The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Eurotrip
A Bear
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Well-traveled and European PA people, help me out here.
In a few days I head out for a 2+ week excursion across Europe, making stops in Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and places in between. I've been over before, but it was years ago, and this time I have a couple questions I just can't seem to find a solid answer on. In no particular order, here they are:
I'm traveling with my fiancée and her whole family (gulp), so most of the trip is pretty under control--these things are really just for keeping my own sanity and picking out some cool things on the way.
In a few days I head out for a 2+ week excursion across Europe, making stops in Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and places in between. I've been over before, but it was years ago, and this time I have a couple questions I just can't seem to find a solid answer on. In no particular order, here they are:
- While I'm not bringing many electronics, I am bringing my DS lite and my 2nd gen iPod shuffle. What will ensure I can plug these things in an assortment of zany electrical outlets without frying my stuff or the hotels we are staying in? Something like this or just this? Also, we are staying mostly in assorted chain hotels that are also in America (Marriotts, Holiday Inns). Will they just have "normal" American 110V outlets anyways?
- Right now I'm just planning on taking my credit card (a Visa) and converting a little cash when I need it. Most places take Visa, right? And I wont be slapped with fees?
- Is there anything really cool I should see while I'm in Europe? Most of our time will be all over Germany, we spend only a day in Madrid before jumping on a plane, and only 1-2 days in Switzerland (Zurich)-Italy (Lakes Region, Milan)-Austria each.
- What should I eat? I like food, I'll try almost anything, and want to really test out some great and authentic stuff while I'm here. This can range from what gum and snacks I should try for riding up and down the alps, to what food I should order from a restaurant, to what beer I should drink. Especially the last one.
I'm traveling with my fiancée and her whole family (gulp), so most of the trip is pretty under control--these things are really just for keeping my own sanity and picking out some cool things on the way.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
A Bear on
0
Posts
The airport'll probably have a store with the needed converters. I don't know enough about electricity to comment beyond that. As for food in germany be sure to try Bratkartoffeln: (fried potatoes, with diced bacon and/or onions). That's all i can comment on, have fun and stuff.
Did you call your credit card company and tell them "Hey, I'm going everywhere in Europe for two weeks, please don't place a hold on my card"? This is big.
The bigger hotels will have switches in the bathroom that convert the power down on the outlet for your devices.
Lowenbrau in Germany is some strong stuff, Nutella if you haven't had it before, as well as Marzipan.
Also go check some cathedrals
1) You won't find any 110V outlets anywhere. I think there are sevral threads in this forum regarding adapters etc. Your best bet is having an electronic device that can also take 220V. For things like DS and iPod you may be better off just buying a European cable?
/edit: ok, maybe bigger hotels do have 110v outlets. I'm not going to many hotels in Germany.
2) Hotels and restaurants should all take VISA. Dito for bigger stores and gas stations. Small stores might not take it or try to talk you out of it (I think they get slapped with fees). Credit cards are not that common in Germany, we have another pay-by-card system that is really everywhere.
Most people pay small sums by cash, so have some on you at all times, you will need it. Remember that coins have value here ;-)
3) As a resident it's kinda hard to tell about touristy stuff. I don't know any non-obvious places in Berlin.
4) Berlin Food:
a) Currywurst. (fried sausage with curry sauce) Your travel guide will tell you to get this at Konnopke's in Schönhauser Allee. Go there.
b) Döner. (bread filled with salad and meat) That's a turkish thing that was allegedly invented in Berlin. You get it all over Germany, but as with all fast food it's mostly not that great (Although not really bad either). I don't know any place right now.
c) Berliner Weiße. (crazy beer with either raspberry or woodruff syrup) That is just bullshit for tourists (nowadays). Nobody drinks that.
Beer comes many different styles, so it's hard to recommend without knowing your taste. If in Berlin, go to the "Aufsturz" in the Oranienburger Straße (that's a central location, you'll be there anyway as all tourists). They serve 100+ kinds of beer and if you get a good waiter can tell you something about beer. My former roommate used to work there. They also serve an ok "Bauernfrühstück" which is basically Bratkartoffeln + eggs + onions + bacon with a side of pickled cucumbers. (hint: the better Bauernfrühstück is something like 200m away in the Zosch)
Re: Nutella. Even most Germans like this the most and it is the biggest brand, but we do have other brands of this kind of stuff. "Nudossi" (you'll only get it in the east) contains way more nuts and isn't as sweet.
Re: Löwenbräu. Pretty boring beer to me. Ymmv of course. Get a Rothaus Tannenzäpfle for a very smooth beer and maybe a Flensburger for the more rough northern taste. Czech beers like Budvar are also pretty good.
I would get both of the things you linked.
A lot of American banks have contracts with foreign banks so that you aren't charged ridiculous fees for taking money out of international ATMs, so you should look in to that.
Also, take out larger amounts of money from the ATM so that you aren't nickel and dimed to death with fees.
http://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Plug-Europe-Universal-Polarized/dp/B000BMFHLE
Cheap, simple, effective as long as your adapters will accept the voltage. Most will. But double check.
Money? Your credit card may or may not charge a fee. Usually the "fee" is an extra 2-5% charge of whatever money you take out of an ATM. Depends on your card. There could be an ATM fee plus the 2-5% extra for the currency conversion. Check with the bank. They may have partner banks in Europe that will not charge you anything. IE: Bank of America/Santander.
Anything cool to see? Just walk around, see the sights, don't get stuck in tourist traps. You can always tell which ones they are. Look at peoples shoes. If you see lots of sneakers in one area, tourist trap.
Food? Eat everything, drink everything.
EDIT 1. If you're planning on taking a cash advance on your credit card, you will be raped for fees until the entire balance of the bill is paid off. If you can bring along a bank card that will work on the PLUS and/or CIRRUS network you can take out money. Check the back of your card and call your bank. You may also have trouble with your PIN, some North American banks allow you to have a PIN greater then 4 digits, this isn't true in the UK. Make sure yours will work.
EDIT 2. I keep thinking of things. Many automated machines, ie train/bus ticket machines, parking machines etc. only take bank cards/credit cards that are "chip cards", they no longer use the magnetic strip. Although most retailers won't have a problem. We had a minor issue when we tried to buy train tickets before the booth was open, the machine wouldn't accept our card. Be prepared for this.
I tried the same with beer in a lot of places in Germany and did alright, but I don't know if that's the best approach.
In my somewhat limited experience, German low end restaurants tend to focus on big amounts of meat. I remember having trouble eating with a vegetarian friend for a decent price in Stuttgart. He ended up eating salads a lot. Stuttgart was a beautiful city though.
Alcohol: Most bars will serve a 4-5% lager as the base beer.
Are you sure? The USB charger is the advice I usually give, but I have a friend who owns a US DS that he charges with a UK adaptor all the time.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
This is sadly true for lots of regions in Germany. As a vegetarian, your options often come down to Italian and Chinese restaurants. (where the former are run by Turks and the latter by Vietnamese)
If you are in a random German restaurant/bar and want to drink beer just get whatever they have on tap. Only in the most extreme cases will it be worse than their bottled beer.
Advice for Berlin - go visit the Stasi (E German Secret Police) Museum out east. It isn't very big and it is largely in German (which may not be a problem if you can read it I guess) but it is still worth a visit if you are interested at all in the Cold War/history that kind of thing.
Also, go find a beer garden in the Tiergarten then drink
Money: Credit cards are great, but you will really need a debit card as the former are not as ubiquitous as they are in the US. What fees you hit are entirely up to your bank. DO NOT get cash at any "bureau de change". These things are total ripoffs. Use your debit card and just get cash from ATMs - it'll work most of the time and will usually be the cheapest way to get cash.
Also, all the countries you mentioned use the Euro except for Switzerland, which uses the Swiss Franc, so be aware.
Power: Look at the power brick on your devices or on the device itself. If it says something like "110V-240V" then it will work in Europe with only a plug adapter. If it says "110V" only then you will need to buy a power converter. Generally most items fall into the former category. In my experience the only things don't are my electric razor and my GBA/DS. Get two plug adapters and one converter and you'll probably be fine.
Gastronomy: In Germany, get yourself a big fucking pretzel and big fucking mug of beer. If you like beer at all you'll probably be fine. If you want a break from the local specialties, try the European version of the gyro: the doner kabob. It's basically the Turkish version and I think it's ton better. It's usually sold on the street and is a good and cheap on-the-go eat.
Just doubled checked the one that came with my DS. It's only rated to 120AC. Maybe Nintendo has a new one.
Like others have said, check the brick, worst case you'll have to buy a really cheap voltage converter. The DS only pulls 4 watts so you don't have to get an expensive one.
This was a launch system. Odd.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Also, here's some clarification on a few of the points brought up:
Money: Reading this thread most of the points I was going to cover have already been done so. I'll just reiterate the crazy level of fees you can attract while getting money from your accounts. Even using Deutsch Bank ATMs with a Cirrus debit card I was, if memory serves me, copped AU$20 per transaction. So you may want to get a decent amount of money at a time.
In my experience, pick-pocketers are pretty common around East and North Germany so just keep your wits about you (With the family in tow I doubt you're going to The Red Corridor in Hamburg, so you'll avoid the worst parts concerning this issue).
Make sure you know the PIN of your credit card (Been burned by this twice now! haha). It makes buying travel tickets a hellova lot easier and quicker than standing in line for ages.
Travel: Are you traveling by train? If so, it's always a good idea to get a ticket out of where you currently arrived. Booking seats for IC/ICE/THA trains is always gives a nice piece of mind. If you haven't booked any tickets yet, you may still get some Dauer-Spezials by looking up the Die Bahn website. You can get up to an 60% discount on some lines.
If I think of much else, or if you've got any more questions, I'll pop back in here and write a spiel. There is one phrase you should use as often as you can while in Deutschland, however. Noch ein bier!! ;-) Have a blast, mate.
e: Once I've moved on from Frankfurt I'll stop by this thread and give some hot off the press info
I'm told US Nutella tastes different than German Nutella, so be sure to try ours anyway.
I don't think we have more pickpockets than somewhere else. Normal tourist rules apply as you are prime targets, of course.
As you will be in Berlin for a while: Getting around is far easier by public transportation than by car. Parking for an hour in central Berlin is roughly the same as a day ticket. (pro-tip: getting a fine is still cheaper than getting a parking ticket) They also have weekly and/or group tickets. All ticket machines should be usable in English. We have 4 different systems: bus, tram, s-bahn (inner city train), u-bahn (subway). They all take the same tickets and combined there is no place you can't go. The map(s) can be a little confusing but contrary to popular opinion most Berliners will gladly help you out.
Alcohol consumption is allowed in public so you will see drunk people in the trains, especially, but not only in the evenings/nights.
While Oranienburger Straße and Hackescher Markt is a nice place for a night out (and will probably be recommended by any guidebook), be aware that one end of it has lots of prostitutes that will approach you. They are harmless of course, but I know people that get uncomfortable there.
Its the one with the huge airport--our flight in and out of Germany goes through Frankfurt, so our circuit will loop back to there.
I too have heard this about European Nutella, but also about a number of other worldwide food products like Coca-Cola and the like--I guess each region has slightly different tastes? I recall some of the candy we got from England a while back was notably sweeter than its US same-brand counterparts.