Wikivoyage:Tourist office/Archives/2015/May

Ljubljana and Pörtschach am Wörthersee
My upcoming InterRail trip is now settled, I'm going first to Ljubljana, then to Pörtschach am Wörthersee. The reason I'm going to Pörtschach am Wörthersee is the World Bodypainting Festival, which is going to take up most of my time there.

I have no idea what I'm going to do in Ljubljana. I have about two and a half days to spend there, in the switch from June to July. My hotel is practically right next to the railway station. Generally, I like museums, parks, interesting architecture, historical sites, restaurants serving local food, and pubs. Is there something to recommend according to this near the centre of Ljubljana?

After the World Bodypainting Festival has ended, I still have about four to six hours left to spend in Pörtschach am Wörthersee. The festival ends at midnight, so I'm heading straight back to my hotel to sleep. But the next day, my train leaves only about four to six hours after I leave my hotel. What is there to see in Pörtschach am Wörthersee during that time?

I have been to Pörtschach am Wörthersee three times now but never to Ljubljana. I understand Ljubljana is quite a big city and has internal transport. Pörtschach am Wörthersee doesn't seem to have one, people go by foot or drive their own cars.

Asked by: JIP (talk) 21:03, 28 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Is there no article on the place on either de-WV or en-WV? And as to Ljubljana... We have a page on it (and would be glad to see you contribute to it once you've been there). Best wishes and bon voyage Hobbitschuster (talk) 21:19, 28 April 2015 (UTC)


 * There is, but all it really contains is information I already know, about the World Bodypainting Festival, hotels, and bars. I figure almost half of the information is what I've added myself. I'll have another look at the Ljubljana page in the near future. JIP (talk) 21:42, 28 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Ok, and thanks for your contributions. Funnily enough the German article is only an empty outline Hobbitschuster (talk) 22:13, 28 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Our Ljubljana article is at Guide status, which means it should contain enough information for getting in and spending a couple of days at the destination. Also, if you find something interesting during your visit, feel free to add it to the articles. :) ϒpsilon (talk) 19:44, 1 May 2015 (UTC)
 * As I have said I have been to Ljubljana only  for one day, so I can't help you very much. Btw if you want to move from Ljubljana for a one day trip I suggest to go to Bled.-- Lkcl it  (Talk) 08:14, 2 May 2015 (UTC)

Communication in Murmansk
If my father and I were to go to Murmansk this August, would it be possible to communicate with the locals in English? Neither of us speak or understand pretty much any Russian. Murmansk is somewhat near the border to Finland and Norway, but I very much doubt any of the locals would understand any Finnish or Norwegian. When I was in St. Petersburg in summer 2002, I found that only few of the locals understood English to a passable degree. Gestures and pointing at things helped. When I asked the locals how much something costs, they mostly typed the amount out on a calculator. And this was in St. Petersburg. Murmansk is a much smaller and more remote city. Will we be able to communicate with the locals?

Asked by: JIP (talk) 18:50, 1 May 2015 (UTC)
 * In Russia, outside of St.Petersburg and Moscow I have the impression that only younger people and those who professionally deal with foreign tourists (hotel and airport staff) can speak English. And by no means everyone of them. ϒpsilon (talk) 19:35, 1 May 2015 (UTC)

Tangier
One day cruise tour of Tangier. 4 choices on offer. One is cycling not an option. One is city tour. One is Kings Palace area not included visit. One is Artist's Village sounds good. Average price £37 pp. Which one should I pre-book? Don't fancy a taxi tour. Thanks. 92.239.221.31 23:29, 2 May 2015 (UTC)

Asked by: 92.239.221.31 23:29, 2 May 2015 (UTC)


 * I would choose the city tour, because I prefer many different attractions instead of just one.
 * BTW you may want to take a look at our Tangier article; it may not be perfect but it's still usable. ϒpsilon (talk) 10:44, 3 May 2015 (UTC)


 * If you find something there after or during your stay we - and the travelers that come after you - would much appreciate a contribution (if only correcting a typo) to said article. Hobbitschuster (talk) 14:37, 3 May 2015 (UTC)

Where to go in Europe: balancing out safety, major landmarks and other things
So, if I (and another person, went to Europe (I'm hoping to go sometime in the next ten years), my top choices would be London (because of the Tower Bridge, London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, etc. and they speak English), Paris (because of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and general scenery), and Helsinki (looks very safe, has some landmarks [Uspenski Cathedral, etc.] that are very nice, albeit not famous as landmarks in London and Paris). The bad thing is, London and Paris sounds dangerous (I could go in a less than safe city in the United States, but not exactly in a different continent. Plus, I don't like the thoughts of "men who will try to tie strings on your finger" may approach us. Then you have the fact to consider that I don't know hardly any French or Finnish. The main bad thing about Helsinki is it lacks very much to do, and if you say "I got to see the Helsinki Cathedral", it's not the same as "I got to see the Eiffel Tower". So, thoughts on which of the three would be the best option? Thanks,

Asked by: AmaryllisGardener (talk) 14:43, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
 * If you are not going to have the chance of many return visits to Europe, then you should not miss London and Paris but remember they are both international cities so seeing the famous sites is not typical of England or France. If you stick to the tourist areas they are relatively safe, although what out for pickpockets and do not wonder out of the areas without a plan. If you really want safe and great historic sites and landscapes then take a look at Germany. Also good place for food and drink. Do not worry too much about the language, most Germans have a basic knowledge of English and many are very good speakers.--Traveler100 (talk) 15:44, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
 * I visited London in the summer of 2010. I didn't feel unsafe at all for the 2 weeks I was there, and with only a couple of exceptions, everybody was really nice. Londoners are more similar to Parisians than you might think, in that unlike in a place like New York, it's really expected that when you enter a place of business, you will first say "Hello", "Good morning", "Good evening" or the like before conducting a transaction or asking a question. The last time I was in Paris was 2002, so that's really long enough in the past to probably be irrelevant in terms of my impressions of safety. At that time, I definitely felt it was less safe than New York. Nothing really bad has ever happened to me in Paris (I was previously there in 1991 and 1994), though one restaurant foolishly attempted to charge me for wine I hadn't ordered or drunk and then were surly instead of apologizing after I pointed it out (foolish because the food was good enough that I would have otherwise returned, but of course they didn't know that), but in 1994, the man who cleaned the floor of my hotel, whom I had friendly conversations with every day, told me one of my neighbors, an African who was a long-term resident of the hotel, had been murdered and dumped in the Seine, and I witnessed a purse-snatching in Montmartre, though a waiter ran after the thief and brought it back! In 2002, I personally witnessed a fight on the Champs Elysee that nearby police (a whole line of cars!) did absolutely nothing about. Right now, I would definitely counsel obviously Jewish people (that is, those who wear yarmulkes, et al.) not to visit Paris because of the risk of an attack by anti-Semitic young Muslims on the streets, but though I am extremely pained about recent events in Paris, I do love the city, and anyone who hasn't been there (sadly, except recognizably Jewish people) should go. But for you, since London is easier, by all means go. There is so much to see and do there, it's a great walking city, and it has great food, too. Ikan Kekek (talk) 16:08, 4 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Those are good choices, but Europe offers lots of other options as well.


 * Within the British Isles, consider getting out of London. I thought Bath the most interesting place I visited, mainly for the lively art & coffee house scene, and a friend who has guided Chinese tour groups to half a dozen European countries reckons Ireland is easily the best of the lot, but there are dozens of other possibilities.


 * On route London-Helsinki, you could consider stops in Antwerp, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Copenhagen, ... I've vistited the first two and liked both, have heard good things about the others.


 * Consider Southern Europe as well, anywhere from Iberia to Turkey. In general, this region is cheaper than the North and much warmer in winter. Places like Rome, Athens and Istanbul have lots of historic sites. Pashley (talk) 16:13, 4 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Amsterdam is really fantastic! It's the most beautiful city of over 1 million that I've ever been to - so beautiful that I had to redefine my views of what a beautiful building was, for the purposes of my trip, or I would have spent my entire time taking photos of everything and I never would have had a chance to actually experience anything! Ikan Kekek (talk) 16:16, 4 May 2015 (UTC)


 * As for your language concerns.. (almost) everybody in (western) Germany who is younger than 40 will speak enough English for basic conversation and I have yet to meet an adult person from Finland or another Nordic country who doesn't speak English. A thing about Finland few people know is that roughly 5% of the population don't speak Finnish (they speak Swedish) and if those two groups meet conversation is in English more often than not.As for Paris I have heard it is a beautiful city and as it has one of the major airports in Europe (along with Heathrow and Frankfurt Airport) it makes for a logical entry point, as you can reach many places with just a short train ride (book a month or two in advance for best prices, tickets go on sale usually 90 days prior to departure), including London and most of the Benelux. If you want to do Helsinki London and Paris in a single trip a flight is probably unavoidable, though. As for security if you avoid the first thing American tourists are recognizable by - that is being loud - and keep your belongings close to your body nothing should happen to you. Statistically speaking the USA has a crime rate about one order of magnitude higher than most of Western Europe, including France and Germany. That being said, language might be a concern in France and even in Paris as there is at least a cliché of French people not wanting to speak foreign languages even if they are able to (trust me, it's the other way round with Germans ;-) ). A general piece of advice I can give is this: With transatlantic flights at 600 € a pop even a week of travel in Europe on a tight budget is more expensive than your flight, so don't overload the trip and rather come again later. There are more UNESCO world heritage sites in Italy than in China and you can have exciting vacations and see new stuff every day in Europe while only moving around 100km to 200 km a day. Rather spend more time in a smaller area than trying to "do Europe" and take the picture post-card photo-op at all the clichéd sites. There is so much more to explore. We have an article on old towns as well as several lists of destinations in the country and region articles to get you started. Also when moving around distances less than 600-900 km rail travel in Europe is probably the best option in terms of both speed and price. And as to your original question... That pretty much depends. Paris is famous for a whole number of reasons. London is the only place in Europe with NFL games and certainly has its charm, Helsinki is certainly worth a trip as well (hey... Who of your friends / colleagues has been to Helsinki?) but don't overlook the medium and small towns. Dresden is (in my biased opinion) beautiful as well and offers world class climbing close by (besides it is close enough for a day trip to both Berlin and Prague), Nuremberg has been beautifully rebuilt after the war and many other cities "under the radar" may indeed be the highlight of your trip. Best wishes and I hope you can fulfill your dream of going on the trip soon Hobbitschuster (talk) 16:20, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
 * The only country I have ever frequently visited in Europe where I have experienced people not understanding at least basic English has been France. I speak Swedish fluently and German to a good degree, so I mostly manage by those languages in the respective countries. At least in Germany, people frequently switch to English whenever they hear I don't possess absolutely perfect command of German. This makes it easier to communicate but annoys me immensely, as I'd like to practice my German. In Sweden they don't do that. I've even managed to communicate in Swedish in Norway. The languages are so close to each other that I've been able to speak to the locals in Swedish and they have replied in Norwegian. It's almost the same in Estonia. In central Tallinn, the locals (at least the service professionals) understand Finnish but they sometimes reply in Estonian. I've not had much a problem in such conversations. But in France, I've seen that at least the older people don't understand (or don't want to admit they understand) any English. And my French is only barely passable. I can read it, but when spoken, the intonation is so much alike Finnish or English that I'm completely at a loss. And yes, like said previously, pretty much everyone in Finland under 40 understands at least passable English. In fact, most Finns understand English far better than Swedish, even though Swedish is an official minority language in Finland but English is officially completely foreign. JIP (talk) 19:21, 5 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Wow, I didn't expect all of these long responses, thanks! I'd like to go to all three ;) (assuming they're safe), but then there's the thing of money. If I went to Europe in the next ten years, it would most likely just be one city. Berlin is one of my candidates also, and I like the idea of returning to the land of most of my ancestors (I'm mostly German). I've never been to a country outside the US and I've never flown, so it'd be good to start easy. I also do not personally know anyone who's been to Paris or Helsinki, I do know one person that has been to London once - and loved it. Another thing is avoiding any shootings or big scenes (I'm discouraged from Paris after the events in January.) Amsterdam isn't my type of city really, I'm not into going to a place that's very liberal, and I've heard about Amsterdam allowing Cannabis and prostitution if I heard correctly? Honestly, I've never really liked Rome (and neither has the person I'm going with.) Old Roman Empire history isn't my things either. The cities of Dresden, Nuremberg, Antwerp, Hamburg, Copenhagen, and Bath are some possibilities I'll keep in mind too. -- Amaryllis Gardener  talk 16:41, 4 May 2015 (UTC)


 * I see others have already written quite a few replies...but here's mine.
 * Firstly, you could probably spend a year in Europe without running out of things to see. In addition to London and Paris, Rome is worth considering if you're into famous sights and history (or not if you aren't :)). And Venice, Vienna, Athens and Istanbul. And Munich, Prague, Amsterdam...
 * Concerning safety, the safest parts of Europe are the Scandinavian countries and Central Europe. The most dangerous parts are some larger cities in Western Europe (note that downtown where virtually all the attractions are, are quite safe) plus probably parts of the former Eastern Bloc. Still, on a global scale, Europe in general is certainly no Middle East or Latin America.
 * English is widely understood in Europe. Actually in Scandinavia or the Benelux countries virtually everyone under the age of 40 can communicate in at least basic English.
 * Helsinki is admittedly not an alpha-city, nevertheless it's certainly very safe and if you're coming here, you probably can say you've been somewhere nobody else has been :). You can also take a daytrip by ferry to Tallinn, if you have longer time to Stockholm and even Saint Petersburg (however concerning the today's situation in Russia, this may not be an option for too long in the future) as well. Or to other places in Finland. ϒpsilon (talk) 16:45, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to go for a year, only like a couple weeks, that is, if I would get to go at all. -- Amaryllis Gardener  talk 18:09, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

I happen to live in Helsinki. If there is something you need to know further about the city, please don't hesitate to ask. I could even recommend some sights if you let me know what sort of things you are interested in. JIP (talk) 19:30, 4 May 2015 (UTC)


 * I like Berlin but for whatever it's worth, I'd sooner recommend Amsterdam, Paris or London for a first visit to Europe. Your mileage may differ, but I don't really see the sense in skipping Amsterdam because of cannabis and prostitution. The prostitution is in the Red Light District, which you can easily avoid (we did), and you're more likely to smell cannabis on the street in San Francisco or New York than Amsterdam, where people who choose to smoke go to dedicated "coffee shops" that have really obvious names, so the most that's likely to happen is for you to walk past one. You'll be no more affected by cannabis than someone passing a bar would have drunk alcohol - and in a way, less, because I never saw high people standing outside special coffee shops smoking (kind of an absurd thought, really) or congregating in any way, and pot usually doesn't make people violent. Granted, I was in Amsterdam for only a long weekend, but I don't see these as logical reasons to skip Amsterdam.


 * As for Rome, it is absolutely chock-full of incredible attractions, most but not by any stretch of the imagination all of them from well after the fall of the Roman Empire. I haven't been to Italy since 1998, but at that time, Rome was quite gritty and somewhat dangerous. I think it's a big mistake for anyone to skip Rome if they have a chance to go there, but there are so many other incredible cities in Europe that if you have doubts you'd like Rome, don't hesitate to choose another city.


 * I'll highlight another city for you to think about: Munich. Munich is liberal compared to the rest of Bavaria, but Bavaria is very conservative and very Catholic. Munich is full of beautiful churches, and though Goethestraße, which comes off one side of the Main Railway Station is a bit gritty, I never felt in danger anywhere in Munich and would stay on that street again without any hesitation. If you want a place that feels more conservative and traditional (though they also are an engine for sophisticated technology and science - the BMW factory and museum is an attraction that I missed and want to go to), consider Munich. I spent 18 days there last winter and look forward to whenever my next visit will be. Ikan Kekek (talk) 21:23, 4 May 2015 (UTC)


 * In addition to what Ikan said, Munich boasts the Deutsches Museum, a museum about literally everything related however loosely to technology and you can see everything from old steam trains to beer brewing equipment and even a honest to goodness V2 surface to surface ballistic missile. As for your concerns regarding politics... Yes Europe as a whole is more liberal (with Poland and Bavaria being obvious catholic / conservative exceptions) but it will hardly affect the average traveler. Munich as a matter of fact may feel a lot more conservative than many places in the US due to the super-strict police (zero tolerance for pot, no-nonsense approach to nightly noise, littering and public alcohol consumption outside of beer-gardens or Oktoberfest) and you can compare Bavaria to Texas in some ways (conservative, southern, independent to the point of near-secessionist, more religious than the rest of the country, they have a hugely successful yet controversial sports team in the capital [Bayern München and the Cowboys, respectively], even the economies are similar as they used to be dominated by cattle but now focus on high tech and IT instead). And as to your security concerns... I know the fear of terrorism is not entirely rational, but if it helps alleviate your concerns, the risk of dying in traffic is immensely higher than the danger of terrorism. In fact even the drive to the airport in a taxi or private car is more dangerous than the flight and that includes all causes, not only terrorism. If you have indeed never flown, we have a good many articles on flying (linked from that one) and Europe has a good enough (high speed) train network that flying once there will not be necessary, unless you want to or time and budget dictate it. If you could narrow down what you are / aren't interested in, we could of course pinpoint you to more locations, as Europe has something to offer for almost any taste from old towns to Formula One Race tracks (and in the case of Monaco both at the same time) and from skiing to beaches. I gather that you would rather see a city and its sights, but I am still not entirely sure what those sights would be to you. Best wishes Hobbitschuster (talk) 23:14, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
 * I'll keep Amsterdam in mind too (BTW, I'm a Protestant, I don't drink, and I've never been to San Francisco, and nor do I want to, but I see your point.), since the page for it says there "is something for every traveler's taste here". Munich was another city I was considering; my favorite football team is FC Bayern Munich, and I think Allianz Arena is the best-looking stadium in the world. If there's enough to see to see in Munich, it should beat out Berlin for my top pick in Germany. I didn't know that Munich was conservative, and so it seems to be perfect, I didn't know there was a city in Europe that was conservative yet modern. You've helped me a lot, Ikan, thanks. :) -- Amaryllis Gardener  talk 23:29, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
 * Very happy to help. There's more than enough to see and do in Munich for 2 weeks, and if you'd like to make some day trips, there are quite a number of other places in easy range by train. Too bad you don't drink, though; the beers in Germany are excellent. However, you'll be able to enjoy wonderful sandwiches, breads and pastries at Cafe Rischart, among other places. San Francisco is very beautiful and pleasant, by the way. :-) Ikan Kekek (talk) 23:54, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
 * I just looked on Google Maps, and saw that a train from Munich to Paris is 6 hours! Is that true? That would mean if I went to Munich for a couple weeks and got bored, I could just go to Paris for a few days! I guess the US is really behind with their transport. :P -- Amaryllis Gardener  talk 00:11, 5 May 2015 (UTC)
 * Yep! Berlin is also about a 6-hour train ride from Munich. Ikan Kekek (talk) 00:30, 5 May 2015 (UTC)
 * Both connections are also being upgraded or planned to be upgraded. Expect a bit over four hours for Berlin-Munich starting December of 2017 and a significant reduction in travel time for Munich Paris once the Stuttgart-Ulm line is fully built (currently they are upgrading Stuttgart main station, and the High speed line is part of the package, but I know of no finishing date) Hobbitschuster (talk) 12:06, 5 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Amsterdam is by no means only for legal whores & weed. I'm not much interested in either & I still love the place. Lovely old buildings, people who are generally friendly and often speak good English, fine museums, good music both in some of the bars and on the streets, excellent cheese & beer, Indonesian food, ... Pashley (talk) 12:25, 5 May 2015 (UTC)
 * "Legal whores"? Is that something like a "solicitor"? :) K7L (talk) 12:28, 5 May 2015 (UTC)
 * I have to say, I'm more of a "go see landmarks all over the place and learn their history" person than a "go try beer, go to the museum, go hear the local music" type, even though I do like to try good food. ;) -- Amaryllis Gardener  talk 15:14, 5 May 2015 (UTC)
 * If you decide to visit Helsinki, I could inform you of the most important landmarks. It would be harder for me to recommend places for good beer or good music. You don't even have to stay the entire time in Helsinki - the next biggest city Espoo is so near you can practically walk there (I've done it numerous times myself), and you could also visit the historical city of Turku or the industrial city of Tampere. Both are a two-hour train trip away, Turku to the west, Tampere to the north. Or take a ship across the border to Tallinn, Estonia. The fastest ships to there take a bit less than two hours. Tallinn is much more compact than Helsinki and has a genuine medieval old town, which Helsinki lacks. (Helsinki was only a small hamlet during the Middle Ages, although it has since far surpassed Tallinn.) JIP (talk) 18:16, 5 May 2015 (UTC)

Flow Festival in Ljubljana
I just recently heard that the Flow Festival, which I have previously seen in Helsinki once, in 2009, is expanding to Ljubljana for the first time, pretty much at the exact time I'm already planning to go there. Unfortunately, it's only "pretty much", not "exactly". I'll miss the festival by one day. I can't change my travel dates any more as I've already booked the ship and train trips. Will there be anything left of the festival in Ljubljana on the day after it closes? Does anyone know whether it will happen there again the next year?

Asked by: JIP (talk) 18:36, 7 May 2015 (UTC)

Tourist office in Accra
I was wondering if there is a Travel Agency by the name of NA-BOAT located in Accra Ghana with a POBox KN2529 and a phone number of +233 50-9731483

Asked by: Ryanponderosa (talk) 17:03, 11 May 2015 (UTC) Ryan Atkinson

Connections in Tampere
I'm rather ashamed of asking questions about my home country, especially about a city I've visited frequently. But I don't know of any other place to ask. I'm planning to go to Tampere in early June. Specifically, the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre at Ilmailunkatu 20. In the event I stay there until late in the evening, how will I get to the centre of Tampere? Repa Reittiopas told me the last bus leaves at 22:09. If I miss that, is there an option to take a taxi? Is there a taxi station anywhere nearby? I've phoned for taxis numerous times in Helsinki, but never in Tampere. Can I use the same number?

The Exhibition and Sports Centre is only about 2-3 km away from the city centre. And this will be in early summer, when it's still quite light in the evening. But unfortunately the only part of Tampere I'm familiar with is the exact city centre. I know the city from the railway station to Keskustori very well, but my knowledge stops immediately after that. So if I were to try to walk all the way, I fear I would get lost almost immediately.

Asked by: JIP (talk) 19:27, 12 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Probably best to take a taxi. Here are some phone numbers for calling a taxi in Tampere.
 * On the other hand it shouldn't be entirely impossible to walk to the railway station (print out a map beforehand). ϒpsilon (talk) 19:48, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

air ticket to DUBAI BY CONSOLIDATOR
Asked by: 217.92.4.244 08:45, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

What's the question? Ikan Kekek (talk) 08:54, 15 May 2015 (UTC)


 * I guess the IP wants to know how to get an air ticket to Dubai... However, unless he/she tells us her/his point of origin and a few further details, we won't be able to help, I think... Hobbitschuster (talk) 12:59, 15 May 2015 (UTC)


 * The IP address belongs to Deutsche Telekom AG, Darmstadt, Germany so maybe the trip is Frankfurt to Dubai? Just randomly guessing... K7L (talk) 15:45, 15 May 2015 (UTC)


 * That appears to be a reasonable guess, we would only have to know the date and whether it should be a one way or round trip flight... And than the issue of rail&fly arises, as Darmstadt is not exactly Frankfurt and airport parking is expensive in Frankfurt... Anyhow it appears as if the IP is unwilling or unable to further enlighten us ;-) Hobbitschuster (talk) 16:11, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

Eligibility to visit Ireland if an Indian Tourist holds valid UK tourist visa
Hi,

What are the prerequisites for visiting Ireland if an Indian tourist holds a valid UK tourist visa? Does he need to apply for a separate visa or are there any relaxations to it?

Asked by: 14.141.69.234 14:58, 20 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Hello!
 * Here and here is some visa information from the Irish government. According to schedule 3 and schedule 4, depending on the type of UK visa you're holding you may be able to visit Ireland without a separate visa. ϒpsilon (talk) 15:40, 20 May 2015 (UTC)

Goethestraße in Munich
I went to Munich for the past weekend and stayed at a hotel on Goethestraße. My fears about getting mugged or otherwise harassed were for naught. Even in the middle of the night, Goethestraße is perfectly safe, if you don't go looking for trouble.

But I found that Goethestraße has nothing I would have expected to find in Munich. To be blunt, apart from the sex shops and gambling casinos (which I never visited), I found only services catering mostly for Turkish immigrants. I am not trying to be racist or anything, but when I go to Munich, I am looking for a traditional German experience, not a Turkish one. Even the people I saw on the street seemed to be mostly Turkish.

Two years ago, when I stayed at Hotel Achterbahn at Schwansthalerstraße 88, I found the area to be much more traditionally German, even though it's very close to Goethestraße.

Is there something special about Goethestraße that attracts immigrants?

Asked by: JIP (talk) 21:40, 25 May 2015 (UTC)


 * I think that Turkish-Germans and Turkish food is very much an expected, normal part of German cities today. I wasn't the least bit surprised to find them on Goethestraße. What's a bit more unusual about Munich is that there is a section of town a bit of a walk from the other side of the train station that has several Iranian restaurants. I also noticed that Munich attracts a lot of Arabian visitors decked out in traditional garb (full burkas or ghutra and thobe) in the summertime. Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:42, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Turkish-Germans are very much a part of German city culture. As with many large European towns you will find large cities very cosmopolitan. I would also not go to London to get an English experience of Paris to experience French culture. To get a more traditional feeling you need to go to smaller towns and out in the country. --Traveler100 (talk) 06:47, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * Just one sentence: Is there something special about the US that attracts immigrants? Hobbitschuster (talk) 22:09, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * People of Turkish origin comprise about 10% of the German population, so it is actually very much part of the modern German experience to meet them there. Munich is a very cosmopolitan city (and better for it), but if you really want a 'real traditional' German experience then you are best to head out not very far into the Bavarian countryside where the is no shortage of that kind of thing.
 * Also note that although Bavaria is often the image foreigners have of Germany, the reality is that it is culturally distinctive from the rest of the country. Andrewssi2 (talk) 22:19, 26 May 2015 (UTC)


 * As a matter of fact not even parts of "technically Bavaria" fulfill the Lederhosen-cliché. If you go to Nürnberg, the biggest city of Franconia you are technically still in Bavaria, but you will hardly ever see anybody wear Lederhosen or eat Weißwurst. But you will find a lot of Döner stores ;-). They are however somewhat less common in rural areas and the East (excluding Berlin) but even in cities like Dresden you will see visible traces of Asian, especially Vietnamese immigration, dating back to (at least) the 1970s. Hobbitschuster (talk) 13:27, 27 May 2015 (UTC)