Which 2 european cities should I visit? How to travel cheap?

[mattbiernat]

Okay so I am staying in Europe for another month or so (with my parents, I've seen them only once in the past 10 years but that's another topic)... I've already spent tons of money on my plane ticket here so i figured out why not travel a little bit? I can afford to travel to only 2 major European cities and I don't have money to stay longer than 1-2 nights in each of them.
I was thinking about Paris for its beauty, long history and of course the Eiffel Tower. Then also Rome for I love the history of ancient Roman Empire, Amsterdam would be nice too... But then I'm thinking, common every person that I spoke to in U.S. mostly visits those places and I want to see something unique and original in Europe. I was thinking about Moscow, as it is the center of culture in Russia, or maybe Kiev for its ancient history. Or maybe some smaller city in France/Italy not so packed with tourists.

1. Which (2) European cities would you travel to and why? What places should I definitely see? Remember I can stay at most 2 nights in each city.
2. Any ideas how to travel cheaply from Poland? I already found http://www.eco-tickets.com/ but if you guys know anything better or cheaper...
3. Cheap hotels/motels to stay in Europe?
4. Is there like a major website on which I can check the departures and arrivals of all trains in Europe?

With my limited budget maybe it's better to hop on a train and visit as much countryside in Europe as possible. Not stopping anywhere and just sleeping on the train. That way maybe instead of visiting just 1 or 2 countries I could see more like 4-5.

[beGi]

I want to see something unique and original in Europe.

Rome is ok, but if you want to see something unique go to Dubrovnik, Croatia.....beautifull; google it for pictures, you won't be dissapointed......or simply come to Croatia and travel around (very small country) or pick one of thousands of islands.....nature, tradition and people at its best.....for means of travel that is up to you (try low-cost airlines)....

[RealBlackStuff]

If you want culture in Russia, go to St. Petersburg (former Leningrad).
It's Venice, Russian style, and the Hermitage is much more impressive than the Louvre IMHO. You won't have the nice restaurants as in Paris, but hey... It's also not that far from Poland. You take your bottle of Bison Vodka with you on the train, and you're there pronto!

If you want to go slightly off the beaten track:
in France try Colmar, Strasbourg or Aix-en-Provence
In Belgium try Bruges
In Holland try Maastricht
In Switzerland try Basle
In Italy try Milan
In Spain try Barcelona
In Ireland try Kilkenny
In Germany try Cologne

Take a train if possible.
Your best bet is http://www.eurail.com/
They can organize trips for you.

[ulrich.von.lich]

Barcelona is one of my favorite places in the world. It's nice to visit the city when the weather is warmer, such as in April. I love the fact the beer there is cheaper than in Paris, and so are hotels. I have a feeling that hostels in Barcelona are somehow more expansive than small hotels. (You need to pay extra to meet new people?)

Ryanair offers much cheaper flights than Air France. About €50 TTC for a round trip from Paris to Barcelona if you reserve in advance.

And of course, Paris is definitely worth visiting. If you ever come to France, don't forget to try the beer called Desperados.

[ajkula66]

Another gorgeous city, not that far away from you is Budapest. I haven't been there in almost a decade, so I don't know how affordable the accommodations are right now, but it's definitely worth seeing.

I also third the recommendation for Barcelona, if you choose to travel in that direction.

[BillMorrow]

AND, FWIW..

1. you might connect to other thinkpad owners who will show you around their town,

2. its WINTER there so tourist places are pretty much closed up..
any that are open will negotiate.. and its easy to negotiate price even if you don't speak the language..

3. look for student hostels..

4. colmar is wonderful..
while in france look for some auberge..
you can negotiate at a near empty of tourists auberge in france..

5. milan..? no, FLORENCE..!

have fun and email us postcards..

[Trekk69]

Check out www.ryanair.com and www.skyscanner.net for cheap flights
Just got back from Dublin my self earlier today (now got to go through and check new topics!). And it was very nice!

[BeeJayEmm]

I haven't been to Europe in a long time but RBS's suggestions of Koeln (Cologne) and the EurailPass are very good, as is Bill Morrow's for student hostels. Also suggest Copenhagen, Denmark; Heidelberg, Germany; and Salzburg, Austria. They're very mainstream but wonderful.

[JHEM]

A few things to keep in mind. You can't purchase a Eurailpass in the EU! It's cheaper to fly nowadays in EU than to take the train. Hitchhiking is an acceptable means to travel in the former Warsaw pact countries. Generally, in winter in EU, the warmer the weather the more expensive it is to stay there. Portugal is a better value than Spain.

Screw Koln, think Munich and beer! Venice is relatively deserted in the wintertime. It's also frequently under water in the wintertime! Rome is where you go in Italy to see ancient ruins. Milan is where you go to EAT!

If you're truly adventurous, try Morocco or Egypt! A little more difficult to get to, but your $$s will go a LOT further than in EU.

[mattbiernat]

thank you guys for your insights. I am definitely considering Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Lviv. My parents live in southern Poland so traveling to those cities won't be much trouble. Actually I am considering to take nightly bus/train from Poland to each of those places and spend one day per city. As for the longer stay I am still considering France and Italy. Maybe if I have enough money I will take a flight to Barcelona (only $100), but that's a long shot. I checked out the EUrail and although it is expansive it seems quite tempting. 7 days of traveling by train is approximately $350 (for 3 countries only). during that time I could perhaps check out France, Italy and Austria. Maybe sleeping while traveling on the train and during the day checking out various countryside and smaller European cities. I don't have money for everything so it is so hard to make the right decision. Honestly what do you guys think? Is it better to stay in one city for a couple of days and really get to know it or travel to many smaller cities and only see fractions of what they have to offer?

[Trekk69]

Well, any decisions on places to visit confirmed?

[mattbiernat]

Well, any decisions on places to visit confirmed?

yes. i was initially going to take EUrail around spain, france and italy. then I figured that I really want to travel around central Europe and Poland before I go either west or east. So.... Im gonna go to Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Lviv, Vilnus, Colgone, and some cities around Poland such as Krakow, Gdansk, Wroclaw and Warsaw. Each of these places will be just one day trip, except for Gdansk where im gonna stay for 1 night with my friends. I've also decided to go to Paris and Amsterdam and stay there for 2-3 nights and meet up with my family friends.
Maybe when I'm gonna have a little bit more money I will do EUrail for a month around entire europe, right now it is out of the question. I wil try to post some pictures when im done traveling.

[Trekk69]

Very nice!
Let us know how they go!