France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Denmark - Paul S

Jun 30

Written By Paul Savarskyy

May - June 2024, solo trip

General:

The Trainline app is an excellent way to buy euro train tickets.
The Italian trains are usually on time but sometimes all hell breaks loose and everything is late. To account for this spend a little extra and book direct trains or with minimal transfers if possible. Also check for any strikes because then all trains basically shut down.
Buy Italian train tickets 2+ weeks in advance for better prices.
Also buy Oslo to Bergen tickets well in advance.
If you want to travel cheaply around Europe, buses are a good alternative. I had to ride one from Zurich to Munich and it wasn't bad.
Europeans are space oblivious. They don't understand how to properly pack a subway, bus, or how to let people off first before they themselves try to get on. I thought this was isolated to France but Italy and Germany have the same problem.

France

Paris:

Don't go to Paris in the high season, it's too hot and there will be too many people to make it fun + the bad ac in hotels sucks. Go in the shoulder season if you want the city to be more lively, or go I'm the off season if you want the museums to be better.
Arc de Triomphe has a great view and is worth checking out.
Spend a day just pigging out and not counting calories, the food is great in Paris and take at least a day to experience it all.
Petit Palais is a free museum that you can hit on the way to the arc and it's sensational. You won't believe that it's free for how good it is.
Definitely walk by the Eiffel tower, I don't know if you need to climb it but it is structurally very impressive.
The Louvre lives up to the hype in every possible way. I'd give an entire day just to go to the Louvre. I spent 4.5 hours and that wasn't enough. You can spend a day exploring it yourself and a day with a guide for the optimal experience. The hall of the french crown jewels is the most beautiful room I've ever been in.
The pantheon is sick. The views from the top are awesome so get the pass for it, and the inside is very nice. Great city views from the top.
Book tickets for museums ahead of time, it's always busy to enter them so if you don't book in advance you won't be able to get in.
I couldn't go into Notre Dame but it still looked cool.
You don't need to take taxis/Uber, the public transit system + walking is good enough.
For breakfast go to some local cafe and get the pastries, they're excellent. If you have more time go get breakfast but get the eggs done like the french make it. They make it super creamy with a lot of butter and it's very good.
Always say bonjour first when you talk to the French if you want them to be nice to you and say merci a lot. Be nice to them and they'll be nice to you.
Paris is definitely the cultural capital of Europe, take a morning or afternoon just to walk around and get lost, you might see some interesting stuff and you'll also see how the architecture is cool everywhere you go.
Apparently pickpockets are huge in Paris, I haven't seen them myself but I got a little lock to lock my backpack with and keep my hands in my pockets in crowded areas. I've felt very safe doing those things.
Get the navigo easy pass, you can get the pass while buying the airport train ticket at the airport.
Hôtel des Invalides is sick and you should check it out if you're into history. There's cool French army historical stuff and Napoleon's tomb is wild.
Getting the train ticket to the airport might be tough right before your flight, allot extra time for that.
Musée Carnavalet might be free but I thought it was very average or boring. Do other stuff instead

Italy

Rome:

Pizza is sold by the kilo which is tremendous.
Book tickets ahead for the major sites, I wasn't able to view the colosseum and pantheon but instead I just wandered around and looked at all of the crazy churches. Rome has the most impressive churches I've ever seen so 1000% check them out.
Do a guided tour of the Vatican, this will give you more information about it that you'll miss otherwise + you'll be able to get into St Peter's without waiting in the giant line.
The Sistine chapel is smaller than you'd think but it's still massively impressive when you remember Michelangelo did it all solo.
St Peter's basilica is the most beautiful building I've ever been in. It's literally breathtaking and an absolute must do if you're in Rome.
Castel Sant'Angelo has great views from the top. I really enjoyed walking through the castle and checking out everything. + If you've played Assassin's Creed Brotherhood it's cool to finally go into something that you've seen only in a game before.
I bought a 2 day metro pass, I didn't need to and could've saved some money. Just walk around Rome a lot and check out all of the side streets along the way to sites, they're so pretty.
Gelato is tremendous.
Rome is a busy and major metropolitan city. Don't expect it to be a part of a quant Italian trip. It's loud, busy, a little bit dirty (still cleaner than NYC) but it's a great place to be.
Piazza Venezia has great views from the top, it's 17 euros to get to the top but the ticket also includes entry to 2 small museums. I thought it was worth it regardless.
Italians don't mess around with spritz.
Get some traditional Roman pasta like carbonara or cacio e pepe, they really do it well here.
Spanish steps are eh and the fountain is super packed, definitely not a *must do*. There's a lot of pickpockets there so if you're walking by check it out but just keep your pockets safe.
Rome has more pick pockets than Paris, so much so that in the metro they warn people about them, so be safe and watch some videos on spotting pick pockets.
Taking the train from the airport to Rome termini is easy and a good way to get to Rome.
Eat and drink like a maniac here, the food is sensational. Just pig out like Paris. Also, vino de la casa (house wine) is cheap but they bring out a pitcher since it's meant for 2 people. So good if you're traveling with someone else, but it can be a lot of wine if you're solo.
From Rome to Florence the east facing side of the train has better views.

Florence:

Book everything ahead of time and get there early to the popular sites. Like the Duomo you won't be able to get in without a timed entry or the museum with the statue of David.
Santa Croce had no line though and was also very nice
Baptistry also had no line and the duomo museum was also good. But you'll need to check your bag behind the duomo before going in.
Piazza de Michelangelo has a tremendous view of the city, and the church behind it is supposed to be nice. I forgot to go inside.
Pitie palace is supposed to be great but I didn't have a chance to check it out.
Some places are closed on Mondays so check their schedule. Tuesday through Thursday is the easiest to get into places.
I did a vespa wine tour, I highly recommend doing one. There was a lot of vespa riding and wine only at the end (can't drink and drive) but riding a vespa through the Tuscan countryside was sensational.
Florence is packed with tourists/study abroad students. I think I read there's 2-3x the amount of tourists as actual residents. The city is super busy and you'll be surrounded by other tourists at all times. Don't expect a quiet city.
The uffizi is cool, just huge and easy to get lost in.
Spend a morning or afternoon just walking around, the city has a bunch of picturesque streets.
Maybe watch a quick video on the impact the Medici had on the city. They literally owned the entire city and a lot of things in Florence are attributed to them.
This bed and breakfast, ROOMS LibertyHouse Firenze, really made my time in Florence better. Manuela is a tremendous host and while it's a bit farther out from the city center having breakfast made for you every morning + a sick host is tremendous. She even called in restaurant reservations for me.

Florence Food:

Florentine steak is kinda overrated in my opinion. It's just a dry aged t bone.
Florentine sandwiches however are good, the popular one always has a line. Sandwichchic can be a good alternative if you don't feel like waiting forever.
If you want neopolitan pizza and you're not going to Naples then Florence has a lot of good pizzerias.
The wild boar pasta is good.

Switzerland

Interlaken:

Oh my god this place is so expensive.
Try to do laundry only once here, do it before you come here or after.
The beer is pretty good
The Lauterbrunnen valley is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Start at Lauterbrunnen and walk the entire way to Stechelberg and then take the cable car to Gimmelwald or Grindelwald.
If you're adventurous and like hiking, then hike to Tanzbödeli after Gimmelwald and if you have good weather you'll get stunning views of the valley.
Buy the Berner Oberland pass or something similar to save money on transit if you're going to be taking cable cars/trains a lot.
Hotels also often give bus passes for Interlaken which is nice.
Get a hotel with breakfast so you don't need to spend extra money getting breakfast.
Interlaken itself is very walkable.
If you want to buy a swiss watch Interlaken is a good spot to do so since you get a discount for being not a swiss citizen.
The boat ride to Thun is excellent, great views.
Thun itself is a nice town, I really enjoyed my time walking around it. There's fewer tourists there so it's a good break from Interlaken which is packed with tourists. Visit the castle too which has great views of the town and cool history.
Lots of Indian and Arab restaurants in Interlaken because there's a lot of Indian and Arab tourists. So I guess if you like Indian food, Interlaken is not bad for it? Idk I didn't have any Indian food while I was there.
Even though it rained a lot and the weather wasn't great I really enjoyed my time, which goes to show how cool Switzerland is.
You're going to be dropping bills on eating out, just accept it because no amount of crying is going to change anything.
Husi Bierhaus has good beer and good food.
The view from Harder Kulm is exceptional and you have to go up to it if you're in interlaken.
Swiss trains are punctual which is nice.
I would not recommend the hike to Augstmatthorn or the hardergrat for anyone except for extremely experienced/well conditioned hikers. But if you still want to do it you can take the cable car up to Harder Kulm to save 800-1000 ft of uphill hiking. It's a lot of hiking with a lot of elevation gain which most casual hikers are not prepared for. And absolutely don't do it in bad weather (especially if it's raining or windy) because it's a hike of consequence. If you slip you die. (I did it in snow though because I'm nuts and because who expects snow in June?!?)
Bern is ok (not much to do there), I liked Thun more as there's more to do. However a good day if you're tired is riding the train to Bern, walking on the promenade for a bit and then catching the boat to Giessbach Waterfalls. Walk around for a bit, check out the waterfalls and then catch the boat back to Bern/train back or ride the boat all the way back.
Schwarz Mönch beer in Gimmelwald is honestly sensational and has such a vibe. It's rated as one of the best beers in the world but the atmosphere of the restaurant with the mountain views and chill vibes makes it one of the best places to chill in the world.
There's not a lot of *swiss* restaurants in Interlaken, so just eat whatever you want and don't feel bad if you're not eating authentic.
Fondue is tremendous, definitely have it when you're here.
Rugenbrau is the local brewed beer here, it's good, I would recommend drinking a lot of it.
Grindelwald is cool, it was cloudy for me so I didn't see most of the mountain peaks but if you have an afternoon then check it out. I think Lauterbrunnen is cooler though, however Grindelwald has most hotels/restaurants so you're actually able to stay/eat there vs Lauterbrunnen which is basically only for activities.
Use meteoswiss for weather and not your phone app, the phone apps generally don't have good forecasts while meteoswiss does.
Swiss tap water tastes tremendous

Germany

Munich:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/moPmDy8LubyTYhvc9 this place has tremendous weisswurst and weissbier, way better than Weisshaus. I had breakfast there twice and I would've eaten there again if I had another day.
It is socially acceptable to slam beers for breakfast if you get weisswurst. So go for it, you're just being *cultural* since it's what Bavarians do.
Bike lanes are mixed with the sidewalks, the bike lines are closer to the road so don't accidentally walk in the bike lanes or else the German bikers will get pissed.
Munich Residence is tremendous. It's so impressive and cool to see the old Bavarian castle. Several of the rooms will take your breath away. Also get the combined residence + Treasury ticket because the Treasury is also tremendous.
Hauf bruhaus is very touristy but I liked the vibe nonetheless. I can't imagine how busy it'd be during peak season but it's definitely worth just stopping by and having a beer to feel the vibe, although the service will probably be slow.
The view from the top of St Peter's tower is cool since it's the highest point in old Town Munich. Definitely worth the 5 euro.
Deutsches Museum is mid, it's more tailored towards kids but if it's a rainy day not a bad spot to see if you have nothing else to do. Kinda just a regular science museum.
Augustiner-Keller is much less touristy than the other beer houses and the food + beer is good. Would recommend checking it out.
Try to get a hotel next to a metro stop, even if you're outside the old town it just makes your life easier visiting Munich
The Bayerisches national museum is sensational and it's on 0 online guides. I was really impressed how good it was and since nobody knows about it there's not a lot of tourists. I highly recommend it.
The English Garden is nice to stroll through, people river surf at Eisbachwelle at the base of the park and there's some biergartens in the park as well. Not a bad idea to pair with the Bayerisches national museum in the morning and then have a nice stroll after.
I accidentally didn't pay for like 50% of my trips on public transit. No one checked but regardless you can get a strip ticket that has 10 rides on it, there's little stamp things that stamp your ticket on buses, and on the stairs before the Uban.
Munich has really good pork dishes, some variation of pork in a brown gravy with a potato dumpling with a liter of beer is an excellent meal.
Asamkirche church is incredible. If you're just walking around I'd highly highly recommend checking it out. The inside is gorgeous.
The clocktower performance on the new town hall is alright, a good way to do it is to get there 10-15 minutes early and see if there's a big tour group nearby and stand kinda close to listen in to the guide to get free info about it.

Nuremberg:

Nice little town, you only need like 2 days to explore most of it.
The castle is cool, get the combined ticket to also go up the tower. After you’re done with the castle explore the castle grounds. There’s a lot of cool history in the castle to read the descriptions in the museum.
The gelato here isn’t very good.
The little nuremberg sausages are nice, if you get them at a restaurant get them with sauerkraut and some mustard. And you get 3 of them in a little sandwich thing. The stands in the main market sell them. A good and quick snack if you have a lot of exploring to do.
Not worth it to get the Elisenlebkuchen from Cafe Neef, it’s just a big gingerbread type cookie thing.
Hit up the three churches, Church of Our Lady, St Lawrence and St. Sebald. They’re nice
Handwerkdorf takes like 2 minutes to walk through. It’s like some little tourist thing with some shops and stuff there. I guess you have to check it out if you’re in Nuremberg but you won’t spend much time there.
Check out the main market square and walk around. The Weinstadel bridge is a nice detour and is very photogenic.
Nuremberg was one of the most bombed cities during world war 2 so not much is original. It’s rebuilt in the old style though and looks nice. It feels much more Bavarian than Munich does if that makes sense. But Nuremberg is franconian so don't tell them they're Bavarian haha.
Online guides say Schanzenbräu Schankwirtschaft is good (red beer was good), if you go late know that the kitchen closes at 9pm.
Germanisches Nationalmuseum is quite good and very large. They have a lot of exhibits and it's very German history/people focused. Would recommend it, plus when I went on a Sunday morning there was barely anyone in the museum.
An hour before sunset on the castle overlook thing gives a nice view of the city.
I did a day trip to Fürth, it's ok for a casual stroll, nothing else to really do there.
The youth go out to party in Nuremberg. On Saturday night the streets were littered with youths going clubbing.
Schäuferle is quite good, it's another pork dish with brown sauce and potato dumpling, so I quite enjoyed it

Berlin:

The train from Nuremberg to Berlin had some very nice views of the German countryside. So it's not a bad idea to take a train.
Currywurst is pretty good and doner kebab is good.
Tempelhofer Feld is interesting to check out and a nice walk since it's literally on an airfield. However if you can join on a guided tour of the terminal, I think it'd make it much cooler
You can do the popular stuff in a single afternoon, checkpoint Charlie, Hitler’s bunker (which is just a parking lot), the Jewish memorial, Brandenburg gate, and the Victory Column pretty easily.
If you can't go up the Reichstag then go to Berlin cathedral, you can walk to the top and you also get a great view.
The Neues Museum on museum island is quite impressive for Egyptian history and if you like that type of stuff at all I'd say check it out. However the top floor isn't as interesting, do the basement, floor 1, and floor 2 for sure.
I was working during my stay and didnt have a ton of time to see a lot.

Norway

Oslo:

Oh my god this place is so expensive. Just as, if not more expensive than Switzerland.
Oslo during a weekend, with nice weather, is probably my favorite city I've ever been to. Everyone is enjoying the weather and the city is so walkable that the vibe is just fantastic.
During the summer the sun sets super late so you can comfortably walk around at like 11 pm no problem
If you're willing to spend a lot of money Oslo has a lot of cool clubs and rooftop bars. I didn't go to them but I saw a lot of other people going to them.
The Fram museum and Kon Tiki museum are awesome. Especially the Fram museum. When you learn about the absolute animals these Norwegian explorers were in the arctic you're left in awe. I spent 2.5 hours just in the Fram museum because it was so interesting.
Do an Oslo harbor sightseeing cruise, it's quite nice.
Walk on top of the opera house, you get great views of the city
In June the weather might suck, check the forecast but it might be rainy and kinda cold
Norwegian food is served in the finer dining restaurants for some reason, so don't feel bad about eating other types of cuisine while you're here.
The 711 isn't as trashy as the states, and the hotdogs are the go to late night food when nothing else is open.
The castle has got some nice views of the bay and the city and it's free so go check it out.
Just spend a day walking around, it's such a small city and so nice it's well worth it.
Use the Ruter app for public transit tickets.
The royal garden is open but the royal house is only open for group tours after some festival in late June, so plan accordingly if you want to check it out.
Take a boat ride to Hovedøya and walk around the island, I really enjoyed exploring it and just chilling on the conveniently placed benches on the beaches and rock outcroppings.
Basically everyone speaks English and they probably speak it better than you.
There's one street near the Oslo central station that's full of gypsies, just watch your pockets and don't engage them while you're walking down it. You'll know when you're on the street.
The express train from the airport to the city is a little bit expensive but so clean, comfortable, and fast that I think it's worth it
The train from Oslo to Bergen has sensational views, book tickets early though or else they'll sell out. Especially in the summer seasons
Viking ship museum is closed until 2027

Bergen:

This place gets rain something like 300 days a year, so expect some rain during your stay even if the forecast doesn't say so.
Bergen museum is nice, you get to learn about the Hanseatic league and the history of the town.
Bryggen is cool and you should walk around. I bet the shops are overpriced but there's a lot of stuff to shop around for and it's a cool vibe
The Bergen castle is ok. The tower was closed when I went and it was kinda expensive (like 15 USD or something)
The reindeer hotdogs from Trekroneren are tremendous and you gotta try them.
The funicular up to Floyen gives you a great view of the city and the walk back down is very nice
Do a full day fjord tour if you can. I did this one https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g190502-d19277272-Guided_Tour_To_Naeroyfjorden_Flam_And_Stegastein_Viewpoint_Cruise-Bergen_Hordaland.html and they drive you 2 hours into the interior of Norway, let you see a couple of awesome viewpoints and then you do a fjord cruise through Nærøyfjord. It was sensational and shows you how cool Norway is. It was $250 per person but 100% worth it
Lotta old people in Bergen. Viking cruises and other old people cruises stop by so expect to see a lot of them there in big groups
Ulriken also has a great view from the top, the gondola costs like $18 one way but it's super nice up there.
If you have a day with good weather and are into hiking I highly recommend hiking from Ulriken to Floyen. It's like 8.5 miles, far enough outside the city where it feels nice and you get some great views. It's extremely rocky though so if you're not comfortable with navigating that then it might not be worth it.
Bergen on Friday and Saturday nights also gets popping like Oslo.

Denmark

Copenhagen:

Stock exchange is totally burned down so nothing to see there
Marble church is nice, just another large church
Changing of the guards is ok, nothing really special
Nyhavn does look nice and you should check it out. It’s *the* photogenic spot in Copenhagen
I did a canal boat ride and it was quite nice since canals run through the entire city
Smoorbrod I thought was good. It's just basically stuff over rye bread, but I regardless liked it
The National museum is pretty mid. It didn't wow me like other museums on this trip
The Round Tower has a good view of the city from up top and it's cheap, I'd recommend going up
Christiansborg Palace is quite nice, I'd recommend seeing the rooms. There's also a restaurant on a tower right next to it which is supposed to be very cool but the line was too long for me to want to wait
Kastellet is ok for a nice stroll, nothing really special there
I'd recommend going to Copenhagen when the weather is nicer, the city comes alive when the weather is good
You only need 2-3 days here, the city is kinda boring if you stay for longer