Trip Planning: Update; England Looking Better

[YSSMAN]

For a few months now my Aunt and I have been attempting to work out a trip to Europe of some kind. So thats where the folks of GTPlanet come in, not only do many of you live in Europe, but also have been there.

So what has been suggested?

1) My primary goal (as of right now) would be to visit England next summer for Goodwood, but that isn't completely necessary. I've been looking into staying in London and have found a few nice hotels, one of which is located directly across the river from The Tower of London. However pricing seems to be the problem, as I'm not completely convinced that the $2500+ price tag is worth it yet. I have found cheaper hotels outside of London, but the price for transportation into town isn't something I want to pay for every day.

Any suggestions there my British friends? Any particular sights worth seeing?

2) My Aunt really, really wants to go to Italy, particularly Rome. I have been hesitant as I neither speak Italian, nor know much about Rome other than what I have seen on the Travel Channel. Pricing isn't that much different than England (surprisingly...), and the biggest advantage I can see is the rather warm weather. I myself am only interested in Italy if a trip to the land of Ferrari and Lamborghini is in order, and I'm not sure what kind of things would be involved in something like that.

Suggestions?

3) Option three is another that I've been working on, and it of course involves good ol' Germany. Origionally it was my intent to go to Berlin, but after checking prices and thinking about what I want to do, Hanover and Wolfsburg would be the cities of interest there. Obviously my love of Volkswagen would bring me to the Autostadt, and the fact that I can speak German (only light, conversational German) is a plus. Pricing doesn't seem to be too bad, but my Aunt isn't all too interested.

Ideas?

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We've still got a long-while untill anything solid has to be in. To further complicate things I may be looking into going to Ireland in 2009, that alone is about $5200, but the plus side is that I would be there from January to May, and I would be there for school (and get credit!) as well.

...And then my Mom was smart enough to bring Australia into the mix, and that has only added to the list of possible places to go at somewhat reasonable prices...

(BTW: This would be a good discussion thread for anyone else looking to go to Europe, and maybe if someone is daring enough, maybe we should do a travel to America thread too?)

 

[ND4SPD]

Probably want to fix your thread title. I suggest mainland Europe, I had a teacher last year who's been travelling all over the world. He's got some great stories about Europe!

 

[Zrow]

I've never been to Europe so no help there, but I'm with your aunt - I think Rome would be an excellent place to visit. So much history, you know? Not to mention all of the great art.

 

[Flame-returns]

As a general guide to Europ do capital cities (with a few exceptions, most notably Spain, I hate Madrid): Paris, Brussels (they have a chocolate museum with a rather big cholate fountain), Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Berlin (you could land at Friedeschlafen(sp?) and rent a car to drive down to Berlin, its a long road trip but its great scenery and you get a chance to use the faster German roads.) and of course London

With London remember that it is not nessary to be right in the centre (I presume you we looking at the Thistle on the Thames, a very ugly building) because London is very big (a good deal bigger than New York) and it has good public transport. The closest to the centre you would want to be is probably Islington because most of it is in walking distance from the Thames and there are several hundred restauraunts. You really don't want to be in The City of London (central London), if you are staying a long time, it is fairly difficult to get a good meal without paying a fortune and everywhere relies solely on accountants on a lunch break. Westminster should also be looked at but anything between the City and Golders Green should be fine.

The best sight in London by far is Camden lock on Saturday. If you go to Islington you can walk there along the canal. It is the place for people watching and the shops are very intresting. Visit St Pauls, cross the Millenium Bridge and see the Tate Modern. The London Eye is worth a ride as well. Also, try and see a play in the West End and have a look at Soho/Chinatown.

 

[Sureboss]

How long will the holiday be?

Oh and as for difference in Weather it may vary 2 or 3 degrees in favour of Italy but it'll be barely noticeable.

The summer gone we had temperatures in the 30s regularly. It wasn't cold that's for sure.

 

[vladimir]

what do you want to do in hannover and wolfsburg? apart from the autostadt, there really is nothing to see there at all. wolfsburg is only an hour or two away from berlin anyway, so you could easily visit if you stayed in berlin.

 

[Touring Mars]

My experiences of mainland Europe are generally very good and I've never had a real problem with communication - most people in Europe can speak some English, esp. in Germany where fluency in English is pretty much common-place*. If you based yourself in London, you can be in Paris or Brussels by Eurostar (train) in just a few hours - you're also only 4-5 hours away from Edinburgh (the Scottish capital, and my home town - a very popular tourist location). Also, in London, you can get yourself some exceptionally cheap flights to just about any European destination, provided you booked far enough in advance. You're only about 2-3 hours flight away from Germany.

London airports are easy to get to - Stansted, where many of the cheaper airlines fly into, is 1 hour away by train from Liverpool Street station (take the Stansted Express train) and Heathrow is 1 hour by Underground train (Piccadilly Line, westbound) or just 15 minutes by train from London Paddington Station (Heathrow Express train) - both Paddington and Liverpool Street are also London Underground (Tube) stations (maps). The Eurostar train leaves from London Waterloo Station (also an underground station) and regular trains to the rest of the UK leave from all of these stations as well, but the main station is London King's Cross St. Pancras (also on the London Underground - King's Cross is the biggest station of them all!)...

As for sightseeing in London, this is Europe's biggest city, so as you might expect, there's millions of stuff to do - my particular favourite things/places include going out to Greenwich (as in Greenwich Mean Time) - you get there by Tube (well, an extension of the tube called the Docklands Light Railway, or DLR, which is a scary little train with no driver, and yes, you can sit at the very front and pretend you're driving it... which is very cool, especially as you go through Canary Wharf, which incorporates the UK's tallest building, One Canada Square).

A trip down the River Thames is very worthwhile - usually starting at Greenwich... Also, the Tate Modern gallery on the South Bank of the Thames is very worth a visit. One of my favourite things to do is to buy a day-pass for the Tube and just get out somewhere randomly and check it out. London is a great place just to wonder around...

Some places/tube stations that are particularly worth a visit are:- St. Paul's (Cathedral), Oxford Street/Bond Street (Shopping), Earl's Court (concerts, exhibition centre), Kew Gardens (horticulture), Camden (erm, 'culture' ), Clapham (nightlife), Knightsbridge (Harrods/expensive car spotting), South Kensington (Museums), Notting Hill (markets), Mile End (my house!), Old Street/Shoreditch (pubs and clubs), St. James' Park (Buckingham Palace), Embankment/Waterloo (South Bank - arts, galleries, museums), Westminster (Houses of Parliament - you can actually go in and watch our politicians argue live in person!), Covent Garden (Street performers, cafes, shops)... London also has loads of cool markets, e.g. Borough Market (nr. London Bridge tube), Spittalfields Market (nr. Liverpool Street tube) and parks - Hyde Park (Hyde Park Corner/Marble Arch tubes), Regent's Park (and London Zoo - Regent's Park tube)... and plenty more besides... (oh, and Soho - you might want to check that out on your own )

 

[Sureboss]

The DLR is quite good, clever little machine too.

The museums are great to go to.

 

[Dave A]

how long would you be over for? One thing I have done is spent 3 months and travelled through Europe, or the Western half of it anyway and that was a fantastic experience. I came back a little bit broke but I'd do it again, I have a bit more responsibility now, and there'd be two of us to pay for now but someday I'd like to just drop what were doing and go on a travel again.

 

[Flame-returns]

Camden (erm, 'culture' )

Just to clarify that, the best tube stations for Camden Lock are Camden Market are Chalk Farm and Mornington Crescent. King's Cross takes you to Camden council hall, but there is nothing special about Camden outside of Camden Lock.


A tube map is always useful, the wide assortment of available languages demonstrates London's multicultralism, I did a short article about it when I was 13. Brick Lane is a great example of the triving Indian community and is far more genuine than Chinatown. Ever want a decent Indian meal, thats where to go.

Also, as it has been mentioned, get a travelcard and go around London, so much to see. Remember to plan your journey, there is quite a bit of London and it is serviced by a rather complicated transport network.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Who says England is just about London. Plus if you were doing Goodwood its a bit of a drive, but you are comng from America so its probably nothing for you guys..

Durdle door, part of the Jurassic coast (www.jurassiccoast.com) Which runs through Dorset and East Devon, plenty of holiday parks there.

Of course theres the fantastic sights of lands end.

And then theres landmarks such as Castles, Bodiam Castle, pevensey, Tunbridge Wells, etc etc. Theres so much more to England than London and most of it is better than London.

 

[Dave A]

A lot depends on what kind of things you like to do, such as walking around places, bars, clubs, shopping centres historic places ect. I totally agree with Ashley's point though, you should visit other places in England as well not just London. In my opinion England get's better the further north you travel .

 

[Roo]

Aside from possibly Goodwood, what is it you and your family want from this holiday? Do you want to do the tourist thing, going round the landmarks, or are you after something further afield, outside the cities and into the country? Try - I know it's difficult to describe to someone over the the Internet, but give it a shot - and let us know what you're after, and we'll be able to help a bit more.

That said, most of Europe is fairly well connected and you won't be more than a few hours plane trip from most of the capital cities. Remember, to give some sort of sense of scale, that the whole of Europe is very slightly larger than the USA, and smaller than Canada.

 

[Flame-returns]

How wrong you people are, there is no better place than London, this is not just true of the UK but also the rest of the world. Tokyo comes close but it just cant quite match .

It is true that there are other places to visit, you should try Wales. Visit Portmeiron (great if you've seen the old tv series The Prisoner, that ruled) and why not climb Snowden? (If you don't feel like climbing you can take a cable car up it but you receive none of the satisfaction).

The Eastbourne - Hastings area has some good views (and there is a great Thai restaurant is Eastbourne marina, book ahead) as do some of the National Parks. You should maybe go to Brighton, its a really short train journey from London and it has a good vibe (it also has Gars).

 

[a6m5]

I never used to like traveling, so I missed out on Germany, Italy, France, you name it. UK, I also missed out, but if I was to choose between England and the rest, I'd go to England.

This is probably because I don't care much for traveling. I sense something familiar from the English culture(somewhat similar to my home country, Japan's), plus, I grew up loving their music. I almost forgot, they speak English there. I'm sure it will require bit of an adjustment. I heard English people speak fast and with accent.

 

[ExigeEvan]

And in steps the Welshman....

American eh? Tourists eh? You'll be looking for castles then, eh? Well you're just in luck, we've got loads in Wales, in various levels of ruin and slantiness (Caerphilly castle, google image it ).

We also have wonderful countryside and beaches. And you can catch a flight from Cardiff to most major cities in the UK and Europe for fairly cheap.

[EDIT]

It is true that there are other places to visit, you should try Wales. Visit Portmeiron (great if you've seen the old tv series The Prisoner, that ruled) and why not climb Snowden? (If you don't feel like climbing you can take a cable car up it but you receive none of the satisfaction).

Never like Snowdon after I went up North to see it, and other things, and it was covered in mist

 

[Flame-returns]

[EDIT]

Never like Snowdon after I went up North to see it, and other things, and it was covered in mist

That's no reason not to climb it, to be honest it isn't a great looking mountain anyway just a good view from the top.

 

[Philly]

From what I gather, Europe has a pretty good choo-choo network. Then you wouldn't have to mess around with airplanes and it's probably cheaper. Trains would probably allow you to do a trip including many big towns all over the Continent (or western part). In Germany, I always thought it would be fescinating to drive the Autobahn, but car doesn't seem to be a very effective method for getting around Europe. I remember a 10 hr bus ride just to get halfway across France. In planning a trip to Europe, I'm sure you can't go wrong. Besides, you can always o back in a few years to cath anything you missed.

 

[YSSMAN]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, and I'll do my best to help out here. To answer a few questions:

1) Time: Given money and time constraints, its looking like a week is about as much time as I can spend abroad, and that includes about two days of actual travel, so that would be about five days to do whatever... Not much, disappointing, I know. I might (emphasis on "might") be able to stretch it out a bit if I can convince my Grandparents to back up the ol' money train, but I can't guarantee anything.

2) Travel: Time spent going about, or not staying just in one place is an idea that I'm completely open to. Growing up in Michigan, travel times are pretty far between where I live and cities like Detroit or Chicago (about 3-ish hours), a bit further for Indy or Cleveland, but not too bad. I had thought about doing a drive across Europe deal, but that didn't sit pretty with the Aunt and my cousin, so my guess is that a three-stop deal would be the greatest stretch of what they would want to do.

...I had planned on venturing out of London, should it be the destination we choose. My Grandmother's family came from England (or was it Wales? Thatcher is the name...), so I'd like to visit the various parts of the country that isn't London. Of course tourist traps like Stonehenge are standard stops, but I don't have to do it. I'm looking more for just a trip, to mingle with the folks in England, have a beer or two, and just hang-out.

The idea of a rent-a-car is one that I've considered, and if I'm going to be spending time in London, I'm not sure about the whole "congestion charge" thing. Public transport will be key, but if I'm going to be going all-over, I'd like to drive (be it a Fiesta or Mondeo, w00t!!!).

3) Where to stay: London was a primary target just because it is London, but I'm open to other places as well. The plan was to fly into Heathrow, catch a train into town, and walk as much as possible (I like to pack light). But prices, as noted, are quite high. The idea of Gatwick also came up as well, but I'm not sure if I like a business-class hotel for an extended stay, although here in the US that isn't a bad thing if we are talking about a Courtyard Hotel.

...I had also considered staying further North, but I'm not too familiar with the area at all. My Aunt mentioned Manchester, but I don't know much about it...

3) Wants/Needs: For me, I just want to have the "experience" of being in a different country. I don't require all of the tourist things, etc. As mentioned before, my best idea would pretty much be to find a local pub, have a beer or two, and just act like a normal person. As I understand it, after listening to the BBC all summer (God bless the internet!) there is quite a concert series that goes on, and I'd love to catch a few shows of bands that I listen to that don't come to America.

...The Aunt and the Cousin on the other hand are those tourist-type folks who take far too-many pictures and act like out-of-place people. Not to say that it is bad, but they are in it more to say "Hey, I went to London!!!" than "Yeah, I've been to London," etc. (Did that even make sense?)

4) Mainland Europe; Germany: Myself, being the German-obsessed American that I am, wouldn't mind being anywhere in Germany to be completely honest. To me, I'm in it for the cars if I'm in Deutschland. So if I am traveling across Germany, I plan on visiting the various factories and taking the tours if at all possible. Baisically that would point me towards the three corners; Stuttgart, Wolfsburg, and Munich. I did a report on Neidersachsen last year, so thats part of the reason why I picked out Hanover/Wolfsburg to start. Berlin certainly sits on the top of my list as well, but I'd love to visit other parts of Germany as well. Added to that, part of my family does come from southern Germany, and seeing the "home country" would be nice as well.

5) Mainland Europe; Italy: Italy continues to be the Aunt's destination of choice, and for me it is again about the autos. Obviously I'd want to visit northern Italy, while she is attracted more towards southern Italy. I'm pretty indifferent over the idea of Italy as a whole. My other Aunt spends months at a time there living with friends, and although her descriptions are quite cool, they don't overly excite me. The other Aunt wants to do a cruise thing around Italy, and that is exactly what I DON'T want to do. I'd rather do travel alone than be in a big group. I'll do my best to learn the language and get around myself.

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I hope that cleared up some questions, as I'm thankful for your guy's help. I'm still researching here and there, and still discussing with Aunt Nancy. I'm not sure if I want to travel completely alone, but if it comes down to it, I'd be happy to head to England for a week by myself. Lets me do what I want, when I want. A trip to Germany? Off we go!!! France? Why not?

Pretty much, I would want to follow the old saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." That goes for any country really, so I'm open to whatever is going on at the time. Auto shows, auto races, football games, "love fest" (yea Berlin!), etc... It all sounds good.

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Thanks for the help, I'm learning a lot!

 

[Roo]

My Aunt mentioned Manchester, but I don't know much about it...

live4speed's the man for that.

3) Wants/Needs: For me, I just want to have the "experience" of being in a different country. I don't require all of the tourist things, etc. As mentioned before, my best idea would pretty much be to find a local pub, have a beer or two, and just act like a normal person.

Out in the country you can't really go more than 10 miles and you'll run into a pub. In the cities that shrinks to about a mile or 2

If you want to catch some motor racing, most circuits have something going on every weekend in the season (approx. April - October) - usually club racing, which can be just as good as the top rung stuff. Brands Hatch is just outside east London, and Donington has Midlands International Airport right next door.

 

[ExigeEvan]

That's no reason not to climb it, to be honest it isn't a great looking mountain anyway just a good view from the top.

I climbed Pen-y-fan about a year ago, tallest peak in southern Britain, and it was quite fun TBH. But yet again I was screwed over by mist and the view was great for about 10 metres.

From what I gather, Europe has a pretty good choo-choo network. Then you wouldn't have to mess around with airplanes and it's probably cheaper.

Switzerland has a great Train system. The rest of Europe's is quite good, however, the UK's is complete rubbish. Avoid.

Also, there are a lot of cheap flights around Europe (Slowly creeping up but cheap nontheless). If you want to travel any further than say, London to Paris, fly.

The idea of a rent-a-car is one that I've considered, and if I'm going to be spending time in London, I'm not sure about the whole "congestion charge" thing. Public transport will be key, but if I'm going to be going all-over, I'd like to drive (be it a Fiesta or Mondeo, w00t!!!).

I'd warn against driving yourself. While very conveniant you'll be more stressed out by the different driving style (i.e. opposite side) and even simple things such as round abouts unless you've come across them before.

3) Wants/Needs: For me, I just want to have the "experience" of being in a different country. I don't require all of the tourist things, etc. As mentioned before, my best idea would pretty much be to find a local pub, have a beer or two, and just act like a normal person. As I understand it, after listening to the BBC all summer (God bless the internet!) there is quite a concert series that goes on, and I'd love to catch a few shows of bands that I listen to that don't come to America.

Yes there is quite a music festival season in Sping/Summer. However, tickets sell fast for most the big bands. Is there anyone in particular you'd be interested in seeing?

 

[Dave A]

Exige makes a good point, if you've never driven on round abouts before be warned some of them can be a tad daunting and confusing when they're busy. I've had people nearly move out into the side of me a few times. Driving on the opposite side of the road has never been a problem for me, after a short while you just get adjusted to it, especially if driving feels natural to you.

 

[Sureboss]

Our Train network isn't brillaint, it's funny at times like when the train driver the other week asked if someone could fix the trains wipers

The train service is improving especially down south (South of London, London'll be bad)

Compare it today to how it was 10-15 years ago and it's brilliant.

 

[YSSMAN]

...I think I could adjust to the odd driving position, it would just take some practice, so obviously starting in London would be a bad idea.

Yes there is quite a music festival season in Sping/Summer. However, tickets sell fast for most the big bands. Is there anyone in particular you'd be interested in seeing?

I'd love to see MUSE or The Automatic, neither of whom are coming to America any time soon. A few of my favorite American bands (such as the Killers) are going to be floating around Europe for some time too, so I'd attempt to catch them if possible as well. I don't get to listen to the BBC all the time, but I will often spend my Wednesdays and Thursdays listening to Drive Time on BBC 1 or BBC 2 during my lunch.

 

[Roo]

2 of the biggest rock festivals of the year (I have no idea if any of the bands on your list will be attending in '07) are the Download Festival at Donington (the race circuit) and Reading/Leeds festival (end of August). The bands you mentioned are probably more likely to be at Reading/Leeds (more rock) than Donington (more metal) but it's worth keeping an eye on both.

Other than that, of course, just check the band's websites. Obviously.

 

[kikie]

Don't visit Belgium, it's a waste of your precious money. Nothing to see here. The most boring country in Europe besides Holland, it's even worse there; lol lol

Now I'm going to get flamed by some Dutch people on GTP, yeay

 

[MagpieRacer]

Our Train network isn't brillaint, it's funny at times like when the train driver the other week asked if someone could fix the trains wipers
The train service is improving especially down south (South of London, London'll be bad)
Compare it today to how it was 10-15 years ago and it's brilliant.

I dont actually think the train service is that bad at all. This year has seen me use trains more than ive used anything else in terms of transport, they have always been on time, ive never been delayed and never been late. This was using trains from Brighton to London Victoria, tubes all around London, London Marylebone to High Wycombe, Gatwick to Reading, Wycombe to Banbury, Wycombe to Bicester. Trains really arent that bad

 

[Flame-returns]

Trains across Europe (Western Europe) as a whole are quite good. You can take a train from Eastbourne to London, change for the Eurostar to get to Lille, change for the SNCF (the French train network) and make you're way to Munich. On an off-peak season that entire journey can be done for about £80 (approx $140).

 

[ExigeEvan]

I'd love to see MUSE or The Automatic, neither of whom are coming to America any time soon. A few of my favorite American bands (such as the Killers) are going to be floating around Europe for some time too, so I'd attempt to catch them if possible as well. I don't get to listen to the BBC all the time, but I will often spend my Wednesdays and Thursdays listening to Drive Time on BBC 1 or BBC 2 during my lunch.

Ah.

MUSE's British tour has already started and I think all the venues are sold out. MUSE tickets to most venues sold out in a matter of hours.

The Killers aswell. Their gigs in March sold out in minutes, possibly hours.

The Automatic. Not sure on their touring at the moment. But I saw them just after they released Monster so I'm no fussed. They're a local-ish lads so I'm sure they'll tour this way again.

Your best bet is eBay, however, expect the tickets to be double the price, atleast.

[off topic] Scott Mills fan? [/off topic]

 

[YSSMAN]

Music tours were an optional thing, as I wouldn't have expected many bands to have scheduled anything yet. Still clicking around, still considering other things, etc. I'm still not sure what I want to do, but I am feeling like I want to go to England more than anything... If not, Germany, but nothing official...

[off-topic response]Yeah, Scott Mills isn't too bad. I can usually catch his show on my afternoons off if I'm around my computer. Your drive-time radio is great to listen to during lunch... Pretty good music, good banter, etc. I've been listening to Radio 2 a lot too, but lately it has been for the 8:00PM shows.[/off-topic response]