Alis girls Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Hoping to do a city break next month in Europe. Any hotel recommendations in Amsterdam, Venice or Rome gratefully received please. Thanks in advance. I can then google and look if available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Are you really set on Amsterdam? And how many days would you spend there? Hotels there are crazy expensive. You might want to consider staying in a city close to Amsterdam. Leiden is really nice, a lot smaller and probably a bit cheaper too. Otherwise Haarlem is closer, but I have no experience there. Rotterdam is a really cool big city too, but a bit further (about an hour by train). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 (edited) I stayed in this hotel in Venice a year ago - San Cassiano di Favretto and it was lovely, a bit old-fashioned but the staff were very helpful and it's right on the Grand Canal. Edited August 10, 2016 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 A reasonable (albeit plain) hotel I've stayed in in Amsterdam is called the Leidesplein (possible incorrect spelling). It is a good base for sightseeing but no good if you want somewhere that feels like a treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Look at Citizen M Hotels - they are fab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted August 10, 2016 Author Share Posted August 10, 2016 Thanks so much will be looking at these. Having checked YS's Geography trip dates we have realised we wouldnt have enough time to look round the place with flights etc, so have put it off till next year when hes in Berlin with school. We will holiday in Uk instead. |But I will be looking at suggestions. thanks xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Amsterdam is pretty cheap and easy going. I recommend going to the House of Bols if you get the opportunity - particularly if you like cocktails! Just wandering the canals is great, you find so many quirky little shops. Get the train to Brugge - it's a gorgeous little place for a day trip. Don't go to Ostend, there is nothing worth seeing there. Venice is amazing, but much much cheaper if you stay on the mainland and get the train in. I highly recommend getting the boats out to the islands too as each one has a few surprises tucked away. But it's similar to Amsterdam: just wander without purpose and you'll find loads of little places. The main thing with Venice, though: it is an absolute rip-off for tourists... not so much in the restaurants in the evenings (if you're out of the way a little), but if you stop and get a couple of cans of coke, they will attempt to charge you something like 9 - 12 Euros. Anywhere on the main square is an absolute rip-off, and if you're sat somewhere that you can see or hear a band, expect to pay even more. If you're going to take a gondola ride, either share and split the cost - or at very least make sure you agree the price up-front. In my opinion you probably don't need to spend more than 2-3 days in each place to appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted August 10, 2016 Author Share Posted August 10, 2016 Thanks folks have saved the tips and will investigate further next year. Last time I was in Amsterdam was the year Argentina invaded Falklands. Went to Anne Franks house and I think we went round canals and red light district Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Nothing changed there! I'm not an Amsterdam girl... Born in The Hague! Although if you do go, see if you can get a guided tour in the Rijksmuseum, done by the guides of the Rijksmuseum. They have amazing guides! I take a bunch of 15 year olds and even they are entertained by those guides! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 My son and his girl friend went to Amsterdam at the end of May this year and loved it, they said search out the apple pie restaurant and a micro brewery in a windmill. They stayed in rooms let out by a boat hire company at the back of their offices, they were cheap but clean and nice and the people there gave them tips about how to avoid the expensive tourist places and told them about the best place for apple pie and beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 You'd have to fly to make it worth it, but Berlin is an *excellent* place to go, and fairly reasonably priced. Ditto Budapest - which is dirt cheap, and really scenic with plenty to see and do. Prague is a pretty nice place too, but in my experience does tend to be fairly heavy with hen and stag parties. Paris is nice if you stay in a nice bit, the flea markets are great, I could spend all day digging through them for bargains and nic-nacs. I think my very favourite European cities are: Berlin, Budapest, Brugge, and Barcelona - if you go to Barcelona you WILL need to be wary of pickpockets and scams, sadly it is absolutely rife! Two of my friends lost their mobiles, and one lost their bag within an hour of arriving. Ljubljana, Zagreb, Bratislava, and Vienna are all very nice for a couple of days, although you don't need to spend much time in any of them to see the place. If you're in Croatia you *have* to go to Split and Dubrovnik which may be two of the most scenic places I have ever been. If you go to Italy, spend a day in Florence (take bug spray, you will be bitten by fleas and midges, especially around the Duomo and crossing the Ponte Vecchio). You should definitely check out a small little place called Montecatini (and take the funicular up to Montecatini Alto). I could go on and on. Sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted August 11, 2016 Author Share Posted August 11, 2016 Wow you are well travelled Andy. Might do Paris weren't put off by terrorist attacks we lived through IRA so made of strong stuff. However we have family (elderly)who worry. Unfair to put extra stress on them worrying about us. Hopefully by next yr things will have died down. Did Barcelona we must have been lucky didn't have any trouble and we had YS in wheelchair with broken ankle so would have been easy target. Thanks everyone I will let you know outcome next yr. We are going to do Cambridge this Sept and reschedule Europe for next year. BTW Andy have you got hens yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 Wow you are well travelled Andy. BTW Andy have you got hens yet? This is going to make me seem really stuck-up or spoiled or something, but with the exception of the Scandinavian countries, and some of the more dodgy former Soviet countries, I've been to most of Europe. It's part of the reason I am personally devastated about Brexit (not going in to the politics of it as I know everyone has their own opinion), because the ability to roam so freely has really helped me travel - particularly as I have a paralysing phobia of flying (bad experience). The Eurostar has been a life-saver! I used to be completely fine, and when I was younger I even lived in the US - so if you want some tips there, let me know. Anyway, yes, I love to travel. My partner and I are hoping to one day do the trans-Siberian express all the way to the far east and travel round there. Hopefully it'll happen, but who knows. No hens yet. We weren't sure when exactly we are going to be moving to the new house, so I didn't want to order anything additional that I was going to have to up-root and move! Hopefully we'll be in by early September. It may have to be next year now, as I am going to need to spend some time and money doing up the house (planning to have an extension built). That and I need to get the garden sorted. I guess I will have to see how things work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I was hesitant to recommend my two favourite cities but then I thought that the idea is to recommend the things you like and the rest is up to the recipient. They're both in Germany : Trier - small, not terribly pretty but it has some amazing history. It was the capital of the Roman Empire in western Europe and there are lots of ruins. Lots of walking to be done, I especially like one that goes through vineyards and you can check out grape varieties. It also has some gorgeous allotments we like to stroll through and of course plenty of opportunities for currywurst, schnitzel and beer. Karl Marx was born there so there is also a Karl Marx museum. It has a tourist train thing which is run by a surly man and I wouldn't particularly recommend that. It was so uncomfortable and miserable that it made us laugh so I suppose that's good. Relatively short and easy drive across France, Belgium and Luxembourg from Calais. Heidelberg - again quite small and not pretty. I'm not even sure why I like it. It has a funicular and a castle and the 'longest shopping mile' which always strikes me as a funny sentence. Surely a mile is a mile no matter what it's purpose. Some curious shops, one we went into to buy a dancing pony puppet that also sold pretty little German style blouses and a fierce array of guns and knives. Again lots of opportunities for currywurst, schnitzel and beer. Also an easy drive although a little longer. Both cities have very nice Christmas Markets although Trier's is very small. Although both cities have plenty of tourists it's more possible to escape from things you know and not everyone speaks English so as our German is quite rudimentary it's a bit difficult which adds to the escapism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Oh I do like Heidelberg! Very pretty castle too! Trier is definitely not in my top something... Maybe I've been forced to visit it too often and had to listen to the same boring tourguides too often too... (We take students there once a year...) Another really great city in Germany: Essen! A-MA-ZING shopping but also loads of cultural things. This old Ruhrgebiet city which has loads of old industrial buildings and sites that have been transformed into new attractions. They have made an old metal factory into a theatre. And old metal melting factory has been transformed into a park, including climbing walls and a diving site. It was the cultural capital of Europe a number of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Good few years ago I treated my daughter and I to a break in Brussels. They had the greatest transport system I have seen, buses, trams and underground all on the same ticket which was really cheap. The open topped bus is a must for any new city and you can get on and off. We went to the site of the old expo and they have a miniature village there as well as the atomium, you can go up inside and we had lunch there. and in the town centre the buildings were stunning. I would go back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Good few years ago I treated my daughter and I to a break in Brussels. They had the greatest transport system I have seen, buses, trams and underground all on the same ticket which was really cheap. The open topped bus is a must for any new city and you can get on and off. We went to the site of the old expo and they have a miniature village there as well as the atomium, you can go up inside and we had lunch there. and in the town centre the buildings were stunning. I would go back. Anyone going to Brussels should stay in Hotel Bloom! Very lovely and stylish! And amazing view over the city! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Oh I do like Heidelberg! Another really great city in Germany: Essen! I LOVE Heidelberg - especially for the Christmas markets. We went a few years back when it was snowing, it was amazing. They were having a mini Christmas market up in the grounds of the castle, looking down over the city was great. I lived in Essen briefly for work. I think it's a quite functional place, but I did love the big shopping arcade and the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percy049 Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Hotels there are crazy expensive. I realised Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Hotels there are crazy expensive. I realised If ever wanting to visit, do look at some of the cities close to Amsterdam. They will be more affordable. And if coming by car, you can park at a Park and Ride just outside the city and you'll get a public transport card. Total cost is about €10 for parking and cards for up to 4 people I think. And you can travel all through Amsterdam with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percy049 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Hotels there are crazy expensive. I realised If ever wanting to visit, do look at some of the cities close to Amsterdam. They will be more affordable. And if coming by car, you can park at a Park and Ride just outside the city and you'll get a public transport card. Total cost is about €10 for parking and cards for up to 4 people I think. And you can travel all through Amsterdam with it. Thanks but I've already booked it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 I'm pretty lucky studying in Central Europe (they don't like being called Eastern Europe ) in that we can travel easily and pretty cheaply. Students under 26 get free rail travel throughout Slovakia. Last year we went to Bratislava, Vienna and Brno, Uzhgorod in Ukraine (an experience but really glad I went); Budapest is only a train ride away. We're going to Krakow and Auschwitz in September then I think Prague will be next on the list. Other than that I love Berlin as a city. A friend has lived there for a couple years so it's great to visit and have a 'local' guide for great places to eat and best times to visit museums. We've been to Paris a few times and think it's over-rated but the rest of the family love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
