Europe Travel Answers

Hi. Welcome to Virtual Tourist (VT). I checked your Home Page here and you haven't listed your nationality nor any of your travel interests. That makes it difficult to give advice. Why don't you go to your Home Page, put in the country that issued your passport (if you don't want to list where you live) and put in a few of your travel interests. Most of us check this before we start giving answers. That way we tailor our answers to your needs rather than our personal tastes. In the post (or in this thread) it would be helpful to have an idea of the time of year you are planning your trip. Just a thought. If I were in my mid 20s and planning a 2-3 week trip, I'd start and end in Paris. In between I'd head for rural areas, but don't know if that falls under your criteria of "fun activities." Let us know what you want and we'll try to help. BTW, if you have some ideas to explore, type the town or city names into the VT Search Window above and see what VT members have already written about those places. There will be personal stories, memories, photos, suggestions of things to do and lots of web links to help your planning. You can also click on the names of people who answer you here and check their Travel Pages to get ideas. There are a lot of excellent resources here on VT. Enjoy.

I don't quite see how people can answer a question like "Wondering what peoples expiriances are with the region... Netherlands-russia and everything in between." What do you mean exactly, e.g. literally Netherlands-Germany-Poland-Baltic States-Russia (in 2-3 weeks?) or also covering CENTRAL European countries like Hungary, Czech Republic? Is the Netherlands just where you would be arriving or do you want suggestions of places to visit there? Without knowing this it is hard to know how anyone's "past memories" of travelling in these (whichever) countries could help you with your planning. Someone reminiscing about staying in fantastic boutique hotels is not going to help you plan a trip involving youth hostels (or vice versa). Do you know how you will be travelling (and are you entering and leaving Europe at the same place or different places?), or are you just looking for suggestions relating to "good night life expiriances and fun activities"? And could you be more precise as regards what type of activities you mean, as it may be that other people's idea of fun is different from yours. In the meantime, you can already see what VT members' experiences were of specific countries or cities you may have in mind, by looking at their TRAVEL PAGES. Just put the name of the place in the destination search box and you'll find heaps of personal experiences.

Two/three weeks is not at all long and you will no be able to do 'everything in between'! As Beausoleil says, please give us more details such as where you will be starting and from where you plan departing? Europe is not one country, it is an amalgam of many countries, so it is not possible to give a general over-all account of the region. To begin with, and to put it facilely, east and west are different from each other, as are north and south. Netherlands-Russia implies you don't want to go to France, Spain, Portugal..... When do you plan on arriving? Do you know if you will require a Schengen visa? If you end up by 'hitting up' England (by which I think you mean the UK, which consists of four countries, one of which is England), do you need a visa?

Hi Agree with the above - we may be fairly good at anticipating other people's requirements, but we're not clairvoyant, so you'll have to give us some guidance about your interests and your idea of what constitutes 'fun'. It would also be useful to know what time of year you're planning to travel - obviously what's fun in high summer doesn't equally apply to mid winter. And, yes, visas are an important consideration: where are you coming from and what passport do you travel on? Regards Cathy

visas and other already mentioned issued aside you will need at least two weeks to see much of Germany, about a month or two to see much of (European part) of Russia, about two weeks to a month for Ukraine, about two month for France and about a month and a half for countries and territories of exYugoslavia. Plus a week for Baltic states at least, plus maybe two-three for Poland. I am not sure, how 2-3 week time would fit into that, keep in mind the distances can be long, don't be tempted into a schedule where all you see are the airports and the railway stations. Some other things like Belarus visa or transit time via Ukraine (add one day) to reach Russia in each direction has to be calculated. If you are one who needs Ukrainian visa, better to go via Baltic states - but that is better by bus as train service is not frequent and connections not very good in that area.

I agree with the others. Europe is sooo big/huge, I doubt if you can see it all within 2/3 weeks between the Netherlands and Russia. But my list is: Switzerland (the whole country) Estonia (especially Tallinn) Macedonia (especially Ohrid and Bitola) Czech Republic (especially Prague)

Hi folks. Matt has put his home on his Home Page. He is from Bismarck, North Dakota in the USA so he should not require a visa for a 2-3 week trip to most of Europe. That takes care of one problem nicely. He's been to Mexico and is also researching a trip to Cancun. He likes beaches and nightlife and off the beaten track sorts of places. Still not sure when he's planning to travel but I'm thinking summer would be easier from North Dakota. Although he might want to escape part of a ND winter . . . ;^) Beaches, off the beaten track but with nightlife. Any suggestions? I'll stand by my suggestion of starting and ending in Paris because there is so much to do there. Then they could take the train to Marseille for a complete change with the nearby calanques for beaches and a really gritty, exciting nightlife.

Quick reply! I plan on travelling early september. I dont plan on trying to tour the entire region. I plan on taking it in parts. maybe 1-2 weeks in each country?

Matt, I see that you are looking for girls, beer and fun. so you are probably best off in big cities with good night life, such as London, Paris, Hamburg, Berlin, Budapest, Barcelona, Moscow....or some of the famous beach resorts in Spain, Greece...or did I get you wrong?

BTW - the Russian visa regulations for U.S. citizens are about to get a significant (positive) change, so keep your eyes open. moscow.usembassy.gov/news_07...

What about a visit to the world-famous Oktoberrfest in Munich, this year between 22 September and 07 October? Google for more information and past reviews.

Rich, You pretty much scored, thats about all i want. Work way to much dam hours and have a lot of steam to burn off. beer... girls.... nightlife... cool stuff. And maybe some drunk pictures at some crazy landmarks?.. beats vegas!

I have a lot of russian friends that i work with who tell me to not to bother with russia, that ukraine has just as good night life and the money is worth much more. Also that the black sea is definately worth a look!

Let me guess . . . You're in the Dakota oil fields?

Yeah, I manage all of Halliburtons communication equipment for the Williston district. longgg hours.... good money for my age though, not that bad of job as well. good guess?