European cities

[Daniel]

It's 9pm and i'm sitting on the window sill of our hotel room here in the centre of lovely Gdansk with a bottle of coke. Unlike Perth there are people out with small kids, there's music and it's just a nice place to be sitting above. What is it about continental European cities that makes them so friendly by night? If this were Perth or a lot of British cities the streets would be very dead and eerie or full of drunken yobs or a groups of slappers out on a hens night with bunny ears of some other ridiculous clothing but this is cool. I could sit here all night listening and watching if I didn't have to get up so damn early. So what's your favourite city? Personally i really like Helsinki because it's just a bit nicer than Gdansk and there isn't such a big language barrier.

[BDunnell]

I love Berlin for its fascinating history and a particular character that derives in part from that, but then I am biased, having lived there. Munich is very nice and situated in a lovely part of the world. I too love Helsinki, and rather oddly I really like Strasbourg, again partially because of the delightful surrounding region.

As for the late-night experience in mainland European cities, I couldn't agree more. It's clearly developed over many years, rather than just being a modern 'yob culture' phenomenon, as many would have it. The reasons? I'm not sure. Britain's restrictive licensing hours may have been part of it. So too might the layout of towns and cities, in some way.

[Daniel]

Perhaps it's to do with the fact that some europeans are brought up with alcohol as kids and are taught to drink in moderation whereas Australians and Brits see it as something that's forbidden and everyone always wants what is forbidden plus there are no parents there to tell you when to stop. I would have liked to pop over the border to Germany but sadly we didn't have the time. Would have been good because my German is a helluva lot better than my Polish.

[A.F.F.]

Maybe your German just needs a little Polishing.

[Daniel]

This isn't the bad joke thread you know :mark:

[J4MIE]

Helsinki gets a thumbs up from me too :up:

I also really liked Bologna and Milan :up:

I'm off to Krakow in a few weeks so will report back on that also :D I love Europe :cool:

[Daniel]

One cool thing about Poland is the communist buildings, trains and other infrastructure. I don't know why but it's just cool.

Lots of buildings here look really shabby on the outside but are really nice inside. So don't be put off by that Jamie. Be sure to bring a phrasebook as a lot of people don't speak English at all. Luckily we've had people to translate most of the time. Generally friendly people but people can be a bit rude in queues and will be happy to push in.

[J4MIE]

Poproszę jedno jabłko :)

[J4MIE]

Oh and Daniel Easyjet are starting to fly to Helsinki from Gatwick in November so should mean cheaper trips :up:

[Daniel]

Still got the faff of getting to Gatwick though. If they flew from Liverpool I'd go every weekend!

[Tomi]

Berlin is nr1 for me too of European towns, Amsterdam is nice too.
Gdansk is ok but Sopot I think is nicest of the tripple towns, but the one in Poland I like best is a small town called Jelena Gora, also Krakow is ok.

[BDunnell]

Gdansk is ok but Sopot I think is nicest of the tripple towns, but the one in Poland I like best is a small town called Jelena Gora, also Krakow is ok.

I spent a wonderful two weeks in Poland last June. I didn't go to Krakow that time (had been before) but can thoroughly recommend Gdansk and the smaller town of Malbork which is relatively nearby. And rural Poland is something else, but a bit off-topic.

[Drew]

I know it's great isn't it? You can go out and drink or you can just sit and relax in a coffee shop somewhere. I love the fact that in Spain, nothing such as "children should be seen and never heard" exists, anybody who says that is a miserable so and so.

[AndySpeed]

I'll let you know how I find Stockholm and Kiruna in about a months time, although from what I've seen of Stockholm it looks very nice.

Continental European cities definitely have a more pleasant feel, and whats better is that each one is different in its own little way.

[Azumanga Davo]

One cool thing about Poland is the communist buildings, trains and other infrastructure. I don't know why but it's just cool.

Lots of buildings here look really shabby on the outside but are really nice inside. So don't be put off by that Jamie. Be sure to bring a phrasebook as a lot of people don't speak English at all. Luckily we've had people to translate most of the time. Generally friendly people but people can be a bit rude in queues and will be happy to push in.

Entire post = East Perth train station :D

[ChrisS]

One cool thing about Poland is the communist buildings,

do you mean the Falowiec? Isnt that the longest building in Europe?

[Woodeye]

For me favourite place must be Prague. Budapest is nice also. And London. :up:

[Christina]

I love munich, Berlin, Paris, Lyon (oh my gosh the food in Lyon!!) Prague, Verona, Venice, Vienna, Graz, Helsinki and Barcelona. But not all for the same reasons. They are all lovely cities, each with a different character.

Monaco also has something special about it. Besides the fact that it's so rich and shiney.

And in almost every one i saw will smith. strange..

[pino]

I was there with my wife a month ago, for a live concert at the Arena of our fave italian Band, and we both fell in love with this City. It's beautiful, organized, clean, very romantic, and the food is excellent :lips: We were there only 3 days but defenitely we will return and spend at least 1 week. BTW we were also in Venice but it didn't impress us as much as Verona did :p :

[Eki]

So what's your favourite city? Personally i really like Helsinki because it's just a bit nicer than Gdansk and there isn't such a big language barrier.
I was in Cracow, Poland once. Very nice city, but outside the hotel very few spoke English. Even an old taxi-driver insisted on speaking German, and we know that the Poles don't like the Germans much, because of what happened about 60 to 70 years ago.

Reykjavik was nice. No language problems, nice people, and not too big and busy, so they could let their cats roam free.

[ioan]

I've seen a few of them, and I liked almost all of them European cities.

Krakow is excellent, the inner city is wonderful, and make sure to visit the old Jewish quarter.
From the German cities only had time to visit Stuttgart, but I had some luck and it was when they had one big festival! It was very nice.
Budapest is one city you must visit if you want to have good fun. Nightlife is excellent!

Strasbourg is another wonderful European city, a must see. Don't know much about the nightlife though.
Bordeaux is even better. I lived there for 2 years. It was wonderful, make sure you take your time and visit it thoroughly. For the nightlife, there a are a few Brazilian restaurants that offer plenty of quality food and show! ;)

The one I like most, up to now, is Vienna! There's everything you might need! :)

[Roamy]

I like Lisboa, Barcelona, Madrid, florence Duseldorf in no particular order.

[jso1985]

I'll let you know how I find Stockholm and Kiruna in about a months time, although from what I've seen of Stockholm it looks very nice.

Continental European cities definitely have a more pleasant feel, and whats better is that each one is different in its own little way.

You get an unique feeling in Kiruna when at 2AM you can go out and have a drink in a park and there's quite lots of people there and there's sunlight.
But that's only if you go in June-July. in September I guess it's actually quite dark all day.

but if you're there already I suggest to take a trip to the most lovely town I have seen in my life, Narvik :up:

[A.F.F.]

but if you're there already I suggest to take a trip to the most lovely town I have seen in my life, Narvik :up:

But don't forget to fuel up before you go because there's no gas stations between Kiruna and Narvik :mark:

[jso1985]

there's was one(back in 2004) in the Abisko National Park.

[gm99]

Paris and London are all-time favorites of mine.
I really enjoyed Barcelona & Helsinki as well.

I might like Vienna if I hadn't lived there for the past nine years ;)

The cities that really disappointed me were Amsterdam and Brussels - both are rather filthy.

[J4MIE]

Tallinn's old town :up:

[gadjo_dilo]

What is it about continental European cities that makes them so friendly by night? If this were Perth or a lot of British cities the streets would be very dead and eerie or full of drunken yobs or a groups of slappers out on a hens night with bunny ears of some other ridiculous clothing but this is cool.
I can't believe I found this topic exactly this morning when my dear city has brought me on the edge of a nerve crise.
Not all the continental cities are friendly by night. I live in one of the most fashionable part of Bucharest where streets are supposed to be quiet, safe and clean ( at least if you take after the level of taxes we have to pay ). However I have the bad luck to live near a night club. I hear the music through the walls 5 nights/week. The clients are uneducated teenagers who use to drink and smoke in the street making a lot of noise. Sometimes they pee in the streets, break bottles and play football with plastic pets. The nights always end with a fight, a threate or a terrible quarrel. Ironically the police station is just 50 m away but they don't do nothing.
During the day it's time for the gipsies on the street to shout or to play their impossible music loudly. On the other hand another teenie gang use to ride their motor bikes and ATV's making noise at purpose.
I can't see how I can get out of this, I'm so unhappy that I want to die.....
Sometimes I wish I could retire in a small quiet city on the meditranean sea. But then the thought of other anxieties.....

[ioan]

I forgot to mention Zurich in my previous post!
That's one city that is alive at night. I've found it magnificent each and every time I was there! :)

[Rudy Tamasz]

Vienna is very comfortable, as if you're taking a hot bath. Budapest has a special feel. Minsk is schizophrenically clean and has some nice Soviet time architecture.

[Erki]

Tallinn's old town :up:

Now finally I can second you... :)

[dc10]

Munich, Amsterdam and Barcelona are my faves (of all cities I have visited).