The Europe Trip – The guide book that’s not a guide book
I borrowed a stack of guidebooks from the library when I decided I was going to Europe. I’ve used them to read up on attractions and to figure out what area of a city I should stay in. The problem is guide books are too heavy to lug around in a backpack, so I’ll be leaving mine at home. In order to take some of their information with me, I’ve compiled a master list of the top sites I’d like to visit in each city. I don’t have detailed information about how much each attraction costs or its hours of operation, but at least if I’m looking for something to do I can consult my list and go from there. The best part? My printed list fits on one sheet of paper. Much lighter than lugging 5 pounds worth of guidebooks.
THINGS I WANT TO DO/SEE:
London:
Trafalgar square, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, The Eye, Covent Garden (shopping), Buckingham Palace/St. James Palace in St. James Park (connected), free walking tour, Millenium Bridge (as seen in Harry Potter), Kings Cross Station, Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio
Paris:
Cafes, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, free walking tour, Sacre Coeur/Montmartre area (best view of city), Catacombs, Champ d’Elysee and L’Arc de triomphe, Opera Garnier, Jacquemart-Andre museum (an aristocrats mansion), Day trip to Versailles
Tour: Louvre, Eiffel Tower
Belgium (Bruges/Brussels):
Eat chocolate
Amsterdam:
Anne Frank House, Heinnekin museum, rent bike, walk red light district, The Pancake Bakery, Van Gogh Museum, Begijnhof (historic complex)
Berlin:
Reichstag (parliament) + Brandenburger Tor (opposite), Holocaust memeorial, Gendarmenmarkt, concentration camp, Unter den Linden (boulevard of old buildings), Berliner Dom (cathedral), Checkpoint Charlie (berlin wall), East Side Gallery (most interesting part of berlin wall)
Tip: Take Buses 100 & 200 (public buses that take you to major sites in city)
Prague:
Charles bridge, Prague castle
Vienna:
Hofburg imperial palace, Stephansdom (big church with mosiac roof), Schloss Schonbrunn (Habsburg’s summer home), KunstHausWien (museum that looks like something out of a toy shop), Prater (amusement park/ferris wheel)
Tip: Use tram 1 & 2 to circle Ringtrasse (Ring Road) to see pretty buildings
Salzburg:
Festung Hohensalzburg (the big fortress), Residenz (baroque palace), Schloss Mirabell (palace- Sound of Music’s Do-Re-Mi song filmed on steps), Residenzplats (main square), Mozart Geburtshaus (museum of Mozart’s birthplace)
Tip: Salzburg Card (gets you public transit, river cruise and into main sights)
If bored of palaces: Day trip to nearby salt mines or ice caves
Munich:
Residenz (palace of bavarian rulers) beer gardens, Marienplatz square and the new town hall (Neues Rathaus), Viktualienmarkt (market) right outside of Marienplatz, Hofbrauhaus beer hall for 1 litre beers, the English Garden (blocks from Residence palace- bigger than central park) with beer gardens inside, you can rent bikes from train station, Schloss Nymphenburg (royal family’s summer palace), Day Trip to Ludwig’s castles (Neuschwanstein Castle)
Frankfurt:
Ride the Ebbelwei Express (The apple wine express- historic tram that goes through city), climb the Goethe Turm (Main tower) for best view, Romerberg (Frankfurt’s old central square)
Sherideth 