valereng

I'll be with my family in Barcelona till 2 Jan. Afterwards I'll be travelling around myself and flying back from Amsterdam on 18 Jan. I actually have alot more countries that I wanna visit but I doubt I'll have the time since i'm only there for 16 days. I wouldn't worry about jetlag because I'll be in Barcelona from 27 Dec onwards. I really wish to visit Budapest but I don't think it would fit into the places I have in mind.

The places i have in mind are,
London (Borough market etc. Musicals)
Paris (Montmartre, randomly exploring along the river because i love the environment)
Lyon
Ghent
Brugge
Rotterdam (Visiting some friends)
Amsterdam

Does anyone have any suggestions as to convenient areas I can stay in and places to visit? I love food like walking around in markets and eating. I also like the architecture and atmosphere of buildings and places in Paris because it's nothing like Singapore where buildings are mostly high rised and they look exactly the same. I've never been to Lyon or Ghent before but they sound nice but I have no idea where to visit.
Also, anyone has any suggestions as to how should i travel to the different places. My plan was to fly from Barcelona to London, then take a train from London to Paris and trains within Europe. I need suggestions please! Thanks!

pariswat

Hi
You must factor the time lost in travel : usually it takes half a day (check out, going to airport/station, travel time, mlooking for hotel, check in).

Paris should need 4-5 days, London the same, Lyon 3 days, Gent 2 days, Brugge 1 day, Amsterdam 3 days.
Never been to Rotterdam.

Around 17 days of visit and 2,5 days of travel.
Roughly 20 days, you have 16 - it can fit !

Book the fast trains : Eurostar from London to Paris and Thamlys from Paris to Bruxelles about 90 days in advance to get the best fares. Same for the TGV to Lyon (and back)
From Bruxelles to Brugge, no reservation needed.
From Brugge to Amsterdam either slow trains (via Antwerpen ?) or back to Bruxelles and Thalys Bxl-Ams.

If you need assistance to book a hotel, please give us a budget in € and some hints (you like chain hotels, 'boutique', you absolutely want to be in center, a/c neede (in jan...).
etc.

nytraveler

Well 7 places in 18 days is really too many to visit and actually see anything. I would drop at least 2 places.

Plus in Jan you are in the dead of winter and will have very short days as well as many that are grey, dreary, with cold rain/sleet, ice or snow (anyplace north of the Alps).

Besides allowing time for travel from one place to another you must realize

Bad weather can delay flights and even trains in some cases so it can take most of a day to get from one city to another

Your outdoor activities can be limited by weather - so make sure you take advantage of decent days to do anything outdoor (explore neighborhoods or architecture) and have plenty of activities to be done indoors

Also be sure you are prepared for the weather: warm clothes, waterproofed boots/booties and a sturdy umbrella.

Agree to give advice on hotels you need to give us a specific nightly budget.

As for what to see/do you need to do some research in destinations above and a c ouple of good guidebooks - we can only tell you what we enjoy doing - don;t really know what your interests ar

valereng

After much consideration, i've decided to skip London. For accommodation, i'm thinking of renting apartments through AirBnB so that I can wash my clothes as well as cook some meals. Would it be safe to get an apartment near the train stations for all of the places I'll be travelling too?
Also, can anyone recommend any SIM card I can get which is usable for all these places i'm going? I just need something with good data since i'll be relying quite abit on it since i'm travelling alone.

nytraveler

Well if using Air B&B make sure that you will have washer/dryer and access to a kitchen (perhaps not if you are renting only a room in someone's apartment).

And areas near train stations are often not that great - or central to the sights you want. I think you need to check each city as to where you want to be.

thursdaysd

Also check on how many steps and whether there is an elevator, lol. If female, is there a hair dryer?

I have a T-Mobile month-to-month contract which offers data in a lot of places.

valereng

Anyone has any recommendation as to where to visit in Lyon and Ghent? I've never been there before but i've heard that Lyon is a foodie's place which is why I'm interested. And I'm still deciding between Ghent and Brussels.

jtpj777

London is one of the world's greatest cities: IMO it would be a pity to drop it for the likes of Lyon, Ghent or even Brugge

valereng

Hi guys!
Can anyone advise if it's recommended to visit Lyon? I'll be spending about 5 days in Paris so should I spend 2-3 days in Lyon or give it a skip and spend it somewhere else instead?

PalenQ

My plan was to fly from Barcelona to London, then take a train from London to Paris and trains within Europe. I need suggestions please>

Well some nice sites to check for train info - www.seat61.com - good info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. Booking tickets way WAY early can mean deep discounted prices. I think you are not traveling enough on trains to make railpass worth it though you may want to look into the France-Benelux Pass (good on trains in France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) - especially if you want first class trains and do not want to book way in advance but chose which trains to take once there.

PalenQ

Lyon? Yes if food is your bag - Paul Bocluse has one in a suburb:

http://www.andyhayler.com/restaurant/paul-bocuse

And Lyon is a multi-faceted town - a big city with lots of diverse sights - I spent a week there once and rarely got tired of looking around. Check out the Traboules - little alleyways under ancient buildings

http://www.en.lyon-france.com/Practi...on-your-iPhone.

Only 2 hours from Paris or less by TGV - could even do a day trip to Avignon by train easily.

fuzzbucket

Lyon is great - you can do a basic tour if you take an early day trip by train from Paris, but I recommend spending the night, so you can have both lunch and dinner here where the food is much better than in Paris. Go to Bocuse's Les Halles for several great choices, or to the traditional bouchons Hugon or Daniel et Denise, if you like offal, etc. If you can afford to spend about 300EU or so for a meal, and can reserve far in advance, by all means go to Bocuse in Collonges. Do some research with Lonely Planet to find out the must see sights like the hidden passages, the Venetian influence and silk industry, etc and you can also get tips on a cheap place to stay here. Be careful with AirBnB especially in Paris and Barcelona.

If you can buy train tickets 90 days in advance, they are cheaper in France. Check out the www.sncf.fr website, look for the calendar of best prices.

FuryFluffy

I agree with the posts above - Lyon is good for tourists. It's considered a gastronomy capital of France: more refined and "french" than Paris. Bocuse is a great choice for dining, as recommended above, but if you can't afford Bocuse for all days, there's Brasserie Georges just next to Lyon Perrache Rail Station, where you would arrive from Paris, which is traditional, not expensive and they serve good foods.

For sighseeing, check Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière with a golden statue on top, also while you're climbing there you'll pass by a Roman ruin. The hill is not too hight and offer great view of the city. Check Lonely Planet for other sightseeing points.

PalenQ

Isn't there a funicular or such going up to the Foirvoere Basilica? But yes the hill it tops is not that high.

Christina

yes, there is a funicular that goes up to the top where the basilica is, no reason to climb it, except maybe that was meant to be climbing in the funicular.

The main center of Lyon isn't that huge that you can't easily figure out what to do, just get a guidebook.