Any recommendations

[sakermanser]

Sorry this isnt really music related. When I have some questions about europe I always think to come here first. Well if anyone will oblige me that would be great.

A friend and I have put together a short trip to europe together, nothing really planned just check out some cities.

This is are hypothetical route

Leave Philadelphia
Hit Amsterdam
Hit Berlin? I'm not sure what would be the best city to see in Germany
Hit Copenhagen
Hit Stockholm
Back to Philly

Are there any recommendations for things to see, eat or do at any of these places. We were planning to go in early May. Not to far away, we kinda fly by the seat of our pants.

I'll take any ideas and read up on the situation.

Thanks for any suggestions

I've been to Copenhagen and no offense to anyone who lives there, but I didn't find the city very interesting...Christiania (a self-goverened free state) within the city was neat, but full of huge dogs, scary looking people and drug dealer types, lol. There's some nice graffiti in there, but that's about it. Everything in Copenhagen was verrrrrrrrrrrrry expensive. The transport links are very good though and you could easily go to Malmö too, which is literally right next door. If you do decide to go to Copenhagen, I would definitely try the smørredbrød (open-faced sandwiches). I had one little one and I have been thinking of it ever since, lol. La Glace is also a nice place to get pastries and the coffee there is really good and it is bottomless (though it is also very pricey...is there a running theme here? lol). There's also a good meatball place in Malmö called Orvars Korvar. And the Turning Torso building is so cool, but it is kinda in the middle of nowhere.

Berlin was a lot more interesting to me but I also found the city quite quiet when I went. There are some interesting museums there though, especially the Jewish Museum. It's also a lot cheaper than Copenhagen and there are more things to see like Reichstag (German parliament), Victory Column (the thing that Bono climbed in U2's "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" video), Checkpoint Charlie, the Holocaust memorial, remnants of the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Gendarmenmarkt, Bebelplatz, Museum Island, etc. When I went there in Feb 2008 there was a free city tour and they brought us all on a pretty comprehensive walking tour of the city. For shopping, definitely check out Kurfürstendamm and KaDeWe. Things to eat in Berlin...umm I think you should try a currywurst. They are not bad and are a local specialty! You won't find them anywhere else. Pork is a big thing there, so if you don't like pork you might starve to death in Germany, lol. For some yummy cheap local food, check out Marheineke Markthalle, which is the cleanest indoor market place I have ever been to.

Can't comment on Amsterdam nor Stockholm as I've never been, but I definitely want to check those cities out sometime! Have fun on your trip!

[Suvi]

Berlin is well worth a visit! Depending on how long you stay there, you should consider making a daytrip to the city of Potsdam. It takes about an hour to get there by train, don't really remember how much it costs. Potsdam is very beautiful, especially the Park Sanssouci and the Dutch Quarter.

[m@rco]

I would skip Amsterdam and go to Paris or Florence instead. Or both.

[m@rco]

Basketball player turned coach... was in a couple of movies. You know.. like a cameo, I suppose?

I know there's a Dutch TV-series about footie, that's all.

[Suvi]

I would skip Amsterdam and go to Paris or Florence instead. Or both.

I would skip Paris (though I've never been there, so I can't say anything negative about it) and go to Prague or Barcelona. Got to love those cities!

If you don't want to spend all of you vacation in noisy cities, go to the Alps either in Austria or Switzerland. There are plenty of picturesque villages in the Alps (and the Alps are beautiful..).

[m@rco]

I would skip Amsterdam and go to Paris or Florence instead. Or both.

I would skip Paris (though I've never been there, so I can't say anything negative about it) and go to Prague or Barcelona. Got to love those cities!

If you don't want to spend all of you vacation in noisy cities, go to the Alps either in Austria or Switzerland. There are plenty of picturesque villages in the Alps (and the Alps are beautiful..).

Since there are so many beautifull places in Europe I would lengthen my holiday .

[Suvi]

Since there are so many beautifull places in Europe I would lengthen my holiday .

Why not just move to Europe

[sakermanser]

Why not just move to Europe

That's what I did, lol. Naw, I am just here for school.

[m@rco]

Why not just move to Europe

Great idea.

[luckyguerin13]

Why not just move to Europe

Sounds like a plan!

[utomjording]

I also hope to make a trip in Europe this summer. There are so many cities I haven't seen, and I won't be satisfied before I'm looking out over Paris from the Eiffel tower.

[m@rco]

I also hope to make a trip in Europe this summer. There are so many cities I haven't seen, and I won't be satisfied before I'm looking out over Paris from the Eiffel tower.

Are you gonna make it a long trip or just a short one?

[utomjording]

Are you gonna make it a long trip or just a short one?

I'd like to make a long trip. Maybe get an interrail pass and be free to go wherever I want, but it's probably good to have a couple of determined destinations. I speak some French, or at least I used to, so France is one of them.

[Kurvitz]

Leave Philadelphia
Hit Amsterdam
Hit Berlin? I'm not sure what would be the best city to see in Germany
Hit Copenhagen
Hit Stockholm
Back to Philly

First of all - Berlin is a great choice, very modern, very peacaful. Screw the tour guides, their for retired canadians. Berlin is an easily navigatable city.

1) See Reichstag, it rocks! Don`t go up to the futuristic dome on top of it, it takes forever and there`s really nothing to see there, the view is boring.
2) Instead, go up to the TV tower near Alexanderplatz.
3) Visit Alexanderplatz when it`s just about to get dark. It`s nothing "spectacular" in a tourist kind of sence, but the 80`s cyberpunk feel makes it very special. There`s some of that 80` berlin feeling to it. Have coffee at a really cheap cafeteria there.
4) If you want an adventure to East-Berlin, that`s not too adventurous, take the U-Bahn (german subway) from Alexanderplatz to the stop after Rosaluxemburgplatz, further down east and ask around for the absinthe bar. The drinks there are nice to say the least.
5) On your many travels via the smooth U-Bahn network, be sure to step off at the Berlin Haubtbahnhoff, a very modern subway central
6) And last but not least, check out Zooloogichengartenzentral or Zoo-Station. The lit remains of a catheederal look beautiful at night.
7) Oh yeah, and the angel statue near Tiergarten is a must as well. It`s best seen circling it with a bus or a car.

If you skip the Euro Trip Netherlands ganja-shop bullshit, and exchange it with Budapest, or Prague, or possibly even Sofia in Bulgaria, you`ll have made a really stilish trip to Europe. On the Berlin-Stockholm route Prague in Czech Republic is possibly the best choice. If you come to Europe and leave out half of it (Eastern Europe) you really haven`t been to Europe. Why go to Prague, you ask me.
I answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Karl%C5%AFv_most.jpg

Oh yeah, and DO skip Paris. It`s exactly what you`d think it is -only add a dude with a plastic beer cup and a hat the shape of the Eiffel tower, with a blinking red dot on the top - and see! You`ve already been there. Instead, go to Nice on the Mediterranian.

[JukkeBerry]

I think a retired Canadian tour guide would have given a better recommendation of where to go to see the real Berlin. The sights mentioned above are very hard to miss...