In Lisbon the only people we ran into that couldn’t speak English were the cabbies. All the 60 year old tax drivers didn’t know any English. But we were also able to get Uber pretty much anywhere, and they were all younger people that spoke English flne.
We mostly took the little Electrico busses that drove through the old city when we visited Rome. Slightly terrifying but very convenient as it stopped right by our hotel, highly recommend!
Thanks for all the recs.
Please tell me more about Munich.
Paris seems like a no-brainer.
As does Spain.
All of the above.
What do you love about Berlin? For whatever reason Germany wasn’t high on my list but that’s two German cities recommended. May have to reconsider.
Wife is interested in Portugal, and I always hear about what a great expat destination it is.
I’ve always been fascinated with the Scandinavian countries, but I’m reading mixed reviews in this thread.
Also hear lots of great things about Scotland. The golf is appealing, though neither of us are drinkers, so don’t know how much a lack of pub experience would detract from the experience.
Berlin is a big, vibrant, exciting city, sort of like NYC with a European rather than American identity. There’s a lot going on. And the amount of history there is incredible. It would have to be the city in the last 100 years that has had the most happen to it. The Germans are great people. English is widely spoken there. I was less keen on Munich, but to some extent all these recommendations are a bit random based on what kind of time people had in their relatively short visits. Some people find the Parisians rude, for example. I have been there three times and find them polite and friendly. I was the same as you before the first time I went to Europe in terms of being like “well I guess I’ll go to Germany, shrug, not really on my radar” and then it was one of the countries I had the best time in. If you told me right now I had to move to a city in continental Europe, I would probably pick Berlin.
I’d give Amsterdam a downvote. I just think you very much tend to get the “tourist experience” when you go there. You know, the Anne Frank house, the Van Gogh museum, going and gawking and the red light district, all that stuff. If that’s what you want fine, but I tend to prefer a less curated experience, if that makes sense.
I would also avoid trying to visit too many cities at once. A lot of people when they go to Europe do an itinerary that is like Rome, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona the reality of which is that you are in the middle of big cities all the time. If you do that you will miss out on awesome places you have never heard of, like Bled and the Soča river, Slovenia:
Or the Lofoten Islands, Norway:
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Thanks. Berlin sounds great, and those natural destinations look amazing. We’ll definitely want to do a combo of big cities and natural beauty.
So much this. Also second your take on Berlin.
This was the biggest mistake I made when I first traveled through Europe. I never really got a chance to settle down in a place and chill a bit. I was so focused on completing an itinerary that I didn’t enjoy what was around me.
As a matter of fact, I make it a point to include at least a day a week to do basically nothing but lay in whatever room I’m staying in and relax. Otherwise, I get tired and burn out fast.
Anyway @Ikioi, for a first time traveler to Europe and especially one from so far away, I always recommend the more popular places to guarantee a good time. Sure it’s basic to go to Paris/London/Rome but you’re also a lock to enjoy yourself.
I like doing a month in places when possible.
My trip over the Winter was 3 months and included a month in Paris and a month in Barcelona. Between those we went to Madrid, Andalucía, Lyon, then Athens.
It can really cut down on costs if you’re more budget oriented. We got lucky to find super well located and decent enough apartments for like $1350/month in both places. If paying daily rates on AirBNB it would’ve likely been double.
You also get a better sense of what day to day life might be like in those places.
This time around, we’re doing a month, but meeting my brother who wants to do a week in Italy and they’re cramming in Rome, Florence, Bologna, and Venice in that time, lol.
Before that we’re doing 4 days in Vienna, 4 in Budapest, and a week in Prague, which is a little more reasonable, but still a bit fast paced for my liking.
I realize that very few people would have the luxury of longer term travel. I’m probably one of the poorer people in this forum bc online poker’s pretty tough to scratch out more than a modest salary these days, but I do love the freedom to spend so much time in various cities around the world.
Munich is a really nice pleasant, medium-sized city–historical, relaxed, and fun. Small enough that there isn’t really an urban grind. For day trips, it’s among the best cities in Europe, with the ability to see castles, really cool scenery (since the Bavarian alps are really close), and WWII history (Dachau), etc all within an hour or two train ride.
I recommend Germany in general for people interested in society and politics, as it’s probably the best example of what a large, prosperous country like the US could strive to be if it rethought its priorities.
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Doing a trip to Portland/Cannon Beach/Bend/Hood River trip in mid-October. Any musts? Have 1 dinner in Portland, otherwise tooling around those other areas for the week.
I heard a tip from a local that the tide pooling around Silver Point, accessible via Logan Lane, is better than that at Haystack Rock. It was on our way out of town, though, so I haven’t investigated myself.
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@anon10387340 recommended me Oma’s Hideaway in East Portland and it was the best meal I had while in the US.
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I think it was @superuberbob who mentioned that he ran into a lot of Spanish speakers in Budapest. I thought it sounded odd, but I’ll be damned if our AirBNB host didn’t start speaking perfect Spanish once she noted my gf is from Mexico.
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Bulgaria
Convenient to come across that in Budapest though!
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I’m in Toronto for a conference. The city definitely has its own vibe. Went to dinner at a random pub that had a vegan/health food menu and where all the waitresses were wearing sports bras or other exercise attire. I felt like I was in a cross between a Sweetgreen and a Hooters. Maybe @goreo @mosdef @clovis8 or other Canuck posters can let us know if this is a normal Canadian thing.
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Thats a Canadian strip club.
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We have a few like that but not very common.
TO does have awesome strip clubs if that is tour thing! Second only to Montreal.
I got kicked out of the country trying to get to a Canadian strip club in Niagra when I was 19. We accidentally fled the border lol.
I have never been to Montreal, but I have been told there are strip clubs that are practically brothels.
In TO don’t eat any western food. You have access to some of the best global cuisine on earth outside New York.
That said the one local food that is so awesome is a peameal bacon sandwich. Highly worth getting.