-AnEnima-
2008-06-05, 13:15
June 18th is the last day of A2 exams for myself and a few friends, and we want our last summer together to be a memorable one (ie partying and getting generally wasted). We've decided on going on a road trip to somewhere in Europe.
We want to stay away from places like Amsterdam; been there, done that. We were thinking somewhere in Greece or Spain, maybe Barcelona.
Does anyone have any reccommendations as to where we could find a really cool city or something? Preferably not too expensive, and bearing in mind we will be driving there from the UK...
Edit: Just to clarify, we don't want to just drink ourselves into a state. I particularly enjoy exploring cities, and I'm sure my friends would appreciate any beaches.
I heard Greece and Spain are nice, maybe Barcelona?
kfc v lot
2008-06-07, 12:26
Sorry to sink your ship, but i think by law you have to be 21 to drive abroad with a british driving liscence....
Barcelona is going to be just like Amsterdam, just with a different language and more Catholics. Don't get me wrong... beautiful place, definitely a fun place... but if you want to escape a"drink till you drop" party type of destination, Barcelona is a terrible choice.
I can't tell you a lot about Greece. It looks beautiful, it looks like more of a culturally sound/fun trip (drinking with farmers vs drinking with US/UK college kids), but lets face it, its not exactly cut out for a road trip, via car. heh.
My advice would be to reconsider renting a car. Its expensive as hell and a pain in the ass as far as cities go. If you're looking to cruise the countrysides and what not, then thats another story. A car gives you freedom. If you want the freedom to go where you want, outside of cities, etc, then take the car. If you think you're going to park your ass in a city for the majority of the trip, and only consider a couple of cities, then fuck the car and find an alternate means of travel. You'll save money and headaches. Also, as stated above, I know renting a car is a bitch if you're under the age of 21, sometimes 24, and don't have anyone older with you. Chances are they won't let you do it. Then again... you're in the UK? If anybody you know owns a car, then you can chunnel your way across the channel, no? Gas will still be expensive, and I'm not sure how insurance works in that case, but at least you have the possibility. (Unlike myself, who is still waiting for the trans-Atlantic chunnel.) :(
If it is a ROAD trip you're looking for, and not just a trip to Europe... then my top suggestions would be:
Czech Republic: Beautiful countryside, that still has a lot of Eastern Europe novelty that will make you feel further from home than you really are. Prague is a blast, if you want ANY of the party time you talk of in Amsterdam and Barcelona. Then, you can head out towards Cesky Krumlov and do that whole thing, maybe save some cash camping upstream next to the river, which itself is beautiful. From here you can Kayak into town everyday... meet other campers... just have a good time. They brew a shitload of Pilsner-Urquell in the town of Plzen. Real communist feel to Plzen. You feel like you're back int he Soivet era. A blast to drive through. Only con I can think of here is that in Czech, you need to be careful about getting your car broken into or stolen. Violent crime is low, and I always felt safe in my time there... but they have a notorious reputation for auto theft.
Southern Germany: Bavaria, Rhineland, Austria as well perhaps? This is an extremely beautiful area to drive through, and you can really hit various small towns and check things out, get to know some people, etc. Its way easy to travel and again, the area has a lot of fun culture that isn't as "lets get fucked up" oriented as Amsterdam, etc. Then again, when the mood strikes, you have Munich close by, and countless beer halls.
Tuscany: Cliche and overdone, but definitely a great place to have a car. You can see a shitload of cool and unique places. Because all these little villages were for so long somewhat autonomous, each town in the Tuscany region has its own feel, and you can really cover a lot of ground by having a car. Good wine too, if thats your thing. It has its fair share of beautiful women, the small towns are likely friendly enough to have a good time in, and there are a ton of neat places to stay. Problem is Tuscany fills up with tourists, and can be ridiculously expensive.
Just my ten cents. I can give more info if you care to email me. Either way, good luck with your trip.