European Tours Thread 3

[Mhoirae]

@summer_princess, the initial shock of cold weather is usually in the morning and on the first few days.  After a while, you will develop a certain tolerance to it.  If it gets warm in the afternoon, I usually take off the coat.
And for the bottom layering, usually one pair of tights under jeans and knee high boots.  Hirap kasi na sobrang layering sa bottom, it will make you dread going to the toilet.
Try to choose tights that are made for winter weather, I believe there is a heattech one or meron din sa marks and spencer.

[summer_princess]

Sisses helppp. Which is more economical/cheaper/ practical to travel from nice France to Italy.

Plane, Train or Car?

Originally we'll rent a car so we can Include more stop overs ergo itinerary along the way but is it true car rentals charges per km outside of France?

[mama squeak!]

^Cheapest pa rin to rent a car IF you will be travelling within the country where you rented the car. The mileage is unlimited. BUT if you will be taking it out of the country from where you rented it, they have out of country charges plus they can charge you per km. Oh, and in France if you're paying through credit card, it should be the designated driver's credit card and no one else's.

Probably what you can do, rent separate cars in France and Italy if you want more flexibility. In France there are NO one-way charges. Meaning you rent from one place i.e. Paris and return it at another destination i.e. Toulouse. But in Italy they levy one-way charges, so the rental fee is quite high. If I may ask what is your planned IT?

Now, if you find renting a car a hassle, then you're left with taking the plane or train. If you buy tickets in advance you get cheap seats, the nearer the departure the more expensive.

[summer_princess]

Yikes! We should've bought nalang pala Easy jet tickets when it was cheaper. My Tita initially offered kase rent a car Eu29/day Lang raw from Nice then we'll bring it all the way to Italy. Apparently she didn't kmow about the OOC charges. Now we're left with an expensive airfare na haaaay!

We're a group of 5pax if travelling by air and a group of 7pax if land. Our iti is coming from Nice (Cannes) road trip to Switzerland, Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice, Rome) then back to Nice Fr.

[mama squeak!]

^What you can probably do is take the train all the way. Nice to Switzerland (where in Switzerland?), then Switzerland to Rome, etc. In Italy since you will just be sticking with the big cities, no need to rent a car. Problema pa parking nyo when you get there. Taking the trains in Europe is easy lang naman. I actually enjoy it more than plane rides.

 

[Mhoirae]

@mama squeak, the only bad thing about train travel is dealing with the luggage esp. if it's heavy and bulky =(

[mama squeak!]

^That's true also    That's why we try to keep our bags' weight to a minimum until our last stop. And then shopping to the max!   

Seriously though, even with heavy bags it's just the boarding and alighting that's initially the hassle. Once you're on board you don't have to worry about your bags (I bring bike chains by the way to lock them together). Speaking from experience we've always managed one way or the other with our bags. Plus I don't have to deal with excess baggage weight. As my hubby always tells me "you bring what you can carry". End of story. 

[summer_princess]

So train is more economical? Budget issue rin kase why were initially considering car rentals. Trains are more expensive right, yung Switzerland kase madaadanan enroute Italy so we can probably detour just to sight see but then if we're not doing car rental then I don't think we have to go To Switzerland.

Basta ending we need to be back in Nice as our plane tickets going back MNL is coming from there.

Back to selection process again haaaayyyyy. Factor to consider too is my senior mom I don't want to hassle her much on train rides/transfer at least sana Kung car ride seating pretty na Lang siya/kame hehe:)

[foxymom]

@mama squeak: how are the food prices in prague? what's a good budget per day person?

[mama squeak!]

^sis, surprisingly they're just like Manila prices. Of course if you eat at the touristy areas expect to pay a bit more. We did try the food stalls/restaurants at Old Town and of course medyo mahal kasi nga pang-turista. Overall, their food is affordable. Hubby commented nga it's just like Greenbelt prices. Try the restaurant we went to in New Town, quite a novelty. I wrote about it in my blog. 

[p3ach]

@summer_princess: sis, i think it is cheaper to rent a car since you are a group of 7 pax.  It will be more comfy for you guys as well.  What's good about it, you may be able to checkout/see nice places along the way which are not part of your itinerary.  This makes it more fun and exciting di ba?  Like what my bf and I did from our Europe trip last September.  We were able to check-out the aquaduct in Lucca and wine vineyards in Orvieto on our way to Rome from Florence. 

Enjoy your trip!

[foxymom]

^sis, surprisingly they're just like Manila prices. Of course if you eat at the touristy areas expect to pay a bit more. We did try the food stalls/restaurants at Old Town and of course medyo mahal kasi nga pang-turista. Overall, their food is affordable. Hubby commented nga it's just like Greenbelt prices. Try the restaurant we went to in New Town, quite a novelty. I wrote about it in my blog. 

i saw that!! yes i will book for lunch/ dinner and im happy about the prices! yey... now i hope i can find a chinese place that serves rice

[mama squeak!]

@summer_princess, you might want to check out this link in case you'll be getting train tickets. If you are, ask your tita to get them from her end thru the SNCF website since getting your tickets through Rail Europe is a bit pricey.

 

[little_princess]

currently at valetta, malta and there isn't a lot of asian tourists here but this is one quaint island where people should go. very beautiful architecture, good food, nice people. it's easy to get around with the bus system and there are some nice views from old buildings, churches, marinas, etc.

[Mhoirae]

@foxymom, based on experience chinese restaurants in europe are really bad.  the food is unlike the food we have here in asia, it is always a disappointment.

[k_go]

hi mama squeak and the rest of the sisses! i'm new in this thread, although i have actually been lurking for a few months now... I need help in making an IT.  My fiance and I are planning on a honeymoon trip to Europe this coming May 2013.  Initial discussion led us to this time frame- 20 May to 12 June 2013... Any suggestion?  We want to visit France, Italy and Spain... Our must see places are Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, and Barcelona.... We want to explore France the longest.  Any suggestion on the itinerary given our schedule?  I want to book the tickets already while still early... It will be our first time in Europe so I really really need your suggestions/ opinions/ advices... Thanks in advance!

[foxymom]

@mhoirae, hahaha yes i agree! super oily! but it seems chinse restos are the only ones that serve rice and i need to have my rice in rome hubby and i walked for almost 2 hrs looking for a chinese restaurant! nakahanap kami pero hindi masarap

[mrs research]

hello! we're back from our Euro trip last week but I didnt have time to do a trip report kasi natambak ang workload paguwi

Proven to work ang heattech ng uniqlo but as undergament so meron parin dapat pampatong

Rome weather was just like in Tagatay in summer. On our 2nd day, I only wore regular tank top, cardigan and toms. I even had to remove my scarf bec I was sweating and this was late in the afternoon but mga 7pm onwards nagsca-scarf na ulit ako. I enjoyed Eataly! It was a great experience to be in a 4 floor building  that has everything just for the belly. Super thanks for the tip! Rome highlight for me was Trastevere. I enjoyed our gelato and late afternoon walk here. We had our dinner at Aristocampo. I really liked their sweet table wine for 6EU tapos yung water nila is 3EU.

Venice weather was cooler but again no need for heavy jacket. It was high tide when we were there and just light rainshower so I had to wear my boots. Ang taas ng baha sa San Marco so they put up platforms for the visitors to use to roam around the square. To be honest, I think Venice has been replicated so many times that being there is just being like in Venetian Hotel in Vegas and Macau and papasa narin yung Venezia sa McKinley hill  Food was more expensive compared to Rome and it was just so-so. Nothing to rave about. It was fun getting lost though  . Surprisingly, the bus route from Piazza Romale to Treviso airport was very scenic. It was like being in upstate NY with  treelined street that's bursting with fall colors and houses that are very dreamy.

Prague is ❤ . Sobrang nagenjoy ako. It was here that I really felt I was in Europe mainly bec of the weather and the crowd.  I have my fair share of riding subways/metro/trains and Prague for me has the cleanest and chicest stations. Although, it's not very extensive and tourist friendly, it's still not overcrowded even during rush hour. Word of caution, their escalators are fast! Parang amusment park ride narin kaya konti lang yung mga oldies who take the subway and most of them ride the tram instead.  Everything is cheap there food, clothes, water from groceries, souvenirs etc. Malakas pa ang buying power ng peso! Saya saya! Yung mga designer bags same lang as sa Rome yung price pero yung H&M and Terranova ang mura. Mostly yun nlng mga pasalubong namin. We also went to Vytopna yung train resto na nafeature sa blog ni Mama Squeak. It was a fun experience. Nag chinese resto din kame kasi namimiss na namin yung rice but it was a big mistake. Hindi masarap. Sana nag take out nlng kme ng yang chow rice tapos KFC and then sa hotel nlng kame kumain.  At the airport, it was smart of them to put up a supermarket. We were able to use whatever is left of our Czech crowns and we bought chocolates and other munchies.

My only 'should've' is I should have not changed our IT and went to Karlovy Vary instead of Venice. 

Lesson learned, next time we'll be in Europe we'll visit just one city that is very popular then the rest will be cities that are far but still accessible from their Capital. 

[_ilovepink_]

do you know any travel agency who offers a cheap but worth it european tour?? :-)
thanks sisses!

[foxymom]

@mrs research: thanks for the trip report! lalo ako na excite sa prague trip namin! kahit na winter na yun! :S if you can give me your daily itinerary it would be much much appreciated

and yes, heattech are thermals and are really undergarments dapat meron nakapatong dun kasi medyo see-thru