I have 6 extra days in Europe - where to go?

[MegaloMialo]

Nice, Monaco, southern Germany, lol. Enough bad advice.
So far Barcelona is the best advice.
I would suggest you to visit some Greek islands or the south west of France.

[RaMz123]

Barcelona for sure..

[Kneel B4 Zod]

2nd Greek islands, it's a great time to go. beautiful, nice beaches, partis to be found but the islands aren't packed yet.

[TheMetetron]

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Looking for a bit more of a party. The first part of the trip will be relaxed.

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Barcelona is definitely a party city (I'm there right now), the others I listed are more relaxed. Make sure you speak Spanish because people here really don't speak English in general.

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Curious how much Castilian is spoken there compared to the native language of Catalan? I mean they obviously speak Catalan to each other and I imagine the signs are in Catalan, but do they speak Castilian to foreigners well? To a lesser extent, how prevalent is English, although as long as Castilian is spoken there I'll be fine.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

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Looking for a bit more of a party. The first part of the trip will be relaxed.

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Barcelona is definitely a party city (I'm there right now), the others I listed are more relaxed. Make sure you speak Spanish because people here really don't speak English in general.

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Curious how much Castilian is spoken there compared to the native language of Catalan? I mean they obviously speak Catalan to each other and I imagine the signs are in Catalan, but do they speak Castilian to foreigners well? To a lesser extent, how prevalent is English, although as long as Castilian is spoken there I'll be fine.

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I've only been as a tourist (a few times) so I can't tell you the % breakdown of the 2 languages. I can tell you signs are often in both. I speak only broken basic Spanish, but I was able to communicate with everyone - ie not knowing Catalan was never a problem. a fluent Spanish speaker would have no problem there.

like most other places in Europe, if you are reasonably intelligent and polite, not knowing the local language(s) is not a problem.

[Tappy Tibbons]

Slovenia - right next door to Italy and hands down the hidden gem of Europe. Piran is a beautiful coastal town, Ljubljana, the capital, is beautiful as well with great food and nightlife. Lake Bled is a scene out of a storybook.

If you're there in the summer, you could also check out Hungary. Budapest is a beautiful city with great food everywhere, and a nightlife that puts any US city to shame. Lake Balaton, about 2 hours away, has a wild beach party scene. If your girlfriend has jealousy issues, be sure to avoid Hungary at all costs. An American 10 is an 8 in Hungary.

[canarymofo]

If you want to party go to Ibiza

[mason55]

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If you want to party go to Ibiza

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Oh yeah... durrr..

For whoever asked about Castilian vs Catalan, it's a weird mix. Some things are in Castilian and some are in Catalan. For example, at the mall next to my apartment most of the restaurants (McDonalds incl) have their menus in Catalan. Between my Spanish speaking roommate and my French speaking self we can figure things out usually. Our maid only speaks Catalan, our landlord speaks both, friends here who are from other Spanish speaking parts only speak Castilian . Some restaurants have menus in Castilian , Catalan, and English, some only have one of Castilian /Catalan. Almost everyone you meet though, if you come as a tourist, will speak Castilian . It would only be if you went way off the beaten path that you might run into people who speak only Catalan.

[sonneti]

Amsterdam... you wont want to leave.

[mrkilla]

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Amsterdam... you wont want to leave.

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QFT I dunno how this thread made it this far before it got posted

Also Try Praug