Europe Travelers Guide

Europe Travelers
Guide

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Table of Contents
ABBREVAITONS .............................................................................................................................................................. 3
DISCLAIMER .................................................................................................................................................................... 3
PLACES INSIDE GERMANY .......................................................................................................................................... 4
1.1
PLACES INSIDE STUTTGART.................................................................................................................................. 4
1.1.1 TV TOWER .................................................................................................................................................... 4
1.1.2 KILLESBERG MESSE ................................................................................................................................. 4
1.1.3 SCHLOSS SOLITUDE .................................................................................................................................. 4
1.1.4 LUDWIGSBURG CASTLE ........................................................................................................................... 4
1.1.5 PORSCHE MUSEUM ................................................................................................................................... 6
1.2
PLACES INSIDE BADEN-WRTTEMBERG STATE .................................................................................................... 6
1.2.1 TITISEE ......................................................................................................................................................... 6
1.2.2 TRIBERG ....................................................................................................................................................... 7
1.2.3 EUROPA PARK ............................................................................................................................................. 8
1.3
PLACES OUTSIDE BADEN-WRTTEMBERG STATE ................................................................................................. 9
1.3.1 NEUSCHWANSTEIN ................................................................................................................................. 10
1.3.2 MUNICH ...................................................................................................................................................... 10
1.3.3 BODENSEE (INSEL MAINAU)................................................................................................................. 12
1.3.4 OBERSTDORF ............................................................................................................................................ 13
1.3.5 NUERENBERG ........................................................................................................................................... 15
1.3.6 BERLIN ........................................................................................................................................................ 15
1.3.7 HAMBURG .................................................................................................................................................. 18
1.3.8 WOLFSBURG .............................................................................................................................................. 18
1.3.9 KOELN-DUESSELDORF ........................................................................................................................... 20
1.3.10
LEIPZIG .................................................................................................................................................. 20
2

PLACES OUTSIDE GERMANY ........................................................................................................................... 21

2.1.1
2.1.2
2.1.3
2.1.4
2.1.5
2.1.6
2.1.7
2.1.8
2.1.9

SALZBURG (AUSTRIA) ............................................................................................................................. 21

PARIS (FRANCE) ....................................................................................................................................... 24
AMSTERDAM(NETHERLANDS) ............................................................................................................. 26
SWITZERLAND .......................................................................................................................................... 28
STRASBOURG (FRANCE) ......................................................................................................................... 31
SCHAFFHAUSEN (SWITZERLAND) ...................................................................................................... 32
ITALY ........................................................................................................................................................... 33
VENICE(ITALY) ......................................................................................................................................... 36
SPAIN(BARCELONA) ................................................................................................................................ 38

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Abbrevaitons

BW Baden Wuettermberg
SW Schones Wochenende

DISCLAIMER
The details in this document are based on my personal experiences and true to my knowledge. Some details
might have changed, like the cost or the train/bus timings etc I owe no responsibility to this. The reader can
instead mail me the changed details so that I can update them in the document.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Places inside Germany

1.1

Places inside Stuttgart

1.1.1 TV TOWER
No. of days

Getting there

Costs involved

Hotel reservation

Description

Map

ANY TIME WHEN YOU HAVE NO JOB.

Get down at the RuhBank / Fernsehturm (TV tower) stop in the Tram 15 or any
other U-Bahn which goes there.

3 to go up the tower + any additional costs for eating and drinking at the
restaurant at the top of the TV tower.

NA

It will be very cold on the top of the tower. You can get the marvelous view of
the entire Stuttgart city from the top of the tower. The best time to go there is in
the evening (2 hours before getting dark); because you can see the city during
daylight and also the city by lights (if you stay there till it becomes dark).

--

Best time to visit

Any Sunny evenings.

1.1.2 KILLESBERG MESSE

No. of days

Getting there

Costs involved

Hotel reservation

Description

ANY TIME WHEN YOU FEEL BORED.

Get down at the Killesberg Messe stop. ( Last stop for U7 )

1.5 if you decide to have a ride in the Chinnari express (kids train)

NA

You can go there any time you want. It is very big. If you have a ride in the
chinnari expresss, you can see the entire park. Also there is small zoo, where

Author

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Europe Travelers Guide

you can see Lamas, pigs, etcetcetcThere is a big tower (Helical shaped),
from where you can get a nice view of a part of the city. Recently they have
introduced some fee to go up the tower. It doesnt matter if you pay or not bcos
it is just like dropping into Tirupathi Hundi, from where you get no token or Ticket
& there will be no one to check also).

Map

--

Best time to visit

Any Sunny evenings.

1.1.3 SCHLOSS SOLITUDE

No. of days

Getting there

DAY

In bus 90, get down at the Schloss solitude stop.

Costs involved

NA

Hotel reservation

NA

Description

Map

Best time to visit

It is a small castle in Stuttgart. It is a nice place for a days outing. You can
prepare something to eat, go there and enjoy it in the beautiful weather. All this
is possible in only summer though.

--

Any sunny afternoon & evenings.

1.1.4 LUDWIGSBURG CASTLE

No. of days

DAY

Getting there
Costs involved

NA

Hotel reservation

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

NA

Description

Map

Nice castle. No 2 in Europe it seems. To be continued after my next visit ..

--

Best time to visit

1.1.5 PORSCHE MUSEUM

No. of days

Getting there

NA

S6, 501,99

Costs involved

NA

Hotel reservation

NA

Description

Map

Go in there any time, when you have no work. It takes a maximum of 1 hour. No
entry fee. Also you can get some good gifts back home (prices are pretty
reasonable).

--

Any day including Sunday.

Best time to visit

1.2

Timings 9.00 to 16.00 on weekdays.

9.00 to 17.00 on weekends and holidays.

Places inside Baden-Wrttemberg state

1.2.1 TITISEE
No. of days
Getting there

1 (BOATING + TREKKING)

BW Ticket.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Start from Stuttgart & get down at the Titisee Bahnhof. The lake is a 15 min walk
from there. You can get more information at the Tourist information.

Costs involved

Hotel reservation

BW Ticket
Boating
hour - 4 / 2 persons, 4.5 / 3 persons
1 hour - 6 / 2 persons, 6.5 / 3 persons

NA

It is a lake in the black forest. During winter, the lake will be fully frozen. So it
is an absolute waste to go there in winter. May be you can walk on the frozen
lake or may be even skating is allowed.

Description

In summer, the lake is beautiful. Boating is also allowed in the lake. Three
types of boats are available rowing, pedaling & motor boat. All cost the same
and left to your choice.
Also in summer, trekking is possible in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest).
There are various trekking paths available for various distances. Choose them
according to your interest and capabilities.
It is famous for cuckoo clocks. So if you want to buy one, this is the place.
P.S.: Dont forget to eat the Black Forest cake in the Black Forest.!!!

Map

--

Best time to visit

During summer, when lake is not frozen.

1.2.2 TRIBERG

No. of days

0.5 (YOU ALSO PLAN TO VISIT TITISEE ON THE SAME DAY. 2 HRS
JOURNEY IN TRAIN)

BW Ticket.
Getting there

Costs involved

Start from Stuttgart & get down at the Triberg Bahnhof. From there take the 7270
Bus to Marktplatz.

BW Ticket
Entry Ticket to waterfalls 2 / person
Entry ticket to Schwarzwald museum 4.5 / person (Discount is available if
you are a group of 20 people)

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Also there is some kind of black forest guest pass, which will get discount. But I
have no idea what is that.

Hotel reservation

Description

NA

At a distance of 100m from the Marktplatz bus stop, we can see the
entrance of the waterfalls. Just to the right there is a tourist information center.
We have to walk up 600m in the waterfalls. There are various paths available for
trekking (rather walking). Get the map of these paths in Tourist info and choose
the path of your choice. There are a lot of squirrels in the forest. You can also
feed peanuts for them.
The tourist information is also the Schwarzwald Museum. The museum is
about Black Forest culture, mines, dress, bla. bla bla
There is also a wooden carved museum. In fact Black forests are famous for
wooden carvings. You can also have a look at them, but I didnt.
Being in the black forest region, it is also famous for cuckoo clocks & black forest
cake. Dont miss it here if you missed it in Titisee.

Map

--

Best time to visit

During summer, because during winter bridges will be closed.

1.2.3 EUROPA PARK

No. of days

1 DAY

BW Ticket + Entry ticket at the park

Getting there

Costs involved

Hotel reservation

Description

Better buy a direct ticket from DB to europa park, which is inclusive of Europa
park entry ticket too

Europa Park Ticket 28 - 34 / person. Depends on number of people and also

availability of any special offers.

NA

This is an amusement theme park. The theme of this park is Europe. They
have divided the park into sections depending on countries. Once you enter the
park all the rides are free, I mean to say no separate entrance fee. The French

Author

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Europe Travelers Guide

section is too good. It is humanly impossible to cover the entire park in 1 single
day. So just go for the important ones. Here are the ones which we went for.
At the entrance you get the Map of the park. Get it plan your rides
accordingly.
Schweiz Bobbahn Okay- Dokay Kind. Good to start with. It is in Swiss
section.
Silver Star Dont miss it!!!...This is highest drop in Europe it seems. Once you
start coming down from the top you will have a flying experience. Initially your
heart will be in your mouth, later you will enjoy it. There are two separate queues
for 1st row and rest of the rows. First row experience will be really awesome, but
it will take a little longer in the queue. It is in France section.
M********* Blitz Forgot the complete name. Kind of Okay- Dokay ride. This is in
Swiss section.
Ice show Ultimate. Timings are 11.00 12.00 15.00 and 17.00. It lasts for half
an hour. Dont miss it at any cost. It is in Swiss section.
4D Show Too good. There is a show every half an hour. The show lasts for
10-15 minutes. But really the only one of its kind.
Russia There is a Mir station kind of thing, forgot its name though. But this is
also a different experience. Dont miss it.
Poseidon. Water splash ride. Good one, but have to stand in long queue for
this. This is in Greece section.
Atlantic Water splash. This is a bigger water splash than Poseidon. Good one.
It is in Portugal section.
Wildwasserbahn - Okay-Dokay kind of thing. Not a must go ride. It is in Austrian
section.
Laser show This is also good it seems. But we dint have the time for it.

Map

--

During summer, because during winter some rides will be closed. Also for it
will be open till 7.00pm in summer but will close at 5.00pm during winter.
Best time to visit
TIP: Avoid going during school vacations because you will have to wait in
loooong queues for hours for each ride.

1.3

Places outside Baden-Wrttemberg state

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

1.3.1 NEUSCHWANSTEIN
No. of days

SW Ticket.

Getting there

Cost

Start from Stuttgart Get down at the Fuessen Bahnhof. From there take a
bus to the castle (It will be just outside the Bahnhof). SW ticket is not valid in this
bus. The bus stops at the foot of the hill. From there you have to walk up the hill,
till the castle. We have to walk up the hill for about 30 mins to reach the castle.
Also there is an option of Tongas. Walking is a better option as it is not
strenuous and also a nice experience through the mountains.

SW Ticket
Entry Ticket for (Neuschwanstein) castle 9 / person (discount for group of 15)
Entry Ticket for (Old) castle 8 / person
Bus ticket 1.1 / person (or slightly more bcos we were a group of 12)
Entry ticket to both castles together costs - 17 / person.

Hotel reservation

Description

Map

Best time to visit

NA

It is a castle on the hill. This was the castle of King Ludwig II. Nice castle but
our Mysore palace is much more royal than that. You have to buy tickets for
castle near the bus stop and be at the castle at the correct time (Dont worry
there will be around 1 hr time).
During Spring / summer, the bridge Marien-Bruecke will be open. You can
get nice view of the castle from there. It is a 20 min walk from the castle.
While retuning, be sure to take the bus back to Fuessen Bahnof as the bus
timings are adjusted according to the train timings or else you would have to
walk the entire distance passing through "Romantische Strasse".

--

During summer, when there is no snow.

1.3.2 MUNICH

No. of days

1 (DACHAU, ALLIANZ ARENA)

1 (OLYMPIC , BMW MUSEUM)
1 (DEUTSCHES MUSEUM)

Getting there

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

SW Ticket.

Cost

Hotel reservation

Dachau - 3 / person guided tour.

Allianz Arena 8 / person guided tour.
Olympic Stadium:
Olympic hall - 2 / person unguided tour
Olympic Tower - 4 / person
Aquarium(Sea life) Dont know how much!!!!
BMW Museum 2 / person
Deutsches Museum 8.5 / person.
Free entrance on 1st Sunday of every month.

NA
Enquire at the Tourist information in Hbf. They will provide all necessary info
along with the map.
Dachau: (1/2 day)
From Munich Hbf take the S-Bahn (S2) to Dachau bahnof. The journey is
approximately 20 mins. From there we have to take 724 / 726 bus and get down
at KZ-Gedenkstaette stop. Concentration camp is right in front of the bus stop.
There are 2 tours are available - audio tour (various languages) & guided
tour (various languages). Its better to take the English guided tour. In this also
there are 2 types of tours available - 2.5 hours & 4.5 hours. I think 2.5 hr tour is
good enough. This guided tour costs 3 / head. There are guided tours at 10am
& 12 noon. There is also an English version movie is at 11am, 2pm & 3:30pm.No
ticket for movie. Following combinations can be used for best time utilization.
1. English movie at 11pm. Then guided tour from 12 to 2.30pm.
2. 4.5 hr guided tour starting from 10am, followed by movie at 2.30pm.

Description

3. Guided tour from 12 to 2pm (2.5 hr tour cut short to 2hr), followed by 2pm
movie. This happened in our case.

Allianz Arena: (2 hours)

Go to Marienplatz. From there take U6 to Froettmaning. From there you can
see the Allianz Arena. You are let inside the Arena only if you take the guided
tour. It costs 8 / person and lasts for a duration of 1 hour. So plan correctly for
time and go there. There wont be any guided tour if there is any match going on.
We did not take the guided tour, as it was not available and may it is too costly
also. But everything is left to the visitors discretion.
Olympic Stadium: (1/2 day)
Take a U3 from Marienplatz and get down at olympiazentrum (last stop) Be
careful not to take the U1 which goes to olympiaeinkaufzentrum. There is no fee
anywhere to walk inside the park. Its a very big place and you can easily spend
around day there. But if you want to enter the main stadium, there is an entry
fee of 2 / person. There is also a guided tour inside the Olympic hall, but there

Author

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Europe Travelers Guide

is only 1 tour for a day and it is at 11.00a.m. I guess, but not sure. Also if you
want to go up the Olympia tower, it costs additional 4 / person. There is also an
aquarium. It also has some entry fee. But I do not know how much is that.
BMW Museum: (1 hour):
This is also in the Olympic stadium itself. Entry fee costs 2 / person. Group
ticket costs 1.5 / person. We were a group of 8. It is an average sized museum.
Deutsches Museum(1 day):
Take any S-bahn and get down at Isartor station. There are sign boards which
take you to the Museum.
Well this is a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig museum. There are a lot of things in things in
museum humanly impossible to cover it in atleast 3 days. But also we do not
understand everything. So better visit the sections only which you understand.
You name anything on earth, they have it in their museum Physics, Chemistry,
Mathematics, Aeronautics, Vehicle Engineering, Marine engineering, Mining,
Metallurgy, Astronomy, Astronautics, Telecommunications, Microelectronics,
Computers, Tunnel Engineeing, etc
As soon as you enter you get the museum map. So select the sections, which
you want to visit and move accordingly. But do not miss the lightning show at
11.00am in Electrical section. Pack sufficiently as per your appetite, because
inside the museum everything is costly. Dont worry you can also come out of the
museum and buy something to eat and go in again. But before coming out, you
need to get a seal on your hand.
There is an Indian restaurant near the Deutsches museum. So you can have
your food there also. Better have your food in the evening as the museum closes
at 5.00pm. It is open from 9.00 am 5.00pm.
BierFest
This begins on 3rd weekend of September and continues till Reunification Day
(October 3rd). Try to go on the Opening or closing day. It will be fun. Dont take
any girls. The beer fest reaches its zenith only in the evenings. So make sure
you will be there by that time around 6 in the evening.

Map

Best time to visit

--

Any time when you have not planned for weekend trips.

1.3.3 BODENSEE (INSEL MAINAU)

No. of days

Getting there

SW Ticket.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Start from Stuttgart hauptbahnhof & get down at the Freidrichschafen Bahnhof.
Just when you come outside the Bahnhof you can see the lake Bodensee. Walk
to the end of the lake, till you see some ships. There is a DB station, where you
can get tickets for Insel Mainau.
This is one of the possible ways. However you also go to lake Bodensee by
Konstanz and others. I do not know that route.
It is also possible to take a ticket directly from Insel Mainau from any of the DB
stations. I did not know this when I went there. May be you can try that.

Cost

Hotel reservation

Description

Map

Best time to visit

SW Ticket
Cruise ticket from Friedrichschafen to Mainau Island - 27 / person. However
group ticket costs less (around 23 / person)

NA

The journey from Freidrichschafen to Mainau is around 1.5 hrs through the
beautiful lake of Bodensee.
Totally around 5 hours of time is needed to see the island. So start as early
as possible in the morning and return from the island as late as possible. Try to
get the 10.05 cruise to Mainau in the morning. However the last return trip is at
16.15. There is a beautiful butterfly & orchid garden in the island. Plan properly
so that you dont have to run around in hurry in the end.

--

Make sure that you go there during spring time so that you can see all the
flowers (especially Tulips).

1.3.4 OBERSTDORF

No. of days

KLEINWALSERTAL - 1 DAY
FREIBERGSEE 1 DAY
BREITACHKLAMM DAY
SOLLERECKBAHN DAY

SW Ticket.
Getting there

Start from Stuttgart hauptbahnhof & get down at the Oberstdorf bahnhof
Breitachklamm: From Oberstdof Bus station, take the bus which directly goes
to Breitachklamm. Its a 10 minutes journey.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

SW Ticket
Breitachklamm 2.5 + Bus ticket to & from Obertsdorf Bus Bahnhof
Cost
Sollereckbahn - 12 for skiing gear for whole day + Bus ticket to & from
Obertsdorf Bus Bahnhof

Hotel reservation

NA

This is called the Trekkers Paradise. There are lots of trekking paths in and
around Oberstdorf. Nebelhorn, Fellhorn, etc.. You can get all the info about it
Tourist info. Actually one of the famous treks includes a trek to a village called
Kleinwalsertal. This is located in a land common to both Austria & Germany. We
can walk across countries!!!
Kleinwalsertal: To go to Kleinwalsertal, you have to go to a place called
Sollereckbahn. It takes 30 mins by walk and 3 minutes by bus. From there you
can go by a cable car to the top. From there it is 4 hours of trekking to
Kleinwalsertal, I guess.

Description

Freibergsee: This is a lake. It is only possible to go here by trekking. The

trek to this lake takes around 1.5 hoursIt is a nice lake. You can also swim and
boat in this lake. Not a big lake though. In summer, the environment will be like a
beach.
Breitachklamm: Breitachklamm is a gorge between 2 mountains. It is nice
just after winter, when the ice would have just started melting. It is absolutely
amazing. The entire walk takes around 2- 2 hours. After this walk, we come
across a junction of roads 1 leading to Kleinwalsertal and the other leading to
Sollereckbahn. I dont know how much time it takes from there to Kleinwalsertal.
We took the other route, to SollereckBahn, and a Bus from there to Oberstdorf
Bahnhof.
Sollereckbahn: We can go for skiing here during winter. Skiing for beginners.
You can rent the skiing gear there itself. It is for a whole day and there are lots of
shops available for renting the equipment If you think you are better than
beginner, then you can go up in cable car, ski from more steeper peaks. But be
careful, as chances of injuries are more as you go higher up. You have to buy a
separate ticket for cable car.

Map

Best time to visit

--

This is an evergreen place to visit. By evergreen I do not meant that it is green

all round the year but only that it has something different to offer in every season
to the tourists.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

1.3.5 NUERENBERG

No. of days

SW Ticket.
Getting there

Cost

Hotel reservation

Description

Map

Best time to visit

Start from Stuttgart hauptbahnhof & get down at the Nuerenberg Bahnhof. Take
the tram 5 (in direction of Tiergarten German word for Zoo). Get down at the
last stop.

SW Ticket
7.5 - Zoo (Tiergarten) entry fee
4.5 - Dolphin show entry fee (Delphinarium)

NA

The only thing to watch out here is the Dolphin & Seal show. It is inside the
Tiergarten. So we will have to buy tickets for both. The dolphin & seal show lasts
for 30 minutes. The show timings are 11.30am, 2.30pm and 4.00pm. Zoo is
normal like any other zoo, not so big either. Wilhelma is better than the
Nuerenberg Zoo.

--

When Dolphin show is available (check the availability on the net, as they
say that it is available only during summer)

1.3.6 BERLIN

No. of days

Getting there

2 DAYS

Flight is cheaper, if booked earlier

Or else ICE is the best option.

Cost

Author

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Europe Travelers Guide

ICE ticket costs around 100 euros.

1 Day 3 Zone (ABC) Pass - 15 (up to 5 persons)
Berliner Dome - 5 / person. 3 / person if we are group of 20
Free for students
Potsdam Cycling 10 / person

Hotel reservation

Berlin International Youth Hostel

Address: Kluckstrasse 3 ,Berlin 10785, Germany
Telephone: 49-30-25799808
Email: jh-berlin@Jugendherberge.de
Website: http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/germany/berlin/4340/
They charged extra 3.1 / person as membership fee. You can also try and find
other hostels.

Getting around Berlin Take a 3 Zone pass for 1 Day. Two Zone costs 14.80
and 3 Zone costs 15. So a 3 Zone pass is better. You can take bus 100 to
travel around Berlin. It takes you to all important Tourist attractions. Get a city
map of Berlin in tourist info which will help you a lot.
Start from the Hbf. Get down at the Reichtag stop.
Reichtag This is the German Parliament. There is a dome and we are allowed
to walk up the dome. There will be long queue in waiting to enter inside the
parliament. The last entry inside the Parliament is at 10p.m. in the night. In the
night we can get a beautiful view of the city by lights. No entry fee to go up the
top. They allow us only in the dome and not anywhere else. We can walk in the
spiral-way to the top of the dome and admire Berlin`s beauty while walking. This
parliament has an open terrace!!!! This is the upper house of the Parliament.
There is also a UnterTag (Lower house) nearby.
Branderburger Tor This is situated just beside the Parliament. It a must see
by the day and also in the lights. This used to be the gate between East Berlin
and West Berlin.
Description
Victory Column This can be seen from the Tor. But do not walk down till
there. You will be wasting a lot of time. Take Bus 100 from Reichtag and get
down at the Victory Column stop. It is a 69-meter tall Victory Column
(Siegessule) with gilded figure at the top (commonly known as 'Golden Else')
which was sculptured by Friedrich Drake to commemorate Prussian victories
over France and Austria.
Russian, British, American Botschaft From there take the bus back to the
Tor. Get down at the Unter Den Linden stop. Walk down the street till the
Friedrichstrasse. You can find all these embassies.
Gendarmen Markt While walking down the Friedrichstrasse, we can see a
Concert House in one of the side roads. This is the Gendarmen Markt. It is a
beautiful square with nice old buildings. Good for photo session!!
Checkpoint Charlie If you continue your walk further down the
Friedrichstrasse, you reach the Checkpoint Charlie. This was one of the
checkpoints between East & West Berlin. You can also get a seal on your
passport or on a VISA which he issues. If you really want to! It totally costs
around 10.

Author

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Europe Travelers Guide

Berlin Wall This is around 500m from the Checkpoint Charlie. There are only
remains of the wall preserved, some 200m in length. Also there is guided audio
tour available here.
Berliner Dome This is a big church. Good one. Entrance costs 5 / person.
However for students it is free. You can climb up the dome (267 steps) and get a
panoramic view of the city.
Jewish Synagogue This is the worship place of Jews. Open on all days
between 10am 8pm except on Saturdays. Last entry is at 7.30pm. Go there by
S-bahn and get down at the OragienStarsse (I dont remember the name
exactly). It is just outside the S-Bahn station. Anyway we missed to see it on
both days. So you plan accordingly.
Kaiser Wilhelm memorial Church Located at the very heart of former West
Berlin - at Breitscheidplatz, built in neo-romanesque style is one of the Berlin's
most famous and interesting landmarks. After severe bombing by allied forces in
1943 only west tower of the church remained almost untouched - only partially
broken. Together with octagonal church erected later alongside the tower, freestanding hexagonal bell tower and Memorial Hall with photos, documents as well
as original mosaic ornaments and relieves preserved from before the bombing
reminds about the consequences and victims of war
Alexander Platz It is definitely the most popular square and the busiest traffic
hub of former East Berlin. Almost totally destroyed during the II World War
regained its present appearance thanks to several redevelopments retaining
however its socialistic character. Apart from the well-known orientation point Fernsehturm (368 metres - 2nd tallest structure in Europe) there is also the
World Time Clock which shows the time around the globe and Telecafe which
turns on its own axis every hour.
Tiergarten - called "Green Lungs of Berlin" or "Green Oasis" used to serve the
upper nobility's hunting pleasure but now it is ideal place for having a walk, lying
in the meadows, making barbecues or just having relax surrounded by beautiful
nature. During the summer time visitors can enjoy delicious cafe while listening
at the same time to the live classic music concerts. In south-western part of the
park, direct next to the big lake, there is a Biergarten (beer garden) and a boatrental office (particularly recommendable is a one-hour rowing-boat's tour). It is
famous for Pandas.

Zoological Garden - near Zoologischer Tiergarten Bahnhof is the oldest and the
biggest place of such kind in Germany with approximately 1424 different arts of
animals. Adjacent, there is also a well-known Aquarium which attracts visitors
from all over the world. All guests coming can admire characteristic main
entrance in the form of the gate with two elephant-like supporting columns.
Brilliant place for the whole family!

Charlottenburg Schloss Take a M45 from Hbf and it stops right in front of the
Schloss. Nothing different when compared to other castles. Not a must visit
place though. You can skip it.
Olympic Stadium Last entry is at 6.30pm. So be there by at least 5pm to see
it. We missed it. So dont know how it is from inside.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Potsdam Its a city outside Potsdam. But comes within the Zone C. So no
need to take separate ticket to go there. The best way to see the city is by cycle.
Take a bicycle for rent. It costs 10 / cycle for a day. You also get the map of
cycling path. The total cycling path is 18kms. It is impossible to cover the entire
thing in a single day. So cover as much as possible. Mainly go round the Park
Sans Souci and do not miss the Castle Sans Souci.

Map

Best time to visit

--

Anytime. Preferably during summer. During re-unification day (October 3) but it

will be too crowded.

1.3.7 HAMBURG

No. of days

Getting there

2 DAYS

ICE is the fastest and efficient way of getting there. I had German Rail Pass. So
had no problems.

Cost

Hotel reservation

Description

Map

--

Best time to visit

1.3.8 WOLFSBURG
No. of days

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

1 DAY

Getting there

Cost

Hotel reservation

ICE is the fastest and efficient way of getting there. I had German Rail Pass. So
had no problems.

Entrance Ticket - 15

NA

Once you get down from the train at Wolfsburg Bahnhof, you see the VW
factory and Autostadt just beside the Bahnhof. Just follow the signs from
Bahnhof leading all the way to Autostadt, just across the bridge.
We need a complete day to see the Autostadt in a relaxed manner. It is also
possible to complete in half day but will be kind of hasty way of doing it. The 15
includes a VW plant visit, museum visit and also a test drive (Sicherheits
Training).
The VW plant visit is only on Weekdays. Ask for the timings for plant visit
(Guided tour in English) while purchasing the ticket itself, so that you can plan
better.
Also for the test drive, you have to book in advance through telephone. The
telephone number can be obtained from the reception.
Get a map of the Autostadt at the reception and stat your journey for the day.
Following are the places you get to see
ZeitRaum (Time Room) where you get to see the cars in chronological order,
from their time of invention till date.
Description

VW There is a globe shaped theater where they show movie about VW values
and stuff. Not so interesting
Bentley
Bugatti
Skoda The movie they show here is quite boring and useless. Not worth
watching.
Audi
Seat
Lambhorgini The laser show is quite good.
Auto Turme Two towers where the cars are stacked one upon other.
Absolutely amazing to watch. Even more interesting is the way they remove the
cars from the tower. Just wait and watch it.

Map

--

It is open on all days of the year including Sundays and holidays. It only

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Best time to visit

closes from 24th of December to 1st of January.

Timings : 9:30 18:30

1.3.9 KOELN-DUESSELDORF

No. of days

1 DAY

Getting there
Cost

Hotel reservation

Description

Map

--

Best time to visit

1.3.10 LEIPZIG

No. of days

1 DAY

Getting there
Cost

Hotel reservation

Description

Map

--

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Best time to visit

Places outside Germany

2.1.1 SALZBURG (AUSTRIA)

No. of days

2 (SOUND OF MUSIC, ICE CAVES, SALT MINES, MIRABELL GARDENS)

1 KOENIGSEE, EAGLES NEST
SW Ticket.

Getting there

Cost

Start from Stuttgart early morning by the first train & get down at the
Salzburg bahnhof.

SW Ticket
Sound of Music Tour - 30 / person
Salt Mines
Entry to Salt Mines + local transportation 21.20
Ice Caves
Bus to Ice Caves 4.8
Entry to Ice Caves+ Cable car - 15
Eagles Nest 2.4 / person Berchetsgaden Hbf -> Dokumentation
14.5 - (Dokumentation -> Eagles Nest) + Elevator to the top

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Hotel reservation

Book as early as possible. We stayed in guest house called Haus Linder. It is

located in Hallwang, amidst beautiful scenic location, just outside Salzburg. It
cost 20 / person / night (breakfast incl.). Connectivity is bit of a problem but
location is absolutely stupendous. The landlady is also a very kind and generous
person. Initially we told her that we would check in by 13.00 but could not do so
because of our tight schedule. So when we told her about this, she agreed and
left the key at the door. We reached the guest house in night (9.00pm), found the
key at the door with a message. Also in morning, we checked out at 5.30 a.m.
leaving the key back at the door. Neither we saw her nor she saw us, but the
room was booked and everything went on smoothly.
Haus Lindner
+43 (0)662 45 66 81
+43 (0)662 45 66 81
info@haus-lindner.at
Panoramaweg 5,
A-5300 Hallwang,
Austria.

Name:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Address:

We took the 5.48 train from Stuttgart to Salzburg. It reaches Salzburg by 11.45.
Then we took the sound of music tour from 2 pm to 6 pm. Next day, we started
very early in the morning. We took the train at 7.18 to Werfen. So we were able
to reach the ice caves by 9.15. The first tour starts at 9.30 in the morning. The
last tour is at 15.45. On the way back we visited salt mines. This also saves time
because Hellein is in between Salzburg Hbf and Werfen.
Sound of Music Tour:

Description

The costliest biscuit I ever had in my life!!! It is a 4 hour tour in a bus.

The tickets can be booked at the tourist information in the railway station. They
show the locations where the movie Sound of Music was shot. May be you can
enjoy the tour better if you can have seen the movie earlier. But I hadnt seen the
movie and slept almost half of the tour. The bus takes around and shows some
beautiful locations but doesnt stop anywhere. It stops at the Lake & Mountains
district. That is good!! But overall the tour is not worth 30. There are two tours
available Panorama & Wallenweg. We took the Wallenweg tour. The timings
for sound of music tour is 9.30 to 1.30 and 2.00 to 6.00.
Ice Caves (Eisriesenwelt):
This is a must see for everyone once in their lifetime. The caves are
open from May to October. The best time to go is when the caves have just
opened because later ice starts melting more and you cannot see the ice
sculptures. There are no words to describe these. Even pictures are not as
effective as there is very less light inside the caves.
How to reach there?
Take a train to Werfen. Get the tickets for this at main station. Outside the
station there is a bus stand, where you can get bus to go up the mountain. The
tickets for this bus have to be taken in the bus itself. I think it is a private bus and
is somewhat like out tempo traveler. The bus will stop at a point. From there we
have to walk some 20 minutes up the mountain to reach the cable car. On the
way you get beautiful sceneries. You have to buy ticket for cable car. This is also

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

the entrance ticket to ice caves. The cable car takes us up the hill for just 3 -4
minutes. From there it is again a walk till the ice caves. This takes around 30
min.
Inside the ice caves, there is a guided tour. It is for 75 minutes. We have
to climb up 700 steps and of course have to climb them down. Take gloves
(mandatory) and woolen cap (optional if you cant bear cold) to ice caves
because it will be very cold inside. Totally you need around 5 hours for this trip.
Salt Mines (Salz Erlebnis):
This is the Europes oldest salt mines. It really an awesome experience.
May be one day we can even do KGF like that and earn lots!!! 66% of it lies in
Germany and rest in Austria. They explain you about the various techniques
used to extract salt, the leaching chamber. It is really good. The guided tour lasts
for 70 minutes.
How to reach there?
Get down at the Hallein station. From there take the bus to Duerrnberg and
get down at the salt mines stop. It is hardly a 5 minute walk from there.
Mirabell Gardens:
It is a famous garden in heart of the city located in Mirabell platz. Nice for a
photo session!!.
Koenigsee: This is visible form the Eagles Nest.
Eagles Nest: Ask in the tourist info before going whether Eagles nest is open
or not. Reaching to Eagles Nest is nothing short of an adventure.
You have to go to Berchetsgaden Hbf. You can go directly to here from
Germany. No need to go to Salzburg and then return back from Salzburg as
Eagles Nest is in Germany. From there we have to take a bus to Dokumentation.
SW Ticket is not valid in this and we will have to buy a separate ticket for this.
We can buy tickets for both onward and return journey while going itself. It costs
2.4 / person. At Dokumentation we have to again buy tickets. This is for both
bus (another bus) to go up to the eagles Nest and also elevator to Eagles Nest.
It costs 14.5 / person. Once you reach the top by bus, you have to book your
return journey timings and go in the elevator to the top. The bus connectivity and
frequency are utterly horrible. So better get an itenary of the bus timings at the
tourist info if available.

Map

--

Ice caves: Just when the caves have opened.

Best time to visit

Koenigsee:
Eagles Nest: During summer. In winter it will be closed.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

2.1.2 PARIS (FRANCE)

No. of days

Getting there

2 days Paris city

3 days Paris city ( if you decide to see the city leisurely)
1 day Versailles
1 day - Disneyland

You can go by Eurolines. If you plan sufficiently early, then may be by flight also.
Better keep Ikarus as the last option as he leaves there in the afternoon and half
day will be wasted.
To travel inside Paris, have a Metro map of Paris, also a zone map. It is more
than enough. It is impossible to manage without these.

Cost

Bus Ticket 57 to 92, depending on the time you book the ticket.
Arch de Triomphe 5 ( age <= 26), 8 ( age > 26 )
Opera House - 7
Eiffel Tower - 11, discount for group of 20.
Boat Ride - 9 - 12, depending on the type of boat you take.
Versailles Palace 4.5 (C) + 8 (B2) + 7 (Palace Garden) + 5 (forgot!!!)
-- 1Day pass 20. Entry to all places in museum.
Notre Dame 7.5 (to go up the tower) + 3(Cathedral treasury)
Louvre museum 8.5
3 Zone (1, 2, 3) 1 day pass(Paris Visite) - 8
4 Zone (1, 2, 3, 4) 1 day pass (Paris Visite) - 9
Actually there is museum pass available for 30 for 3 days. All museums will be
free on buying this. But be careful; dont decide to buy this until you decide to
visit many museums in Paris. This is not valid for Opera House.

Hotel reservation

Reserve any hotel or hostel in city center so that transportation will be easy.
Even if you book it a little away from center, then also its not such a big problem
as the metro connectivity is too good.

Grand Arch de La Defense: This is an arch (actually a rectangle built in

memory of some soldiers, I really dont know who). I was amazed to know that it
is an office building n people work inside that. In the night it is good to see it by
the light. Also the sky scrapers around it.
To reach here you have to get down at the La Defense stop.

Description

Arch de Triomphe: This looks somewhat similar to India Gate. This was
constructed by Napolean as a sign of victory and as a tribute to those who died
in war. 12 roads meet at this point and it is an amazing view. To have this
marvelous view, we have to climb up the tower by paying the entrance fee.
To reach here you have to get down at the Champs Elysees Clemenceau
stop.
Champs Elysees: One of the 12 roads joining at the Arch de Triomphe is the
Champs Elysees. You can have a walk down this street and it is beautiful
(especially during the night). There are many museums in this street Renault,

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Peuguot, Daimler Chrysler and Toyota. All are free entrance.

Opera House: Well you dont get a chance to see the opera because the tickets
are always sold out and may be costly too. But you can have a glimpse of the
opera house. It is nothing short of any royal palace-nice decorations, grand
chandeliers that too with artistic work of French. If you remember the one you
had seen in Dil Chahta Hai. It is like that itself, but not as big as that.
You have to get down at the Opera stop. The building will be named as
Musique Academy.
Eiffel Tower: 1 of the 7 wonders. Well its altogether a different experience to be
on top of it. You can get the view of the entire (most of the ) city Paris from the
top of it. Go to top of Eiffel tower at the twilight hour, so that you can see the city
by light and by night. There are 4 pillars East, West, North & South. There are
ticket counters at each of the pillars. They give tickets to go the 1st floor, 2nd floor
& to the top floor. If many people are there on the top, they stop issuing tickets
for some time. So be careful while purchasing the tickets and make sure you
take it to the top floor. You can climb till 1st or 2nd floor, but have to take a lift
compulsorily from there, or you can also take the elevator directly from the
ground floor.
You can get down at the Bir Hakeim stop or Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel
stop.
Boat Ride: The best way to see Paris by lights. Just beside the Eiffel tower there
are many counters for boat rides. You can get a ticket in any 1 of them. It will be
for 1 hour n the River Seine. Take the boat ride in the night, when the city if full in
lights. It is awesome experience. Dont afford to miss this.
Moulin Rouge: This is a famous famous club. If you are really interested you
can go inside this by paying 100 euros entrance fee!!! You can have a walk
down this street from Blanche till Pigalle. This is called Amsterdam of Paris. It
will be in full color after night 8.
You have to get down at the Blanche stop.
Sacre Coeur: This is one the famous churches in Paris. It is famous because of
its architecture.
You have to get down at the Anvers stop for this. From there you can climb
up the small hill. Even there is a cable car to go up there.
Notra Dame: This is another famous church. This is the place where Napolean
crowned himself as the king. You can also go up the church tower. But I dont
think it is really worth after you have been on top of Eiffel Tower.
You have to get down at the St. Michel or St. Michel Notra Dame stop.
Louvre Musum: Well this one of the things not to be missed in Paris.
Previously it was a palace. Now it is converted to a museum. It has 2 wings.
Each wing is 700m (almost 3/4th of a km) and each wing has 4 floors, so totally
(1.5 * 4 ) 6 km. If we have to see everything in the museum, then we have to
walk for 16km inside the palace!!!!! Thats humanly impossible in 3 days also. So
only look at at the important places in the museum Mona Lisa, Coronation of
Napolean, Napolean Apartments, Greek idols, Italian paintings (hall with endless
number of paintings) in order of their preference. There is also audio guide
available and if you take it there is a description for each painting - God help the
person who listens to the description of all these paintings!!!!! Do not spend more
than 4 hours here or else you will get bored and tired and you will not to go
anywhere the whole day. Everyday some or the other room of this museum will
be closed for maintenance. It is a holiday on Tuesdays.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

You have to get down at the Palais Royal Musee de Louvre stop.
Invalides: There is Napolean Fort kind of thing here. After looking at everything
in Paris, this appears nothing great. But you can go here if you are left with time.
It closes at 6.15 in the evening. You can also see the French Parliament. But I
do not know whether they will let you in.
You have to get down at the Invalides stop.
Versailles: Huuuuuuuuuuuge is the smallest word I can use to describe this.
There are different sections here A,B,C,M & royal gardens. We have to buy a
ticket for each of it. If you buy a 1 day pass you can visit all places in the palace.
Well everything is royal and grand here. Even the smallest of the things is
decorated, artistic n work done with lot of patience There are lot of paintings of
royal persons n their families. If you are interested in paintings its a 2nd heaven
for you. The roofs are entirely painted, the corners every inch is decorated with
art. There will be a show in the Palace gardens from 3.30 to 5.00. Mondays the
palace is closed. On first Sunday of every month there is no discount and no
group tickets available.
However we bought tickets only for B (same as A) & C. We had a look at
kings chamber, kings private apartment, queens chamber, durbar hall There was
still lot more to explore but this itself took around 6 hrs for us..We got tired b
left the placein the end (not to say ) we got bored by beauty of the
palace.because we had so much overdose of it.
To reach here you have to take RER C (named VICK or VERO) from
Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel and get down at the Chateau de Versailles (Rive
Gauche) stop.
Tip: Nobody knows English in Paris. So know some basic words like
Jour = Day
Sortie = Exit
Autres = Other

Map

Best time to visit

--

End of Summer, when it gets dark by around 8pm in the evening, but not in
winter.

2.1.3 AMSTERDAM(NETHERLANDS)

No. of days

Getting there

2 days Amsterdam (with Keukonhof Tulip gardens)

day Rotterdam Worlds biggest harbor
day Madurodam

Car will be cheap but around 6-7 hours drive. CNL (City Night Line) is the best.

Cost

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

85 - CNL Ticket
Madame Tussaud 15 (between 10.30am to 12 noon & 12noon to 5pm).
- 17.5 (12noon to 3pm)
Heineken Experience - 10
Anne Frank House - 5
Country Side Tour - 27 (4.5 hrs) / 37 (6.5 hrs)
Gassan Diamond Factory - 0
Sex Museum 3
Canal Ride - 9
Rotterdam Train ticket 22.5
Harbor Ride 8.75
Kuekenhof (Tulip Gardens) - 20, I guess. Not sure though
Stripcard - 6 / 10 / 20, depending on your requirement.

Hotel reservation

We were staying in hostel called Shelter City Youth Hostel located right in the
heart of the infamous Red Light District.
Get the tickets for Madame Tussaud, Anne Frank House, Canal Ride and
Country Side Tour in the tourist info itself. Otherwise you will have to wait in long
queues for museum tickets. Also they are cheap in the tourist info. Tourist info is
represented by 3 Vs 2 on the top and 1 in the bottom.
Madame Tussaud This is the famous wax museum. Biggest is in London. This
is a small one. It is worth visiting there. Dont miss it. This will need around 2
hours of time to see it completely.
Heineken Experience This is not just a beer factory. Previously it was a beer
brewery. Now it is turned into an amusement center (may be you can call that).
But it is really a must visit place. They give free beer (0.75l). There is a DJ room
where you can become the DJ. The best part is, there is a place where you can
dance with background music. The video will be shot and will be sent to you thru
mail. In the end you get a free gift also.

Description

Anne Frank House This is the place where Anne Frank hid herself from the
Nazis for 2 years. I did not visit this place. So not much idea about it. It seems
that you need around 1.5 hours of time to see it.
RLD This is a must visit place for the boys. Only for the boys. You can find it
everywhere in Amsterdam. It starts at 8pm in the night. Please do not go for the
Live sex shows or peep shows. They are costly and a big waste!
Country Side Tour You can book the tickets for this in the tourist info. There
are 2 tours available for 4.5 hour duration and another for 6.5 hours duration.
They show the following places.
Volendam Fishermans Village
Zaans Schans Wind mills. To go on top of the windmills we need to pay
around 2 I guess
Cheese Factory
Boat Ride thru the canal
Even though not the greatest of tours, you have to go for this because the
country side of Holland is beautiful. Also we can see the famous Holland Hasa
(Cow).
Sex Museum This is located right in main street of Holland outside the

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Centraal station. It takes around hour to see this. Again boys only..:-)
Canal Ride Please do not go for this ride. It is absolutely a biiiiig waste. Still if
you want to go, then go for the ride after it is dark.
Gassan Diamond Factory This is Europes biggest diamond producing
center. Do not go there unless you plan to buy any diamonds. If go there without
a plan of buying diamonds, then it will be like any other showroom in Chickpet or
elsewhere. You get diamonds here at a very reasonable price.
Rotterdam The biggest harbor in the world is located here. They take a ride in
the cruise called Spido tour. They take us a ride around the harbor. This tour
starts every 45 min and lasts for 1.25 hrs. The tours are at 1.30pm, 2.15pm,
3pm, 3.45pm, 5pm.But we missed it by a whisker because we were at the
harbor at exactly 3.45pm and later on we did not have time.
Kuekenhof (Tulip Gardens) This will be open only for 1 month in the whole
year Mid April to Mid May. It costs around 40 to visit this place. The details of
getting there can be obtained from tourist info, as I did not go there.
Madurodam This is called Mini Amsterdam. The whole city of Amsterdam is
modeled in miniature here it seems. I dint go to this place , as I visited the actual
Amsterdam.
Tips:
1. You can find lot of Indian Restaurants in Amsterdam. But be careful
some are costly.
2. For public transport (Trams), instead of tickets you can buy something
called Stripcard. You can get details of this in Tourist info. Alternately
you can also buy a 24 hour pass or 48 hour pass. But I think strip card
should be fine or at the max 1 day pass (6.3, I guess)

Map

Best time to visit

--

Mid April to Mid May, as Tulip gardens will be open.

2.1.4 SWITZERLAND

No. of days

Getting there

Cost

3,4,5,6 depends on your convenience. We had been there for 3 days and I am
writing the guide according to that.

Hiring a car is the best option according to me. Even the train connectivity in
Swiss is good it seems. If you decide to go by train, then go for a Swiss Pass. It
works out damn cheap.

JungFrauJoch 175CHF ( But 150CHF if you take the train from Grindelwald)

Author

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Europe Travelers Guide

Titlis 79CHF (From Engelberg to Mount Titlis)

Swiss Road Pass - 27 i.e. if you go by a car and your car does not have that
sticker. (Try to get car with Swiss Road pass stickerit is valid for 1 year)
Trummelbach Falls 11CHF
Swiss Pass (If you go by train) 270 for 2 persons for 4 days.

Hotel reservation

Description

We were staying in International Youth Hostel, Boenigen. The hostel was good
enough with guest kitchen.
There is another hostel called Valley Hostel in Lauterbrunnen. Try for that. It
is located amidst a beautiful valley it seems. Here are the contact details.
Valley Hostel
Martha + Alfred Abegglen
Ch-3822 Lauterbrunnen
Phone:International 0041 33 855 20 08
Phone:National 033 855 20 08
Mail: info@valleyhostel.ch
www.valleyhostel.ch
(Tariff ranges from 20-28CHF per night, includes no Breakfast)

JungFrauJoch This is the highest point in Europe where the man has
reached. From the top of this we see the JungFrau peak. JungFrau in German
means Virgin Lady. The reason why they have given this name may be that no
man has ever reached there.
There are two ways to reach JungFrauJoch. You have to take a train from
Interlaken Ost. One train goes via Grindelwald and another goes via
Lauterbrunnen. If you take the train from Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, it costs
a bit less and you can afford to do this only if you have a car. Both the trains
meet at Kleine Scheidegg. From here we have to change trains and take the
train to JungFrauJoch. If you have a Swiss pass, then you can try both the ways
one while going up and another while coming down. The track via which the
train goes by is the steepest rack in the world.
On the way to JungFrauJoch, you find another two peaks Monch (Monk)
and Eigerwand (Eagle Face). The imaginations of these shapes are left to the
observers discretion as I did not feel so.
On JungFrauJoch, you find a lot of tourist attractions. There is an Ice
Palace, Sphinx Observatory (here they prove some Einsteins theory), Plateau
where we can play with snow, Lot of Winter sports, Bollywood Restaurant
where you can enjoy nice Indian food but it will always be heavily crowded and
we dint get a chance to eat in here. Dont worry there are even other
restaurants there where you can have your food. Except for food there is no
entry fee to anywhere. They are all included with the train ticket.
To summarise this is a must visit place. It is once in a lifetime
experience.
If you choose to go by the First train in the morning, 6.35 train, you even
get a handsome discount of 50% or so. It is called Good Morning Ticket. But the
disadvantage is that we have to be back down by 11.45 train (not sure about the
timings). Also if you reach the top early in the morning, there will be lot of mist n
clouds and you cannot enjoy the nature out there. I think it is totally not worth it.
The timings of this train is available in all hostels, hotels. It takes 2 2.5
hours for one way journey.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Trummelbach Falls This is truly an engineering marvel. The falls is inside a

mountain and they have laid steps and platforms by drilling the rocky mountains
throughout. Truly amazing. Even the falls is beautiful between those rocks. The
water falls with such pressure, Oh my God!!! Hats off to the persons who made it
accessible to us. But be careful the entry to the falls closes at 5.00p.m.(Off
season) and 6.00pm (June - August). So make sure that you reach there at
least by 4.15pm. It takes around 1 hour to see the falls completely. While going
up you can go by the lift and while coming back you can use the stairs where
you get lot of different points to see the falls.
Interlaken This is a city in Switzerland. Most of the tourists stay here. It is
located between two lakes Breinzersee and Thunersee. Hence the name
Inter-laken. Both of them are beautiful lakes. Breinzersee is the bigger one. If
you have a Swiss pass, then you can take Golden Panorama Tour. It goes by
the lake and you get a beautiful panoramic view. Also you can get a boat ride in
Thunersee. I think it is for 3 hours. This is also free if you have a Swiss Pass. If
you have a car, then you dont have to take the Golden Panorama tour. You can
drive by the side of the lake. It goes parallel to the train track and you essentially
get the same view. Advantage with the car is that you can stop anywhere you
want and have a nice photo session and more importantly enjoy the nature as
long as you want.
Mount Titlis This is another snow capped mountain, which has snow all round
the year. To reach we have to go to a village called Engelberg (Angel hill). This
is a village; around 2 hours drive from Interlaken. From here we have to take
cable car to reach to Mt.Titlis. Totally we have to change 4 cable cars before we
reach Titlis. The total journey from Engelberg to Titlis is 45min long. 1st two are
pretty normal regulation cable cars. 3rd one is called a Rotair. The platform of
the cable car rotates while it s moving. But it rotates very very slowly. So dont
expect too much fun from it. After the 3rd car, we reach the top of Mt.Titlis. Here
we get beautiful view of alps and it is simply amazing. There are no words to
describe it. From here we have to take a 4th cable car to reach the place where
we get to play winter sports. This cable car is really amazing, in fact it is a cable
chair and you will be in air with your legs suspending and a glacier 100 feet
below you. That experience is really awesome. Then you reach the place where
you get to play winter games. You can play as long as you want and as many
times as you want. There are no extra fees for anything. All are included in the
ticket. We never came to know how we spent 3 hours on the top of Titlis. On the
top we even met some people from Bangalore. They gave us some home made
food to eat. It was really nice to meet people form our country there. In fact you
even find some boards in Hindi here. Indian people so common here.
There is also an Indian gaadi down in Engelberg, where you get good
samosas for 5 CHF. Dont miss it!!
Luzern This is a city in Luzern, where you find a lake like elsewhere in Swiss.
The only place to visit here is the Lion Monument. You can get the info for this
from tourist info. On the way to Lion Monument, you can walk through the
wooden bridge, which is also quite famous here. Dont waste too much of time
over here.
Zurich This is just another European city, nothing much to visit here. May be
you can have a glance at the Zurich Stock Exchange.
Bern Capital of Switzerland We did not go to this place due to lack of time.
I think there is nothing much to see there.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Geneva If you happen to go here, then dont miss the Red Cross Society and
the world famous Swiss Bank. It is around 4 hours drive from Interlaken. So we
dint go here also.
Schiltron First we have to go by a small chain pulled train (the path is very
steep) to Murren. Two trains move in opposite direction. They cross exactly at
half. Crossing is really an example of good technology precision. Then we go
through a train. This route has great views. You see great mountain views in
panoramic views. This is really really good. Then we have to change to a cable
car which finally takes to Hotel. It is the longest cable car journey in the world.
Hotel Schiltron is a rotating hotel on top of a mountain. You have got
terrace when you enter in. You can get great views of very long distant
mountains. You can see virtually France, Italy and Germany (Black forest
regions). Inside the hotel, it has 2 circular bases. One rotates slowly where we sit
and have something. The other portion is standstill. It takes around 1hr to come
one round. You can plan for it.
In this hotel, there was a James Bond movie shot, "On her majesty's secret
service - 1968". There is a theatre where u can watch selected scenes of that
movie.
The best part of this place is the walking (or trekking) that can be done from
the hotel place. U can walk on steep mountain side. In few places, u have ropes
and in some other, there is nothing. It is really good to walk there and very
challenging.
Pilatus Another peak where you find Indian restaurant on the top. I dint go
there so not much info.

Map

Best time to visit

--

June, JulyBefore June it will still be cold and after July it starts raining. June is
simply the best!!

2.1.5 STRASBOURG (FRANCE)

No. of days

Getting there

Cost

1 day

Take a train from Stuttgart Hbf to Kehl (Border of Germany and France). Get a
ticket 4 ticket from Kehl to Strasbourg and back. Caution BW ticket is not valid
all the way to Strasbourg even though it is border sharing with Germany.

BW Ticket - 5
Ticket Kehl Strasbourg - 4
One Day pass Actually there are various tickets
Trio For 2/3 people, 1 day validity 4.5
24 hours Ticket For 1 person 3.5
So choose the best one you need.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Hotel reservation

NA

Well well, this is just another European city. This is border sharing with BW state.
But this is in France. The things to see here are
Cathedral, European Parliament, Council Of Europe, Book Market, Flea Market,
Petite France
Description
You can get info & map visit these places in the tourist info. Only for the
European Parliament and Council of Europe you have to take a tram to Wacken.
All the other places are within the city center and within walking distance from
each other. Please do not take the cruise ride. It is highly boring and big waste
of time. Also a waste of 7.5.

Map

Best time to visit

--

Any time when you have no work.

2.1.6 SCHAFFHAUSEN (SWITZERLAND)

No. of days

Getting there

Cost

Hotel reservation

Description

1 day

There are 2 or 3 routes get here. The best one is go to Singen and then to take a
train from there to Schaffhausen.

BW Ticket - 5
Boat Ticket 4.5

NA

There is a beautiful waterfall of the Rhein river here. Worth for a one day
visit. After you get down form the Schaffhausen Hbf, you will have to walk some
distance before you reach the tourist info. There you get the city map and also
the route of how to get to the waterfalls. You can either go by bus to the falls or
go by walk. By walk it is 3kms. But walking is a better option according to me.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

You go by the side of the river all the way to the falls. Also you get to go through
some forest, wine-yard, city of Schaffhausen. Totally its a good experience.
After walking for about 1.5 kms you come across a bridge. There are 2 ways
which lead to the falls from there one to the left and another to the right. Better
option is you take one route while going and another while coming back, so that
you get to see both of them.
Once you reach the falls, there are boat rides available which take you near
the falls. There are four options. But according to me take the 4.5 boat ride,
which stops at the rock near the falls. Other boat rides just go near the rock but
dont let you get down there. After all it is worth going on top of the rock there.
The duration of the boat ride is mentioned as 20 mins. But dont worry once the
boat ride lets you down at the rock there is no one counting the time. Be there
as long as you wish.
Even though this place is Switzerland, they accept both Euros and CHF as
currencies. So dont waste your money by exchanging it in travel exchange. If
you want to get some CHF coins for your numismatic inventory you can get them
by buying a chocolate and asking for change in EUR.

Map

Best time to visit

--

Anytime in summer and autumn, between May and October.

2.1.7 ITALY

No. of days

Getting there

Rome 1 or 1 Day
Florence Day
Pisa Day
Milan 1 Day

The route which we took was

Stuttgart -> Milan by flight
Milan -> Rome by train (overnight journey)
Rome -> Florence by train
Florence -> Pisa by Train
Pisa -> Stuttgart by flight

Flight are cheaper if booked earlier (1-2 months in advance)

Cost

Malpensa Shuttle: Malpensa -> Milan : 5/ person

Milan24 Hours Pass : 4/ person
Milan -> Rome Train: 25/ person
Vatican Dome : 7/ person or 5/ person
Sistine Chappel Entrance: 12/ person. Discount available for students.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Colosseum Entrance - 12/ person

Rome -> Florence Train: 15/ person (in Regionale)
~24/ person (in IC Plus)
Florence -> Pisa Train: ~5/ person
Pisa Tower Entrance - 15/ person

We booked the following hotels

Rome:
Anakin Stargate Hotel
Via Palestro 88,
00185 Rome
Very Near to Roma Termini (Main Station), 10 minutes walk from there.
Hotel reservation

Florence:
Hotel Veneto
Via Santa Reparata ,33
Florence
Walk able from Florence SMN station, 15 minutes walk from there.
Tirrenia:
Villa Wanda
Hotel Pensione

Description

Milan: It is called the Fashion Capital of the World. All the world famous
designer brands hail from here viz. Armani, Gucci, etc..If you reach Milan by air,
then you will be landing in Malpensa airport. From there you will have to take a
Malpensa shuttle to Milan. It costs 5/ person. The journey from Malpense to
Milan is about 1 hour. You can take a 24Hour Pass to go around Milan. It costs
3 / person. Then take a Metro (Red Line) to Duomo. (Duomo means Cathedral
in Italian). It is awesome and also the square it is located in. Just beside Duomo
there is closed street called Vittorio Emanuelle II which leads us to another
square where stands our great Leonardo Da Vinci. This street is famous for
shopping.
Also in Milan is situated the famous The Last Supper Painting. It is on the
walls of an old school. But we have to take prior appointment to visit that and
also the entrance fee is 14 / person. And they allow us to go inside only in
batches of 6 people. You can find more information about this on the internet.
Also there is FTV Lounge in Milan. If you cant afford to go inside, at least you
can go and see it from the outside. But I have no details about it.
Rome: We took the Regionale train from Milan to Roma Tiburtina. There are
even other trains IC PLUS, ES*. But they are costly also reach Rome in
midnight. So it is better to sleep in train than on platform. From Roma Tiburtina
we have to go to Roma Termini. This is main station of Rome. You can take a
24Hour ticket from Tiburtina itself and reach Rome Termini by Metro. It costs 4 /
person. With this ticket you can take travel in all the public transport in Rome.
The first public transport in Rome starts at 5.30a.m.
In Rome Termini, you can find the tourist info on platform 23 (not
completely sure though). There you collect a map of Rome and start your day.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Vatican City: Start your day from the Vatican. The metro details can also be
found in the Tourist map. There will be long queue in the Vatican, as long as 2
hours long. So make sure you reach there by at least 8.00 in the morning. First
visit the St. Peters Basilica. Achtung!! There is dress code; short dresses are
not allowed. There are 3 things to look out in the Basilica.
1. Vatican Dome It costs 7 / person. You can go up the dome of
Vatican and get an aerial view of the city. Half the way you can go by
elevator, but will have to climb up the final 300 odd steps. Also there is
ticket for 5. This cuts out the elevator option. You will have to climb up
all the way.
2. Tomb of Previous Popes Here you can find tombs of previous popes
not all though.
3. Basilica This is the cathedral. Here you can find St. Peters tomb. It is
surrounded by 99 candles, always illuminated.
Then make you way towards the Sistine Chappel, only if you are interested.
You can see lots of Michelangelos work on the walls and on the roof. This is the
place where the pope is elected. Also in that room the can find the famous
painting The Judgment Day. This will be the end of Vatican and this is what
Vatican has to offer.
Then step out to explore the historical Rome. You can proceed in the
following order
start form the
St. Castel
Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps
Vittorio Emanuaelle II
Colosseum
Old Rome
Pyramid

Florence: There are lot of churches and fountains in Florence. But one thing not
be missed in Florence is the Duomo. It is a marvelous structure, entirely made
up of White and Green Marble. There is also a street market in Florence on the
way to Duomo. This is a shopping paradise for the ladies. But all shops close at
7.00pm in Florence. Apart from these, there is a palace, synagogue and castle.
Visiting these places is left to the tourists discretion.
Pisa: The only place worth visiting in Pisa is the Pisa tower. Beside it you can
also find a Duomo and some other Dome. Good enough to glance from the
outside. From the Pisa station, you can walk to Pisa tower a walk of around 2
kms. You can think about this option, if you have time, as you get a better feel of
the city. The entrance fee to Pisa Tower is 15 / person and they let in only 15
persons at a time. Also for entrance we will have to buy the tickets at least 1.5
hours in advance. So check this out and plan according to your journey. It takes
40 minutes to go up the tower and come down.
NOTE: Please make sure that you are in the airport at least 1.5 hours before the
flights departure time. Or else you will have to miss the flight like we did and go
to Tirrenia to spend 1 more day.
Tirrenia: This is a city by the side of the beach. It is relatively cleaner when
compared to other Italian cities/towns and it much reminded me of Goa
especially Panajim. There will be not much people in the beach but the beaches
are clean and good, so you can spend a lot of time over here.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

TIPS: Some helpful Italian words

Entrata Entrnace
Uscita Exit
Bigilietti Tickets
Ore Hour / Time
Piazza Square
Via Road
San Saint
Chow Hi / Bye
Dirretto Direction / Straight
Grazie Thank You

Map

Best time to visit

--

Anytime during April September. But in peak summer (June, July, August) it
will be very very hot around 35-40 C.

2.1.8 VENICE(ITALY)

No. of days

Getting there

Cost

Venice 1 Day

Ikarus the only available means of transportation by Land.

May be you can check out the possibility by air

Ikarus tickets costs 55 - 66 depending on season. You can book the ticket in
Ikarus by sending a e-mail to the following id ikarus-reisen@t-online.de
or directly in the website @
http://www.ikarus-reisen.de/index.asp?p=96&Sprache=en

Hotel reservation

Not required if you go by Ikarus

1. The bus starts from Vaihingen bus stop (take S1 from Stuttgart Hbf and get
down at the 6th stop) at 8:45 PM on Friday(s)
Description
2.The ideal time that you would reach Venice (the stop is called "Tronchetto") is
6:30 or 7:00 AM on Saturday morning.

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

3.Carry toothpaste,brush,soap and get freshened at the WC

identifiable)at Tronchetto by paying 1 (carry exact change with you).

(easily

*As you know all your travel in Venice will be only through water boats.
4. Take a one day ticket at the ticket counter (which is just a road cross from
WC).It costs around 12 and is valid for 24 hrs for all water boat travels.
5.Take the first water boat "DM" (diretto Murano) at 8:10 AM from Tronchetto
and you will reach "Murano Colonna" stop at around 8:45 AM.
Murano is famous for Glass factories and you have lot of them which offer "free
visits. You can see how a glass showpiece (article) is made and can do some
shopping. The factories open around 9:00AM and it will take 5-10 minutes walk
from Murano stop. Spend 1-2 hours here.
6. Next journey is towards "Burano" where in you have the famous lays factories.
For the same take LN (Laguna Nord) boat from 'Murano Faro' (it is next stop of
Murano Colonna and is walk able).The frequency of boats are quite good. It
takes about 1/2 an hour to reach there.
Attractions: Colorful masks, lace (embroidery) factories /shops, identical houses
of different colors, church. Spend around 1-2 hours here. (Pizza's here cost 2
per piece)
7. Our next journey is towards the famous St.Marco Square. For the same take
boat (big one like cruise) to St.Marco square. The boat leaves every 1 hour from
Burano to St.Marco square and it is at every 0.30 .ie. 12.30, 1.30, 2.30
[This is the place which you see in CNN during news interval/weather report
sometimes.]
(Ice creams would cost 2 per 2 scoops, 2.5 for 3, 3 for 4)
8. Here you can take the famous Gondola Ride through the narrow canals of
Venice. (Gondole - the traditional boats of Venice.. They are usually for couples.
But are also available for a group of 6. The oarsman sings traditional Italian
folksongs throughout, and take you through the narrow lanes of Venice) But they
are expensive and costs 80 for 6 persons. Also not every oarsman sings Italian
Folk Songs.
9. Next take a boat from St. Marks square to Lido. (Every 10 minutes there is a
boat to Lido). The beach is approx 20 minutes walk from the port. Can spend
about an hour here.
10. Take boat back to St. Marks Square.
11. Take the water boat no 82 or any boat that goes to Tronchetto at around
6:45 PM so that you reach back at 7:15 PM. Every 10 minutes there is a boat to
Tronchetto from St.Marco. The bus starts back at 8:00PM and you should be
there by 7:45 near the bus.[you have 1/2 an hour to have dinner here]
12. The ideal time that you would reach Stuttgart is around 6:30 - 7:00 AM on
Sunday morning.

Our departure details... (You need to check n verify this...)

Departure:
Time: 20.45 hrs.
Place: Busbahnhof, Vaihingen

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Platform 3, near the waiting shelter. (On the opposite side, you see Hotel
Mercure)

Map

Best time to visit

--

Anytime from April to September

2.1.9 SPAIN(BARCELONA)

No. of days

Getting there

Cost

Hotel reservation

3 Days

Flight is the best means of transport.

If you take the Ryanair flight, then you reach Costa Brava airport, Girona. From
there are buses to Barcelona, aligned with the flight timings. One way journey
costs 12. If you buy both to and fro ticket together, it will cost 21

Air ticket - Depends on how early you book.

Girona <-> Barcelona = 12 one way
21 (to and fro) if you purchase together.
Sagrada Familia - 8
Under sea aquarium - 15
Tibidabo Bus - 3
Tibidabo lift - 2

We had booked the following hostel. It was very clean with all the facilities. The
best of the youth hostels I have been so far.
Alberguinn Youth Hostel
c/ Melcior de Palau, 70-74 entlo
Barcelona
For the following take the Green Line (L3)
Aquarium This is an under sea aquarium, not deep inside the sea but just by
the shore. But it is good, a really refreshing experience. It is not too big and
takes around 1 hour to see it completely. If you have purchased Barcelona
Tourist Ticket, for the open bus rise, then you have a huge discount here.

Description
IMAX Theater There is also an IMAX theater beside the aquarium, but I dont
know either the timings or the price of it.
La Rambla
For the following take the Yellow Line (L4)

Author

Deepak Kashyap

Europe Travelers Guide

Beach Get down at the Barceloneta stop, turn right on leaving the metro and
cross the main roads, continue walking straight for about 10 mins. Barceloneta is
the first of the Barcelona Spain beaches and can therefore get quite busy during
the summer months. Also you can walk down or walk upto Drassanes from here.
They are quite near by.
For the following take the Blue Line (L5)
For the following take the Purple Line (L2)
Gothic Quarter
La Pederera
Sagrada Familia The master piece by the master architect Antonio Gaudi
A Giant Temple designed by the master architect Antonio Gaudi. This building
has been under construction since 1882 and they've still got another 30 to 80
years (depending on funding and resources) to go before it will be finished.
Some people love the Sagrada Familia and some people hate it but whatever
you think I guarantee it will cause a reaction one way or the other.
Tibidabo
F.C.Barcelona Olympic Stadium The Magic Fountain of Montjuic -

Map

Best time to visit

--

Even during winter (in Germany), its fine because its the Mediterranean coast
and it will be warm.

Author

Deepak Kashyap