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Early stages of planning for Euro trip + would love suggestions

Early stages of planning for Euro trip + would love suggestions

Old Dec 22nd, 2014, 07:37 PM
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Early stages of planning for Euro trip + would love suggestions

Hi all! I am in the very beginning stages of planning a 3-month long trip to Europe summer 2015. I am looking at June, July, August, and could potentially extend my trip into September.

I've only been to Europe once before and that was two weeks in Paris + outskirts (but I do still want to go back there as I really fell in love with the city). The following cities/countries are places I definitely want to visit:

London, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Nice, Marseille, Bordeaux, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Amsterdam, Prague

The below are places I would like to visit if it fits in the journey but am willing to pass by if it's too far off and/or would take too long:

Dublin, Lyon, Switzerland (Zurich/Geneva), Sicily, Pompeii, Pisa, Brussels, Germany (Berlin/Frankfurt), Vienna, Budapest, Athens, Sofia

I would like to make Vienna/Budapest happen if possible. Athens as well but I know it's a bit far off.

Here are a couple questions I have to get started:
- What are people's suggestions on best travel routes to minimize travel time/backtracking?
- How much time is needed for each city?
- Any cities or places that are a must-see that are not in this list?
- What are places that might be best/most fun to travel alone in? (I want to take a few weeks to myself)
- Are there any websites that can help me with planning routes on trains and stuff? One hears a lot about easy travel within Europe but I honestly do not know much about it. I was on raileurope.com which seemed pretty helpful but if there are any Bible sites I do not know about I would love to hear.
- What is the best route for weather? (I was thinking of a Dublin/London --> Amsterdam loop or vice versa but I've heard it gets hot in the summers so is there a better place to start?)

Also, I would love to hear suggestions for transportation and living as I really have not much experience with this. For ref I am early 20s/female, and have been wondering if living in hostels would be dangerous for me? I will not be traveling alone for most of the trip but wondering what an approx. price difference would be to get a cheap hotel in each city and split it between 2 or 3 people. Additionally I am not completely sure if I can pack that light (I definitely am not planning to bring two huge suitcases or anything but don't know if I can just carry a backpack, i.e.)

Budgetwise.. I would like to spend under $1000 a week excluding flight from US & back.
Please let me know if that is not doable and I will readjust expectations.

Please let me know if anything is not clear and I will try to clarify. I SO appreciate any/all advice/suggestions/input/help/etc.!!
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Old Dec 22nd, 2014, 08:10 PM
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Go to your library and get this book
http://www.amazon.com/Frommers-Europ...europe+by+rail
I know everybody wants to run out and get a Eurail pass but that isn't always the best/cheapest way. Often it is just cheaper to book directly and this book helps with that. It also lists itineraries as examples.

I doubt you will be able to do all of your cities but if you spend time planning wisely then you can chose which are the most important. I regret it when I see a major city and don't budget enough time there, so make sure you have the most important cities prioritized. Plan extra days in London, Paris, Rome, and fewer everywhere else.
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Old Dec 22nd, 2014, 09:43 PM
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Look up Schengen rules. 90 days max. June, July and August is a total of 92 days. If you add September you get 122. England isn't a Schengen country, but I think most or all of the others mentioned are.

You have a lot of cities on your list. Some people will tell you that you need to see some smaller towns/villages to get a proper feel for a country, but if you only want to see cities anything else would be a waste of time.

Some of the cities will need more time to see properly than others. You may hear people say you need a week each in London, Paris and Rome. But it really depends on what you want to see and do. Places like Pompeii and Pisa should only need a single day.

If you like museums, there will be many of them and those take time to see properly. If you hate museums you need much less time. In London most museums are free, but in Paris they cost money. A museum pass could make a lot of sense in Paris or Amsterdam if you plan to go to lots of museums there.

For travel routes, look at a map. Sometimes it will save time and money to fly, sometimes it will save money but not time. And the cheap airline tickets are non-refundable and usually have to be booked months in advance.

One good site for train travel is seat61.

Every time you change cities you lose at least half a day, sometimes an entire day. It's not only the actual train/flight travel time but also the time to get from/to hotels and check out/in etc.

You need time to do laundry a few times. Sure, you may be able to find somewhere to drop it off and have someone else do it for you, but that will cost more. Self-service laundromats will be cheaper.

Most hostels will be reasonably safe. I'd be more worried about theft than physical assault.

Splitting a room with one other person would be cheaper than a single room, yes. Splitting with two others probably would not, since you'd have to get a triple room.

Your budget seems a bit low. Especially if those 1000 dollars/week (I'm assuming American) include transport within Europe. A Eurail pass isn't cheap and you sometimes need to pay extra for reservations.
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Old Dec 23rd, 2014, 02:20 AM
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It gets hot in Italy in August, worse inland. A lot of places in europe don't do air-con and especially some cheaper hostels.

Everyone is on holiday in August (not totally true but true enough so busy places get busier).

Germany is one of the few places that empties out in August. so.....
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Old Dec 23rd, 2014, 07:36 AM
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Are there any websites that can help me with planning routes on trains and stuff? One hears a lot about easy travel within Europe but I honestly do not know much about it. I was on raileurope.com which seemed pretty helpful but if there are any Bible sites I do not know about I would love to hear.>

Check out these informative sites: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter's free online European Rail & Planning Guide for rail itineraries in all those countries.

If traveling that extensively on trains check out various railpasses.
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Old Dec 23rd, 2014, 08:15 AM
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Pal has given you good sites for planning train trips. I would add the German site, http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml, which is good for checking train times, connections, etc. in all Europe.

Re: hostels/hotels, location is important. If you get a cheap place on the outskirts, you'll spend a lot of time (and some money) getting into town and out. Three months seems like forever but how much of it do you want to spend in an underground tunnel?

You might look at the Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree. It's a forum specializing in inexpensive travel.
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Old Dec 23rd, 2014, 08:29 AM
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Buy Rick Steves Europe Planning Map, very helpful, $6.99.
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Old Dec 24th, 2014, 12:58 AM
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>

If you can put up with bad language and personal insults. It's not a forum I enjoy.
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Old Dec 24th, 2014, 01:31 AM
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Agree with Appia regarding Thorn Tree. Some of the contributors on the TT Greek forum who are polite and helpful also post on Fodor's, so you may as well stay here.
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Old Dec 24th, 2014, 05:58 AM
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After 30 trips to Europe, my best advice is to spend half of your time in places other than big cities.
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Old Dec 24th, 2014, 06:32 AM
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Let's Go Europe is an invaluable guide to have along for anyone on a low budget and or a youth - Amazon has it - unparalleled coverage of youth hostels and youth hotels and low-budget hotels.
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Old Dec 24th, 2014, 12:40 PM
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If going all over for three months check out some kind of railpass which in most countries still lets you hop on any train anytime - fully flexible tickets like that often cost a ton of money - Italy, France and Spain however require seat reservations before boarding and those can cost a few euros on top of using the pass.
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Old Dec 24th, 2014, 09:35 PM
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I feel that every travel forum has something different to offer, so I come here in defence of Thorn Tree.
Yes, some TT users can be very sharp at times but many are very experienced travelers and I like their often out-of-the-box thinking, while they are not affraid to phrase an opinion directly. Message is delivered clearly to one who wants to listen. If someone thinks for example that an itinerary is stupid for so and so reasons, will simply say so directly, without trying to round the corners for the OP.
I find it a very useful forum if one is not too sensitive and can focus on what people say rather than how people say it.

I feel that for a person who plans a several weeks or months long trip, on a budget or not, TT can offer very sound advice, mostly on the "know how", receiving suggestions on how to start planning or how to may procceed while on the trip, an other waay oif thinking and usually specific suggestions come based on specifics mentioned rather than "I once did this, so do this too" that I see on many other forums.
I like TT, I know it is not for everyone, but I would never advice someone against it. Spazxtastiic, try it and see if it suits you.
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Old Dec 24th, 2014, 09:51 PM
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I'm sorry mariha2912 but I totally disagree. "How people say it" is very important in my opinion. Some TT posters are downright nasty, their language is disgraceful and their posts often full of gratuitous insults. Why does the internet bring out the worst in folks? Why can't we just be nice and understanding with each other?
For me the way it is said overrides any content, useful or otherwise.If a loudmouthed backpacker finds a place interesting, then that's definitely not a place for me.
Sorry. Merry Christmas!
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Old Dec 24th, 2014, 09:55 PM
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We agree to disagree then Appia lol
Merry christmas to you too : )
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Old Dec 25th, 2014, 12:50 AM
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P.S. I've been on Fodor's for only a couple of days but I see it is not totally immune to rudeness either. What a pity!
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Old Dec 25th, 2014, 12:13 PM
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Hi all,

Just wanted to thank everyone who has taken the time to respond and wish you all a Merry Christmas! I'll take a look at the different resources that have been posted, they look very helpful... And thanks for letting me know about the 90-day rule as well, I had no idea... I will check out the other forum as well and see how I like it. I have read other threads on this forum and did think they were really helpful which is why I decided to post my own

If anyone else has anything to add in the meantime I would definitely love to hear it. I've noticed some people say I should look at not-big-cities but as someone who knows very little about Europe I don't know what places I would visit if not the cities, so could anyone offer some suggestions?

Many thanks to all!!
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Old Dec 26th, 2014, 08:46 AM
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You can do day trips from big cities to smaller gems - like from Vienna to the Wachau Valley and gems like Melk and Durnstein (take the boat on the Danube that goes between them) or from Madrid to Toledo - fantastic Toledo or Segovia, Avila, etc.Or by bus from Florence to any of several iconic Tuscan hill towns for the day - like Siena or of course to places like Lucca or Pisa, etc.
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Old Dec 26th, 2014, 08:07 PM
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There are tons of side trips from Dublin. DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit, mainly an electic suburbun train) can bring you to nice coastal towns such as Malahide,Howth,Bray in half an hour or 45 minutes from Dublinor so. And it is easy to use intercity trains or buses to visit many many other places. There are plenty of day excursions available too if this is your cup of tea.
Many people use train system to go all the way to western Ireland but I find this approach a bit rushed unless you decide to spend a few days there. On the other hand, getting from Dublin to places such as Wicklow mountains (Glendalough? Powerscourt? Avoca?) for a change of scenery is not a bad idea at all, while personaly I find Newgrange/Bru Na Boinne archeological site a must (tombs there are older than the Pyramids and I enjoyed surrounding nature too.)
Admittely I travel in Ireland on winter months and experience might be different on summer-too many crowds at the top sights I guess. Tara is a nice visit too, although not so much left to see.
Kilkenny, Waterford, even Cahir and other towns are possible day trips from Dublin too.
The best to do is to read a couple of guidebooks and get inspired!

http://www.buseireann.ie/ is the website for Irish bus network and has a nice trip planner feature

http://www.irishrail.ie/ is the one related to Irish trains network
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Old Dec 27th, 2014, 09:30 AM
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Nice is a great base city with several outstanding day trips to nearby places - like hill towns like St-Paul-de-Vence; Vence; Mougan or Biot - cliffside towns like Eze - old regional towns like Grasse or seaside gems along the coast between Nice and Monaco or the neat Tren de Pignes high up into the hinterlands of old Provence.

Nice great base - or any other city near it - sans car buses and trains take you everywhere.
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