# For People Who Have Visitied Europe AND Asia and possible other places



## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

This is for people who have visited both Europe AND Asia (so they can compare).

Someone told me that once you visit Europe, you would find other places around the world not as good or in all sense, 'boring'. i'm a little worried about this as i dont want to 'spoil' or 'ruin' my future trips to countries in other nations if i go to europe soon...

i'm sure there are many different opinions and things about this but i'm just wondering and would like to see a good discussion.

also, along with this, (espcially for people living in the 'neutral' countries such as Australia & USA (neutral for the sake of this topic), how does the cities/countries in europe compare to the ones in asia in terms of travel experiance, how good it was, how impressive, etc....

Do you prefer some cities over others from the other continent?

thanks, just wondering


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## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

Who told you this?

It all depends on your expectations. Personnally, I tend to think that every place is worth seeing, but this is also because I tend to be interested in things such as history, anthropology, sociology etc. Even an ugly small village in a country we don't care about can be a very very interesting place. 

Now if the only thing you want to see is clean historical European architecture in gentrified areas.... I guess you probably just need to go to Europe, but if you are interested in anything else, of course not!

I have never been to Asia, the only non-European part of the world I really know, outside of the US, is latin America.
And I met many travellers over there who would take it anyday over Europe.


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

Regardless of what's 'better or worse'. The fact that a place is 'different' is usually enough to get me interested. 

Asia is a much bigger and less dense overall, so sometimes you may need to travel larger distances to experience a good mix of cities, towns and cultures..


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## Rev Stickleback (Jun 23, 2009)

It depends hugely on what sort of thing you like doing. In terms of architecture, you won't find cities as attractive as European cities* anywhere else, but many of the bigger Asian cities have a vibrancy about them that gives them something cities in other countries don't have.

In a country such as Thailand, you get a contrast between the modern world and the traditional that you wouldn't find in europe. Take Japan, and nowhere in the world has areas like Toyko's Shinjuku or Shibuya, and certainly nowhere in europe has a city like Kyoto.

I think in europe you could be spoilt by the number of attractions and exciting cities/places to visit in a "relatively small" area, but that's as far as it would go.

* but remember, it's not as if every european city looks like Venice.


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## Deanb (Jun 7, 2006)

NOT TRUE

I'd take Bangkok and Thailand over many european capitals anyday 

It depends on what sorta places you like visiting


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## correfoc (Apr 26, 2009)

Don't worry about it, just go to Europe already!

The perspective of an Aussie toward Europe must be similar to that of someone from the US going to Europe. For those of us from former European colonies, going to Europe is like going to the "mother ship" in ways going to Asia or Africa never will be. 

For some reason, European countries have preserved more old buildings, artifacts, paintings, etc., than countries on other continents. So in Europe you can spend lots of time admiring old stuff in special buildings designed to hold old things. Or walking around old neighborhoods that make their living from tourism. That's pretty cool, but don't confuse that with understanding today's Europeans.

For example, lots of tourists look for how the "typical Parisian" lives, but don't care to know that most Parisians live in high rises in the suburbs. 

Some of the most powerful experiences you can have while traveling won't happen in museums, but just in a regular neighborhood somewhere. Or in a supermarket. Or a shopping mall or a beach or a cafe. Just hang out and talk to people. Or look at how they organize their lives. Can be on any continent. 

Seeing certain old objects (Mona Lisa, Tower of Pisa, Stonehenge, Coliseum, etc) is sort of obligatory for "educated" types, so do it, but don't limit your travel to that.


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## Rev Stickleback (Jun 23, 2009)

correfoc said:


> For some reason, European countries have preserved more old buildings, artifacts, paintings, etc., than countries on other continents.


...mainly because they had them to preserve. Europe got rich in a period when construction had got to a level that meant buildings could last 100s of years, combined with the desire to create buildings with aesthetic appeal.


A lot of these cities then declined in importance, making further reconstruction unnecessary. The result was a lot of historic imposing buildings.


It would be wrong to assume these old city centres are just about tourism and being "museums" though. What makes them interesting as well as just attractive is the fact that they are largely still living city centres used by the locals.

In asia, the only old buildings tend to be temples. You can find old style architecture for other building in the country, or in cities if you look hard, but the older architecture tends to be more modest.


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## Ribarca (Jan 28, 2005)

It's a very tough discussion. To me Europe -especially in the summertime- can't be matched for its historical cores, century old bars and sidewalk cafes, urban parks and atmosphere.

Asian cities have a certain vibrancy and dynamics that few European cities can match. 

When I'm back in my hometown Amsterdam I love the atmosphere and culture in the city which Hong Kong does not offer. Sitting on an outdoor terrace with a beer in my hand overlooking the canals is the ultimate feeling of being at home. At the same time I do miss the 24/7 vibe of Hong Kong after a while back home.


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## flyinfishjoe (Mar 20, 2010)

It's like apples and oranges. I disagree with your friend, they have different sort of appeals. It's like saying you can like cake and you can like soup, but you can't like both; that doesn't make any sense.

I personally prefer Asia simply because you can find surprises in every corner. And I just feel that alot of places in Europe are too touristy--although you have to hand it to them, overall they care for their heritage more.



> In terms of architecture, you won't find cities as attractive as European cities* anywhere else,


Strongly disagree.


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## isakres (May 13, 2009)

travelworld123 said:


> Someone told me that once you visit Europe, you would find other places around the world not as good or in all sense, *'boring'.*


Really?,

I dont know what that guy meant with boring, but Asian cities could be even more exciteful than some European cities. It just depends in what are you looking for and your expectations.

As somebody said above, visiting a new place is enough for me to get interested as well.


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## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

hmmm, all very good points

but its sort of hard to get my train of thought into words...

like european cities are full of grand buildings and the streets are old with beautiful europeon archtectire everywhere. so london/paris for example, most of the city area, everywhere u walk, there are the old european buildings that existed their hundreds of years ago (from what i've seen in photos - i've never actually visited europe myself hence the topic). the buildings are just spectacular.
also take florence - amazing.

now suddenly think of beijing, or shanghai, or taipei, or singapore etc... 
it just feels and seems more 'bland'. now i know in literal terms, these cities are completly not bland. they are vibrant, noisy, colourful, full of history etc...
but the modern wide streets, identical highrises, traffic lights and highways, etc... (mostly 'americanized' style streets) make these cities seem less attractive and 'not as good' as european cities.

idk, i may be completly ignorant on this but i just had this random thought...


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## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

^^ Well Paris is full of identical 19th century buildings, highways, modern streets and traffic lights too.

(Although in fact it is mostly identical 30's-60's houses and buildings in the suburbs, where most parisians live).

But a city is so much more than architecture. I lived in a very very ugly city, and yet can't wait to return.


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## Lino (Oct 16, 2007)

Well being European and having visited some parts of it, I must say it is beautiful and so diverse. But last year I was in Brazil and the landscapes, colours, people, food, took my breath. The Iguaçú Waterfalls seen from the Argentinian side are a must see!!


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## Black Stone (Sep 7, 2009)

go anywhere you wanna go. its ur decision not other's. just enjoy the moment


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## Urbanista1 (Sep 13, 2006)

What is unique about Europe is the richness of its cultural artifacts from architecture to art. Even though Europe is not the oldest culture, it has been the wealthiest historically so its cities look the best, its art and architecture are the most evolved and best preserved - Florence, Krakow, Seville, Amsterdam for example. It is all very charming and pretty. It has the best examples of medieval, baroque, renaissnace and early modern architecture and of course romanesque, since it is based on Roman culture, the main antecedent of all European cultures. Europe also has stunning natural areas - Rhine valley, Carpathians (Poland, Slovakia and Czech) and Alps and so much more. Europe is also the best developed for tourism, so travel is more enjoyable but you will pay for it.

However, travel is an experience, other parts of the world offer amazing travel experiences with the indigenous cultures, cuisines, folklore, scenery etc. 

If you are looking for pretty cities and manicures countryside, Europe is best. If you are looking for a mind-broadening experience, the world is your oyster. Enjoy and safe trip!!


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## El Tifón (Sep 27, 2009)

travelworld123 said:


> hmmm, all very good points
> 
> but its sort of hard to get my train of thought into words...
> 
> ...


Well it sounds like you are very much a fan of more 'traditional' locales; Asia has and is still experiencing a rush to modernize so chances are that you will not find much historical architecture in the big cities. But the trick is knowing where to look: Beijing still has a lot of 'hutong' - old lanes filled with traditional courtyard houses - and Singapore has preserved quite a number of its old colonial buildings.

If you want to look for more complete historical towns you'd have to venture out of the larger Asian urban centres. Lijiang in Southwest China (Yunnan Province) and Luang Prabang in Laos are two places you would definitely love, but you would need to get out of your comfort zone - that's undoubtedly one of the highlights of travelling in Asia.

I have lived in both Europe and Asia and depending on where I am I always seem to miss something about the other continent. They're very different so you can't really make a comparison on which one is 'better'. Yes, one is smaller and more comfortable to get around but it can also be incredibly expensive. They both have their pros and cons and I love them for different reasons.

One more thing - Europe as a continent is often seen as the 'mother lode' of travel by those living outside it, but many Europeans express a desire to see the world beyond their borders. So it's a classic case of 'the grass is greener' if you ask me.


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## Fizmo1337 (Mar 26, 2009)

gonzo said:


> Regardless of what's 'better or worse'. The fact that a place is 'different' is usually enough to get me interested.
> 
> Asia is a much bigger and *less dense overall*, so sometimes you may need to travel larger distances to experience a good mix of cities, towns and cultures..


I don't think Asia is less dense except if you count in places like Mongolia and deserts in western China or Middle East. Asia feels more crowded then Europe in my opinion. Ok, Europe sometimes feels crowded in historic city centres, true, but that's because of all the tourists, otherwise it doesn't feel crowded at all. Go 1 or 2 streets further then San Marco Piazza in Venice or the Louvre in Paris and it's almost empty streets you see. In Shanghai or Hong Kong you see a lot of people everywhere. India is probably the best example. It's almost impossible find quite areas in India, you see people _everywhere_ even outside big cities. This is certainly not the case here, even in dense countries like Belgium or the Netherlands. These countries never feel dense except for a few streets in the touristic centres.


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

^ I was referring to the countries in Europe being more dense, as opposed to the cities themselves.

I understand there are exceptions such as Bangladesh, however places like Siberia and Mongolia do occupy much of what is Asia.


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## 009 (Nov 28, 2007)

Black Stone said:


> go anywhere you wanna go. its ur decision not other's. just enjoy the moment


agree 100%



nice pics on the multiply link btw


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## wyqtor (Jan 15, 2007)

I live in Eastern Europe and I have seen the most important parts of the continent. For me, it's Europe that starts to become a little boring (except for the Alps, which I love and still have lots of valleys left to visit). 

I traveled to China last month and it was not that boring - however, it was definitely uncomfortable and not relaxing, because for the most part it is a developing country. But still I found Hong Kong & Shanghai with their skyscrapers and futuristic skyline a lot more interesting than *any *European capital.

So I guess it depends. Although if you live in the US, Australia, NZ, Argentina or Chile you'll probably feel the most comfortable and close to home while visiting Europe as opposed to other places.


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