General Chat / Studying Abroad

On January 13th I'll embark for the UK to study abroad until May. I feel like I've had the luxury of talking with more Europeans than most simply because of this site, so I'm excited to finally see the places and connect a little more with all the flags I see next to your names.

 

At the risk of sounding like many other pretentious study abroad students, if you have any sights/experiences that you would recommend around Europe I would love to take them into consideration. The most I have are cities that I'm wanting to visit at this point and a few attractions (National parks, scenic railways, etc)

 

Rough draft:

 

England - Manchester, London, Dover, York, Oxford

Scotland - Glasgow, Edinburgh

Ireland - Dublin

 

France - Paris, Monaco

Belgium - Antwerp, Ghent

The Netherlands - Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht

 

Denmark - Copenhagen

Sweden - Stockholm

Germany - Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich

 

Czechia - Prague

Austria - Vienna

Hungary - Budapest

 

Spain - Barcelona,

Italy - Rome, Venice, Naples, Florence,

 

 

Of course, this is all incredibly ambitious. But I'd rather have to cut out some than not have enough. It's impossible to do Europe in a couple months, but we'll see where I end up. 

 

Thanks guys

 

For the UK, cut out Dover, it isn't worth it at all, and Glasgow is awful (IMO)

 

I would suggest Liverpool instead of Manchester. Liverpool has some really interesting architecture and museums around the dockyard and I think is better for tourism, history and seeing things etc. Manchester is just a city, nothing special really, doesn't have much in the way of history either.

 

London is a must, for obvious reasons.

 

Dover is just literally the port to get to France, some cliffs and a castle. There is literally nothing there and it is so out of the way. Don't go.

 

York is beautiful, never been myself, but really need to go. (Also Lincoln is similar, lots of history and old buildings, cathedrals etc.)

 

Oxford, can't really say much about it, never been, but I think its pretty similar to York and Lincoln, an old city. 

 

Edinburgh is a must, really beautiful, loved it there.

 

Glasgow, I wouldn't bother, its a bit, meh.

 

Suggestions:

Brighton, Blackpool, Skegness -  I think it is important to visit a proper seaside location, I think it will give you an amazing experience. Skegness and Blackpool are dire, they are really not amazing places, quite poor places that live on the tourism, go in the warmer months when they are lively, I think it would be a lot of fun for an American to go. Brighton is richer, still very touristy, but is an actual city, and has a lot more 'foreign' tourism, your observation towers, museums, etc. etc.

 

Europe:

 

Belgium, go to Brussels.

Spain, go to Madrid.

 

You've got everything else covered.

Belgium, go to Brussels.

 

 

No. Not at all. Go to Ghent! Brussels may be bigger, but that's also because it's the capital city. While Brussels is not an ugly city, Ghent has way more to offer for the tourist.

 

We have a medieval city center, and it's still full of life which creates a unique vibe you can't find anywhere else. Here, some pictures to convince you:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Etc. You should come to my hometown and explore the city. If you decide to do so, I can give you any advice you need! Whatever you decide to do, don't fall in to the tourist trap named 'Bruges'. It's basically an open air museum. Yes they have medieval buildings too but most of them are fake and rebuilt while Ghent decided to keep and renovate the medieval facades of the buildings. Also, at 6PM Bruges is empty because the tourists are leaving. Ghent is never dead!

Oh and something else. If you have the time and possibility, I'd recommend Lisbon, Portugal. I think it's a beautiful city and should be called together with Paris and London as the nr 1 city to visit in Europe. 

yeah liverpool is a better shout than manchester

Go to Alton Towers as well, will give you insight into the world of European Park making.

Listen to Fred, Ghent is way cooler than Brussels. Or Bruges for that matter.

As for the Netherlands, I'm not sure how interesting The Hague really is. I'd rather go to Den Bosch or Haarlem; the latter is very close to Amsterdam. Speaking of which, hit me up when you get (t)here. I could show you around a bit.

Italy: Verona is awesome. I also loved Bologna because it feels more metropolitan than the other Italian cities I've visited.

Portugal: Porto is amazing (check out the trip report I posted here a few weeks back), looks like something you couldve built in RCT

What is most important to know for us to advice you properly, is what you are looking for. You want to see all the big landmarks? Modern architecture? Historic architecture? History and museums? Blend in with locals?

Hit me up when you go to Utrecht (NL). I could give you a free tour .

I loved Rotterdam & Delft.

 

Delft was gorgeous. Rotterdam was just really interesting, I loved it. 

Thank you so much, guys. Crossing off and adding stuff as we speak.. 

 

@Louis, will be living 20 minutes outside London so hopefully I'll be frequenting it. I hadn't considered blackpool but it may be doable in the spring. I definitely wouldn't mind getting some coasters in although it hasn't been a priority. The only theme park I was really set on was Thorpe because of the location. Not sure if I'll be able to make it out to Alton or not, no idea what the transportation situation is like.

 

@Liam, landmarks and historic architecture are probably my main points of interest. I'd love to blend in with the locals too, so I'll definitely plan on hitting you up when I'm in the area.

 

@Faas, thanks buddy! I'll absolutely let you know.

 

@SSSammy I was originally going to study there, from the pictures I've seen it feels very American though which is probably why I was staying away. 

 

@FredD Yes Ghent had a college that I was considering, so it's definitely on my list because I really liked the look of it. I have a pretty significant spring break so Lisbon may not be too out of the question, I hadn't looked into Portugal that much. 

I'm going to second Liverpool over Manchester.  If you want historic architecture but York is too far, Chester is on the local train (merseyrail?) and is like 5 pounds. Same kinda feel but no where near as big. Oxford is in that direction too, check blablacar or rent yourself, the train doesn't touch that stretch.  Depending on the season AirBnB can be great in Oxford too, I rented a single room one summer but got the whole house because none of the students were home!

 

Monaco isn't in France, but that's beside the point. Monte Carlo is fun but beyond expensive and there really isn't much to do if you don't have some event lined up. I'd push down the coast to Noli (Old Maritime Republic, think Venice, Genoa, Amalfi). Genoa itself (Huge) or my favorite Levanto (where you can walk Cinque Terre, get the local train pass!).

 

I would also recommend the French side of the Pyrenees.  Toulouse is the largest place around, and houses A LOT of english speakers because its the center for Airbus.  If your young and professional looking expect most people to ask how long you've worked at Airbus. The town is lively, very easy to get around in, subway and rental bikes.  Most major bus companies run out of the train station (Megabus, Eurobus) and offer cheap rides nearly everywhere (Morocco and the UK included!).  I would include Pau, Foix, Carcassone and Bayonne as well in the list of nice places to wander through in this region.

 

If you want to get off the main tourist path I would recommend the Jura.  I found a neat little town called Baume-les-Messieurs years ago and go back anytime I'm in the area. The whole region is empty, feels very strange in the middle of Europe, and the geography is unique enough to be worth a visit.

 

Barcelona is a must, amazing city, 24h life.  Walk around at 4 in the morning and find a south asian guy selling a six pack of beer for four euros, walk out to the sea and make some friends. Everyone seems to have the same idea in Barcelona, and English is spoken by 90% of the people on the streets in the old city.  Just NEVER go near La Rambla, place is a hell hole. I would recommend Gracia, a city that predated the grided area of Barc (L'Example).  Its not downtown but still has the 'old world' feel that most of suburban Barc lacks. El Poblenou is the best spot for beach going and some light tapas.  If you want to take the aerial tramway, walk to the top of Montjuic and take it downwards, the line on the uphill can be 3h but I have never waited more than 20m on the downhill. This is a big one, I had friends waste a day fussing around the port waiting for their turn.  The walk up the hill is easy and the view is the same in both directions!

 

In north Italy I will recommend Turin over the ones you have listed, and Bologna as second choice.  Turin is where the unification of Italy started, if your into any of that at all the feeling on the street just oozed history in a way that the other large cities never did for me. Go through the Susa pass from France for best effect, coming out of the tunnel and barreling into Turin past castle after castle is an experience I wont soon forget.

 

I have only passed through the Netherlands and Germany but I would say that my favorite places were Utrecht in NL, the prettiest of the cities with a unique history, being a Theocracy most of the modern age. In Germany, Lubeck Old Town is lovely and unique in a country where most cities were sadly dust this past century. If your in the south I would recommend at least a day trip to Lindau for the same reason.

 

In east Europe I would recommend Timisoara in Romania and of course Istanbul. Honestly I would be willing to sacrifice half of the list you posted for a week in Istanbul, the city is massive, has so many different neighbourhoods with completely different feels, and is crazy cheep!  I was there for the airport bombing and coup this summer and I can say to ignore whatever the news is telling you. I walked around on Istiklal solo in the dawn light without a worry ever.  If there are some Kurds or ISIS they are targeting the big tourist draws, the airport, or government buildings.  Keep the locations of these in mind and don't loiter any more than you would in a sketchy area of America and your fine.  I found a hostel that was 8$ CAD a night! Also a great exit point for any journey.  I got a direct flight home, and nearly every respectable airline flies to one of its two airports.  Just note which airport you fly into/out of, they are both similarly sized, but are about four hours apart in Turkish traffic, so don't go to the wrong one!

 

I'll try and think of anything I've missed and update accordingly.

The only theme park I was really set on was Thorpe because of the location. Not sure if I'll be able to make it out to Alton or not, no idea what the transportation situation is like.

 

 

Thorpe is very easy to get to on public transport, Alton is a nightmare. Thorpe will do I haven't been to Thorpe since they sold out and added IP after IP after IP. The place looks a mess now and they've ruined what little credibility they had. Anyhoo, it used to be my 'home' park, it's decent enough, and tbh Alton is getting dire too, the company is just awful at the moment. 

For København and Stockholm i can recommend both Tivoli Gardens; and Kølmarden if you can make it out (It's about a two hour one way drive from Stockholm via car).

 

For other activities, in Denmark make sure you see Nyhavn and If possible, Frederiksborg Castle - its a 45 minute train out from København central station. Also make sure to take plenty of time to walk around the city centre to take in the beautiful architecture and sites that are walking distance to one another.

 

For Stockholm, I'd recommend the same. The city has lots of beautiful sites that you can find within walking distance, particularly the palace and the old town. Haven't been to Gronalund myself but i'm sure that if you have plenty of spare time that it'd be worth a visit for a day / half a day.

 

If you're looking for more specific places let me know :~)

Do go to Brussels. It's quite a nice city, lots of great architecture (medieval architecture isn't the only interesting type!). But go to Ghent too, really nice and pretty town! And yes, Bruges is rubbish compared to Ghent. 

 

As a native of Stockholm I wouldn't say it's exciting enough in itself to merit a quick visit for like a weekend. It's a nice town but compared to many of the other ones mentioned in this thread it kind of pales in comparison. There really isn't anything here that can't be found in greater quantity and/or quality elsewhere in Europe. The old town in particular is rubbish, ridiculously overrated compared to something like Ghent or even Bruges! 

 

Unless you have a special interest in visiting Stockholm for some reason, I think you'd be better off either skipping it entirely or spending a few days and visiting some sights around the region too, as part of a longer tour of Sweden or Scandinavia. 

So I guess you are traveling by train?

 

I have to be honest, I don't really know how Frankfurt made your list. I haven't really visited it yet, but it's not really known for its tourism, afaik. If you are traveling by train, consider visiting Dresden. It's pretty much between Munich and Berlin and is quite beautiful. If you need a guide in Munich, I would possibly be available, depending on when you are going on the trip.

If you come to Ghent, hit me up Can show you the city.

Once again thank you all for the advice. First time checking in since I got here, it's already been an incredible experience and I haven't even left the UK.

 

@The Old Tire - very thorough thank you. Now that I've actually been to a couple places here I have a way better gauge of the cities I'd like to hit on the rest of my visits. Will be dropping most of the ones you mentioned  to.

 

@Louis - turns out my uni has a roller coaster club that organizes trips to Alton.. lucky.

 

@Goliath - I know incredibly little about the Nordic countries, thank you.

 

@Montliqueur - Yes my new plan is to hit all of the nordic countries, perhaps by train, haven't decided yet.

 

@Version1 - I just went to Edinburgh by coach to save money, but that may be the last time.. train and plane will be my go-to from now on. I will definitely let you know! Germany is one of the more 'intimidating' countries to navigate without knowing the language, but that's probably just in my head. Regardless it would be nice to have a local eye.

 

@FredD - of course buddy, thank you, I will let you know.

Sounds good! A lot of uni's organise trips to Alton, but nice to see an uni with an actual coaster club lol