During the past years, I've had the great opportunity to visit many of the European cities (more or less known). When you think about Paris, Venice, Barcelona, these are usually very crowded, packed with tourists that have traveled from around the world to see, with their own eyes, the very famous sights that are spread - in pictures and information - all around the Internet.
Say Paris and we relate to the "Eiffel Tower"; say Barcelona and we relate to "Sagrada Familia".
But, besides these world-wide known attractions, there's always a lot more to one city... to feeling the pulse, the heart beat. To visit attractions that you like and would enjoy. E.g. while some would choose an Art Museum over a Technical Museum, others would choose an Amusement Park instead of both.
Independent of the attraction we want to see when we plan our trip, the common goal of travelers around the globe would be to see as much as possible, in the few days of stay... And that, can be a very complicated task ..since most of us can't really say that we know, not even all the corners of the city we live in! :-)
So I can't really advise people "what" to see, but I can give hints on how to plan visiting, what they want to see.
Sometimes when we exchange information about a city-visit with our friends, we get the feeling that we saw more, is this a sign that we were more organized in our sight-seeing? Some time ago I attended some city-visits in large groups (7-10 people) and a lot of time was lost with discussions and agreements on where to go next and where to meet... waiting for people who arrived late and so on.
Of course that time is precious because there are so many beautiful places where to go... so bottom line, we must be efficient!!! :-)
Here are some tips & tricks from my own experience!
1. Plan your voyage and accommodation ahead
Some people rely on "We find a hotel when we get there." or finding a Last Minute offer.
To avoid unpleasant surprises, like loosing half a day wondering around with your luggage and looking for a hotel and not finding what you are looking for, try to have the following things sorted out before the vacation:
- How do you get there?
- Where are you staying?
An agency can do the booking for you, but even more efficient is to do it yourself, online. You will know exactly how much you pay and for what facilities. Best thing is that you can do this from the very comfort of your home :-) I prefer to use booking, because it provides a lot of reviews and this way I reduce the risk of not liking the location.
Also, you can choose the accommodation location based on what you want to visit and the means of transport you may want to use during your stay.
I usually prefer to book a hotel close to city-center, to be close to most of the objectives, because I like city visits done by foot.
2. Do your research on the sights worth seeing
Besides the very well known sights, that everybody wants to see, each of us has a different perspective on what's worth visiting.
So what's really important here that you do your research, as you may find something that interests you, that your friends don't necessarily recommend or find attractive. Tripadvisor may be a good starting point.
After you have made a list with the objectives you want to see, proceed to the next step.
3. Plan your financial investment
Do some research on the fair prices, entrance tickets (museums / cultural / amusement places) and this way you will be able to have an overview on how much you want to spend. Perhaps you want to reduce the number of museums to visit; or choose your favorites; perhaps get some ideas on cool restaurants and correct prices.
If you are going on a strict budget, a financial planning will assure that you maximize the benefit according to your needs.
4. Plan each day of your trip
To be really efficient, you would have to group the objectives you want to see, per days, taking into consideration the following:
- opening days and opening hours
- location
- time it takes to get from one to another
I prefer to group the objectives based on location and have various activities each day (e.g. Museums, during the first part of the day, as they are opened, city architecture, landmarks and other objectives during the rest of the day; all paved with long nice walks between the objectives, but this is just me). Others may choose to travel by metro or other transportation. Then, you also need to have in mind the location of the objectives, to avoid ping-pong-ing with the metro between locations.
Each day, one or 2 objectives should be of great importance and the other should be optional. Avoid a very crowded schedule. The point is also to enjoy! Walk on the streets, feel the pulse.. not run from one museum to another :-)
If I travel to a certain quarter, I'd like to see the visit-objectives that are there. Then, the next day I'll be going in a different part of the city and I make a small plan of what I want to see there.
Don't forget to make compromises... E.g. don't spend an entire day in the first Museum if your plan is to visit another one in the same day.
It is very important to have a plan of your city-visit. And it is also important to stick to it.
5. Avoid city-visits in large groups of friends
(unless it is a paid city tour or something similar)
When travelling with a group of friends, each will have their own interests, ideas, a plan and very few will be common with yours. So, even when travelling with a group, it is better to separate intro smaller groups for the city visit - based on sight-seeing interest.
So take the people that agree to your initial visit plan and then stick to it. Unless of course, another one's plan looks more eye catching ;;) Perhaps one of your friends did his / her homework better ;;)
I believe more that 5 people are already too much. You will loose time in voting where to go first, whom to wait for and so on.
Also, don't try the regrouping technique (especially when the groups go in different parts of the city), because the time you may plan to spend in one location doesn't always match reality. One group or the other will end up waiting, thus loosing time.
I believe in such situations it is best to regroup with your friends for dinner or so. Also, you get to exchange valuable information.
Of course, good planning will give great results. Even tired, at the end of the day when I draw the line, I feel that I've maximized the potential of the city visit.
One more thing... Don't feel regret if you forget or miss the chance to see some attractions.
Usually, by the time that our city visit ends, we have some regrets.
"I wish I has spent more time in that museum"; or "That location is closed for renovation."
Or we find out about a special location or activity that we didn't try!
Think about it as leaving something unspoiled, for your next visit!
Have fun! & Enjoy your city break!
