I've decided to go for Rome. Neither of us have been to Italy before and the history of Rome interests me. Can anyone recommend restaurants,bars etc? Also I've heard you can queue for hours to get I'm the Colosseum. Is it worth pre-booking tickets?
We did Rome in 2016 for 3 nights, easily one of the top 5 city's in the world in my opinion.
We pre-booked the Vatican City tour, so glad we did as the line to get in must have been 500 deep at 9.30am, we also prebooked our tickets for the Colosseum but I don't remember that being quite as busy (for ease you are probably better off just getting them booked in advance).
We found Rome to be relatively cheap for food and drink and loads of bars on the main squares would have late afternoon happy hours. The more touristy places are easy to spot and avoid (if it has pictures of food on the outdoor menu swerve it!).
Regarding people not responding to English, to be honest there's no reason for people to have to speak English in Spain so it's quite likely they don't know any - always better to attempt the local language, especially in places that speak a global language and are less likely to learn English. Shame you didn't find any food you like in San Sebastian - it has the best food in the whole country and is a brilliant place.
Other great city break places in Spain are Zaragoza, Valencia and particularly Sevilla. All probably work best with at least a bit of Spanish knowledge though as well to order food etc. Surprisingly few people speak English here away from the holiday resorts.
Barcelona is definitely worth a visit but it has turned into a bit of a Disneyland tourist trap with the locals pretty much driven out, and it's true that it has got a problem with petty theft and even some more serious violence. I know lots of people who have had issues there in recent years sadly but it is a lovely place - just seems to have lost its way a bit.
@CharltonMadrid is there much to do in San Sebastian or Zaragoza from a tourist point of view? Cathedrals/castles/old towns/ etc for group of 60 year olds? Obviously like a decent place to eat and bars but not interested in clubs.
I've decided to go for Rome. Neither of us have been to Italy before and the history of Rome interests me. Can anyone recommend restaurants,bars etc? Also I've heard you can queue for hours to get I'm the Colosseum. Is it worth pre-booking tickets?
Thanks
If you want a more traditional / authentic type of restaurant - go to the Trastevere district (fairly close to the Vatican).
We pre-booked the Colosseum and Vatican when we went and I'd say it's definitely worth doing.
I've decided to go for Rome. Neither of us have been to Italy before and the history of Rome interests me. Can anyone recommend restaurants,bars etc? Also I've heard you can queue for hours to get I'm the Colosseum. Is it worth pre-booking tickets?
Thanks
Operart check it out on TripAdvisor A restaurant with a guitarist and saxophonist at one end, football on the telly at the other end, and if you like chocolate the profiteroles are lovely, as are the pizzas.
The place has a great vibe, and wish I could bring it back to England!
Last few weeks I went Prague 3 days, then Dublin for 36 hours
Prague was great, lots of walking, lots of drinking, cheap food and drink so was a winner. Although we went Tuesday - Thursday which was a slight mistake as the nightlife wasn't that busy, when Prague were at home vs Inter(possibly) , one place we found semi busy the first night it was full for 16-18 year olds. I would like to go back but maybe try a weekend next time
Dublin was brilliant, bloody expensive. I done £300 in a day and a half lol, we just went straight to a pub watch Charlton, mate watches spurs. Went with his GF and one of their mutual friends. Went to the Guinness factory the sunday day time which was really good and I recommend it. Again it is all very expensive probably similar to London or slightly worse but the live music and the whole vibe is great, I want to go back but with Lads only next time
Have been to a lot of European cities. 2 on my list of possibles to do are Bratislava and Munich. Anybody got any comments on these please?
Went to Bratislava a few years ago and loved it. The old town has some great bars and restaurants. Didn’t venture too far but Vienna is doable on public transport. The pink pussycat club was good as well if it’s still there!
Munich and Bratislava both great to go on the lash but would say Munich has a lot more to offer outside of that, whereas Bratislava, like most Eastern European Countries, has great nightlife, cheap, lovely to walk around etc.
Was very impressed with Prague last week. Reminded me of both Krakow and Budapest in certain aspects, both of which are also superb.
I'd say Venice. Not as expensive as people think if you know what to do. March is a great time to go there - not too busy and cheaper. Basically there are cheaper restaurants in the regions away from St Marks Square. Cheaper than England and good. You can buy a waterbus ticket which gives you unlimited travel, including to Islands for 30 euros for 48 hours and 40 euros each for 72 hours.
I took my wife there for her Birthday in January and we are going for a few days just before Christmas.
Any recommended websites for booking the Vatican and Colosseum?
When we went (oct 2015) we booked Vatican direct on their website. Essential to book. We didn't book the Colosseum and can't remember there being huge queues, just got there reasonably early. However this was 4 years ago.
me and the mrs are going to Budapest at the end of February, return flights and two nights at the intercontinental hotel £230
Lovely place mate, loads to do.
we have already seen so much that we want to do that we spoke about extending our stay for an extra day
we have booked the beer spa (thanks to @The_Organiser for suggesting on an old thread) already for the Sunday so we make sure we do it and I think the Mrs. has booked the riverboat tour as well
me and the mrs are going to Budapest at the end of February, return flights and two nights at the intercontinental hotel £230
Lovely place mate, loads to do.
we have already seen so much that we want to do that we spoke about extending our stay for an extra day
we have booked the beer spa (thanks to @The_Organiser for suggesting on an old thread) already for the Sunday so we make sure we do it and I think the Mrs. has booked the riverboat tour as well
This place is well worth a visit: House of Terror Museum (terrorhaza.hu) as is the Statue Park, which is a bit of a trek from the city centre, has loads of soviet era statues/landmarks Mementopark
The national opera was good as well and dirt cheap. Wouldn't normally be something I'd think of going to but really enjoyed it (my wife who suggested we went fell asleep)
Off to Prague later in the year, really looking forward to it
a friend of mine went there just before the first lockdown with a load of her friends, I told her goldfingers was a nightclub so they all got dressed up on the Saturday and went down there
Comments
I've decided to go for Rome. Neither of us have been to Italy before and the history of Rome interests me. Can anyone recommend restaurants,bars etc? Also I've heard you can queue for hours to get I'm the Colosseum. Is it worth pre-booking tickets?
Thanks
We pre-booked the Colosseum and Vatican when we went and I'd say it's definitely worth doing.
A restaurant with a guitarist and saxophonist at one end, football on the telly at the other end, and if you like chocolate the profiteroles are lovely, as are the pizzas.
The place has a great vibe, and wish I could bring it back to England!
Last few weeks I went Prague 3 days, then Dublin for 36 hours
Prague was great, lots of walking, lots of drinking, cheap food and drink so was a winner. Although we went Tuesday - Thursday which was a slight mistake as the nightlife wasn't that busy, when Prague were at home vs Inter(possibly) , one place we found semi busy the first night it was full for 16-18 year olds. I would like to go back but maybe try a weekend next time
Dublin was brilliant, bloody expensive. I done £300 in a day and a half lol, we just went straight to a pub watch Charlton, mate watches spurs. Went with his GF and one of their mutual friends. Went to the Guinness factory the sunday day time which was really good and I recommend it. Again it is all very expensive probably similar to London or slightly worse but the live music and the whole vibe is great, I want to go back but with Lads only next time
Was very impressed with Prague last week. Reminded me of both Krakow and Budapest in certain aspects, both of which are also superb.
I took my wife there for her Birthday in January and we are going for a few days just before Christmas.
Hoping it's still t-shirt weather whilst watching Real v Betis on the Saturday night.
Anything happen in-between that stopped people travelling? :-)
we have booked the beer spa (thanks to @The_Organiser for suggesting on an old thread) already for the Sunday so we make sure we do it and I think the Mrs. has booked the riverboat tour as well
The national opera was good as well and dirt cheap. Wouldn't normally be something I'd think of going to but really enjoyed it (my wife who suggested we went fell asleep)