can't remember the company we used, but the driver was even nice enough to take us to a supermarket to buy wine for our cruise on the way.
Celeste
Alachua, FL USA 4/7/13
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RE: ? re Sirkeci District Hotels-Istanbul
As far as views go, the best by far is off the Galata Tower (it's a very hilly climb to get to the tower itself though) - once you're at the top it's a 360 degree view of Istanbul..amazing!!! Another option is the cable car by the Eyup mosque/cemetery and Pierre Loti cafe (can get there via ferry - Eyup stop) - the mosque and cemetery are worth going to alone.
Agnes
Alexandria, VA USA 4/7/13
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RE: eating in lake bled
I was there about 6 years ago. We had one dinner in a restaurant (don't remember the name) and were not impressed. We then ate every other meal at the farmhouse/ B&B where we were staying, and it was amazing. It was very good food, and felt more "authentic" to us. this is where we stayed:
Mulej_Tourist_Farm-Bled_Upper_Carniola_Region
Dawn
seattle, Washington United States 4/7/13
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RE: Mount etna tours
I can't remember the name of the company - remember one brother was named Mario - but I found a great company to tour Taormina on cruisecritic.com They are from there and I'm sure they do Mt. Etna tours as well. The cruise critic website has a lot of good tour info in the "ports" section of the forums
Celeste
Alachua, FL USA 4/7/13
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RE: Special diet restrictions
The power of the web. Found the alkaline diet. Not medically related. Looks like it is mostly vegetarian with emphasis on certain vegetables and non-processed foods. You will be fine. When ordering salad in Italy, generally it is not the mixed variety of mostly lettuce as you find in the states. It will come on a plate with with each salad item in a little pile. Corn is very common. Prepared salad dressings - blue cheese, Thousand Island, etc., - are almost unknown. Each table will have a bottle of vinegar and olive oil so you can dress the salad by yourself or not.
Obviously pasta, sauces, etc., are off your list so you will not even have to ask about the acidic content. Unfortunately you are going to miss one of the great reasons for going to Italy - the food.
Frank
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO USA 4/7/13
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RE: Tough choices
Patti, I am having a bit of difficulty following the time frame. It sounds like you have something approaching one week. I have visited all the areas you mention and many more. The places you mention are all attractive. However, your time is extremely short. While Bath is nice, and if you do go, I highly recommend the free walking tour described in Rick's book, I think I would skip Bath given the time frame. Given that Oxford is a must, that eliminates Cambridge and gives you one great old college town. The Cotswolds are wonderful and I would spend several days. In fact, I would include Stratford-upon-Avon, a charming town aside from its Shakespeareian connections. I would skip Bath and York and probably Blenheim, choosing Stratford and Windsor Castle and perhaps Hampton Court as well. I would want a minimum of three days in London, preferably four. All of this, of course, assumes that your husband saw little aside from Oxford when he was there. I make that assumption as had he traveled during his studies, he would likely have answers to all the questions you have posed.
david
washington 4/7/13
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Andros vs. Naxos
In travel guides, these 2 islands sound very similar, and I probably only have time to stay at one. Would love to hear from folks what they see the main differences as. My basic plan is to spend 2-3 days on the island, and do walking tours each day. Would love to see farms and vineyards - I'm more focused on scenic views than on churches. Also, beaches and swimming are not as important to us as spending time in towns that have a more "authentic" (or at least, less touristy) feel.
thanks!!
Dawn
seattle, Washington United States 4/7/13
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Italy bulgaria and open jaw tickets
Hello!
My fiancé and I are trying desperately to book our honeymoon today :). We would like to spend approx. 2.5 weeks in Italy. We also have a commitment in Bulgaria at the end of June. Any recommendations for how to maximize this with an itinerary for both, including tips on open jaw techniques? We were generally thinking of starting in Rome and then going to Amalfi. Then from there going to either Abruzzo or Puglia, Umbria, Florence and Venice. Trying to cover the basics, while also get some off the beaten track experiences. We were also considering doing a substantial amount by rental car in case folks have input on that ( eg been told Amalfi is not a great idea, but umbria its necc.)
Any help on any of this would be most appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Liz
Washington 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in Paris
Terri, I don't think that there is anything bad about the Gare du Nord area. However, you can easily get to the station with one change from the 10 line to the 4 line at Odeon. I do not recall that station, as to the transfer route in terms of stairs/escalators. However, the #4 and #10 are the only two lines through that station, so the transfer hopefully is not too convoluted. The rate you have is terrific. I checked the other hotel mentioned and it is at least half again as much. On the tripadvisor page for the above mentioned hotel, serveal others are listed, all about half again as much as your rate. The hotel for which you have reservations is as well rated as the other mentioned. Yes, the location is out, beyond the Eiffel tower. However, with the metro, it is not inconvenient. If I were you, I would stay and be assured that you have apparently found a bargain for a reasonably well rated hotel.
david
washington 4/7/13
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Germany itinerary
We are planning a trip in early June.Is this itinerary too ambitious?
1arrive inFrankfurt, stop in Mainz for the afternoon, then to Bacharach for sleep.
2 Bacharach St. Goar on the boat for an hour then castles and night in Cochem
3 Cochem visit castles and Mosel valley then drive to Triberg in Black Forest Area night in Triberg
4 visit Rottweil for genealogy and see the Black Forest cuckoo clock museum
5 vist more Black Forest area and night in Lorrach
6 go to Langenthal for visit to Pfeil woodcarving area then head to Fussen
for night
7 visit castles in Fussen area and go to Oberammergau for night
8 visit woodworking area and castles if not finished earlier night in Oberammergau
9 go to Salzburg by way of Eagle nest for a visit night in Salzburg
10 go to vienna for day and night
11 vienna day and night
12 go to Munich day and night
13 Munich day and night
14 Rothenburg visit area and night
15 Wurzburg and night in Frank furt
16 flight home
I am concerned we may have packed too much in this time period. We are driving. Thanks, Paule
Paule
Raleigh, NC US 4/7/13
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RE: Hotels in Paris
The first time in Paris, I stayed in Rue Cher at the Leveque and took walks from here to Eiffel Tower, Napoleon's Tomb and the nearby Rodin. But like Dave, several times since then I've stayed in the 6th at the Clement one block from St. Germain and prefer it as a base for many more places to see and things to do: St. Germain sights & restaurants, Norte Dame, Louvre, Left bank, Cluny Museum and Luxembourg Gardens. I've done the Marais and Left Bank walks from here as well as the Sevres-Babylone to St. Sulpice boutique stroll. Close by Metro stops are a blocks away make it very easy to visit the Eiffel, Pere Lachaise Cemetery and Montmartre and the Champs-Elysees.
Jim
Houston, TX USA 4/7/13
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Europe in January/February
My husband and I are beginning the early stages of planning a trip to Europe for 2014. The timing of the trip with jobs, children, etc works best in January/February.
We are looking to incorporate France (incl. Paris) and Spain.
Any experience with travel during the winter months/off-season? This will be my husbands first time to Europe. I have been to Paris, but southern France and Spain will be new.
Thank you!
Jessica
Fort Wayne, IN USA 4/7/13
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RE: City Pass in Granada
Thanks for the good advice.
John & Mary
John & Mary
Spencer, IA USA 4/7/13
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RE: transportation on sicily from agrigento to Modica
Agrigento to Siracusa by train is 5-7 hours with a change in Catania. From Siracusa, Modica is an easy bus or train ride (I prefer the bus). There is a bus from Agrigento to Siracusa, but you will still need to change in Catania.
Zoe
Toledo, Ohio US 4/7/13
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RE: Staying in the Stresa Lake Maggiore area
Thanks for the helpful responses
Marsha
Buffalo, New York 4/7/13
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RE: Bologna
Hotel Metropolitan in the city center.
Zoe
Toledo, Ohio US 4/7/13
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RE: Bologna
We've stayed at Albergo delle Drapperie twice - we liked the location and comfort of the room. It's very centrally located.
Sharon
Atlanta 4/7/13
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RE: Venice to Rome by high speed train
If you take the Italo train to Tiburtina, just buy a Trenitalia ticket from there to Termini and you should be at Termini in about 20 minutes, 5 minutes travel time and usually not more than 15 minutes waiting time.
Zoe
Toledo, Ohio US 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in Paris
Thank you all for your comments. I'm feeling really frazzled at this point. This trip has increasingly become much more expensive than I had originally planned. Hotels in both London and Paris are outrageous! The Hotel I mentioned above was just under $200 a night and was more or less in my comfort zone. It just seems like it's all the way across the city.
This is only our second overseas trip and the first time we've visited more than one country. I thought I could make arrangements myself, but it's more time consuming and difficult than I realized. I made a serious mistake when I purchased plane tickets and had to change them, which doubled the price I originally paid. Now I'm stressing over everything and in a panic. I will check out a few places on the other side of the river as suggested and if I can't find anything I'll just keep what I have.
Thank you again for all your advice.
Hi,
just a comment on how i do things.
> if the tickets are special fairs and need to buy now, then do it. If not, then i save the tickets for last.
> i will reserve/buy the hotels first. then work my way to the tickets. Some places dont require you to "pay" upfront some do, but i will try to lockdown what i want to do/see in each place and then figure out how long i want to stay.
> if you like "comfort zone" is the 1% then, expect to pay accordingly unless you go off season or get special deals. I look at the hotel as a place to put my head for sleep, shower, can sit on the throne. All i want is clean and in a central area for my needs. I can see having a nice place if youre on a honeymoon, but thats just me and how i travel. Id rather spend the money on doing things than in a hotel room where i only spend 6~8 hours of the day.
Happy trails.
Ray
Portland, Oregon USA 4/7/13
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RE: keukenhof anyone?
I was there April 1st and we spent a total of 2.5 hours in the park. Nothing was in bloom but the indoor exhibits are lovely.
They put some sad-looking crates of tulips out along the paths to try to make up for it. Some tourists were posing pictures next to these crates to make it appear they were in the fields, I guess. It was funny.
Buying the combiticket for public transit is the way to go!
Margaret
Aschaffenburg Germany 4/7/13
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RE: Staying in the Stresa Lake Maggiore area
You could drop the car in Stresa and train down from there . Evidently it would hinge on the location of the rental agency . Also , depending on the time of year you will be there , ( summer - high season ? we were there in late September - early October , rather calm ) there could be more auto traffic . EDIT : keep in mind that starting in Switzerland and dropping in Italy could entail high cross country drop charges . Might be better ( depending where you are coming from in Switzerland ) to drop the car in Brig or Domodossola to avoid those fees '
steven
white plains, ny usa 4/7/13
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RE: Provence itinerary
It would be a bit of a drive for day trips to the places you mentioned but Cassis would be my choice! It's a beautiful seaside town with a great market on Wednesdays and Fridays! You can use googlemaps to check driving times to Aix, Arles, Avignon, and Nimes to decide if it's doable for you. Eight days in a condo in Cassis sounds perfect to me!
Sharon
Atlanta 4/7/13
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Provence itinerary:east or west?
Help needed! I was about to book a trip (8 days)exploring Aix, Avignon and Arles and wondered why not head east to Nice and surrounding Villages on the Cote d'Azur?
We want a quite place on the sea, it seems that Nice may be a better choice.
Any suggestions on how to decide?
David
Chicago 4/7/13
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RE: handicap help @ train station for departure?
Thanks Kim and all. It's really impressive how much people are willing help! She's still walking but at much slower pace than most of us and her maximum distance is around a mile in single stretch of walking so I want to conserve her energy and make this as smooth as possible for her. Stress is not good for her either. One good thing, is we are light packers. We've been to Europe before and use the small Rick Steve type wheeling packs. This time is different because my wife's energy is much less then it was in our last 08 trip. She was slowing then and we didn't know what the problem was but she still was able to walk much further and faster then.
craig
prior lake, mn 4/7/13
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RE: Keukenhof late blooming in
I was at Keukenhof last week on Monday. We decided to go because I heard it's worthwhile even if the outside plants aren't blooming yet. I can see why it is so popular, but at this time probably not worth going for people who have limited time to spend in the area. I liked the indoor exhibits of tulips and freesia but other than that you had a nice view of dirt.
We took public transit. It was so easy and much cheaper than the bus tours. And since there wasn't much to see we were glad not to be stuck there for 5 hours.
Margaret
Aschaffenburg Germany 4/7/13
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RE: Schauffhausen - is it a must-see
The Rheinfall is attractive, but I just can't call it un-missable. It would seem that your main interest in Switzerland is mountains and scenery, so the medieval villages, Roman monuments (like Augusta Rarurica), and the art museums of Basel and Zurich are not priorities. Immediately over the border from Basel is the Vitra Design Museum, where I went to see Zaha Hadid's first constructed building, the Vitra Fire Station. I mention it because it seems out-of-the-way during other trips to "the rest" of Germany. You can see Lake Konstanz while visiting Germany or Austria, another time.
Tim
Wyckoff, NJ USA 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel in or near Bruges
We liked Hotel Patritius - we didn't have a car when we were there but their website suggests that parking is available nearby.
Sharon
Atlanta 4/7/13
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RE: bus/trains in Sicily
Donna, you always give such good advice, I hope I can return the favor. I've done this route in reverse lots of times, and it's easier to take a bus from Taormina to Cefalu (train is about 4 hours according to trenitalia.com). Is also easier to start your Sicily trip in Palermo if you want to stay over in Cefalu, or it can be done as a daytrip. Cefalu is one of my favorite places so I always spend a few days there.
You can take a train or bus from Taormina to Calabria via Messina; either way the train/bus will be loaded onto the ferry for the crossing to Villa San Giovanni.
Let me know if you want hotel/restaurant recs.
Zoe
Toledo, Ohio US 4/7/13
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RE: Taking CPAP machine to Europe
CPAP: Modern solid state electronics are pretty durable. Also they automaticly switch voltage. Our biggest problem is aircraft without plugs and US carriers who prohibit using medical devices when there are plugs. Ibeaia last year was puzzled; they said if it plugs in just go ahead and use it. US carriers are terrified over liability, and the FAA has ruled no CPAP use on aircraft. If its a medical device and the electrical service on the plane MIGHT fail then you MIGHT die for not using your device. So goes their logic.
DH
San Antonio, TX USA 4/7/13
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RE: Need Itinerary help
hi,
with respect to Dublin and the sights I wanted to see, i was able to do it in an easy 3 days. That included going to the Irish National Stud for a whole morning. It wasnt rushed either and it was my first city on a 28 day vaction.
im sure if you want to run around, you can do it in less time, but it will depend on what you want to see.
if i remember correctly my Dublin Itinary was,but not in order:
> Kilmainham Goal
> INS
> Dublin Castle
> National Gallery of Dublin
> Trinity College/BOok of Kells/Trininty Library
> St stephens Green
> Christ Chruch Cathredal
> Grafton Street
> Temple Bar
im sure theres more but i dont have my list with me now.
happy trails.
Ray
Portland, Oregon USA 4/7/13
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RE: Suitcases- 2 vs 4 wheels
I began using two wheelers in the dark ages when they first came on the market. Last year we switched to 4s. love them. We are both in our 60s and it is great to not have any weight on us. We are strong enough to lift the luggage over a few seams. We seem to plan our trips so we don't do marathons on cobblestones.
DH
San Antonio, TX USA 4/7/13
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RE: Staying in the Stresa Lake Maggiore area
Thanks much for your responses. We will be coming from travel in Switzerland and after our stay at Lake Maggiore we will be heading to Florence. We thought we would return our car in Milan and take the train to Florence but could we take a train right from Stressa? Thoughts?
Marsha
Buffalo, New York 4/7/13
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RE: Cinque Terre hiking trails
the website now says that they expect some of #2 to be open---Manarola to Monterossa--sometime in April-----it does not get any more specific than that--we're heading in late April so we'll keep our fingers crossed
Paul
Paul
Morrilton, AR US 4/7/13
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RE: Tieks Ballet Flats?
Hi Cat! I love my Tieks! So comfortable and no socks needed. I will bring them on my 3 weeks to Italy in June. That being said - I am bringing them as a shoe that I could wear in the evening for a change of pace or maybe even walking around Milan! I will definitely not wear them as my primary walking shoe. Merrell for closed toe and Taos for walking sandal.
Betsy
Denver, CO USA 4/7/13
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RE: Attaturk Commemoration Day
I wish I could tell you. Last year we arrived in Madrid on Spain's national day and left three weeks later on All Saints Day. As we were involved in Airport business and car renting it all just seemed like a Saturday. Best of luck with your question.
DH
San Antonio, TX USA 4/7/13
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RE: transportation from naples to Amalfi
I think Andrea means "Ravello", the town at the top of the hill near Amalfi. You will need to take a car, taxi or bus to get to it.
Zoe
Toledo, Ohio US 4/7/13
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RE: First time to Switzerland
I agree about Swiss food being pricey! We were in Zurich and hubby bought a hot dog/fries/drink from a street vendor, which here we may pay about $7-10, was the equiv of about $17 converted...
Nicole
Truro, NS Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Tough choices
My husband and I really enjoyed Bath...we arrived early afternoon by train and had a Stonehenge tour booked. We stayed the next day until about 3pm when we had to head for London...I really wish we'd had 2-3 days there...really nice city, and we'll def be returning...the Roman Baths were interesting...Bath Abbey was amazing, Royal Crescent, the 'Circle', Putney Bridge, we squeezed a lot into our 24hrs...
Nicole
Truro, NS Canada 4/7/13
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RE: good walking shoes or ballet flats?
Hello All
I bought the Maria Sharapova ballet flats and sadly they are not that great.
first of all they are supposedly size 12 but they do not seem to be, my toes are right up against the top and they are not that comfortable, I have been wearing them for the past two weeks at work to break them in but they do not feel right and my right heel is already sore, so these are out. I will have to try them with my orthotics tomorrow and see if that makes a difference or get the gel soles and put those in. Alas having big feet is such a burden!!
Happy Travels fellow travellers
Sandra
Atkinson, NH USA 4/7/13
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RE: Shuttles London to Harwich
Or perhaps harpsichord is correct? I have friends in Haarlem who make harpsichords and other ancient instruments and a good way to get there is the Harwich - Hoek van Holland Stena Line ferry.
Are you going to the port? Do you know about the train which goes right to the dockside from London?
Nigel
East Midlands England 4/7/13
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RE: london bank holiday closures may 27
Thanks very much for your advice! Will the entire week in May be very busy or just the long weekend? Sue
Sue
Austin, TX USA 4/7/13
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RE: london bank holiday closures may 27
Bank holidays in the UK are like public holidays in the US or Texas.
Think Memorial Day. Barbeques, family get togethers, school's out, go see grandma, take the kids to see the Tower of London, etc.
It just means two things, really.
First - public transport like trains and underground and buses will be busier than usual, and because the track maintenance people can take advantage of a three day weekend there is often "planned engineering work" which can cause a bit of a ruckus but less if you plan ahead and have you plan B worked out ahead.
Second - big attractions will be busier because not only tourists will be visiting them.
Third - if the weather cooperates there will be mad dashes to the coast and parks.
Nigel
East Midlands England 4/7/13
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RE: handicap help @ train station for departure?
If you hold first class reservations, always a good idea on a trip that long, those carriages will be the longest trek from the waiting area since they are usually the cars at the head of the train. If you are traveling in 2nd class seats, you might be able to choose your seats from a diagram of the train carriages and choose seats at the rear of the train closest to the departure area. Either way, a wheel chair seems like a splendid idea, as is taking a later train.
George
Independence, KS USA 4/7/13
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RE: CDG to Hotel Esmeralda in Paris
Jenn, don't listen to them! I say this is a no-brainer... take the taxi! Seriously, take the taxi! There are some things you spend $$ on, and taking a taxi from CDG to the heart of Paris is one of them. Don't pinch pennies on this. Repeat after me, "Granma, we're taking the taxi!"
Jean-Paul
indianapolis 4/7/13
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RE: handicap help @ train station for departure?
Bets makes a good point, as always. Basically what happens is you will all be there, looking up at the boards, waiting for the track number/letter to be displayed. Here's the thing: when the track number shows up, don't let yourself get too worried by the mass of people who will go tearing down the platform like a banshee is after them. You will make it. Yes, those people will get there before you, and therefore have more ease of getting settled than you and your wife will, but your seats are reserved, and you will have the time you need to make it to your coach.
I forget if someone has recommended you check out the Parisbytrain website. Hopefully they have information on porters/chairs. If not, I can stop by Gare de Lyon on the way to or from work this week (it's on my route) and scope out the scene for you. I can imagine that these logistics are a bit daunting to consider, so anything we can do to ease those concerns is great! I admire you and your wife for tackling this trip head on and going to see what you want to see.
Kim
Paris 4/7/13
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RE: Coastal towns to visit near Loire Valley
I think you should count on your time in Dinan being your time at the coast. As Nancy mentions, the Loire is rather far from any coast. St. Nazaire is a big shipbuilding hub, I don't know that it would be my choice for a vacation stop.
Kim
Paris 4/7/13
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RE: Lyon, France Airport connections
I don't know Lyon, but from what Sam describes, it sounds like it would cost you as much for two people to take the Rhone Express and transfer as it would to take a taxi, which would whisk you to your hotel.
Kim
Paris 4/7/13
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RE: Hotel for last night in Paris on the way to DeGaulle?
Sam really provides an elegant solution that minimizes the travel you'd have to do both on arrival from Gare de Lyon and in the morning to the airport, PLUS puts you right in the heart of an interesting area for your last night. Others are thinking of what worked for them, but may not be as conscious of the mobility issues you have described in another post. As someone who lives here, I think you'd be well served by following Sam's suggestion.
Kim
Paris 4/7/13
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RE: Travel Southern Spain to Southern Portugal
This company http://www.eva-bus.com/novo/index.php?lang=uk will take you from points in west Andalucia to points on the Algarve.
There are a number of bus companies in Andalucia, a couple not even with a web presence, but usually only one company plies a particular route. If you have now not the information for what you wish to accomplish come on back with an 'A to B' request(s) or your itinerary.
Neil
Whittington 4/7/13
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RE: Train from Rome to Florence
Celina,
It's also very easy to buy tickets when in Italy, although that may be slightly more expensive in some cases. Keep in mind that pre-purchased tickets on trains which have compulsory reservations will "lock" you into a particular train and departure time. BE SURE that you ONLY board the train specified on the reserved ticket, or you may be fined on the spot and it's not cheap!
You may find it helpful to have a look at both www.roninrome.com and www.seat61.com as both sites have excellent information on rail travel in Italy.
Happy travels!
Ken
Vernon Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Adaptor / converter recommendations?
Ken,
Thanks for jumping in and clarifying. That picture really makes it clear, and without your explanation, I could see how it would be easy to miss the switches.
Harold
New York, NY USA 4/7/13
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RE: Adaptor / converter recommendations?
Leslie,
As Harold mentioned, you'll need to check EACH device that you'll be traveling with, to ensure they're designed for operation from 100-240 VAC. Look for the wording "Input Voltage" either on the charging cube or on the device itself.
This is a fairly typical type of UK Outlet, with the switches mounted right at the outlet. Note that the left switch is in the "on" position and the right switch is in the "off" position.
If any of your appliances use a three-pin (grounded) Plug, you may want to use a grounding UK Plug Adaptor such as this model from Magellans. While appliances will operate without the ground connected, I prefer to use it if the product was designed that way (a ground pin is typically used for safety reasons).
DO NOT use a Power Bar if it has any surge or RFI filering, as it will self-destruct very quickly as soon as it's connected. Magellan's offers a small three outlet model which will tolerate operation at 220 VAC.
Happy travels!
Ken
Vernon Canada 4/7/13
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RE: Lyon, France Airport connections
By public transit you have to take the Rhone Express which is 15 Euro from vending machine and 16 Euro on the train (or 13.50 Euro in advance on line). Then you have to change to the A Metro at Vaulx-en-Velin and ride to Bellecour, then change to the D Metro to Vieux Lyon. All that is another 1.50 Euro with a transfer ticket. The whole journey takes about an hour. So a private transfer might be a better option.
Sam
Green Bay 4/7/13
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