Devoreis

Hello all!

I'm finally taking my first trip through Europe in September, and in dire need of help figuring out my itenerary

About me: 27, single, male, love to be social (not always the most outgoing unfortunately) from the Pacific Northwest where hiking and drinking are the pastimes. I'm laid back and don't mind traveling solo, so seeing great views and sites, relaxing is always great, but I also love to meet people and hope to make some friends along the trip.

Current itinerary:

Dates: 9/26-10/6 (maybe 7)

9/26 - arrive in Frankfurt, travel to Munich for check in and Oktoberfest
9/27 - see city and go Oktoberfest
9/28 - travel to Neuscwandtein Castle
9/29 - undecided to check out and go to next location or try to go to Zugspitze

9/30 - travel to next destination. (Need help figuring out where to go next)

Disclaimer: I'm going on a limb to say the big issue with an inconvenent itenerary is my starting point vs where else I want to go, but I needed an excuse to stop procrastinating on traveling and Oktoberfest provides it so that is set in stone.

Top locations to visit.

1. Amsterdam, Netherlands
2. Greek aisles (Crete, santorini maybe?)

The rest is of no particular order but have either been recommended or want to go

Dubrovnik, Croatia,
Stockholm,
Barcelona, Spain,
Italy (maybe next year as its own trip)


Seems like Amsterdam is making accomplishing the other locations harder, but I've always wanted to go.

Thoughts on how much can be accomplished without spending excessive time traveling or creating extra costs?

Much appreciated

janisj

The one thing we do know is you have 9 days not counting your arrival and departure days (10 if you stretch it to Oct 7) . . . So >>Thoughts on how much can be accomplished without spending excessive time traveling or creating extra costs?<<

Where are you flying home from? Pick two additional places other than Munich/Oktoberfest. We can't decide which two places they should be - you need to do that based on what you want to see/do. How you travel between them depends on which cities they are. Either trains or budget airlines.

Wherever you visit -- you will want to be in your departure city the evening before your flight home.

thursdaysd

If you really want to go Amsterdam, go to Amsterdam. Maybe fly to Paris and train to Amsterdam.

See skyscanner, easyjet and ryanair for flights, seat61.com for info on trains.

You need to save the other places on your list for another trip.

janisj

Should have added >>We can't decide which two places they should be<< . . . but one of them should probably NOT be the Greek Isles.

A Munich/Paris/Amsterdam 3-fer would fit in your limited time. Or even Munich/Barcelona/Amsterdam - but IF you are flying home from Frankfurt it does make things a little harder -- you will lose a day in one of those cities to get back to Frankfurt on Oct 5 (or the 6th if you add one day)

PalenQ

How about taking the train Munich to Amsterdam? It's a long 8-hour slog in daytime but you can take a train/bus combo overnight - only for younger folk- see www.bahn.de/en for this and all train schedules. Save a night accommodation cost and sleep on bus - something I did a lot when I was your age.

But you can break up the 8-hr train ride by getting off at Cologne for a few hour stop - throw bags in station luggage storage and hop on over to the world-famous Gothic cathedral right next to train station.

Don't miss Amsterdam - what whatever you're looking for - gorgeous canal-laced city - great museums and culture of all types, neat bars and music venues and infamous for coffeeshops legally serving cannabis from a posted menu. And a mecca for young folk from all over Europe -stay in one of the Youth Hotels and meet others you age from all over the world

Arrive Amsterdam morning of 30th

Spend 3-4 days

Then maybe take train to Paris for final days and fly out of Paris (not on your wish list but who doesn't want to go to Paris?

For lots on trains: www.seat61.com - great source for info on discounted tickets and how to book your own online; wwwricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

You will not be traveling enough on trains to even look at railpasses.

greg

When you are putting together a tentative plan, before building on top of them, do a sanity check. You can be spending a lot of effort grinding away ever decreasing planning time on an itinerary built on a non-existent foundation.

An example:
>>> 9/26 - arrive in Frankfurt, travel to Munich for check in and Oktoberfest
>>> 9/27 - see city and go Oktoberfest

Have you actually looked at accommodation availability and the prices? The accommodation price skyrockets during the Oktoberfest. If you cannot find anything within your constraints, your current plan is dead on arrival.

Once you string together tentative destinations, look at how you connect them. Here is another place new comers have difficult time - making solid bookings before verifying whether they could be connected within the time and expense constraints.

If you are coming from Pacific Northwest, Amsterdam is a key direct flight gateway if you are using Skyteam. You can leverage Amsterdam both as a destination and a return point.

Devoreis

Thanks for all the replies!

I think just having any feedback was a good sanity check! I think I was getting a bit over ambitions for multiple locations on a 10 day trip.

I defiantly plan on speading 3 days in Amsterdam, but was hoping in my head I could find a way to both Greece as well. But now that I've gotten the reality check it's not too plausible with my trip duration and commitment to Oktoberfest.

I'm meeting some friends at Oktoberfest who will be there those specific days so that is the reasonin behind those days. Had I planned better I may have been better off ending my trip there rather than beginning.

I'll simply just need to figure out my priority of a 3rd destination, and factor in costs of flying back out of those priorities

menachem

Why not do Berlin as you third destination. Great vibe, the "better Amsterdam", shall we say.

Southam

Use a multi-destination flight search function to fly into Munich (the itinerary may route you through Frankfurt anyhow) and home from another city. I suggest staying in Germany instead of spreading yourself thin over several countries. You can fly home from Berlin, just as interesting a city as Amsterdam. That leg will almost certainly require a change at a gateway city since trans-Atlantic air service to Berlin is somewhat restricted. Please understand that you are not buying separate flight tickets; this approach has to be purchased as a package through the multi-city function many agency sites and airlines offer. No single website covers all flights but www.matrix.itasoftware may come closest. It is a Google site for airlines and doesn't sell tickets but you can take its information to sites that do.

Heimdall

I think Amsterdam would be a good fit with Munich Oktoberfest, and I don't mean geographically. There is plenty to do and see in Bavaria, so you don't really need a third destination.

PalenQ

Maybe fly Munich to Greek island then back to Amsterdam for flight home-but I'd rather go to Greek islands when I have time to do more than just a fly in.

And yes Amsterdam you could enjoy for several days - maybe take a few day trips to lovely regional towns.

Heimdall

Late September is when all the old folks go to the Greek Islands. Not much excitement for a 20-something if you are looking for partying.

PalenQ

No partying in say Mykonos in late September?

Heimdall

Depends on what you mean by partying. Most, if not all, the big clubs will be closed by the third week of September. Bars will still be open, but that's a long way to go for a drink. The party season on Mykonos is July and August.

suze

Skip Greece (for starters). You don't have time and it's the most out-of-the-way from the rest of your wish list.

Heimdall

PalenQ, I'm one of those old folks (as are you), but I get bored on the Greek Islands after the middle of September. I often wonder if these 20-somethings realise how old most of us regulars on Fodor's are. Apologies to all the youngsters on the board. ;-)

suze

Doesn't matter how young (or old) you are, I don't think this is a practical itinerary for anyone for a 12-13 day trip!
1. Frankfurt
2. Munich
3. Zugspitze
4. Amsterdam, Netherlands
5. Crete
6. Santorini
7. Dubrovnik, Croatia
8. Stockholm
9. Barcelona, Spain
10. Italy

And yes I realize this is preliminary planning and just a starting wish list and several were marked as maybes or future trips.

Heimdall

Suze, I couldn't agree more! Two destinations max with local trips in the area. From Munich you can see Neuschwanstein Castle, Berchtesgaden, and maybe cross over the Austrian border to Salzburg. I was a 20-something when I went to the Munich Oktoberfest, and thoroughly enjoyed making the rounds of the beer tents. Amsterdam, it goes without saying, has much to offer for younger people.

Bosley86

Too much in too little time.

Here comes my idea and some questions.

What is your plan for Zugspitze? If you want to hike to the top, it's a strenous day hike that needs some technical experience. If you just want to do the gondola and look around it's fine and you can go there by train from Munich and go back the same day. My tip would be to take the train to Garmisch, hike to Höllental, enjoy some good food up there and go back via Kreuzeck. Awesome hike with great scenery.

If Munich is fixed and Amsterdam, too. Why don't you just take the trip through Germany to go there. You can use trains and fly home from Amsterdam. If you want more cities you can add Berlin and even Paris with some clever planning. If you decide to do the Germany/Netherlands Trip I can recommend a stop in Nuremberg with a trip to Bamberg (lot's of history, culture and good beer).

If you need any tips for that area ask me, I'm from Nuremberg. Would even show you around a bit if it fits my schedule (planning a US trip in September...)

PalenQ

PalenQ, I'm one of those old folks (as are you), but I get bored on the Greek Islands after the middle of September. I often wonder if these 20-somethings realise how old most of us regulars on Fodor's are. Apologies to all the youngsters on the board>

yes but we have lots of experiences that like your take on Greek islands are still valid as are I think my general knowledge of Amsterdam - I can say that OP would love Amsterdam but not sure about Garmisch.

But yes OP should probably also post on Lonely Planet's forums where many more younger folk will be. And get a copy of Let's Go Europe, written by folks his age for folks his age- go to local library and photocopy few relevant sections to take along.