Amsterdam has a lot to offer any globetrotter. Tulip fields, the Heineken experience, Anne Frank House, and the Red Light District are only a handful of activities that come to mind when I recall my 3-day trip to Amsterdam. Here’s how to get the most out of this colorful city:
Something else to think about: the Heineken Experience. Although I was not able to fit this into my quick trip, I intend to do the Heineken Experience, a tour of the brewing facility, if I ever return to Amsterdam. Check it out if you’re a fan of the lager!
Overall, Amsterdam is an amiable city with activities for every type of personality. If any of the above sounds intriguing to you, visit Amsterdam for experiences you’ll never forget.
This is a guest post.
When people name the top 5 cities in the world, Paris is always one of them. Paris, to me, is a city that I have always had a special connection with because I grew up listening to French chanson music and reading French literature. My first trip to Paris was incredible, but I also learned that, like any city, it can be full of tourist traps. Nonetheless, I firmly believe that a traveler’s bucket list must include Paris at least once in their life. Here’s why:
Paris is home to incredible landmarks. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, Notre Dame de Paris, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, Sacré-Coeur, the River Seine. Of course, these are what you think of when Paris comes to your mind, but the opportunity to see them in person can truly be once in a lifetime. The moment you walk down the Champs-Elysées or stand beneath the enormity of the Eiffel Tour is breathtaking. Notre Dame has such an abundance of history, and it doesn’t get much better than the Louvre for art lovers.
While these landmarks can sometimes carry ridiculous fees and ticket prices, they are free to visit from the outside. To avoid any tourist traps, carefully research the hours, prices, and which ones you’ll want to visit inside.
Remember: if you’re perfectly content taking a picture in front of the Eiffel Tower, then there’s no reason to spend 25 euros to go to the top.
Parisians know how to eat. The number of cafes in Paris is absolutely absurd. Their croissants melt in your mouth, the cheese and chocolate are to die for, wine is in abundance, and pastries are everywhere. Spend some time trying everything that Paris has to offer. When in doubt, seek out the Mom and Pop place rather than the big chain that looks flashy from the outside. Though it may take a few days to find these more local restaurants, you’ll immediately know you’ve done it when you’re suddenly enjoying the best food of your life.
Paris is full of history. If you paid attention during any of your school’s European history classes, you know how significant French rulers were to Paris. The history of Paris is everywhere, but the museums, architecture, and culture are only the beginning. So, where’s the best place to find it? The people. While you’re in Paris, be sure to engage with the locals. They know the city best and can provide a window into their coveted culture. The best part of engaging with locals is that they can often provide the best recommendations that steer you clear of tourist traps and instead keeps you wining and dining with the best the city has to offer.
Overall, I recommend visiting Paris with this savvy approach in mind. Visit the famous landmarks but forego the expensive ticket options if you’re not dying to do them (they can be overrated). Enjoy lots of local food at local places and speak to local people. Make Paris local to you and have an incredible experience!
This is a guest post.
Valentine 2008, I found myself going Dutch. Nadira, a friend and a former colleague during the days in Sarajevo, invited me over to the Hague, where she worked as a researcher for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. It’s a mouthful I know. Saying in layman term, the tribunal is a court set up by the NATO to catch big criminals during the war in the early 90s in what now Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia. There are more countries in the Yugoslavia, but these were the main players where the war escalated.
I found myself returning to Brussels four times now, beating any other European cities I had visited. It wasn’t out of sweet desire for Belgian chocolate, creamy mussels or seeing European Union at work. Rather, all the visits were due to severals low-cost airlines’ executive decisions made in secret boardrooms to choose Brussels as one of main flight hubs for Europe. Planning my routes to navigate to all European countries became a little easier. If I couldn’t find any direct flight from Prague to my destinations, I simply changed my departure to Brussels.
I returned to the US after spending the summer in Poland and posted on a Vietnamese forum about my trip; from this forum, I met two Vietnamese who lived in Paris. After a year resettling in US, I got antsy again and decided to go back to Europe. My obvious stop was then Paris.
Vietnamese don’t travel much, but if given the option, they likely choose France for the obvious reason that France is the only Western culture which is closest to Vietnam. 100-year colony must have counted for something. Many things which we encounter in our daily lives: food, vocabulary, ritual, etc. are taken from the French.
This article is written by Isabelle, a culture expert of all thing Dutch. She hails from the tulip, Heineken, and cheese nation, a real Dutch. When she’s not busy with school, work and contemplate about what it’s like to be Dutch, she jumps on any adventures to places further East.
This might be the most common stereotype about Dutch people, or at least something they are infamous for. However, the fact that soft drugs are more or less legalized in the Netherlands actually contributes to the lower numbers of addicts and users compared to the high percentage, almost twice as high, of soft drug users in the USA.
What does a backpacker do when he/she visits a country which has the highest GDP per capita? What does he/she do in a country known only for its gambling business boasting the casino for which to enter one has to dress like James Bond or his girls?
Easy. He/she stays in France, sleeps in French beds, and takes a 1-euro-fare bus to Monaco for a day trip.
Taking the 1-euro bus ride from the French Riviera to Monaco is a travel experience on its own. The bus takes you through some of the most beautiful coastline views in the world.
If you’re a backpacker, chances are you did or will do all of the above. You don’t have the kind of income that needs to be wired off to hide in Monaco’s treasury. You might gamble in the Grand Casino, but you might not stay in the hotel offered by them. Just because you entertained the idea of entering Monaco’s famous casino doesn’t mean you will do it. Instead, to save the entrance fee and the effort of dressing up, you decide that the second-class American casino next door will do justice.
Monte Carlo casino
The American casino
What else?
I’m not sure if my first trip to London can be considered a visit given I had only half a day to see the city.
I didn’t remember anything except for the arrival at the busy Victoria train station. Then I hauled my over-packed backpack from street to street around the station looking for accommodation. Everything was booked out. The available ones were too expensive for a student who had just return from an internship in … Eastern Europe. I had vague images of the Thames and the London Eye. I might even ride it without remembering anything. I remembered joining a group of Malaysian businesspeople to walk around the red-light district and then ditching them later not having enough energy and mood to socialize with complete strangers.
Visit the museums is a must when you are in London. Most of them including the major ones are for FREE. The collections and paintings in some museums I visited are of absolute quality, worthwhile of your time. The only minor problem is that there are many museums worth seeing and scattered around in the city in addition to the size of each one.
Some open very late (until 10 or 11 p.m. on particular days); you might want to note down the hours to check them out after sight-seeing the city.
I arrived in Zurich by train from Feldkirch, Austria quite early in the morning and had almost half a day until my bus back to Prague would depart. Three days ago, I took an overnight bus from Prague to Zurich, hopped on a train from Zurich to Feldkirch Austria, my base to visit Liechtenstein. I quickly stored my backpack at the train station and inquired about the free bike service. Yup, you could rent a bike for free in one of the most expensive cities in Europe. Perhaps the city wants to encourage people to switch to bike and free the streets of cars, attract more tourists or experiment different method of advertising.
My name is Cindy, also rhymes with travel junkie. A friend said I was probably a gipsy in my previous life. One of my many secret missions in life is to convert you to run off every once in awhile.
