1sttimer2ndtime

Hi there, I’m wanting to get some feedback on a revised itinerary that I’m working on.
My partner and I will be flying from Christchurch to London and starting our trip from there.
We are 32 y/o and 26 y/o so miss out on the 2nd class train discounts so it will be a mix or bus and train travel.
It’s going to be both of our first times travelling to Europe and we are we will be looking at traveling at the end of August to hopefully avoid some of the high season prices.
We have a budget of around 16000 Euro not including flights from/to Christchurch.
We would like to see most of the main attractions but aren’t worried about missing the odd thing if the budget doesn’t cover it.
We are looking at staying in cheap hotels and will mainly survive on street food in the more expensive countries.
We could potentially take some overnight trains to save some costs/time and maybe we are spending too long in some places?
Or not not long enough in others? We would really appreciate your thoughts, thank you!

Day 1 Leave NZ
Day 2 Arrive in UK
Day 3 London
Day 4 London
Day 5 London (Stonehenge)
Day 6 London
Day 7 London
Day 8 London
Day 9 morning leave for Paris
Day 10 Paris
Day 11 Paris
Day 12 Paris (Disneyland)
Day 13 Paris
Day 14 morning leave for Bruges
Day 15 (Bruges) afternoon leave for Amsterdam
Day 16 Amsterdam
Day 17 Amsterdam
Day 18 Amsterdam
Day 19 leave for Berlin
Day 20 Berlin
Day 21 Berlin
Day 22 Berlin
Day 23 Berlin
Day 24 morning leave for Dresden
Day 25 (Dresden) afternoon leave for Prague
Day 26 Prague
Day 27 Prague
Day 28 Prague
Day 29 Morning leave for Krakow
Day 30 Krakow
Day 31 Krakow (Auchwitz)
Day 32 Krakow
Day 33 Krakow
Day 34 Morning leave for Budapest
Day 35 Budapest
Day 36 Budapest
Day 37 Budapest
Day 38 morning leave for Vienna
Day 39 Vienna
Day 40 Vienna
Day 41 Vienna
Day 42 Leave morning for Venice
Day 43 Venice
Day 44 Venice
Day 45 Leave morning Florence
Day 46 Florence (Pisa)
Day 47 Florence
Day 48 Leave morning for Sorrento
Day 49 Sorrento
Day 50 Sorrento ( Naples)
Day 51 Sorrento (Capri + Blue grotto)
Day 52 Morning leave for Rome
Day 53 Rome
Day 54 Rome
Day 55 Rome
Day 56 Rome
Day 57 Morning fly to Barcelona
Day 58 Barcelona
Day 59 Barcelona
Day 60 Barcelona
Day 61 Morning leave for Madrid
Day 62 Madrid
Day 63 Madrid
Day 64 Fly Nz
Day 65 Arrive home

thursdaysd

Looks pretty good. If you're going to Stonehenge you should be able to see Salisbury as well. Check out http://www.walks.com/ for walking tours and day tours while you're in London. I would add time to Venice, which I love, and maybe drop time in Florence - you don't need a whole day in Pisa. If you're going to Sorrento, what about Pompeii and Herculaneum?

For lots of useful info on European train travel, read seat61.com.

Edward2005

Your itinerary is seriously flawed because it does not include me.

Seriously, there's not much I'd change. What you have looks great. My only itinerary suggestion is to try to make time for Italian hill towns. There is much more to Italy than the usual Rome-Florence-Venice, and the hill towns offer a very different experience. Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, Orvieto are just a few of the possibilities.

The only other itinerary suggestion is to set aside a 5-6 day period in the middle as a vacation from your vacation. Find a beach or an alpine village where there are no museums or cultural obligations, and the only thing to do is sleep in, read, and mock people going to work. It will be a godsend to recharge.

Be sure to read up on ways to save time. Many museums and attractions have crazy long lines in peak season. If you're not on the ball, you'll stand in line 2 hours waiting to see the Louvre or Ann Frank's house. There are usually ways to avoid those lines with a city-wide museum pass, an appointment made in advance, or by going very early or very late.

As a first-timer to Europe, I would recommend absorbing Rick Steves' book "Europe through the Back Door." It has tons of good how-to tips for efficient travel.

dfourh

truly epic

janisj

Pretty good - I'd personally make little adjustments like a couple of more days in Paris maybe by cutting a day from Vienna and from Madrid.

But those are just minor quibbles.

I do 100% agree w/ Edward2005 to maybe build in a non-city 4 or 5 day break somewhere in the middle. Being on a dead run for 2+ months will wear out even the most active travelers.

nytraveler

One concern I have is that you are heading to Sorrento/AC in November. This is after the season, weather is likely to be chilly and rainy, ferry schedules are much reduced (some don't run at all) and they may be canceled at any time due to rough seas. Many restaurants and hotels are closed for the winter. Of course there are places to stay and eat - but a beach resort in late fall is not a great idea.

Your chances of seeing the Blue Grotto are slim since it can be entered only when the sea is absolutely flat. Because the roof of the entrance is so low you an enter only lying in the bottom of a rowboat and even the tiniest waves makes it impassable.

If you want to head to that area I would stay in Naples, see the Archeomuseum and sights there and then visit Pompeii (you can get a guide at the gate).

michele_d

Your timing looks really good. So happy to see you actually adding in the travel time. So many newbies overlook this important factor. I agree with adding in a 'vacation from your vacation' somewhere in the middle. We spent 13 weeks in Europe and did this a couple times during our trip. You will get burned out really quickly if you don't relax a bit here and there. Happy planning...you're doing great!

fourfortravel

Depending on your timing for Vienna, you may miss the lovely wine harvest festivals in the vineyards around the city and in the Wachau Valley; what you may find instead are heuriger (wine taverns) shuttered for a couple of weeks.

Also with your travel, you give yourself truly only two full days for Venice; the train from Vienna will take 6 hours, and you'll need time to get to your hotel, etc.

Late September/early October weather is also iffy across Central Europe; your days could be sunny and mild or rainy and cool. Just a thought for planning.

1sttimer2ndtime

Hi again,

Thanks for all the great feedback, we are taking on-board finding a relaxing place to spend 4 or 5 days to have a break from what's bound to be a hectic pace for the rest of the journey.

Salisbury will definitely be looked at when we travel to Stonehenge.

Italian hill towns sound great, we are hoping to free up a few extra days by taking night trains and we have gained an extra day with our flights so hopefully some of this time can be added to Italy to find some more of the heart of the country.

Thanks again.

Whathello

Hi looks quite good Imo too

I would cut one day in Kraków and add to Venice or Paris.

I would check flights from Amsterdam to Berlin. Some low costs are cheap. Germanwings easyjet.

If cheap hotels mean between 75 and 100 eur - I can recommend some in Paris at least. If lower I'll pass.

lynda_berlin

The time in Tuscany seems short and I would say Siena, which is magical, is a must. Btw Pisa is often combined with Lucca as a common day-trip from Florence.

I wouldn't drop time from Krakow though, there's certainly ample to fill 3 full days there and Poland is so much cheaper for tourists than the other countries.

Since you have 4 days in Berlin, plan on a day-trip to Potsdam (it's "next door" so a very short train ride)

The AVE, high-speed train, is the best way to get from Barcelona to Madrid. Booked early online on renfe.es you can get a great deal

PalenQ

Even though you are too old to buy a Eurail Youth Pass if you get a first-class Saver Pass - two people traveling together on trains with one pass - you will pay about the same as two solo youthpasses and go first class - a real perk as in most countries still you can just hop on any train anytime and you are taking so many long train trips I'd look at the 10- or 15-day out of 2 month flexipass.

anyway here are some great sources to investigate trains and passes and discounted tickets which sold in limited numbers must be booked in stone (usually non-changeable non-refundable) weeks before to get - even a series of those may be as much or more as a pass. - Check www.seat61.com- great info on discounted tickets (like London-Paris at www.eurostar.co.uk) and www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Use the pass to go between far-removed bases and then city urban transportpasses or cheap regional trains for day trips in between your unlimited travel days for long hauls.

You can also use night trains on several legs of your proposed itinerary - save the cost of a hostel or hotel and save daytime travel time even over flying - night trains use only one day on a pass if you board after 6:59pm- you travel free until midnight and then the whole next day - can cover large amounts of Europe thus on one day on a pass - night trains are also a good place to meet fellow younger folks traveling on them.

jangita

I would skip Sorrento (wrong time of year) and add those days to Florence and/or Venice. With 5 days in Florence you could day trip into a Tuscan Hill town and still really settle into the city. Also, with 5 days, you can justify renting an apartment and save a little on lodging and food.

PalenQ

Sorrento would be OK in October or November IME of being there in early November - weather not ideal but not that cool but I would stay in Naples and take the ferries from there to Capri - Sorrento is nothing special - just a nice watering hole base but Naples is much nicer for young people - I've stayed in hostels there long ago and loved it- My advice too would be to ditch Sorrento and stay in Naples.

Naples is a unique old-worldish city of the likes you rarely see anymore and it is safe as long as you are sensible - true for any place. Not sure Sorrento even has a hostel and few younger folk there anyway - at least as tourists.