European Tours Thread 4

[mama squeak!]

^Hey! You're in Rotterdam na pala? Galing! More tips from there please.

@cream_puff11, I'm glad you're enjoying your trip. Oo naman there are a lot of nicer cities than Paris talaga. Pero ewan ko ha every time we go to Europe kailangan mag drop by kami sa Paris. It's like going home for me. Must be where I lived in my former life. Lol!

Re red light district, there's one particular street there na puro kolehiyala-type yung mga girls. Forgot lang the name of the street.

When in Venice, try to go to Murano and Burano. Just DIY it madali lang naman. I have a blog post on how we did it in my blog.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

[letters_to_cleo]

^Hello Mamasqueak! Yup, I transferred to NL last January because of a better job offer :-)  Sure, I will post tips. :-) I have not explored NL the past months pa as winter and drizzling weather pa rin but come spring weather  I definitely will.  Only thing shareworthy is ang mura ng mga CK (Calvin Klein) undies sa outlet stores dito. 9€ sa bra, 6€ ang knickers. Sulit ang pagdrive sa outlet!Mga Villeroy. and Bosch kitchenware up to 50% off din sa outlet shops:-)

[mama squeak!]

^Good for you! Congratulations!   Definitely looking forward to your tips and blog posts.

Oh! I'm interested with the V&B kitchenware. I was able to buy a nice-looking enamel kettle in Vienna before. Super cheap at EUR10 when it was selling here for 3K!

[Chili1113]

May I ask for some advice?? I am getting married next year and our target honeymoon destination is South Africa and Tanzania. However, parang lately H2B is thinking that we should take advantage of the cheap airfares and good exchange rate.

I havent been to UK but H2B doesnt want to do that for honeymoon since hes been there. We were thinking of the French/Italian Riviera plus a Croatia and Greek Isle Cruise. but H2B wants to save that trip and do a cruise with our kids later on. The only possibility we have in mind is Iceland, but Iceland and what?? Parang Iceland is a bit to low key and laid back for us to spend our whole time there for a very special honeymoon trip.
Where else can I go that will good for a honeymoon within europe??

Here is my current List euro cities I have visited.
EUROPE
1. France  - Paris, Strasbourg, Lourdes
2. Switzerland  - Luzern (Mt. Pilatus, Vitznau, Weggis, Beckenried) + Bernese Alps (Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Gimmelwald, Wengen, and Jungfrau Peak)
3. Austria  - Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck
4. Germany  - Munich, Fussen
5. Hungary  - Budapest
6. Czech Republic  - Prague, Kutna Hora, Wieliczka
7. Poland  - Krakow, Auschwitz
8. Netherlands - Amsterdam, Edam, Volendam, Monnikendam, Marken, Zaanse Schans
9. Belgium  - Brussels, Bruges
10. Denmark - Copenhagen, Helsingoer, Humlebaek, Hillerod
11. Sweden  - Stockholm, Drottningholm
12. Spain  - Barcelona, Montserrat, Alicante
13. Portugal  - Lisbon, Fatima
14. UK - Gibraltar
15. Italy  - Rome, Ostia Antica, Siena, Florence, San Gimignano, Pisa, Maranello, Milan, Venice, Padua, Como, Messina, Taormina

UPCOMING THIS YEAR: SPAIN, Madrid, Avila, Toledo, Salamanca, Cordova, Sevilla, Granada

[rowan]

^ slovenia and croatia. havent been there but hearing lots of rave reviews

[caterpillar-girl]

Chilli, What about Ireland and Scotland? Castles, beautiful landscapes, friendly people, Really perfect for a honeymoon.

[Chili1113]

rowan: Yes Ive been dreaming of Ljubljana, Dubrovnik, and Split. However, it seems to frequently a part of med. cruises that we plan to do later on together with our kids--we already have 2 kids =) Those places are dreamy!

caterpillar-girl: Wow great suggestion. I wasnt thinking of those. I need a UK visa right? then I heard you can get a visa for Ireland upon entry. I really am open to a UK and territories honeymoon since I havent even been to London. I hope h2b approves since he's been to London and isn't too keen on doing UK. Id love to go nature tripping and castle hopping!

Thanks so much for the very helpful tips!!! I really appreciate it. I have a feeling though that H2B will really push for a Euro honeymoon destination especially since the Eruo is now  just 48.3 to a peso and continuing to decline. H2B  thinks we gotta take advantage of the favorable rates, and I hate to admit it but he has a good point!

[shegie_285]

^Chili113I Ireland -  are you thinking of the agreement between the UK and Ireland na kapag may UK visa, at you visited the UK prior to visiting Ireland then you don't need na an Irish visa? if yes hindi kasali dito ang Pinas so you need to get a visa prior to arriving. hopefully masama Pinas later on, they included India in this agreement recently.

You've been to a lot in western Europe why not try Eastern Europe - Lithuania, Romania etc. Although kung Euro ang habol ninyo im not sure kung Euro ang currency nila. How about South of France? Or Malta? Scandinavian countries (again hindi Euro)? With budget airlines naman kahit mag-fly kayo ok lang kahit hindi magkakatabi. UK and Ireland is a good option too! Ryanair is Irish so its a big hub here and you could fly to a lot of places. Have you and hubby visited all those countries together? Minsan iba din naman pag balikan.

[rowan]

hi girls! okay lang ba if i allot 10 euro for lunch, 20 euro for dinner, and 10 euro miscellaneous per pax per day in europe? naglagay din ako 10 euro for after dinner drinks or coffeeshop like in ams. we're covering the ff:

1. amsterdam
2. rothenburg
3. munich
4. prague
5. venice
6. florence
7. rome
8. paris

we plan to only eat at 2 restos per place so may 2 dinners kami na 25 euro/pax ang alloted. the rest we will buy food from groceries or food stalls and eat at our lodging, park, or benches sa tabi tabi. yung miscellaneous nilagay ko lang for gelato or other simple dessert or if ever we overspend on our dinner/lunch. its not our shopping money yet. we will also purchase brita water filter bottle for our water. our breakfast naman, either free sa lodging or from grocery. does our food budget look bloated enough? thanks!

[Chili1113]

shegie_285 Wow that is so helpful sis!! Thanks for the tips. I love all the ideas I am getting from this thread! Teehee Yes most of the European places I have listed we have visited together with fiance except a few like Lisbon, Fatima, Gibraltar, Alicante, Messina and Taormina.

Great tip about Ryanair and its hub being in Ireland. Also thanks about the visa tip! My sis in law told me kasi that pwede daw upon entry to get a sticker--- but perhaps it's different for her because she was under a UK student's visa at that time.

So far I am reaally liking the UK, Scotland, Ireland idea... Then from Ireland perhaps we can go somewhere via Ryanair and hop off to somewhere else we haven't been to.

Thanks again!

[shegie_285]

^ I actually live in Ireland, I have a friend who visited in 2012 she applied for an Irish visa in advance even though she has a UK visa.

UK, Scotland, Ireland and another country sounds like a good idea. Ryanair is so cheap din, we went to Glasgow last Feb and our fare was only €20 return (Dublin - Glasgow). Only hassle with that is you need 3 visas, UK, Irish and Schengen!

[mama squeak!]

^my sister and I were very tempted to go to Ireland after we saw an offer from Groupon Getaway for $1000/person only. One week stay with air fare (via NYC) and rental. Grabe ang mura!  Is it drive left also there just like in the UK?

[caterpillar-girl]

Chili, yes like Shegie said, you need a UK visa for UK and Scotland and a separate Irish visa for Ireland. If you're doing multiple countries, double check your itinerary and your visa. Our UK visa was for single entry only. I think it was the same for our Irish visa, but I'm not sure about the rules now.

[ileina]

I don't think this has been mentioned. Where's the best place to exchange EUR or GBP? Here na ba in Manila? We have USD we want to bring to Europe but we were told mas okay rate here in Manila. Not sure if anyone has checked on this. Appreciate the help.

[mama squeak!]

^Czarina or Sanry's but you have to call to reserve as both currencies are not readily available/in stock.

[ileina]

Thanks Mama Squeak.

[foxymom]

^^yes agree better rates from czarinas though. in sanrys, you will need to leave a deposit and you need to go there personally as they do not give rates over the phone

[mama squeak!]

^Czarina gives the rates over the phone but will always advise that the rates can still change at the day of exchange. I usually just text them when I need Euros or USD at least 3-4 days before pick up.

[cream_puff11]

If you have bdo account, you can buy from them just call a week before your trip. Better rates, dami lang finifillupan kaya minsan mas okay din sa czarina para less hassle hehe

Trip report !

Paris - 3 full days - madumi and we dont feel safe bwahaha but i loved shopping there. Chanel jumbo flap and LV salvi are some of my loots. I was looking for repetto outlet at 9th arron. Unfortunately wala na sila doon. no repetto flats for me huhu. I was also able to buy lacoste na may nakalagay made in france in champ elysees and tried laduree macaroons there. Masarap magshopping laging may coffee or tea while waiting haha

Venice - 3 full days - we went to Murano and Burano as suggested by mama squeak. If marami lang space ang baggage namin we should've bought murano vases haha 'coz mother in law collects murano. We didn't try gondola. We rode the water taxi twice instead para cooool

Florence - 3 full days - our favorite. We concentrated in Florence. No tuscany side trip. Next time na lang. Sayang hehe

Rome - 3 full days - panget! Haha! Ang dumi magulo dami pickpockets dami manlolokong pinoy. Basta, dito namin nakita lahat ng panget hehe pero maganda dahil sa vatican. No wonder naghihigpit ang italian embassy, daming pinoy dun nanloloko lang ng kapwa pinoy.

Amsterdam and rotterdam - another favorite!

Belgium - bought hot chocolates na may wooden spoon na kasama haha cute! Masarap din!

Enjoyed our trip a lot. Medyo jet lag pako but i will make a detailed trip report soon or ill just answer questions pag alam ko sagot haha.

[bzbee]

hello! please comment on this draft of our itinerary for our 2-week honeymoon in europe based on mama squeak's advise a couple of months ago.

manila to london via PAL
london to paris via eurostar
3 nights in paris
paris to rome via plane
3 nights in rome
rome to venice via train
3 nights in venice
venice to london via plane
3 nights in london
london to manila via PAL

is the schedule too tight? we cant leave work for more than 2 weeks kaya we want to make the most out of our vacation.

we really want to focus on london, paris, rome and venice. i hope the days alloted are enough to see kahit highlights lang of each city. if possible, we also want to visit swiss alps and florence. pwede pa kaya isingit?

by the way, our budget is 10k USD. hopefully its enough to cover all expenses. TIA!