European Travel Query...

[royalfan5]

If One wanted to start in Madrid, proceed to Barcelona, and then to Strasbourg, and finally Berlin via rail, before returning to the states, how many days would be needed to effectively get ones money's worth out of the trip? I don't need to see everything in all of the cities, but enough to catch the big things. TIA

 

[WillsBabe]

I haven't been to the places you mention. However my tip would be to check out the cities in question to research what's there that would interest you. Then, check out the train journeys travelling and departure times and from there you'll know how much time you need. Generally speaking I like a couple of days minimum in a city I haven't been to before - one to check out the major sights and the other to enjoy the ambience of the place. As a total and utter wild guess if I were doing your trip I'd say 10 days min, but I don't know the travelling times.

 

[Roger Wilco]

This is really hard to answer imo, "money's worth" is very subjective, and I'm not sure what the train tickets cost, and people travel in different ways too. I would say anything below two weeks you would just be running around all the time without enjoying much, but it probably can be "done" in a week if you really have to and if you travel at night but I don't know how much fun that would be.

And btw, why Strasbourg? If it's in any way possible, I would recommend going to Paris instead. Strasbourg is tiny, you can easily see all the touristy stuff in an afternoon imo.

 

[Deckerd]

Been to Barcelona and Paris - both worth a week each on their own.

 

[Count Zero]

The train journeys will also take a while, about 7 hours or so between Barcelona and Strasbourg and between Strasbourg and Berlin if you take fast/high-speed trains. Maybe you should consider taking night trains if they're available if you want to save time. But that's only an option if you can sleep on the train. German night trains suck, in my opinion, though. In Germany, train tickets are pretty expensive. I'd take a cheap flight instead, though I'm not sure that's an option in Strasbourg.
I haven't been to Madrid and Strasbourg. As others have said, it depends on what you want to do. I was done with Barcelona in three full days.
Berlin has a ton of fine museums so if you're into that, you'll need 3 to 4 days for the most important ones. You can combine this with sightseeing, though. I'd recommend taking a boat tour through the city instead of a bus (the regular bus line 100 will take you to most of the sights overground for next to nothing) and checking out the Märkisches Viertel (also conveniently in the city centre). Potsdam and the Prussian Royal Château Sanssouci can be reached easily and quickly by suburban and regional train and make for a nice day trip. If you go in the summer, you could also relax on one of the lakes. (Sorry for ramblin on here, but I live in Berlin and thus know it quite well.)
So, as you can see, it really depends on what you want to do and your interests. Two weeks seems like a good estimate, but the longer the better. You could always add in some other place if you get bored.

 

[royalfan5]

This is really hard to answer imo, "money's worth" is very subjective, and I'm not sure what the train tickets cost, and people travel in different ways too. I would say anything below two weeks you would just be running around all the time without enjoying much, but it probably can be "done" in a week if you really have to and if you travel at night but I don't know how much fun that would be.

And btw, why Strasbourg? If it's in any way possible, I would recommend going to Paris instead. Strasbourg is tiny, you can easily see all the touristy stuff in an afternoon imo.

A large chunk of my family originally immigrated to the US from Strasborg, and that was my motivation for seeing it.

 

[royalfan5]

The train journeys will also take a while, about 7 hours or so between Barcelona and Strasbourg and between Strasbourg and Berlin if you take fast/high-speed trains. Maybe you should consider taking night trains if they're available if you want to save time. But that's only an option if you can sleep on the train. German night trains suck, in my opinion, though. In Germany, train tickets are pretty expensive. I'd take a cheap flight instead, though I'm not sure that's an option in Strasbourg.
I haven't been to Madrid and Strasbourg. As others have said, it depends on what you want to do. I was done with Barcelona in three full days.
Berlin has a ton of fine museums so if you're into that, you'll need 3 to 4 days for the most important ones. You can combine this with sightseeing, though. I'd recommend taking a boat tour through the city instead of a bus (the regular bus line 100 will take you to most of the sights overground for next to nothing) and checking out the Märkisches Viertel (also conveniently in the city centre). Potsdam and the Prussian Royal Château Sanssouci can be reached easily and quickly by suburban and regional train and make for a nice day trip. If you go in the summer, you could also relax on one of the lakes. (Sorry for ramblin on here, but I live in Berlin and thus know it quite well.)
So, as you can see, it really depends on what you want to do and your interests. Two weeks seems like a good estimate, but the longer the better. You could always add in some other place if you get bored.

Another possibility for me, maybe to skip Spain this time, and just go straight to Berlin to start. How easy is it to make side trips from Berlin into Western Poland as there would be some places I'd like to see there as well. I would be going in late summer in all likelyhood.

ETA: Sorry, I forgot to multiquote, I'm not trying to spam, just not fully awake yet.

 

[Count Zero]

From Berlin, you can take the regional train to Szczecin (seems to leave every two hours) and be there in about two hours, so it's pretty easy. The train infrastructure in Poland isn't too good so train journeys generally take a while.

 

[Shaytan]

The train journeys will also take a while, about 7 hours or so between Barcelona and Strasbourg and between Strasbourg and Berlin if you take fast/high-speed trains.

You can't go to Strasbourg directly from Barcelona by train, you will have to stop in Paris.

 

[Count Zero]

Really? There's no west-east connection in the south of the country?
Anyway, if that's the case, you can take the TGV from Hendaye (the border town between France and Spain) and be in Paris in 5 hours. That's what I did when I travelled around after finishing school. but then, you should stay in Paris for a few days.

 

[Shaytan]

Really? There's no west-east connection in the south of the country?

The railroads, like the country, are VERY centralized.

 

[Holdfast]

Really? There's no west-east connection in the south of the country?

The railroads, like the country, are VERY centralized.

A friend of mine who used to live in Paris told me there was an old joke about needing to put a sign up on all routes out, at its city borders, warning travellers: "You are now leaving Civilisation". He said it was pretty symptomatic of how Paris views the rest of France.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Jeez...having spent a significant amount of time in both countries, I'd MUCH rather go to Spain than to Germany.

You'd have to be fucking NUTS to choose Berlin over Barcelona. Seriously. Barcelona is one of the top 2 or 3 most beautiful cities in Europe, IMO. And much better weather, tons more to do, better food...the list goes on and on.

The only reason to choose Berlin over Barcelona is that they likely have better plumbing. Other than that, it's a no brainer.

 

[The Habs Fan]

Jeez...having spent a significant amount of time in both countries, I'd MUCH rather go to Spain than to Germany.

You'd have to be fucking NUTS to choose Berlin over Barcelona. Seriously. Barcelona is one of the top 2 or 3 most beautiful cities in Europe, IMO. And much better weather, tons more to do, better food...the list goes on and on.

The only reason to choose Berlin over Barcelona is that they likely have better plumbing. Other than that, it's a no brainer.

I second that.

2 years ago I went on vacation to Europe for a month. Barcelona was my favourite destination.

By the way, never take a Hungarian night train. That sucked big time.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Berlin is a very cool city, as good a place to visit as any in Europe imo. And the weather is superb in summer too, that's not really an argument.
Sure if when you think "Germany" what comes to mind is Stuttgart, Essen, Hannover, etc. it kind of sucks, but Berlin is on a whole different level.

 

[Count Zero]

Besides, you can have any food you like in Berlin. My two favourite places are a Tibetan restaurant and an Indian one in Kreuzberg but really, whatever cuisine you like, it's available and usually for low prices, too.

 

[Shaytan]

A friend of mine who used to live in Paris told me there was an old joke about needing to put a sign up on all routes out, at its city borders, warning travellers: "You are now leaving Civilisation". He said it was pretty symptomatic of how Paris views the rest of France.

For some reasons the "provinciaux" live with the idea that we despise them, they're wrong but it's funny to tease them about that

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Berlin is a very cool city, as good a place to visit as any in Europe imo. And the weather is superb in summer too, that's not really an argument.
Sure if when you think "Germany" what comes to mind is Stuttgart, Essen, Hannover, etc. it kind of sucks, but Berlin is on a whole different level.

Well, I have been to both places. And I'm not saying Berlin is a bad place. I'm just saying that as a vacation destination, Barcelona is way better. Beautiful beaches, breathtaking vistas, Gaudi architecture all over town (it's more than worth it going to Barcelona, just for that alone!), a beautiful Gothic quarter, museums, fabulous Spanish food (and yes, I realize you can get ethnic food in Berlin, but that's sort of not the point, since you can also get all manner of ethnic food without even leaving the USA. It's really not the same as eating the food in-country - and that goes for ANYWHERE you go on earth), wonderful day trips from the city, even a very cool aquarium! In Barcelona, just walking around is an experience - La Rambla is, as the name indicates, a wonderful stroll, and Parc Guell (designed by Gaudi) might well be my favorite park on earth, combining one-of-a-kind architecture and layout with a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean. And the outdoor nightlife in Barcelona is magnificent - relaxed, casual, and as is typical of Mediterranean Europe, tons of relaxed no-pressure fun.

And are you seriously going to tell me that the weather in Germany is as good as the weather on the Spanish coast of the Mediterranean Sea? I mean, I see a lot more German tourists in Barcelona than the reverse.

I don't know....for my money, I'd pick Barcelona every time, given a choice between the two. If you can do both, by all means do both. But if it's an either/or proposition....

In truth, for my money, as a vacation destination, I'd choose your own city of Vienna over Berlin, to be honest. And Austria as a whole over Germany as a whole. But what do I know?

 

[Count Zero]

I actually see a lot of Spanish tourists here in Berlin. But since there's a difference in average income between Spain and Germany, it's only to be expected that you would see more German tourists in Spain than vice versa. (You see plenty of German tourists everywhere, anyway, so that's not a criterion, I think. If their density was any indication, the Ballermann at Palma de Mallorca would be the best vacation destination ever.)

As for the food, well, to be honest, I don't think the Spanish cuisine really is that great. I guess it depends on what you prefer. I don't even like traditional German cuisine very much and yet I think it doesn't have to hide from its Spanish counterpart. But my judgment may be clouded by the fact that Spanish cuisine in Spain is limbo for vegetarians. If I had to choose between the two I'd probably go for Italian instead.


As for the weather, it's a bit too hot for my taste in Spain in August, even on the coast. I prefer things not to be brown and parched-up. But if you're from a hot region it shouldn't be a problem. (Do bring sandals for the beach, though! Or you'll amuse everyone else by tip-toeing around in the hot sand.) I also recommend bringing some warmer clothes for the train, Spanish trains are air-conditioned to death, at least the high-speed ones.

 

[Roger Wilco]

[snip]

Well, I mostly agree, Barcelona undoubtedly is magnificent, and I love Spain, and I'm not that big a fan of Germany in general, and my favourite city in Germany is Hamburg, not Berlin (sorry, CountZero ), but I just thought you were a little harsh.
Plus, for an American tourist coming to Europe (especially if it's the first time), I would recommend taking in as much as possible, especially since royalfan5 seems to have some specific places in mind for personal reasons.

If it's either/or, I don't know, would be a tough choice for me. Thanks for liking Vienna though.