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Old Oct 26th, 2015, 08:05 PM
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Advice and tips with Europe itinerary

Hello I have been browsing pages on here for months reading posts that people have uploaded with advice and similar questions so I have worked up the courage to post my own to receive some advice and tips
I am planning a Europe trip with my partner and I next June, July and August (2016)
We are in our early 20s and live in Australia. It is both our first time travelling to Europe together so we're a bit nervous yet super excited.
My biggest struggle at the moment is just agreeing on accommodation - I feel it's so overwhelming as there is so much to look at. We don't want anything too fancy but nothing too cheap. Roughly around $100-$200 per night.
I would love some opinions or recommendations on accommodation and tours etc from all you fantastically well travelled people

Okay so this is the itinerary I have mapped out

Amsterdam - 7 nights
Wednesday 8th June - 15th June

London - 5 nights
15th June - 20th June

Paris - 5 nights
20th June - 25th June

Barcelona - 5 nights
25th June - 30th June

Nice - 4 nights
30th June - 4th July

Venice - 3 nights
4th July - 7th July

Florence - 4 nights
7th July - 11th July

Cinque Terre - 6 nights
11th July - 17th July

Rome - 7 nights (possibly staying with family)
17th July - 24th July

Naples - 3 nights
24th July - 27th July

Positano - 6 nights
27th July - 2nd August

Sorrento - 6 nights (or Amalfi????)
2nd August - 8th August

Serbia - 10 nights (staying with family)
8th August - 18th August

Santorini - 7 nights
18th August - 25th August

Athens - 2 nights (to fly home from)
25th August - 28th August

I have cancelled out so many 'dream' places already because I just don't feel its realistic to squeeze them in with the amount of time we have and we wouldn't get to enjoy the other cities properly. They will be for the next big holiday in years to come

Thank you all so much in advance for the responses and taking the time to read my large post
Look forward to reading all your advice
Thanks heaps again!
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Old Oct 26th, 2015, 09:30 PM
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SEVEN nights in Amsterdam.. and only FIVE in London.. wrong. There are so many amazing things to see in London, and so many amazing daytrips from London.. and I have been to both and am in fact going back to both ( Amsterdam third time..London 6 th time) next May)

Is there a reason for this?

Santorini ,, I would split the 7 nights.. three nights in pricey touristy Santorini and three nights on Naxos.. to see some more of the real Greece.. easy ferry connection. \


Cinque Terra.. seven nights way way too long.. 4-5 days max.

Have you actually figured out what you will do in these places?
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Old Oct 26th, 2015, 10:01 PM
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You say Sorrento or Amalfi - why Amalfi when you've just spent 6 nights in Positano.
You don't need 6 nights in Sorrento and another three in Naples - they are a short train trip from one another (about 50 minutes). So stay in one or the other. I would opt for Naples as there is more to do and cheaper accommodation.

Seven nights in Cinque Terre when a lot of the trails are closed is odd. I would add them to Venice.

You've picked every touristy place in Italy. All of them will be packed to the gills with tourists, high prices and crowds.
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Old Oct 26th, 2015, 10:07 PM
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Between Sorrento, Positano and Naples, you have 15 nights in the Amalfi Coast/Naples area. What all do you plan to see and do there? You could cut that in half and still see pretty much everything.

What were some of your dream places?
What are some of your most important interests?
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Old Oct 26th, 2015, 10:10 PM
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What is it you like to do on your travels? Museums, antiquities, get out into the countryside, chill out at sidewalk cafes, shop, partake of the nightlife, lie on the beach?

Looking at the last part of your itinerary, I'd suggest you're staying too long in Naples/Positano/Sorrento and not nearly enough time in Greece. I'm not sure why you'd stay 3 nights in Naples and 12 more on the Amalfi coast. Is this a relaxing, lie on the beach vacation or are you interested in sightseeing and doing things? I'll be the first to admit that I am much less enchanted by Italy on the whole than I am by Greece. I find the Greeks to be friendlier people and the whole atmosphere of the country to be calmer but with as beautiful scenery and fascinating antiquities as in Italy. Granted, I have not been to Greece since their economic troubles have taken such a toll, but I suspect there's not a huge amount of difference for tourists (as long as you wouldn't have to stand in line to get Euros - maybe I'd bring a bunch with me just in case).

Two years ago we spent 6 nights/5 days in Naples and Sorrento and I'd be hard pressed to tell you what we would have done with more than about 2 or 3 more days. We went to Pompeii, Herculaneum, the museum in Naples and walked around to churches and such, went to Capri for a day (forgive me, Italy lovers - it was boring), took the train from Naples to Paestrum for a quiet day of well-preserved Greek temples with almost no other tourists in sight. I would have done a couple of days exploring the Amalfi coast and/or at Vesuvius with some more time but no more than that.

I also don't know what you'd do in Santorini for more than two or three days. It's lovely but after a couple of days or so, there's not much to do but lie on the beach. On Crete, however, 5 days was not nearly enough. Two days in Iraklio and three in Hania were enough but there were other things we didn't have time for. Lots of other things. Another year we even managed to enjoy 7 days on Rhodes when my plans were foiled for 3 or 4 days of island-hopping because the summer ferry schedules weren't in effect; rented a car for 2 days and drove up the Lindos side of the island one day, the other side the next. Took a day trip to Tilos (and could have also taken a day trip to Symi). Don't recommend a full week on Rhodes but I'd rather spend a week on Rhodes than Santorini.

On the mainland, we spent a few days on the Peloponnese peninsula based out of Napflio, drove up to Meteora for a couple of days, made day trips to Delphi/Mycenae and the Corinth area from Athens (both could have been done as part of the other trips but we did them the year before, which was why we decided to go back the next year to Meteora and Napflio). We've also spent 7 or 8 days just in Athens doing everything from museums to the vast number of ruins (the Acropolis is just a tiny part of what's there in a pretty compact area), to Lybetticus Hill, sometimes just wandering. Never got to Piraeus for an afternoon but think it would have been worthwhile. I'd go back to Greece in a heartbeat, but I'm probably done with Rome, Florence, and Naples/Sorrento/Amalfi.

This said, we are much older than you and may have different interests. We like to see museums, ruins, architecture, fabulous mountain scenery, hike a little (or just stroll around towns and cities and maybe get lost), looking locally crafted things (fine crafts, not so much traditional crafts - and maybe made in China!), small cafes with traditional music. We don't travel to relax on the beach and aren't interested in most nightlife.

Another thing I will point out, although maybe there's not any way you could alter it - and maybe it wouldn't make too much difference anyway. I note you are going in early June and starting in the north, ending up in southern Europe in August. It might be just a tiny bit cooler in Greece and Italy in June than in late July and August. We tend to travel shoulder seasons - April and May, September and October now - and I haven't been to Europe in the summer in a long, long time. Since so long ago that there were fewer than a 10th the number of people at Trevi Fountain in July than were there in April two years ago. But I do remember Italy (we've never been to Greece in summer) was pretty unpleasantly warm in July.

Regarding hotels in Greece, I recommend the Attalos Hotel in Athens. http://www.attaloshotel.com It's been a few years since we went to Greece and I don't know whether the rates (which I'm sure have gone up) fit your budget. But it's a popular locally-owned hotel, clean and decent, conveniently located to the Plaka and the metro, with a view of the Acropolis from the rooftop bar. Lovely at night. On Santorini I'd suggest something in Imerovigli if you don't mind the climb. I suspect there may be cheaper hotels in Fira and that's where you'll probably go to eat, but the views from Imerovigli are outstanding. Supposedly the place to see sunsets is Oia, but we saw them from there and from Imerovigli and I have no idea why they're supposed to be best in Oia. (Imerovigli is higher on the cliffs.) Generally hotels were more expensive in Oia when we were there and you'll certainly want a car if you stay there. Of course, you will probably want a car for some things anyway. We spent our first couple of days hoofing it (climbing up, up, up, up, up the beautiful cliff path to our room 2 or 3 times a day), then rented a car to go around the island, to Akrotiri, Oia, etc. If you go to Rhodes, I'd check out Spot Hotel in Old Town, which might be in your budget. I'd definitely try to find a hotel in Old Town. Walking around in the lamp-lit darkness in the area near the castle, you feel like you are back in the Middle Ages.

Sounds like a wonderful trip, no matter what you do. My husband and I spent a summer in Europe when we were in grad school in the Dark Ages and I wish we had the energy to do it again. It was great.
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Old Oct 26th, 2015, 10:18 PM
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Given your ages I think you should check out Contiki's 'Big Chill' 45 night tour. You'll meet other young people and you won't be corralled by advice from this Forum and others where most posters are old enough to be your grandparents.

If you prefer to DIY use Booking.com or venere.com to book hotels, hostels or other places to stay and lock in your plans as soon as possible. Your budget is very low, especially for places like Positano where cheap is hard to find during June, July and August.
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Old Oct 26th, 2015, 11:32 PM
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I second the suggestion of using booking.com

I always use them for hotels in Europe.
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Old Oct 26th, 2015, 11:54 PM
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Congratulations on producing an itinerary that doesn't have you rushing around! I agree with the other posters about the times. It immediately stood out that you are spending longer in Amsterdam than London. Also, why so much time in Positano and Sorrento? I would cut back on the Amalfi Coast and go to Sicily. I'd also spend more time in Venice than Florence.

Agree about Greece. The mainland is worth some time too, and seven days on one island seems a lot, unless you just want to chill out. Also agree about reversing the order and starting in the south.

Ignore the advice about joining a tour. I am sure you are perfectly capable of handling this yourselves, and have no need to be coralled onto a tour bus and stuck in out of the way hotels. If you want to meet people, stay in hostels, many have double rooms these days so you don't have to sleep in a dormitory.
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Old Oct 26th, 2015, 11:58 PM
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justice parks, with the 7 nights in Amsterdam I just figured the first two days will be for arriving and getting settled and the second for getting used to the jet lag and exploring the city then we are only left with 4.5 days before we leave for London. We also were going to land in London on the 8th for 7 nights but my partners best friends will be getting to Amaterdam on the 9
10th of June so at least we can have a few days with them.

I love the idea about splitting Santorini - I had found some good accommodation for affordable prices but I just wasn't sure which other islands to split the 7 nights between. polly229 your information about Greece is amazing. I can read the passion in your typing and I'm excited to research some of the places you mentioned and possibly/hopefully experience them on this trip.

Im actually Italain myself so if it were up to me I would spend 3 beautiful months travelling throughout Italy but if this is our only big trip we may ever get to make at least I can see I visited the other countries.
I have put in a long amount of time along the coast because unfortunately I'm not going to get to enjoy the Aussie summer this year as I will be working inside 6 days straight so I can save up for this European summer holiday. I loved the idea of having more days in some of the Italy cities to explore and have some to lay out and enjoy the sunshine (the sun I missed back home)
The 3 nights in Naples is to hopefully catch up with some of my Mothers family. They live an hour out from Naples in Benevento. Nothing is set in stone though with our itinerary so any changes can be made

We are a young couple but partying and wasting our money going out doesn't really appeal to us. We are so much more interested in going out to eat and experiencing as much food and culture as we can. I'm happy to stroll around and get lost walking streets and little towns along the way.
With the Positano I had found some beautiful accommodation which was a bit more expensive - but to wake up with that view in the morning is a complete exception.

Thank you for the tips with booking.com I have actually been using that one mostly and I like reading the reviews of other people that have stayed there.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply. I will definitely be taking down every bit that you have all said and go back to the drawing board and changing some things around too.

Also sassafrass Some of the other places I had on my bucket list were places like Lagos, Switzerland, Berlin, Ireland, Croatia, Prague, Budapest, Turkey a bit more of Spain.
But I am happy with making that an entirely different holiday and enjoying those places more.

Thank you all so much again. I really appreciate you taking the time and replying!
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Old Oct 26th, 2015, 11:59 PM
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Seven nights in Amsterdam is fine. It gives you time to get over jetlag in a relaxed way and still see all you.
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Old Oct 27th, 2015, 12:34 AM
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I disagree about doing a contiki tour. I'd only recommend a tour if you were a solo traveler and not confident about traveling around.

I don't have much to say, except that 3 months in europe.. you are really really lucky!! If I had that much time, I'd be more inclined to go to a country and stay until I wanted to leave. 3 months is heaps!!!
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Old Oct 27th, 2015, 01:02 AM
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hetismij2 they were my thoughts too. Amsterdam does look beautiful so I probably won't mind sitting by the canals reading a book and settling in nicely

MaryAlex I wish it was longer! This will be the only times in our lives we will have this luxury to spend this long. We are both 23 and have been together for 7.5 years (will be spending our 8 year anniversary in Barcelona actually) so after this trip it's growing up and becoming adults and saving for a house. So this is our big adventure before it all happens
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Old Oct 27th, 2015, 01:10 AM
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My advice if you want to meet and mingle with locals is to go to a bar, pub, or ethnic restaurant off the main drag.

You could also see if any workshops, seminars, or festivals related to any shared interests of the two of you is going on while you'll be in whatever city and go attend it. For example, the first time we went to Scotland there was a music festival going on celebrating American roots music so we bought tickets, went, and met several local people that we are still in contact with and meet up with when we are in Scotland. A contiki tour will not give you that.
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Old Oct 27th, 2015, 01:11 AM
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You don't 'party and waste money' on a Contiki tour. Some do - some like the cultural sights and some go for the sheer cost effectiveness. 45 nights with everything paid for except lunch and some dinners is good value.
Anyway you sound 35 - not 23 so the advice you'll get on here will be spot on for your big splurge before the 'growing up' starts, lol.
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Old Oct 27th, 2015, 01:14 AM
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<For example, the first time we went to Scotland there was a music festival going on celebrating American roots music so we bought tickets, went, and met several local people that we are still in contact with and meet up with when we are in Scotland. A contiki tour will not give you that.>

Ummm - yes it will. Have you taken a Contiki tour sparkchaser? Probably not - just going on all the negative stories you've heard. If you have been on one and didn't venture out and do exactly the thing you described you did at the music festival then it's your fault. There are loads of opportunities to get out and mingle with locals.
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Old Oct 27th, 2015, 01:21 AM
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Are you on Contiki's payroll? Sure seems like it.
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Old Oct 27th, 2015, 01:47 AM
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good itin, all I would change is

1) drop Nice, perfectly good city just not on par with the others on your list
2) Up London time
3) use both Amsterdam and London time to visit the environs, public transport is great in both and get out and see other places. Solve the London accom cost issue at yha.org (I feel like I should be getting a commission from that site, but you need to manage your budget to be able to afford London)
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Old Oct 27th, 2015, 01:50 AM
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Just another point, you are visiting these areas at the height of their local season so they will be more crowded and more expensive than normal (not fair say for London which is busy all the time but you get my drift), the best deals will be done early so get booking by Christmas.
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Old Oct 27th, 2015, 02:40 AM
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"You don't 'party and waste money' on a Contiki tour. Some do - some like the cultural sights and some go for the sheer cost effectiveness. 45 nights with everything paid for except lunch and some dinners is good value.
Anyway you sound 35 - not 23 so the advice you'll get on here will be spot on for your big splurge before the 'growing up' starts, lol."

I have been on a Contiki tour and "everything paid for except for lunch and some dinners" is an utter joke. Pretty much everything you do is an optional and the hotels are hardly ever centrally located.

Anyways, you are really rude. I don't know why you bother even posting on these sights when all you recommend is tour groups and contiki of all tour groups lol.
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Old Oct 27th, 2015, 12:19 PM
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<all you recommend is tour groups and contiki of all tour groups lol.>

'Anyways'...That's absolutely not true. If you check my posting history you will see that - obviously you failed to do this before your posted your very own rude comment.
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