European Weekend

[Kitchandro]

Alright chaps and chicks.

 

So me and my friends have decided to spend a weekend in a European in November. We're trying to do it cheapish of course but we don't want to quite slum it.

 

We narrowed it down to Prague, Amsterdam, Krakow and Brussels. I figured some people would have been to some of these places and would be able to point me in the right direction.

 

Or if you've got any better Cities to recommend I'm all ears.

 

Any tips and details would be welcome

[21st Century Fox]

Get to Amsterdam before all the fun is totally stopped.

[Kitchandro]

Get to Amsterdam before all the fun is totally stopped.

 

How do you mean?

[Bobby Hundreds]

Belgrade is the best city in Europe.

[ealingfox]

Having been to all 4, Prague or Amsterdam for me, Brussels is nice but not very lively and quite expensive.

[Unabomber]

I went to Brussels in May and absolutely loved it. Piss easy to get there on the Eurostar too. 

[21st Century Fox]

How do you mean?

 

They're slowly getting rid of the 'grubby' atmosphere that makes a weekend in Amsterdam so brilliant. The RLD* looks as if it's slowly being gentrified and they're obviously tightening up drug laws.

 

I used to pop to Amsterdam pretty regularly on weekends to meet a friend but the fun was slowly being sapped. It's still a brilliant place for a cultural city break but if you're going for fun with friends it's slowly turning. So I'd recommend going before the fun's over. A trip to the Heineken factory is pretty stupid fun (the brewing simulator is a laugh) then spending the day drinking in various pubs until you end up in a Bulldog cafe and the Casarosso. 

 

*I've personally not gone for the prostitutes but it adds to the atmosphere that they're around.

[Alf Bentley]

Of the 4 cities mentioned, I only know Brussels and would give it a 7/10 rating - Ghent is beautiful, though; it is only a short train ride from Brussels (1 hour?) and still enjoys the benefits of wonderful Belgian beer, with fewer tourists than Bruges.

 

If you go by Eurostar and can manage to travel on the Thursday and/or Monday, during the day and not peak time, you'll get a much better price (I paid £70 return London-Brussels about 2 years ago).

 

If you want cheap accommodation that's not too rough, a lot of youth hostels now do "family/couple rooms" that would be good for sharing, plus they are now usually "open all hours" etc.

 

Alternative suggestion: San Sebastian, Northern Spain - beautiful old town with lively nightlife and beaches with the chance of sun (just round the corner from Biarritz)...not sure how easy/cheap it'd be to get to, though. It's possible to get a through rail ticket (day in Paris, overnight couchette, weekend in San Seb.) but that's probably more travel than you're looking for.

[Finnegan]

Sweden.

Cheap flights, good drinking culture, fit birds, laid back people.

[Captain...]

Sweden.

Cheap flights, good drinking culture, fit birds, laid back people.

But very expensive especially if you're going to be drinking a lot.

Going to Athens in November, cheap flights, cheap hotel, hopefully warm, lots of culture during the day and late bars at night, good food and not to heavy on the old bank balance.

Of the places mentioned in the OP, they will all be quite chilly in November.

[pSinatra]

What 21CF said.

 

I've been to Prague & loved it, but if you're going with the lads you will do well to beat Amsterdam.  It's got something for everyone, but it is slowly becoming sanitised.  I've been about a dozen times & used to go at least once a year.......it never got boring & I need to go again soon.

 

When I first used to go on the dirt cheap, we used to camp at a place called Vliegenbos.  Decent campsite & only a 5 minute bus ride into town.  Stayed at Botel (a boat hotel) a few times which used to be cheap & central.

 

One of the funniest things we did........took a shitload of mushrooms, hired a little powerboat & took to the water.  Nearly died several times, but a great way to see the city.

[bovril]

Belgrade is the best city in Europe.

 

Belgrade is great, superb nightlife, Serbs are great fun and as I said in a previous thread the women are gorgeous.

Sofia is nice and quite green but much more laid back and not the best for a crazy weekend.

Maybe out of the ones you mentioned I'd go to Krakow.

[Freeman's Wharfer]

Budapest is quality. Cheap, lots to see and do, good nightlife...

[ADK]

You can actually get a megabus from fosse park all the way to Amsterdam for a few quid. Or at least you could a couple of years ago.

[Finnegan]

You can actually get a megabus from fosse park all the way to Amsterdam for a few quid. Or at least you could a couple of years ago.

 

 

[Webbo]

Get on travelsupermarket, they have a load of good deals from different operators. I'm going to Rome myself in about 3 weeks, trying to talk the missus into coming to Roma v Napoli with me.

[bovril]

How about Split? Think Easyjet fly there. It's a great town.

[Ric Flair]

Krakow is the absolute bollocks and the ale will have your fookin kegs down. It's about £1.10 a pint and vodka is even cheaper. Get yourself up The Bull and you'll never leave. That said I did go during Euro 2012 so it was absolutely heaving and one of the best 10 days of my life, might be less buzzing when wet and cold in November. Budapest is spot on as well, we watched a game there.

[The Year Of The Fox]

Sweden.

Cheap flights, good drinking culture, fit birds, laid back people.

Costs a mint to drink too.

 

Ignore anyone who says Riga.

 

{rague everytime for me. Fantastic place. Amsterdam is only any good if you like weed or like your girls to look like a zombie in Resident Evil making its way towards you.

 

I went to Prague in 06 so its bound to have risen in price then, but at the time the large beers in the backstreet pubs genuinely were 50p a pint. We went in January and it was minus 14 but it was a different type of cold- I was still walking around wearing a t shirt.

 

Podgorica is brilliant too and Moldova by all accounts.

[Kitchandro]

Thanks a lot guys

 

Although now you've given me a lot more to think about

 

I do fancy Amsterdam tbh, but I'm open minded about it all.

[Guesty]

Krakow's good. You can go really cheap in a pretty good quality hostel. Food and drink is dirt cheap most of the bars are like caverns under the shops and flats. There's one restaurant that pretty much just serves up a plate of meat with a 1 litre glass of beer for £20/£30. You can have a top quality Argentinian steak for 40 quid.

 

Not really a weekend lads holiday thing but you can also go to Auschwitz if anyone fancies it.

 

Haven't been to the other places so can't compare. 

[Saxondale]

Any major German city - ideally Munich. Absolute class.

 

I've been to Stockholm and I genuinely think the birds are fitter in Munich.

[BrummieFOX]

I recommend Ljublijana, capital of Slovenia.

Really nice city centre, small enough to check out in a few days, lots of bars/pubs by the river. Not as well know as some of the major cities so you can have a really good time without it being heaving/full of idiots and flights are dirt cheap. You can find £40 return at the right time.

[bovril]

I recommend Ljublijana, capital of Slovenia.

Really nice city centre, small enough to check out in a few days, lots of bars/pubs by the river. Not as well know as some of the major cities so you can have a really good time without it being heaving/full of idiots and flights are dirt cheap. You can find £40 return at the right time.

 

I'll second that.

[Hollism]

 

So me and my friends have decided to spend a weekend in a European in November. We're trying to do it cheapish of course but we don't want to quite slum it.