First Time Going to Europe

Old Jul 25th, 2014, 10:35 AM
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First Time Going to Europe

NOTE: Also posted in Travel Tips & Ideas forum

I am finally starting to plan my first European adventure! I am 22 and will be graduating from college in December. My plan is to leave the US on December 24 or 25th for London. I would like to spend New Years in London, then travel to Italy on January 1st or 2nd.

During my week in London, I want to take the train to Brussels for a day or two, then spend the rest of my time in London. As far as Italy goes I am hoping to spend the bulk of my time in Florence and Rome, but I'd really like to get ideas of small costal towns to visit.

I have no idea where to start planning! I have a list of some of the more common tourist sights I'd like to see but besides seeing those, I'd really like to just go out in the morning and see where the day takes me. I've looked into renting an apartment via AirBnb.com because I don't want to pay for an expensive hotel and I am not a hostel person. I've budgeted about $5,000 for this trip.

I'm in desperate need of advice and travel tips! Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you!
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 10:38 AM
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I suggest that you beg, borrow or steal a guidebook or two. I've been traveling overseas for a million years (well, since 1963, anyway) and I buy and use a guidebook for every trip.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 10:43 AM
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I have two guide books for London: Rick Steve's pocket guide and Lonely Planet pocket guide. Those have been helpful for planning sight seeing days with directions on which tube stations to use. I just feel like there is so much to plan that I don't know where to start.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 10:44 AM
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London pretty much shuts down for Christmas, including public transit, and the following day (Boxing Day) is pretty quiet. Here's an article regarding last year's schedules for reference.

http://www.timeout.com/london/things...-new-years-eve

So I'd plan to leave Dec. 25 at the earliest, arriving on Dec. 26, or even postpone another day if you can. Alternatively, you could fly into Brussels and spend your first few days in Belgium, then take the train to London after. (Paris might be a more exciting stop, though, and equally as easy to get to London from there, unless you have a specific reason for Brussels.)

How long are you planning for Italy? For apartments, try sleepinitaly.com as well.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 10:44 AM
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And as far as planning - I find that reading trip reports here can sometimes give me good ideas about what other people liked and whether I might like it too. They're the threads marked with a little yellow book.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 10:48 AM
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>>During my week in London, I want to take the train to Brussels for a day or two, then spend the rest of my time in London.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 10:49 AM
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we were all posting at the same time.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 10:55 AM
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>>fly home from London
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 10:57 AM
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It didn't even occur to me to fly into Brussels then take the train to London. I was so one-track minded on flying into London. It's so much cheaper (airfare wise) to fly into London or Brussels on Dec. 25th arriving there on the 26th.

Thanks for all your replies so far! I really appreciate it!
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 11:00 AM
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It's so much cheaper (airfare wise) to fly into London or Brussels on Dec. 25th arriving there on the 26th.

There is a reason
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 11:07 AM
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If you would be willing to see Naples rather than Florence you would be in a good position to visit coastal towns if the weather cooperates (which it definitely might not), but otherwise you are facing some difficulties with daytrips due to distance and the very short hours of daylight. Most of the touristic coast shuts up tighter than a drum during winter, especially when the immediate excitement of New Year's Eve has passed in Naples.

If you really want to see Florence, there is not enough going on in any coastal town over the holidays other than Naples to warrant giving up Florence for that. And if you decide to go to Naples in hopes of a sunny day to see coastal scenery, you could end up seeing nothing but rain.

Because of the holiday closures in London, it might be much better to fly to Rome first, where a great deal will be open, and then go to Florence or Naples. From either Florence or Pisa or Rome you can fly to Brussels. Then think of ending your trip in London.

Even in Italy, you will need more a plan than just meandering to make the most of your stay and not constantly be stymied by closed sights. Again, daylight hours are short, so you will want to plan your days to see the outdoor sights in the daylight while heading off to museums in the afternoons. They stay open until 7.30pm. If you are on a budget, you will need to plan for where to eat during the holidays that isn't an overpriced hotel meal or holiday menu.

Finally, if you want to take advantage of inter-European low cost flights or train fares, you will need to be very organized to book them very early in advance when they become available and don't sell out.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 11:11 AM
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One thing to factor in, is it is that it is the holidays, and another, is that it is totally dark in winter, from like 9am till 5pm - - made worse by any three-story buildings in city centers that block the sun even further. Bright, bright city lights are the only redemption this time of year.

Be aware that everything will be closed, and possibly the cities practically dead, on Dec. 24th, 25th, and 26th (Boxing Day) and then the 28th is a Sunday so things will be deadish then too - - the exception being tourist meccas, so you London should have plenty of action, Brussels maybe, and otherwise everybody is shuttering up for the most part. The stores will be thronged Saturday the 27th - - just massive. If you want to see lots and lots of people, and get trampled, go shopping on Saturday the 27th like everybody else.

That time of year, the countryside also shuts down on account of winter, and small towns are desolate. And grey. And you feel left out because everybody but everybody is with family, so find the places where tourists are, because otherwise, it is twilight zone.

As New Years goes, up here in Hamburg the city explodes on New Years Eve since everybody has bought fireworks and are allowed to set them off that night (though many sporadically start early) - - so it can be fun to do some research and pick a spot that is really set alight on the 31st.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 11:30 AM
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Would beginning of March be a better time to go? I'm trying to stay within the slow-seasons at work (Christmas - March) so I can easily take 2+ weeks off without work suffering.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 11:50 AM
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>> it is totally dark in winter, from like 9am till 5pm
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 12:18 PM
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Whether Dec or March you will need to do cities primarily. Coastal resorts will be shut for the season and the weather will be such that even walking on the beach is likely to be not very pleasant. Countryside will be brown and crunchy and quite possibly rainy and chilly.

In March days will be longer and weather overall more pleasant - and probably bargains in lodging still possible - so I would do that if possible. It would also give you time to save more to spend on the trip which you will need - since you are going to places that are not bargains.

I would start looking now to get the best bargains on airfare (watch carefully and grab when you see a deal). Also if you end up using the train Brussels of Paris to London - or vice versa - get tickets 90 days in advance - when they go on sale - since the prices increase significantly as you get nearer the day of travel.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 12:50 PM
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Everyone has a different travel style.

All I "plan" in advance is to buy my plane tickets and make a general itinerary, enough to be able to make lodging reservations.

Beyond that I just take each day as it comes. If you don't have a guidebook (sometimes I don't) you can pick up free information upon arrival in each new city, at a train station, hotel lobby, tourist bureau.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 01:40 PM
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My reasons for going late December were 1) I wanted to spend New Years in London not only for the fireworks, but for personal reasons. 2) I knew it was going to be cheaper in regards to airfare and finding some deals on hotels or renting a room/apartment. 3)It wasn't a popular tourist season. I really like the idea of not having as many other tourists around as compared to summer season.

I'm fully prepared for the weather to be cold and dark, which is weather that I'm used to.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 02:42 PM
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I don't think time of year matters so much for London; you'll be outside walking a lot, and of course it's more pleasant when it's warmer, but most of the big attractions are indoors. And a walk down the Thames should be fine if you're used to cold.

I think the bigger issue is the coastal or smaller cities in Italy - March would probably give you a better shot at okay weather for those, but that's out of my realm of experience. But if your trip is two weeks total, and you want to spend nearly half that in London, that doesn't really leave you time for much in Italy besides Florence and Rome anyway.
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 03:30 PM
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I just want to correct the thoughts on London. The only day london shuts down is 25 dec. no public transit at all. Boxing Day is a busy shopping day like any otter big city...Christmas Eve things start shutting down in the afternoon, but restaurants and pubs are open. Other days are regular business days!
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Old Jul 25th, 2014, 03:52 PM
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For Italy it would certainly be better to go in March when it will be cheaper than the holidays as well as warmer and with longer days. It is simply not true that in Italy you would primarily need to stay in cities. There is NO TRUTH to the assertion that the Italian countryside is "brown and crunchy" in March.. Nytraveler has been corrected endlessly on this website about this phrase she likes to repeat and repeat and repeat despite never having been to the Italian countryside at that time of year. Everyone who has seen the Italian countryside in March remarks at how green it is. It is just so tedious to have to constantly correct misleading remarks like that to people who might beleive them not knowing where they come from.

But at any time of year in Italy, if you pick a scenic destination, you have the chance of being rained out for a short stay -- as people are now discovering all along the Italian coasts this July.

I stand by my suggestion that weather you go in December or March that you consider going to Italy first if Italy remains in your plans. This is especialy true if you want to spend NYE in London. I also suggest it because everything except a few museums in Rome is generally up and running for tourists over the Christmas holidays.


Finally,
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