EuroTrek Planning Info

 

 

 

   
   
         
   

Travel links from my Favorites

   

Calendars:

Richard & Wendy

Matt & Amanda & Paul

 

 

Links:

General:

A GIRL'S guide to GLAMOUR while traveling (Forum post)

A Good Link for Airfare Booking Engines

Cell Phone Use & Rental in Europe

Travel Links

EuroTrip (Articles, discussion boards, etc.)

Europe WWII Itinerary

 

Forms and Documents:

International Driver's License (1) , (2)

Accommodations Prices Per Day

et-budget.doc

et-itinaccom2003.xls

Insiders Advantage Order Form

Budget:

Budget.doc

Budgeting your travels

Budgeting for Your European Trip (article)

 

Packing:

A Good Packing Site

"What to take" list (printable PDF)

Transportation:

Rick Steves's - Times to Destinations

Petrol Prices Across Europe

Eating & Shopping:

Paris Eiffel Tower News (Local Eateries)

SpecialBite (Sining in Amsterdam)

PubClub Guide to Amsterdam

Cheap Eats in Paris (EuroTrip)

Articles on Eating and Shopping in Europe (about.com)

Rick Steves' "Shopping in Paris"

Gear:

Gear Express

REI.com

REI-Outlet.com

Sierra Trading Post

Dolomites:

Scanned Map

Refugio Lago Nambino

The Dolomites, Map, Refuges

The Italian Travel Network, Huts

The Dolomiti Park Hotel

Dolomite Huts (Brenta)

Dolomite Huts

DolomitesWorld

Refuges of the Dolomites (CAI-SAT)

The Trail Database, Italy

Mountain Cabins in Europe

The European Alps

Brenta

Dolomiten

AVS (Southern Tirol/Alpine Region)

Knots

"The Shape of Your Life" (Outside)

Nelson Rock Preserve (WV!)

 

Forms and Documents:

International Driver's License (1) , (2)

Accommodations Prices Per Day

et-budget.doc

et-itinaccom2003.xls

Insiders Advantage Order Form

General

A GIRL'S guide to GLAMOUR while traveling (Forum post)

A Good Link for Airfare Booking Engines

Cell Phone Use & Rental in Europe

Travel Links

EuroTrip (Articles, discussion boards, etc.)

Europe WWII Itinerary

Budget:

Budget.doc

Budgeting your travels

Budgeting for Your European Trip (article)

Packing:

A Good Packing Site

"What to take" list (printable PDF)

Transportation:

Rick Steves's - Times to Destinations

How Far Is It?

Petrol Prices Across Europe

Accommodations:

Some General Accommodation Links

Insider's Advantage Hotels

Eating & Shopping:

SpecialBite (Sining in Amsterdam)

PubClub Guide to Amsterdam

Cheap Eats in Paris (EuroTrip)

Articles on Eating and Shopping in Europe (about.com)

Rick Steves' "Shopping in Paris"

Dolomites:

Scanned Map

Refugio Lago Nambino

The Dolomites, Map, Refuges

The Italian Travel Network, Huts

The Dolomiti Park Hotel

Dolomite Huts (Brenta)

Dolomite Huts

DolomitesWorld

Refuges of the Dolomites (CAI-SAT)

The Trail Database, Italy

Mountain Cabins in Europe

The European Alps

Brenta

Dolomiten

AVS (Southern Tirol/Alpine Region)

Knots

"The Shape of Your Life" (Outside)

Nelson Rock Preserve (WV!)

Gear:

Gear Express

REI.com

REI-Outlet.com

Sierra Trading Post


Places of Interest:

Markets in Venice (by steventilly). The fresh produce on sale in Venice is wonderful. The best place to go is the market alongside the Grand Canal near Rialto. Here there is a fruit and vegetable market in traditional stalls; a fish market in the usual covered fish market type of building, with the fish displayed on ice and the expected 'stench' in the air; and finally a meat market, in permanent stands more like shops, facing out onto the market area.
Address: Near Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal.
Other Contact: The markets tend to close down b


Bhottegas, all over 'urban' Venice. We loved these shops. They sell incredibly good and yet incedibly cheap local wine. You get it straight from the vat into plastic bottles (either your own or ones they provide). The price ranged from 1 to 2 euro per litre. We bough a litre of their most expensive (at 2 euro) not knowing anything about it, not even if it was red or white (it turned out to be white). And it was soooo good! We went back for more, but they (and every other one we tried) had sold out :-S When they eventually got more, we bought about 6 litres, enough for a couple of nights :-)
(It was Ramondolo, which I now know is one of the region's finest desert wines).

Zattere. This runs the length of the southern part of Dorsoduro, from the Stazione Maratima (where some of the smaller cruise ships tie up) to Santa Maria della Salute. There are some fine buildings along here, and some good bars and cafes with fine views across to Guidecca opposite. One of the nicest ice cream places in Venice is Nico, near the Gesuati vaparetto stop. Also on Zattere (nearer the San Basilio stop) is Billa, Venice's largest supermarket.
Right along the other end, Santa Maria della Salute is one of Venice's greatest landmarks, and you can get a fine view back across to St Marks from there, on the Punta della Dogna. Unfortunately last time we were there that whole end of the Zattere and the Fondamenta Dogna was closed for works (erosion). You can cut in from the end of the Zattere though to get to the Peggy Guggenhein Collection (turn in by the Incurables Hospital).


See the area around St. Marks (by steventilly). St. Marks, The Doges Palace, the waterfront of St. Marks Basin, the views across to St. Maria Della Salute and San Giorgio Maggiore are probably the most famous and beautiful things in Venice. If you're here for the day then naturally this is what you'll want to see, but if you're here for longer, be sure to get away from this area too, and see what Venice has to offer 'off the beaten path'.

Kir cocktail (by bzh). The kir cocktail is one of the most simple in the world but it is so nice when done when the right ingredients. The cocktail was first called "blanc-cassis" or "blanc-cass" as it was made from white wine (white = blanc) and balckcurrant liqueur (blackcurrant = cassis).

It only became known as Kir when Canon Félix Kir, who was mayor of Dijon at the time and for whom it was the favourite drink, started offering it to visitors of the Dijon city hall. Canon Kir was very popular with the people of Dijon and he eventually allowed local companies to use his name for commercial purposes. The cocktail then became known as "un kir".

The kir mix:
1/3 Crème de Cassis, from Dijon
2/3 White wine, Bourgone Aligoté is best

You can replace the wine with Champagne and it becomes a "kir royal".
You can also replace the white wine with (Breton) cider and it becomes a "kir breton".

The Wine Trail (by Rieke)

They're called Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, Nuits Saint-Georges, Aloxe-Corton… known to everyone in the world. This is why the Burgundy wine trail from Dijon to Nuits Saint-Georges is a serie of essential stopping places. First you come to the mecca of wine, the château du Clos de Vougeot, owned by the ”chevaliers du Tastevin.“ From there the road is long… It will take you from one flavour to another, from the “pinot noir” grape to the sensual “aligoté.”


The Chablis and the Beaujolais vineyard : by piccolina

T hey are near the town of Auxerre, are half-way between Dijon and Paris. They are spread over the hill-slopes on either side of the pretty valley of the river Serein.

Beaune is not so far from Dijon, famous for producing original tiles.


See Auxerre


Dijon-find the owl in the old town and make a wish while touching it.

Paris-The romantic life museum ( Pigalle , 9 th district by BenFromParis) Le musée de la vie romantique (The romantic life museum) is a small museum very hard to find but very very nice!! If you want to go in a really secret museum, try this one. It's a very good surprise.16 rue Chaptal (9th district); Métro station : Pigalle or Blanche; Open: 10 a.m.-5.50 p.m. ; Closed: Monday, bank holidays.

Wine Museum by steph4867. This museum is in an ancient stone-and-clay quarry used by 15th-century monks as a wine cellar. It provides an introduction to the art of wine making, displaying various tools, beakers, cauldrons, and bottles in a series of exhibits. The quarry is right below Balzac's house, and the ceiling contains a trap door he used to escape from his creditors.
Website: http://www.museeduvinparis.com/
Other Contact: Métro: Passy

Website: www.cite-sciences.fr
Other Contact: Métro: Porte de La Villette

Phone: (33) (0) 1 45385256
Website: www.tourmontparnasse56.com
Other Contact: 33 avenue du Maine, Paris

****Stuben (Vorarlberg): The rich and famous may flock to Vorarlberg's stellar ski resorts, Zürs or Lech, but we'd tell you to sneak away to the little village of Stuben, 6 miles (10km) north of Lech on the west side of the Arlberg Pass. A way station for alpine travelers for centuries, Stuben was the birthplace of the great ski instructor Hannes Schneider. In winter, you can take a horse-drawn sleigh from Lech to Stuben. Once here, stay at Hotel Mondschein (tel. 05582/511), a 1739 house converted to a hotel.


Pörtschach (Carinthia): Many wealthy Viennese have lavish summer homes in this resort town on the northern perimeter of Lake Wörther. Known for its lakeside promenade, it attracts a sports-oriented crowd that wants to hike, play golf, ride, sail, and water-ski, or just enjoy scenic drives through the countryside. Lake Wörther itself is Carinthia's largest alpine lake, yet its waters are warm, often going above 80°F (27°C) in summer. We recommend staying and dining at the romantic Hotel Schloss Leonstein (tel. 04272/281-60), where Johannes Brahms composed his Violin Concerto and Second Symphony.

Exploring the Alps: There are few places in the world that are as splendid as the limestone chain of mountains shared between Austria and Bavaria. Moving toward the east, the Alps slope away to the Great Hungarian Plain. The Austrian Alps break into three chains including the High or Central Alps, the Northern Limestone Alps, and finally, the Southern Limestone Alps. In the west you discover fairy-tale Tyrolean villages, the Holy Roman Empire attractions of Innsbruck, and some of the world's greatest ski resorts, including St. Anton, Zürs, Lech, and Kitzbühel. Filled with quaint little towns, the Eastern Alps sprawl across the Tyrolean country, West Styria, and Land Salzburg. Centuries-old castles and stunning views await you at every turn.

Reliving The Sound of Music: In 1964 Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, and a gaggle of kids imitating the von Trapp family filmed one of the world's great musicals. The memory of that Oscar-winning movie lingers on, as a steady stream of visitors heads to Salzburg just to take "The Sound of Music" tour. You visit the Nonnberg Abbey where the nuns sang "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" as well as that little gazebo where Rolf and Liesl danced in the rain. There's also a stop at the Felsenreitenschule (Rock Riding School), where the von Trapps gave their final performance.

Glarus region, Switzerland KlontalerSee Lake (8 miles out of Glarus (train to bus or hike). few americans, awesome scenery and hiking/boating/climbing. a true hidden secret. beautiful hiking trail around lake, and climbing Vorder Glarnisch (4800 ft climb) was one of my favorite climbs in the Alps. stay at hotel vorauen at far end of lake, and use as base camp. visit http://online2.org/europe and click on glarus region for daily logs and pics. barry salem, or USA 09/03/03

Palavas, France Palavas is a small beach town located just south of Montpellier and west of "The Rivera". It's not a backdoor to the French because it is jammed with French as soon as school is out. We went on the first day of summer and enjoyed fireworks on the large beach, a boat ride, witness a jousting contest with contestants on boats, ate a huge bowl of mussels for 8 E, enjoyed the weekly (flea) market, and never heard a word of English spoken. We even had a room on the beach for $90E a night. gb Littleton, CO USA 08/17/03

Weinfest! If my memory serves me correctly, either the last week in September or the first week in October (somewhere very near there), the wonderful little town that Rick speaks of called Bacharach holds its annual Wine Fest. My goodness is this a treat. We happened to be there that weekend and got woken up our first evening by fireworks. Imagine our surprise when we head "downtown" and see the tiny streets packed with wine loving Germans. This festival celebrates Bacharach's rich wine history. It used to be the largest and best wine producer on the Rhine. It lasts two or three nights. Each night the people come out into the streets and enjoy being together with good wine. The second night there is a wonderful parade which is graced by the Wine God himself, Bachus (hence the name of the city). We even joined in the parade as the townspeople cheered us on from the sides. Free bottles of wonderful wine are handed out by Bachus' guards. But by far the best part of the whole festival, is the raising of the humongous wine barrel from the basement of the town hall. They hoist it up manually, tap it with a wooden spike, and give away as much as you can drink. Far and away one of my favorite experiences of my year in Europe because it was a pure celebration of the town's culture and history not wrapped up in tourism and profit. Quinn Portland, OR USA 06/17/03

Bonassola on Italian Riviera If you think the Cinque Terra sounds like it may be getting overcrowded with Americans, try this charming town instead--Bonassola, north of Levanto. Most of the other tourists we met in Bonassola were other Europeans--French, Swiss, Belgians, etc

Bastei National Park, Germany Through this website we read about the area called Sachsische Schweize. We stopped in a town called Stadt Wehlen on our way from Berlin to Prague. We had a wonderful room on the Elbe River, and enjoyed watching a wedding reception on the riverbank right outside our dinner patio. Although no one spoke English, it didn t detract from an otherwise wonderful stay. The next day we visited the National Park at Bastei, seeing ruins of an old Middle Ages mountain castle.

Haute Nendaz, Switzerland In Haute Nendaz, high in the Alps above Sion, the bus ride up and down is an adventure in itself. Visiting in June, we were usually on the bus with the schoolchildren, and I so enjoyed listening to their pure, sweet, French voices. The shopkeepers watched over us and we practiced our French while ordering pastries. We traveled to Zermatt, enjoying Brig s train station (and its beautiful mural) and to Martigny, with its wonderful art museum. Old Sion is charming, and, of course, the Alps are absolutely incredible.

Abbizia San Vicenzo When we need to get away from Naples, we go to the Abruzzi Mountains and visit the Abbizia San Vicenzo al Volturno. The Abbey is definitely a unique place. It was founded in the 8th century and at its height, it was a giant complex with hundreds of monks and eight elaborately-frescoed churches. Charlemagne himself took an interest it. It was sacked by the Saracens in 881, fell into disrepair and essentially disappeared. In 1832, it was "discovered  by a peasant who fell into a hole and discovered a crypt. It was not investigated any further until the 1980's when a British archeologist proved that the site of the ancient abbey was underground. It is currently the biggest medieval archeological site in Europe. (And to the public, it is basically unknown.)

In the 1980's,The Abbot of Montecassino and then the Vatican decided to rebuild the abbey. They had trouble finding volunteers to take up residence in the decrepit set of ruins. But then, in 1990, two American nuns from the Benedictine convent in Connecticut came to Italy. There are currently 5 Sisters living at the Abbey, there is the major archeological dig on the Abbey property, as well as over 4000 olive trees. The sisters live on what they produce or by donations. They have a rustic guesthouse where you can stay for a donation. The food, prepared by the sisters is delicious, and almost everything is grown on their land. The sisters can also use all the help that they can get, including those willing to help harvest their olive crop. To visit Abbizia San Vicenzo al Volturno contact Mother Miriam Benedict, or Mother Agnes Shaw at maryb@tin.it.

 

 

Itinerary:

Amsterdam > Paris > Lake Constanz >[ Venice > Salzburg / Innsbruck >] Rothenberg ob der Tauber > Amsterdam

 

Amsterdam (1)

Accommodations:

Hotel Prinsenhof (Frommer’s: Europe $45 Day; p56; dbl. w/out bath $65-75; dbl. w/ bath $100; triple w/out bath $110; triple w/ bath $120; quad. w/ bath $145-150) - Tentative: Reserved for 8/31/2003. (R&W & M&A) quad room w/ bath 1 night @ 145E. No reply yet.

Attractions:

Don't Miss

Markets

Boerenmarkt (Noordermarkt; flea\org food) 10am – 5pm

Waterloopin, Waterloopin (flea/antique) 10am-5pm

NZ Voorburgwal (Stamp & Coin Mkt; behind the Royal Palace; Wed & Sat 9am-1pm;

Haarlem

 

Hilversum?

Utrecht

Leiden

Zandvoort

Rotterdam

Roosendaal?

Zierikzee

Middelburg

Bergen op Zoom

Antwerpen

Vlissingen

Knokke-Heist?

Zeebrugge?

Blankenberge?

Oostenden?

Brugge Gent?

Veurne?

Roeslare?

Kortrijk?

Tournai

Dunkerque

Calais

St. Omer

Hazebrouck

Bethune

Lille

Arras

Lens

Peronne

Noyon

Compiegne

Senlis

 

Paris (2)

Accommodations:

Hotel de Nevers ($30-70 a day) - Reserved for 8/31, 9/1, & 9/2/2003. Confirmed: (R&W) dbl. room 3 nights @ 32E and (M&A) dbl. room w/ shower & toilet 2 nights @ 45E. "Best regards . A bientôt" -Sophie et Alain

Hotel Langlois ($80-100 a day) - Tentative: Reserved for 9/2/2003. (M&A) dbl. room w/ bath 1 night @ E.

Other Accommodations:

Decent hotel rooms in Paris for less than £50

Selected Hotels in Paris

Hotels of Paris

Hotel Esmeralda (Frommer’s: Europe $45 day; p736; Near St. Michel & Notre Dame) 19 rms; single w/out shower $35; single or dbl w/ shower $70; dbl with bath and view of Notre Dame $85-95; Breakfast is additional $8-10.

Hotel Napoleon (Insider's Advantage $99 a day)

Hotel de Nesle ($50-60 a day)

Attractions:

Montmartre (district)

Pompidou Center

Louvre

Versailles

Chambord

Chartres , Chartres

Itinerary Expatriate Paris in the Twenties

Gertrude Stein's Apt., Gertrude Stein's Apt., Gertrude Stein's Apt.

Pere-Lachaise Cemetary, Pere-Lachaise Cemetary

Markets, Markets, Markets (by district), Markets (by specialty)

 

Fontainbleau (Palace, Palace, Palace)

Orleans, Orleans

Melun

Montereau

Sens

Troyes

St. Florentin

Joigny

Auxerre

Avallon

Fontenay

Montbard

Semur-en-Auxois

Beaune

Dijon

Dole

Besancon

Saut du Doubs

Montbeliard

Belfort

 

Basel/Lake Constanz (3)

Accommodations:

Bad Schachen (Insider’s Advantage; dbl. w/ bath $30) - Reserved for 9/3, 9/4, & 9/5/2003. Confirmed: (R&W) dbl. room w/ bath 3 nights @ $29 and (M&A) dbl. room w/ bath 2 nights @ $29.

Attractions:

BodenSee, BodenSee, BodenSee

Ferries

Neuschwanstein

Linderhof

Alps

 

 

Meersburg, Meersburg

Lindau, Lindau

Konstanz (de)

Friedrichshafen - Zeppelin Museum

Baden

Schaffhausen, Schaffhausen

Singen

Zurich

Lindau

Bregenz - Cable Car, Pfänder

Winterthur

Säntis - Cable Car

St. Gallen, St. Gallen

Kreuzlingen

Weinfelden

Teufen

Altstätten

Romanshorn

Arbon

Rorschach

Feldkirch

Einsiedeln - Monastery?

Vaduz/LiechtensteinVaduz Castle (the Royal Palace),

Fussen

St. Anton, St. Anton

Venice

Accommodations:

Hotel Galleria (dbl. w/out bath $93-100)

Laguna Palace & Laguna Suites (Insider's Advantage; dbl. w/bath $79)

Alloggi Masetto, "About 4 years ago, a friend and I stayed at the Alloggi Masetto- its a pension - an older, "eccentric" lady rents out about 4 clean rooms for really cheap. The location is excellent - RIGHT of St. mark's Square. You can find the contact info in Rick Steves' Italy books - thats where I found it. "

 

Attractions:

Peggy Guggenheim Museum ($8)

Eurotrip Venice Nightlife

 

 

 

Freiburg

Salzburg

Accommodations:

Hotel Blaue Gans (Frommer's: Austia '93 - '94 pg191-192 - Map on pg191; dbl. w/out bath $65; Parking $15; Getreidegasse 43, A-5020 Salzburg, Tel. 0662/84-13-17, FAX 0662/84-13-179)

Pension Helmhof (at Rott) (Frommer's: Austia '93 - '94 pg198 - Map on pg191; dbl. w/out bath $65; Parking $15; Getreidegasse 43, A-5020 Salzburg, Tel. 0662/84-13-17, FAX 0662/84-13-179)

 

Attractions:

Festung Hohensalzburg

Mozart’s birthplace,

Salzburger Heimatwerk (fabric/craft market)

The Best Outdoor Pursuits in Austria

The Grossglockner Road "It begins at Bruck an der Grossglocknerstrasse at 2,483 feet (757m), continues through the Hochtortunnel, where the highest point is 8,220 feet (2,507m), and ends in the province of Carinthia. The mountain part of the road, stretching some 13 1/2 miles (21.7km), often at 6,500 feet (1,983m), has a maximum gradient of 12%. You can drive this stunning engineering feat mid-May to mid-November, although the road is safest mid-June to mid-September."

 

Innsbruck

Accommodations:

Pension Paula (dbl. w/out bath $44; dbl. w/ shower $50; dbl. w/t bath $53)

Attractions:

 

Baden Baden

Rothenberg ob der Tauber, Rothenberg ob der Tauber

Accommodations:

Gasthof Goldener Greifen (dbl (w/?) $60-70)

Gasthof Bayerischer Hof (dbl. w/bath $65-75, triple w/bath $100, family room w/bath $105)

Gasthof Zur Silbernen Kanne (w/ breakfast: dbl. w/bath $57-65 & triple/quad w/bath $84-112; w/out breakfast: dbl.w/bath $43, triple w/bath $58,

Pension Freund (w/breakfast: dbl. w/bath $43-52, w/out breakfast: dbl. $45, triple $54, quad $63; breakfast per pers. $5)

Attractions:

 

Heilbronn

Heidelberg

Darmstadt

Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt Wine Market

Mainz

Wiesbaden

Bingen?

Limburg?

Koblenz - die Deutsche Ecke

Mayan?

Siegburg - Airport?

Marburg, Marburg

Koln/Cologne

Bonn

Dusseldorf

Maastricht

Monchengladbach?

Dortmund?

Essen?

Krefeld?

Duisburg?

Wesel?

Kieve (Kleve?) - Rhine?

Nijmegen - Rhine?

Zwolle?

Arnhem?

Apeldoom?

Amersfoort?

Het Loo?

 

Amsterdam (2)

Accomodations:

Hotel Prinsenhof (Frommer’s: Europe $45 Day; p56- dbl. w/out bath $65-75; dbl. w/ bath $100; triple w/out bath $110; triple w/ bath $120; quad. w/ bath $145-150)

Hofstede Slangevegt (Europe's Wonderful Little Hotels and Inns 1994; p340- dbl. $60; addr. Straatweg 40, 3621 BN Breuklelen, Utrect)

Hotels of Amsterdam

Attractions:

Don't Miss

Markets

Boerenmarkt (Noordermarkt; flea\org food) 10am – 5pm

Waterloopin, Waterloopin (flea/antique) 10am-5pm

NZ Voorburgwal (Stamp & Coin Mkt; behind the Royal Palace; Wed & Sat 9am-1pm;

Haarlem