First Impression of Europe

Please share. We've lobbied with the webmaster more than once to set up a special section on the helpline/graffiti wall just for trip summaries. Maybe your post would further encourage that.

Would love to hear all about it.

I agree Josh -=- yes please ¶ Toni - how do we convince the most excellent webmaster to start such a good section?

I do! I do!

Yes, I would enjoy hearing about your trip.

I'd be curious to know if it was what you expected? Was it easier or more difficult to travel in Europe than you expected? Number 1 tip for first time travelers? Hope you had a great trip!

bring it on Josh...love to hear it.

I would!

Yes Josh, please let us know how you liked Paris. I enjoyed London, but I will admit that it pales to how much I love Paris. I went from Paris to London, so maybe it would have been different the other way around. They are both great cities, in very different ways.

London (first city) Good segue city to Europe for an American. No language barrier and friendly people, yet different culturally. Formal and courteous, Londoners gave me good advice and were interested in hearing where I was from in the States. I could converse comfortably with the Brits. Transportation was very difficult to get use to. Taxis in London are ridiculously expensive! Buses were very efficient and had some amazing conversations with locals, as well as really good way to people watch. I didn't take the underground. Bottom line: bus is the way to go in London, if you don't know the city very well. Food scene wasn't much to talk about. Two dishes: bangers and mash, fish and chips. That is it. Advice to first timers to London: Do not take a taxi. The bus system is efficient and relatively cheap. If you can understand The Underground, then use it. I didn't, so the bus was my ride around. Try British cuisine but dine on ethnic restaurants. There are more good ethnic restaurants than English. One good thing about London is the ubiquitous amount of good, inexpensive microwave Indian meals at groceries. Filling, healthy and can save you money. You can see all the major sites in three days. If London is your first city on your trip, make sure you stay in a good hotel in a residential neighborhood. Getting over jet lag is key. You don't want to be still recovering the next city on your tour because of lack of sleep. It is not fun. First impression: London is the most overrated, sightseeing city I visited in Europe. It's unjustifiably expensive and the sites are memorable but not worth spending a lot of time going over. Parliament and Westminster Abbey are the main sites for me. Both are worth seeing, but the actual city of London was a letdown. More organized and cleaner than New York, the city was good for a weekend visit, but nothing longer. People were the most memorable part for me.

Wow, it's the first thing I think when reading your post about London. Of course everyone is different which makes the world go around. You are the first person I ever heard that couldn't understand the tube (underground) it's so simple, when my daughter was seven she was able to look at the tube map and know what to do. As for London being over rated..... I feel completely different...it's one of the most amazing cities in the world. There is so much to see and do in London you could stay there for two weeks and still not see and do everything. We have always found good "English" food while there, we love eating in pubs. I'm glad to see that in enjoyed talking to the British...they are great people. Out of all of my trips to the UK I have never met an unkind person.

It's amazing how people see things differently. I agree that London is a very expensive city and that the people are wonderful. After that, well, we differ. I concur with Robin, London is one of the most amazing cities in the world. I've been many times and can't wait to go back. The food has gotten better since I first visited a few decades ago (with many pubs now serving more than just bangers & mash, fish & chips and Shepherd's Pie), the tube is easy and convenient especially when you have a long distance to travel, the sights are never ending and in fact, I always include a few days in London on just about every one of my trips to Europe. London also makes a great base for day trips....I'm just surprised you didn't complain about the beer.

Josh, I feel the same as Frank II in that it's interesting how people perceive things differently. I was surprised to hear that you didn't enjoy London more, as it's a fantastic city and there's SO MUCH to see and do. I never seem to get to all the places on my sightseeing list, so there are always things to be added for the next visit. I often find "impromptu events" taking place like festivals on the south bank of the Thames, and they really add a lot to the visits. Just curious, did you use one of the Guidebooks to plan your sightseeing? ¶ As Robin said, the Tube is very easy but if you were happy riding the Buses, then that's a good method too. I agree that the London Cabs are a bit "pricey", but they're a good travel method in some circumstances and I don't mind paying as they sometimes make travel a lot easier. I've had some interesting conversations with the Drivers, who are among the most highly trained in the world. ¶ I've never had a problem finding good food in London, as there's a good selecction, even with the "Pub Grub". ¶ I hope your experience on this trip to London won't prevent you from going back at some point. Thanks for your comments - they were interesting. Are you going to post impressions of other parts of Europe that you visited?

To add to Kent's comments about the food, just about every type of food seems to be represented in London - everything from Kebabs to fine gourmet dining. I dined at Jamie Oliver's "Fifteen" restaurant one night and the food was great. Another night I enjoyed a fine hot meal at Santini's, which is in the Victoria station neighborhood (not far from my Hotel). Again, the food was excellent!

Like Kent, I still haven't seen everything I want to see in and around London. And I lived there for almost a year! It was interesting to read Josh's impressions and try to see London through his eyes. London can be a little disconcerting for the first-time visitor: the reality doesn't always match the images in the tourist brochures. While it has millions of tourists and people are welcoming, it's also a huge, often grimy, working city that has other things than tourism on its mind. The food situation, thankfully, isn't that dire these days. And there's loads happening in London which isn't always visible to the casual visitor. Josh, I hope you give London a second chance someday!

Interesting observations and experiences in London. My very first foreign city experience was London in 1971. Since then I've been back a few more times, this year and last summer. True, it's expensive; when I got in June 1971, it was $2.40 for one quid. I liked the food,... pub food, Italian, Chinese are good. The Tube system is easy, easier than that in Paris, to work... I use both the buses (they're also easy) and the Tube. Never took and avoided taxis in London...can't say anything about that. If you're into modern European history, especially warfare history, there's more now to visit and see than was the case in 1971 in London. Even though London doesn't belong to my top two cities, it is, nevertheless, captivating and fascinating, not at all overrated. I'll always make a return trip there. About the beer: it's all right, didn't really care for it the last two recent times there. German and Alsacian are much better. But no one beats the English on their tea...that's what you should be drinking in London.

James, please point out where any of the posts so far have in any way condemned Josh for his opinion of London. I think all have been interested in his different perception of the city, and have pointed out where he might have found food more to his liking, etc., but I see no condemnation. Where do you see it?

Thank you, James. By the way, I thought Paris was amazing! My second favorite city during my tour. The food was incredible :). Audrey, I hope I do change my mind. I thought the Indian food was great, but the British food disappointing. Maybe I'll go to the restaurants Ken suggested. When I tell my friends how little I enjoyed London, betrayal will fill their eyes, ha ha. Maybe it being my first time there I didn't know much about London. After reading Rick Steves and watching his videos on London I found it disappointing. I had high expectations for it. I'm a English major, I have to. Ha ha. It's just after visiting other cities, London didn't seem so grand to me. When I first arrived I thought it was awesome, but as I traveled to other cities, my opinion changed. Paris is the next city I was going to talk about. Should I discuss?

If Paris was your second favorite city, which one was your favorite?

Josh, I was in London several times in the eighties, and although I had a great time, once I had an opportunity to go further afield than London, I was not so impressed with London after all. I had friends there, and it was an interesting time, and I also have family in England so I felt a connection to the country. I really loved the area where my family lives - The lake District - and after I visited them there London was not so exciting to me. British food, overall, is not known for its fabulousness (sorry, Aunt Elsie!) but pub-grub can be filling and satisfying enough. I did enjoy the busses - especially the upper deck!

Josh- I do hope you give London another chance and that you have a better experience. It is one of my absolute favorites (and I'm one of the few here who didn't like Paris)- I've been to the UK more than 40 times and could still spend more time in London. No- I don't view it as a "grand" city. But is real, and interesting, and varied, and somehow it touches a part of me and just excites me. Yes, you could possibly "see" some of the major sites in 3 days, but you can't really experience them, much less the city and it's surroundings in that time. As you said, the Brits are great people to talk to. That's part of what I love about London- we go to the markets and chat up the vendors!!! I also love the gardens (Kew is my fav) and the theatre and the food- pub grub, traditional british, chinese, italian, but I don't "do" indian. Where else did you go? Tell us about your experience in Paris and elsewhere, please.

Josh, unlike some others, I won't try to change your mind. You hit it on the head about London (other than the tube being hard to use).

For other first timers who will be traveling to London and reading this, I'd like to give a vote in favor of taking the tube. In addition to being a quick and easy way to get around, we viewed taking it as part of the overall cultural experience of being in London. In our days there we encountered commuters in suits, party-goers on their way to the west end, and a crowd of Arsenal fans on their way to a soccer game.

I kind of agree with Josh. I spent 3 full days in London and, all-in-all, I was not particularly impressed. It was extremely congested, tons of traffic and just frenetic all the time! I used both the buses and the tube and they were great! It's hard to put my finger on it - I just didn't care for it.

Steve, I fully understand. Some places and people just don't mix. I had a "bad" experience in Paris and have never wanted to return. It's ok that we don't all like the same places (otherwise one would fill up and the others be empty- lol). That's one reason I'd like to hear Josh's impressions of Paris and the other places he visited. It's also why I wish there was a "Trip Reports" section to the helpline. Many of us enjoy reading of other's adventures and impressions and I think the "newbies" would greatly benefit from reading diverse, even opposing experiences.

My visit to London was also extremely disappointing; I'll never return. I gave it a grade of F-

I've been to London twice and absolutely loved it both times. I really want to return but there are so many other places to see and limited funds in the coffers! I never took the tube on either visit. I loved the ease of the bus, looking out the windows at all the buildings, people watching, etc. Also, it was less expensive and that helped the budget. Looking forward to your next installment.

Frenetic and congested - yes, that's London. It's true that people have different impressions of the same place: my mother loves London but for different reasons than mine. Josh, I'm glad you enjoyed Paris. I remember going to Paris for the weekend from London, and thinking "ah ... civilisation...how nice ..." Which might explain why some people don't like London but love Paris! The cities are so different.

Of course, I found London to be exactly that whenever I am there: congested, noisy traffic, frentic, tons of people coming at you in whichever direction, basically crowded - I found being there in August worse in these repects than in June - but no matter, is this going to deter me from coming back, especially in the hot summer months? The same descriptions I would use to describe Paris: swarms of people, places inundated with tourists, congested, noisy traffic, oppressive heat, packed-like-sardine Metro rides...it all depends on your frame of mind at the time whether you can take it. If it gets to you, (and it has a couple of times), it's time to take a day trip to elsewhere, such as to Fontainebleau, Amiens, Reims, Compiegne. Still, I find both places captivating and amazing worthy of return trips over and over.

I think it is interesting to hear your views Josh,, of course everyone has their opinions. I would agree the food is generally not so great, although I do like the Indian food and usually get some while there. I would disagree that the tube system is hard to figure out, its very easy and yes, even a child can learn it easily, perhaps you were just not comfortable with the underground?? If you come from a city that doesn't have subways then it may seem more daunting( I don't know if Baltimore has one) . London, while not my favorite Europeon capital,, is most definately not overrated to me,, its is a place where so much history went on,, and there is no way one can overlook that, and if one enjoys history, then I can't imagine they would consider London overrated. Looking forward to your other reports.

different strokes for different folks. I adore London and just came back from short trip a few days ago. so much to do and see, if never get tired of it no matter how many times I visit. I didn't feel that way at all about Paris [INVALID] seemed overrated on my first visit. Though I'm going to give it another try this spring.

Gee! Seems alot of folks didn't like Josh's first entry! Doesn't seem that some of the replies were exactly friendly. Josh - I would like to see some more of your impressions; but then again, I could see why you wouldn't want to bother.

An easy solution to the problem of not appreciating others' viewpoints- don't read 'em. I, for one, not only enjoyed reading the OP's views (& await his experience of other cities as well), I've really enjoyed the glimpses I've gotten from other people's replies. Keep it coming, Josh!

Josh. I would like to thank you for taking the time to share your trip. And I'm looking forward to hearing more. Unfortunately for some of us. Unless you agree with us. It's a personal issue. Sorry.

Hey Josh! Please tell us about your time in Paris!