Carl_Hungus

In August or September of 2010 my wife and I will be traveling to Europe for the first time. We are both young (mid twenties) and active. We would like to travel for a month but that will be determined by how much money we can save this year. The minimum time we will be there is 2 weeks. If we go for a month we would like to visit 3-4 countries. If its 2 weeks we will visit 2 countries. My wife is interested in Italy and France and I would like to see Holland (Amsterdam) and Czech Republic. We like good food, drink(beer), hiking, music, festivals, and having a good time. Not into clubs but do enjoy cool bars. We want to make our money go as far as possible and plan on backpacking and staying in cheap hotels and hostels. If you have any advice on cool places to go in these countries or other countries it would be appreciated. I would also like to know how much money we should save for a month or for 2 weeks. Thanks for reading this, i'm looking forward to some good information.

hobbitthefoodlover

Hiking: Switzerland!! Skip the cities/towns and stay in Lauterbrunnen and there are so many different scenic routes you can take. Plus, they are honest I lost my wallet at the souvenier shop in Jungfrau (the highest point in Europe) and they returned my wallet immediately. Actually, they came looking for me! I did not even realize my wallet was misplaced! Plus, nothing was stolen (ID cards, one credit card, one debit card, and over 300 swiss francs) For that, I am forever grateful to them!

Germany: Berlin--historic and affordable city, towns/cities in Bavaria, Rothenburg, etc.

Prague for cheap living and great historical buildings. But I do see similarities between Prague and some towns in Bavaria, so you might want to decide for yourself.

For arts, it would be Italy: Rome, Venice, and Florence. I am still recovering from being over-stimulated However, let me caution you--they love money! They will do anything and say anything to get you to open your wallet. Whether the promises are fulfilled is another thing. I am sorry to say this, but this is my personal feeling after traveling through 6 European countries. You just have to exercise a lot of care and be careful. I am not talking about pickpocketing, but about store clerks, train officials, etc.

If you have the option, go in September when prices (airfare, hotels, etc.)are lower. Also, get Rick Steve travel guides for the following reasons: in his books, he gives great town/city walks/orientations and historical background; not to mention where to eat, stay, etc. (We followed his advice and had dinner in a restaurant in Munich where Hilter and his party ate as they rose to power...how cool is that!) The books are at most $20 US dollars each. However, it is a great investment for the following reason: usually a guided tour costs 35 Euros. For two people, that would be 70 euros and that is only for one tour in one city!!

I spent one month (May-June 2009) in Europe (did not get my travel guide in time) and had to rely on booked tour guides. Now that I look at the bills, I cringe and think about how much I could have saved, though some walks are worthwhile, but the majority could have been covered by a book.

Mimar

With a year to plan, you can do plenty of research. Borrow guidebooks and DVDs from your local library. Rick Steves' book Europe through the Back Door and his TV shows are good introductions to traveling in Europe inexpensively. Then there's the Let's Go and the Lonely Planets series, both aimed at young people traveling on the cheap. And both Rick Steves and the Lonely Planet (the Thorn Tree) have web sites with lots of reader interaction.

In particular, there are a great many things to see and places to go in France and Italy, so you'll need to narrow down your destinations drastically.

In my several visits to Italy, I haven't found the Italians to be particularly avaricious. In general, the more you get away from the standard tourist sights, the friendlier people are. Italians have been especially friendly and helpful.

In fact, you might think about not just going from city to city, but spending some time in the countryside. It's harder to get around but cheaper, and the slower pace is relaxing. We always plan some rest days in a trip, maybe adding a day or two to a couple of stops during a 3- or 4-week trip.

Jean

I don't like planning based on the ratio of weeks to countries. I prefer to think in terms of regions with a logical geographic flow from one to another.

I'd start with some serious research leading to a prioritized list of places you'd like to go. Finding lodging within your budget may help with the priority aspect, and there may be places where an apartment makes economic sense.

Then study a map and train and bus schedules (if you're not renting a car) to figure out how you can get where you want to go. I don't like staying anywhere for less than 3-4 nights, but that's just my travel style. In two weeks, I'd probably only stay in four places. Interestingly, if I had a month, I'd go slower and stay in only six places. But, this is your trip, and you may prefer to move along a little faster. Keep in mind it's likely to be pretty hot wherever you go, and you may want or need to take it easy in the middle of some days.

ira

Hi CH,

With only two weeks, I suggest fly into London and out of Paris.

With 4 weeks, you can add some countryside visiting - Scotland and/or Wales, Alsace, Burgundy or Provence.

Europe is bigger than it looks on a map. Avoid the "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium trap".

Enjoy your visit.

Passerine

London )4-5 days), then a cheap flight to Amsterdam, Amsterdam (3-4 days), train to Paris (remainder of your two weeks). If you're in Paris for a whole week, try and rent a studio apartment instead of staying in a hotel. Fly home from Paris.

If you get an extra week, spend a few days in Salzburg--lots of hiking there--then two days in Munich and fly home from Munich.

nytraveler

Agree that a country a week doesn't make sense. You need to think in terms of cities and regions rather than entire countries. We generally do no more than 2 hotels per week - sometimes less for first visits to larger cities.

I won;t reco LOndon and Paris - since you seem to have broader interests - some outside cities - and London esp is very expensive.

I think you need to focus on main interests, build in a little of each thing you really enjoy - but try to do it in a fairly small area - flying into one major city and out of another to save time and money of backtracking. Also realize it starts to get expensive each time you move hotels - which can really blow a budget.

For 2 weeks I would probably do Paris (with a couple of day trips) and a couple of places in Switzerland - one tourist center like Lucerne and one small town in the BO for some hiking.

If you can afford more time I would head for Berlin and then for Prague - both great cities for younger people - lots to do, great music scene - wonderful history and architecture - and not so hideously hot an humid as Italy will be in August.

As for costs - I can't help since this isn't our price point. If you really want to do it on a budget have a look at the Let's Go student guides and the Throne Tree section of the Lonely Plane site. And do run the numbers now - so you can plan on how much you will have to save.

Lexma90

Another factor to keep in mind is the time of year that you'll be travelling. August in many parts of Europe is their vacation time, and you'll find that places tend to shut down then. Certain vacation destinations, such as the Cinque Terre, may be more crowded because of that (conversely, I think, the cities may be less crowded, though that's where you'll find that restaurants have closed, etc.) Also, it's the hottest time of year, so destinations further south may be less comfortable.

In your list of activities that you like, you didn't mention art or culture. So focus on smaller towns and cities, and maybe you don't need to include Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice on this first trip. Many people do, but if you know what you like, focus on those places. Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, the northeast area of Italy (the Dolomites) might be good places to start looking.

Enjoy your planning!

suze

Tack a map of Europe up on the wall. Continue reading about the places you and your wife mention being interested in. Besides guidebooks and the internet, travel magazines are good at this stage of planning. And start marking the places you like best on the map. Also 2 weeks or 4 weeks is a big difference, so deciding that will be important eventually.

Even backpacking & staying in hostels I think you need to budget a minimum of $100usd (70 euro) per person per day for a place to sleep, food, local transportation and admissions. That's very basic travel style. The long distance trains or plane tickets to move between countries/cities/towns in Europe would be in addition to this amount. And of course your plane ticket over/back will be the single biggest expense.

suze

Go to www.whatsonwhen.com and find calendars of all kinds of festivals and local events around the world. There might be some things that are interesting enough that you'd plan your itinerary to include them.

I've been to some incredibly fun local wine festivals in summertime in Switzerland, for example.

oriana

I come from Tuscany and live in the Chianti area near Florence I strongly suggest a visit to Italy and Tuscany, there are loads of options even for those not wanting to spend much, agriturismi and b&bs. Look into the official tuscan tourism site and you'll find great articles and loads of material to organise your stay:
www.turismo.intoscana.it

oriana

I come from Tuscany and live in the Chianti area near Florence I strongly suggest a visit to Italy and Tuscany, there are loads of options even for those not wanting to spend much, agriturismi and b&bs. Look into the official tuscan tourism site and you'll find great articles and loads of material to organise your stay:
www.turismo.intoscana.it

zeppole

No beer in Italy (I live here), nor do you get much density in music festivals or cool bars outside of Rome. If your wife is not going to be too disappointed in going with your choices instead of hers, and I would go with yours (although I would include Antwerpen in the mix). Cheap air fairs might allow you to combine the Netherlands/Belgium with Prague etc. Amsterdam can be quite pricey for hotels, but check out b&b and hostels.

For good food, beer and music, I would not choose Switzerland (nor is it cheap). Although cheap, clean and charming accommodations are available in Italy, they very often require a car to get to them.

Have a great trip!

bilboburgler

Try to make is September as Europe tends to close down in August for the holidays. Hence where ever you go we will be with you which pushes the prices way up. Sept will be a bit cooler but even so generally nicer. It might mean that a few beaches will be closed in the odd place

zeppole

I wanted to amend my post to say that with respect to cool bars in Italy, Milano and Torino, in addition to Rome, make good destinations, as does Bologna during the cooler months.