I’m traveling internationally for the first time and could use tips!
Hello! I’m finally going on an international trip! I live in the US and have always wanted to go to Europe. In June, I’ll be spending two weeks there in Norway, Amsterdam, and Germany!
My plane tickets are purchased and I’m starting to form my itinerary and am willing to take advice on travel tips or if people have any specific recommendations for things to do!
I’m a woman traveling solo. When I travel, I tend to plan one or two specific things a day and then just figure out the rest, I’m pretty flexible. I am high energy when I travel, though, so even if I only plan one thing a day in the months prior, I can easily spend 10 hours a day exploring. I also like to see a few typical tourist things, but I also want to experience what actual local culture is, I don’t want to only spend my time in the places that only tourists go to. I want to talk to locals and even though I know I’ll stick out like a sore thumb, I want to get some sampling of what life is like in the places I travel to.
I usually travel light, just a backpack, but may need another carry on bag for this trip. If I spend a couple nights in on hostel, do they usually have secure storage or anything? My worry about an extra bag is it being inconvenient since I don’t want to bring it around cities with me. I guess even if I’m in a hotel, I have the window between check out times and getting to my next destination… I guess that’s why I normally like just having a backpack, but let me know if that’s a bad idea and you think I should have a second bag.
The things I’d be looking for advice on are things like hostels vs hotels, should I book hostels/hotels ahead of time or fly by the seat of my pants, how easy is doing laundry, what little things have I forgotten (like making sure my phone plan works internationally, which it does), etc, as well as any recommendations for specific attractions, museums, or restaurants to visit!
The loose plan is that I land in Oslo, spend a few days there, take the train to Trondheim and spend a day or two there. I think then I’ll rent a car so that I can get to Stenkjer (small town, but it’s where my family emigrated from, so I want to see it) and then travel down the west coast, stopping at cool nature spots, and ending up in Bergen or Stavanger for a couple days. I’m planning about a week in Norway.
I then plan on flying to Amsterdam and spending 2-3 days there. I really don’t know that much about the city besides what touristy things friends and family have done. I will be visiting De Poezenboot, but am otherwise all ears.
I will then be renting a car and traveling to the Nürburgring so that I can race a car around it. Then I’ll have 3.5 days to road trip east across Germany, see some castles, and fly back home from Berlin.
I am extremely into cars and motorsports, so I imagine there’s no shortage of museums I can visit in Germany, but I also want to see a few castles as well, so I’m unsure if I’ll have one or two full days in Berlin, yet. I’ll be flying out of Berlin at 9:30am on my departure day.
I don't have the time for a long response right now and by the time I do you probably have plenty of answers but I'd like to at least impart a little wisdom:
Keep your itinerary loose. Americans tend to cram their itinerary so full they keep running from one place to the next. You already mention doing two things at most, so that's probably fine, but I would still like to caution against it.
Public transport will get you to most places in any of your locations.
Yeah, I knew transit was much better in Europe, but I didn’t expect there to be a train or a bus to basically every city I checked, it’s kind of insane (and awesome)!
I noticed flights are also cheap and frequent. I’m guessing for a flight from Bergen to Amsterdam or Stavanger to Amsterdam that I probably don’t have to book weeks in advance?
One quick tip for Norway. There is an absolutely incredible train route that runs between Bergen and Oslo that goes high into the mountains. Gorgeous scenery throughout. Plenty of hiking opportunities in Bergen too.
Also, beware rush hour in Oslo and be sure to reserve a train seat in advance.
Public transit varies across countries but once you get to Germany consider grabbing a Deutschlandticket so you can use all the local transit and regional trains (but not IC or ICE) for a flat fee of 63€.
“Mopla” is available in the US App Store for iOS (don’t know about android but should be) and accepts credit cards for payment.
Driving gives you a more flexibility but parking and fuel can be super expensive and might not be any faster or convenient.
That's good advice! I'm planning to drive in Germany because I can rent something like a BMW 3 series or 4 series coupe and it would just be a vibe to cruise around in that. But we'll see what the cost is, because that's going to be like 100-150 USD a day just for the rental. It may be a good option if I want to see a number of small towns and castles and stuff, but if I do get a rental, I plan on dropping it off as soon as I get to Berlin, rather than needing it the rest of my trip.
I do want to experience as much public transit as possible. I loved the transit options in NYC and Chicago when I visited those places, so I'll be blown away by the parts of Europe I'm going to. I just also want to do some driving as I love cars :)
Vibes can be worth it. To help you plan, converting units and currency, gas is more than $9.00/gallon currently.
Yeah, that's pretty rough. I get special gas for my Miata in the US and even that is "only" about $5.00 USD per gallon (non oxy premium). I can easily take a train to Steinkjer, but it looks like rental cars are expensive in Norway to begin with. Picking one up in Trondheim instead of Oslo doubles the price. If I pick one up in Oslo instead of taking the train to Steinkjer, I'm looking at at least $500 over 3-4 days. I do have EV's as an option, though I heard (maybe it's not true) from a travel video that Norway's EV infrastructure can be confusing to tourists.
In any case, getting to Steinkjer via transit isn't an issue, but then getting to Alesund, Bergen, or Stavanger is more of the issue if I don't have a car. All of them have transit options from Trondheim, but it's much longer than driving. I can make that work, it just leaves me with one less day to explore, I think.
I'll have to plan it out and keep my eyes on deals. I think the worst case scenario is that I don't drive in Norway, spend only about an extra 8 hours in the country doing transit instead (but save a ton of money), and I'll still see some fantastic sights even if I'm not driving up a mountain, myself. I think either way I can visit Trondheim, Steinkjer, and Bergen (or Stavanger) as planned.
I know that I could stick to Oslo, Bergen, and Stavanger and get plenty out of my week in Norway, but I think I'd feel like I missed out if I don't go to Trondheim and Steinkjer.
Im a huge fan of views from trains.
Hello from Berlin!
Honestly, go by train. No hassle with parking, you can enjoy the scenery while staring out of the window with a coffee. The train station is generally in the city center, and you can take a tram/subway/walk to your hostel. German trains have the habit of being delayed, so if you manage try to get a route where you don't need to catch a connection, that makes it more relaxed.
Fewer bags is better, don't forgot you can buy stuff you forgot here, too :) Is just makes travel easier (every airport here has excellent public transport options, there's zero need to ever get a taxi, but you do have to carry stuff a bit).
I personally avoid hotels, since there's just no social life. I'm too old for bunk beds in hostels, but I often go for a private room in a hostel nowadays, which is still fun hostel-ly, but I don't have to deal with 18 year olds. Try to find something with a place where you can hang out downstairs. They come in 100%-party-style to super quit small ones, so pick whatever you like. If you want to play it safe you can go with a bigger chain like Generator.
I agree that the train will be convenient and cheaper and I definitely won’t drive in cities. I need a rental car to get to the Nürburgring reliably, at least. There are some specific castles I want to see that seem to be inconvenient to reach via mass transit, which is why I’m planning on keeping the car for a couple more days (and so I can drive on the unrestricted parts of the autobahn, I am a car person). That said, the rental + fuel is expensive so we’ll see if I change my mind on that and just take the train.
As long as you're having fun, all good! Enjoy Europe!
I live in this area of the world and I would advise against trying to do everything with trains. I think you are spot on with your plan to rent a car to be able to visit certain places. Even driving around in cities isn’t a huge deal and will get you door to door quicker. Although big cities are generally expensive to park in. But €6 an hour also isn’t the end of the world if it’s for a couple of days. I think most cities will have day passes, which will make it a bit more palatable.
I would absolutely not recommend driving within Berlin -- traffic can be a nightmare and in the unlikely scenario you actually need a car rather than public transport, the local taxi drivers will navigate it better than you. Trying to navigate Berlin by car as a tourist would be deliberately picking the most frustrating mode of transport possible, especially given how many tourist attractions in Berlin are near each other and how generally good the public transit is near them. Even completely ignoring the cost of parking, it's just unnecessarily making your experience worse.
But between cities, I agree with you that driving is often more comfortable and convenient than train travel, depending on the route and which attractions you're aiming for ofc. To visit castles as described I think renting a car is probably the best choice.
Go sightseeing in Berlin with a car, I agree is a terrible idea. But driving into the city to get to a hotel, why not. Maybe my comment wasn’t clear enough.
Keep in mind that lowcoster flights like Ryanair or easyJet are sometimes cheaper and faster than taking the train (and sometimes not), so make sure to check out both options
Faster and cheaper, but short flights have a much larger impact on the environment so it’s also better for the planet to avoid planes if alternatives are available.
Some small things I didn't really expect, as an American:
Germans are very serious about things like not crossing streets when the pedestrian light is red, even if there isn't a vehicle in sight.
The default "right turn on red is okay unless otherwise stated" is reversed: assume you cannot turn right at red lights unless it's posted that you can.
On the Autobahn, you should always be in the rightmost lane whenever you are able. It likely means you will spend plenty of time changing lanes, but Germans are also generally sticklers about this. (You probably won't get arrested or pulled over unless particularly egregious, but they will be judging you if you aren't.)
If you drink soda, at all: plastic soda bottles are recycled (as in "returned, washed, and refilled") and there is a deposit built into the price.
If you "cheers" (Prost), you are obligated to clink glasses with each person and make eye contact with them as you do so.
Toilets generally have two buttons for flushing: a "big" flush for #2s, and a "little" flush for #1s.
Before we got together, my wife spent several years in Germany after college. I'll check with her to see what other things she remembers being surprising.
I already drive like that and obey crosswalks, so it sounds like I’m fine! I also Prost as well, ha
This applies to any bottled drink, including water and beer as well, not just soda. There are bottles without a deposit, but they're rarer and I doubt you'll encounter one as a tourist (unless they're more common for beer or something else I don't drink). If you don't care about getting your deposit back and just want to dispose of a bottle so you aren't carrying it around (a common experience as a tourist I feel), you can usually set it next to the trash can, especially in places like train stations. People who need the money will often go around picking up these bottles to get the deposits, and it's easier for them if they don't have to dig through the trash for them.
Not in Berlin :)
They're definitely more serious in Berlin than most places outside Germany, but yeah they definitely don't take it as seriously as I was warned before I moved to Germany. Even in smaller towns my experience is that there aren't actually any consequences to crossing when the light is red beyond potentially getting looks of disapproval from bystanders. Up to you how much you care about those.
I got shouted at more than once in Berlin while crossing the street on red. Das ist roooot, as no traffic whatsoever was driving nearby.
Oh absolutely check out car museums, there should be plenty on your route in Germany.
Depending on when you're in Germany, look up if any Volksfests (think Oktoberfest, but much smaller and less touristy) are happening near your route - basically any bigger city will have one during the summer, you can look up the dates for ones on your route. They're a great way to enjoy the culture and meet locals.
On the car topic, I know near me there is an Oldtimer meetup that happens every so often, might be worth googling for that sort of stuff as well, if its something you enjoy
A Volksfest sounds like exactly something I’d want to do. I would love nothing more than to attend a festival and have some food and beer!
You don't have to tip, except if you really really think the service was above and beyond what you paid.
Thank god. I hate tipping culture in the US. Pay your damn employees! A few restaurants in Minneapolis have started going tip-free.
I will say this differs between the countries you're traveling to -- in Germany, I think small tips, usually no more than 5% or rounding to a nearby even amount of euros, is a thing, though you're not remotely obligated to do so. My impression from my Norwegian former in-laws is that tips are much more straight-up not a thing at all there. A waitress at a touristy place in Berlin did once try to verbally shame said former in-laws into tipping, but it didn't work lmao.
Financial advice: most of Europe will accept your Visa or Mastercard branded cards (less with Amex and almost no Discover coverage), but check with your bank/CU/card company about international acceptance, fees and currency conversion policy.
Make sure to put in your travel notices with those companies before your trip so your card is not locked. Take a backup card or two if you have it, just in case.
I am paranoid, I always like having a little cash on me. Getting foreign currency in the US is expensive and annoying, so I just use an ATM card as soon as I can to have pocket money just in case.
For the best rates/conversion, consider getting a Wise (https://wise.com) or Revolut (https://www.revolut.com) account for their currency/debit card. You can then deposit US and then spend or withdraw from ATMs almost anywhere. Very slick, very handy and you can "preload" it so you don't have to worry about your main bank account being drained. These take time to order, so get started sooner verses later.
Any time a credit card machine or ATM offers to convert your currency for you (Euro charge to Dollars), it's always a bad idea. They charge a fee and use a bad conversion rate, so you get doubly taken. The also make it confusing so you pick the wrong one! Use your phone's translate from camera option (in Google Translate or Apple's Translate app) to screenshot the ATM screen to figure out what they're trying to say.
Keep in a password safe contact numbers for all your banks and credit card companies, along with account numbers so if you do lose your wallet you can call to freeze the account as quickly as possible.
I've never been to Germany (so I don't know if the pickpocket and street grab danger is the same as other parts of Europe), but in general I recommend keeping your phone on a lanyard (neck or wrist) so it can't be grabbed and keeping your passport and main wallet under your shirt or inside your pants. Search "hidden travel wallet" for what I mean. Even if you carry a purse, keep your phone, passport and important cards close.
Oh, also: Many (most?) parts of Europe doesn't do washcloths or dryers in hotels. Bring easy to dry fabrics and some kind of reusable body scrubber in your cosmetics bag.
That's all that comes to mind right now, but if I think of anything else I'll add on here. Congratulations on getting your first passport stamp and have the greatest of time on your trip!
It really varies. Some extremely touristy places (e.g. relevant parts of Paris, Rome, Prague, etc.) are relatively high-risk for petty crime for easy targets (incl. tourists), and so are some of the more "ghetto" areas inside specific major cities, but in my experience that's more or less it - it's not like we all get robbed as soon as we exit the plane/train. And the risk level quite varies per country too.
Thanks for the advice! I actually have a waist pack I’ll be wearing because it will fit my passport, wallet, phone, and a water bottle and be secure. I don’t want to carry a backpack with me 100% of the time, so it works out nicely, even if I’ll look like a dork, ha.
Getting cash from ATMs in Europe can be somewhat risky, since there's an absolute glut of shitty Euronet ATMs that absolutely are big scam risks and tend to target tourists -- eorse than just the usual bad exchange rate alone afaik. From my experience, you will never need cash in Norway, but you might need a little in Germany, especially in Berlin (though most places do take card these days. döner kebab places only take cash). But try to seek out an ATM where bad exchange rates and fees are less of a risk than Euronet if you can. Doing so can be difficult, but I cannot exaggerate how much of a blight Euronet is. I think which bank's ATM is best for that may depend on what bank you use in the US and it may be different with things like Wise or Revolut though. I know similar digital banks (I have a Klarna card that I think works similarly) often give you a limited number of free withdrawals that work at any bank's ATM, so you can scope out one from Commerzbank or Sparkasse or Berliner Volksbank without fear.
Pickpocketing is basically non-existent in Berlin, so I assume it's also not much of a thing elsewhere in Germany. Doesn't hurt to over-prepare on that front, though.
If using Wise, I'd note that Wise has a extremely low withdrawal limit before it starts charging a percentage fee for withdrawals.
Checking for my account, for example, it charges a 2% ATM withdrawal fee after 100 USD equivalent per month. On top of that, it charges a $1.50 per withdrawal fee after two withdrawals per month, and there is then any ATM-owner fee. Wise seems to be trying to discourage cash withdrawals and encourage card use without explicitly saying so. With the addition of deposit fees and conversion fees, Wise is probably more expensive for cash withdrawals than just using a normal US debit card.
Great point - I was going to comment this if nobody else had. I think it'd be worth taking a relatively close look at the T&Cs of both Revolut and Wise's payments/withdrawals, especially in a foreign currency context, to avoid getting burned.
I lived in France for a year and did a bunch of travelling. I can't speak to hostels in your areas, but hostels in Europe are generally fantastic. You shouldn't have. Problem locking things up. As a rule, hostels provide some locker or something to lock up luggage. Bring a padlock and be prepared to have to buy padlocks from the hostels. Some have really weird rules, or locks small enough you can't fit your own padlock in. Honestly I have felt almost all of the hostels in Europe to be safe and trustworthy enough that I could have left my stuff out without a problem, but I can't recommend that of course.
I can highly recommend hostels over hotels for a single traveler. You can save so much money. I would recommend looking for hostels with smaller rooms. My favorites are the ones that have 4-6 people per room, not the ones larger dorm rooms. I also vastly prefer when rooms have an ensuite bathroom. It just makes everything easier. I would also recommend prebuying rooms, not looking for them day of. It's definitely possible, but I personally don't like the uncertainty, and you probably want to spend time exploring, not trying to find a bed for the night. Most hostels will let you stash a bad somewhere before/after checkout, but it often costs money.
Your way of traveling sounds very similar to mine. Plan a few big things and backfill the rest of the day as desired. It works really well in Europe. One thing to keep in mind, beware of Sundays. Everywhere I have been to in Europe seems to shut down entirely on Sundays. Don't plan to do much more than walk around and explore.
I'll also highly recommend hostels over hotels in Europe. People are keen to hang out, go on adventures together and have fun. OP, be sure to see whether the hostels you have in mind cater to your age group.
You people are way more trusting of strangers than me.
It's such a leap of faith, I feel. For many, hostels are only do-able with a private room. I was nearly 40 when I slept in a dorm in France, and it was a little weird, but I wanted to do it one last time.
... And I always carry a chainsaw with me wherever I go, so with that in my bunk, I feel totally safe.
Yeah, I really want to talk to other people and see what they're doing on their own adventures. I'm 33, so I think I fall nicely into both the younger crowd and middle aged crowd.
Oh yeah, that's perfect. You'll have a blast!
Thanks for the advice! I do definitely want to do hostels over hotels when able. I want the chance to connect with some other travelers! That’s good to know they usually have secure storage and that I should probably look to book ahead. I also don’t really ever do much in hotels besides sleep, maybe decompress after a long day, and I don’t require much bathroom time to get ready, so the shared accommodations don’t bother me.
Are there specific hostel booking sites? I looked on some hotel booking sites I usually use and the hostels option seemed limited, so I’m guessing I can find another site for that.
Good to mention sundays! I wouldn’t have thought of that, honestly. I’ll have to make sure on my saturdays there to get some food for Sunday unless I see some restaurants that stay open.
You can typically get food on sundays. It's mostly just museums/attractions/other things tourists are interested in. If you are trying to get groceries instead of going to restaurants, that will be more of an issue on Sundays. Especially in France, grocery stores have very limited Sunday hours. But for restaurants you should be fine. (Of course I haven't been to the areas you are going to, so YMMV.)
For hostels, I just stick with hostelworld.com. You can typically get slightly cheaper prices by going directly to the hostel website, but hostel world has good buyer protections and a generally better website. I use hostel world for hostels I haven't been to, and direct booking if I already know that hostel.
Have fun! Europe is amazing.
Germany is much worse for Sunday grocery shopping than France imo, as grocery stores are required to close entirely on Sundays, not just have limited hours. That said, as a tourist you're more likely to eat out at restaurants or cafes and not suffer from that particular limitation, ofc.
Required to close? Interesting. I had no idea. Most places in France seemed like 8-12 was good on Saturday. Good to know if I ever go back.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:European_countries_with_large_supermarkets_open_on_Sundays.png
The key to the colors isn't part of the png file! That's tragic.
Saturdays usually have normal hours in Germany, but on Sundays grocery stores are legally required to be closed. Some corner stores that sell snacks and liquor are open on Sundays but iirc even they aren't supposed to be. Restaurants tend to be open on Sundays and then often close on Monday or Tuesday instead.
2-3 days in Amsterdam and 3.5 days in Germany is a very optimistic schedule. Beware that this will most likely mean you are going to be rushing through both countries with little time to take it all in. A week in Norway sounds more reasonable but it's a huge country and a couple days in Oslo + a few days in Trondheim + your home town + a road trip along the coast to Bergen quickly adds up to a very tight schedule as well.
Someone already pointed out to keep itinerary loose but I just wanted to echo it that it sounds pretty tight.
As to what to do in Amsterdam, I'd highly recommend the Rijksmuseum! Can easily spend several hours there - you'll probably end up with some kind of sensory overload/cultural fullness before you've seen all you want to check out in there.
Yeah, I’m aware that I’m only scratching the surface of the Netherlands and Germany. I don’t know when the next time is that I’ll get to go to Europe, so I wanted a “sampler platter” this time.
+1 Rijksmuseum
I will check out the Rijksmuseum! I also have De Poezenboot on my list! Who doesn't love a cat boat?!
Oh and Zaanse Schans is a usual tourist recommendation but I'd think twice about that one. Most touristy thing I've ever been to, and it was outside busy hours, but it was still ridiculous. It was beautiful but not enjoyable at all.
I like this place a lot (though I find the entrance fee very steep): https://opsolder.nl/en/ (it's very small). Also the hortus (plants, a lovely greenhouse, and a very nice little cafe): https://www.dehortus.nl/en/
The ferries to "Noord" (the "other" side of A'dam) are free, go very often, and are just ferry fun to take as a little free boat ride over the IJ-river.
Norway is expensive.
Oslo is well worth a couple days. Oslo is very touristy,
If you like castles, the Akershus Castle is the best you'll get in Norway. I recommend the National museum (skip the Munch museum), 22nd of July museum, The Vigeland park (Skip the museum), walk to the Opera house (the food is amazing, but expensive). Taking the tram to the Holmenkollen ski jump (and museum) gives amazing views if the weather's good.
If you want to see old Norwegiany stuff, the Norsk folkemuseum is interesting. Don't waste your time with boats or the Oslo-fjord. Sadly the viking ship museum is closed and being rebuilt. It's one of a kind in the world. That'll be for another time.
Trondheim: You don't need tips for things to do here. The city is very walkable. Just do whatever. Good call on taking the train from Oslo to Trondheim. It's beautiful. The easiest way of getting from Trondheim to Steinkjer is also by train (and is quite scenic along the fjord).
However, in the northern parts of Trøndelag (around Steinkjer) you're gonna need a car. To see things. In Steinkjer the Egge museum is worth it for local history, Stiklestad national culture center is okay, do vist the Bardal ancient rock carvings to see them for yourself.
It's good you have a car in Steinkjer, because going south, you get to go scenic driving along fjords without the crazy traffic in the Bergen-Stavanger area. You like driving. I highly recommend driving from Steinkjer, along the northern side of the Trondheim fjord and to Ålesund (route google maps). There are plenty of worthwhile stops, much less folks here you can see rock carvings etc. if you split this transit into two days. You'll get traditional Norwegian car ferry culture. Do leave your car and talk to people on the boats.
If you're lucky, the local strawberries will be ripe when you're there. Buy some from any place with a strawberry sign along the road.
It's much better to take a day trip from Ålesund by the big touristy fjord boats either to the Geiranger fjord or Hjørund fjord (website than traveling the coast by these boats ( it's oh so touristy and the stops are too short in port).
Ålesund itself is also quite a special city due to the way it's situated. A bike trip from the city center to the Atlanterhavsparken aquarium, or just to go to the beach or for a walk there if the weather's nice.
Both Bergen and Stavanger are nice cities, but you dont need to spend more than a day there. I'd much rather spend the time along the coast, taking a day for a hike or similar.
(feel free to reach out if you want more details/stuff regarding travel in Norway)
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam cannot be missed. It's absolutely spectacular if you're into paintings.
I was out and about earlier so didn't have much more to say at the time than thank you.
So, there was a shop in Trondheim with my uncommon (both for the US and for Norway) last name on there, but they're sadly closed permanently, it seems. Maybe the signage is still there and I can take a selfie, ha. I also have two people that share my exact name in Norway and Sweden that I messaged years ago that never got back to me. I didn't intend on like... visiting totally random strangers this visit, just an anecdote that even though I've never been to Norway, it's cool that I'm going to the place my family came from not all that long ago.
It would be long gone, but I also mapped out where my family's farmsteads would have been going back to the last 1600's, so I do actually know where my roots are from and that's why I wanted to check out Steinkjer. I actually painted their old coat of arms (white star on a blue field) on my shield when I was going viking reenactment stuff. I know it's probably not as exciting of a city, but it will still be cool to see a smaller town and just smell the same air my ancestors did.
This is really cool and will make it a really special moment. I love the idea of it, you'll definitely feel something when you stop and think about that. I hope you have a really great time with your sampler platter!!
Holy crap, this is amazing advice! It’s a shame the Viking boat museum is closed, as that’s one of the top things I would have wanted to see, but I’m sure there are many other Viking museums. I used to do Viking reenactment and we have a Swedish institute in Minneapolis that often gets cool exhibits.
Good to know I seemingly have a good plan for exploring Norway! I do like driving and road trips, so I’m really looking forward to driving along the fjords and taking ferries!
Another thing to mention about Norway which I haven't seen in this massive thread yet (might have missed it)
Watch out for Sunday here, almost everything is shut. You'll get like essentials (gas stations, there's special "Sunday stores" with limited hours and some restaurants open, but almost everything non essential is closed. I got caught out the first time I arrived in Norway to visit and tried to get some shopping in Oslo, ended up having to walk pretty far to find somewhere to get food lol.
Ugh... So renting a car might be too expensive for me to do and it looks like the train line to Trondheim and Steinkjer is interrupted from landslides or something. There are replacement busses, but we'll see if those are running on the dates I would need them to. I can always fly to Trondheim instead or cut out the Steinkjer portion (the replacement busses add time), but I do want to have a train ride on this trip. I'll hope that the routes can be fixed. Either that or I could consider cutting the Trondheim/Steinkjer leg and doing the train to Bergen from Oslo. I don't necessarily want to cut out the Trondheim leg, but I might have to make a compromise somewhere.
Replacement busses run for every train departure. They make the trip take about 45 minutes more, according to the website. (2 hours 45, rather than 2 hours).
A much cheaper, yet still scenic alternative from Trondheim to Ålesund is taking the commuter boat from Trondheim to Kristiansund (around 4 hours, around $80, planner website) and then the bus from Kristiansund to Ålesund ( around 4 hours, $15, planner website)
(you can plan this as a single trip and do it in a day, just wanted to highlight the two two sections).
If part of the reason for going to Norway was seeing where your family's from, wouldn't it be a shame cutting that? I'd rather cut time from Oslo/Bergen to see more rural areas, based on your listed interests. Cities are also everywhere. European capitols aren't that different, but they're very different to US cities for sure.
Yeah, I agree with you. I will just need to do some more research on the transit options closer to my travel date and plan it well. I think I can make it all happen, but if I have to cut something, I’ll cut out a day from the Bergen portion. I was having a frantic night last night and freaking out about all the planning needed, but I planned out the second half of my trip and feel a lot better that half the work is done now.
Good advice!
I came here to add that (in my opinion) Norwegian tourism isn't great in the cities. Bergan is fine, I hated Oslo personally.
The real good stuff is outside the cities exploring (and the small towns and villages). If you like walking/hiking it's wonderful for going place to place and getting amazing views.
That's not to say there isn't good things to see in the cities, but compared to other European cities it's not got the same quantity of stuff to do honestly.
walk on the Opera house ;)
I’m also hoping people won’t hate me in Europe for being possibly obviously American, I hate our government, too! I should get a Minnesota flag patch for my backpack so that maybe people think I’m one of the good ones (I know I’m overthinking it and that most people probably won’t care).
No European will recognize the Minnesota flag lol. I had to look it up - looks pretty cool.
I expect not, but I've been meaning to get a MN flag patch anyways. There is, maybe unsurprisingly given the state of the US, a culture war over our new flag, actually. Of course Trumpers think it's a woke somalian flag, ugh. We even had a city pass a bill so that that city will go back to using the old flag...
If you already drive using left only to pass, even in America, I'll digitally lend you my Canadian "flag on your backpack" pass and endorse you as honorary Canadian traveling through Europe.
You'll be fine! Assholes are assholes regardless of nationality, so it's not like you can avoid them by staying at home, and anyone who isn't an asshole is very aware of the fact that individuals are not their government.
I mean this with love: I think you might actually be genuinely relieved when you get a change of scenery and see that people don't care quite as much as you might think about the US as a whole, let alone the fact you happen to be from there. Problems closer to each of us absolutely fill our view, to the exclusion of anything else, and that's totally natural. The US's problems right now genuinely are pretty catastrophic for the country and seriously damaging for the world. Of course they're on people's minds. But ultimately all the rest of us out here have got our own shit going on too, positive and negative, and I think it might help you take a breath when you see that the problem filling your view is a bit more peripheral in ours.
For what it's worth I follow US and international politics closely, used to live there, and travelled over multiple times per year until the current administration took over. I've seen a whole lot of footage and discussion around the various protests, and totally get the context of why that's the patch you'd go for. And I still wouldn't be able to identify a Minnesota flag on sight without looking it up ;) Having done so, I think it was also one that CGP Grey called out as a good design and I still forgot it!
Come, chill, enjoy yourself, and take comfort in the fact that we're still bickering amongst ourselves about a thousand things closer to home before we notice you!
Yeah, I'm not actually worried about it, I just wanted to meme. I know the majority of people won't care, I'm just pretty self conscious of myself sometimes (I'm also fat, so I'll stick out more in Europe than here), but most people just want to go about their lives and don't really care.
Just avoiding the tropes for Americans and you will be fine. Don't be loud or rude and give people their personal space and they won't care. Hell, when I was in Germany last, people kept asking me stuff in German, likely because I gave physical indication that I was closer to one of them than a tourist.
You need yo go do the German or autistic test thats floating about here
I did that last night. I registered a strong "Both"
I already want my own personal space and give others theirs. I don’t small talk with strangers and I am not boisterous, so I guess I’m already partly there!
This is one thing I was going to mention. If you interact with people a lot as an American traveling in the last 10 years, you will have to answer for Donald Trump every now and again. A lot of Europeans will assume you voted for him or support his policies, and you'll sort of have to prove that you didn't and don't.
I've found that most Europeans understand that by the very fact that you chose to travel outside the US, you're much less likely to be a Trump supporter/American exceptionalist or whatever, but some don't. I haven't traveled outside the US during this term, but I did during the last one, and I can only imagine it's gotten worse.
I'd just make sure to have a canned outline of what you're going to say in these circumstances if you hate confrontation as I do. The German stereotype of directness has some merit, and some Germans will feel completely comfortable asking questions like "what do you think about what Donald Trump is doing to the world" to a total stranger.
Every interaction I've had like that has ended well, and people understand that not everyone in the US hates NATO, Europe, or any country that's not America, but sometimes it takes a bit of convincing.
I've heard of people pretending they're Canadian, which would totally work; the differences between Canadian and American accents are so subtle that very few Europeans would be able to tell the difference; but when I travel one of my goals is to connect with people, and lying about my fundemental identity goes completely against that, so I wouldn't recommend it for anyone.
Yeah, I don't think I've ever had a european assume I supported Trump, but I have definitely been asked what I think of him/whatever recent BS he did by Germans who hear I'm American. But while they're direct, Germans have in my experience been pretty polite in how they approach asking about my relationship to US politics. They usually accept pretty vague answers like "Yep not a huge fan, shit sucks 😬", so I think you can typically get by without any particularly deep political discussion (unless you want to have one, of course).
Norwegians tend to avoid talking about their political views amongst each other as I understand it, and I haven't been asked about politics even by my former in-laws, so you're more likely to be fine avoiding the topic there than in Germany or the Netherlands, but I think in all these places the conversation is very unlikely to get heated or hostile.
Well, if this even comes up, it’s very easy for me to be honest about my opinion on US politics and I think most Europeans or other travelers would be pleased with my answer :)
It's definitely tourist-y, but you just happen to be in Amsterdam at the right time for the Dutch flower garden at Keukenhof; it's only open for 2 months a year, and late April to mid-May is around the perfect time to visit. If you can find the time, I'd recommend that.
Edit: I just realized we don't actually know when you're going. So, as it applies to your trip...
I’ll be in Amsterdam in mid June, so too late for that, but I’m sure I’ll still see some spectacular gardens!
So I'm gonna be the buzzkill right now but keep in mind the oil shock the world is currently experiencing. I think you should still be OK round June but its worth thinking that things might be more expensive due to less tourists due to flight cancellations. I'm starting to hear about people cancelling holidays abroad and just doing something locally.
In saying that you might be able to take advantage of the fact that maybe there's less people so shorter queues haha. Either way keep it easy and go with the flow and you will have a great time.
I’m aware of the cost, but I’ve been putting off this trip for 8 years for one thing or another. I’m just doing it.
Haven't done any touring in a while so maybe things have changed, but there were some pretty convincing scams when I used to travel EU. It was actually a lot more convincing than some of the stuff I've seen in the US and East Asia so keep an eye out. Money exchange, tickets for free attractions, fake IPD services... They all used signage that looked pretty official and I hope that was cracked down on.
Besides that. I honestly prefer Europe in summer and 2 or 3 days a place doesn't sound like nearly enough. You could spend a week just wandering around Amsterdam with a small camera and visiting random coffee shops.
Some things I would recommend in Norway:
If you end up in Bergen, take the train going out to Myrdal for a beautiful 2hr route. Wander around for a few hours. Get lost. Find a random shack/cafe/restaurant thing (think it was call Ralliroza). Yes, it looks like a horror movie trap but they have the best crapes and jam so it's worth the risk. Sit by the river for while.
Also while it's not a castle, there's the Damsguard Mansion in Bergen which is probably the weirdest historic places I've ever been. Like a hunted house that's a little too effective.
And in Oslo, the Ekeberg Sculpture Garden is an amazing day out.
Here are two websites I found recently which don't seem to be well known but have been very helpful for trip planning for me
https://ikuyo.kenrick95.org/
This is a very nice itinerary planning app, I found it very useful. It's also a hobby project of one guy, so when I was using it to plan a trip I made some feature requests and the developer literally just added them to the app within a few days, that was very cool.
https://www.cozycozy.com/
This is a hotel aggregator that combines listings from all the hotels and B&B sites, lets you filter and compare them.
I travelled to Germany (specifically Dresden and Leipzig) ten years ago to visit a German-American friend who I original met online playing RIFT.
Can't speak for the other two countries, but I know that Netherlands and Norway also have a large number of English speakers, so I wouldn't be too worried about the language barrier.
If you ever go to Leipzig or Dresden, I would 100% recommend checking out the Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Monument to the Battle of the Nations) and the Frauenkirche. I also went on a 2 hour dine-out cruise across the River Elbe, which I'd also recommend doing. You may need to book in advance nowadays though.
Most major German cities have a decent and affordable tram network. The country is very safe, and people are generally very friendly.
It would be a great idea to get some foreign cash beforehand just in case. Euronet ATMs should be avoided. Here is a good video explaining why.
Good to know about the scammy ATM’s. It sounds like I should just search out a local bank to get cash if I need any (possibly in Germany).
Hi, couple obvious but highly practical tips for the tourist side of things:
Make sure to have virtually unlimited mobile data available everywhere you go.
Familiarize yourself with local public transportation system in each city beforehand. If they have an app, install and set it up before you go.
Read up on the places you are visiting beforehand on Wikipedia. Notable spots tend to have detailed pages, see e.g. Amsterdam or List of World Heritage Sites in Germany.
Most smaller towns have a Tourist Information Office. It's usually a small shop with memorabilia and -- most importantly -- a local Tourist Map. Those maps can be handy when you plan on walking around. Remember, European cities are much more walkable. Some even ban cars in the historical districts.
Don't worry about taking photos and/or videos too much. Internet is full of photos and it'd be just sad if you spent most of your stay messing around with your phone instead of actually being here with us.
Thanks for the advice! My phone plan does give me international data and texting included!
I have been looking up the various transit systems I’ll be using and downloading apps. That’s good to know about the tourism offices!
I do photography, so I will be taking some pictures of my own, but yeah, I will try not to be glued to my camera and actually experience things with my eyes.
I don’t know about hostels, but most hotels I have used around Europe allow you to leave your luggage with them after you check out, and pick it up later. Railway stations and such also often have coin operated storage units. But check ahead of time to avoid disappointment.
I know nothing about cars but if you like statues (statues are a bit like cars, just with less movement and typically with fewer wheels, right?), I would highly recommend the Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo. The Munch museum is also great, and I hear they have expanded it recently. My favourite thing in Amsterdam was the stunningly beautiful Tuschinski Theatre, an old cinema well worth watching a film in if you love architecture and cinema.
I do love architecture and cinema! Even though I won’t understand the film unless it’s in English, that still sounds like an amazing idea to have a relaxing few hours.
Thank you for the sculpture park and munch museum recommendation!
I think films in the Netherlands aren’t typically dubbed unless they are children’s films, so if you pick a film that’s originally in a language you speak, you should be ok. Just make sure it’s in the main room.
Maybe also check if the Deutsche Kinemathek in Berlin is open or if its permanent collection is available somewhere. It’s my favourite place in Berlin with its exhibits of the history of German cinema (think Metropolis, Nosferatu, Marlene Dietrich, and so on), but I think they closed it a couple of years ago for renovation or something.
If you like sculpture parks Oslo actually has several. I have only visited the Vigeland park and the Ekeberg parks myself, but both were really worth a visit. If you only visit one it should probably be the Vigeland park, but you can find pictures online on what they generally look like. The Ekeberg park is much more varied for better and worse.
The Mercedes factory in Sindelfingen, Germany near Stuttgart is awesome.
In Amsterdam (and Munich) we enjoyed bicycle tours by Mikes Bike Tours (both cities). Biking around was convenient and easy. You get to see the sights and tour the city at a fast clip, and the guides we had in both cities were knowledgeable about what sights were worth coming back to individually, and what was overblown. The guides in both cities were funny as well.
Edit:
In Amsterdam my wife and I spent a few nights in a 34 person room of a hostel in the red light District. It was very cheap. But the experience was totally fine. We basically just slept there. After 10pm it’s quiet hours in the room, and basically everyone was just sleeping. Only one at 1am did someone mistakenly flip the lights on, and quickly turned them off once everyone grumbled. This was pre-Covid (2019)— the general collapse of polite society may have changed things since then.
Some museums are booked way out, like months. Some have a limited number of door tickets on each day.
My experience with Amsterdam and The Netherlands in general was most enjoyed on bike, biking way out to surrounding towns or within the city. Everything is made for bikes.
Another vote for biking in Amsterdam, I can warmly recommend it. We didn't go for a biking tour, but bikes are just a really good way of getting around in the city.
Good to know on museums being booked out in advance so that I know I should start looking now if there are any specific ones I want to make sure to go to!
Another cool thing in Berlin, which is maybe a bit far out of the way is Teufelsberg (The devils mountain). It's cool in several ways. In the historical way, it was built on top of the rubble of the third reich to be a spy central by the americans against the eastern bloc during the cold war. It has a lot of cool "street" art and it's just a really cool place to explore, these ruins where you can climb really high and look at the amazing view. Also there's some nice nature areas around it. I can really recommend it. If you want to go skinny dipping there's a very chill place nearby called Teufelssee. Maybe a bit too far to travel if you're just in Berlin for two days, but I've been there several times and always had a great time.
I also recommend Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, I think it’s a must see!
Other than that Amsterdam is just a great city to enjoy during the day and night.
I would also recommend to visit another city; Utrecht, Leiden, Haarlem, etc. They’re a train ride away and it’s much less touristy and more chill than Amsterdam.
Regarding people: Many Dutch people think the fake overly friendly American way of communicating is very stupid. We are known for our directness after all :P
I don’t do the American small talk thing. I’d say I’m closer to European directness than American boisterousness. Thanks for the recommendation to hop on a train and get outside of Amsterdam even for a half day or something.
A lot of great travel advice here, so I'll stick more to the cars side of things!
If you're driving from Amsterdam to the 'Ring, it's only a slight detour to go by Spa as well! Unless things have changed since the last time I was there, one of the public parking lots is right by the base of Eu Rouge. So crazy to see how tall it actually is in real life! And, the roads between Spa and the 'Ring are tiny and kind of cool!
For the 'Ring, I have rented a prepped track car. I don't know your experience, but depending on how hard you drive, you could easily boil the brakes on a regular rental car and leave your experience lacking. I have used Rent4Ring, friends have used RSRNurburg, and the internet loves Misha & Trackspeed. There are a number of other companies who do rentals and/or rides. If you're only going to go to gearhead Mecca once, do it right!! Don't forget to have some extra time to just check things out. There's a lot of parking at Bruennchen and you can do a little hike over to the Karussell.
The new Porsche museum is amazing! Talk to your local dealer ahead of time and they can help arrange you a tour inside the factory. The Merc factory is cool, but a totally different feeling, similar to BMW and VW. VW's Autostadt is pretty awesome, but many hours away up north. Just about every company host tours, but they often need to be scheduled ahead of time, sometimes with the help of your local dealer.
One other related museum in Munich which was surprisingly awesome was the
Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum. They had all sorts of random awesomeness such as the first 911, the hydrogen BMW 7, the first turbo F1 car, a history of pneumatic tires, a landspeed semi truck, and even some trains.
What's still on my list:
Motorsport is hard to miss in Germany! Stoked for you, have a blast, and reach out if you want any extra details!
Thanks for the recommendations! To be clear on my rental, I did rent a ring ready car from Nurblife. It’s just a mk7 golf with better brakes and tires, but much better than a random rental car. I would love to drive a track prepped car, but I likely won’t fit in the small bucket seats being used, so I had to pick something with stock seats. My friend did the same last month, though, and had a great time.
I’ll have to check out the Porsche museum for sure!
Perfect! You will have an absolute riot; enjoy!!
While Amsterdam is #1 for many tourists I just want to throw in a suggestion for other cities in the Netherlands. You will get much fewer tourist traps and all that and many other cities are worth while a visit as well. Since public transport is pretty good you can very easily get from Amsterdam to Utrecht in half an hour and basically to the eastern part of the country in an hour landing you in Arnhem (Often known for WW2 market garden as the bridge too far city but has a lot of other stuff to offer as well).
It depends on your goals, but if you want to get a feel for the country I'd recommend bailing on Amsterdam at some point. But, having said that, Amsterdam is great to visit as well just depends on what your expectations are.
My best experiences in Berlin has been guided tours by Berliner Unterwelten (Berlin underground), they have various tours where you can visit interesting locations related to ww2 and the cold war.
I never went on these myself but they have been widely highly recommended by acquaintances in Berlin.
The wall memorial park is also pretty solid if the weather is nice (and it's free which is great), and I've heard good things about the DDR museum as well (though I'm told that building gets very stuffy).
Since you mentioned being into motorsports so you might want to look up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folkrace when you are in the Nordics. I only know of it from my childhood, but it is basically old beat up cars racing and running into each other. It isn't widely popular, but you'll likely get to see something few tourists end up checking out.
Edit: just to make sure have your visas sorted out. Not sure what the visa situation is like for Americans. It's likely different for Norway (not part of EU) vs rest of Europe, but just verify that you are able to enter each country you plan to visit :)
As far as I know, I just need my passport to enter each country.
I would double check.
It looks like I don’t need a visa, but do need to fill out an ETIAS application, which I had no clue about. Thank you for bringing this up!!
Oh wait, that's not in effect until late 2026. I think all three countries I should be fine with just my passport, then.
My 2 cents: The Netherlands /= just Amsterdam. Most tourists do think that though, good news is that this means other places have a lot less tourists! Some nice cities/towns: Delft, Utrecht and 'S Hertogenbosch (that's a bit farther out though). Also, try to not only stay in the touristy corridor in Amsterdam, the nicer parts are outside of that.