Help with European travels

[prctr]

To All,

(And to northamuk, who I am told is a wealth of info on this subject)

I am curious if any forum members can help with suggestions about travel in Europe, using Metz, France as a base. My son is studying there this term, and will have quite a few 3 day weekends. We are trying to come up with some destinations for him, but it would REALLY help if we had input from EXPERTS, WORLD TRAVELERS and generally just STUPENDOUS HUMAN BEINGS. This was the obvious place to look, wouldn't you agree?

As a student he will be travelling on a budget, but as a 20 year old, he will be up for anything.

I've suggested Strasbourg, Luxembourg and a couple of places in Germany that both I and my father have visited (and Blake, of course, has zeroed-in on Amsterdam :censored: :censored: ) - but any and all suggestions and recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

:rolleyes: B) :blink:

[Guest northamuk]

Kinda depends on what his interests are, (Amsterdam is a big clue)!!

I lived in Metz, but that was a long time ago!

[Guest northamuk]

BTW has he got a Student Rail Pass? Metz is an ideal rail hub to get to almost anywhere in Europe. I have a feeling that the Student Rail Pass has to be obtained before you leave your country of domicile, but don't quote me on that.

[prctr]

Yup, he has a "Eurrail" Pass, so the travelling should be no problem.

He's just your basic second-year college student - quite a good kid, if I do say so myself, but I'd venture to say that he'll enjoy some things that, as an old geezer, I wouldn't like, but he'll profit from the experiences there.

He'll be staying, as much as is possible, in hostels, but we just are clueless about where to suggest to him for the weekends there - and the travel magazines / ads - don't seem particularly trustworthy.

In the U.S., it is possible to have some dramatically different experiences depending on where one goes. New Orleans, for example, versus Aspen / New York versus Meridian, Mississipi / Tucson versus Cape Cod / Cocoa Beach versus Duluth, Minnesota - not only is the weather and terrain so varied, the people are HUGELY different - it's the lack of info about the nuances that has us stumped. Believe me, ANY help, even if your info isn't particularly current, will be a great assist to us! It is your OPINIONS that we'd like to have - we trust your judgment.

I'm just hoping he elects not to do the basic and limited "tourist" thing only, that he watches his money, stays somewhat safe, but that he meets some good folks and and puts some imagination into it, since it's possible he will only get one chance at Europe.

Hope this mess made some sense. Thanks, all.

[Guest northamuk]

Okay, Luxemburg is very close and easy to get to - worth a visit (a short one!) Luxemburg City is about the only place he should go to ( there is not much else there!)

Nancy is also very close and worth a visit.

Verdun is also close, worth visiting, if only to see the spectacular World War 1 graves , thousands of them. It also has a huge ossuary containg the bones of soldiers who fell there. The fighting around Verdun was some of the fiercest of the war with tens of thousands of casualties.

Strasbourg is not too far and definitely worth going to. The area around the Cathedral will yield some nice photos. He must go to the area named Petit France to see the old buildings and restaurants. Definitely worth buying a guidebook.

Colmar is south of Strasbourg (should be accessible by rail from either Metz or Strasbourg) Lots of old buildings to photograph. Centre of the Alsace wine region.

Basel in Switzerland is also worth a visit, will probably entail changing trains.

Cologne is closer to Metz than Amsterdam as is Brussels. But Amsterdam would be worth seeing.

The "Wine Trail" between Strasbourg and Colmar is full of spectacular old villages but you really need a car to do that trip. It would definitely be worth renting a car

for one day, though. Rent in Strasbourg, drive to Colmar and visit the villages on the way back. Two villages spring to mind Riquewihr, and Ribeauville (you can find them on the Internet).

Oh, and Paris, of course!

You can view all the villages and towns on the "Wine Trail" here - http://www.visit-alsace.com/riquewihr/

[prctr]

northamuk,

Many thanks for the suggestions. He went to Paris over this last weekend, so I should be getting a report tonight or early in the morning, at which time I'll pass on your information.

He has a decent camera with him (DiMage Z2, I think) and I am encouraging photos, especially since he can transfer them here easily.

He also seems to be burning through the money; for HIS sake, I hope he adjusts himself to the "student" budget........................lol.

Thanks again, and will report with any noteworthy developments.

[Guest northamuk]

prctr, thanx for the update, Paris is tremendously expensive - money will disappear there faster than Superman can fly. If he has the Dimage Z2 (which is the one I recommended, and bought myself) he will get some great photos, especially with the 10x zoom. It also makes excellent videos particularly at 600x800 resolution but it uses 1MB per SECOND at that res. you need to transfer them to CD to save space on the sD card!

[Tony]

Hi

If he makes it as far down as Strasbourg or Basel, then i strongly suggest he has a look at Freiburg in Germany, It is between the 2 of them. There is lot's to see and do there, and some great views of the mountains. Plus i live there :D

Tony

[Guest northamuk]

Tony, I agree that Freiburg is worth a visit, as is Baden-Baden. I can't remember if you can get a train direct from Metz to Freiburg, I suspect you can from Strasbourg although it may also involve a change of trains. Perhaps you could check out the timetables at the Bahnhof to see if there are direct links to Strasbourg or preferably to Metz?

[prctr]

To northamuk and Tony: Thanks for the increasingly detailed assistance !!! I'll feed all this info to Blake. I haven't gotten any post-Paris messages. Hmmm.

Yes, northamuk, I recall that, after the extended camera discussion with you we just ordered the Z2. No questions / no more research / no agonizing vascillation. Simple! Saved us a lot of groundwork AND possibly from buying a nightmare. Thank you.

An Aside: Can I Fed Ex cigarettes to France? :lol: Are there Customs problems? (He got over there a found the per pack price to be, well, outrageous! )

Tony - I think Frieburg / Baden-Baden are great ideas - I'll have him get some guide books. :)

[Guest northamuk]

Fed-Ex will cost more than the Cigarettes are worth, and yes, he will get stuck with Duty and Tax - good idea but not worth it. Tell him to check out the prices in Luxembourg, I seem to remember that they were lower there, if they are he could stock up and it is quick and simple to pop over every couple of weeks. I also think that they are very cheap in Belgium - same thing - get a train to the nearest Belgian town and stock up.

[Guest northamuk]

Info:

Tobacco production, trade and industry

Production and trade Luxembourg does not produce unmanufactured tobacco. Data on production and trade of manufactured tobacco is only available for Luxembourg combined with Belgium (see country profile of Belgium). However, separate data are available for cigarettes sales in Luxembourg. Cigarette sales increased from 3,300 million in 1988 to 4,106 million in 1994. Only an estimated 15 to 20% of cigarettes sold in Luxembourg are consumed there. Because of the low price of cigarettes, French, Belgians, and Germans have traditionally stocked up on cigarettes when passing through Luxembourg, accounting for the other 80 - 85%.

[Guest northamuk]

Had a quick look on the Web, Cigarettes should be about US $3.10 per pack of 20 in Luxembourg.

Not quite half of the price in France but close!

Check out this site http://www.route66.lu/

[prctr]

Very Good! Thanks for taking the time - it is helpful information. I've already sent it off! :D :D :D