Who lives in or has backpacked through Europe?

[koleah]

Thinking about going. Any things/place I need to make sure to go/see/experience?

[Army]

Does a forced ruck march count?



Don't do the normal/typical tourist tours. I suggest the old city of Nuremberg, along with the dungeon tour (really creepy since they are real), and all the Nazi concentration camps.

You really have to take the TGV in France...blow your mind fast.

And, of course from my point of view, as many American military cemeteries you can find, starting at Normandy, down to Bastogne and Luxembourg, and on into Italy.

Oh..........don't drink the water when there is so much beer available

[Ando]

Amsterdam.... Been there 7 times when I was stationed in Germany.

Great places in Germany to visit: Do web searches for these places.

Garmisch: If you love to ski or hike, that's the place to do it.

The Neuschwanstein Castle: Was the castle Walt Disney used for Cinderellas castle.

Munich for Octoberfest or in general. Great night life, need to hit The Frauenkirche Church (think i spelled it right)

2nd Nuremberg. There's always some sort of festival or event going on there and yes, you can even get a beer at McDonald's

I'll post up a few other places I visited later. It's late

[Fred]

Can't say it enough:

Top Spot: Cinque Terra in Italy.

My rundown based on countries I visited/worked in:

Amsterdam: Crazy or cool as you want it to be, not as in your face as people in general would have you believe. Hit up the Heineken Brewery and museums, but skip the Van Gogh.

Finland is out of the way but if you wanna go north...
-Helsinki is very cool, clubbing is great, as is the architecture.
-Tampere is also pretty neat.

Germany:
-Cologne will blow your mind if you've never seen a gothic cathedral. Also awesome city to just wander around and get lost in.
-Dusseldorf is a smaller version, with amazing bars.
-Hamburg is pretty cool as well.
-Berlin is worth 2-4 days, none of the above really need more than 1 (Cologne you can do 2).
-Stuttgart if you're a gearhead, gotta go.
-Munich. Hoffbrau. Nuff said.

Switzerland:
-Zurich is gorgeous, and the train rides in and out (especially going to Italy) are the most scenic (IMO) in Europe.
-Interlachen (I didn't go personally, but my friends had a blast).

Italy:
-Torino is not very unique, will remind you of many northern cities.
-Milan is kinda Meh for traveling, but has a huge shopping opportunity.
-Padova is an awesome place to stay if you want to go to Venice, smells better, oldest University in Europe.
-Venice... ONLY NEEDS A DAY. Smells. Don't stay there, as its stupid expensive and the train ride to Padova is like 30 mins.
-Verona is really cool, worth 2 days.
-Florence... is where you can start sinking a LOT of time into stuff... Amazing museums, Brunelleschi's Dome, shopping, and GELLATO.
-Rome is worth a few days for sure, see the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St Peter's, the Coliseum, etc. The mix of ancient and new is wild.
-Pisa- worth a couple hours to walk to the Tower and back from the train station.
-Sienna is cool, make plans REALLY far in advance if you wanna see the horse race, or dont bother trying to go there that week.
-Volterra, where I studied for a summer, is on a mountaintop in Tuscany, a bus ride from Florence or Sienna... chill, laid back place, that dates back before the Roman empire... yes, built by the Etruscans, and they have the same Alabaster industry as back then, too.
-Cinque Terra is a string of 5 villages along the Riviera between La Spezia and Genoa, which is the best relaxation spot I visited... great party town, tons of backpackers, the landscape is amazing too. Find a room to rent from a local... you might luck out and get something with a view like this:

[eelz]

and don't bother with the UK.!

It's crap.

[SCpoloRicker]

Baltic States are awesome

I spent around two months in the Balkans with the polo team during college. We hit Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic, but we spent most of our time in Croatia and Serbia.

Very cheap compared to Western Europe, much less "touristy" feeling.

I'd recommend you avoid the stereotypical "we're gonna stay in hostels with huge rucksacks and take the train around Italy and France" sort of approach a lot of people tend towards.

Your best bet is to find a local who speaks English and will show you around.