youkard

This is the first time I come to Europe, and now I am in Denmark for exchange. That means I can travel Scandinavia in semester. My Uni planed a Berlin tour for 3 days and I planed a England trip in the middle of Oct. And try my best to go Amsterdam and Brussels within my semester period. However, I think, for other countries, I could only visit them after my exam then and I have ONLY 27 day left.

I briefly planed the following stops, please give some advices and modifications, I will be very appreciate for that. BTY, shall I buy a multi-country train ticket then, or go by plane?

Start:
Head to Frankfurt to left my luggage there, then
Paris 5 days
Madrid 3 days
Lisbon 2 days
Bern 2 days
Rome 3 days
Venice 2 days
Vienna 2 days
Munich 2 days
Prague 2 days
Then I need back to Frankfurt for airplane
End

All these are 23 days, 4 days could use for you help to +/- above.

Best

Michael

Those 4 days plus some will be eaten up by your travels between cities, unless you plan overnight train rides instead of hotel stays.

PalenQ

marking for later comment

PalenQ

shall I buy a multi-country train ticket then, or go by plane?>

Probably best in a mix of train and plane -plane for long distances on routes where you can nab cheap tickets and train for places closer together.

If you only fly you see only airports and large cities - the train lets you see the lay of the land in between. And if you want to cover large swathes of ground by train hop on any of the zillions of overnight trains -like between Madrid and Lisbon and between Paris and Madrid.

Anyway for lots of resources to help plan a European train and perhaps railpass trip i always spotlight these great info-packed sites - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com.

WWanderer

I would be tempted to cut a couple of cities off your list, after studying the transportation issues. I.e., are there good, fast train routes or viable cheap air carriers, and does your route make sense--e.g., how hard is it to get from Lisbon to Bern? What's the optimum order for Vienna, Munich, Prague?

You will be spending a lot of your time travelling. I agree that some train travel would allow you to see the countryside, but not if you go overnight--you might as well fly. Once you can see your optimum route you can figure out how to use your extra days--Rome would be a good choice to spend more time.

sap

It's not bad and certainly doable, but just a tad too much with a couple of awkward spots. I agree w/Wanderer that this would be a better trip if you cut Lisbon and Bern and add those days to other cities and the travel time allowance. They seem to be there mainly for a list of countries A-Z "been there/done that" plan. Save Portugal & Switzerland for other trips when you can do them more justice.

You could also more logically substitute Barcelona for Madrid, unless something specific like the Prado is pulling you there.

Anyway, adjusting the middle part of the itinerary will create a smoother, more cohesive and "user friendly" route with more time to spread among each city. (You may find that Rome, Vienna and Venice all need another day or two.)

nochblad

I am sure it was unintentional but with 27 days in Europe with all the gastronomic temptations will your personal tripe suffer from a surfeit of wonderful dishes!

youkard

Thanks for all your advices, I will think it more thorough and make a good Itinerary then. The Portugal and Switzerland really should be given up or I will really suffer into the traveling but not enjoy into it. Through that I could gain more

Smartjani

Dear Youkard..... I am planning a similar tour for europe in feb 2011. It would be very helpful if you can share your experience after completing your tour. Like the cheaper ways to travel and accommodation and what to do and what not to. etc. My email - [email protected]. Your feedback will be very usefull to me. thanks