European vacations

Review Topic: Sights & Attractions

Munich is the beer capital of the world, as if you didn’t know. If Lonely Planet’s numbers are correct, Germans drink an average of 250 liters of beer per year, while Munich residents average 350 liters! That’s almost 1 liter of beer every day of the year. And keep in mind this is only average, which takes into account kids and those few who don’t drink at all. All I can say is, "Wow." As Darth Vader would say, “Impressive, most impressive!” Certainly there is much more to Munich than beer, but let’s talk about it later, when I sober. For now,

My roommate from college and I visited Budapest in July 1998 for a few days during a 3-week whirlwind tour of Europe. Budapest wasn’t originally part of our itinerary, but a friend convinced us to go, and I’m glad we did.

We stayed at the Hotel Ernitus, formerly known as the Marco Polo Youth Hostel. $17/night. Mind you, we were on a budget. There were hardly any other guests, and the rooms were very clean. Breakfast was amazing: OJ, coffee, tea, bread, salami, cheese, jam, and cereal.

If "Do-Re-Mi," Edelweiss," and "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" are a few of your favorite things, then Salzburg is your kind of town. The hills are still alive with the Sound of Music–35 years after one of the most popular Hollywood movies was partially filmed here.

Actually, the movie wasn’t popular everywhere, certainly not in Salzburg. The tale goes that no self-respecting Austrian has seen, or if seen, liked the Sound of Music. The great majority of people you will see on the Sound of Music tour are American tourists.

For those looking for unique, attractive countries that are not tourist traps, Liechtenstein offers a relaxing oasis like venue. Centrally located in Europe, it is sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria. Though one of the smallest country by size (approx. 23 sq. mi.), it certainly is not any where near the poorest. Long known as a tax haven and low key banking center, the country is very well off financially, though you would never know by driving through.

Well groomed, but not ostentatious, Liechtenstein as a whole keeps a very low profile. In fact, many bank addresses turn out to be simple buildings no bigger than 2-3 stories.

If you’re looking for a comfortable, clean, modern hotel with excellent amenities and service — and all at reasonable rates — then check out the Hotel Esja.

I stayed at Hotel Esja for a couple of nights as part of a travel package booked through Icelandair (see my epinion under Icelandair in the airlines category for info on the great stop-over deals).

Hi. I went to Munich a few years back and loved it! It is truly one of the coolest cities in Europe. It is surprisingly affordable too. There are many youth hostels throughout the city. They usually offer rooms at about 10-15 dollars a night. If you don’t mind staying with a few other people in the same room, they are probably a good choice. The rooms are a bit smaller than a standard hotel room, but probably cleaner. The hostel I stayed in had private bathrooms for each room as well. They serve meals in an on site dining area also.

Munich is my second favorite European city, right behind Paris, for all the reasons people mention in the other reviews. Rather than repeating what you’ll find there, I’ll tell you about my favorite day trip.

I didn’t have a round-trip ticket the last time I came home from Europe, so when it came time to book a flight back to States, I thought I would do something a little “financially adventurous” (what a euphemism!) and stop in Iceland on the way. On every trip I had taken to Europe, I had sat there on those boring transatlantic flights feeling like toothpaste and looked off longingly into the star-clad northern distance, imagining a magical island sitting there under the wing-tip called Iceland. Yet I had never seriously considered going there.

Well, well, well. I did actually go to the Hofbräuhaus, but not until my third and last night in Munich. There is so much more to see and do.

First, make sure that you are there on the weekend. Sounds obvious, but a lot of the museums are free on Sunday. The following are all ones that I saw, and recommend:

Museum der Mensch und Natur (Schloss Nymphenburg), Antiksammlungen, Glyptothek, Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek

These museums feature a wide variety of subjects. Both of the Pinakothek museums feature art from different periods, and is well worth a look.

The other day I was in Munich to see an art exhibition. I didn’t have any plans for the afternoon and when I saw a leaflet ‘Munich Walk Tours in English’, (from May 17th to August 31st daily 10:45 am and 3:00 pm, from Sept. 1st to Oct. 31st daily 10:45, meeting point in front of the town hall entrance under the Glockenspiel on Marienplatz, 9 Euro, under 26 years 8 Euro, children under 14 with an adult free), I thought, why not that? Why not find out what foreigners tell foreigners about Munich?