Visiting Europe for a month this summer

[stealyourface]

i think you should go to Prague.

[TheMetetron]

Hoya,

We are only in Madrid for 3 days, not 4.

Madsen,

We certainly aren't trying to see the entire museum in one day, we are well aware that won't happen. The pace is going to be very relaxed and that is the reason we are taking the whole day, so we can see at least a little bit of the museum at the relaxed pace we want.

Also, wrt Disneyland Paris. I could sit at the regular Disneyland in Anaheim all day long by myself and not go on any rides and enjoy myself. Something about the childhood memories it evokes really makes me happy. I know it won't be exactly the same in Paris, but I hear the park is much more beautiful. Also, it is something I've wanted to do since I was younger.

stealyourface,

Thanks for the help! I'll add it right away!

All,

Great suggestions so far and thanks for the feedback. I am in the process of trying to get Stars to pay for my airfare since I totally forgot they had travel certificates until now. Waiting to hear back on what kind of deal I can get.

[Hoya]

I see - if it is 3 full days I think it is still worth the trip (you'd be back in Madrid for dinner).

Sounds like you'll have a lot of fun.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

I know a few restaurants which are not so expensive and are great but it is completely brainlock wrt to names, I will try to remember or else I will post a route description later. Buy Crepes with Nutella and banana or other flavors, btw, they are fantastic. Also Creme Brulee for dessert if you eat in an ok restaurant. Especially the last one you should catch as it is quite rare outside France.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

I guess you want to meet girls too. French girls are not really fun to flirt with at all. BUT, there are quite a few foreign girls living there and they are usually very fun, I guess it is sort of natural selection, it's a city that attracts liberal openminded people. If you like latinas and have catched a few moves I recommend Latina Café on Champs Elysses, but it is expensive, but so are really all good clubs in the centre. Maybe your friend can show you a similar place cheaper.

[TheMetetron]

Hoya,

I appreciate the suggestions, but I plan to live in Spain at some point in the future. I will have time to do all of my sidetrips in Spain, France, Italy, etc at that point if I don't get to do it sooner. As you can see our limited time budget makes big trips outside of the city very difficult.

[TheMetetron]

I have a few problems with my France itinerary looking back at it. Well, not so much with the itinerary itself, but some of the details.

Apparently, the Carte Orange is only good for a Sun-Sat week and not 7 days from when you buy it. Since I arrive on a Thursday, this makes the whole thing sort of useless for me. I will probably just buy 10 packs of subway tickets for 10.90 Euro. I'm not sure how I will do the RER trains I need. I'm trying to find some way to get the exact prices for different RER trips, but it doesn't seem to be working out so well for me. Anyone have any ideas?

Also, since I won't have unlimited RER privileges I'm considering staying at a hotel near Disneyland Paris where I can just take a local bus instead of an RER train. This one came up in a search, but I'm not so sure about it. Thoughts?

http://www.planetholiday.com/hotels/...lin_hotel.html

I am going to do London right now to avoid losing more money at poker and since I can't sleep yet.

[Ortho]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a few problems with my France itinerary looking back at it. Well, not so much with the itinerary itself, but some of the details.

Apparently, the Carte Orange is only good for a Sun-Sat week and not 7 days from when you buy it. Since I arrive on a Thursday, this makes the whole thing sort of useless for me. I will probably just buy 10 packs of subway tickets for 10.90 Euro. I'm not sure how I will do the RER trains I need. I'm trying to find some way to get the exact prices for different RER trips, but it doesn't seem to be working out so well for me. Anyone have any ideas?

Also, since I won't have unlimited RER privileges I'm considering staying at a hotel near Disneyland Paris where I can just take a local bus instead of an RER train. This one came up in a search, but I'm not so sure about it. Thoughts?


[/ QUOTE ]

The metro thing is too cheap to bother worrying about. Just buy the "carnet" of 10 tickets like you've planned above. I didn't get your full schedule but the only time you'll use the RER is to the airport, Disney, and Versailles if you go. It's not particularly expensive and imo not really worth worrying about ahead of time.

There is literally nothing interesting instead of Disneyland in the area east of the city where Disney is. I personally drove there when I went so am not familiar with the exact logistics of getting there on the RER, but I think that you'd definitely be wasting a night if you stayed out there--just stay in the city and do whatever you have to do RER-wise to get there in the morning, rather than cooling your heels out there after the trains stop running, and then presumably moving hotels again back to Paris after you go to Disney etc. It's not that far--perhaps 1.5 hours tops depending on where you are staying in the city.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

as others have said, going to Disneyland Paris is waste of time. staying at a hotel out there would be doubling down on this mistake. just buy a single RER ticket.

some other general comments, half grunching this thread. dedicate more time in Paris to spending hours in cafes and restaurants. this is really the best thing in Paris. granted I've seen all the sites in Paris (a lot of which like the Arc de Triumphe and Place de Concorde are pretty meh), but if I had 1 day in Paris, I would spend a lot of it just walking around eating and drinking.

[O Fen�meno]

If you are in Madrid and want "American food" a safe bet is VIPs. There are like 40 of them in the city