First of all, a resounding "thank you!" to all the Fodors contributors. Fantastic advice and awesome stories - I get more inspired to travel every time I check the site!
I am traveling with two friends (we are American, female, 20s) to Europe, March through May. We will be packing very light so as not to incur fees on flights, and simply to have less stuff to keep track of! This is not a shopping trip, and we don't plan to spend a lot of money on pricey accommodations, tourist spots (unless they're truly must-see) or souvenirs. We love hiking and nature, and we love good food and cooking, so if we're going to splurge, it will likely be on food!
Dates are still mostly flexible, although we have purchased a few flights, so we're working with some "fixed points." Here is our approximate plan:
3/28 - 4/11: Ireland (15 days)
4/11 - 4/18: Scotland/Northern England (7 days)
4/19 - 4/22: London (4 days)
4/23 - 4/30: Munich/Salzburg/Alps (7 days)
5/1 - 5/30: Germany/Austria/Switzerland/Northern Italy (1 month: we haven't solidified plans for May)
IRELAND
Our group will be split in Ireland; I am staying with a college friend who lives in the country while my other friends explore the coasts.
SCOTLAND/NORTHERN ENGLAND
The group will meet in Dublin, and then we have a week before we have to be in London to meet my sister, who will join us for ten days of the trip.
I haven't spent much time in Scotland besides Edinburgh, which was fun. I have fond memories of northern England, especially the beautiful Lake District, and I have friends in Carlisle, England, who we could probably stay with.
Where would be a good place to fly into Scotland from Dublin, something that would begin a good 1-week trek to London that would take us through the Lake District, or other scenic locations? Are there other British cities we should try?
LONDON
I know my way around London pretty well, and I have friends in the city to stay with, so I'm confident putting together a good itinerary. Can't wait to go back!!
GERMANY
We fly into Munich, and my sister will fly back to the states through Munich a week later, so we're anchored to the city, but we want to see the Alps. Based on helpful advice on another thread, I think we'll go to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and MIttenwald to see the German Alps, and maybe do a day or two in Salzburg, Austria. And we'll spend time in Munich itself, too.
GERMANY/SWITZERLAND/AUSTRIA/ITALY
Now we come to the "flexible" part of the trip. I will fly home from Milan, and we would like to see the Italian coasts and Cinque Terre, but besides that we haven't chosen any definite locations.
We could spend more time in southern Germany. Then I think we will choose either Austria or Switzerland. My understanding is that the latter is more expensive, though the view of the Alps is more spectacular. I spent a little time in Switzerland before, and I loved Lucerne, Interlaken, and hiking between the Eiger and Jungfrau. But I know nothing of Austria except Salzburg, which was also beautiful.
As for Italy, it's the one place none of us have been, and none of us speak Italian.
What would you do in a month in these countries?
2-Month European Adventure: Would love your help!
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Are there other British cities we should try?
York, Lincoln, Chester all offer a view of a medieval city (so think walls, cathedral, small shops (sometims offering local wares) of these my favorite is York.
http://www.visityork.org/
http://www.lincolntourism.co.uk/
http://www.visitchester.com/
Of the modern cites you could consider
Newcastle http://www.newcastlegateshead.com/ some great galleries and a party town
Liverpool http://www.visitliverpool.com/ a fair few galleries and the Beetles
Manchester http://www.visitmanchester.com/ some victorian galleries, a real china town, Lowry (a local artist) and some of the best shopping outside of London
Leeds http://www.visitleeds.co.uk/ (yet more galleries, a smaller and denser version of manchester)
You could spend 3 to 4 days in each of these cities (with or without cars) and enjoy yourself
Some of the best walking is North of York or to the West of Leeds/Bradford
Dublin flies into Edinburgh and Glasgow from memory check the unpleasant http://www.ryanair.com/en and it also flies into Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester
Fodors has some cracking experts on most of these cities who live there so when your plan comes together come on back
My advice (after many trips to that part of Europe) is to spend some of your "Alps time" in and around Innsbruck, Austria. That part of Austria is just as beautiful as Switzerland and much cheaper.
There are many ski areas where you can hike or ride the lift to the top and get spectacular views of the Alps.
I'll give you more specific suggestions if you are interested.
Specific ideas would be wonderful. Innsbruck looks incredible! What beautiful buildings.
Suppose we go from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and then from there to Innsbruck. Where would you recommend staying? We are planning on finding youth hostels, for the most part.
The are several hostels and pensions in Innsbruck. Try to stay as close to the Old City as possible (somewhere between the train station and the Old City would be ideal). Innsbruck is easy to navigate by bus, tram or walking so don't worry too much about where the hostel is as long as it is near the bus or tram line. The city is very clean and safe so don't worry about being in a bad area.
If you do a search for "Innsbruck hostels" you will find several sites listing hostels and inexpensive hotels.
For sightseeing, I have three suggestions:
1) There is the new Hungerburg Funicular that will take you from the center of town to the village above the north side of Innsbruck. From there you can take the ski lift to the top.
2) Take the "J" bus to Igls, which is a village above the south side of Innsbruck. From there you can take the cable car to the top.
3) There is a free ski bus to Stubaier Glacier until mid- April (it's supposed to be for skiers only so if you are not in ski clothes they may not let you on but two smiling young ladies might be able to change the driver's mind if the bus isn't full). If that doesn't work take the city bus from the train station. It will take longer but the ride alone is worth it, especially on a nice day. If you take the free bus you can return when that bus leaves at 4:30 or take the city bus back whenever you want. When you arrive, take the gondola to the second stop for fabulous views along with restaurants and bars.
By the way, I'll be going to Innsbruck in January for skiing so I might have a few more tips when I return.
Feel free to ask if you have any more questions.
for the Germany- Austria-Switzerland-Italy part if staying so long and moving around investigate some kind of railpass that allows you to hop on and off most trains in those countries except in Italy where you must first buy a seat reservation - but if moving around those four countries you may find the pass a boon - if under 26 then opt for the bargain Eurail Youthpass - a 2nd class pass vs 1st class which is the only option if over 26 and IME first class does however has many perks - especially for folks with luggage and on the trip of a lifetime.
Anyway for superb rail info on trains not only in those countries but also the British Isles I always spotlight these IMO fantastic sources - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter's free and superb IMO European Planning and Rail Guide which gives lots of rail-oriented itinerary suggestions in all those countries (http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/rg011210.pdf
andhttp://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/rg011210.pdf
hiking between the Eiger and Jungfrau>
memory could be a bit hazy - to hike between Eiger and Jungfrau would not that involve serious mountain climbing to go between these two ice-bound sheer peaks?
PalenQ, perhaps my memory is a bit hazy as well!
Thank you all for wonderful resources and suggestions. I'll be sure to do a thorough trip report when I get back.
Does anyone have any suggestions for northern Italy, or about dividing a month between Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany?
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Does anyone have any suggestions for northern Italy, or about dividing a month between Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany?
I agree with your ideas about Munich, Garmisch, Innsbruck, Salzburg - wonderful mountain scenery.
From Austria catch the train south through Bolzano (break here to see Otzi the Iceman www.iceman.it/en/node/226) then on to Trento, then down to Verona. Spend a couple of days in Verona and do a side trip to Vicenza if you are interested in Palladian architecture. Then get the train to Bergamo, a gem of a small city, and then move on to Lake Como. Como itself is only OK but try to find accommodation in one of the lakeside towns that is affordable. From there it's a short trip down to Milan.
If you have time, you can get the train down to the coast - I recommend Rapallo from where you can do day trips to Cinque Terre if you are keen (personally I find it overrun with tourists) and do the bus/ferry route to Portofino, similarly overrun with tourists but really a must-see. Genoa is a city that is rarely mentioned but well worth a day trip.
I can recommend a great little out of the way hotel in Rapallo if you are interested.
It's only the tip of the Italian iceberg but a great introduction. Don't worry about the language - learn a few phrases, try them out with a smile and a laugh and by and large people will be happy to help you. Many Italians, especially in tourist areas, speak good English these days.
Santa Margherita Ligure is lovely, on the Portofino Penisula. Have you considered visiting the Italian Lakes? Lake Como and Lake Maggiore are not too far from Milan.
Appreciate the comments on tourism and language. A "touristy" feel is always a big negative to me, especially when it comes with crowds and gimmicks ... but on the other hand, perhaps we want to stay in those areas because we don't speak Italian. We will definitely study up on phrases either way.
Why would you say Portofino is a must-see, mbloggs? It looks beautiful from a cursory Google search, but then I can look up almost any Italian city and find beautiful scenery. Are there specific aspects or activities that you can't find anywhere else?
I love art and history, especially the Renaissance, and so I'd like to go to Florence. But my friends will not be as interested and this probably isn't going to be a trip spent in museums and galleries. Anyone have any absolute best/favorite stops for art and history?
To be more specific, if you are going to spend time on that bit of coast, then Portofino is a must-see. It's a very pretty ex-fishing village that is now a summer playground for the rich and famous. It makes a great day trip to catch one of the summer ferries from Rapallo or Santa Margherita to see it and to walk up to the park at the end of the point for beautiful views back along the coast.
However as you've pointed out, there are hundreds of really beautiful places in Italy, and probably ten thousand must-see sights! The joy if Italy is its diversity, so each area is worth visiting. I think the best way to manage this is to just pick one area and promise yourself you'll get to the others in due course.
I recommended the Ligurian coast because it is in the north and relatively easy to reach from the parts of Austria and Germany you are visiting. It's the Italian version of the Riviera, and absolutely stunning. It's also the place that Italians and a lot of French go for holidays at the beach. Berlusconi has a house there (if that's any kind of recommendation!)
Favourite stops for art/history? Rome, Florence, Venice, Siena, just about everywhere has something fantastic to see. You could spend a lifetime!
Depending on your budget you might look at Slovenia, there is some wonderful walking and you'll find it cheaper than Austria, Switzerland and Italy. My cousin did some walking there over the summer and loved it.
Santa Margherita Ligure is one of my very favorite places I have ever stayed - still an active fishing port and you can watch the day's catch being unloaded on the docks - just a nice nice town close to Portofino and sweet towns along the Ligurian cost. We day tripped from it to the Cinque Terre as well.
Portofino is a short boat ride or bus ride or few-mile hike from SM Ligure - and IMO Portofino can be nice out of season but a complete zoo when I was once there in summer - the old fishing town which now angles for tourist moneys more than any fish was literally elbow to elbow with bus tours and others - no fun at all.
Yet there are wonderful walks in and around Portofino - some of the nicest hikes IMO in all of Italy. Avoid Portfino also on weekends for a calmer atmosphere.
When does the tourist season kick off in Italy?
Italy IME has several tourist seasons - well summer lots of northern Europeans flock here as well as Italians - the worst being in July and Auguswt - but the week before and after Easter is also a hectic time as many Europeans and schools take two-week breaks and certain long holiday weekends.
Peak summer kicks off I think in July with May and June being much slacker and September as well though early Sept can still see lots of crowds in a place like Portofino, esp on weekends.
Where would be a good place to fly into Scotland from Dublin, something that would begin a good 1-week trek to London that would take us through the Lake District, or other scenic locations? Are there other British cities we should try? >
consider taking the 'Peace Train' the few hours between dublin and Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland and a most interesting city - spend the night there then take a ferry from Belfast or near Belfast to the Scottish mainland.
Edinburgh is IMO one of the world's most unique and beautiful and energetic cities - from there it is a short enough drive or train ride to the Lake District
after a few days there take a train to Bath, IMO Britain's prettiest city
From Bath take a train or drive to Salisbury for the night - visiting Stonehenge the next day
Salisbury is a neat old city itself - great cathedral, Old Sarum inside city limits and wonderful walks along a river and thru pastural scenes just south of town.
Salisbury is about 90 mins by train or road from London.
If going all by rail then investigate some kind of BritRailpass - check out individual train fares at www.nationalrail.co.uk - the cheapest option would be to scour that site for the limited in number and which oft sell out early however deep discount tickets that are also train-specific and unchangeable often so be sure of your plans. For fully flexible hop on hop off travel for several train trips a railpass is often much cheaper than buying full fare tickets as you go along.