Trip To Europe

[PerRock]

OK here goes...

I'm planning a trip to Europe; traveling by rail around (Rail Pass) I wish to see the sights, do the things that should be done (when one visits), and have fun. Currently the plan is to take 3 months and:

Fly to London;
See the UK & Ireland
take the Eurostar to Paris
See Paris and maybe some of the surrounding area
Head north to Amsterdam
See Amsterdam
Head South East to Dortmund
See Dortmund & Surrounding area (including the Wuppertal)
then head south to Switzerland
after Switzerland head to Muenchen
and then its off to Berlin.
After Berlin I have a choice; East to Poland; or South to Vienna
The Poland Leg would have me in Poland and then visiting Budapest
Then I'll end up in Vienna
After Vienna its Salzburg
where I head south to Venice
after getting my feet wet I'm off to Rome
I then round off my trip with a visit to the south or France
finally I head north to Paris and then back to London where I'll fly home.

I'm telling you this because I've never really been to Europe before (I spent a couple hours in London when I was 3) and I don't know what all to see; I know this is a large international community whom I call most of you "friends." And so I'd like to invite you all to help me formulate a list of places to go while I'm travelling.

I have set up a Google Docs spreadsheet to help organize my trip. If you have an Idea or suggestion of some place for me to go please add it to the spreadsheet. There are a couple things I ask of you first:
1)keep to the color code; anything you add should be PURPLE
2)Make sure to state who you are in the "suggested by" box (forum username is fine; if you put your real name in include your username as well so I know who you are) The 2 reasons I ask for that is so:
A) I'm curious
B) I'm planning on making a website logging my journey (with photos and vids) and I'd like to credit the people who suggest places.
3)Enter as much information as possible; I really don't want to spend my time looking up stuff not knowing what it is
4) Feel free to comment about places already listed (in the appropriate field) Don't add a color to your comments.
5) Try and place your point of interest under the closest city in Bold that is already listed--DON'T add your own cities!

And finally the Link:
Europe Trip - Destinations

Also if you wish to see a pictorial representation of my trip please see here:
Google Map of Trip

peter

PS: I should mention that I hope to have a companion traveling with me. I haven't decided who yet (although none of you know any of my options) so the places should be good things to do with 2 people. Oh and don't ask me if you can be my companion. If I wish you to come along you will get word privately.

Edit:
I have "Updated" the spreadsheet please read over 1st page; as that explains a bunch of stuff. I have also added a page for people to list themselves for me to visit. If you would like me to visit you please add yourself to the list (confidentiality concerns have been taken accounted for; read Sheet #1).

Finally!
If you wish for me to go somewhere ADD IT TO THE SPREADSHEET! if it is not on the sheet I'm not thinking about going (Scotland can be listed under Ireland or England; your pick )
-Peter

 

[PerRock]

I should mention (if it doesn't get closed for being off topic) That I'll keep giving you guys little updates as things happen.

peter

Edit: Oh Please don't share the link to the spreadsheet!

 

[AHSAN]

Hello

If you pop over to Glasgow in Scotland, let me know.:wave:

Enjoy your trip

Regards

Ahsan

 

[Quiebus]

You should travel straight to Amsterdam and stay there the full three months. No experience comes close t spending some time in Amsterdam. All the other European "main" tourist attractions are over rated.

 

[ex-railwayman]

Peter, when do you actually contemplate coming to Europe, now, in the summer, or will you be here for Christmas, etc....????
Depending on when you come over equates to summer attractions being closed and winter attractions being BUSY....:hehe:
I'm hoping to be in Berlin in November/December to watch the ice-hockey there, as well as the fabulous German Christmas markets, maybe that's another attraction to consider for your calendar ??

Cheerz. ex-railwayman.

 

[WileeCoyote]

Finally, somebody will be taking a visit to Germany. Come down to Frankfurt sometime bub, there are loads of railfanning opportunities there

WileeCoyote

 

[sura]

Hi PerRock,

when visiting Budapest, let us know. We, from HO TTrainz and FMA, are ready to meet You.

Sura
:wave:

 

[Boobless_ed]

I would like to give you a quick warning about Amsterdam.

I arrived here with the intent of spending three or four days, but now that's turned into six weeks. My European trip is turning into a disaster, as I am unable to move away from this beautiful city.

If you come here, make sure you book a ticket out, otherwise you might very quickly forget your home country. Then again, that might not be such a bad thing.

 

[geophil]

Strange thing about Amsterdam is they instantly recognise you as being non-Dutch and address you in English right away.

Old-town is changing. During my last visit in April I walked along Zeedijk in the middle of the night, infamous for its drug scene for many years, and I found it much safer than before. (It was simply the shortest way from the pub in the Jordaan quarter back to the hotel.) The red light district is also undergoing urban revitalisation I have been told. Where will that leave the tourists? It has been a major attraction.

One of the less known attractions of the city was a floating bus stop (I've told it's gone). At the back door of Amsterdam Centraal, the main railway station, there is a car ferry across the Ij (a former river, nowadays part of the waterway between the North Sea and the Ijsselmeer). This (free) ferry used to carry a bus route and they put the bus stop right on its deck.

There is small marina at the north side. It used be a cheap overnight place, but you needed to arrive by sailing boat.

 

[WileeCoyote]

On a more reastic note...

Muenchen is well worth visiting due to its interesting collection of yet-to-be-destroyed socialist architecture which came as a result of the 3rd Reich, other than this the Deutsches Museum (German equivelant to the Smithsonian) is well worth a visit even if you can't speak or read the language.

Dortmund... well, I honestly don't know what's in the area, but the Ruhr valley is loaded to the gills with trains, plenty of opportunities to get your fix for rakes and rakes of iron ore in.

Berlin. I was there for what was planned to be a three day trip, but was cut short due to a very disagreeable grandmother (my own I must say), and an even nastier holiday house owner. Horrible relatives and landlords aside, Berlin is a very nice place to visit, particularly if you're into relics of the Cold War, the place is chock full of them. As for local trains, this is very interesting as during the Cold War, each side literally developed independent of the other, this is still evident today even with so much modernization of the rail network.

Poland, better known to me as where my mum ocassionaly goes to buy Polish pottery, is a former piece of the communist bloc which, in some areas, still has yet to move past that. Just across the border from Frankfurt a.d. Oder is the town of Wolsztyn (pre WW2 name being Wollstein), this is one of a very few places in Western Europe where steam trains are still used on a daily basis. Revenue freight or passenger trains pulled by Prussian steamers from before the first world war, it's all there, even the signaling system, the good old German semaphore, still remains unchanged to this day.

If you want some more general info on Germany, or a list of heritage railroads and railroad museums in the areas you'll be visiting, start spamming my PM inbox.

WileeCoyote

 

[nikos1]

I couldnt figure out how to add things to your spreadsheat thingy but these are some must do's.
From london book yourself a ticket on a Grand Central Railway HST to York (their website is http://www.grandcentralrail.co.uk
Once on board, dont bother sitting down in your seat, get yourself a spot at the door window on the front coach, and get prepared for the ride of your life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUH511GEF1I
Dont delay now though, as the Valenta powered HST's are becoming rarer and rarer each day, Grand Central is the only TOC that has no plans to replace them. In York make sure to visit the national rail museum!
Another must go place in the UK is Penzance, UK, make sure to make a stop of in Dawlish on your way, the tracks there run just feet from the ocean and their is a path along the seawall between the trains and ocean!
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=241720&nseq=2
Penzance is a great town too, one of my favorite in the UK, plan to spend atleast two days there, i did it in one but wouldve loved to spend more time.

On the continent make sure to visit Austria. The number one place there i can recommend is Innsbruck, beautiful alpine scenery, lots of trains, streetcars, everything you could want
Vienna is also a great place, they have a very nice streetcar system there.
Venice also cant be missed, the train ride from Innsbruck to Venice is great as well.

 

[jytte]

If you go in the spring/summer months, you should go to Denmark. Nothing like it! At the risk of offending fellow Danes, don't bother with the capital, Copenhagen, it's much like any other big city (except for Tivoli, of course). But take a little trip around the country, especially the southern islands, would be well worth your time!

 

[PerRock]

Hi PerRock,

when visiting Budapest, let us know. We, from HO TTrainz and FMA, are ready to meet You.

Sura
:wave:

Sounds good. I don't have any dates yet (need to figure $$ first) But keep a look out here!

Dortmund... well, I honestly don't know what's in the area, but the Ruhr valley is loaded to the gills with trains, plenty of opportunities to get your fix for rakes and rakes of iron ore in.

Dortmund (and Dresden) Are the big cities near Wuppertal.

I couldnt figure out how to add things to your spreadsheat thingy but these are some must do's.

Oh I should have mentioned I believe you need to have a (free) google account to edit things; other than that it is pretty much the same as Excel (or OOo Calc)

peter

 

[Boobless_ed]

You mentioned you were likely to head to England and Ireland. I must recommend though that you head to Scotland, even if it's just for a short while. For some reason, Scotland seems to be overlooked by many European trips. The Scots are extremely friendly, and have a great quirky sense of humour. I was staying in the small village of Stow in the borders, and some of the locals treated me to a 2:00 AM demonstration of the bagpipes in their home. The neighbours were woken by this, but instead of complaining, they joined the party. My ears were wrecked the next day! Thankfully the hangover overshadowed that!

You'll also find Edinburgh to be one of the most beautiful cities. In my three months there, I must have spent around four hours just walking around the city every day. It's so full of character, and really feels ancient. I've never been to a prettier city.

If you do get there though, don't complain about the rain

 

[geophil]

Forget Dortmund as a tourist destination, nothing specific there. Industrial town. Head for Cologne instead. It's on your route anyway, a big railway hub and the Amsterdam trains (ICE) go there.

What do you want to see in Wuppertal? The Schwebebahn, I guess. That's indeed worth a visit.

Dresden is in the south-east of Germany. Very attractive city. If you skip Poland and head for Vienna from Berlin you will pass through it. Beyond Dresden you will travel along the Elbe River Valley and the Elbsandsteingebirge. Similar to the Rhine Valley (which you will see south of Cologne if you take a slow train), but more idyllic.

Also on your way from Berlin to Vienna via Dresden you will pass through Prague in the Czech Republic, another not-to-be-missed stop in my opinion.

Back to the Rhine Valley: Either that or the 300 kph high-speed line across the hills. The high-speed line is kind of boring but will save you an hour. The Rhine Valley has much more to offer.


In place of Dortmund I recommend Manchester or Birmingham in the UK.

 

[Wessex_Electric_Nutter]

Peter, one word of advice,

don't do what ltborgops did when he came over here, brought £60 worth of magazines and then ended up paying a charge over the other side of the tunnel.
(Sorry Thad, I had to mention it! )

On another idea, I am sure many others (including myself) would love to meet Trainz users from abroad in our local countries. If you ever end up going to the south coast, do give me a PM.

On a serious note though, there is a place I really would recommend you visit, the city of Bath, located some 130 miles from London and accessible by Train. (First Great Western - although not suggested as FGW has a bit of a bad reputation at the moment. ;-) ).
The city is built on roman architecture, an era long gone, but survived long enough to be found. There are many locations like that in the UK, where the romans came, saw, conquered and went subsequently and another group from other countries came over. (Although, I've visited many museums with my dad, when he worked for an audio tour guide company, too numerous to mention.)

It all depends what you are interested in really. Railways? Try going to York and visiting the National Rail Museum. Or you can try many preserved railways. Around London, you have the Bluebell Railway (kettles only), Spa Valley Railway (mixed) and the Watercress Line (mixed, but most likely kettles.).
Most attractions are outside of London, like the ones I mentioned, it depends on how much time you have and what you want to do.

 

[jytte]

I must recommend though that you head to Scotland, even if it's just for a short while.

I second that, Scotland is beautiful, the people wonderful, and the language charming!

And check out Wales!! Absolutely georgeous, but be prepared to understand absolutely nothing of the native language, he he.

 

[jytte]

Hello Nutter,

I visited an aunt in Chichester many many moons ago. The countryside is beautiful! And if you've ever seen Miss Marple on TV, that's what the quaint village felt like. A very lovely visit.

 

[jytte]

To stay on the train subject, plus I forgot to mention, If you do go to Denmark (and you really should), you will find that a lot of travel there involves a ferry (being that Denmark consists of many islands), and that's a nice experience in itself. Many of the train-ferries I used to take, have sadly been replaced with bridges or tunnels, but some are still operating.

 

[ess1]

I second that, Scotland is beautiful, the people wonderful, and the language charming!

And check out Wales!! Absolutely georgeous, but be prepared to understand absolutely nothing of the native language, he he.

Very true and I'm half Welsh. Don't forget your brolly, after all it is summer here.

From rainy Newport.

Whatever you do or wherever you go enjoy