London to Paris to Italy to Hong Kong...

[Little Star]

Hi everyone!

At the end of this year I will be going on my very first overseas trip and I am so so so excited! I zone out at school thinking about it, waste my homework time looking at pictures on the internet...

I will be going to London, flying to Paris then driving down to Nice. From Nice I will fly to Rome and travel around Italy. On the trip back home I have a 5 day stopover in Hong Kong as well.

I was hoping I could get some advice on things to see that may be less known to tourists, must sees/dos, traditional souvenirs worth buying, and of course interesting places to shop (that aren't too expensive as my currency is worth very little). I would appreciate anything anyone has to suggest.

Thanks so much...

 

[Little Star]

Anyone???

 

[Boluda]

there's a HUGE paris thread on this board, check it out.

a few cool boutiques in paris at the 6th arrondissement (st-germain-des-pres):
-voltaire&zadig
-diabl'ess
-vanessa bruno (ridiculously overpriced tho')
-cant remember the name of cool boutique on rue du four hmmm illget back to you on that

h&m, mango, zara, etc are all on rue de rennes in that same area.

bon marché is a high-end department store (like lafayette) and it's got everything. in that area too.

funky boutiques (up-and-coming designers, diesel miss sixty etc) are at le marais. def the hippest district in paris.

skip eiffel tower, champs elysées is tacky as sh*t, the only people who hang around there are LV-obsessed japanese tourists

for restaurants, theres so much tourist trap its unbelievable but you NEED, NEED to go to chartier! its the quintessential paris bistro and its not expensive at all! (for paris standards)

=====

london and HK i cannot give you much info about.

rome, that will be for another post.

 

[Little Star]

Thankyou so much Boluda!!!!!

le marais sounds very cool, like a french version of melbourne's chapel street...hopefully I will get down there!

I can't wait to see h&m mango and zara...I've heard so much about them on tsf.

Where is the Chartier? It sounds like a must-do!

 

[Boluda]

CHARTIER: rue du faubourg, montmartre. it's a must.

the best thing about paris is everything is at a walking distance, even though it's so big. what's more, you can walk for about 3 hours without ever seeing an ugly building! it's so pristine and pretty.

(and rome is even better! but i dont know it that well, and -shoppingwise - im under the impression that in italy there is very little in between haute couture designers and trashy cheap brands)

 

[pinkylam]

if u need a tour guide in HK, i'd be more than happy to do it cause i'm longing for an opportunity to practice my english

 

[Little Star]

^ Thanks again Boluda for your help! I will have to go! Lucky I like walking haha, I can't wait to go! It'll be winter too, dressing up in coats and boots to wander around sounds so exciting.

Pinkylaw, thankyou so much for your offer I really appreciate it! I'm going to be there with my whole family however, so I don't think it would work out. But thankyou!

 

[pinkylam]

haha, u're welcome! then i'll give u a few tips~

well, most people would come to HK to buy some light electronics, like computer components, MP3, cell phones, laptop (they say it's a bit more advance and cheaper)... dont go to those small stores, go to a shop called 'Broadway', they have many branches everywhere, like MK and CWB, with better quality and fair prices.

and for shopping,

• if u really want to shop new/fashionable/interesting/worthwhile stuff, definetely go to MONG KOK(MK), CAUSEWAY BAY(CWB, AND TSIM SHA TSUI(TST)... just focus on these few places, u can find almost everything there... that's where we young ones hang out and people usually shop at and those place has shops EVERYWHERE, just shop as detail as u can and u'll find some gd stuff.
  (just follow the crowd where people are all going up to, gd stuff are usually there, not quite in the huge stores u can see on the street)
• they have all those famous brand (like Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Burberry) in CWB, TST and Central. when u're in TST, check out the Ocean Terminal, a huge gd mall. there's a new big mall in Central called IFC, might worth a trip.
• some people would like to check out the Women Street in MK, cause it has numerous fake stuff like Gucci, LV handbags or Rolex with extremely gd quality that u'll almost believe it's true

*never go to those electronic stores in tourist area! they're sharks, charging unreasonable price, go to 'Boardway' if u wanna, i go there*

sight-seeing: well, to start with, the classics:
+ the Peak (bless u'll hv a clear day when u go up there, cause the air pollution thing can be bad)
+ night view at the TST pier of Victoria Harbour (it's better to look from TST side to Central) and u can actually try those ferry going between TST and Central
+ Stanley (some flea market and a beach too)
+ Repluse Bay (nice beach)
+ our pretty new airport
+ the Exibition and Convention Centre in Wan Chai (a bit boring in my opinion , but quite popular for those China tourists)
+ Ocean Park (quite gd)
+ Disney (a bit small though, but how can u not go since u're here?)
+ Lautau Island with that huge buddha and the old fishing village called Tai O (recommend)
+ wanna go hiking, just go to Sai Kung countryside, and some would love to go to those 2 small island besides Lautau Island (they have great, fresh seafood)

EATING!!! (the most important! )
1) dim sum, of coz, go to TST/CWB/MK 's chinese restaurant (they might be a bit expensive then other area, but better quality)
2) try those snacks or exotic food by the road in MK (dont worry, u wont get a stomachache and they taste delicious, even they might look a bit ugly!!! )
3) dessert, eat everywhere every type u come accross, especially those chinese one, we LOVE dessert.
4) there're many restaurant with diff. countries' food, like Thai, Korean, Japanese, Indonesia, Italian, American... pretty much everything u can think of... again, u can find them all in CWB/MK/TST
5) there're some nice 'upstair-cafe' in MK, just pay attention to some ad/signs on the street and u'll find some
6) try something they called 'chafing dish' (i found this term in a dictionary), u know, putting some raw food into a hot pot by yourself... that's gd
7) pub... mainly centered in SoHo area in Central

here's some brief suggestion, just PM me n i'll gv u more details (like where to get/see/buy any specific things or which exactly are those gd restaurants).

 

[Little Star]

^ pinkylam your english is fantastic! i would never notice it is not your first language!!

thankyou for all your suggestions, its almost an essay!!!!! Thanks for the warning about sharks haha i can be pretty gullible...and im planning to pick up a laptop if i can - which im sure i will be able to! It sounds like I must visit MK, CWB and TST for shopping and Lautau Island sounds really interesting! your food sounds great too - its great you guys love dessert - coz I do too!!!

I really really appreciate your help! I have a much clearer idea of what is in Hong Kong now - those travel books can be so confusing! Thanks pinkylam!

 

[pinkylam]

^ pinkylam your english is fantastic! i would never notice it is not your first language!!

thankyou for all your suggestions, its almost an essay!!!!! Thanks for the warning about sharks haha i can be pretty gullible...and im planning to pick up a laptop if i can - which im sure i will be able to! It sounds like I must visit MK, CWB and TST for shopping and Lautau Island sounds really interesting! your food sounds great too - its great you guys love dessert - coz I do too!!!

I really really appreciate your help! I have a much clearer idea of what is in Hong Kong now - those travel books can be so confusing! Thanks pinkylam!

u're welcome those words just came to my mind when i think bout where to visit and stuff, coz i used to take my friends in US around, so, i'm a bit experienced telling what a tourist should do.
yeah, those travel bks hv way too much words and too general