Definitions/Explanations
Currency: Even though some countries are in the European Union (EU) they might use a different currency. Its a good idea to know the exchange rate before you go and have a rough idea of how much money you want to get in the new currency. The best way to get a new currency is to use an ATM in the new country. However, most ATMs will only show the host currency when displaying options for a withdrawel. So you should have an idea if 5,000 "whatevers" is enough or if you are in a country where that will buy you only a water or maybe it's enough for a car. Some countries have a 1.2:1 exchange rate, some have a 300:1 exchange rate. So have an idea before hand. If you want to have 200 Euros equivalent on hand, know how much of the host country money that is equivalent to before you leave. This will also prevent you from lingering at an ATM too long and becoming a target.
Tolls: Just like the US. However, in Italy the first toll you stop at, you only get a ticket. Then when you exit the Autobahn, you will hand them the ticket and pay. Other countries/toll booths have a set rate like the US. It is a little annoying though because most don't tell you beforehand how much the toll is until you get up to the booth so you have no clue how much money to prepare. Make sure you have plenty of cash with you... some tolls are as high as 40 Euros or as little as 10-15 Euros. Depending on the stretch of road you are traveling and your destination, this can add a few hundred Euros to the cost of traveling. Do the research or ask someone.
Vignette: This is essentially a toll. You pay money to be able to use that countries' Autobahn. Not all countries have one. Some are super expensive, some are relatively cheap. When you cross a border, there are usually signs and plenty of gas stations to stop and buy one. The back of the vignette will tell you where to stick it on your windshield. The gas attendant will punch a hole to signify either the purchase or expiration date. Some countries are lax about these and others enforce them intensely.
Also note that gas stations are not as common as they are in the US. You can drive for several km without seeing an "Autohof" or rest stop. So plan the potty breaks and meals accordingly and don't let the tank get too low. Even in big cities, they can be hard to find right when you need one.
Germany
Currency: Euro
Tolls: No
Vignette: No
Autobahn: Well, everyone knows about the German Autobahn =) drive as fast as you want, but watch out for sudden 120 or 80 km/hr zones for construction or otherwise. They appear out of nowhere. Also, do not ride the left lane like an American! A Porsche or Lambo will appear from literally nowhere and you absolutely must get out of the way. It's actually illegal to ride the left lane, but in Germany, its also an important safety tip. At some point you will experience the car from no where going 250. Don't be in their way!
Random Trivia: It's illegal to play loud music in your car because you might disorient a blind person on the side of the road and it is noise pollution. Gotta love the Germans! =)
Austria
Currency: Euro
Tolls: A few in addition to the vignette
Vignette: Yes. Cost: About 8 Euros for a 10 day pass. You can also by a monthly pass or even a yearly one. Do not even try to get on the Autobahn without one. Not even for one exit! They will be waiting and you have to pay I think 120 Euros on the spot if you don't have it. We have some expats that can attest to this fine. You can program your GPS to avoid the Autobahn for short trips to Salzburg or something, but it might add significant time to your trip. Check if the time added to avoid the Autobahn is worth the price in fuel in comparison to a vignette.
Autobahn: Speed limit is 130 km/hr which is annoying on the long open strips heading down to Croatia or Italy
EU?: Yes. There is no border patrol between Germany and Austria. Only a remnant of a previous border control like the 2 in BGH.
Slovenia
Currency: Euro
Tolls: No
Vignette: Yes. 15 Euros for a week.
Autobahn: 130 max (Most countries have a 130 max, thats why the German Autobahn is so special)
EU? Yes. No border patrol.
Slovenia is a very cool country. Best kept secret of Europe IMO. I have a lot of day/weekend trips planned here for upcoming travels.
Italy
Currency: Euro
Tolls: A million. This link looks pretty cool though. You can look at how much the tolls are per road so you can plan your trip accordingly.
Vignette: No, because they have 4 million toll booths instead.
EU?: Yes
I think Italy and I got off on the wrong foot. It's definitely not one of my favorite countries. The people can't drive worth a flip and it's a bit dirty. BUT, Venice is a must visit. I have vowed to return to give Italy a second chance. The A10 to get down to Italy is SUCH a beautiful drive through the Alps. Also, we drove back from Venice on the Dolomite road. It was absolutely beautiful, but it will extend your trip a few hours.
Slovakia
Currency: Euro
Tolls: No
Vignette: 10 Euros for 10 days
EU?: Yes
Bratislava wasn't much to see, but there was a super cool pub with lots of rooms all decorated differently with historical artifacts and traditional Slovakian food. That was the highlight of our stop there. There area few really neat looking castles there, so I am sure I will return to Slovakia one day. I bought a few Slovak beers in the gas station when we stopped to get the Vignette... some have 12% alcohol! At one point I had beers in my fridge from 7 different countries and they were all purchased in their respective country. Pretty cool.
Czech Republic
Currency: Koruna (CZK)
Exchange Rate: Approx 1 EUR: 25 CZK
Vignette: Yep and I am totally guilty of not realizing this for at least 4 trips through the CZ Rep. Oops.
EU?: Yes
I. Heart. the Czech Republic. Besides Prague, there are so many non-mainstream but SUPER cool things to see. Slovenia and Czech are probably my two favorite countries. The roads can be a bit comical. You are either on the highway or on a back road where you are lucky if there are center lane lines.
Croatia
Currency: Kuna (HRK)
Exchange: About 7.5 HRK:1 EUR
Vignette: No
EU?: No. You will have to stop at a border crossing between Slovenia and Croatia. Have your passports ready and have your Visa accessible as well just in case. Dont offer the Visa right away though or else they will not stamp your passport. This is true in the airports as well. I only show my Visa if they start staring at my passport travel dates too long and start looking like they might start asking 597 questions.
Croatia has some truly beautiful coasts. However, the beaches are not sandy like 'Merkians are used to. The beach in Rabac had a rock beach. In one sense it was nice because you didnt have sand everywhere. On the other hand, it was a bit difficult to walk in the rocks and it was not the classic US thinking of a beach. The water is crystal clear and bright blue. I love it in Croatia during the summer - it's inexpensive, not so touristy and a nice place to relax. You can find all kinds of hotels from half board to regular places. Kid friendly.
However, the GPS doesn't like Croatia as much as I do. Mom and I have a horror story of showing up at someone's house down a dirt road on a mountain at 2 am because thats where the GPS said our hotel was. That was an interesting evening. When it's 2 am in a foreign country on a mountain back road and Mrs. Bobby Joe Ghetto Sue is woken up by her 53 dogs barking at us, flips on the porch light and starts walking outside ... you find out how quickly a Volvo can do a 3 point turn.
Finland
We obviously didn't drive here, but Finland is in the EU and they use the Euro.
Helsinki is a common port for cruises and that would be about the only reason I would visit that city. They have a live ticker showing the population for the entire country of Finland (~5 million when we were there) and about 600,000 live in Helsinki. We flew to Helsinki from Munich and then took a cruise over to Stockholm where we spent the day and then we cruised back to Helsinki. Helsinki is pretty expensive!!
By comparison, a 0.5L beer in Germany is about 3 Euros (half the price of local Finnish beer in Finland).
Sweden
EU?: Yes
Currency: Swedish Kronor
Exchange Rate: ~1 EUR: 8.6 SEK
Stockholm rocks. The color scheme of the city is really cool. VERY expensive place though! Moreso than Helsinki.
Poland
EU?: Yes
Currency: Polish Zloty
Exchange Rate: ~1 EUR: 4 PLN
We stayed here and I would highly recommend it. It was about a 45 minute drive to visit Auschwitz from the hotel and then ~45 minutes from there to see Krakow. Poland is super cheap. Not exactly the friendliest place I have been, but I think they are not used to a lot of American tourists where we stayed.
Greece
I took a week long cruise through the Greek Isles. They were still on the Euro while we were there, but their future financial status is still up in arms last I knew....
Hungary
EU?: Yes
Currency: Hungarian Forint
Exchange Rate: ~1 EUR: 290 HUF
Super cool city for sightseeing and having drinks. Make sure you see the market! And beware of random Pesos in your room... (I'll tell you the story if you ask nicely) =)
How do I pick places to go?
1. My Facebook map. Sounds totally cheesy, but I look at the map where I have tagged photos and see where there is a gap. Then I pick a city, and go explore.
2. 1,000 places to see before you die. This is an app on my iPad and it is how I discovered Plitvice National Park among a few other destinations.
3. If I want to see a castle, then I pick a country and google the country + castle. Then I look at the images and pick one I like and then go. This is how I found Hluboka. I googled "Czech Republic castles" and looked through the images. Simple enough.
4. I always keep an eye on the news in order to avoid trouble. Some countries don't much care for us 'Merikan folk.
Websites I use:
travelzoo They send a weekly email with the top 20 deals for the week. (It is in German though.) They also have a US site. Some of the US sites have deals to Europe, but the flights are cheaper once you are over there so be cautious about getting a deal from the US for Europe.
I like Booking.com. It is easy to use and sometimes they run some pretty good specials.
Flights: There are lots of websites to find flights. Ryanair has super cheap flights from Salzburg to Dublin for example.
There are also just as many websites in Germany for vacations as there are in the US.
My future adventures:
Slovenia
Tolmin Canyon
Vintgar Gorge
Slovakia
Bojnice Castle
Czech Republic
Budvar
Russia
St Petersburg
Moscow
Germany
Berlin
Black Forest
Iceland!!!
Spain
Traveling with Kids
Legoland is close to Munich so it is about 1.5 hrs from BGH. They have 2 day deals where you get a hotel room and 2 day passes to the park for a couple hundred Euros. Super fun park and it is huge! You need both days to see everything.
Ginormous indoor water park in Germany.
Disney Park in Paris
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