EUROPE TRAVEL REVIEW (London, Paris, Venice, Rome) by Your Prabhu:

As part of my every trip I made so far I normally document what I saw and how much I spend. Many of my site readers have found it useful and made their trip based on my review. Here I am again with my latest trip that I made to Europe. I try to cover everything that I saw in each and every review. This is intended for some one who may visit the above place in future or who is willing to travel and have some fun. All the reference I have made is in Euros And I will try to convert them to Dollars for easy reference. As you all know that EURO is weak now and it’s a very good time to travel to Europe.

Tip: I did my Switzerland trip when I was traveling to India and it was very tough on us as we were traveling back with 6 Suit case. Luckily in Zurich airport we had an option to park our suitcase. Even then you don’t get the full flavor of Europe as you are back from India and you are tired. This time it was different as both our parents visited to take care of my little daughter. So we didn’t go to India this time. I planned for a 10 day visit to Europe to see various places. The best time to visit Europe is during the spring time. The reason is it’s cheap to fly and if you are using miles they have the off peak season to fly which is just 45,000 Miles compared to 60,000 miles when you fly during peak time. American airlines fly for 45,000 if you fly before May 15th. We used miles to fly and it was a total of 135,000 miles.

Tip: Don’t use airline miles to purchase ticket for domestic US travel. Its 25,000 for a round trip within US and its 45,000 to fly to Europe. For extra 20,000 miles you save about 500$ as round trip ticket to Europe is nothing less than 800$ where as you can get a ticket for 200$ with in US. Value for miles is only when you fly to Europe or to Hawaii or when you travel using reduced airline miles. Please checkout the following link that American airlines offer for reduced airline miles. If you have to purchase a ticket to fly to Europe please check out kayak.com. They have the best fares to Europe. Normally it’s about 750 to 1000 $ depending upon when you fly.

http://www.citicards.com/cards/wv/copy.do?screenID=1213

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (Apr 24th, APR 25th, APR 26th 2010):

We left Columbus and flew to Dallas. From Dallas we took a flight to London. The total travel time was about 14 Hours which is not the best itinerary. The point here is try to book your trip well in advance so that you get the route you want and the travel time will be less. I was flying west and then back to east. We landed in London on 25th early morning. We had our friend pick us up from the airport. London is very rich and very user friendly city. It’s like landing in any major international airport. The city looks very old and people out there are very formal. London offers a wide variety of places to visit. It has a very rich and ultra modern neighborhood to the old fashioned 1800’s style neighborhood. One can go to London and experience New York Style buildings and go another 10 miles and see the old 1800’s mansions. The public transportation in London is just amazing. You can land in London Heathrow airport and take a tram to downtown. I strongly advice not to take a lot of baggage when it comes to travel to Europe as you are very dependent on public transport. Railway stations are very well equipped but they are not on par with US when it comes to elevators. Some of the major attractions in London are

(a) London Eye
(b) River Boat Cruise on Thames River
(c) London Bridge
(d) Buckingham Palace
(e) The Big Ben (Parliament Building)
(f) Windsor Castle
(g) Madame Tushar Wax Museum.
(h) South Ham (Desi Area in London)

London Eye:

The biggest attraction in London is the London Eye. It’s basically a ferry wheel that rotates at a very slow speed. The cost is 18 Pounds approximately 30 US Dollars. Wow 30 USD to have a ride. Yes Buddy you are in London better get used to spending in Pounds. So if you are a family of 3 or 4 it costs about 120 Dollars to have a ride. I spoke to a Sardar couple and asked about what is the best way to do this. They recommended taking a package and I think that is the way to go.

If you have seen Madame Tushar wax museum in Las Vegas or New York don’t do it again in London. It’s the same. The package is worth only when you are doing everything for the first time. For 65 Pounds approximately 110 USD you get to do London Eye, River Boat cruise, Bucking ham Palace and Madame Tushar ( A, B, D, G) which are the major attraction in London. It’s definitely worth for some one who is doing all these for the first time. For me London Eye was breath taking. It’s very different that climbing Sears tower or the Empire state building. It’s an egg shaped glass wheel that takes you and one can see the whole London city from there. There is a 4D movie that is included as part of the ticket which is really nice. You can see a complete view of the city from the Eye. The Desi area in London is a great place of us to hang around. You feel that you are in Adyar or Besant Nagar. One thing I noticed is the desi’s out there shop like how we shop back home in India. All the fruits and vegetables are displayed outside the store. There is a big variety of ethnic crowd out there in London.

We went to Windsor Castle on 26th of April. It’s a beautiful place just outside London. Its about 40 miles from CENTRAL London. If you fly into Heathrow airport you will not miss this castle as it’s very near by to Heathrow. If you are using public transit to go there you can take a tube that gets there. It’s a very nice place to check out castles in Europe. Its one of the smallest castle when compared to the other big once in Europe. They have the display of the queen’s dress, dinning table, ball room etc. Everything is massive and all are antique items which sell for millions today. No photos are allowed. Then entry to castle is 17 Pounds approximately 30 Dollars. Outside the castle there are lots of shops and restaurants. Don’t forget to hang around there as there are lots of fish and chips place where you can just sit and hand out. If you are a cocktail person hang around there the whole day and you will love that place.

PARIS, FRANCE APR 27th and APR 28th:

We then took a train to Paris. Due to the ash storm we had we were not able to plan our train journey. Tip: When traveling in Europe make sure that you make your reservation for your train travel way in advance. We paid 400 US Dollars for 3 of us. When I was checking 2 weeks before it was around 200 $ for all 3 of us. Basically the fares Shoot up 100% if you book your travel in the last minute.

I should say that the Train journey in Europe is the most comfortable one that any one can experience. Even if you travel in a private airline you will not feel that luxury of going in Train in Europe. The seats are so comfortable and they are super fast trains. The journey time from London to Paris is 2 hours and they have lots of storage where you can put your suit case. The best part is the railway station in Europe is like a full fledged Airport in US. They have everything from Immigration to Customs in airport. We checked into a super fast train from London to Paris. The exciting part about the trip is that the train goes through English Channel under the water. You don’t even feel it. The tubes out there are very well organized and most of the people take the train to go from one city to another in Europe.

The other option for you is to take a EURAIL pass. They have a 3 Country pass, 4 Country pass etc. If you decide that you want to visit 3 or 4 county in Europe in a trip that that will work out pretty cheap for you. Last time when we did the Switzerland trip we did get EURAIL pass. There is other cheap option flying which I will discuss later. We landed in PARIS central railway station. When you enter into Paris the city is too crowded. The neighborhood out there looks like India. The train station is packed as it’s the primary mode of transportation for the people in Paris. You come out of railway station there is a big surprise for you. All the taxis in Paris are either BMW or Benz. The taxi’s charge in Euro’s. So it’s better to book a hotel room right in the center of the city. Paris has the one of the best public transport in the world. But with 2 kids and 2 huge luggages you are better of taking a taxi. Our hotel was about a 15 minute drive from the railway station. The taxi was not all that bad. It was around 20 Euro (25 Dollars).

Tip: I booked my hotel using Priceline. Always use priceline or Kayak when booking hotels. The destination does not matter. You always find a better deal when you use this website. In Priceline there is an option where you can name your own price. You always get a deal when you book hotels using priceline. I got a very good deal for 120$ a night. The hotel was located 3 Kilo meters from Eiffel tower.

Booking hotel rooms in Europe is tricky. If you are booking the hotel in center of the city it’s expensive and you will pay big for the hotel. Flip side to it is Cabs are expensive out in Europe. So it’s better to stay in center of the city. We checked into the hotel and we went to Eiffel tower area which is the center of the city. The best way to move around in the city of Paris is take the Green or Red bus. They are open air bus which will take you around the various attractions in the city. The cost per person is 24 Euro per day or 30 Euro for 2 Days. After spending on taxi you will not even think of paying 30 Euros for the bus. The bus stops in each and every major attraction in the city and the frequency of the bus is really good. Every 20 minutes you have the bus till 8 PM in the night. All these bus originate from the Eiffel tower area. Here are the main attractions that I will list out when it comes to Paris.

(a) Eiffel Tower
(b) River Boat Cruise (Paris By Night)
(c) Champs Elysees
(d) Luvre Museum
(e) Notre Dame Paris (Cathedral)
(f) Palace of Versailles
(g) Disney Land Paris

Tip: Before going to France please take a look at the following web site.
http://gofrance.about.com/od/travelplanning

I think the best part of any travel is planning. The guy who is planning the trip has the most fun. I think reading about countries is a good hobby. You get to know lot of things when you visit such website. I did a very good research of the place before going to France. But you will be surprised. In France they speak French. It’s very difficult for us to communicate there. Every one talk and replies in French.

Tip: Take a look at the following web site for detail list of attractions in Paris

http://www.aviewoncities.com/paris/parisattractions.htm

Eiffel Tower:

Paris is one of a very well constructed city. There is a lot of Roman influence in the city and most of the city looks alike. The Center of city is Eiffel Tower. Its one of the wonder of the world and no wonder it is a wonder. All the buildings in Paris are “PI” Shaped. Basically you have 10 PI shaped building in a circle and Eiffel towers being the center of the city. You will really appreciate the city when you are on top of the Eiffel Towers. The cost to go up the tower is 13 Euros. Trust me it will take a good 2 hours to stand in line and reach the elevator. There are 4 Ticket counter to get ticket to go up the tower. You basically take one lift to go half way which goes in a 45 Degree angle. Then you take one more lift to go up to the top of the tower. It’s truly an unbelievable experience and its unique experience when compared to going on top of other tall structure in the world.

The best part about Eiffel tower is the whole structure is made out of Steel in early 1900’s. There is no bricks used and once you go up the city view is amazing. You really appreciate Paris when you are on top of the tower and looking at all those PI shaped building. I am not sure who planned the city in such an organized way.

Tip: Go to Eiffel tower when it’s dark. Paris is called as “City of Lights”. You truly will appreciate if you are there at night. From 9 PM to 12 PM everyday they change do a flashing light show for about 10 minutes. It’s really good. It’s on the top of the hour. The one thing that I was not impressed was the park near by. Construction was going on so there was a lot of mud and stuff.

River Boat Cruise (Paris by Night):

This is probably one of the most important attractions of Paris. There are river boats that take you for a one hour cruise in the river which is located right next to Eiffel tower. Please plan to go to Cruise at night time. Also one more thing you want to consider is go to all the attractions before going on the cruise. The cruise takes you to multiple attractions and if you don’t know the place it’s kind of weird. The cruise cost 13 Euro per person and it’s a nice one hour ride in the river.

Luvre Museum:

The biggest museum in the world is too much to digest to start with. You will get lost for sure. Once upon a time this was the palace and now it’s converted into a museum. The most famous Michel Angelo’s Monoliza’s painting is in this museum. The paintings in the top of the building are amazing and truly overwalming. If you are an artistic person you can spend days in this museum. There are 4 parts to this museum and everything is written in French. Make sure that you get an audio guide so that you will understand what you are looking at. There are paintings all over the museum which are very old and worth millions. The cost to enter the museum is 9 Euros but its worth it. You can enjoy the architecture of France in this one spot. Outside the museum are various photo spots, fountains. It’s a nice place for people who enjoy museum and who are artistic in nature.

Champs Elysees:

Champs Elysees is a street full of action and people. If you go to Paris you should go there. Paris is known to the world for its fashion and Perfumes. You have everything from Louis Viton, Channel and what not in one street. They are the original shops which stated Fashion industry in Paris and they branched all over the world now. Remember if you see a Louis Viton the father or the grand father store is in Champs Elysees in Paris. To me I have seen all these shops in Vegas. Its was ok for me. But for some one touring from India it will be great. People go nuts there to buy stuff from these stores. Right there in the Champs Elysees is Lido a very famous hang out place in night.

Tip: For more information please visit www.champselysees.org

Noterdame Cathedral:

One of the most attractive cathedrals in the world is Noterdame Cathedral in Paris. Located 3 miles away from Eiffel towers. You can catch one of those Green or Red bus to go there. I am not sure about the story behind the cathedral but truly it’s an amazing place. After going here and there in Paris that place really made me to sit for few minutes. Europe is famous for cathedral and you have to see the size of them. It’s truly amazing how they have built all these years ago.

Things we did not do in Paris:

We didn’t do Disney land in Paris and Palace of Versailles. I have read about the Palace of Versailles. It’s huge and a good place to be. But after being to Luvre museum we thought that we will skip it. Paris is an overwalming city. Everything is huge. To digest what is there takes 2 days. We were there only for 2 days and we got a glimpse of what is there.

Food in Paris:

I need to mention about the food. If you are a typical desi guy like me there is no scope for rice or any desi style food in Paris. There are Indian restaurants around if you are ready to spend 15 Euros for a small dish anywhere near the main attractions. The restaurants out there are for fine dining and it really means fine dining. If you sit outside the restaurant and eat the cost is twice of what you pay compared to sitting inside. There are Mc Donald’s and you pay a premium to eat there. A Burger and coke costs 10 euros and 6 Piece nuggets costs 8 Euro with Coke. I am not sure how you can over come this. I tried my best. Plan for a 40 to 50 Euro mean for a family when you are there. We went to Sub way and a 12 Inch chicken sub with coke cost us 13 Euros. Crazy. We are so used to buying food for cheap here in the US. We have lots and lots of deals which we can never use. Forget it. The only option for you is to spend and there is no other choice.

VENICE, ITALY – 29th APR 2010:

We then took a flight to Venice from Paris. Paris has 2 airports. Paris Orly and Charles De Gaulle. I strongly recommend to fly out of Orly as it’s a small airport.

Tip: I am big fan of the following three airline company.

(a) Southwest
(b) Easyjet.com
(c) Ryanair.com

The biggest tip I can give to my readers is take easyjet for your flight within Europe. The best part about this airline is they have the same fare when it comes to round trip or one way. They are cheap and trust me we just paid 60 Euros to fly all the way to Venice from Paris including tax. The tickets are 10 to 30 Euros if you book early. Ryan Air does not fly to big airports. You are better of booking using Easyjet as they fly to major airports.

What to say about Venice. I don’t know how to start. One of the most beautiful place in this whole world. You really don’t get a feel for Venice until you board the Waperato. (Boat Taxi). The city of Venice is in water. There is no transpiration other than Water taxi. Imagine a city without Cars, Motor cycle or even Cycle. The only mode of transportation is by walk. The history of Venice back tracks to the Barbarians. The people of Venice wanted to protect themselves from the getting attacked so they constructed a city in Water to save the people from getting attacked who used to come in Horse and capture cities. What a place.

Italy is full of Love and Kindness where you cannot see in any other parts of the world. The experience of going to Venice itself is worth the trip to Europe and Italy. The flight goes over the Italian Alps one of the most beautiful place in this world. Southern Part of Switzerland and Northern Italy is a must see for anyone. The most visited honeymoon spot in Switzerland is in this area.

Once you get out of Venice Marco Polo International airport which is attached to Land for one Kilometer. You have an option of taking a private water boat to reach your main land Venice.Those are expensive. They cost 100 Euros to reach Venice. The cheaper option is come out of the airport and take a Bus which is 3 Euros and it take you to the Island of Venice. Then go to the public Water Taxi called “Waperato”. There are two Lines. One take goes from Bus Stand to LIDO beach.

Tip: When you are in Venice don’t worry about saving Dollars when it comes to Hotel. I did the following and it really worked out for us. In Priceline you have an option of name your own price. Select an area right next to St. Marks Square. It’s the center of Venice. Book a 4 Star hotel. It ranges anywhere from 200 Dollars to 400 Dollars. Remember the price is only for 2 people. We were 4 including our 2 little once. Once you reach there they charge 40 Euro’s more. So the cost is approximately 225 to 500 Dollars a night for a family of 4. The break fast is included in the hotel cost in almost all the hotel in Venice. Also stay in a hotel which is right next to Grand Canal for easy navigation. Fortunately our hotel was right next to a Waperato station. The hotel name is called NH MANIN. I strongly recommend any one going to Venice to stay in this hotel. A beautiful spot on Grand Canal right next to attractions.

We then rested and came out of our hotel room at noon. WOW. The beauty of Venice cannot be explained in this review. We just walked two blocks and we were surprised with the number of restaurants and the people how they have fun there. Eating in Venice is expensive. It’s an island. One thing I can suggest is to look for a Chinese place to eat. They are value for your Euro that you spend. My daughters wanted to eat a Cheese Pizza. We were sitting by the Grand Canal. Trust me the cost of the Cheese Pizza was 16 Euro Plus a fee of 4 Euro for the luxury tax. 20 Euros for a pizza was too much. The pizza is not like our Pizza hut where the whole family can eat a meal. It’s a thin crust small pizza which will feed your kids. I was talking to the shop keeper and he was explaining why it cost’s so much.

We then stopped in an Italian Ice-cream shop. They are the best ice-cream that you can ever eat. If you have been to Las Vegas you can get them in the Venetian Resort. They are amazing. Coke is 4 Euros. So be prepared with a big fat valet. After our lunch we boarded another Waperato and went to St Marks Square the biggest attraction in Venice. I bet you will have a feeling that you can never get anywhere in the world when you are there in that square.

St Marks Square:

Venice is an island and most people visit there for its beauty and the square. I cannot explain what is there. It’s a square with canals and shops and Gondolas. Wow. Just walk for 4 hours there and your trip to Europe and Italy is made up right there. There are shops which are small and cute. One thing that will attract you is what they call in Italian as “Maskara” the Mask. They are the most beautiful and the most artistic piece you can get. They are very famous out there. One more thing Italy is famous for is their glass. They have amazing glass medals and everything out there is so pretty that you will literally get lost there with the beauty. Not to forget the Gondola’s out there. They are very pretty and once can go for a ride in Gondola for 60 to 100 Euros. Gondola ride is an expensive ride. Half hour ride for a family is 75 Euros. But negotiate when you get on a Gondola. The later in the night it gets more expensive. Gondola rivd in the Grand Canal is the most attractive and the best thing you can do in your life.

If you have been to Las Vegas Venetian Casino and comparing against what it is in Venice there is no comparison. Las Vegas has done a very good job of copying and doing miniature of attractions around the world. I think they have done a good job in Venetian Casino with respect to a mini Venice. Venice is so huge that you just walk and enjoy every bit of it.

Tip: I did a big mistake of not staying 2 days in Venice. Please make sure that you stay there 2 days. Don’t underestimate Venice saying that its just small island.

Lido Beach:

2 Stations from St Marks Square is Lido Beach. It’s the beach for Venice. It’s so quiet and beautiful. The best part is the restaurants out there. If you count the number of restaurants in that small area it will be in thousands. They all cater to the millions of tourist who visit there. We had lots and lots of Italian ice creams out there and walked. Drinking wine out there in Italy is like drinking water. In fact wine is cheaper than water.

We then again came back to St Mark’s square to see the beauty of the square at night. There will be thousands of pigeons in the square. One will enjoy feeding food to the pigeons. There are multiple open air restaurants that play nice music some thing what you see in Las Vegas in that square inside the hotel.

Things we didn’t cover “Murano”:

Murano, Italy is the Glass capital of the world. If you see travel channel and if you see the Venice show they will show Murano. Murano is famous for its glass work. The street shopping that you do in Venice is filled with Murano glass work. It’s just truly unbelievable but affordable as well. You can buy lots and lots of goodies in Venice for your friends and family. Murano is a boat ride away from Venice. Take a Public transit to go there. It’s a pretty laid down place and you can even see how they make the Gondola’s.

ROME – 30th APR 2010 , 1ST MAY 2010:

Rome is a place that takes you back 2000 years before. We took a train from Venice to Rome. It was 70 Euros one way per person. The train journey is about 3 and half hours. Its one of the most scenic drive one can take. The European Alps ends south of Venice. The train stops at Bologna, Italy. Once you reach Rome after a 4 hour train drives a whole new world is waiting for you. Rome is the capital of Italy and the history of Rome backtracks to 2000 Years. The Romans were the most powerful people in the world that time and they are known for their architecture and pride. No doubt about that. The hotel room in Central Rome is 250$ a night. There is no escape or there is no scope for a cheaper hotel there. Tip: Try to stay near the railway station or the bus station. If you are flying into Rome Flimichinio airport it’s about a good 45 minute drive. The taxi system in Rome is really good and its fixed price if you are traveling more than 5 Kilometers. So you don’t need to worry about getting charged more. The taxi cost from airport to center of the city is 45 Euros.

Since we were coming from the railway station it was 10 Euros. We checked into a hotel. The easy way to navigate from the hotel to the attractions is by taking the Green Bus. It’s very similar to that of Paris and it takes you to 11 or 12 major attractions in Rome. You basically hop out and hop in when you are completed with that attraction. We stayed for 2 full days in Rome and I should admit that it was not enough. Rome is a very different city. Unlike our big city like NY or Chicago the city has its own charm. They have 2 different kind of city within Rome. One is the old Rome and the other is the new modern Rome. Old Rome is a must see which takes you back 2000 Years.

The Coliseum:

Coliseum is the highlight of Rome. It’s basically a Playground for the Gladiators. The kings who ruled Italy used to have fun here. Gladiators are the prisoners of war and they fight there in the Coliseum with Lion and Tigers. The amazing thing about this place is it is built 2000 years ago and you have to see the size of it. It’s simply unbelievable. It used to seat 50,000 people. Unfortunate thing about the coliseum is during various war times it was destroyed. The City of Rome is taking an utmost care to preserve this unbelievable monument.

Tip: I strongly recommend you to take a guided tour which is about 10 Euros.

Vatican City:

Vatican City is located about 6 Kilometers from the center of the city. Its one of the most visited place in the world and the church is stunning. There are no words to explain how big the Vatican church is. The Church itself is a city of its own. About 60,000 people attend the prayer service every Sunday. The architecture of this church is so unique and you cannot find anywhere in the world. Right next to the church is the museum. The museum has the most famous Michel Angelo painting. Unfortunately we were not able to go to the museum. Vatican City itself will take a good One day if you are interested in all the history. Stunning place.

Check out the following web site for Rome attraction by area

http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/rome-i-la-r.htm

Shopping in Rome:

One of the biggest attractions in Rome is shopping. There is a place in Rome right next to the Treveni Fountain behind Palazzo. I have never seen a very interesting shopping place like that anywhere in the world. One end of the corner is filled with high flying fashion stores from LV’s, to Channel’s etc etc and the other end is for people like us. Lots of shopping and each and every shop will take couple of hours to see. Such a beautiful display of items and the craft of Italy. The place is filled with restaurants and one can just hang out there for two days doing nothing other than eating and having fun with the shopping. Also the best part about the street shopping is the branded stuff you get in the streets. You can buy a Louis Viton for 30 to 40 Euros. Trust me you can buy. There is a whole lot of Branded stuff for cheap in Rome. Sorry there may not be the “Original” Original but you will have a 90% match.

To be frank 2 days was just not enough for us there in Rome. We were just able to see 2 main attraction of Rome (a) The Coliseum (b) The Vatican City. You can spend a good 3 days in Rome and still come out and say that I have covered only 30% of it. Rome really stole our heart. I should mention about the Italians. They are the nicest people you can ever see. Every one has a smile and every one is very helpful. You really feel that you are back home in India if you go there.

LOLLU COMMENTS:

I am happy that we were to this trip. It was interesting, educative and it opened me with a whole new view of other parts of the world. There is a lot of scope to learn every day in life and when you visit such place it opens up a new direction. One such direction that I got from making this trip was “ITALY”. I love Italy to the core now. I want to revisit and learn more about ITALY.

Italy has such a beautiful landscape that you will not find anywhere. With high Mountains in the North to Beautiful Amalfi coast in the South, with a beautiful city like Venice in the East, Florence and Naples in the West you cannot go wrong. My next trip is for sure to Italy and I will cover Amalfi Coast and northern Italy / Southern Switzerland.

With respect to the cost of the trip, It’s definitely and expensive trip. The best way to go is use your miles and get a round trip for 40,000 miles. Then plan your trip properly. Don’t ever use your miles to travel within US. Your miles are more worth when you use to make a trip to Europe or Hawaii. Use Easy jet or train for your travel within Europe. You will be spending anywhere between 350 to 400 $ a day. The break down is

Stay – 150 to 200 $
Food – 100$ a day
Transportation – 200 $ day
Others – 1500 $ a day

WITH LOVE,
PRABHU, AUTHOR LOLLUEXPRESS,
COLUMBUS, OHIO, USA.