How Exact Is Your Planning?

[#eurovirgin]

Our cruise is the first couple weeks of April. I've been reading the RS guide plus doing lots of internet research. But I still feel like my plans are kinda vague... How down-to-the-minute should planning be? I feel like there's a lot of stuff I just don't know from where I sit (having never been to europe before). I still feel overwhelmed. I do know the places I want to go generally in each city. I've done a lot of restaurant research. I'm just having a hard time with specifics- should we take the metro or can we walk to most places in Barcelona (for example). I feel like I can't know how walkable it is till we get there.

[campolady]

Don't panic - there is no need to have everything arranged in advance. Why pre-book restaurants when you will more than likely see somewhere you prefer when you arrive (if you want to ensure a good place to eat just follow the locals where they go)? Don't worry about language issues as menus are printed in several languages - English is always available - and so many waiters, shop assistants etc. speak some English; in Spanish Tapas bars where menus are not always provided dishes are often displayed on the bar so just point to which you want to try.

 

In Barcelona the metro is useful for reaching places further from the centre but most are easily accessible on foot from Las Ramblas.

 

One thing I would suggest is to completely forget your North American ideas on tipping - waiters etc. get fair wages here and don't rely on tips to make up their salaries as can be the case in the US; obviously they appreciate a small renumeration for good service but not the high percentages you are used to giving. Most bills in Europe include a service charge and a tip is ONLY for good service and should be no more than 5% (many locals don't even give that and just round up to the next Euro) unless you have had exemplary service when 10% is the maximum. For cabs 1-2 Euros tip depending on the distance and only of you have had a good driver. Tipping daily in hotel rooms is not done here in Europe and will NOT get you any better service; nor is tipping expected at the end of a hotel stay..

 

As in any cities worldwide, be security sensible when out walking as opportunist thieve operate in busy tourist areas; don't flash your wallets, have expensive cameras on show or ever leave bags hanging on the back of chairs when in bars and restaurants. Just just don't leave your common sense in the US lol.

 

Just relax and enjoy your first trip to Europe.

 

By the way, don't take your RS guides as gospel - they are useful of course but there are also a lot of errors and out of date information in them.

Edited February 13, 2017 by campolady

[John Bull]

Too much planning ;)

 

You need to go with the flow, with just a broad plan of action - a vaguely sensible route geographically but with priority to the stuff you want to see. Then see how the day goes - if the clock is beating you, don't rush - just wipe from the list some of the less-worthy sights.

 

I agree 100% with Campolady about lunch.

Unless you're an out-and-out foodie, as you meander just keep your eyes open for somewhere that suits your time-scale,......... your mood....., the weather,...... your energy levels,....... your hunger pangs.

IMHO, building in a specific restaurant is far too restrictive.

 

Metro or walk depends on the distance and time, but often its more rewarding to walk rather than go underground.

Ho-ho buses can be a great way to get an overview, but in any city (and Barca is a good example) they're a ridiculously slow way to get from A to B.

 

And, as always, leave sights close to the ship until the end of the day. No worries about last-minute delays, and you can allocate the time you've got.

For instance, take transport past Las Ramblas in the morning, walk down it on your way back to the ship.

 

JB :)

[mskaufman]

Agree with the go with the flow approach. Have a list (and order) of what you want to do and if something peaks your interest stick with it. Just watch the clock and have your way back to the ship.

[cruisemom42]

I am going to disagree with some of the above posters about planning. I guess it depends a lot on what exactly you plan to do and how much time you have....

 

I most often sight-see on my own, using public transportation. So it's important to me to have a good plan. I need to know where the train station or bus stop is, how to get there, how to identify the correct train and the name of the stop I need. I'm probably guilty of overplanning, but on the other hand, I have never had the experiences that some others report here when they try to do things on their own -- e.g., missing the train because they didn't expect such a long walk, getting on the wrong bus and wasting a good chunk of time, not realizing that the site I wanted to visit is closed on that day, walking an hour to get somewhere when I could have ridden the metro for a couple of euros, etc. I just like to be efficient with my time.

 

Now if you're just headed to the local beach and back by taxi, not much planning involved. (But even then, I'd want to know about how much the cab fare should be and whether taxis are readily available at the end of the day to get me back to the ship....:o)

[dkata]

I am also going to disagree with some of the other posters who replied. It depends how much time you have to waste? In Barcelona, you need to get tickets to Sagrada Familia or Parc Guell IN ADVANCE or you will be waiting hours to get in. getting tickets in advance means planning an entry time to be there. having an entry time means figuring out what transportation you need to take to get there on time. If you are taking a taxi everywhere, at least know the distance and possible prices (google maps is your friend.) If you take public transportation as I like to do, then you have know with advance research the metro stations you need to start and exit, the line and the direction.

for example, I wanted to visit parc Guell and knew I needed tickets in advance for the 10 am tour. I researched how to get there and found the #24 bus leaves Plaza Catalunya at around 9 and arrives in 45 minutes. Perfect! it was better than taking the metro. also the bus takes you to the side entrance right where the tours start. if I had taken the metro, I'd have to walk up a steep hill to get there and would have had to add another 30-45 minutes walking time up the steep hill. Only found out all of this by planning in advance.

As for food, I went with the flow. I'd eat when I was hungry, but by using apple maps and google maps and zooming into an area, I knew what restaurants were in the area. For lunch, it was fast and quick food, so didn't need to check TripAdvisor for reviews. but for dinner, I read the reviews on TA and then decided if I wanted to try it. One restaurant had high marks but the english only tourist menus outside gave me a bad feeling about it, so skipped it and found another nearby that was great!

Planning in advance also tells you what day the museums are closed.

I advocate planning in advance with basic how-to information: how to get there, how to buy tickets, hours of operation, and how to best enjoy the place in the limited time I have to be there. Even with that, I think there's still a lot of time for spontaneity and side stops and shopping in cute stores along the way.

Finally, I also agree- don't take Rick Steves as your bible. Use the internet and find the relevant websites for up to date information.

[chinita415]

You got this. The most important thing for me was to figure out how to get to where I want from the port as not all ports are close to town.

 

Prebook things like Familia Sagrada and Vatican Tours.

 

But have a rough idea of what you want to do and see and make plans depending as you go. We had rain on our trip so I had to make back up plans.

 

Also print or save stuff on various forms. I checked out many library books and scanned the relevant pages (some RS but also Lonely Planet. ) I did not want to print them all so saved the scans to Google Drive and my iPad Mini. Well.... what do you know... my iPad died when my water bottle leaked in my backpack on the flight from London to Rome. [emoji17] I was able to retrieve all my scans from Google Drive to my phone and used them along the way.

 

I used to have a big binder/notebook but I got lazy and virtual cloud storage is readily available. I had a local sim on land and wifi on the ship.

[chinita415]

Barcelona is walkable from the Columbus Monument up Las Ramblas or through the Gothic Quarters and to Passieg de Grecia to Casa Mila. But you should take Metro or taxi if you go anywhere else like Familia Sagrada or further or back.

 

Having internet access on my phone was invaluable. Looked up stuff and followed Google map (with the campus feature). Buy at local sim at your first European city. Where so you board?

[cruisemom42]

Finally, I also agree- don't take Rick Steves as your bible. Use the internet and find the relevant websites for up to date information.

 

A further caveat (I used to work for a major health website) -- not all information posted on the internet is up to date. Especially in Europe I find there are a number of 'consolidator' websites that provide times for openings/closings for key sites in a particular city. Some of these are run by civic groups or even individuals and often they are not updated with current year information. I always go directly to the source if possible (e.g., the official museum website, etc.) to get information -- and even these are not always accurate.

 

Some examples: Several years ago I was planning a land trip to southern Italy, based in Sorrento. I was trying to get accurate information on what days Villa Jovis (on Capri) is open/closed. Three different websites all had conflicting information about it. It wasn't until I emailed a local guide to check into it that I felt confident I had the correct info. Another time, I had heard that there was renovation going on at the Archeological Museum in Palermo (from various posts on Tripadvisor) but the official website insisted they were still open despite ongoing work. Of course, they were closed when I showed up. :(

 

Italy and Greece seem to be particularly challenging in this regard. (Spain may be as well, but I have less recent experience there.) Shortage of funds for cultural preservation have meant less staff and hence shorter hours at various sites and museums -- very hard to keep up with these unless you can consult a local guide. They seem to have a network of shared information. Several times when I was absolutely sure something would be closed when we got there, they have proved me wrong! (Such as the site of Eleusis in suburban Athens during a Greek strike when almost every other site was closed.....)