Europe Trip
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Dnls_mum:
Ah yes, the Versailles! I forgot about it.Everyone has given great suggestions. I'd add 3 more,
1. In London, do Beef eaters tour at tower of London
2. If you happen to be in London on a weekend and wish for a quieter place, make a day trip to Greenwich. There should be a weekend market there, the place is generally quiter and more peaceful then London. Check out the international date line.
3. In Paris, visit the Versailles Palace. Take a train there and get an audio set to tour the main palace on your own in the morning. Get a guided tour of the hidden passages and private theatre and rooms in the afternoon.
Have fun! I am one of those who have always end up visiting Paris in winter because I go there for work and the French are never working in summer, only work in winter. Make the best of it. Falling snow in Paris makes the place so romantic.
Hopefully my hubby doesn't read all these. He would :stupid: at me - spend so much money bring to to Paris, but I forgot this forgot that....
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Wow… thanks all of you for your suggestions. Will look into it and digest. Keke
auntieM, I don’t mind Sunny day in Dec, so that no need to bring and buy the Winter clothing…Keke… but now weather is so unpredictable. -
We are also going to Europe in December. Dont know why ended up booking the tour to Europe. First time in my life. The temperature in December will be very cold. I search the website for weather forecast…my god— 3’C in December!. I wonder can take it or not? I am also worried abt my DD also. have I book the wrong tour? Sorry very ‘sua gu’ posting here but really wonder will my family enjoy or not?
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Aaahh…Paris, my favourite city…
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isetan:
We are also going to Europe in December. Dont know why ended up booking the tour to Europe. First time in my life. The temperature in December will be very cold. I search the website for weather forecast.....my god--- 3'C in December!. I wonder can take it or not? I am also worried abt my DD also. have I book the wrong tour? Sorry very 'sua gu' posting here but really wonder will my family enjoy or not?
Well, it's winter so it's definitely going to be cold. 3 degree? Could get colder and could snow too. Just go get the family good waterproof winter jackets. Will you enjoy it? Only you can answer that question.
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isetan:
We are also going to Europe in December. Dont know why ended up booking the tour to Europe. First time in my life. The temperature in December will be very cold. I search the website for weather forecast.....my god--- 3'C in December!. I wonder can take it or not? I am also worried abt my DD also. have I book the wrong tour? Sorry very 'sua gu' posting here but really wonder will my family enjoy or not?
No worries, just put on sufficient thermal wear and you will definitely enjoy it! Cheers! -
Thanks for the advice, NY1969.
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In London if you don’t have much time, you can consider taking the Ducktour. It starts pretty near the London Eye - was an excellent choice for me and family (2 young kids) as a quick intro to the main sights. If you are into paintings, National Art Gallery; into history, British Museum - these are free entry and you will see world famous art/artifacts.
BTW, don’t miss buy stuff from Bodyshop/Marks & spencers. For M&S, you can go online to book and have your order sent to a M&S store - good if there are offer items. BUT if you do it this way, you CAN’T claim tax refund (because payment has been made upfront using your credit card). If you purchase from the store directly, you CAN claim refund.
Yes for London, don’t miss the Tower of London - at least 3 hours there. If you have a bit more time, you can consider also Hampton Court Palace. It’s a local train ride away (45min) - the rooms are beautifully done up and there are activities in the palace (eg roaming Henry VIII) and you will see and hear a lot about the English kings.
For Paris, transport can be a tad pricey. If you are staying for consecutive few days, you can consider buying a weekly pass. We used it a lot to get in/out of the mrt station to cut down on walking back to our accomodations. The Lourve was amazing and we visited Musee D’Orsay as well. I’m not the arty type but would seize the chance to go look at paintings by Masters.
Oh. because we took the train between London and Paris (can’t recall what the name), we were able to obtain discounts on entry to some places - i can only recall musee d orsay. YOu can probably check online for more.
Have fun! -
[quote]MyPaper Monday September 24 2012
Say bye to cookie-cutter Europe trips
by Michael Allen
Singaporeans are a well-travelled bunch, and major travel companies have long offered a stunning variety of destinations to satisfy their thirst for adventure.
But in recent years, independent ‘country specialists' have sprung up to cater to a growing niche of discerning travellers looking for more in-depth tours that avoid tourist traps and take them to little-known locales instead.
In short, country specialists are about authentic, off-the-beaten-track experiences.
And, for most of these operators, it's their love for the country that has led them to run a tour business focusing on their favourite spot on earth.
Mr Huang Eu Chai, 50, runs a travel company that specialises in trips to Italy. He fell in love with the country in 1973, when he went to Europe with his mother.
\"While I loved every moment of the trip, I recalled feeling particularly comfortable in Venice,\" he said.
He later went to school there, taking up architecture, and lived there for almost nine years before returning to Singapore to work as an urban planner.
But his love of Italy never waned and he started Ergo:Travel in 2009, offering his knowledge of Italy and fluency in Italian to give Singaporeans a unique travel experience.
\"I felt I belonged in Italy, and this is certainly one of the major reasons I decided to focus on travel there,\" he said.
\"I feel compelled to share my experience with other people.\"
Another specialist is Mr Chun Hoy Yuen. The 55-year-old offers “a la carte\" trips to Germany through his travel company, Gute Reise (meaning 'bon voyage').
His connection with the courttry began when he met his German wife in London when he was studying for his A levels in 1973.
In 1986, he started working for a German engineering company in West Berlin and became fluent in the language.
He enjoyed his work but, when middle age arrived. he decided to make a career switch that drew on his extensive knowledge of Germany.
Gute Reise began last year, when Mr Chun took two people on a 10-day Christmas-market tour to Munich and Nuremberg.
\"They were well-travelled people, but it was still a vacation experience with a difference for them,” he said.
That was Mr Chun's first trip, and he has plans to take more travellers to Germany in the next two to three months.
Like him, former corporate banker Andrea Rossi-Ong felt the need for a career change after meeting her Swiss husband, Mario, in 2002.
Because of the couple`s long-distance relationship, Ms Rossi-Ong had to travel a lot and, eventually, she decided that she needed to change her life. In 2003, she quit her job and bought a one-way ticket to Switzerland.
With no knowledge of German at the time, she was unable to get a job in banking there.
It was just the push the couple needcd to go into business together and, in 2005, they started Tour 168 of Switzerland.
Tour 168 is a reference to the Chinese phrase \"yi lu fa\" - which sounds like \"yi liu ba\", or 168 - referring to a journey of prosperity.
\"We know the authentic Swiss destinations that many foreigners don't know about,\" said Ms Rossi-Ong.
Their most recent tour saw them take six Singaporeans around Switzerland for four days, including stops in smaller, more far-flung cantons like Appenzelle, St Moriz and Lugano.
Mr Huang spoke of the unique experience that travel specialists possess.
\"We have first-hand experience with the land and culture of the places we specialise in, and direct contact with the people
and their way of life,\" he said.
\"Which big travel company can possibly claim that?\"[/quote]Switzerland - http://www.tour168.ch/
Italy - http://www.ergo-travel.com/
Germany - http://www.gutereise.com.sg/ -
Frankly, don’t need to pay through your nose for these so called off the beaten track tours. Some of the land tour prices seem reasonable but lots are not included and there are lots of extras payable and these adds up. Why these seem cheap is also because they use public transport. Any upgrades cost extra. Better off DIY. These so called regional off the beaten track tours may be new to Singaporeans in general but are common to Americans. Well known travel specialists like Insight and trafalger have country roads tours as well and those are truly all inclusive. I have done several European river cruises that generally cater to americans, that have taken me to lesser known small towns which are also unesco heritage sites. Christmas market tours are all std offerings by these European river cruises or insight and trafalger.
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