overwhelmed

[psypher]

ok, you'll have to bear w/ me as i ask a question that's been asked probably a million times and with all the threads i've read i'm still looking like this guy

anyway. i've pretty much got the countries down that i think i can do. i'm going for 2 months and i want to hit england, germany, france, spain and italy. i went to the library and got a book on england (figure i'd do one country at a time) so i could plan out what i want to see.

holy cow is there a lot to do! and i can't decide on any of it. so far i really want to see london and bath. but i get overwhelmed when i start reading about every other city i've never heard of before. they sound cool, but are they worth it?

i keep reading posts that say 'this city is worht seeing' but why? what was good about it? a lot to do? lots of night life? pretty town?

I like things like castles, scenery, bridges, museums, etc. a night life is a plus but i'm not going to europe to party.

so i guess my question is... what cities cities really are worth visiting. i'm afraid of tripping all the way out and finding there is only one cool thing to see.

So maybe if you guys could post a city name and why you liked it i can move on from there

[BuddyLee]

I'm in the same boat with you! and feeling a bit overwhelmed... I'm hopefully spending 3 months... but I'm worried about missing one city I have to see or something like that... oh I lovvve castle and scenry and pretty old things and musems.. and pretty girls... but when ya headed over?

[omisan]

One thing I'd say is don't overplan - get your major "waypoint" cities sorted out (i.e. London, Paris, Berlin, Munich, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, etc.) and then look at your trip options from each. That way, you have a major route figured out, and you can plan out what smaller towns are within reach for each leg of your journey.

I'm a big fan of TimeOut guides (I think they go by city, not by country) since they always have a good chapter called "Trips Out of Town" that highlight and recommend places to go outside of each major hub.

Another thing to do is once you get to one of these major cities, ask fellow travelers what they liked/disliked on their trip so far. After talking to people at my hostel in Dublin, for instance, I found out that one daytrip destination was way more interesting than another, and happily based my decisions on that.

Also, if you want to pilfer resources from a tour company, check out the itineraries at IntrepidTravel.com - the go to all sorts of funky little out of the way places rich in history/culture. You may as well take advantage of the research they've already done and crib ideas from them. Thanks to studying one of their catalogs, I already know what smaller towns outside of Barcelona I'd like to check out...

All that aside, here's my pick:

England - Bristol - I remember the nightlife, walking around the whole city for hours exploring, and making friends with practically anyone who'd stop to talk to me. Although it's by no means a world-famous destination. It's a university and port town, so there are lots of cool, diverse young people and cheap places to hang out and soak in the culture. I found it to be the "anti-London," where I got to hang out with lots of cool locals and get a totally different taste of Brit life. It's not far from Bath and the rolling green hills of Somerset are just below, with Wales a short ride away. Every Londoner I've met derides the place, which probably makes it that much cooler. (And before y'all say anything, no, I LOVE London)

And an ever-popular pick in Italy, though I've never been, is Cinque Terre, on the northwest coast. From every account I've heard, it's unparalleled in old world charm and beauty.

[omisan]

Ohhh - another thing I forgot to mention in my already long post above. You know you'e going to go back someday, so don't worry if you miss some things here and there, but in the meantime, to make up for what you miss, create alternate goals for your trip using themes.

If you're a movie junkie, go and check out all the film locations along the way. Beer nut? Make it your goal to sample all the local brews. Love books? Hit up where the authors frequented or wrote about. (Hemingway serves up good inspiration for Europe!) Scofflaw? Piss publicly in every city you visit! (Ok, maybe not that one, but think up crazy shit like that...)

Silly stuff like that can give you just as much a sense of accomplishment as hitting every single place listed in your books... and can be more fun, too!

[jacq]

I'm not so good at other countries - I've only hit Paris, Rome, etc on the continent, but potential 'out of the way' places in England? I can do that.

I like things like castles, scenery, bridges, museums, etc.

Then you want to go to York. >) It's further north than most people manage [they pass it onthe way to Edinburgh...] but not so far north that you're up to your ankles in whippets. It has a cute river, bridges, random!ruins, museums [Jorvic], and city walls, some of which you can walk on.

Then, down south, you've got Canterbury and Stratford-on-Avon, either side of London. Canterbury is a good 'base' for other trips, I think, and really pretty if you hit it in summer. Plus, roundabouts there is Stonehenge and the Rollrights, so you can say you've done it.

Of course, it depends on how long you're planning on for each country - but my Dad&I did the above lot [except York, because I live up near there!] in five days.

[Delaney]

I will second the mention of Cinque Terre as a must-see. Here is a website about it. There is lots to do and see in the tiny towns and it is just beautiful. When I went we didn't have a place to stay and walked into one of the tourist shops and got put up in a vacant apartment. It was wonderful.

In France make sure you get down to one of the smaller cities or towns, such as Avignon or any in Provence. It is becoming more touristy, but it is still a great place to soak up the culture and experience a different lifestyle that you would say, in Paris (which is also a must-see! ). If you like museums you could probably spend lots and lots of time in Paris exploring all of the museums there.

For Italy, make sure you go to Rome and visit the Vatican. I am not religious at all so all of the history and information and scenery surrounding the place fascinated me.

There is my two cents! Hope its helpful.

[psypher]

Kick ass information guys. Buddylee, I'm heading over for sept 14th (i hope). what are you planning on seeing?

lotsa research to do! don't be surprised if i post again asking for towns you like in another 'specific' country

on top of the hump now!