Last Minute Pointers - Europe
 

Hello all--
We are leaving on Wednesday for Frankfurt. We are 2 women & 2 children. We will be driving to: Heidleberg, Munich, Venice and Nice. Flying to London for 3 days before returning to LAX.

Does anyone have any "must do" ideas or any "must not do" mistakes?

Any pointers about anything would be appreciated.

Thank you
Cyn

p.s. Thank you to all the members that were instrumental in helping me plan my trip. You are the best.

Sounds like a fun (and ambitious) trip.

I assume you will be driving a rental car and you mentioned a visit to Nice. Please be aware that car break-ins are a serious problem all along the French Riviera, especially when your car has out of the region or foreign license plates. Do not leave valuables in the car at any time. Also, keep your doors locked when driving in town in this area of France; the latest "sport" is young thugs who open doors of cars stopped in traffic to snatch purses.

I don't mean for this advice to frighten you - just be careful and you'll be fine.

Have a great trip.

Here goes--the paranoid stuff first, then the fun...

Photocopy your first passport page, the front & back of your credit cards & all other documents, and store in your luggage. Maybe stash an extra $100 US there as well. This gives you lots of backup if a purse or billfold gets stolen. This is doubly important with your calling card, as you will need this number to call other companies if you get ripped off.

If you use an ATM card, be sure you know the pin number and not just a 4 letter word that spells the pin. European ATM's don't have letters on them.

Watch your billfold. Carry a small one in a front pocket, and if you're in crowds (bus station, subway, etc) use a safety pin to pin the pocket shut. Not to scare you, but all this can save a lot of hassle and prevent ruining a vacation.

I just returned from Venice. On San Marcos Square, be sure to go in St Mark's (Basilica de San Marcos), and spend the extra to go in the treasury and to the rear of the altar. Also be sure to go to the upstairs and walk out on the balcony, which costs nothing extra. You can't take pictures inside, but you can buy photo books for $6.00- $10.00. The Doges Palace next door is currently under renovation--visitor times are changing, so check them the day before you go--I ended up missing out here. Go up in the tower there on the square as well and enjoy the views. If you are there on the hour or half hour, be prepared for some very loud bells!

I didn't eat at a restaurant on the Grand Canal, and wish I had. They didn't seem overly expensive compared to others. I did eat at a place called Osteria da Alberto at Cannaregio, 5401, telephone 5238153 (I saved their card!). They were a small local place that was very good and reasonable (about $15.00 US for dinner, salad, & wine). They are small, so it's wise to call ahead to reserve a table. Another nice place to eat would be at one of the cafes on San Marco's square that has it's own small orchestra.

The Rialto Bridge has a market on the bridge and down one side. This is fun to visit. It's refreshing to get a cold can of pop here and some fruit or a section of cocoanut. I brought back several silk ties & a scarf for gifts, but bought them in a store on San Marcos square instead. Prices are the same, and there was a better selection. I suspect that all purchases made would be cheaper elsewhere in Italy.

The most fun in Venice is walking around and getting lost in the endless alleyways. Maps can help, but none seem adequate. Everything seems pretty safe, even late at night.

Have you figured out what to do with your car in Venice? It looks like there is a parking garage or two once you arrive on the island from the causeway. I don't know the price--you may do better parking at the airport and riding the bus in (go in the airport to the tour company desk to buy tickets, then stand by the green sign).

Once you ditch the car, you'll need to get tickets for the water bus. This is done in Venice at the Piazzo Roma, very near the car park. Walk towards the water and the docks, and the office (and line) is right there. If you are there overnight, buy a pass for the amount of time you are there. These passes are good for 24 hour intervals (some cities, like Paris, make their transit passes good only for the day you buy them--beware). Then just get on and off the boats at your leisure. Be sure and go up the grand canal at least once after dark!

I was in Venice three weeks ago, and it was already warm & humid. It's a wonderful city! Dress accordingly, wear good walking shoes & have a great trip!

JP

I like your choice of destinations http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I second the suggestion to make copies of the important docs, but make TWO copies and leave one set at home.

If the kids are over 10 it can be a good idea to bring student ID or some other proof of student status as many attractions offer discounts - if you can show some proof.

European ATMs often accept only 4-digit pins - so if you're planning to use 'em change your pin before you leave if it's too long.

If you'll be going to the beach on the riviera with kids, keep in mind it's topless.

If you have time while you're in the Nice area, you may consider going to Monaco. I found the prices very reasonable despite what the tourbooks said (the attractions even had student discounts). It has a beautiful garden (jardines exotiques) with hundreds of different cacti (and a cave full of stalacites) as well as an oceanographic museum and the fairy-tale prince's castle.

Yonatan

As always Flyertalk members are the best travel resource. THANK YOU!

Yes, the beaches are topless, so what? Bring them to the beach and avoid giving them immature puritanical complexes which will stay with them there whole lives. If they get used to them at a young age they won't have hang ups when they grow up. Nudity is not dirty, people's minds make it dirty when it is treated that way.

I have to disagreee with this one.....I was there about 6 weeks ago and the restaurants on the canal and in the square seemed a lot more expensive to me. One of the places in the square charged $9US for an orange juice. If you're budget minded, eat off the canal/square, and when you are wanting some ambiance, sit down at one of those cafes for a coffee or glass of wine, and people watch for a while. There was a great little place over near the train station called Trattoria Vittoria de Aldo or something really close that had the best clam spagetti I've ever had. As you are walking out of the train station, take a left. When the street opens up into a square..its over on the left.


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Have a great day!!
~~Missy~~

What we've always done is each carry a copy of the others' passport, photocopy of credit card, etc. Splitting cash you carry with others helps too.

As always, i'll use all of your suggestions on MY trip to Venice in a few moonths, and so will add my thanks!

Steve

Make sure you go to the Deutches Museum in Munich -- it's like the German Smithsonian -- a must see. Also, if you have time, take a train to Salzburg, Austria.

I too like you itinerary, and will be doing part of it in August (hopefully).

1. Try to get a diesel rental car. They perform very well, no untoward noise or fumes, and you'll save at least 25% over the cost of unleaded gasoline every ime you fill up;

2. Try to hit the (sp?) Viactualmarkt (food market) in the very center of Munich - all kinds of foods, great place for a casual lunch.

2. Try to route part of your Venice to Nice trip through Ravenna (great mosiacs), then via the A14 through Cesena (world-class ceramics museum), and Bologna - many North Americans skip this part of Italy when they do the "Triangle" and to me it's one of the most charming parts of Italy.

3. Outside of Nice, try to visit Juan les Pins, Antibes (pPicasso and a fort) and Grasse (perfume ingredientss).

4. be sure to walk the Old Town of Nice,and also don't be alarmed by the rock beaches in Nice - they're supposed to be that way!!

As far as security, like other posters have said, you don't have to be paranoid, just use good common sense, take basic precautions (for example, don't leave a coat in your back seat - the thieves may assume you have stuff underneath) and you'll be fine.

And don't forget the trip reports!

hfly - I personally have nothing against taking emotionally mature kids to topless beaches.

Some people do, hence my mentioning it so that they don´t get a rude surprise!

Yonatan

Make sure you get a large enough car. Even 'midsize' in Europe is not too big.

You did not mention how long you would be staying in each place. I would think at least 3 days in both VCE and Nice.

In London, Covent Garden, with the Punch&Judy show, and jugglers, etc. is enjoyable. All the standard tourist sites (wax museum, tower, buckingham palace, etc) are well worth visiting for first timers.

Skip the half price ticket line if the line is over 50-100 people long.

Some of the The Grand Canal Restaurants near the Rialto bridge are not expensive. Pick one that is not in the sun.

I think you will find Heidelberg to be quite fun and tourist-friendly. One can easily get around not knowing German.

I had fun going to see the world's largest keg that is in the schloss. Also, make sure to stroll down the Markplatz.

I found http://www.e-heidelberg.com/ to be a very useful website.

I agree with all re xeroxing key documents. You should consider extra copies of your travelers checks receipts as well. My stepdaughter had her purse stolen last week in Amsterdam. We had insisted she take copies of everything - she had all new documents and replacement trav checks within 24 hours and the loss is now just another travel story. You might want to bring copies of birth certificates for the kids to prove they are actually yours. There have been some reports of "officials" questioning parents about the legality of them traveling abroad if it's just with a single parent. (The whole divorce/custody thing)

In Venice a few things; the Peggy Guggenheim Museum - for both a great museum and one of the only truly airconditioned places in the city. Drinks on the deck of the Gritti Palace hotel - at about 5PM - Expensive but cheaper than a meal, the view is great and the people and "boat" watching is better. Even though the price is outrageous you should not leave without taking a gondola ride, and if you have some $$ to spend, the glass factories at Murano will usually pay for a water taxi to take you over for a tour (and of course to buy). You're not obligated to buy and the glass demonstrations would be good for the kids, and the water taxi ride itself is very nice. Your hotel can probably set that up.

Have a nice trip.