The Travel Thread

[Boydy]

Isn't Norway really expensive for alcohol? Doesn't seem like the best idea for a stag do.

[Spoonsky]

If you're going to be in the area of Nice I have to give a plug for Vence. Lovely little hill town near the Italian border. It also has this cool Matisse chapel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapelle_du_Rosaire_de_Vence), though we missed that when we were there.


He doesn't use filters mate, it's a film camera.

That reminded me I need to look for mine.

I touched on this in the WDYTOE, but are you turning into me?

[Baz]

Oslo would be expensive. Try go somewhere in Germany.Stuttgart, Hamburg or Dusseldorf? (these are the only three sub-£100)

[Kikó]

Stuttgart is a massive red light district if your mate is into that crap. I went there for my mates and it was decent enough, few bars about and bit of a buzz even though it's sleaze. Also has the biggest brothel in Europe...

Düsseldorf is an industrial town and reckon it'll be shite. Hamburg is supposed to be pretty good.

[Pepe]

I touched on this in the WDYTOE, but are you turning into me?

I have been getting progressively whiter. :uhoh:

[Toby]

I don't think any other flight comparison websites challenge Skyscanner, although I've been told Google now accesses better info regarding transfers so may become superior for long-haul stuff. You'll definitely be paying a premium once you get to Norway so if budget is a major factor it's probably not the best bet even with the cheaper flights.

EDIT: Whoops. New page. Hamburg is nice, or at least I thought it was when I was there ten years ago. :uhoh:

[Raoul Duke]

What you save on cheap flights to Norway you'll pay out once you buy the first round.

Dishoom's alright. I think it depends when you go - if it's earlier in the week it'll be better/less hassle.

[ScousePig]

Who's dream is to go to fucking Sarajevo? "You know where I've always dreamed of going Magic?" "The Balkans? Yeah me too, Eastern Europes so glamourous in February! I'll book it now" *sighs* *shoves some spare change in the underwear drawer*

Slovenia and Croatia are perhaps the two most beautiful countries I've visited.

Why Sarajevo, Magic? I've been to Mostar in Bosnia but that's all. My cousin went through Bosnia (she recommended Mostar) and wasn't all that impressed with Sarajevo.

[ScousePig]

Other than Paris which cities are particularly worth seeing in France? We're planning a trip there later this year but thinking to only spend a few days in Paris and instead look around a bit more. Lille and Lyon look quite nice but I've no idea if there's anything interesting to see or do in them.

I stayed in Nice for a week (which is quite nice) and went along the south coast to Monte Carlo, Antibes, Cannes and a few smaller places. I didn't go as far as Marseille.

I can't remember Lille as I went as a teenager.

[Pen]

Other than Paris which cities are particularly worth seeing in France? We're planning a trip there later this year but thinking to only spend a few days in Paris and instead look around a bit more. Lille and Lyon look quite nice but I've no idea if there's anything interesting to see or do in them.

I saw you've since switched your route, but Beziers, La Rochelle (and Il de Re) and Cognac were all good small towns to visit.


Dishoom left me underwhelmed.

Has anyone been to Sicily? I'm doing my honeymoon there so any good places to visit would be nice to know.
I went to Trapani for a long weekend with the missus a few years back and it was really nice. Maybe a bit small if you're planning to stay there for a week or so, but the food was absolutely brilliant and there's a decent selection of good restaurants and the town itself is cosy and pretty. I would definitely go again. I did get stung by a jellyfish whilst there though.

[Pen]

Me and the missus did the planning and booking early this year as due to her new job (and thus lack of vacation days) we already know when we can travel together. We're pretty sure we'll book Berlin and München for April and May and the Copenhagen for a long weekend in September for my 30th. Oslo, Venice and the Balkans were other places that we would've wanted to go, but the first two got ruled out by the fact that with the money we would need to spend when we got there we could have a much longer and better holiday elsewhere and the Balkans were ruled out by the fact we don't really have a long enough time this year when we could go there and visit the places we want to see.

[Magic]

:D

Why there? That should probably serve as some sort of bottom for you, a crystalising moment after which all is changed.

To see if there were any UK holiday tips. If you sift through most of the mental there's actually some alright stuff on there.

[Sam]

Slovenia and Croatia are perhaps the two most beautiful countries I've visited.

Why Sarajevo, Magic? I've been to Mostar in Bosnia but that's all. My cousin went through Bosnia (she recommended Mostar) and wasn't all that impressed with Sarajevo.

Can second that, the Dalmatian coast is fantastic. Mostar itself was a very nice place to visit with the river dividing the town between the Christian districts and the Muslim district but both are equally welcoming. A recommendation round that area would be crossing the border into Montenegro which is another lovely looking area, especially around Kotar and around to Budvar, whilst also being ridiculously cheaper then the other countries as they simply accept any currency.

[ScousePig]

A quick look around on the Eurail website suggests Paris - Amsterdam - Frankfurt - Munich - Venice - Florence - Rome would be a serviceable route. Probably a bit more rushed than I would like but if we like what we see anywhere we can always go back for longer another year. The rail links between Italy and the south of France appear to be - who would have thought - laughably bad compared to those originating in Germany.

If there's any way you can slip Slovenia in between Munich and Venice I'd recommend it, as the scenery is stunning. You can hop on a bus to take your over the border from Nova Gorica to Gorizia in Italy, and get the train down to Venice.

[ScousePig]

France is great, just avoid all the shit waste of time cities. Get off at Calais, drive an hour or two down the road to Normandy, then Paris, then just head down south where it's best. Vichy on the way down is beautiful (temporary capital during WWII, so there's a fair bit of history too), then hit Bordeaux, Nice etc in and around the south coast. Driving through the Alps is a must, too.

You'd be better off doing Europe though, obviously. More to see. Munich's a brilliant city. I'd probably spend more time in Germany and less in Italy. Just skim the top of it with Venice and Milan and then make your way back up through France.

Have experienced the rail down that way when I used to work there. Once caught a train from Barcelona to, I think, Argeles in south of France. I was grey come the end. Shit across the board tbh. If you and the missus can drive, do it that way. Adds to the experience, but will become a bit tiresome if you're the only driver (I'd had enough coming back up through France). If you do drive make fucking sure you nip into the Austrian Alps. Stunning. And obviously there's the autobahn :drool:

Nah. Rome, Florence and the areas around Sorrento (Vesuvius, Pompei, Amalfi, Positano, Capri etc.) shit on Milan and Venice.

Though I do love Germany.

[TG09]

Looking to head back to England in Aug time, need to start looking at prices. Will be going to England visit people, then to Dublin then Edinburgh. After that a trip to a resort somewhere on a island near NZ or in Asia.

[ScousePig]

If you're going to be in the area of Nice I have to give a plug for Vence. Lovely little hill town near the Italian border. It also has this cool Matisse chapel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapelle_du_Rosaire_de_Vence), though we missed that when we were there.


I mentioned most of the cities and towns I went to when I was in south France, but there's a nice little fishing village called Villefranche which is worth a couple of hours of your time if you're passing through.

[Kikó]

My friend has just suggested Copenhagen for his stag. Cheap flight, expensive booze

[Baz]

We're a few texts away from booking Brussels.

Almost had Stuttgart booked but a few sly digs have cancelled those plans.

Brussels good for two days of non-stop booze?

And are there actually any clubs there (with girls) or is it all just pubs with Belgian beer in? It's a mixed crowd, you see.

[Kikó]

You'll get places to drink good beer but for a night out? Don't think so. Might be worth going to Antwerp. Little place but decent nightlife.

[Mike]

It'll be proper boss lad.

[Greg]

I've not been yet - will be going this summer as I'm at a wedding somewhere in the Gers (near Toulouse). Will probably come back via there to London.



Stuff:
Natural History Museum
Barbican (the Eames exhibition they have on now is ace)
Go to Shoreditch / Boxpark
Spitalfields market
Go to the Tate Modern
Broadway Market
Transport Museum
Somerset House
Brick Lane

Bars:
Strongroom
Craft Beer Co.
Hat & Tun
London fields Brewery
Ye Olde Mitre
De Hems
Old Red Cow
The French House
The Cittie of Yorke
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

Food:
Dishoom
Meat Mission
Franco Manca
Caravan (King's Cross)
East Street
Look mum no hands!
Ozone Coffee Roasters

Nice one, cheers.

[Yevrah]

Re: the discussion upthread.

Rome is amazing. I can't stress that enough.

[Toby]

If there's any way you can slip Slovenia in between Munich and Venice I'd recommend it, as the scenery is stunning. You can hop on a bus to take your over the border from Nova Gorica to Gorizia in Italy, and get the train down to Venice.

We won't have time sadly, even that route I posted is probably pushing things a bit tight as we'll probably only be away for 11-12 days. Three or four of those will have to be in Paris as well as she is meant to be running a (probably half-)marathon.

[ScousePig]

Even just passing through on the train should be good, on the Jesenice to Nova Gorica route. But yeah you'd need to mess with your schedule.

[Reg]

Re: the discussion upthread.

Rome is amazing. I can't stress that enough.
It's the only foreign city I've visited as an adult, but I want to see it again almost as much as I do anywhere else for the first time. Beautiful place.

[Baz]

Stag do is booked for four days in Brussels. Could be a lot of "tactical chundering."

Also, travel-related, I've just had a cheque for £563.82 in the post, because I complained about the five hour delay coming home from Majorca. :drool:

[Kikó]

When are you going to be in Brussels?

[Charlie]

Currently in Paris on my way to Hong Kong. I don't trust these Frenchies or Chinese one bit so let's see what happens.

[Shindig]

Pit them against each other. The French are still on high alert for another month.

[Lee]

Just over two weeks until Norway. I can't wait. Got all our spending money changed today, trains and hotel at Gatwick sorted. Just a couple of (fairly easy) weeks at work to get through.

[Spoonsky]

Why did you go to Paris?

[Toby]

Sounds like he's just transferring there.

[Spoonsky]

He's going from Taipei to Hong Kong via Paris?

I agree it sounds like that but it seemed a bit implausible.

[Toby]

I assumed he had been home and was heading back out.

[Charlie]

I was home for Christmas and had a 2 stopover journey from Manchester to Taipei. It was strange because it worked out not only the cheapest, but also the fastest at 17 hours.

I was right to be untrusting, as somewhere along the line my suitcase got smashed into pieces.

[Spoonsky]

We've booked plane tickets and an Airbnb for London in July.

Tower Hamlets here I come. :drool:

[Magic]

:sick:

[Spoonsky]

thatsthejoke.jpg

I am looking forward to it though. We've stayed in North London previously but I think this will be a little more, how to put it, interesting. I think I've adopted Lewis' view on Camden by this point. The house is in the middle of Mile End Park which doesn't look so bad from the comfort of Google Maps.

[Magic]

I meant you coming to this country.

[Lewis]

That flat I stayed in in Camden was amazing. The area itself was like the back half of Threads, but that flat...

[Spoonsky]

You should thank me for lowering the proportion of Muslims.

I'm expecting a kickabout as well.

[Spoonsky]

That flat I stayed in in Camden was amazing. The area itself was like the back half of Threads, but that flat...

http://i.imgur.com/Ule6UCi.png

It was while taking this photo that I realized you were right (http://www.thedugout.tv/community/showthread.php?p=4129893#post4129893).

[Foe]

I'm doing a fucking tour of France in the summer. Bordeaux, Lille, Brussels (not in France), potentially Paris, Lille again, back to Paris, Cannes and then Marseille.

:moop: / :cool:

[Toby]

Is somebody holding you against your will?

[Raoul Duke]

There's pretty much nothing to do in Mile End, but it's not a bad area and well connected to the centre.

[Lee]

Fuck me, gale force winds for Gatwick on Monday. I'm going to die during take off.

The plane has wifi so if I do make it above cloud level I'll be live blogging my three hours of terror on here.

[John Arne]

Wifi on planes is a rip-off. It's usually $10-$15 per hour, I found.

[Dquincy]

Trying to sort out a stag do. Ideally the flights will be as cheap as possible so more people will go. I'm thinking like £90 max, return.

Just used SkyScanner for the first time, putting random stuff in I got this:

http://www.littlemonstersforum.co.uk/images/q/hcedyfql.png

That's seven people flying directly to Oslo from Manchester, and back again, for £48 each? :wtf:

The flights must be between Friday 22nd July and Monday 25th July, although in ideal world we'd fly home on the Sunday. Preferably from Manchester or Liverpool airport.

So a) is Oslo any good for a stag do where the sole intention is a night out (ie not paintballing/zorb football/etc.) and b) Is there anyone else within the suggested budget anyone can recommend for me to look at? Also, what other websites should I check out?

Wouldn't recommend Norway for a stag do. My wife is half Norwegian and, whilst it's a lovely destination, the high £££ when you're there may be an issue.

[Lee]

Wifi on planes is a rip-off. It's usually $10-$15 per hour, I found.

Free with Norwegian.

[Baz]

Wouldn't recommend Norway for a stag do. My wife is half Norwegian and, whilst it's a lovely destination, the high £££ when you're there may be an issue.Cheers. It has since been booked for Brussels.

[Dquincy]

Cheers. It has since been booked for Brussels.

Nice choice. :thbup:

[John Arne]

Free with Norwegian.

Really.... nooice.

[Dquincy]

Never bloody works for me though.

[Lee]

Me and a few mates are booking a long weekend in Amsterdam for mid-May. The original plan was to go from Stockholm to Copenhagen via Gothenburg but one of the fuckers couldn't make the dates we'd arranged to make it as cheap as we had so we've switched to the more simple trip. To be honest the Sweden-Denmark think would probably be better as a break with Lauren than a lads thing.

[Lee]

Why is this cunting storm coming in just as I'm going to be taking off? Some bastard is taking the piss out of me.

[ScousePig]

Are Talinn and/or Helsinki worth a visit? As I've said in here I'm considering Reykjavik, Copenhagen and Stockholm at some point this year, and Estonia and Finland look to be reasonably distanced to fit in and visit too.

[Toby]

I've heard Tallinn is very nice, and it looks incredibly picturesque in the photos I've seen.

[Lee]

The fucking wind out there now. Bastardbastardbastard.

[Lee]

Fuck me that was a shit take off.

[Lee]

The wifi on here is quality, very surprised by that. Probably e nicest budget plane I've been on as well. Not too happy with all the attendants being strapping Norwegian blokes though. Just starting to get dark wherever we are now. Be great to see the northern lights on the flight.

[Raoul Duke]

Where's good to go in the UK which is accessible by rail and fairly green/leafy?

[Lee]

Tromso is outstanding, guys. Yesterday was up there with the most enjoyable days of my life. We went on a tour of some of the Arctic landscape which was stunning. Hot chocolate in half metre deep snow on top of a frozen lake, driving through avalanche corridors (you could see the fallen trees from avalanches of the last few weeks, and huge mounds of cleared snow), Eagles and Reindeer in the wild, seas frozen solid, and best of all a brilliant display of northern lights last night. This place is well worth a visit.

[Serj]

Norway in general sounds spectacular. It's still on my list, but I'll need to earn a bit more money before I can afford a proper trip there.

On that note, has anyone here been to Zagreb? I'm going there next week for three days and have some vague ideas about what to do, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Raoul Duke]

Is it bonkers expensive for everything? Lee

[Pen]

Are Talinn and/or Helsinki worth a visit? As I've said in here I'm considering Reykjavik, Copenhagen and Stockholm at some point this year, and Estonia and Finland look to be reasonably distanced to fit in and visit too.

Both are nice especially during the summer. You could easily do both in less than a week too. Tallinn is really small though, but much cheaper for food and drink than Helsinki.

[Lee]

Is it bonkers expensive for everything? Lee

The cheapest pint I've had cost £7.50 and I've been drinking at a tenner a pint tonight. That said, everything else is within what I'd call 'budget'. You can eat well for less than £25 and prices in most shops are comparable to the UK. Beer is significantly more expensive though.

[ScousePig]

Both are nice especially during the summer. You could easily do both in less than a week too. Tallinn is really small though, but much cheaper for food and drink than Helsinki.

Would May be a decent enough time to go?

[ScousePig]

Norway in general sounds spectacular. It's still on my list, but I'll need to earn a bit more money before I can afford a proper trip there.

On that note, has anyone here been to Zagreb? I'm going there next week for three days and have some vague ideas about what to do, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

I spent one night there a few years ago. It was decent but I didn't get to see a great deal. The iconic church and cathedral were very nice and their nightlife is good.

[Pen]

Would May be a decent enough time to go?

Yeah, most definitely.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I visited Brighton today, because why not. Hippies and yoof everywhere, but that aside I liked it. Seems to have a sense of why it exists, which is unlike many UK cities which seem to exist purely to have retail parks on their outskirts. Add the fact that it's not full of bastard northerners and you're onto a winner.

It's keeping kiosk manufacturers in business, at any rate.

[Magic]

I'm almost convinced I want to, in the face of spiraling debt and extreme money pressure problems, go to the Algarve to stay with my aunt and uncle for a week in September. Flights can be had for £148 a pop from Manchester.

The issue is it's in Manchester. This would involve driving down the night before, staying with my sister then paying for long term parking anyway because she won't be able to drop us off or pick us up.

Glasgow is £215 a pop and at utterly ridiculous fucking times (7AM!). Fuck sake.

EDIT: Adjusting by a day or two can drop the price to £158. However it means staying for 6 days or 8 days. And the times are miles better. :cab:

[Magic]

Ok changed to October and flying out of Glasgow and back to Prestwick drops it to £450 including a single 20kg bag there and back plus cabin luggage.

Benefit of that is normal take off/landing times we can now probably get lifts from relatives. :drool:

[Clunge]

Are Talinn and/or Helsinki worth a visit? As I've said in here I'm considering Reykjavik, Copenhagen and Stockholm at some point this year, and Estonia and Finland look to be reasonably distanced to fit in and visit too.
I went to Finland in July last year. Absolutely loved the place. Helsinki is a really great city. Weather was stunning too. Appallingly expensive though. A drink (they do 400mls rather than 568ml pints) was often upwards of eight Euros. Ruinous.

Off to Antalya and Alanya in Turkey in October for a week - for free. All the kebab is mine.

[Spoonsky]

Me and three friends who've applied to McGill (one got in and the other two should hear soon) are looking at going to Montreal over spring break. Legal drinking age of 18. :drool:

[Clunge]

Just come to England. Legal drinking age is 18, but it may as well be from the moment you are de-wombed. Plus, we have loads of great places like Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Bridgwater which are deffo worth a visit.

[Lee]

Absolutely gutted to be leaving this place today. It's stunning. Husky-sledding was brilliant, even better than seeing the lights which was obviously great.
Spoonsky - If you enjoyed Reykjavik you'd adore it in Tromso.

[Pen]

I went to Finland in July last year. Absolutely loved the place. Helsinki is a really great city. Weather was stunning too. Appallingly expensive though. A drink (they do 400mls rather than 568ml pints) was often upwards of eight Euros. Ruinous.

Off to Antalya and Alanya in Turkey in October for a week - for free. All the kebab is mine.

You've been drining in wrong places then (although I agree that it is expensive here). Beer 'pints' are usually 0,5 and they cost between 4 and 7 euros. Nice to see Helsinki is liked here :)

[ScousePig]

With regards the prices in Scandanavia: is everything really expensive or is it just extortionate when drinking/dining out?

[Lee]

Eating out wasn't too bad price-wise in Tromso. About £65 for a meal for two including soft drinks and dessert. I'd pay that at home.

I only went to three pubs in Tromso and 400ml was about £6.50, so significantly more expensive than in the UK. I had a couple of pints in one pub, one for about £9.50 and another just over a tenner.

[Pen]

Eating out isn't that expensive. Ten pounds will get you a decent meal any time of the day and a good lunch is around 7 or 8 pounds. A 'pint' in here will cost something between 3 and 8 pounds depending what and where you drink.

[Spoonsky]

Everything in Iceland was expensive.

[Foe]

Everything in Iceland was expensive.

Americans would find the U.K. Expensive so god forbid when the go to Norway.

[Spoonsky]

Booked tickets to Montreal, then we're going down to Boston and flying home from there. It should be pretty fantastic, I've never traveled with friends like this before. All suggestions are welcomed.

We're getting into Montreal the morning of the Barcelona-Arsenal second leg. :drool:

[Serj]

Broke a bone in my foot and strained a ligament while playing five-a-side on Saturday, so my Zagreb trip is off. :moop:
But it looks like they're going to let us move the reservation to April, so at least the money isn't wasted. Was really looking forward to going there this week, though.

[Foe]

No more Euros tickets for me unless I can nab some in the general 'fastest finger first' portal.

[Spoonsky]

What happened?

[Foe]

What happened?

I applied for more, specific, tickets in the 2nd ballot and wasn't successful.

Shame. But still got 5 games to get get potentially terrorised at.

[Spoonsky]

I thought you meant that you'd lost the tickets you already had.

[Foe]

I thought you meant that you'd lost the tickets you already had.

That would be a disaster.

[Raoul Duke]

Just booked 5 nights in Barcelona for the end of the month :cool:

[CJay]

Anyone ever been to Olhao in southern Portugal? Found a pretty sweet package deal there for our honeymoon in July. It seems like a less busy version of Faro, which is up the coast from it.

[Lee]

I've booked 6 nights in New York for next January. I think we'll knock Rome in late summer in the head for this year as there is a possibility of a week in Hong Kong next March which I'll need to save my leave for. Ideally I'll push that out to April though. Amsterdam at the end of May will be booked as soon as my annual leave is approved.

[Lee]

Anyone ever been to Olhao in southern Portugal? Found a pretty sweet package deal there for our honeymoon in July. It seems like a less busy version of Faro, which is up the coast from it.

I didn't get to Olhao but if it's like the rest of the Algarve you'll love it. Probably my favourite summer destination. We are planning to head back in summer '17.

[CJay]

I didn't get to Olhao but if it's like the rest of the Algarve you'll love it. Probably my favourite summer destination. We are planning to head back in summer '17.

Nice one. From the pictures it looks fairly standard Algarve sounds like that's a good thing. Cheers Lee. The only slight issue is the beaches are like sand spits (is that the right term?) so you have to get a ferry out to them it seems. Not a big deal really as we can just plan our days out properly.

[Lee]

Amsterdam booked for three nights from May 19th. I should think I'll be pissed for much of it but for those more lucid periods what do people recommend I do/see?

[Boydy]

Weed.

[Toby]

My mother has booked us - us being me, her, my girlfriend and my old man - into Disneyland Paris for five days in September. She's been bordering on obsessed with the place for years now, which sort of made sense when she was among a group with at least some children, but this is probably taking it to a new extreme. Still, I got flights for under £100 which will be my only major expense, so I can't really complain.

[Raoul Duke]

Amsterdam booked for three nights from May 19th. I should think I'll be pissed for much of it but for those more lucid periods what do people recommend I do/see?

Van Gogh museum
Canal tour/boat trip
Hire a bike
Go to the red light district - it's grotty as fuck, even just walking around, but it has to be seen

Great city, even if you're not completely munted the whole time

[Magic]

Wow, I can get flights to Amsterdam from Dundee for 2 of us return for £121 in September. Pity I'm skint as fuck.

EDIT: Where are you staying Lee? And are you going with Lor?

[Lee]

No me and five mates. We're staying in a shitty hostel. No idea what it's called, I just sorted the flights. You cunt.

Flights were £85 return and the hostel is costing me £100 for three nights.

[Magic]

Looking at a break for me and the mrs, Sun-Tues. Not great but fuck her.

[Lee]

You can get an apartment fairly cheap. There are budget hotels as well. You don't have that many flight options up there, do you? I saw Copenhagen in May for £20 return. Considered a day trip but there's no way I'm being allowed to two new places without her in such a short space.

Cheap flights everywhere down here. Fuck your northern lights.

[Toby]

You can get an apartment fairly cheap. There are budget hotels as well. You don't have that many flight options up there, do you? I saw Copenhagen in May for £20 return. Considered a day trip but there's no way I'm being allowed to two new places without her in such a short space.

Cheap flights everywhere down here. Fuck your northern lights.

There's loads available from Edinburgh and Glasgow. I was looking at similar prices for Copenhagen and contemplating much the same thing.

[Andy]

Budapest and Prague in the summer. Scenes.

[Toby]

Stop in Vienna if you have time between.

[wullie]

Because of buying a house and an unhealthy trainer addiction we're going with a mildly cheaper option over last year. 10 days in LOS GIGANTES which costs around the same as the week in Italy, and spending money shouldn't be as much of a requirement as it's a more lazy affair.

[QE Harold Flair]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES9_xe0OhIs

[Magic]

Banhammer time. :drool:

[QE Harold Flair]

Only if the rules are not enforced equally.

[Disco]

Getting touchy in his old age, get out of the cellar once in a while Harry.

[Toby]

It'll be rollercoasters next, to cement the breakdown.

[Sam]

Van Gogh museum
Canal tour/boat trip
Hire a bike
Go to the red light district - it's grotty as fuck, even just walking around, but it has to be seen

Great city, even if you're not completely munted the whole time

Anne Frank house/Rijksmuseum are pretty cool. But yeah, spend time stoned, find a good coffee shop and go for it. Or go for some of the more lax bars (Bulldog for example), have a joint, beer and watch the football.

The Red Light District is certainly worth checking out, even for just spotting which are trannies or not (there are a few).

Great city though, I'm down to my last joint sadly, didn't bring enough back.

[Magic]

Were they fighting women, mate?

[Sam]

Were they fighting women, mate?

Only egg laying land sharks.

[Spoonsky]

Alright, TTH: things to do in the UK (minus Ireland) with a rented van and parents in late July?

We'll have already been in London, York, and Edinburgh/Glasgow but then we have around ten days, maybe two weeks, with nothing yet planned. I've been thinking the Highlands and my parents want to go to the Lake District but still we're pretty undecided.

[Pepe]

Go see Lofty.

[John Arne]

Alright, TTH: things to do in the UK (minus Ireland) with a rented van and parents in late July?

We'll have already been in London, York, and Edinburgh/Glasgow but then we have around ten days, maybe two weeks, with nothing yet planned. I've been thinking the Highlands and my parents want to go to the Lake District but still we're pretty undecided.

Spend a day in Chester, it's a beautiful old walled city, and nice old school shopping area. Visit the wall, ampithetre, cathedral and take a walk along the river.

Whilst in the vicinity of the Lake District(-ish), visit some of the awesome castles in NW England...

Beeston Castle
Conwy Catle (Wales)
Bolsover Castle
Lancaster Castle (near Lake District)
Muncaster Castle (near Lake District)
Lowther Castle (near Lake District)

[niko_cee]

Channel Island tour.

[Toby]

If you're in Glasgow anyway a drive up the West Coast of Scotland seems worthwhile. You can do it as a day trip and see loads of it, but it may be worth taking a little longer and visiting the likes of Skye.

[Magic]

Alright, TTH: things to do in the UK (minus Ireland) with a rented van and parents in late July?

We'll have already been in London, York, and Edinburgh/Glasgow but then we have around ten days, maybe two weeks, with nothing yet planned. I've been thinking the Highlands and my parents want to go to the Lake District but still we're pretty undecided.

Come to Inverness, mate.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The north of Scotland is comfortably the best place to drive to/around as long as you don't miss amenities, or people who speak recognisable English.

[Sam]

Black Country museum could be funny. The chips from there are proper nice.

[Magic]

The north of Scotland is comfortably the best place to drive to/around as long as you don't miss amenities, or people who speak recognisable English.

Absolute lol at this. I'll probably overtake him screaming obscenities as he's dawdling about at 25mph on a national speed limit road, gorping at some gay, snow covered hills.

[CJay]

We've got our honeymoon to Olhao booked for the end of July. We got a 5* hotel there for a very good price, probably cheap because it's not quite Faro. Can't wait.


If you're in Glasgow anyway a drive up the West Coast of Scotland seems worthwhile. You can do it as a day trip and see loads of it, but it may be worth taking a little longer and visiting the likes of Skye.

+1 to visiting Skye - lovely place.

[Spoonsky]

Skye seems very good. We've been thinking of doing this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/articles/North-Coast-500-Does-Scotlands-Route-66-live-up-to-the-hype/

Looks like me and two friends will be going to Europe and coming up to London via Italy and France between June 29 and July 11 or so. I'm thinking Florence and Nice, and some time in the French countryside. Being in Paris for the final will be fun too (until we get blown up lol). All suggestions naturally welcomed. My friends also sort of want to go to Ireland and Kendrick Lamar is playing a show in Dublin on the 15th of July. :eyemouth:

[Magic]

Skye seems very good. We've been thinking of doing this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/articles/North-Coast-500-Does-Scotlands-Route-66-live-up-to-the-hype/

Looks like me and two friends will be going to Europe and coming up to London via Italy and France between June 29 and July 11 or so. I'm thinking Florence and Nice, and some time in the French countryside. Being in Paris for the final will be fun too (until we get blown up lol). All suggestions naturally welcomed. My friends also sort of want to go to Ireland and Kendrick Lamar is playing a show in Dublin on the 15th of July. :eyemouth:

It's nice in principal, before you go absolutely mad behind armies of caravans, idiot tourists and old age pensioners out for a meandering drive. ARGH.

[Toby]

The problem with that North Coast 500 is that it was dreamt up by somebody paid to attract tourists to places they aren't choosing to go of their own accord. I haven't been much further north than Inverness on the Scottish mainland though so I'm not in a place to judge which bits are worth seeing.

[Foe]

Davgooner - UEFA 2016 ticket portal has re-opened for returned tickets. It's a complete arse but you might get lucky and manage to nab some tickets.

[Toby]

I rarely check my Avios points but had recently noticed it being a lot lower than I would have expected. Having now looked properly at the collection history, it turned out none of my Tesco Clubcard points were registering and that a few flights were also missing. John on Live Chat has just discovered they'd somehow duplicated my account and that there were over 5000 points sitting in wait in the 'hidden' one. Still have to contact Flybe to claim at least four flights that still aren't there too, which should take me close to covering our trip to Barcelona later this year.

I'm turning into my mother, but it's potentially getting me free stuff, so :drool:

[phonics]

I know the owner of Flybe's brother. I'm disappointed your keeping those cunts in business.

edit: Looking it up, he definitely didn't found/own Flybe. What a lying cunt.

[Toby]

I doubt they'd have a look on were it not for their monopoly on the route. I suppose I could take the ferry, but that's run by Serco and they're no doubt bastards in their own right.

[Boydy]

Are there any pies Serco don't have their fingers in?

[Toby]

Probably just the ones G4S have beat them to.

[Kikó]

Had a great day in Lisbon at my wedding venue. Love the weather and brightness in winter here. I've got to move here one day.


http://i.imgur.com/dCaGTKy.jpg

[Boydy]

Your life's pretty fucking sweet these days, eh?

[Kikó]

It's not bad.

[Spoonsky]

What's your actual job, Kiko? I need to determine how jealous of you I should be.

[Lewis]

And tell us how tall you are.

[Kikó]

I work in finance as a sort of internal consultant.

[Spoonsky]

Alright, how shit is it? Do you actually get to do things in these sweet places you go to?

[Kikó]

It's not all business but it's mainly work when I'm away. I'm on holiday this weekend though.

[Raoul Duke]

Some interesting photos of North Korea:

http://www.m1key.me/photography/road_to_north_korea/

Such a bonkers place. The last one is off-the-charts bananas.

[Magic]

Pretty fucking cool. Such apathy to be ruled like that, though.

[Raoul Duke]

But when the revolution comes :drool:

[Magic]

I love how one in four are mentally retarded. :cool:

[Clunge]

Wangled an as near as damnit free trip to Turkey for a week in October with three mates :kebab:.

[Magic]

Jase going with you?

#TTHLadsontour

[Lee]

Rip

[Giggles]

MJ will lend you a Leeds top.

[Magic]

Holy shit lads just floated the 10 day holiday of Dubrovnik/Mostar/Sarajevo/Dubrovnik for my 30th and it didn't go down too badly at all (apart from her thinking Bosnia is a 'developing country' #alrighthazza)

Its on. :drool:

Don't think I'll get to Visegrad though. :(

[Lee]

'Developing' isn't the worst description of Bosnia. I quite liked Mostar but the river is filthy (not that you'd know to look at it) and the town is full of people after your change. Pretty enough to spend a few hours in though.

I absolutely loved Dubrovnik and will go back for a short break at some point. Great atmosphere inside the walls at night especially. I'd recommend a bit of time in Montenegro if you can manage it. I spent a small amount of time in both Budva and Kotor on a day trip and either would be fine for a night or two.

I'd like to give Sarajevo a go. And Belgrade.

[Magic]

Mostar sounds like Dundee. :)

[Magic]

Problem is the traveling though the little one would be nearly 7. Scary. Plus the wife hates travelling.

[Toby]

Mostar sounds like Dundee. :)

Developing would be generous were that true.

[Lee]

Fuck 'em. Go on your own it's your birthday.

[Magic]

Did you get by with English Leigh?

[Lee]

Did you get by with English Leigh?

What kind of spelling is that?

Yeah, Dubrovnik and Mostar are full of tourists. There was a little shop in Mostar where the woman inside struggled a bit but it hardly mattered. She wanted our money and we wanted her stuff.

[Magic]

Did you learn any Serbo-Croat?

[Lee]

Did you learn any Serbo-Croat?

Nah, it was enough to just walk about praising Radovan Karadzic in English.

[Magic]

Nice. I've been working on my 'Sloba! Sloba!' chants and have a t-shirt of General Mladic good to go. Should go down a treat in central Sara.

[Lee]

I reckon the Yugoslav stuff might be my favourite war. Have you watched The Death of Yugoslavia?

If you do go to Dubrovnik mane sure you get a little further down the coast to Kupari. There are three hotels still standing which were battered in the war. You can walk all around them. They would have been lovely in their pomp. Nice beach and bar there as well so you could easily spend an afternoon. Mainly locals (no new hotels there for tourists) but plenty of families so nice for the wife and kid too.

[Magic]

Yes. You should read Trusted Mole.

Is it a bus ride away?

[Lee]

Yes. You should read Trusted Mole.

Is it a bus ride away?

Yeah only about twenty minutes down the coastal road.

What's Trusted Mole?

[Magic]

It changed my life and developed my love for the Balkans. It's a war book from a UN preservative. Really amazing book.

[Lewis]

Discovering that there is a whole region full of angry maniacs must have come as a relief.

[Magic]

Yes but their deep seated hatred is understandable. :(

[ScousePig]

If you can get up to Split and out to some of the islands round there than I'd do that too, but it's a four hour coach ride up the coast from Dubrovnik. Split's a lot cheaper too, but not as nice. Mostar's just somewhere you want to go on a day trip and see/learn some of the history. As Lee says, Montenegro's meant to be nice and just down the road from Dubrovnik. If you can get up to Slovenia then do.

[Alan Shearer The 2nd]

We were planning to go to Croatia in the summer, she's thinking Split. Would Dubrovnik be better?

[hfswjyr]

Off to Dublin tomorrow for St Pats, then the Six Nations game on Saturday.

Recommendations for the rest of our time there?

[ScousePig]

I spent five nights and went to both. They're both really nice, but Dubrovnik has a great old town and city walls and is generally more picturesque. It's also a lot more touristy and expensive. In Split you can also visit the islands and national parks. Hvar island is lovely.

[Alan Shearer The 2nd]

Thanks, I shall dig deeper.

[Clunge]

I want to go to that crazy lakes / falls national park in Croatia. Looks bananas.

[CJay]

When you go on holidays do you take out a lot of cash with you or just a nominal amount to use until you find an ATM?


Off to Dublin tomorrow for St Pats, then the Six Nations game on Saturday.

Recommendations for the rest of our time there?

Do one of the hop on and off bus tours. They're a tad expensive but a decent way to get around the city without having to really think about where to go. Allows you to quite easily do 2 or 3 different things all in one day. Kilmainham Gaol is an interesting place. Stephen's Green will be nice if the weather stays as it has been this week. Head out to Tallaght on Friday night and take in some live Premier Divison football - Shamrock Rovers vs St. Pats at 8pm. Two decent teams and a nice new stadium.

[Lee]

We used to change all of our cash before going. Now we change about half of what we'd normally save and rely on ATM/card payment for anything else.

[ScousePig]

I take £200ish to tie me over for the first few days or so, and then draw cash out using my FairFX card.

[John Arne]

Planning my next trip. Eastern Russia or Mongolia, maybe even one of the central Asian -stans. Anyone been to either?

[Giggles]

Off to Dublin tomorrow for St Pats, then the Six Nations game on Saturday.

Recommendations for the rest of our time there?

Don't go anywhere near Dublin is always the best advice. Nothing but junkies and beggars these days, rancid kip.

[Josh]

Split is shit compared with Dubrovnik. If it's one or the other, make sure you go with Dubrovnik.

Island hopping is the way forward though in Croatia.

[Lee]

Some of the islands around Dubrovnik are lovely. I enjoyed Lokrum; a nature reserve rather than a place you'd stay but it's beautiful. Saw a peacock rape as well.

I want to go to Split and some of the islands further north. Might be worth a late summer break, actually.

[Sam]

Dubrovnik all day of the week. Can't add more other then what Lee has already said.

It's a beautiful place, recommend going to Montenegro as the Bay of Kotor is really pretty damn stunning whilst Budva is a lovely town. Mostar is nice enough and I didn't get hassled at all as I looked like one of the many gypsies by this point. The hotels further along the coast are great, especially the one where they filmed Game of Thrones, the girlfriend was a massive fan so we had to venture to it, had all the emblems/marking left over from the shoot there.

[wullie]

Durovnik's one I've always wanted to go to based on the photos. Same with that place in Greece where all the buildings are on a hillside and gleaming white, although you only ever see the same angle so it's probably surrounded by KFCs and betting shops if the photographer turned around.

[Sam]

Durovnik's one I've always wanted to go to based on the photos. Same with that place in Greece where all the buildings are on a hillside and gleaming white, although you only ever see the same angle so it's probably surrounded by KFCs and betting shops if the photographer turned around.

Santorini. :D

Going there in two months' time. Does look pretty stunning, flights/hotels cost a bomb though.

[Toby]

When you go on holidays do you take out a lot of cash with you or just a nominal amount to use until you find an ATM?

I rarely take much cash at all, mostly just because I don't like carrying any more than I have to. I was wondering whether it'd be worth taking out Euros for later this year before the exchange rate falls any further, but I'm not sure I really spend enough on holiday for a change of 10 or 15 cents on the pound to really make much difference.

[Spoonsky]

Montreal is outstanding. I'll definitely live there at some point in my life. Boston is way less chill in comparison, though still nice.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I'm off to Poland in the morning for a few days.

Quite looking forward to it.

[ScousePig]

Looks like I'll just have a week at the start of June, but I'm still thinking of going to Scandinavia. What would be my best bet for 7 nights? I was hoping to fit in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki but with travel (including an overnight ferry) that's not really realistic, so I'll probably only get to see two places.

[Pepe]

Montreal is outstanding. I'll definitely live there at some point in my life. Boston is way less chill in comparison, though still nice.

What's the list of places you'll live in at some point in your life?

[Spikey M]

Salt Lake City. He's talking about his missionary work.

[Charlie]

Going to Japan in a couple of weeks. I wanted to go to Hokkaido and go skiing, but after going to Lapland the girlfriend is now terrified of snow, so instead we are going to Tokyo. Should be pretty good given all the great food they have, as well as amazing buildings. We're going at the best possible time as well given the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

Anyone else been that can suggest places to go?

[Kikó]

Off to Bangalore and Jaipur in a couple of weeks with work. Rip.

[Spikey M]

Why is she scared of snow?

[Yevrah]

Going to Japan in a couple of weeks. I wanted to go to Hokkaido and go skiing, but after going to Lapland the girlfriend is now terrified of snow, so instead we are going to Tokyo. Should be pretty good given all the great food they have, as well as amazing buildings. We're going at the best possible time as well given the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

Anyone else been that can suggest places to go?

Mount Fuji is the obvious one. Don't think you'll be able to go up it this time of year (I might be wrong), but it's worth a look anyway (you can see it from Tokyo on a reasonably clear day).

You could check this out on the way as well.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2558813/The-Lilliput-thats-just-kaput-Japanese-theme-park-based-Gullivers-Travels-left-rot.html

The hot springs at Hakone are pretty cool too.

Oh and then there's this...

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=ushiku%20daibutsu

About an hour from Tokyo by train.

I loved Japan, but thought the food was dogshit, so if you can cope with/love that, you should have an amazing time.

[Raoul Duke]

Barcelona was awesome. Cracking city and loads of great things to do.

[Pen]

Looks like I'll just have a week at the start of June, but I'm still thinking of going to Scandinavia. What would be my best bet for 7 nights? I was hoping to fit in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki but with travel (including an overnight ferry) that's not really realistic, so I'll probably only get to see two places.

I haven't been in Copenhagen (going there in September for my 30th) and I think you might enjoy Stockholm more than Helsinki as Stockholm has more to it. The latter two are very much alike, but Stockholm is bigger. I haven't actually been there in ages either though. All three are quite pricey, so make sure you'll have a decent amount of money to use.

I just booked 4 days in Berlin for me and the missus in mid April. Loved it when I went last year so really looking forward to it.

edit: If you do come to Helsinki, I'd be happy to show some good places .

[Giggles]

We can't decide at all what to do for this summer and we'd need to be booking soon. I'm not interested in anything farther east than Poland, America would be a waste of money with the wedding next year which only really leaves the likes of lanzagrotty and all that tack.
I'm in a good mind of hiring a car and doing a week spinning around south west England.

[ScousePig]

I haven't been in Copenhagen (going there in September for my 30th) and I think you might enjoy Stockholm more than Helsinki as Stockholm has more to it. The latter two are very much alike, but Stockholm is bigger. I haven't actually been there in ages either though. All three are quite pricey, so make sure you'll have a decent amount of money to use.

I just booked 4 days in Berlin for me and the missus in mid April. Loved it when I went last year so really looking forward to it.

edit: If you do come to Helsinki, I'd be happy to show some good places .

Could simply be fly to Copenhagen for a few nights, train to Stockholm for a few nights and fly back from there.

[Spoonsky]

Afraid of snow. :D


What's the list of places you'll live in at some point in your life?

Not very long, tbh; there are a ton of places that I'd like to visit but nowhere has made me actually imagine settling down and living there in the way that Montreal has. I would like to live on every continent at some point though, except perhaps Australia.

[Lewis]

The Chinese (more so than all the other rubbish foreigners) used to go mental for the snow when I was in Norwich. You could understand the Arabs and that, but I thought they had snow there.

[Smiffy]

.....

[Giggles]

Wales might do us too actually, though they tend to get the same shit weather as us. That looks nice though.

[Smiffy]

.....

[Magic]

Holiday booked.

I've got a day off on Friday so we're staying in a Premier Inn in Edinburgh and tramming it up for 2 days. :cool:

Bastards better be fucking grateful.

[John]

I'll be going to Aviemore for a few days in early June and then Berlin for a week in November. Planning to work maybe a long weekend somewhere warm in during the summer too.

[Magic]

What are you doing up there?

[John]

Have a good mate who works there.

[Giggles]

I can't imagine John with anything more than an associate.

[Magic]

Avoid Roo's Leap, it's shit. Though presumably you've been there before. Can't see there being much to do outside skiing to be honest? There's an awesome looking adventure park thing, though.

[Raoul Duke]

As I mentioned in the film thread, I watched Ex Machina last night. Whilst reading up on it on IMDB I saw that it was shot at a hotel in Norway: http://www.juvet.com/en

It looks fucking incredible and is straight onto my bucket list.

[Magic]

Yes but have you seen the Mail's article on HOLIDAY BROCHURES EXPOSED with serene scenes absolutely crammed with Germans and Chinese people?

[Kikó]

I'm in the lounge in Delhi. Surprisingly civil. 31 degrees outside.

[Bernanke]

I've started planning a last minute trip to Kiev and a visit to Chernobyl. :uhoh:

[GS]

You can stay with Mahow.

[Smiffy]

.....

[Pen]

As mentioned earlier, we're going to Berlin on Wednesday for a few days. We also booked ourselves a week in Ljubljana at the start of May and all tips are welcome if some of you have already been there.

[Bernanke]

I really wanna go to Ljubljana.

[Kikó]

The time I went to Kiev the rest of them went to Chernobyl. I would have went as well but I got blind drunk and couldn't find my passport.

We went out for a meal with colleagues yesterday in Bangalore. The traffic is literally chaos. How people aren't dying all over the shop is beyond me. Some of the poverty and shanty towns are illuminating. Saw one poor kid begging with his foot going the other way. Then there are random cows by the side of the road. Anyway, here's a picture of me by the pool:
http://i.imgur.com/56OlBb3.jpg

[Spoonsky]

Are you Mert in disguise

[Kikó]

You should see my side profile.

[Magic]

I can get return flights from Glasgow to Faro for £382 all in, middle of October.

30kg hand luggage should do for 3 for a week? Bearing in mind we'll be staying with my Auntie.

No transfers, no parking (lifts through), no extras fuck all.

If I buy 3 tickets aren't they guaranteed to be next to each other unless it's a crammed flight?

[Foe]

Just buy two. Your wife will have left you by then and you can use it as an opportunity to kidnap your daughter.

[Boydy]

Are you guaranteed to still be with your wife by October?

Edit: Ugh, beaten to the joke by Foe.

[Magic]

I'm trying to give everyone something to look forward to and rather it being a double murder/suicide I'd like to make that 7 days in the Algarve...when it's freezing in October. :baz:

[niko_cee]

I went to Portugal/The Algarve last October.

Avoid.

[Magic]

Weather? She can't/won't do any other dates.

[niko_cee]

Yeah, the weather was fairly shit. I think it can be alright, you just have to be a bit lucky.

Also it's mostly a semi-3rd world shithole.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I went to Portugal/The Algarve last October.

Avoid.

I remember we were going on the same day or something, and I came to the same conclusion. Really nothing going for it.

So I'm going back this October :face:

[Sam]

On the flipside, I went in October last year and I had 4 days of glorious sunshine, well into the 20s, followed by a huge flood that meant we spent the remaining 3 days trying to somehow make our way around the flooded landscape after having our hotel abandoned.

Worth going for the Clay Oven though, finest curry house this side of Europe.

[Lewis]

I remember we were going on the same day or something, and I came to the same conclusion. Really nothing going for it.

So I'm going back this October :face:

Solihull, the Algarve... Has your old man gone bust?

[Jimmy Floyd]

My old man has bought a new Audi estate and he doesn't care who knows about it. Us Generation X, or Y or whatever we are, we're the ones on the vomit comet to New Street.

[Spoonsky]

I remember we were going on the same day or something, and I came to the same conclusion. Really nothing going for it.

So I'm going back this October :face:

Haven't you gone to Italy yet?

[John]

Albufeira was alright for a few days of piss up in February and the four star hotel for a tenner a night was good, but if I wasn't going to Portugal for football I wouldn't be going.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Haven't you gone to Italy yet?

No, although in my defence I've only been able to get 18 days off work in the last 18 months so things aren't convenient on that front. And Portugal is mainly for golf.

[Raoul Duke]

Portu-geezers: book here - my pal (who knows his Portugal) highly recommends: http://whiteterraces.com

[Boydy]

I thought that said whiter races for a minute.

[phonics]

Haven't you gone to Italy yet?

I've been to Rome, Milan, Naples, Venice and Florence and the latter two are the only ones that weren't a complete dump. With Venice you assume that they just shove all the bins in the river because it looks fucking minging but I have no idea how Florence have managed it. Everywhere else has more trash flying at you than a game at the Stadium of Light.

I haven't been to a city in Italy where the natives weren't completely hateful, whether it's a waiter sexually harassing every woman that passes in a 100m radius or some guy trying to sell you a fake Juventus top. It's awful. What a terrible, terrible country. Cheap though.

Not to come across as a snob but if you want the Italian feel of being abused for daring to exist without having a coke bottle wrapper slap you in the face a couple of times a day go to Lugano

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Lugano_(Ticino)_View_on_Lake_Lugano_and_Monte_San_ Salvatore.jpg

[Yevrah]

Rome a complete dump? Seriously?

[phonics]

It's better than Paris if that's a high bar to aim for? The rest of them rank at Marseille levels of dogshit. At the same time, I'd really like to go back to Naples for a 'lads' holiday as I had a proper lark despite not having a clue what was going on.

[Kikó]

I don't know about Faro but Lisbon is a great part of Portugal to go to. You can go to the beach in Cascais or Estoril for next to nothing in a taxi and the food is brilliant. If you fancy something a bit off the normal path try Nazare. It's where we go for summer holidays, semi famous now for its massive waves in winter.

[ScousePig]

As mentioned earlier, we're going to Berlin on Wednesday for a few days. We also booked ourselves a week in Ljubljana at the start of May and all tips are welcome if some of you have already been there.

Berlin's a great city but I imagine I just did all the touristy stuff, so nothing more to add than those really.

Lljubljana is lovely but it's 'doable' in a couple of nights as it's not big, so you might want to plan a few day trips which would be well worth your time. Lake Bled is the obvious one, and if you can spend a bit more time there get the Bohinj railway down to Nova Gorica and back (you could cross over into the Italian border from Nova Gorica). There's also the Vintgar gorge near Bled. If you want to cross over into Croatia then Zagreb's worth a visit, and on the coast I think Rijeka's meant to be nice but haven't been. Anything else is probably too far down I imagine. Slovenia is the most beautiful country I've visited.

[ScousePig]

Smiffy, I'll probably want to visit north Wales for a day or two in the summer, is there anywhere you'd recommend? I've been to the following, some a number of times: Llangollen, Portmadog, Portmeirion, Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Snowdon, smaller places like Betws-y-coed and Bleaeau Festiniog, and slightly further afield the likes of Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Ironbridge.

Some beautiful places round there.

[Baz]

Rhyl.

[Giggles]

I don't know about Faro but Lisbon is a great part of Portugal to go to. You can go to the beach in Cascais or Estoril for next to nothing in a taxi and the food is brilliant. If you fancy something a bit off the normal path try Nazare. It's where we go for summer holidays, semi famous now for its massive waves in winter.

I spent a week in Villa Rial once. It was a bit remote but nice enough. Never made it to Lisbon while I was there though but it's on the summer holiday list.

Edit: Actually I think it was Porto that was near, not Lisbon.

[niko_cee]

I reckon places like Lisbon and Porto would be good for 'city breaks' in a world where small children don't exist. I had a friend who upped sticks and moved to Lisbon for 6 months a year or so ago and he seemed to love it. The Algarve wasn't as bad as I made out. It is a bit 3rd world though. Local knowledge would probably make it a decent place. As would not having to drive up and down that (admittedly cracking) motorway to go to all the various kids' attractions in the rain.

This place was pretty decent: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Paraiso+Do+Mar/@37.3532989,-8.844315,16.25z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0x6cfb4cdf029d7 555

[Sam]

It's better than Paris if that's a high bar to aim for? The rest of them rank at Marseille levels of dogshit. At the same time, I'd really like to go back to Naples for a 'lads' holiday as I had a proper lark despite not having a clue what was going on.

Rome is a bloody lovely city. Venice is shit, that I agree with. Never been to Paris but my impression that it's full of French is already getting it marked down as shit.

[Magic]

I reckon places like Lisbon and Porto would be good for 'city breaks' in a world where small children don't exist. I had a friend who upped sticks and moved to Lisbon for 6 months a year or so ago and he seemed to love it. The Algarve wasn't as bad as I made out. It is a bit 3rd world though. Local knowledge would probably make it a decent place. As would not having to drive up and down that (admittedly cracking) motorway to go to all the various kids' attractions in the rain.

This place was pretty decent: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Paraiso+Do+Mar/@37.3532989,-8.844315,16.25z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0x6cfb4cdf029d7 555

Well we've got local knowledge. I planned on tramming it everywhere.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If you're going to focus on cities, then most countries are fucking awful. Cities should largely be avoided. There aren't many Bruges and Venices going around.

[Lee]

I enjoyed the Algarve. There isn't much going on but if you like beaches and are just looking for somewhere to relax it's great.

[Smiffy]

.....

[Kikó]

I'm driving 5 hours on Sunday from Jaipur to get to the taj mahal. I'll take one picture.