KaylaS

Hi all! Last time I posted was quite awhile ago and I was asking questions about a summer trip to Europe with my boyfriend. I have now made an itinerary and flights are booked.

I thought I would post and see what kind of feedback you all might have, anything is welcome. We will be leaving in the beginning of July and flying home to Canada the beginning of August 2015.

I have a few hotels, apartments and hostels in mind but if you have any suggestions based on where we are going feel free to make suggestions. Were hoping to stay at places that are roughly $80 - $100 a night (Canadian dollars) so about 60 - 80 euros.

Well be flying into Paris and out of Rome and staying for 29 days

Paris
Day 1: Jet lag, relax, walk around look at cafes and hotel area, eat dinner
Day 2: Lunch at the Eiffel Tower Grounds, Louvre Museum, walk the seine river OR Eiffel Tower at night and seine river tour at night
Day 3: Versailles (afternoon) walk Monmarte at evening
Day 4: Champ Elysees, Arc de triumphe, Lunch and dinner
Day 5: Notre Dome
Day 6: Leave for strasbourg

Strasbourg
Day 1: Arrive late afternoon. Check in, explore area relax
Day 2: see cathedral, big sites, petite france
Day 3: Breakfast, explore, leave for Mainz


Mainz
Day 1: Arrive late morning/afternoon from Strasbourg Check in, walk around, eat dinner
Day 2: Travel to Rhine area? - river boat tour Bacharach, Oberweisel
Day 3: explore area
Day 4: Leave for Munich in the morning, stop in Stuttgart to see museums

Stuttgart Day trip on way to munich – Porsche Museum, Mercedez Museum

Munich
Day 1: Arrive mid day? Check in, explore hotel area, eat dinner
Day 2: Sightseeing day
Day 3: More sight seeing? Depart, day travel to Venice

Venice
Day 1: Arrive mid day/ evening, check in, relax explore
Day 2: Walking tour? See the churches, walk venice
Day 3: Breakfast, more sightseeing, gondola ride, late dinner
Day 4: Leave for Florence

Florence
Day 1: Arrive in morning/afternoon, check in, relax explore some sights
Day 2: Walking tour, sight seeing major sites
Day 3: Day trip could go to siena, san gimignano, the tuscan hill side
Day 4: Relax day, do whatever we want day
Day 5: More sight seeing
Day 6: Travel to positano

Positano
Day 1: Arrive, check in, chill
Day 2: Beach day, Da Aldolfo
Day 3: ?
Day 4: ?
Day 5: Leave for Rome

Rome
Day 1: Arrive in morning, check in, chill day, explore area
Day 2: see the colosseum - walking tours, major sites
Day 3: Day trip: to orvieto or tivoli ?
Day 4: Chill Day
Day 5: flight home


Cheers!

janisj

most looks pretty good - some of your choices in Paris might not be mine (or rather many things have been omitted)

But I don't see how this is close to possible:

>>Mainz - Leave for Munich in the morning, stop in Stuttgart to see museums

Stuttgart Day trip on way to munich – Porsche Museum, Mercedez Museum

Munich - Arrive mid day? Check in, explore hotel area, eat dinner<<

You want to leave Mainz, visit two pretty extensive museums in Stuttgart, AND get to Munich by mid day? You'll be lucky to get to Munich by 7 PM.

nytraveler

If you have found places to stay that you like - and have good reviews I would grab them - since that is a very modest budget for lodging.

Fussgaenger

"...if you have any suggestions based on where we are going feel free to make suggestions... Well be flying into Paris and out of Rome and staying for 29 days..."

Point #1: About 60% of your time will be spent in Italy; a budget of "about 60 - 80 euros" for a double in Florence, Venice, and Rome doesn't seem realistic to me. Even the minimalist Archi Rossi hostel in Florence charges €85 (plus tax.) Meals in these popular destinations generally do not come inexpensively. You might consider more time in France and/or Germany, where your budget is more doable, less in Italy.

Point #3: Aside from the Stuttgart museums and the Rhine cruise, your day-by-day plans for Germany seem pretty vague. I am a huge Rhine area fan. If you go, look into staying in one of the old-world villages instead of Mainz (which will be more expensive and much less scenic.) Mainz itself was mostly flattened in WW II; it has a nice but small old town area, but unless you have specific museum goals there, I wouldn't allocate more than half a day to it. Look for a room in Oberwesel, Boppard, Bacharach, or St. Goar instead.

That said, the Rhine is a detour off your path to Munich, and you may not want to go there at all. The Black Forest is literally next door to Strasbourg and on the way to Stuttgart. And it's not like the space between Stuttgart and Munich is devoid of interesting places. From Stuttgart, you could visit the old-world towns of Nördlingen, Harburg, Donauwörth, and Augsburg all on the Romantic Road, and all on the way to Munich.

Some BLACK FOREST TOWNS roughly between Strasbourg and Stuttgart:

Gengenbach: http://www.stadthotel-gengenbach.de/...innenstadt.jpg
Schiltach: http://images.fotocommunity.de/bilde...f221859dc0.jpg
Gutach and the Vogtsbauernhof museum: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NeiDbzVY6k...Europe+688.jpg
Calw: http://static.squarespace.com/static...g?format=1000w

Nördlingen w/ intact old town wall:
http://www.stadtbild-deutschland.org...8-ea7205cd.jpg

http://maescorujasdacamerata.files.w...oerdlingen.jpg

Harburg Castle: http://burgenseite.de/bilder/harburg2.jpg
Augsburg: http://petersadventures.files.wordpr...3/04/trr-a.jpg

Fussgaenger

Heh, heh, I see my Point #2 didn't arrive in the previous post...

That point would be that smaller towns in Germany are usually good for those on a budget. A couple of years ago I rented this one-room apartment for two in the heart of St. Goar with private bath and kitchenette; it goes for €30/night:

http://www.st-goar.de/586-1-fewos.ht...id=586&clang=1

bilboburgler

I think your budget for Italy is going to suffer. Like others I'd look to Germany to balance that budget. Mainz/Stuttgart/Munich I think needs serious replan.

I really challeng you as to why you want to go to Mainz and Munich (clearly you have reasons for Stuttgart but it needs two nights there to make it work. I know Americans love Munich (is it Stevens again or is there an airbase close by?). Mainz???? Yes, I like the centre but I'd not spend time there.

I'd drop both the other cities and do a stop in say a Mosel small town (Cochem leaps to mind but if you like the idea you could do better) you should be able to get rooms at E50 including Breakfast in the villages around with easy access to the train. Spend time walking, bike hire, wine tasting and, if you are a petrol head, there is a the N Ring to the north with easy access.

If you agree with the concept come back with a new itin and we can tidy up.

annhig

i don't find myself saying this very often, but in fact your itinerary for Paris is pretty light. it might be a good idea to get hold of the Michelin green guide [or Fodors or Lonely Planet or any that has suggested itineraries for n days in Paris] and see what they recommend.

for example, on Day 2 you could start at Notre Dame, hop over to Saint Chappelle, then get the batobus down the Seine to the Eiffel Tower and finish off at Les Invalides. All very doable and was to get between.

You have also missed off the Musee D'Orsay and the Orangerie [one ticket covers both] which depending on your artistic tastes might be even more important than the Louvre. Note opening days too - the Louvre closes on Tuesdays and the D'Orsay on Mondays as does Versailles.

of course you may have completely different ideas about what you want to see and do, but it would be a shame to miss out on some of the highlights.

KaylaS

Thank you for the Feedback, I am going to look into your suggestions and definitely make some changes. I will post a new Itin sometime soon in the future! thanks everyone

KaylaS

Fussgaenger, it was suggested to me to stay in Mainz by another fodors forum member, and to day trip to the Rhine river area and see places Oberwesel and Bacharach then head back to the hotel in mainz. But I am interested in what you have suggested, because staying in the smaller towns is something we would like to do and makes sense on a smaller budget. We plan to travel by train and not rent a vehicle (unless its something we should look into and won't break our budget?), do you think we can still hit up that many towns on the way to Munich travelling by train?

KaylaS

I am thinking of adding some extra days in France and Germany to eliminate costs associated with staying in Italy that long, do any of you have suggestions of other places to see in France that will be on the way to Germany, or day trips to do outside of the city?(besides Strasbourg)

I have been to Paris before and really wanted to go back to see the city not so much as a tourist and have a more relaxing time as opposed to cramming a bunch of tourist sites into one day. My partner however has not been so we are trying to do both site seeing and exploring without a set itinerary on some days.

bilboburgler

"do you think we can still hit up that many towns on the way to Munich travelling by train?" confused by the question. Trains need organising but you can get to lots of places that way. seat61.com may help your understanding and bahn.de

Just like with roads you need to look at a map of the railway (google for each country). I might stop in at Reims or Epernay on the way to Strasbourg/Mosel, or Luxembourg on the way to Mosel.

KaylaS

Thanks bilboburgler, I just wasn't sure how the train system worked specifically if you can buy one ticket and stop off a number of times, or if you have to buy multiple tickets for multiple destinations.

Fussgaenger

"I am interested in what you have suggested, because staying in the smaller towns is something we would like to do and makes sense on a smaller budget. We plan to travel by train..."

Mainz is a little closer to Munich than the Rhine villages. But as long as you don't try Mainz - Stuttgart - Munich in one day, you can still get to Munich just fine by train from any of the Rhine towns. (Stuttgart: see it BEFORE you go to the Rhine! See below.)

I like bilboburgler's suggestion of Cochem - but Cochem could be seen on a day trip from one of the Rhine villages.

You had 5 nights scheduled for Strasbourg and Mainz previously. What about this?:

Day 1: Arrive Strasbourg late afternoon from Paris. Check in, explore area relax
Day 2: see cathedral, big sites, petite france
Day 3: Breakfast, check out, TRAIN TO STUTTGART. Stow bags in station locker. See museums. Early dinner there? Fetch bags. Train to Rhine Village (Boppard) in the pm - Leave around 5 or 6 pm, arrive 8 or 9 pm.
Day 4: River boat tour - Bingen to Boppard. Visit Oberwesel and or Bacharach by boat (or by train.)
Day 5: Day trip to Cochem on the Mosel, back to Boppard.

Leave Boppard for Munich in the morning the next day.

"...do you think we can still hit up that many towns on the way to Munich travelling by train?"

I don't quite get what you intend here either. If you want to get off the train in a place or two on the way to Munich, that's 100% doable with some planning - there are good places to visit. Worry about tickets later - You may find that a railpass is a good idea since you're traveling so extensively... or maybe point-to-point tickets instead - but don't sweat that for now.

Fussgaenger

You could stay in other Rhine towns besides Boppard, but Boppard shortens the day trip to Cochem and it's a good spot to end your Rhine cruise. Boppard also has the most dining and lodging options. It's a nice place.

Boppard river promenade: http://www.pizza-toni-boppard.de/upl...r/IMG_0131.JPG
Boppard, main square: http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/9532687.jpg
Boppard, old town street: http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/p...m/89118425.jpg
Boppard, Severus Stube restaurant: http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...rus-stuben.jpg
Gedeonseck cafe near top of chairlift overlooking Rhine and Boppard: http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...king-rhein.jpg

Lots of hotels and B&B's in Boppard... You can usually book an apartment cheaply (holiday flat) for just 3 nights. This 2-BR apartment is on Boppard's town center, €43.50 for two per night:

http://www.boppard-tourismus.de/78-1...?objekt_id=111

Check availability calendar for above on this page (page in in German but scroll down to calendar.) Only a few days have been booked in summer:

http://de.holidayinsider.com/unterku...f-997d5ee2a295

Boppard (and surroundings) apartments on the tourist office site (and other options): http://www.boppard-tourismus.de/78-1-Holiday-Flats.html

KaylaS

Fussgaenger, Boppard is stunning! Thank you so much I am definitely interested in your suggestions and think that the itinerary you made works quite well.

bilboburgler

I like Fussgaenger's suggestion but I also prefer Mosel to Rhine, just basically more pretty and less busy. But you need to decide which river is for you.

Tickets; depends on the type of train and the type of ticket. seat61 is pretty good at explaining, or go to the railway company of your choice and flip the En language flag.

KaylaS

Bilboburgler, do you have any suggestions as to where to stay if I were to do the mosel instead?

bilboburgler

This may help a bit http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk/Mosel_Guide.php
In terms of towns, Trier is just to big for sensible cheap stays (it is nice to visit though), Cochem is much favoured by Americans and is pretty useful. I like Bernkastel-Kues and Trauben-Trabach (sorry if names are spelled wrong, but I have a wet Maine Coon on my knee). If possible you want a bridge nearby so you can get to the other side and a hyphenated name means a bridge ;-)

I've recently stayed in Urzig which has a fantastic wine cliff behind it (great walking) with some cheaper rooms in town, http://www.uerzig-mosel.de/index2.htm the town is a bit down at heel at the moment (means only a few multi-millionaires live there but a few hotels have closed down) we stayed at Erbes-Henn B&B which was dead cheap (thinks E55 including breakfast for 2) and perfectly clean.

The town websites are the best solution to find accommodation, we turned up in mid Sept without a booking and found somewhere after a few asks. I think the station is on top of the cliff, so may want to call a taxi just to get into town (and to get out) (but it is all downhill)


Any of these towns

bilboburgler

This may amuse you or your other half
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...es-of-wine.cfm

Fussgaenger

Why must it be an "either... or" decision for the Rhine or the Mosel?? I'd like to emphasize that my suggestion includes one day on the Mosel (Cochem) and one day on the Rhine.

The Mosel is wonderful. Quiet, peaceful, bucolic. But the Rhine is wonderful too. There is a reason the KD line has 5 boats per day on the Rhine and only 1 boat fore the Mosel - it's demand. The Rhine is decidedly more dramatic and impressive, overall. I see no reason to shortchange yourselves by seeing only one river since you have time to see both.

If you choose to stay in Boppard instead of Cochem, you will get there more quickly on your arrival day from Strasbourg, and when you leave, you will save yourself an hour on the train trip to Munich.