Layout of the train

649 Pages·2005·8.51 MB·English

Plan your trip
with
For Dummies
Covering the most popular destinations in North America and Europe,
For Dummiestravel guides are the ultimate user-friendly trip planners.
Available wherever books are sold or go to www.dummies.com
And book it with (cid:1) Book airfare,hotels and packages
(cid:1) Find the hottest deals
our online partner,
Frommers.com (cid:1) Get breaking travel news
(cid:1) Enter to win vacations
(cid:1) Share trip photos and stories
(cid:1) And much more
Frommers.com,rated the
#1 Travel Web Site by PC Magazine
The fun and easy way™ to travel!
U.S.A.
Also available:
Alaska For Dummies New Orleans For Dummies
Arizona For Dummies New York City For Dummies
Boston For Dummies San Francisco For Dummies
California For Dummies Seattle & the Olympic
Chicago For Dummies Peninsula For Dummies
Colorado & the Rockies For Washington,D.C.For
Dummies Dummies
Florida For Dummies RV Vacations For Dummies
Los Angeles & Disneyland Walt Disney World &
For Dummies Orlando For Dummies
Maui For Dummies
National Parks of the
American West For
Dummies
EUROPE
Also available:
England For Dummies Paris For Dummies
Europe For Dummies Scotland For Dummies
Germany For Dummies Spain For Dummies
Ireland For Dummies
London For Dummies
OTHER DESTINATIONS
Also available:
Bahamas For Dummies
Cancun & the Yucatan
ForDummies
Costa Rica For Dummies
Mexico’s Beach Resorts For
Dummies
Montreal & Quebec City For
Dummies
Vancouver & Victoria For
Dummies
™
Available wherever books are sold.
Go to www.dummies.com or call 1-877-762-2974 to order direct.
Europe
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
3
RD EDITION
by Reid Bramblett
Europe For Dummies,® 3rd Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise,
except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without
either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appro-
priate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923,
978-750-8400, fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the
Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, 317-572-3447,
fax [phone], e-mail: [email protected].
Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for
the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related
trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and/or its affiliates in
the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Frommer’s is
a trademark or registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. All other trademarks are
the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or
vendor mentioned in this book.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT TRAVEL INFOR-
MATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME — AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE OF PRICES.
WE THEREFORE SUGGEST THAT YOU WRITE OR CALL AHEAD FOR CONFIRMATION WHEN
MAKING YOUR TRAVEL PLANS. THE AUTHORS, EDITORS, AND PUBLISHER CANNOT BE HELD
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXPERIENCES OF READERS WHILE TRAVELING. YOUR SAFETY IS
IMPORTANT TO US, HOWEVER, SO WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO STAY ALERT AND BE AWARE OF
YOUR SURROUNDINGS. KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON CAMERAS, PURSES, AND WALLETS, ALL
FAVORITE TARGETS OF THIEVES AND PICKPOCKETS.
For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please
contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at
317-572-3993, or fax [phone].
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print
may not be available in electronic books.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2004117339
ISBN: 0-7645-7529-5
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
3B/QV/QR/QV/IN
About the Author
Reid Brambletthas lived in Europe on and off since the age of
11, and is the author of ten travel guides, including Frommer’s
Tuscany & Umbria andFrommer’s Northern Italy.He is Associate
Editor of Budget Travelmagazine, the creator of the award-
winning TravelTools.net, and a contributor of travel articles
tosuch publications as Newsweek,The Miami Herald,and the
Dallas Morning News.When not on the road, he splits his time
between New York and his native Philadelphia.

Dedication
This book is dedicated to Frances C. Sayers, who is largely
responsible for it being (a) finished, and (b) accurate.
Author’s Acknowledgments
My editor, Christine Ryan, did an excellent job of pointing out
all the many, many places where what I originally wrote was
confusing, out of place, or simply defied all laws of physics.
Readers have her to thank for any coherence they might find
within these pages. My parents first brought me to Europe
(kicking and screaming) at the age of 11 to live in Rome, and
proceeded to teach me all about vagabonding around the
Continent over the next two years. These pages are, in large
part, just me cribbing from those two masters at the art of
travel. James Sayers and Matt Finley have both contributed
greatly to this book over its various editions — I made them
doall the difficult bits — and are both living proof that no one
really lasts more than one season as a travel writer’s assistant.
And finally, my gratitude to Boy Scout Troop 116, which — over
the course of three weeks in the summer of 2000 — reminded
me (a) of all those minor aspects of life on the road we travel
writers take for granted yet would save first-timers hours of
agony and confusion if only someone would have warned them
first, and (b) that the promise to lead a group of teenage boys
across Europe is a serious thing and should probably never be
agreed upon after one’s sixth pint of Guinness.
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our
Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the
following:
Editorial Composition
Editors:Elizabeth Kuball and Project Coordinator:Kristie Rees
Christine Ryan Layout and Graphics:
Copy Editor: Elizabeth Kuball Lauren Goddard, JoyceHaughey,
Cartographer:Elizabeth Puhl Shelley Norris, Barry Offringa,
Lynsey Osborn, Heather Ryan,
Editorial Manager:
Julie Trippetti
CarmenKrikorian
Proofreaders: David Faust,
Editorial Assistant: Nadine Bell
LeeannHarney, Jessica Kramer,
Senior Photo Editor: Richard Fox Carl William Pierce,
Cover Photos:Front, Bob Krist/ TECHBOOKS Production
eStock Photo; back, Larry Fisher/ Services, Inc.
Masterfile Indexer:TECHBOOKS Production
Cartoons: Rich Tennant, Services, Inc.
www.the5thwave.com
Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies
Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies
Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies
Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies
Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel
Brice Gosnell, Associate Publisher, Travel
Kelly Regan,Editorial Director, Travel
Publishing for Technology Dummies
Andy Cummings,Vice President and Publisher, Dummies
Technology/General User
Composition Services
Gerry Fahey,Vice President of Production Services
Debbie Stailey,Director of Composition Services
Contents at a Glance
Introduction...................................................1
Part I: Introducing Europe .............................7
Chapter 1: Discovering the Best of Europe ............................9
Chapter 2: Deciding Where and When to Go ......................17
Chapter 3: Presenting Five Great Itineraries ........................31
Part II: Planning Your Trip to Europe ............43
Chapter 4: Managing Your Money ........................................45
Chapter 5: Getting to Europe ................................................64
Chapter 6: Getting Around Europe ........................................71
Chapter 7: Booking Your Accommodations ........................90
Chapter 8: Catering to Special Travel Needs
or Interests ......................................................................103
Chapter 9: Taking Care of the Remaining Details ..............109
Part III: The British Isles ...........................125
Chapter 10: London and the Best of England ....................127
Chapter 11: Edinburgh and the Best of Scotland ..............164
Chapter 12: Dublin and the Best of Ireland ........................189
Part IV: Central Europe ..............................217
Chapter 13: Paris and Environs ..........................................219
Chapter 14: Amsterdam and Environs ................................256
Chapter 15: Munich and Bavaria ........................................284
Chapter 16: Vienna and the Best of Austria ......................307
Chapter 17: Bern and the Swiss Alps ..................................331
Chapter 18: Prague and Environs ........................................359
Part V: Mediterranean Europe ....................385
Chapter 19: Rome and Southern Italy ................................387
Chapter 20: Florence and the Tuscany Region ..................420
Chapter 21: Venice and Environs ........................................452
Chapter 22: Madrid and the Best of Castile ......................481
Chapter 23: The Best of Barcelona ......................................508
Chapter 24: Athens and the Greek Islands ........................529