European Tours Thread 3

[shegie_285]

vain_kixie sa paris at sa rome, ang mga tourist spots naman malapit sa metro station so as long as you book a hotel close sa metro okay sya.

sa paris, I don't know what arrondissement, but we stayed close to the tuileries garden so close din sa louvre and as far as I remember nilakad lang din namin to notre dame. nag-walk lang din kami kami to champs elysees one day. madami kainan. there's a metro station close too.

sa rome, we stayed closed to termini train station, hindi sya ganun kalapit sa mga sights pero nasa metro naman so okay din. using metro few minutes lang naman to everywhere.  madami din kainan sa tabi. there are only two metro lines sa rome. one line, papunta sa Spanish steps tapos lakad na lang to trevi fountain and to other sites. then the other line naman goes to colosseo and sa roman forum. but if you would like to stay closer sa attraction, I prefer ang area sa Spanish steps/trevi fountain, mas maganda.

We stayed 3 or 4 days lang din sa mga cities above. Hope these help!

[mama squeak!]

To know more about the arrondissements in Paris, here's my earlier post, reply no. 278.

Here's a short description of each of the arrondissements I posted earlier, reply no. 212 and reply no. 400.
I have a Paris series in my blog where I described some of the areas.

For sample itineraries, just backread on the Euro thread 1 and 2. Madami na na post on those threads including Italy.

[melodymedley]

I am back from my EUII trip! Medyo jetlaggers pa but here it goes:
 
Airline: First time to fly via KLM. Walang choice sa meal. Yung ibibigay, yun na yun. On the flight back, I was given the chance to choose between chicken or fish kasi napunta ako sa "Economy Comfort" catergory dahil may nakipagpalit ng seat. tee hee!. Hindi ko rin type entertainment system nila - I like CX's way better. I also noticed KLM had more... errmmm... older flight attendants. Nothing wrong with that, but I felt kinda off na maghingi ng water/more water kasi feeling ko.... inuutusan ko tita ko. Ewan. That's just me I guess. 

Food
Prague: Not a fan of beers but I love their dark beer! Mahilig din sila sa meat and potatoes so remember to eat fiber during your trip - iwas constipation hehe, nasobrahan sa advice)
Greece (Athens and Santorini): Walang awa sa Feta cheese at Yogurt! They have generous servings of these sa mga dishes nila. Saaaaraaaap! Medyo iba lang yung Baklava doon, I found it too sweet. Parang mas masaya yung bastarized Baklava dito, yung mas maraming pistachio kesa sa sweet part.
Spain: Tapas galore. Sangria at lunch. Other wine kapag dinner. I enjoyed their tapas, pero medyo kaumay din ang meat after a couple of days. I stayed here the longest kaya medyo naumay ako sa tapas. Meals are cheaper in the Andalucian region.
Lisbon: Seafood! So cheap here compared to the rest of Europe. For 5 euros, mas masarap na akong serving ng BUONG SEABASS with side dish pa. And I thought mura sa Pilipinas ang seafood!

Weather.
Anlabo nito. But good thing I packed clothes for layering. Nasobrahan lang ako ng pack ng thermals and stockings because I was expecting 15-20 deg weather.
Prague was cold and rainy.
Athens and Santorini - pleasantly cool wind, scorching hot sun.
Barcelona and Madrid - hot but a bit of cool wind. 32deg weather without humidity.
Granada and Seville - Hot. It reached 42 deg in Seville during my last day. I now understand why siestas are needed - you can barely do anything in the day because of the heat!
Lisbon - 15-20 deg with clouds and mild rain.

Budget
For 28 days (inclusive of the 2 flight days), I spent this:
$1,386 for flight: MNL-PRG, LIS-MNL via KLM: - booked in October 2012, inclusive of travel tax.
EUR 469 for pre-departure expenses - 3 intra-EU flights via Aegean Air and Vueling, booking fees for the hostels, prebooked bus and train tickets, Alhambra entrance tix
EUR 1,267 for all the other expenses while in Europe. Includes hostel accommodations, transportation tickets, museum tickets, food and minor expenses (toilet fees, tips, bottled water, towel rental).  Exclusive of souvenirs. I've been religiously keeping track of my expenses during the trip (natural part of me, out of habit).
CZK 5,481 - for the Prague leg. Inclusive of food, transpo pass, accommodation, entrance fees.

I was sooo below budget and to think I wasn't penny pinching. Just regularly monitoring my costs. Pwede ulit bumili ng ticket at bumalik next year!  I'll post my trip reports in the other threads.

[mama squeak!]

^Great trip report, melodymedley!    Galing! Meron ka nang part 3 in the making?

I know how you feel with the FAs of KLM. Kaya ako pinupuntahan ko na lang sa galley to get whatever stuff I need. Of course hands down pa rin sa CX! Love your own eh. 

Oh yeah, love the beer from Prague. Naging beer trip nga sa amin ni hubby. Our aparthotel was actually near the Staropramen beer factory. And food was cheap di ba? Sarap pa! Though we never tried eating at their McDo or KFC. Sa mga local restos na lang masaya na kami.

Please do post your other trip reports in their respective threads. I'm looking forward to reading your Greece trip. Taking notes for future trips. Thanks!

 

[melvel]

I'm here in London!  For a couple of days already.  Love it here.  The tube system is very easy to understand.  Not the cleanest, but will do. 

As expected, food is expensive.  But since this is a vacation, I just close my eyes at the cost.

We're watching Les Mis later and I'm so excited!

I haven't even left and I want to go back already

[little_princess]

^ the tube in London is very efficient! Mas madumi pa yung tube in Paris but do enjoy! The weather there is lovely now

Set a budget for food na lang, mahal nga talaga but if you know where to eat, ok naman.

Enjoy the musicals, they're really good. I you can catch Matilda, it's super worth it!

[letters_to_cleo]

^^There are a lot of cheap eats in London's Chinatown :-) Leicester Square near Picadilly Circus

[riksy07]

wow, sis melodymedley! You're back! Aabangan ko ang posts mo about your trip. Naerncourage na tuloy din ako to plan for EuroII ko.

Sis melvel, for me naman I found the Tube cleaner than the Paris metro and the Rome metro. If I would rank them, I'd rank the Tube first, the Rome metro second, and the Paris metro third. Sa Paris metro lang kasi ako may nakasabay na homeless na amoy jebs to the highest level na wala talagang tumabi sa kanya sa sobrang kabahuan.

[melvel]

^Thanks for the tips everyone. OK lang naman sa akin to spend for the food because I'm on vacation.  Minsan minsan lang naman.

Les Mis yesterday was AMAZING.  I love this show even if this is my third time seeing it.  Hoping it goes to Manila.

We're watching Once The Musical tomorrow.  The day after, baka Wicked naman.

[shegie_285]

I saw Wicked recently sa Broadway, and I plan to (actually, will) watch it again when it goes here in Dublin. I think the Westend musical is going on tour. Highly recommended.

With regard to FAs, sabi nga ng hubby ko, buti pa daw Asian airlines, magaganda at bata ang mga flight attendants. European and American airlines, I noticed matatanda ang FAs.  We tried naman na KLM before me choices naman ang food kahit economy class. baka naubusan ka na ng options sis melodymedley

[wanie]

Hi,first time to travel europe...any recommendation where to stay in rome,florence and paris na affordable
And convenient sa transpo...thanks in advance:-)

[cind3r3lla]

hi,

eyeing a package tour for Paris and Brussels this coming August. hingin ko ang comment nyo with this package. Wala kasi akong idea kung mahal ba ito or not.

Total Cost: Php 120,000
For: 1 adult, 1 child (below 12 y/o)
Tour : 7 days
Includes buffet breakfast for adult, round-trip airline ticket, tourism tickets, and hotel stay.
Visa not included.

Day 1:
Arrival in Brussels, overnight at the hotel

Day 2:

After Breakfast,
10:00am Visit Brussels “beautiful Grand” Palace, St. Michael’s cathedral, National Basilica of Koekelberg.
13:00pm  Lunch at the restaurant.
After lunch, continue to Atomium, the Chinese Pavilion and the Japanese tower, Sablon district.
Passing through the Triumphal Arch, Art Nouveau houses, Royal Parc and Belgian Parliament.
During the tour visit one of the best chocolatiers in town, with the Belgium famous chocolate.
17:00 pm Back to the hotel.
Overnight at the hotel in Brussels.

Day 3:

After Breakfast,
09:00am Transfer to Disneyland (300km by coach).
Check in at the hotel in Disneyland.
Enjoy your day at Disneyland Park.
Overnight at the hotel in Disneyland.

Day 4:

After Breakfast,
Full Day at Disneyland Park.
Overnight at the hotel.

Day 5:

After breakfast,

09:00am Transfer to Paris (1hour drive by coach).
Before check in, enjoy your boat cruise (1hour) and Eiffel tower (2hours visit) second floor.
13:00pm Lunch in the restaurant.
Check in at the hotel in Paris.
Overnight at the hotel.

Day 6:
After Breakfast,
Visit Concorde Square, Lourve Museum, Seine River, French Academy, Cité Island, Palace of Justice, Notre Dame Cathedral (Photo Stop).
Hotel de Ville (City Hall), Latin Quarter, Arch of Triump,Champs Elysees Ave., Opera House.
14:00pm Arrival to Place de Clichy & Moulin Rouge area to take train to go up to Montmatre (Sacree Coeur).
14:30pm Lunch at La Cremaillere at the Famous Place des Testres.
After lunch (2hours free time). 
16:30pm  Back to the hotel.
Overnight at the Hotel .

Day 7:
After Breakfast
14:00pm Check out from the hotel, keep your luggage at the hotel.   Free until departure.
18:00pm  Check out from the Hotel

Thanks.

[little_princess]

^ pricewise, not expensive if the 120k is 2 na kayo but then the itinerary is not the best, there is no flexibility and super siniksik yung Paris in 1 day na you really won't enjoy it. Baka photo stop na lang kayo

[bagaholic_chewy]

^^ php120k for 2pax is ok na since me airfare and hotel na kasama. Though, pwede nyo pa be iparevise ang IT? Say, 1 day lang sa Disneyland? Kami kasi before we finished Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios in one day lang, kayang-kaya naman especially since 9am andun na kayo. Para me extra day kayo to explore/shop/tambay in Paris.

[mama squeak!]

@cind3r3lla, if the 120K all-in is for you and your kid na mura na sya. Pero sumakit yung paa ko just looking at your day 6. Baka di tatagal your kid with all those activities crammed in one day.   

[cind3r3lla]

hi mga sisses! salamat sa feedback nyo. bigla akong nagkaron ng hesitations lalo... baka humanap na lang ako ng ibang Europe tour pala. Nag-book na kami ng Disney HK for Dec. Baka maumay naman si kiddo kina Mickey eh 3 months lang ang pagitan ng pinapangarap naming Euro vs HK tour.

ano ba ang best Euro country na pwedeng pasyalan ng 5 y/o? i mean, aside from Paris dahil sa Disney.
Ewan ko lang kung tama ako, nasa isip ko lang kasi ay yung Venice. lam nyo na, enjoy ang mga kiddos sa mga activities na involve ang tubig. hehe.

[bagaholic_chewy]

Hmm, baka di rin nya maenjoy masyado ang Venice, sis.. madaming lakad-lakad pa naman dun. Water activity e mainly waterbus and gondola ride.. Rome siguro baka mas ok especially if narerecognize nya ang sights like St. Peter's Square, Colloseo, etc. Then pwede din kayo  side trip to Pisa, para makita nya yung Leaning Tower.

Feeling ko naman maeenjoy pa din ng anak mo both trips kahit 5mos lang pagitan ng Disneylands. Pero yun nga, baka pwedeng gawing 1day lang sa theme park, then yung extra one day, dagdag sa Paris para di masyadong crammed ang days nyo dun..

[cinnam]

Question girls, sa Europe ba, may mga bike rentals? Mahal ba? kasi parang di ko kaya yung lakaran galore sa gantong trip. I get leg and back pains with long walks.

Kung meron, hindi ba risky? bike friendly ba in general ang Europe? Paano kung mahuli ka, lets say you did not follow the right lane unintentionally baka super taas ng fines, say I want to get inside a certain museum or attraction, may parking ba?

[mama squeak!]

^You can always take the bus or the metro kung mapapagod kayo. Dapat kasi medyo sanay ka or listo ka mag-bike specially sa mga big cities kasi pag hindi baka ma-aksidente pa kayo.

[cinnam]

For a first timer in EU, which cities/countries do you suggest? I'm not a fan of arts/paintings but more of architectures and scenery, local food. Of course, I'd like to see the famous paintings pa din. Sabi sa PEx, do the magical cities first...Paris,Venice,Prague?

Oh, and is Expatexplore a trusted tour group? I wanna join a group tour then probably stay a week in 2 cities on my own.