BIKING IN BRUSSELS

Want to rent a bike in Brussels?

Villo! is a self-service bike rental available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. More than 50 bike stations are located in the center of Brussels, a mere 450 meters from each other. They are located on major streets, near train and Métro stations and the tourist centers.

There are two types of bike stations: with a bank card reader and without a bank card reader. If the station does not have a bank card reader you can't purchase a 1-day or 7-day ticket but you can still rent a bike if you have previously purchased your ticket.

To rent a bike, purchase a 1-day ticket for €1.60 or 7-day ticket for €7.50 using your bank card (no cash accepted; must be VISA, MasterCard or Maestro card with chip and PIN). You can rent a bike as often as you want during the validation period of the ticket. The first 30 minutes are free; you pay an extra rate depending on how long you keep the bike: starting at €.50 for the next half-hour up to €2.00 for every 30 minutes over 2 hours. NOTE: You will also be charged €150.00 deposit for the bike which is refunded when you return the bike.

Once your bank card has been accepted and you have created your PIN, you will receive your ticket. IMPORTANT: Keep your ticket because it has a code on it that you will need when you want to rent another bike within your subscription time. Choose your bicycle. Release the bike by pushing the silver button. REMEMBER: You can rent the bike at one station and leave it at another station.

This video really explains the renting instructions in detail (NOTE: prices have risen slightly since this video was made):

For more information, click here for the Villo website.

TAKING THE MODERN TO THE MEDIEVAL

I had the opportunity to experience European high speed rail for the first time on my last trip to Europe. For the first leg of my journey to Bruges, I took the Thalys train from Amsterdam to Antwerp. Now, riding a train is not a novelty for me--I ride a suburban commuter train every day, twice a day, to my job in the city. But comparing the two experiences would be like comparing a Range Rover to a Dodge Neon.

First of all, a reservation is mandatory on any Thalys train. Before you even get on the train, you already know you will have a seat. No standing in the vestibule because you are one of the last to board; no sitting on the steps on a copy of the latest train newsletter so your bottom doesn't get dirty. You'll have an actual seat for this train ride.

Secondly, what comfortable seats! If they had these seats on the airplane, I might sleep better on that overnight flight. Soft velour upholstery with deep-cushioned comfort and the back bump to support your lower spine. Adjustable headrests so you can just lie back and enjoy the ride, and enough knee room for those persons of above-average height.

I wish they had these seats on overnight flights!

And the ride! As smooth as if we were gliding on butter! No jostling from side to side, feeling as if you are a martini being shaken, not stirred. No delays for signal or switching problems. And as we traveled alongside the busy highway, the cars filled with morning commuters seemed to be standing still, we were traveling so fast. Sitting there in the window seat with the morning sun shining on my face, I could have easily fallen asleep and remained on the train all the way to Paris. But since I was only going as far as Antwerp, I had to force myself to stay awake for fear of missing my connecting train to Bruges.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

Photo was taken by me.

RUE CLER OR THE MARAIS?

After paring down your list of recommended hotels to 5 or 6 choices, your next step is determine in what part of the city do you want to stay in. Do you want to be near the Eiffel Tower and Rue Cler with its fruit markets and boulangeries, or do you prefer the Jewish Quarter and Place des Vosges area of the Marais or the narrow streets and university atmosphere of Latin Quarter? Would you prefer to be near Stazione Termini in Rome or near the Pantheon and the historic center or perhaps even the unique Trastevere area? In Amsterdam, you can choose a hotel with a canal view or stay in a hotel away from the main city center, but be only a half-block away from a stop on Tram Line #2.

There are several factors to consider when choosing what part of a city to stay in. One factor will be how many nights will you be staying in this city. If you're just passing through a city for one night and arriving by train, choosing a hotel near the train station makes sense since you'll be leaving again in the morning. Also, if you need a room for just one night, it's probably better to choose a hotel instead of a Bed and Breakfast. Many Bed and Breakfasts will charge extra if you are staying for just one night.

Another factor to think about when choosing where to stay is price. While you can find good, inexpensive hotels and Bed and Breakfasts in the main tourist area, choosing to stay just outside the main tourist center can sometimes save you a significant amount of money. In certain cities that have recently come out of Communist rule, such as Prague, prices for hotel rooms, restaurants and even basic services can drop dramatically if you choose to stay away from the city center. And I'm not talking about way outside the city center. You could be just six blocks away and still save a lot of money. Fortunately these cities usually have excellent public transportation systems (something good from the Communist government!), so you will no problem traveling to and from your hotel.

Another factor in determining what part of a city to stay in is what kind of tourist do you want to be?  Do you want to be a regular tourist?  Do you have a list of this, this, this and this that you have to see in the few days you are visiting the city?  If so, you would probably want to stay closer to the city center and those sights. Or are you more interested in people rather than places? Do you want to spend more time interacting with the inhabitants of that city rather than fighting the foreigners in the major museums? If that's the case, you might want to choose a hotel or Bed and Breakfast in a residential area. While you can still visit those major must-see sights during the day, in the evenings you can have dinner or drinks in the same places where the residents frequent or stroll the sidewalks where parents walk with their children. You'll probably also get a better night's sleep in the quiet residential neighborhood.

If you are planning an extended stay in a city, consider renting an apartment especially if there is a group traveling together to split the cost.  Apartment rentals in residential areas can be more cost-effective than hotels especially if you are visiting for a longer period of time. However, in some cities you can rent an apartment for shorter stays of just one week. Tripadvisor has a "Vacation Rentals" tab next to the "Hotels" and "B&Bs/Inns" tabs, plus there are websites that can help you find an apartment such as http://www.europeanhomerentals.com/ and http://www.europeanproperty.com/. Renting an apartment can really give you the feeling of being a temporary resident of that city.  And remember that in most major European cities, public transportation is excellent.  You can stay outside the city center, but travel to the major sites in a matter of minutes.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner

WELCOME!

Welcome!  I love traveling in Europe. Not only do I love traveling in Europe, but I love planning trips to Europe...thus the name of this blog. Now I'll admit that I'm not an expert in travel, but I have successfully planned and taken three different trips to Europe.

Those trips consisted of 6 days in Paris:

5 days in Rome:

and 8 days visiting Belgium and the Netherlands:

What does my "planning" consist of?  Well, that's kind of the purpose of this travel blog.  When I travel, I like to know every exact detail of what I'm going to visit in each city.  I meticulously make an itinerary so I know what I will see each day. (I don't want to visit a museum on the day it's closed.) I will have researched the public transportation systems in the cities visited, plus the transportation between cities such as train timetables and ticket prices.  I will pre-purchase anything I can to save the time of doing it once I've arrived in Europe.

So what's going to be different about this blog?  Well, maybe not much other than it will contain my opinions and recollections of what I do to plan a trip to Europe.  I'll include many photos of everything that I discuss in this blog.  Lastly, I will also include links to the information that I'll be discussing, plus useful travel websites that I've discovered in my trip planning.

Well, this is my first post. I'm an expert trip planner, but a total novice blogger. Hopefully as time goes by, this blog will get much better and provide you with lots of useful information and photos of Europe.

Until next time, thanks for taking the time to read these couple of paragraphs. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner

All photos were taken by me.