Itinerary Tweaking

Old Jan 18th, 2017, 09:35 PM
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Itinerary Tweaking

Hello there! My husband and I are looking to take a slow-paced trip around Europe. We're American citizens so we are aware of the 90 day visa. This is the itinerary that I have come up with so far. We are looking to stay in areas that are relatively affordable with fast internet.

Leaving May 1
Fly into Amsterdam, stay 5 nights
Fly to Budapest, stay 9 nights
Train to Vienna, 14 nights
Train to Prague, 14 nights
Train to Berlin, 21 nights
Fly to Nice, 7 nights
Fly to Lisbon, 14 nights

And then decide at that point whether we return home or continue traveling.

It's been sort of a logistical nightmare trying to figure the flow of the trip. I have been warned about excessive heat in the southern countries at the end of July but we'll be by the ocean so I'm hoping that will negate its impact.

Our budget is approximately $3,000USD per month. Budgeting around $60 per night for lodging so I can have reliable internet.

We love architecture, different cultures, food... all the normal thing people visit Europe for LOL.

I have also considered working Valencia, Spain into the mix but I'm unsure. We have been to London, Paris, Barcelona, etc, so I want to avoid those "tourist traps".

Just wondering if I have missed anything and if there are other places with strong internet that are relatively affordable that we should consider.

Thanks for any advice you have!
caraelaine is offline  
Old Jan 18th, 2017, 10:02 PM
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Why do you have to have a fixed itinerary? Why not stay as long as you want in one city until you get tired of it and move on? It seems like you have plenty of time. With an internet device, it's easy to make reservations on the fly.

Book a few places in advance. But be flexible.

All of these cities have "strong internet" - perhaps better than in the US. Pretty much every hotel will have WiFi, probably free WiFi, unless you visit some small village out in the middle of nowhere.

Still, I would plan on having at least one smart phone with mobile data that can be shared as a hot spot. You could buy a phone over there if need be, but any modern smart phone that is unlocked should take a local SIM card you can buy in any of these countries.
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Old Jan 18th, 2017, 11:14 PM
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I am not sure that I would do this itinerary. The only place on your list I would spend your allotted time is Nice for the summer. I also think a budget of $3000 a month for two people is going to be difficult with the costs of travel, lodgings, food and any entrance type fees. I too think you should just move on when you want to without much structure.
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Old Jan 18th, 2017, 11:21 PM
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Reverse your trip and do any hot places (Portugal, Spain or Italy) in May. Save the cooler places in the North, like Amsterdam, for the end of the trip.

Slow is great. I like that too, but some of the cities you have chosen seem questionable for the length of your stays. I can often spend a week in a city where others spend three days, but 9 days in Budapest? 2 weeks in Vienna? 3 weeks in Berlin?
There are so many places where you could do wonderful day trips or rent a car and do some driving and meander around the countryside, seeing small towns and villages. Umbria, Tuscany, Provence, Andalusia, SW Germany and along the rivers, the Alsace, and many, many others. Amsterdam, for example is surrounded by places you can visit easily by train and stay a week or more. You could even stay in one like Haarlem and visit Amsterdam and many other places. You could then take the train South to Ghent or Antwerp for a few days and do several day trips. If you don't land in Amsterdam, you could reverse that and go from South to North, ending in Amsterdam. Your cities work for one or two day trips, but not much more without the distance being unreasonably far.

Andrew's advice is really good for your trip. Book lodging for your first stop. When you feel just about ready to leave, book for your next stop. I don't always like using time that way, but with your plans, I sure would so I was not stuck for 2 weeks in some place that I wanted to leave after 2 days or have to leave when there were still things I wanted to do or see.

Internet is excellent in most of Europe. DH took a smart phone. I took my Mini-pad. For a longer trip, I might take a super light weight laptop or regular I-pad.

London, Paris, Barcelona tourist traps? You might like Ireland. Good weather in June and July too.
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Old Jan 19th, 2017, 04:30 AM
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I'm just waiting for the inevitable: "With 14 days in Vienna you are just scratching the surface" posts.

And the: "With 21 days in Berlin you will barely have time to order a currywurst" posts.

And the: "Don't spend 89 days wandering around pathetically - - the only place anyone should ever go to, ever, is Paris" posts.
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Old Jan 19th, 2017, 05:37 AM
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»Amsterdam, stay 5 nights - Budapest, stay 9 nights«
I might be prejudiced, but I would turn it around. Half the Netherlands is within 1 hr train journey: Haarlem, Leiden, the Hague, Delft, Utrecht, just to mention the cities.
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Old Jan 19th, 2017, 08:13 AM
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Dfourh,
Please don't wait for others to give the OP advice that you consider useless.
The OP would surely appreciate some concrete, useful advice from you.
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Old Jan 19th, 2017, 09:26 AM
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Given how much time you haven't I'd personally make more stops. This is kind of too slow a travel for me. For example, I love Prague but can't imagine spending 14 days there myself with the other choices. You are right the CR is relatively cheap, but so is Poland. Since yo uare going by train anyway from Vienna, you could easily fit in a stay in MOravia or southern CR inbetween Vienna and Prague, and you could even go to Poland with all that time.

Unless you have plans for those 14 days in Prague, even with local day trips, it would be too much for me given the possiblities. For example, Moravia and the area around Cesky Krumlov and Ceske Budejovice are kind of too far for a day trip from Prague (or Brno, Hluboka is down there also and worth a visit if you were staying in that area, as well as Trebon and Telc). I have visited Tabor as a day trip from Prague, that is do-able.

Are you planning to rent some apt in Prague? You will have to with a budget of only $60 a night, Prague is relatively pricey versus the rest of CR, IME. At least for hotels, certainly modestly priced compared to major capitals in some other western Eruopean countries, of course, but still. Also, I don't know if you can do Nice for that amount, especially in summer.

How did you come up with the budget of $60 per night for lodging? I am just wondering what you were counting on for accommodations.
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Old Jan 19th, 2017, 09:33 AM
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Book train tickets early as possible to get discounted fares - thru the national rail sites of each country.

check www.seat61.com for sage advice on discounted tickets -for general train info also www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

If you want full flexibility to hop trains anytime in check out the European East Railpass -valid in Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary.
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