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My friend and I are taking a 3 month trip across Europe, starting in Spain and hitting as much as we can, ending up in Moscow and flying home (well, I'll probably fly to Ireland since I want to go and he does not).

For those who have travelled (or live in) Europe, what advice would you have? We're looking to travel really lightly, stay in hostels, take advantage of the rail system as much as we can, etc. So any advice regarding the challenges of travel would be appreciated.

Also, naturally, what should we absolutely do or see? What should we avoid?

Any information regarding any country is appreciated; while we have a few major places stamped out 'for sure', we are open to adjusting our route to hit other things we decide we'd like to see.

Thanks in advance!

Garbledina said:

What should we avoid?

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Bulgaria mostly.

Don't steal any Polish signs. They really don't like that.

Plan everything out as far in advance as you can, or be ok with things falling through and having to improvise a bit. When I went last summer we wanted to get rail passes, but didn't realize until we got there that they had to ship it to us and that would take a few days. Because of that we ended up not seeing Italy at all, but on the bright side we spent 4 days in Paris which is a fair trade. Also try to do as much research about the cities you plan to visit as you can. When we were there we kept finding that shops closed as weird times (at least to us) so even doing things like getting something to eat turned out to be more difficult than expected.

If it's a typical touristy thing to do, plan on either making it the thing you do that day or go really fucking early. If you're not in line for the Eiffel Tower when it opens, you're looking at an hour+ line. Personally I'd say make a list of things you MUST do and a list of things you'd LIKE to do.

As for my trip and what I did and enjoyed, I liked going to parks and things more than say, a museum. To me, there's only so many castles, painting of Jesus and cathedrals you can see before you've just seen them all. Experiences though last much longer, like having bread and wine in a park or eating at a small cafe or just walking around and absorbing the culture.

phil said:

To me, there's only so many castles, painting of Jesus and cathedrals you can see before you've just seen them all.

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Oh, well then you should try Bulgaria.

I don't get it.

If you tire of culture try Bulgaria. It's... well... kind of the opposite. But it has many fine discotheques.


(Sorry it's just a stupid eastern european joke. I would never recommend Bulgaria to anyone for any reason.)

Bulgaria is unlikely, although it is on our 'maybe' list. And we are people who don't tire of cathedrals and castles, although we've both been to admittedly few. For us the major draw is all the fantastic architecture and many of the 'touristy' attractions; we are trying to get well-planned in terms of route, length of stay in each location, etc. but are open to adjustments. Good tip about the rail passes though; I didn't realize they had to be shipped to us.

If you tire of culture try Bulgaria. It's... well... kind of the opposite. But it has many fine discotheques.


(Sorry it's just a stupid eastern european joke. I would never recommend Bulgaria to anyone for any reason.)

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you're a strange man.

strange strange man.

Get this in advance for some good laughs before you travel eastern europe (though it gets repetitive later on):

http://www.molvania.com.au/molvania/

Make an effort to speak the local language. Grab a phrasebook. Memorize 'yes', 'no', 'please', 'thank you', and numbers 1-10. You will find that most people in Europe speak English, but do not want to talk to strangers, especially foreign strangers. However, making an effort to speak in their language, even if it's clear to all concerned it would be far easier just to slip into English, will endear you to the person you're talking to, and they will be far more helpful.

Seriously. It's the difference between 'fuck off, buddy' and 'sure, I guess I have a minute to help you out.' Cashiers, waiters, bus drivers, the man on the street, doesn't matter. If you're an obvious foreigner who's making an effort, they will appreciate it and tend to treat you well.

What you should'nt miss: Paris, Amsterdam, and I'm told Poland is really nice. Since you'll be in Spain I recommend coming to Barcelona, too. Also in France there's a valley (can't remember the name right now) with many many chateaus (about one per town) that you can visit in one or two days if you aren't going in the ones you have to pay for (that's what I did). I think french Britain is a must see too, and in particular the Mont Saint Michel. Ah yes, and Carcassonne in the south. Just try to remember to go to this popular places on weekdays. Are you going in the summer?

More things:
If you spend some days in Paris try to include an excursion to Versailles and also (it's a bit further away but really worth it) to Chartres, or rather to its cathedral, one of the most important gothic cathedrals. Really impressive.
The towns of Brugge and Gent in Belgium are really beautiful and charming, much more than the capital.


Don't know much about eastern Europe but grabbing a few words of the local language is good as a rule of thumb. Specially in France.


EDIT: Ah! One last thing: maybe you can get guided tours for free from some European forumites

My Grampa's advice for visiting Europe? Bring Chocolate and Silk Stockings. The ladies will be ALL over you.

Mind you, that advice is probably 60+ years out of date.

yeah, don't go to England

So, what are your tastes? Do you enjoy museums and art galleries, or are you more of a "wander around town and take pictures of buildings" type of person? Or are you out for just chill-axin'?

Anyhoo, here's some tips:

- Don't tip. If my understanding is correct, tipping is an obligatory transaction only in the US.
- "This" on Zarvox's advice on language. Showing an effort in speaking the local language - or at least "spicing up" with a few key phrases - should go a long way to endear yourself to the locals.
- Check currencies beforehand. Most of the EU uses Euro these days, but there are some notable exceptions, such as the UK and Sweden as well as the newer member nations (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania). Naturally, non-EU countries (eg. Switzerland and Norway) use their national currency. As for credit cards, Visa and MasterCard are (to my knowledge) always valid.
- Travel with your tongues as well. Try local flavours and dishes.
- In the southern parts, watch out for con men. If someone says they have a relative in your country and then try to sell you something, they're pulling your leg.
- If you decide to spend time in Ireland, I recommend renting a car over going by train. The scenery is worth stopping over at times, and some locations are best reached by car.

Places to see:
- Milan, Italy: Renaissance art a-plenty, glorious churches and shopping.
- Rome, Italy: Coliseum, Fontana di Trevi, the Vatican... Need I say more?
- Lake Garda, Italy: just a short train ride north from Milan, scenery's great.
- Pompeii, Italy: worth a visit, especially with a good guide who knows his way around in the excavated city. Take a good look at the murals. And if you don't like it, Naples is close by with a glorious view over the bay towards Vesuvius.
- Krakow, Poland: a beautiful city with Medieval architecture, decent shopping, an interesting late Medieval castle... and a good base for travelling wider in Poland.
- Wielitzka Salt Mines, Poland: a now-abandoned series of salt mines near Krakow, where the miners used salt to create quite wonderful scenes underground. Or what do you think of a subterranean chapel with a life-size statue of Pope John Paul II in salt?
- Auschwitz, Poland: Do I need to say anything?
- Wicklow Mountains, Ireland: the mountain range surrounding Dublin. Nice for driving around (if you dare to face left-side traffic AND narrow roads climbing up and down the mountainside. The scenery is brethtaking.
- Glendalough, Ireland: a serene valley located in the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough was a monastery until the end of the Middle Ages. The valley is serenely beautiful, with a visitor centre and a hotel built nearby, and paths made for walking around in the area. The ruins of the monastery of St. Kevin are still there, and the high Irish steeple is a sight to see. A must if you are in the area.
- Kildare and the Curragh plain, County Kildare, Ireland.
- Connemara, Ireland: if you're into hiking, find a hostel in Connemara in western Ireland. The mountains and moors are beautiful, and if you are in luck you might see some of the eponymous Connemara ponies.
- Dublin, Ireland: Plenty to see here in terms of museums, galleries, night clubs and parks, but don't limit yourself to the city. Travel around the country.
- Newgrange, Ireland: an impressive megalithic tomb site near Dublin.

And for pete's sake, come to Finland

While in Eastern Europe, never let anyone touch your wallet or your money... cops will never ask to count your money etc. (unless they want to steal some themselves).

But con men are everywhere, a friend of mine who should have known better got gipped in France.

- Don't tip. If my understanding is correct, tipping is an obligatory transaction only in the US.

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It's still good form to tip... but pls only do it if you like the service or you plan on coming back to the place.

Go to Bruge. I hear it's like a fucking fairy tale.

Bruge is okay. I like Antwerp better. Paris is fantastic, but fucking expensive. Same goes for Rome but a little less so.

As for tips,
- con men, pickpockets and street vendors you will want to pass by stoically. Don't let them take your time or you will not get away.
- thirding the language tip. You'll find that people will be much more friendly if you show that you're honestly trying to speak their language.
- Keep valuables out of sight when you're in the big cities.
- Eat! Drink! Try as much new food and drinks as you can. You'll be in for a treat.
- If you're heading for amsterdam, let me know and I can tell you what you /need/ to see. I wouldn't advise it, though - other countries are much better in my opinion. But if you have time, it's cool.

Dave said:

Go to Bruge. I hear it's like a fucking fairy tale.

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this,
also Ghent it's only a 30 min drive by train and the old city is really nice

maybe I'm biased though living there for the moment and such

Rome is beautiful. I didn't speak much Italian, but I did try. Almost everyone spoke English, so it wasn't much of a stumbling point if I couldn't figure out what to say. I only had two problems when it came to language. I needed to ask one of the guards at the Vatican museum about a statue. I had a brain fart and couldn't for the life of me think of how to say "who" in Italian or French. He didn't speak English, but after a few tries he got the idea of what I was trying to say. The other problem I ran into was at a restaurant. I had a pissy waitress who scolded me for using the Italian-American bastardized pronunciation for pasta e f.a.gioli (apparently the language filter on the board doesn't like the Italian word for beans). That was how I was taught to say it from the time I was old enough to eat it, so I didn't know it was pronounced any other way.
Look for tours given by students! One day, as we were wandering the Forum, we joined up with a tour group that was lead by an American art history student who was studying abroad. It was awesome and free (unless you wanted to tip him)! We scheduled a paid tour with the same company to see the catacombs and a few churches. It was lead by another college student. I thought they were great tours because the students told you more than just a rehearsed speech about the different sites.

Keep your passport close to you. Don't leave in the purse or jacket. Have like a belt inside your pants to carry it in and cash. Don't keep your money all at the same place and be polite to people (learn local phrases)

If you eat a salami pizza in Italy, have plenty of water at hand. Or cover your tongue with asbesthos

Also, as some parts of Europe use different kinds of plugs for wall sockets, you might want to purchase a... well, I don't know what it's called, but basically it's a converter where you plug your gadgets in, and the converter has different plugs for different sockets. A surge protector is also a good choice if you use a laptop (as told by someone whose laptop was fried by Irish electricity on his second day abroad).

phil said:

If you tire of culture try Bulgaria. It's... well... kind of the opposite. But it has many fine discotheques.


(Sorry it's just a stupid eastern european joke. I would never recommend Bulgaria to anyone for any reason.)

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you're a strange man.

strange strange man.

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I've just been to Bulgaria way to many times.

It's okay, Espy. I've never been to Bulgaria, and I don't want to go there either.

North_Ranger said:

It's okay, Espy. I've never been to Bulgaria, and I don't want to go there either.

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It's full of Bulgarians. *shudder*

Switzerland is one of the prettiest countries you'll ever see, and if you start in Spain, it's fairly easy to get to through southern France. Geneva is a fantastic town to visit, with lots of old architecture, an old town with awesome food, and the UN (and most places there take Euros). You can go from there along the Lac Leman (Lake Geneva on most English maps), and visit townlet after townlet, most of which have their own local culture and museums. You can also head north to Fribourg to check out a city that is both French and German on opposite sides of a river, and Berne, the capital, which is beautiful, and Zurich, which is not so beautiful but has tons of cool night-life.

Espy said:

I've just been to Bulgaria way to many times.

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Once?

Holy information, Batman.

Amsterdam is on my must-see list. I know too many people who have been there and I can't resist going now! I'm also very interested in seeing Carcassonne, after seeing a photo of it and seeing how close it is to the southern border of France, it should (hopefully) be a stop we can make shortly after Spain.

Finland, sadly, NR is probably not going to be seen this time around. Not even for all the saunas and suspenders there are to be had. Also travelling Ireland by car is probably out for me but it's something I'll keep in mind...

Gruebeard;321800][QUOTE=Espy said:

I've just been to Bulgaria way to many times.

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Once?[/QUOTE]

TWICE. :waah:

Poor baby.

At least you've never been to Vulgaria.

Gruebeard said:

Poor baby.

At least you've never been to Vulgaria.

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Yeah, you need a flying jalopy to get out of there.

Garbledina said:

Finland, sadly, NR is probably not going to be seen this time around. Not even for all the saunas and suspenders there are to be had.

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I is sad now

To live a while in Scotland has been one of my goals in life, all those castles and historical locations.

Sadly the only continent I havent lived in yet is Europe. []

In some countries, some public toilets require loose change to use. So be prepared for that, just in case. Pooping emergencies are common when on vacation after all.

Chibibar said:

Keep your passport close to you. Don't leave in the purse or jacket. Have like a belt inside your pants to carry it in and cash. Don't keep your money all at the same place and be polite to people (learn local phrases)

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This. Very very this.

Also, as noted, be careful around beggars and whatnot. Be firm, and keep walking. Avoid kicking at them - they tend to kick back, but with blades involved.

If you get a chance, check out Provence. GORGEOUS countryside, and some of the monestaries are elegant in their understatement. I'd say avoid Paris, but so many here are touting it, and it appears to be on your route anyway.

Also, I don't know if you're going to be able to, but Agrigento in Sicily is phenomenal. Rome is also fantastic - beware gypsies carrying fake babies (just know that it involves the theft of a mate's wallet).

If I was in your shoes, I'd swing by Normandy, and the Flanders region, too. But that's just the historian talking, after all... *wistful sigh*

I'm heading to Italy for sure, so I'll see if we can make Agrigento... And as for historical sites, I'm definitely visiting the Canadian Vimy Memorial in France. It's a site of a WWI battle and a definitive moment in Canadian history.

If you visit Denmark (or God forbid, Sweden) and don't come to Finland as well, I'll hunt you down...

...and buy you a drink since it's nice to meet a fellow forumite.

After which I will kill you.

Denmark and Sweden didn't make the lists either so I guess I won't be hunted down and killed. For now.

I'm just going to go over here now. And change my name.

Officer_Charon said:

Avoid kicking at them - they tend to kick back, but with blades involved.

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Do people go around kicking beggars? As said in the post I quote, DON'T. It can be dangerous.

I'm not much of a traveller, but most people that come to Barcelona seem to be pretty interested and happy with the city... But keep in mind we have enormous amounts of beggars, pickpockets and scam artists, specially in the touristic zones. Stash your money in several pockets, don't even look directly at the beggars and company, just keep walking, and watch for "orbiting" thiefs, people that always seem to be around you trying not to look at you. They come in groups and like to snatch backpacks and purses. You may like to wear your backpack on your chest.
And don't kick them!

don't go to serbia while wearing a tshirt from amsterdam with a hugeass weed logo on the front. they don't take kindly to that. especially if you've been travelling for [STRIKE]days[/STRIKE] weeks and look like you've been on the run.

Romania is really nice, especially transylvania.

Paris is overrated. London, Barcelona, Geneva, Vienna, Rome are all about a dozen times more interesting to visit.

Also, whoever said Brussels wasn't a nice town needs to come over here so I can kick them in their nether regions. Brussels is like a smaller version of Paris, but with less French and better food. If you pass by Brussels, look me up

And fourthing or fifthing the language thing. But if you do, make sure you try the RIGHT language. Don't try to speak French in Bruges; don't try to speak Swedish in Turku, don't try to speak Italian in Spain. Y'know.

What season are you travelling? It changes what's interesting and what's, well, not.

Come on, Paris is nice. If they have 3 months, just a couple of days in Paris wouldn't be wasted time. Aaand it was me who said something about Brussels, I believe BUT I only said Brugge and Ghent were nicer! Although, to be fair, I only spent like half a day in Brussels and it did seem pretty ok even though the day wasn't a particularly nice one... Anyway the conclusion is BELGIUM RULES, yeah, I think that's it. (Chocolate and beer... and waffles... Damn, I wanna go back there)

I am now obliged to hate you for having the privilege to do this.

Well Brussels and Bruges are both definites. (In fact I recently watched In Bruges again, which only solidified my desire to go there. Also my desire to be a classy hitman.) And we'll have to go out for a beer if we can when I'm in Brussels, Bubble!

Paris is also definite, we're going for 3 months and it's a place we both really want to see.

As for the season, we'll be travelling end of April/early May until end of July. So, end of spring into summer.

Oh, and Lying Bastard: Well, get in line.

Good months to travel. In May and most of June you don't need to worry, but look for hostels in advance for the last days of June and all of July. You can find them anyway if you don't, but they won't be the best or the cheaper, 'cos those will be full, specially on weekends.

Are you planning on getting an Eurrail or howerver that's called? I think in some places they let you sleep at train stations with that. I did it a couple of times with my Interrail (of course it's not the most comfortable thing but you save money and time). Another solution in this vein is taking nocturnal trains in wich you can sleep more or less comfortably (with either beds or special seats). If you have one of those special passes (Eurrail or whatev) you have to pay a little extra but it's worth it. Also, that way you can save money to spend in the most comfortable hostel you can find, because at some point of the three months you'll probably be looking for that.

I'm in town end of April 'till October, so feel free to hit me up :-P If you're staying for just a day I may even be able to accomodate (I'd offer the same for a longer stay, but believe me, my appartement is too small to accomodate 4 people comfortably for more than one or two days :-P)

Tegid: I agree that Bruges is nicer, I'm just a little bit defensive about my city...In Belgium, it's too often depicted as the ugly smog-riddled big city of horrors, and all over Europe Brussels has the name of being the place where everything bad comes from, because all governments like to pin all unpopular actions on "Europe", and, by extension "Brussels".

As for Paris...It has its good sides (I could pretty much live in the Louvre or Pompidou, and the Bastille is a great opera house), but all in all, I honestly think London is a nicer town to visit. I just don't see the magical appeal of the romantic fairytale Paris. Rome, sure. Venice, definitely. Paris? It's much like London, but with more expensive food, more impolite people, and worse public transport. And the Eiffel Tower isn't all that impressive, it's just big. If you liek big, the ESB in New York's more impressive, if you like big modern art, the Arche de la Défense is nicer (admittedly, that's in Paris too :-P). If the Atomium was a bit bigger, it'd be a heck of a lot more impressive than the Eiffel tower is. I do sort of like Paris, mind you.

Oh, and I do sort of agree with Tegid about something else: it's better to sleep cheaply for a couple of nights and then really comfortable for one, than to sleep sort-of-but-not-really comfortable all the time. Once every two weeks or month or so, go for a hotel. Helps you make human :-P

Garbledina said:

Well Brussels and Bruges are both definites. (In fact I recently watched In Bruges again, which only solidified my desire to go there. Also my desire to be a classy hitman.) And we'll have to go out for a beer if we can when I'm in Brussels, Bubble!

Paris is also definite, we're going for 3 months and it's a place we both really want to see.

As for the season, we'll be travelling end of April/early May until end of July. So, end of spring into summer.

Oh, and Lying Bastard: Well, get in line.

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That makes you not visiting Finland even worse, Garble ol' boy.

Things you'll miss:
- May Day celebrations (=students in funny costumes eating, drinking and having sex like hungry, thirsty, horny jackrabbits + a bunch of Commies remembering how good it was living next door to Soviet Union)
- Pori Jazz Festival (17-25 July)
- The Medieval Market of Turku ((1-4 July) (NOT a Renfest)

Come on, just grab a cheap ferry from Hamburg or something Or take the scenic route via Denmark and Sweden by train, with a ferry from Stockholm to either Turku or Helsinki.

Just a heads-up, though... the summer in the south is BRUTAL. Keep plenty of water bottles with you.

Drinking and sex you say?! *removes all other countries from 'May'*

I think Paris is a great visit. Lot's of nice places to see there. I don't see it as a romantic city though, never quite understood how it got known as such.

Seraphyn said:

I think Paris is a great visit. Lot's of nice places to see there. I don't see it as a romantic city though, never quite understood how it got known as such.

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Eet waaz bequauze ovv feelms by stupeed Americeens in ze fiftees

TBH, I was disappointed at how frickin' dirty Paris was, what with litter being almost constantly in your feet. Even Rome was cleaner. But from a cultural point of view, there's plenty to see in Paris besides the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre: Sacre-Coeur, Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, the Luxembourg gardens, Pére-Lachaise cemetery, Les Invalides with Napoleon's tomb, Panthéon... heck, Versailles is just a train ride away and that place is DEFINITELY worth a visit. There's also Euro-Disney, but I can't speak of that. Never been there...

Versailles we're are soooo going to see.

Also, North Ranger, it looks like in 2011 I'll be back in Europe, Norway in fact meeting a friend who will be studying abroad there and we'll probably travel to Finland, so if not this time, next time. (...Gadget, next time!)

As for Amsterdam, it's reachable from Paris or Antwerp with the HSL (high speed train). You'd be there within three hours, and a train leaves every half an hour if I'm correct. There's a lot of places that you can visit. My advice however is making your way through the downtown area without specific places in mind. Part of the appeal of Amsterdam is the atmosphere of the city, not the touristic places you can go to. Also the 'interesting' part of Amsterdam is not really huge, so two days and you'll have seen everything + have plenty of spare time. You can fit it in one day if you want.

If you'll tell me when you're there, I might be able to get some time off and give you a tour. Show you a few bars/restaurants.

Wahad said:

If you'll tell me when you're there, I might be able to get some time off and give you a tour. Show you a few bars/restaurants.

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Oh, sure, she gets offered a tour :hmpf:

Don't be jealous bubbly! I'm pretty sure you don't /need/ a tour of Amsterdam, you've probably been there more than I have.

Only once, really :-P

Wait, Garble's a she? I always thought he was... well, you got that already.

I'm so confused...

No, Garble's a he, Bubble's just messing around.

Also @Bubble well okay so you haven't been there more than I have. Whatever. But I always said you could come over if you'd let me know so :noidea:

Oh, fine. It won't be in January, though, I'll be closer to most other forumites than to you that month :-P

If you can hit Venice, it's one of my favorite cities. Just avoid any food in the main tourist areas unless you like the blandest noodles and sauce in the world.

I'm... I'm a he. Just to dismiss any confusion.



Anyways.

Venice is somewhere that seems really neat, but bland noodle sauce seems like what I might term, the enemy. Duly noted.

Venice stinks. It's beautiful, and interesting but it stinks. It's like walking around a garbage dump

(To be fair to Venice all of Italy smelled like a Garbage dump while I was there as no one had collected the garbage in some time)

Also, after going to Italy I found myself calling Italian cities by their Italian names. Weird.

Yeah, oeverall the food in Venice was unimpressive. There were a few bright spots but overall I swear no one in that city had heard of spices and just thought the wine made up for blandness.

Definitely! If I get near any Euro-forumites I'd be excited to meet them face to face; it'd be cool indeed.

Maybe we can cook up a Silver Jelly + Tegid + Denbrought experience just for you if you come to Barcelona?

Silver Jelly said:

Maybe we can cook up a Silver Jelly + Tegid + Denbrought experience just for you if you come to Barcelona?

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If I'm in the country at the time, I'm definitively up for it. It's fun to visit the tourist-ey spots from time to time, even if you live in the place.

If you order water in a restaurant, unless you want seltzer, be sure to tell them you want water without gas.

That depends on the country. In Italy it's good to remember that, in Spain you don't need to worry.

Ah! Yay, Barcelona tour halforums experience!!

Bottled water > tap water.

@Silver Jelly: Was being facetious - I'm not in the habit of kicking ANYONE. The point of the statement was to advise that beggars can be highly vindictive if not handled politely.

Officer_Charon said:

@Silver Jelly: Was being facetious - I'm not in the habit of kicking ANYONE. The point of the statement was to advise that beggars can be highly vindictive if not handled politely.

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Damn, you could have told be before I bought this sweet pair of kicking boots for future travels to the US!

He doesn't do it but you can! So, good purchase, it will be useful. (Just don't kick ME)

Chazwozel said:

If you order water in a restaurant, unless you want seltzer, be sure to tell them you want water without gas.

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I had one waiter in Italy I think where I had to clarify to "Without bubbles" though I can't remember how to say it in Italian.

Non frizzante, maybe?

"Liscia", "non frizzante" o "non gasata". Just be sure to say so. Also, if they offe ryou "ferrarelle" it means they are giving you some kind of weird hibrid, with just a little amount of gas.

Just... don't order water in Southern Europe. It's gonna be tap water and it's gonna fuck up your digestion like an elephant on Viagra.

I didn't realize how dangerous ordering water could be

Good tip. I mean, I'm usually good with our Canuck tap water, so it's something I'll keep in mind.

Well, a healthy dose of exaggeration never hurt anyone But seriously, it's better to be safe than sorry. Every country has its own sources and systems for delivering water, so there's always a different balance of pathogens. If you live in the area, you've built an immunity to it. If not, you might end up with a nasty case of traveller's tummy. Mostly in eastern Europe, though. Generally drinking water is safe in the north and the west.

Same applies to dishes where unboilt water is used. I remember once being in Ireland for a week for a round-trip. Against my usual fashion, I ate a salad in one place. The next day, I was sick as a dog. Although it could have been just a bad salad...

In Greece the tap water isn't even drinkable from what they said because there's too much calcar or something in it...

Erm... Here in Spain (or, in Catalonia/Barcelona area at least) you'll be usually served bottled water when you order water.

In the Netherlands, the tap water is actually better than bottled water.
I find Utrecht to be a much nicer place than Amsterdam (less junkies and friendlier people) and it's also quite a beautiful old city. When you're here in the Netherlands, you should definitely go to the Efteling (won best amusement park of Europe several times)

You'll probably want an InterRail ticket ( http://www.nshispeed.nl/en/global-train-passes/interrail-global-pass-europe ) which lets you use all normal-speed trains for free, but if you plan to stay in one place for a while, it might be cheaper to just buy single tickets.

Interrail is only available for people living in Interrail countries. They have also changed the way it works and it's not as worthy as before.

Anyway, for non-europeans (well, non residents) there's the Eurail. It's pricier, I think, but you may want to look into it. It also carries additional advantages like discounts or a ferry from Italy to Greece.

http://www.eurail.com/

EDIT: I did an InterRail trip once, so I've got some experience. I also got a lot of information back then before and after the trip (because I'm interested in making another one) and know a couple of fora dedicated to this. So any doubt, feel free to ask. (Eurail and InterRail are pretty similar)