goldnano19

Hi, I know that this is not a good idea, and any of these countries is worth weeks of visiting and years of returning. However, I don't have time.

I am now finishing my last year of college in Abu Dhabi, and before heading to work in Fall in Singapore, I want to visit some key attractions of Europe. This might be my only chance in the next 5 years to visit Europe, so I want it to be comprehensive, but at the same time enjoyable.

My time frame will be from 26th of July to 10 or 11 of August (I know it is the peak of tourist season). Here's a glimpse of what I want to do:

26-29/7: Arrive at Paris and travel around
30,31/7: Go by train to Geneva, stay a night and take the local train to Montreux
31,1/8: Take the Golden Pass to Interlaken and spend the night around this area
1/8: go to Lucerne through Golden Pass and then change to Glacier Express down to Andermatt. Spend the night in one of the stops?
2/8: arrive at Chur and spend the night there.
3/8: spend the whole day traveling through Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano, and then use the local train in Italy to move from Tirano to Milan, and then get a train from Milan to Venice. Spend the night in Venice.
4/8: travel around and spend another night in Venice
5/8: leave Venice early and go to Florence, spend the whole day at Florence
6/8: go to Siena and go back to Florence with a friend, or ask him to go to Florence?
7/8: spend another night in Florence
8/8: wrapping up in Rome: go to rome spend the whole day
9/8: going to Vatican
10/8: travel around a bit and fly back to Dubai.

I have a few questions:
1. How easy is booking cheap hostels for the places in my itinerary? I know this is peak season, but I have 3 month in advance to make reservation. If possible, can you recommend me some ok places to stay?
2. I will travel mostly by train, so is it ok to bring a big backpack onto one of those fancy trains I mentioned? Can I buy train tickets in advance also to get a better price? Do I have to go to each country's railway system website to book or is there a central website for the whole Europe I can go to? How more expensive the panorama trains in Switzerland compared to the local ones? How safe are the trains? What plan should I buy for my tickets or I should go for individual pass?
3. If possible, give me advice on cutting down places or suggesting the good villages to wander around in Switzerland.
4. My budget should be around USD 3000 without air travel in and out of Europe. I will bring 1000-1500 in cash and the rest in my credit card (I will book hostels and tickets in advance). Is it smart to do so given how credit card friendly these countries are? Is it a reasonable budget? I mean obviously I want to make it as low as possible, but I guess I'll spend when I have to. What is the best way to have cash in Switzerland? Withdraw from card or exchange directly from USD?
5. What are the things I should not be stingy about? Food in a good restaurant in Paris? Souvenirs? Chocolate in Switzerland? Boat trips or tours in Venice? Some expensive museums in Florence or Rome?

Thank you for going through such a long post. Any comment is welcomed. I probably end up cutting a lot of things, but it's worth a try to see if I can cover and still enjoy this many places.

Jean

This trip would not appeal to me, so I'll just point out a couple of things.

You ask about which towns to wander to Switzerland, but you're not allowing yourself time for wandering off your basic itinerary of Geneva-Montreux-Interlaken-Chur-Tirano. You're sitting on a train for part of every day you're in Switzerland. All day on Aug. 3rd.

Your budget sounds short for the amount of traveling you're doing. For 7 of your 15 days, you're spending money on trains+lodging+food+sightseeing.

I'm sure there is a Swiss train pass that would be beneficial, so you should investigate this. In Italy, just buy point-to-point tickets in advance.

suze

You've got an OK outline of a plan and budget.

When you get to Geneva I would go get a train and go directly to Montreux (or Vevey or Lausanne) that same day (don't stay 1 night in Geneva).

I would also personally trim other things down a bit, like not so many smaller stops in Switerland, and add some real time to Venice (maybe even only Venice/Rome OR Venice/Florence, not all 3?)

nytraveler

You are trying to do way too much in too little time.

Switzerland is VERY expensive - even hostels and food from the market - and your itinerary has you constantly traveling - which will drive up your costs. (And no - there is no central place to buy tickets unless you want to pay much higher prices. Lowest prices come buying tickets in advance ( often 90 days) and tickets are often nonchageable and non-refundable.

RonZ

Way too much percentage of time getting from one place to another. Skip Switzerland. Take night train from Paris to Venice.

gruezi

I think you are spending a lot of time on trains. You might go a bit bonkers if you are an active person.

Think about what you actually want to do on this trip... unless you mostly just want to sit on a train.

kybourbon

Use your ATM card to get cash.

In Switzerland, all you are doing is riding trains. You need to spend a bit of time somewhere and take a cable car up one of the mountains.

kja

> This might be my only chance in the next 5 years to visit Europe, so I want it to be comprehensive, but at the same time enjoyable.

I can understand that sentiment, but agree that you are trying to do too much. I would strongly encourage you to make sure that you have more time to see places than you will spend traveling, checking into/out of hotels, and getting oriented to new locations. You can not have a comprehensive experience of Europe in the time you have available. That is not an option. You can, however, choose to see the highlights of a few carefully selected destinations enjoyably.

Good luck!

goldnano19

Hi all,

Thanks for your advices. I might cut down on one of the major cities and travel less in Switzerland to immerse more in each site. Because I come from a tropical country and always live in a busy/polluted city, I never have chance to visit beautiful lakes/mountains, or to breathe the fresh air on mountain region.

goldnano19

Hi all,

I have decided to add two or three more days to my trip. So I have more time in Italy, I guess.
The itinerary should be:
26-29: Paris (Spend 3 nights, leave on 29th of July)
29: Travel maybe the whole day on train from Paris->Geneva->Bernese Oberland (I have to get off at Interlaken right),
29-31/7: spend 3 nights in this area
1-2/8: maybe choose a faster route to go to Venice? Target is arriving at Venice on 2/8
2-4/8: spend 3 nights in Venice
5-8/8: spend 4 nights in Florence
8-12/8: spend 3 or 4 nights in Rome.

Travel alone, budget without air tickets and anything I can pre-order (trains/hostels) should be around $3000

gruezi

If you've never been to Switzerland or seen mountains, the Berner Oberland is beautiful. Stay in Wengen and you will be able to go to the top of Europe and also do some wonderful hikes. You can spend a couple days here and get a real feel for Switzerland rather than sitting in trains.

Gretchen

To me 3 nights in venice is too much, and 3 days in Paris is not nearly enough. It is also a lot in Italy--and not enough in Paris!!
You haven't really said your museum or architecture interests--just fresh air.

kybourbon

I would reverse the trip, hoping to avoid the heat of August in Italy. It will still be hot, but might be a bit cooler in Paris in August than Rome.

>>>(I will book hostels and tickets in advance). Is it smart to do so given how credit card friendly these countries are? Is it a reasonable budget? <<<

Are you open to staying in convents or monasteries in Italy? Many hostels are dorm type situations where you are sharing a room with 6-8 people. A few have private rooms. Convents tend to have more private rooms with private bath. You will need AC in Italy in July and August.

neckervd

I agree with everything above.

If you want to enjoy the Glacier Express, go from Zermatt to St. Moritz. If you want to do the short leg from Andrmatt to Chur only, you better travel with local trains.

Solution with Glacier Express:
July 30th: Paris dp 7.07 - Geneve ar 10.16, luggage in lockers, short visit of the medieval city center of Geneva, Geneva dp 14.50 by historic Lake Geneva steamboat - Vevey ar 18.55, dp by train 19.35 - Brig ar 21.03; sleep in the medieval city center.
July 31st: Day trip to Zermatt and the highest mountains of Switzerland, visit either Matterhorn Paradise or Gornergrat.
August 1st: Glacier Express Brig dp 10.37 - St. Moritz ar 16.58. Enjoy the Swiss National Holiday (fireworks etc)
August 2nd: visit some glaciers around St. Moritz.
August 3rd: St. Moritz dp 9.29 by Bernina Express to Tirano ar 12.02. Tirano dp 13.10 - Venice SL ar 18.40

msteacher

Your new itinerary is much improved from your original! You are right to focus your time in Switzerland on the BO, and I agree with the advice above that Wengen is a great choice. But if that doesnt work out, the Lauterbrunnen Valley may work well for you too. A Swisspass will probably save you money on trains. I also agree with the advice to consider staying in a convent or monastery (not as weird as you might think!). They often have pretty nice accommdations at a reasonable price.

Sounds like a wonderful trip. Happy travels!

Mimar

Yes, your new itinerary is much improved. I feel the opposite as Gretchen, I don't love Paris, but adore Venice. Don't cut Venice short; it's unique in the world and magically beautiful.

Unfortunately you're traveling at high season, so Venice and Florence will be very crowded. Do daytrips during the day, see the cities in the late afternoon/evening.

ira

Hi G,

>... I want it to be comprehensive, but at the same time enjoyable. <

Your two goals are not compatible.

I suggest a week in Paris followed by 3 nights in Venice and 3 nights in Florence.

Fly home from FLR or PSA.

suze

Your new plans is much better. I don't think 3 days in Venice is too long at all. It's the only place in Italy I've been myself, but two different trips I spent 4-5 days there which was wonderful.

kja

Much better!

I'd be inclined to cut a day from Venice and add it to Paris, but that's me based on my interests. And it depends on the timing of your transits -- if 3 nights in Paris really means 2 days there, I would encourage you to consider adding a day.

goldnano19

Thank you all for all the wonderful advices. As soon as I finish with my exams and graduate, I will start booking things and make this dream come true.