Imagine waking up to the scent of flowers and freshly baked pastries, and stepping through double doors onto a sunny balcony to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the south of France. Around you are rooftop gardens and terra cotta tiles high above the busy streets, the white stone beach on one side, and the mountains on another. No, this isn’t the Ritz Carlton; it is simply a student hotel near the train station in Nice. Amazingly enough you too can afford to visit the most beautiful places in the world. At 27 Euros a night, this room, equipped with two double beds, comes with a table, mini-kitchen and private bathroom. Now all you need is a reason to leave.
Start your European vacation by booking a flight. Beware websites like Priceline.com. While the idea of naming your own price may sound good and save you money, you could end up naming your own price again for a replacement ticket if something happens and you miss your flight or a connection.
Many airlines such as US Airways offer E-Savers. These special deals come to you via email and allow you to book cheap flights at the last minute. For example, you are sitting around at mom and dad’s air-conditioned house in July, watching the grass grow outside when you decide to check your email. At last, an E-saver for roundtrip tickets to Amsterdam for only $399. Perfect! You’ve been waiting for this all summer! Call up your two pals and book that flight.
Some other places you might want to check for travel arrangements are Oneworld.com or staralliance.com, which offer around the world fares at low prices, Airhitch.org—somehow you hitchhike over the Atlantic legitimately. If you want some help with the overall trip try Student Travel Association at STA.com. They can provide assistance with things like luggage, cell phones, travel insurance and other important but sometimes overlooked ingredients for a successful trip.
You may be tempted to plan your whole trip before you leave home, but it’s better to wait until you are on European soil to make most of your travel arrangements. Airlines in Europe offer amazingly cheap airfare that isn’t really accessible stateside. The best European airlines offering flights which range from about $10—yes, ten dollars to $170 are Ryan Air, Easy Jet, and Sky Europe. Just add a www. and a .com to those names and you will enter the world of European airfare.
Another important site to go to is www.raileurope.com to get a Eurailpass and train schedules. You can buy your Eurailpass from America before you go and it will be shipped. The Eurostar ticket from Paris to London will be $45, and you can book that ahead of time, other than that, you may be better off waiting until you are in Europe to decide whether you will be flying or riding the train. There are internet cafés on every street in most cities where you can buy time and use computers for anything you would like to do.
Once you have booked your roundtrip ticket to Europe, you should make a loose itinerary. A good one would be Amsterdam to London to Paris to Nice to Pisa to Florence to Sicily to Rome to Greece to Switzerland to Prague and back to Amsterdam. Now you can plan the first week of your tour in detail. It’s a good idea to start in the city you fly into, so book a room in Amsterdam.
A few places to try are Hans Brinker for E24, The Flying Pig—a hostel, Acacia Hotel, and Van Onna, all located on the Central Canal Ring and close to many attractions and nightlife. Acacia Hotel offers a small houseboat which sleeps four, while Hans Brinker has its own bar and disco. If you are looking for something a little more scandalous, try the Bulldog Hotel in the Red Light District for about E28.
So you have a place to stay in Amsterdam, and you will be there for three nights. Now you will book your flight to London and a Hotel there. You won’t believe your eyes when you see that you can fly Ryan Air for only E6.99. Yes, that does equal about nine US Dollars. Including taxes and handling fees, the whole thing will be about E32. That’s half the price of a train ticket, so obviously you’re going to want to fly. You will be in London for
Hotels—along with everything in London are more expensive than anywhere else in Europe because the pound is worth more, so don’t worry when you try to book at hotel there and see that it’s not cheap. The recently refurbished Brindle House Hotel has private bathrooms and breakfast for about £25 per person. The Regent Palace Hotel is conveniently located near most tourist attractions, and is £33 with breakfast. You will be in London about three nights, so you can book your $45 Eurostar ticket for the Chunnel as well as a hotel in Paris.
A few nicely located and well priced choices are: Hotel des Saints Peres, Hotel Marignan, Hotel Gay-Lussac, and Hotel le Central. Each of these will set you back no more than 25 Euros per person including breakfast. Some of their features include internet access, fireplaces, and views of the Siene. Pretty good deals considering that a dorm style hostel runs about 20 Euros per person wherever you go. That’s enough planning for now. Everything else should be done after you arrive.
It is a good idea to buy a few travel books before you go and think about the major things you want to see. A few great books are Let’s Go, Lonely Planet, and Eye Witness. Let’s Go is written by Harvard students and directed toward what is ___, ___, and cheap. Lonely Planet has a variety of books with the aim of, “Insane Journeys, Responsible Travel.” Eye Witness is a very thorough look at everything you will want to see in a city using full color photographs, and three dimensional maps. Eyewitness guides show what other guides tell. For example, it will provide a floor plan and cross-section of the inside of Le Louvre and point out exactly where the most important pieces are. In it you will also find visual guides to currency and detailed and mapped walking tours.
Some other things you will need are: a huge travel backpack with many compartments and straps, an adapter and converter for plugging electronics into foreign outlets, a small pillow and a sheet or microscopic sleeping bag, extra batteries and film for your camera, charger for your iPod, earplugs, plastic bags, a passport and money holder, travelers checks, a lock, a water bottle, walking shoes, and a raincoat.
Packing is a conflict of interests because you want to bring a lot of clothing and gear etc; but you don’t want to carry it all over Europe. You might say to yourself, “self, I will be away for three weeks so I need 21 outfits,” but that is wrong. Instead say to yourself, “self, I should bring ten outfits. That will be enough.”
The rule of good packing is never to bring any two things that could pass for one. If they look the same they are the same, so leave one at home. There are laundry facilities all over the place and in some hotels. This means yes, you can get away with one pair of jeans! Just pick the right ones. Also, you don’t need three black shirts, or khaki shorts because you can wear the same ones all the time and no one would ever know the difference. You can make due with one pair of sweatpants and one sweatshirt. Bring the clothing you wear most at home and you wont mind wearing it for three weeks abroad. The only things you should have multiples of are undergarments and everyday shirts.
SIDEBAR:
Packing List:
1 Bathing suit
1 Towel
Suntan lotion
Sunglasses
Flip flops
Sandals
10 pairs of underwear
10 pairs of Socks
4 regular Bras
2 sports bras
5 Tank tops
5 Tee-shirts
2 Going out shirts
1 casual skirt
1 going out skirt
2 pairs of Shorts
1 pair of Capris
Shampoo
Body wash
Face soap
Face Lotion
Body Lotion
Floss
Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Razors
Deodorant
Shaving cream
Makeup remover
Very little Makeup
Hat
1 pair of high Heels/
Dress shoes
1 pair of good Sneakers
Camera
iPod
Chargers
Book
Medicines
Empty Duffel Bag
Now that you have crossed the Atlantic, step one is getting from the airport to your hotel. Trains from the Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam’s Central Station run seven times per hour between 6:00 am and 1:00 pm, after which they run every hour. Most places in Amsterdam will have a service charge for credit card use and cash is much preferred, so make sure to have Euros handy.
When you arrive in Amsterdam, check into your hotel first, freshen up, and ask the front desk where you can go to get a bite to eat if you are hungry. You will probably be feeling quite jetlagged, but it is best to get in a little bit of touring the first afternoon and wait for nighttime to sleep so that you adjust to the time difference. Try a self guided tour of the Central Canal Ring. Maps are available at the airport and in any of the travel books listed in this article.
One of the sites you will not want to miss is the Van Gogh Museum which houses the largest collection of Van Gogh’s art as well as writings, and tributes to the artist. This visit would be a good idea for your first day in Amsterdam. Follow with some food and drink at Foodism and you will be ready to head back to your hotel for a good night’s sleep. Day one total: 55 Euro
Amsterdam is known for many things, but the most popular with young tourists tend to be the ones which involve drinking, drugs and sex. Why not get some of this out of your system right away on the first full day.
Eat breakfast at your hotel because it’s free, and then head out to see some sites. You’ll definitely want to go to The Heineken Experience, (open 10-5 Tuesday though Sunday) for a tour of the now-unused beer factory with the reward of free beer for visitors—with the 10 euro admission fee. You can take trams 16, 24 or 25 and get off at heinekenplein. If you need drunk food, go to Vlaas Friteshuis for Amsterdam’s favorite French fries—complete with a variety of toppings. Next try the Sexmuseum on Damrak, Amsterdam’s “Main Street,” and the Hash Marihuana and Hemp Museum in the heart of the Red Light District. The Hash museum is the only one of its kind and police raid it from time to time confiscating exhibits. While marijuana is not officially legal here, police are lenient, so head to the Red Light District for some space cakes and hash brownies, sold at coffee shops like Grey Area, Greenhouse, and Bulldog.
When you’ve had your fill of booze, bongs and naked bodies, you might need to head back to the hotel for a late afternoon nap. When you re-enter the waking world, you will probably be hungry. Try Haesje Claes for some inexpensive, but high quality Dutch cuisine. Clubs here do not open until 11:00 pm and don’t really get going until 1:00 am, so feel free to enjoy a late dinner and take your time getting ready to go out.
Dansen Bij Jansen is a packed dance club for students, so bring your student ID with you. Young, trendy, yet unpretentious crowds like to party at Mazzo. Odeon is good for those who prefer a variety of music. Its three floors each offer a different genre ranging from club to classic rock, to jazz. These clubs stay open until 4:00 am during the week and 5:00 am on the weekend, and according to Eyewitness Travel Guide, it is customary to tip the bouncer on your way out. Day two total: 75 Euro
Sleep late the next day, and then take a walk on the canal to find a vendor serving lunch. That is a cheap way to fill up so that you can save your money for a better dinner tonight. Since yesterday was all about fun, the agenda for today is more serious: the Anne Frank house. More than 800,000 visitors come to this site each year. It is a guided tour through the house and annex where the Frank family hid for two years during World War II. Open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm year-round, the Anne Frank house is an important part of history not to be missed, but leave your cameras behind, as photographs are not permitted. Have a snack and go to the Rembrandt Museum with a collection of artwork valued in the billions.
Tonight you might want to eat at De Roode Leeuw in the Hotel Amsterdam. Go out again tonight and enjoy your last night in Amsterdam because tomorrow it is off to London. Day three total: 50 Euro.
Get up early and take the bus back to the airport for your flight to London. Eat the food they give you on the airplane rather than spending money on airport food. When you arrive in London, you will want to buy a subway card. Since you will be there for three nights, you will want to buy a card for that amount of time, and don’t buy it from a stranger. Check into your hotel and then take the T to the West End where you will stand on line in Leicester Square for discount theater tickets. Mamma Mia is excellent and you can see it here for one third of the price of its Broadway counterpart. Find a place like Pollo or Stockpot, where you can get large lunches for less than £6.
Then go to Westminster Abbey to see the flying buttresses and the tombs of many famous historical figures and then head over to the Tower of London. If there is anything in London not-to-be-missed, it is this tour. Here you will learn about beheadings, love affairs, escaped prisoners, guards paid in meat—think Beefeater gin, and see the royal crown jewels. After the Tower of London, go to the National Gallery for a free afternoon activity before dinner.
Pod Sushi is a fun way to eat, and started at Yo Sushi in London. There are no waiters or waitresses here, you just wait at your seat for a conveyor belt to bring every kind of sushi there is along with appetizers and other treats. The bowls are color coded according to price, so you know how much you are spending as you eat. Press a button for the robot to come around to serve drinks. After dinner, take the T back to the West End for the show you bought tickets for. You can go out to a bar like Bricklayers Arms tonight or a club such as Fabric. If you need some late-night food, Brick Lane Beigle Bake is the place to go. Don’t forget, it’s okay to just go back and relax at your hotel, because sightseeing is a hard job. Day four total: £60-70 including tickets to show.
Make sure you wake up in time to eat breakfast at the hotel, and eat as much of it as possible because London is expensive and this food is free with your stay. After you eat, get to Kensington Palace early to get a good spot to watch the changing of the guard at 11:30 am. Then go to Notting Hill to have lunch and explore London a little. Sausage & Mash Café on Portobello Road also known as S&M has 20 different kinds of sausage to choose from (including vegetarian) and a variety of mash and gravy. When in Rome… or London.
Later, get out your map and do a self guided walking tour of Big Ben, London Bridge, Parliament, Millennium Bridge, and the London Eye. Moving on, Dali Universe is a sensational museum with over 500 pieces of his work on display including the famous Mae West Lips Sofa and the piece with the Lobster Telephones.
Have dinner at Rock and Sole Plaice famous for their fish and chips—and then have a few drinks and mingle with the natives. They don’t bite unless you want them to. Day five total: £55.
On the third day, take a walk in Hyde Park to enjoy the beautifully manicured lawns and gardens, and then see the Tate Modern Museum to which admission is free. The Tate houses the “definitive collection” of English art from the 16th to the 20th centuries. Stroll through Piccadilly Circus and have lunch there. You can do some shopping at Harrods, or just admire the store in all its splendor. Then have tea and buy some to bring home at the most famous Tea store in the world, Fortnum & Mason.
After this, go to the free Victoria and Albert Museum to see the world’s largest collection of decorative arts. That means furniture, fashion, ceramics and sculpture. Maybe when you get your first apartment, you can draw decorating ideas from the Victoria and Albert. Or you can go to the not-free Fashion and Textile Museum to see a huge collection of influential designer fashions from the 1950s to the present.
Have one last typical London dining experience at Wagamama's. This is a chain of Japanese noodle shops serving up quick and delicious cheap meals—only £6. Try the Ebi Gyoza (deep fried dumplings filled with king prawn, water chestnut and spinach) or the Amai Udon dish (sweet and sour wheat flour noodles with egg, tofu and vegetables). Tomorrow will be a long day, so head back and get a good night’s sleep before journeying to Paris.
Today, eat breakfast and take the T to the train station where you will whiz through the Chunnel to Paris in only 2 hours and 35 minutes. When you arrive in Paris, check into your hotel.
Since the hotels above are all near Le Louvre, it will be easy for you to spend the morning (and the E8.50 admission) at the museum and then break for lunch near the river. Street vendors selling crepes abound, but for a more nutritious alternative try a galette, similar to a crepe but made with buckwheat flour and filled with hearty ingredients.
You should buy tickets for a guided boat tour that night, and then return to Le Louvre for the afternoon. Freshen up, and take a walk around the neighborhood to find a restaurant with a menu that appeals to you. “Tiny restaurants with rock-bottom prices jockey for space and customers” are all over the 6eme, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding something cheap and good to eat. Le Grenier de Notre Dame is good for vegetarian food, offering a three-course meal for 12.50 Euro. If you are looking for traditional cuisine, dine on French home cooking with locals at Au Pied de Fouet. Another nearby alternative is Creperie Saint Germaine which serves filling crepes with ingredients like chicken, beef, vegetables and of course, nutella.
Then go back to the marina where you will take the night-time tour of all the bridges across and beautiful buildings on the banks of the Seine. If you have the energy to go out tonight, it’s more about dressing up and being seen at the clubs than hot DJs and great drinks. Especially popular are Bus Palladium in the 9eme and Fu Bar in the 6eme where Tuesday is student night with half priced martinis. If you would rather stay close to home-base tonight, enjoy a glass or five of wine for about two Euros each in the candle-lit cellar at Chez Georges. Day six total: 55 to 65 Euros.
Day two will involve a lot of walking, so wear your comfortable shoes and clothing. Don’t forget that you are in Paris and your white sneakers and college tee-shirt will get you nothing but dirty looks and poor service. Tonight is a splurge night, so don’t spend more than a few minutes fretting about it because you’re about to have a great time! Order your tickets to Moulin Rouge early over the phone, enjoy your free hotel breakfast, and head out for the day.
Take a free tour of the Jardin du Luxembourg, and check out Place Vendome to see a bronze Napoleon atop a tall column. Walk down the Champs-Elysees stopping at Place de la Concorde, Paris’ largest and most infamous public square with wonderful views. Continue on to see the ceremony for the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe and for 4.50 euro visit the museum and climb the 234 steps to the top for a spectacular view of the city.
After all of this walking, you will probably be hungry, but there is still a lot to do, so head to Ile St-Lius for a three course price-fixe lunch of appetizer, soup, or salad, entrée, and dessert at Café Med or Les Fous de l’Ile. After lunch, cross the Pont Marie and tour Notre Dame Cathedral for E4. Next, get ready to see the Eiffel Tower, but unless you want to pay 10 Euros to get to the very top, you may want to simply look at the 7,000 tons of metal held together by 2.5 million fasteners. Riveting, isn’t it?
Once you have enjoyed the “metal asparagus,” make your way to the Catacombs back near your hotel for the E3 tour, and then take a walk around the Opera and the invisible Bastille Prison with its July Column commemorating the French Revolution.
SIDEBAR:
Prisoners of The Bastille were allowed to furnish their suites, bring their own servants and receive guests. Cardinal de Rohan held a dinner party for 20 guests in his cell. Notable prisoners included the Man in the Iron Mask, the Comte de Mirabeau, Voltaire (twice), and the Marquis de Sade, who wrote his notorious novel Justine here.
When you are done touring for the day, go back to your hotel, and take a cat-nap if you have time, and then get dressed for the exciting show at the Moulin Rouge. There are countless cheap sandwich and pizza places in the 9eme, so you can find something to eat there. The E70 ticket gets you admission, and a half-bottle of champagne. Sit back and enjoy the show, but head home afterwards because Montmarte is not a place you want to hang out after dark, plus it’s been a long day and tomorrow will be almost as long. Day seven total: 120 Euro.
Day eight will be a whirlwind of museums and will require a lot of walking, so wear comfortable shoes and clothing again. Enjoy your hotel breakfast as usual, and get back out there. Admission to each of the museums you will see is around E4, so bring some money with you.
Your first stop will be Musee Rodin, right there in the 7eme. It is a beautiful home and garden filled with the artist’s sculpture. Musee Rodin is the favorite museum of Parisians, so expect to be impressed. When you are done here it is time for the converted railroad station, Musee D’Orsay, also a beautiful museum close by. Spend time enjoying the works of Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Seurat, and Gauguin. These famous artists will put a little bit of culture into your life when you realize you are familiar with their work.
Have lunch at an outdoor café after scouting out a place with inexpensive food. Your next stop is the Musee Picasso, a truly inspiring, and massive, collection of Picasso’s art arranged in chronological order.
The next museum on your list is Le Centre Pompidou, where the building itself is a work of modern art and the inside is filled with 20th century art. When you are done here, you can sit down and take a breather, because you are done for the day. Go enjoy a fun dinner and a lot of French wine. By now, you will have realized that wine is cheaper than water in France. Day eight total: 65 Euro
Awake refreshed and revived. Today is your free day to shop, walk, sunbathe, swim and relax. Sleep late, walk to a patisserie for un pain chocolat and un café (chocolate croissant and coffee). Take a walk on Rue du St. Honore for some high class window shopping, then walk through the shops and galleries on the Ile St.-Luis.
Once you leave the Seine islands take the Metro to Lena, or walk west along the right bank until you reach Lena. Here you will find the Musee de la Mode et du Costume. This is the Museum of Fashion and Clothing. Very interesting historical exhibits featuring dressed mannequins take you on a tour of 30,000 men’s and women’s outfits and 70,000 accessories.
After this museum, have lunch and enjoy the rest of the day shopping on Rue Ettienne-Marcel, the Marais, and St.-Germaine-des-Pres which will lead you back to your hotel. Have a nap, dinner, and why not go out to a club tonight? Day nine total: 60 Euro not including shopping expenses.
Versailles, Versailles, today is the day of the gardens at Versailles. All I can say about Versaille is that it had better not be raining. Well, that’s not all I can say. There are a few options for this day trip, and they all start with breakfast at the hotel. Either go to a store or a café so that you can pack a lunch and snacks because if you get hungry while you are there, you will be forced to buy overpriced tourist food. Take the RER train from Invalides for E5.20 roundtrip.
One hour later, you will arrive at the Versaille Rive Gauche Station. Go to the Chateau to get a self-guided tour map and entry ticket from the Tourist office. The price for the whole day is E7.50 for the palace and E3 for the gardens. If you get there after 3:30pm, it is only E5.30 for the palace and after 6pm, it is free to get into the gardens which do not close until sunset. After that, you get to go back to Paris and have dinner. Lucky you! Day 10 total: 65 Euro
Enjoy your last day in Paris. Pack everything, and check out. Leave your bags with the desk and spend the day in the city. You might want to return to your favorite sites, eat something crazy like escargot or something not so crazy like fondue. You can even get these dishes in the 6eme at an inexpensive restaurant. Go back to your hotel and get a cab to the airport. It’s time to fly to Nice, and imagine this: it’s only E50.
You should plan to arrive in the early evening. Check into your hotel and take a walk around to a nearby café. Have dinner at Le Restaurant d’Angleterre where E12 will get you bread, salad, entrée, side dish, dessert and an after dinner cordial. After dinner take a walk on the stone beach.
The next day, get up nice and early to go to the Musee National Message Biblique Marc Chagall. This will be 5.20 and will take you about an hour or maybe two. Then take the free bus between the Chagall Museum to the Musee Matisse. After the museums, explore a little and eat Saccos from a street vendor for lunch. Walk down the hill and take a little tour of the area. Walk around the historical heart of Nice, Vieux Nice and experience the shops and locals. Go back to your hotel to shower and get dressed for the casinos.
You can either have dinner in Nice before you go, or you can take the train to Cannes and eat there near the water. Don’t eat on the water unless you want to pay more for the same food. Check out the extravagant stores lining the streets and then go back to the train station. Next stop: Monte Carlo. This is the richest place in the world. The grand prix is held here every year, and the harbor is full with yachts, speedboats, and cruise ships. The hilly landscape is covered in hotels, homes and shops. Near the water are the casinos. They are beautiful and elegant, read: no shorts or tee-shirts unless dolce and gabanna sewed them by hand. You might want to just take a look around if you don’t want to lose any money, but if you want to gamble, there are many many rooms in which to do so. Have fun!
The next day, after breakfast, check out of your hotel and store your bags there. Spend the day on the beach after all, this is the south of France. Then have dinner, get your bags, and proceed to the train station where you will take the overnight train to Pisa.
Store your bags at the station in Pisa. This will cost about__, but you’re not going to be there for very long. First, get breakfast because you will be starving. Then take the bus from the train station to the tower. It is very easy to do, but make sure you get on the right bus as there are about 15 to choose from.
When you arrive, buy tickets to go on the tour of the leaning tower. You will probably laugh when you first see the tower, because it’s huge and it really is leaning and you’ll say all that out loud. Then you will feel like an idiot because you already knew it was leaning, everyone knows that it’s leaning, so you’ll laugh more, this time at yourself.
While you wait for your tour, walk through the booths of souvenirs and walk around the plaza. In a way it looks like the Mall in Washington D.C. with large white buildings separated by clean-cut rectangular grass with sidewalks running in straight lines. Walk around the Baptisery and the Duomo. Both are very nice, but the real draw is obviously the tower. Walk out of the plaza and since this is your one day in Pisa, have lunch at Antica Tratoria Da Bruno for authentic Pisan cuisine. Go back to the plaza and get ready for your official tour of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Take the bus back to the train station for the 4:28 train to Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence. Generally, accommodations in Florence may be a bit more expensive than your other stops, but it is possible to find a relatively well priced hotel. Soggiorno Luna Rossa is near Santa Maria Novella, and you can stay there for E30 per person including private bathroom and breakfast. Also try the two separate hotels in one building on Via Faenza: Hotel Nella/Pina has free internet access at E28 per person, and Locanda Giovanna has rooms with garden views for about E28 as well. Neither include breakfast. Another option is Pensione Ottaviani which is directly connected to Hotel Visconti, both with breakfast included and ranging from E27 to E32 per person.
Check into your hotel and relax. Have dinner at Acqua al Due near the Duomo, a small restaurant with amazing food. Bread, salads and wine for everyone and try the assiaggo for E8. This is a selection of five pasta dishes to share with the group. Some choices are fusilli in sweet veal sauce, flat pasta in a creamy four-cheese sauce, thumbprint pasta in Bolognese, and whatever else the chef creates with the fresh ingredients available that day.
Ristorante Il Vegetariano offers fresh vegetarian meals served in a bamboo garden for around E11.
If you feel like going out tonight, put on your club outfit and go to Blob for 2-for-1 happy hour that last until 10pm. After Blob, go to Yab, with reasonably priced drinks, good music and a huge dance floor that fills up around midnight.
In the morning after you wake up nice and early for your free breakfast, get to the Uffizi right away and get tickets for the museum. The line will get long later in the day, so make sure to get there as early as possible. Then shop around in the San Lorenzo flea market. Florence is the place to buy any leather goods you have been wanting like wallets, gloves and jackets. After this morning activity, go to Piazza del Duomo. The Battistero (baptisery), dome and Campanile (tower) took over six centuries to build and nearly a dozen different designers/architects. The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo gives the amazing history of the building including the kitchens, bathrooms, and sleeping quarters built between the layers of the dome so that the masons could stay until the job was completed.
The tour of the Duomo involves 463 steps up to the very top, where you will see the frescoed interior of the dome, Michelangelo’s Lantern, and a view of the city, next climb the 414 steps to the top of the Campanile, and there you have your workout for the day. In all, the Duomo experience is not cheap (E15), but it is well worth the price and should not be missed. No doubt at this point you will be hungry, so take a little walk back to the area near your hotel for lunch. You can find a pizza, or try Amon. This is a to-go only hole in the wall serving freshly made Middle Eastern food like mousaka, falafel, and shish kebab each for under E3.50, cash only.
After lunch, spend the rest of the day at the Uffizi. Here you will see the work of Botticelli, Leonardo, Raphael, and many other Italian Renaissance artisits. The Medici riches are housed here as are various sculptures of famous historical figures including Vespucci, Machiavelli, and Petrarch done by famous historical artists.
Take a walk along the Arno River and around sunset, stand on the Ponte alle Graze, a bridge parallel to the Ponte Vecchio, meaning bridge of gold. From here, the view of the Ponte Vecchio, “melting in the setting sun is nothing less than heart stopping.” This was the only bridge to survive German bombs in WWII because the commander found it too beautiful to destroy and therefore toppled all the nearby buildings making the bridge impassible. After the sun sets, walk across the Ponte Vecchio and browse the numerous vendors lining the bridge. Enjoy the street musicians and then head back for dinner.
Tonight eat at Trattoria da Giorgio, where the fixed menu for E9.50 includes appetizer, entrée, bread, wine, and water. Surprisingly enough, water costs more than wine in many places here. After this long day, you will be hungry, thirsty and tired, so after dinner, go see the street performers at Piazza Della Republica. There is an Italian inscription on the plaza’s enormous arch which in English reads, “Ancient center of the city, squalid for centuries, restored to new life.” At this point, you may be ready to head to bed, so go ahead and do that.
In the morning, go to the Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David. Explore the works of Botticelli, and many of Michelangelo’s other works. Next, wander in the Mercato Nuovo, the New Market. Here you can pet the snout of The Little Pig, thought to bring good luck. Try a nearby café or vendor for lunch, or eat at Danny Rock, where you can get a pizza for E4.
The next stop is the very interesting Piazza Santa Croce. This beautiful Franciscan church holds the tombs of Michelangelo, Vasari, Galileo, Machiavelli, Donatello, the architects who built the Duomo, and an empty place for Dante whose body was never returned to Florence after his death in Ravenna. After the E4 tour, you can wander around the cloister and courtyard.
After this, you can choose to spend the E12.50 for the Palazzo Pitti, which houses the second most important group of art (after the Uffizi), or the Boboli Gardens for E6. If you are tired of museums and artwork, these gardens are delightful. Rows of Cyprus trees, trimmed hedges, lawns, and labyrinths are dotted with statues and fountains. Make sure to see the fountain of Bacchus. And relax for a while in the picnic areas.
Try happy hour from 6:30 to 8:30 at The Chequers Pub, where pints are E2.50, and/or Mayday lounge’s 8-10 happy hour.
Florence is one of the few places in the world where you can get on a train, spend two hours and $200 shopping, and come back with Prada, Gucci, Fendi or Dolce & Gabana goods worth at least a thousand dollars. To get the best items, get there early. The outlets open around 9am, and the train to Montevarchi will take about 40 minutes. For more information, go to www.outlet-firenze.com.
Fly to Catania in Sicily from Florence. There you will take a shuttle to the train station and then take the train to Giardini-Naxos. There are taxis and shuttle buses waiting at the station to take passengers to their hotels. Giardini Naxos was the first Greek colony in Sicily formed on the east coast in 734 BC. A few good hotels are is Hotel la Riva, where you can have a private bath and a small balcony, for only about E22 per person, Hotel Costa Azzurra, and Hotel Villa Mora. They all have free breakfast.
Spend the day at the beach, and snack on fruit and crepes from the nearby shops and cafes. When you’ve had enough of the beach, Take a taxi up the windy roads to the mountaintop town of Taormina. Ask to be dropped off at the base of the town and walk the rest of the way. The sites are impressive and the local people are very friendly. As you walk through the cobblestone streets and ancient archways, you will fall in love with the beauty and history of the town. Go to the Greek theater for a spectacular view of Mount Etna, and then visit the duomo and then join locals relaxing at the public gardens of Villa Comunale.
Have dinner at La Cisterna del Moro, where you can enjoy a stunning view of the beaches and towns below while munching on great food and drinks at good prices. Pizza is only E5, a small price to pay for the chance to dine in such a magnificent location.
Get up early the next day for an all day tour of Mount Etna. This could be the best E50 you spend in your entire young-adulthood. There are many tour operated from Giardini Naxos, but make sure to chose one that is E50 and takes you to a traditional open air market in a small Sicilian town, to a winery for a tour of the vineyards and vats, and then a wine tasting. This, all before taking you up Mount Etna to see the volcano and have a tour of the summit. While you are at the market, buy fresh cheeses and cooked meats, olives and bread. Also stop into a bakery for homemade pastries. Enjoy your purchases on the bus and then take a little nap after the wine tasting.
When you get back from your tour, have dinner and then go for drinks up in Taormina at Caffe Wunderbar—not to be missed. You will probably be tired, that’s what your hotel is for, so enjoy a good night’s sleep.
After breakfast, why not go back to the beach. Then take a walk on the pier and maybe talk to some of the fishermen on their boats. Eat something at one of the cafes or from the friendly markets on the main road. Maybe rent a paddleboat and float out to sea a bit. Take a self-guided walking tour of the Greek City built entirely out of blocks of lava that was only found in the 1960s during excavations to the area.
Have dinner at Angelina, where seafood is served seaside, or Ristorante-Pizzaria Lido da Angelo where dinners start at E6 and are served on a patio over the beach. Then get ready to party at Cabana for a night of dancing, and if you are looking for a late night go over to the lungomare party at V.S. Naxos. This is a hot spot in Giardini-Naxos with live music, popcorn and cotton candy vendors, and many, many people.
Take the train back to the bus back to the airport and fly to Rome. Take the Termini train line from the airport to the main station in Rome. When you arrive in the city, as usual, check into your hotel. Hotel Des Artistes is a higher end hotel with triple rooms that start at E29 per person and go up to E60 per person. Make sure to request the cheapest room possible with a bath and ask for the E10 discount if you can pay cash. This comes with free internet, a buffet breakfast, minifridge, safe, and access to a rooftop terrace. Hotel Cervia runs about E25 per person and includes a hearty breakfast. Another great pick would be Hotel Bolognese, where rooms come with a balcony and one-of-a-kind artwork but not breakfast. Although at E20-E25 per person, you can find breakfast elsewhere.
Today you will be touring the colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman forum first. You can either pay the E3.50 for each of these sights and an English tour, or you can do the whole thing for free but with less information and visuals. Let’s just say you choose the free version. Take a stroll up to the Colle Oppio park to see ruins from the Domus Aurea and a view of the Colosseum. Then walk down to and around the Colosseum, where you can peek inside at many locations. Make sure to stop and look at the Arch of Constantine. Self-tour the 2000 year old ruins of the Roman forum as well as the Mamertine Prison where Peter and Paul were imprisoned near the Arch of Settimo.
Have lunch nearby, but not so near that you pay high tourist prices. Take a short walk from the Coloseum to I Buoni Amici for cheap, excellent and filling Italian food. Risotto and linguini with lobster sauce are each under E7.
After lunch, go see the Spanish Steps and the famous Trevi fountain. Legend has it that if you toss a coin into the fountain, you will return soon. If you toss two, you will fall in love in Rome. This fountain cascades from the back of Palazzo Poli. You may want to take a look at the Keats-Shelley Memorial Museum for E3 showcasing the works of these English Romantic Poets. Enjoy the Renaissance, Egyptian and Baroque statues in the Piazza del Popolo. This is a good place for people watching and again, does not cost a dime—unless of course there is a fountain you would like to throw it in. You might also want to walk over to Piazza Barberini to see Bernini’s Triton Fountain.
Take a break at the hotel and then have dinner at Volpetti Piu. These large portions of salads, pizzas and daily specials will definitely fill you up and are well worth it starting at E4. Tonight, why not go out to Aquarela? E10 cover includes one drink and the party goes till 4am. There are underground tunnels that stay cool even when the party is hot.
After breakfast take the #64 bus to Vatican City. If you happen to be going here on the last Sunday of the month, entrance to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel is free. Here you can see Michelangelo’s famous ceiling and the Etruscan museum.
For lunch have superb prepared sandwiches or generous helpings of fresh pastas at Franchi. After lunch, take a walk around Vatican City, and then take the bus back to the center of Rome. Go to one of the huge outdoor markets specializing in books and antiques, ethnic foods, fresh and dried fruits, vegetable and meats. Later, go to the Pantheon and Rafael’s tomb and you’re ready for your last Roman dinner before taking the overnight train to go for the casual atmosphere of “Lo Spuntino” da Guido e Patrizia. Here you will find a full meal including wine for E8.
After dinner, you will board the ____ and then sleep your way to Switzerland. This is the only place on your journey where you will stay in a hostel, but it is not for lack of inexpensive hotels, rather for the 50 years of rave reviews about Balmer’s Herbitage in Interlaken. A 15 minute walk from either train station, Balmer’s is convenient and has everything you could ask for. At about 25 US dollars, you can stay in arguably the most fun hotel in all of Europe. With a bar, restaurant and nightclub all in the hostel, it is a great place to meet people and party the night away.
If you would rather stay at a more subdued hotel, book your room at Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof. For about the same price, you get spacious renovated rooms with balconies. You won’t really miss out on the fun if you don’t stay at Balmer’s because you will go there to party at night anyway. Stock up on beer at the Coop Pronto if you want to save while you booze.
For a nice dinner, try the fondue or sausage dishes at Restaurant Chalet Interlaken. Or try Top O’Met for their eight dollar lunch buffet or have dinner for around 10.
Because Switzerland is known for its snow sports, you will unfortunately miss out on skiing in the Swiss Alps on your trip. You can, however, ask your hotel for maps of popular hiking trails in the area. There are also sporting trips offered if you are interested in paying around 80 USD. Try Canyoning, where you jump, slide and repel down rocks and waterfalls. Or try rafting down the class III-IV Lutschine River.
Either stay two nights in Interlaken to party, hike and enjoy the scenery, or try one night in Lucerne on the western bank of Lake Lucerne. Here stay at Backpackers Lucerne for about 25 USD. Make sure to see this Picasso Museum even though you have already seen one. This one displays nearly 200 photographs of Picasso at work and play during the last 17 years of his life. It is imperative that you see the medieval old town and its Chapel and Spreuer Bridges. Have lunch on a rooftop terrace at Manora where you can fill up at their buffet.
Then go to Kunstmuseum to see 20 rooms of 18th and 20th century art and rotating contemporary exhibits. The next museum is the more practical and relevant Hitsorisches Museum. Learn all about Lucerne’s history from folk art and costumes to weapons and 20th century posters and packaging for Swiss products such as chocolate. Have dinner outside by the water at Rathaus Brauerie where they serve huge mugs of homemade beer and some of the most delicious food in town.
Ask anyone who has traveled in Europe and they will tell you that Prague was one of their favorite cities. It is easy to live like royalty here while spending less than anywhere else thus far.
Go to your hotel, check in, clean up and get out there. First you should have something to eat. It’s a must to go to Bohemian Bagel. This is not only the best breakfast deal in Prague; it is also so popular that another location has opened on the other side of town. After lunch, take a walking tour of the Royal Route. Start at the gothic Powder Gate where foreign monarchs, ambassadors and dignitaries were welcomed in old times. Then walk along Celetna Street and see the old Baroque and Rococo houses. At the end of the street, see the unicorn in Old Town Square and then proceed to the Old Town Hall. Have lunch at Klub Architectu where the servings are hearty and vegetarian options are available as is a fixed-price menu.
After lunch, go see some of the galleries on Karlova Street. Next, Knights of the Cross Square where the coronation procession and ceremony took place, then go inside the Old Town Bridge Tower and over the Charles Bridge, then under the Little Quarter towers. See Little Quarter Square and for two USD you can tour the Baroque church St. Nicholas’.
You will end up at the Prague Castle. You can take two different tours for about five dollars each. But you can explore the castle courtyards and gardens, and the cathedral nave for free. You also get to see the changing of the guard every hour.
Possibly the only place in Prague where you can smoke a hookah pipe after dinner is Dahab. This patisserie, tea room, café, and restaurant is a great place to sit and eat a relaxing dinner including wine, dessert, coffee or tea and some puffs on the hookah.
Have hotel breakfast, and then go to the National Gallery for the three USD tour of the country’s best collection of 14th-18th century art. Have lunch at The Black Eagle. Sit outside while you eat generous portions of well prepared traditional Czech food and reputable desserts.
After lunch, go to Sanctuary of Our Lady Loretta. This is an interesting attraction for those who are a little bored of normal art museums. Here, you can see a replica of the Santa Casa, where the Virgin Mary’s mother lived, and a fabulous treasury of religious artifacts encrusted in diamonds, pearls and gold.
Take a walk along the river and explore the shops, markets and galleries and then relax in a park until dinner. If you would like an alternative experience at dinner, try eating in restored 15th-century catacombs at U Madre Ruze, or The Blue Rose. There is something for everyone on this Czech and international menu featuring beef, game, lamb, seafood, and vegetarian dishes. Afterwards, go to Praga Variety or the Eden-Palladium Dance Club to party with the Czech until 5am.
Sleep in today and then pack your bags and check out of the hotel. Store your luggage with the desk and set out. Relish every bit of Prague, the Czech Republic, and Europe as you say your silent goodbyes. Remember the smells, and the sounds. Take in the architecture and the landscapes. Enjoy the crowds and the old streets as you walk over to the New Town. Take a tour of the Hotel Evropa Café and have lunch there. The food is affordable and very good, and the elegant dining room will impress you, as it was the model for the dining room on the titanic. Then walk into the markets and see what’s for sale. You might find fruits, clothing or cars, but it’s probably not a good idea to buy a car at a Prague market. Especially since you will be leaving soon.
See a matinee at the Puppet Theater and then eat your dinner on the floor at the Govinda Vegetarian Club. This Hare Krishna tea room and restaurant serves daily dinner specials for less than 100 korunas, just don’t expect to see a menu.
Are you ready to go home yet? Probably not, but the time has come for you to board the over-night train to Amsterdam. When you arrive, have breakfast at Gary’s Muffins and then take the bus to the airport. Say goodbye to your European Vacation, and get on the plane. Goodnight!
