Once in a life time 3 month Europe Trip

Old Apr 29th, 2016, 01:16 PM
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Once in a life time 3 month Europe Trip

I am planning a solo trip to Europe for 3 months (11-14 weeks). I love getting to know and see a place, so I do not want to move too fast, yet this will sadly most likely be my only trip to (in part because my family lives on the opposite side of the US as me, so many of my trips/vacation days are spent going back home to see them). This trip has been a lifelong dream so I am trying to fit everything in without going to fast. Right now I have approximately 21 countries (see below). I would like feedback on places you would skip and/or cities, sites and events to do in the following countries or an awesome place I have not thought of. I most likely won't go to each country, but need feedback to narrow my choices for the best once in a life time experience. I love food and the outdoors, art, architecture and history. I was lucky enough to spend 2 weeks in France with a friend a decade ago and really enjoyed the museums, cathedrals, and food. Marseilles was one of my favorite places there, along with Chamonoix- just to give you an idea. I have a few 1/2 day hikes "planned" in places like the UK, Switzerland, Austria. I am planning on taking the train everywhere, and renting a car in Iceland, Italy, and Ireland...maybe Scotland. A friend I am meeting up with will be driving us in Germany and Romania (if I add that 3-4 day leg on with her). I will be staying with friends outside of London and Geneva. The rest of the trip is most likely hostels and night train to not waste daylight. I appreciate the feedback!
Countries: Switzerland, Monaco, Spain, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Austria, Czech Republic, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, & Iceland.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 01:23 PM
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If you're a US citizen you need to keep your plan to 90 days - not to be pedantic but you can't stay '3 months' under the Schengen visa rules.

You don't mention time of year - or even if you're planning this year or next year or what.

You don't mention budget. If it's limited I would question Scandinavia, Switzerland and Austria.

Sounds like a lot of places. Night trains can be hell - the ones in Italy stop everywhere so sleep is minimal.

Cut it back or you'll be having three months of railway station photos to take home.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 01:37 PM
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You just have a long laundry list of countries. You couldn't visit half of those in 3 months - ESPECIALLY since you want to travel relatively slowly. . . . There are reasons to visit every single one of them. Just using Ireland/Wales/Scotland/England as a jumping off point -- that could eat up 6 weeks or more right there depending on how much hiking you want to do.

So YOU need to cut your list back to a meaningful length and once you've decided which maybe 8 to 12 countries you want to visit . . . then we can give you useful advice.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 02:10 PM
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Thank you! It's this year July-October. I'm not on a crazy limited budget, but am watching it and that is why I am staying at hostels and a few friends homes. I am doing only a few 1/2 day hikes. I know I have a lot- it is a once in a life time trip/opportunity. I won't make it to Europe again so I am trying to fit in as much as I reasonably can. Every country- including the many I did not include have reasons to visit, which is one of the reasons I listed what I believe are my top choices...in hopes that people who have been can give me feedback I can use to cut back and plan what is most important to me and not just something travel brouchers and a few friends who went on very "touristy" and very fast trips said.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 02:15 PM
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. I am planning on taking the train everywhere,>

For lots of info on planning a European rail trip (mixed in with cars) here are some good sources: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - check the latter's free European Planning & Rail Guide for lots of rail itineraries in all those places.

If going mainly to cities in Italy take the train - private vehicles ain't allowed in most Italian towns these days and trains are so so good - even if you want to explore some of those iconic Tuscan or Umbrian hill towns buses can easily take you there.

Night trains are great for folks who can sleep with the usual noise from inside and outside the train - I've never had a problem and many do not - I've always enjoyed the others I am in a couchette with - well usually - and I love saving the cost of a hotel and daytime travel time - even over flying on some routes.

Schengen rules don't apply to the UK so maybe start or end you trip there so you do not go over the three months Schengen rule blueyedcod mentions.

In Scotland and Iceland there are reasonably priced bus tours to remote places that may be cheaper than renting a car and get you out to remote areas - regular buses and trains can do the same. But check out say Rabbies Tours in Scotland to the Highlands - get rave reviews from many Fodorites like janisj who posts above - an absolute expert on Scotland and all the U.K.

I agree you will have to hone your itinerary so you are not on trains or in cars all the time. Less can indeed be more at times.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 02:44 PM
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Your first error is thinking this will be your only trip to Europe. Many people start with that assumption, but quickly find they can arrange their lives to travel more. If you try to see all of those places in one trip you won't want to go on another trip!

Pause and prioritize. Come up with an itinerary for a first trip to Europe rather than an only trip. Remember that each time you change locations, you'll use up half a day to most of a day in transit, so moving around a lot (like your itinerary) wastes a lot of time and a lot of money. It takes three nights in a place just to have two full days. I wouldn't advise any less than three nights in a location.

You can save time and money by choosing destinations that are close together.

Comments on the places you've listed:

Cut Monaco Nothing there to see/do but gawk at the very rich. And you can't even get inside the casinos unless you are properly dressed (are you bringing your tux?).

I'd cut Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, & Iceland because they are so expensive and they are at some distance from other places you want to see.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 02:47 PM
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PalenQ, thank you for your feedback. I thought the car would be the easiest/best way to do those countries based off of other sites and a friend. If there are cheap buses going to said places, even better (I'd rather look around then drive) and yes Tuscan area, and yes to the big cities- primarily for the big history and architecture you hear so much about. Thank you for the websites. I will check them out.

As of now, I am flying into Switzerland with a friend and was hitting the UK in the middle of my trip, flying out of Iceland 1-2 weeks later. But due to the Schengen rules, you are saying I need to end or begin my trip there? If so, I can switch some things around...but not the beginning of the trip.

Do you have any favorite destinations and/or sites? In some of the major cities I was thinking of splurging to get a couple day City Pass (example in London covering the main sites and double decker bus) and a walking tour and then day trips- maybe an overnight to surrounding areas like to the Lake District amongst others.

I was planning on eating out mostly for lunches and staying "in" for breakfasts and dinners. My friends near Geneva and London will be my "home base" for those countries. The rest are night trains and hostels- I've looked some up, but am waiting before I book any. I was also not planning to book all my hostels so I have a little bit of flexibility in case I love a place so much, I want to stay or am getting "bored" with a place so I can leave early.

Again, any and all feedback is welcome and appreciated. I know I need to scale back, but am not sure where and am using feedback from this forum and all the websites I am using. As I said, this is a one time trip and something I have been dreaming of since I was 7...each year adding more "must-go" places. This is the first time I have had a chance to go. When I went to France it was for a work thing.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 02:56 PM
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21 countries in 90 days is not slow travel!!

We can't tell you which ones to cut out, since I have no idea of your interests.

To sort this out I would start by making a list of the cities or towns (not entire countries) YOU most want to see. Definitely keep the places where you have friends to stay with.

Night trains are fun now & then but will get extremely old if you try to do them too often.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 02:58 PM
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Kathie, Thank you for your feedback. I understand and wish and hope I can go back, but I get 2 weeks off a year and cannot roll days over to the next year and my family lives about 2,000-3,000 miles away so most of my long and quick trips are to the 5 states they are scattered in- they have kids or don't fly, so it is up to me to see them. I am purposefully in between jobs making this a possibility. I know I cannot do them all sadly.

I am flying in to Switzerland with a friend and Iceland, England, and Germany are with/meeting up with friends. I would like to keep Norway, Sweden, and Finland on my iteniary, but will cut them if I must. Monaco is cut- thank you for your suggestion Money is not a crazy issue, as I have been saving for this trip forever, but obviously I want to keep it as inexpensive as possible and want to use it for food and experiences versus travel time and lush hotels.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 03:06 PM
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Well your planning is skewed if it's this year - July-October is high season and if you've made no reservations you'll be trawling around looking for somewhere to stay - especially in Italy - and be stuck with full hostels and high prices.

You've named a stack of countries but haven't narrowed it down to cities or regions.

It's incredibly late in the day to be planning a trip like this. Everyone and their dog goes to Europe in the summer. Start making some firm decisions and bookings. The days of backpacking on and off trains and finding a decent room close to the sights for 10 euro per night are pretty much done.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 03:17 PM
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Like I said -- this isn't a trip or itinerary . . . it is a list of every country you can think of. If you can't narrow it down, how do you expect us to do that?
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 03:29 PM
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The longer the trip, the more you need to build in some down time. You can rush like mad for a week or so, but after that, moving too much leaves you in a blur.

Rather than thinking about cutting places, which will make you think about what you are missing, I recommend a positive approach. Start by picking three or four places (not countries) that you would really, really like to see. Concentrate on places that have a special interest to you. Figure out how much time you need to see those places comfortably. Add an average of 1/2 day for getting from place to place. That is just for planning time for now. You don't have much time, but can firm up itinerary and transportation as soon as you have selected destinations. Start adding places and building the trip.

Be sure to look for wonderful things for short day trips from a base, or places near each other that make good loops where moving place to place would be better than day trips.

Sometimes people spend tons of time and money seeing things far apart when there are things just as interesting nearby. Travel less, see more.

If this is truly to be your only trip (though unless you are quite old or handicapped, I doubt it will be), watch that you don't try to save money by staying in places with little to see or doing day trips that eat up lots of travel time. If a place isn't interesting, then money saved is actually money and time wasted. Geneva? What do you want to see there? Perhaps friends could just meet you somewhere for a day or two. There are some good day trips from London. Just look at timing. Might be better, for example, if going to Bath, to spend a night rather than day trip.

Making lots of suggestions now would be like throwing darts at a map. If you pick out and post a few of your top choices, other posters can advise on adding, filling in, etc.

In thinking about what to keep, you might also consider concentrating on including places that would be more expensive to visit on a single trip and saving places that could be done just as cheaply and easily as stand alone trips from the US. Right now, for example, there are cheap flights to Iceland from some airports on the East Coast. Neighbor's just did it as a quick, 4 day trip, direct flight on Wow Air from Baltimore. Sometimes, you can get cheap, RT to Ireland, and it is a relatively short flight compared with other places in Europe.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 05:02 PM
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Europe is not Mars. And flying from the East Coast to NYC to get a flight to europe is a whole 5 hours and you can get fights for $200 if you really search. Can't imagine why you think this is a one time trip. If you love it you'll go back again many times.

I went first at 19 with my BF - and loved it so much I have been back more than 100 times since. Granted from NY London is really no further than CA - but not SO much farther than the west coast. I don;t typically do long weekends there - but have friends who often do 5 days at a time.

Agree that if you want to really enjoy this trip versus having just a mad blur of train stations you need to cut way back in the number of countries and cities. I wold start by deciding what your 10 top sights (not countries but specific place or activity) are and then perhaps we can help you string them together into a doable trip.

I would not count on a lot of night trains (and in fact, there aren't as many as they're used to be) unless you have tried one and know you can sleep.

Also look at the weather - if you are going in July (besides being very late in planning) I would start in the north and head south (to avoid hideous heat in the south in July and August). And the costs of various countries.

You say money is not a problem but we don;t know what you mean. Our younger DD went with 2 friends a couple of summers ago and in 6 weeks she spent about $8K - this did not include shopping (she probably spent less than $200) and included only student pubs/clubs to avoid the very high cost of hard liquor and mixed drinks. They did however stay in modest hotels with AC (not hostels) and went to every sight/activity they wanted (so NOT couchsurfing or eating a picnic for dinner every night).

Suggest you get a map, look at the bahn.de train schedules (good for all of europe) and get some help in focusing - and the realities of travel times.
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 09:03 PM
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Thank you, especially sassafrass and ny traveler. I know it is a lot and I am working on cutting cities and countries and areas out. As many first time/only time Europe travelers I want to see all the highlights and "touristy" famous areas, but I am sure (just as with the US) there are many less frequented, just as awesome little gems where I can get the same experience, perhaps for less money and less expense. That is the main reason I am on here- for advice of peoples favorites and least favorites areas, countries, cities, and sites to use as a way to help me narrow my choices. Switzerland is huge on my list and luckily I have a friend who lives there where I can stay, same with England, and Germany. Sassafras, I do not want to stay in places where there is not a lot to see or do. If any on my list (like Monaco) stick out as a sore thumb, please let me know (minus Switzerland- it is a must). As for the cities, I did not list them all- obviously the larger well-known traveling cities like Dublin, London, Rome, Venice, Florence...of each country and a few smaller ones (like Bath and Lake District). Again, if a city and its sites are overrated, I welcome that first hand knowledge that doesn't come from some guidebook. I am not expecting any one person to have gone to all areas, but everyone has favorite areas and places and even those they wished they skipped. I definitely will continue to post as I get closer and closer to finalizing my trip. I also know it is "last minute" which sucks, but as luck would have it, my job is ending much sooner than expected and my next does not begin til November, so I have time and money saved. I know I did not say how much I have and will not, but let's say it is around your younger DD Ny traveler, but as I am a solo traveling female, I also won't be drinking a ton, although I will definitely have a drink or 2 most nights, so the money will be spent on food, and other fun.

As I said, I would love to go back, but it took me years to get the business trip to France and I have been trying to go back over the past decade. Hopefully when I retire and obviously I am hoping for sooner. Maybe it is stupid of me, but as I said, my whole family lives on the opposite side of the country from me and I take all my vacation doing mini-trips to see them since they cannot come to me...so I can see my parents and be an Aunt to my niece and nephew, maybe life will change and my next job will be back there, making it easier to see them....
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 09:16 PM
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>>As many first time/only time Europe travelers I want to see all the highlights and "touristy" famous areas, but I am sure (just as with the US) there are many less frequented, just as awesome little gems where I can get the same experience, perhaps for less money and less expense.
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Old Apr 30th, 2016, 03:29 AM
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>

I don't understand why you think a list of my favorite, or least favorite, places, or anyone else's, would be of any benefit to you at all. It just won't. Try this, for example - my favorites and least favorites:

Favorites:

Figeac
Panicale
Den Bosch
Izmir
Wölfenbüttel

Least favorites:

Zürich
Mazamet
Daimiel
Gafsa
Piraeus

And for the record, Switzerland is about as far down on my list as you can get.

Big help? No, of course not. Point being, you need to do this yourself.

And I agree completely that it would make much more sense to focus on a handful of places, not even necessarily countries, and familiarize yourself with what's there that might appeal to you. A list of 21 countries isn't even a decent launching pad. And yes, it's very late to be making plans so you'd best tackle this asap.
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Old Apr 30th, 2016, 04:51 AM
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StCirq, fabulous lists
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Old Apr 30th, 2016, 08:00 AM
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Someone made a suggestion of making a two or three week trip instead of a 3 month trip, and I think this suggestion deserves your consideration. You could choose three major cities for a three week trip, such as London-Paris-Rome, a week in each with the opportunity for a day trip from each. This would give you practical experience of traveling in Europe and will make planning the next trip much easier. It will also start to make it clearer how you can manage to travel - if not every year, maybe every other year. No reason your family has to take up all of your vacation time.
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Old Apr 30th, 2016, 09:38 AM
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I think you're focusing way too much on the "only trip" and "once in a lifetime" part. You're young, there's no reason you can't go back to Europe many more times in your life. I love my family too but doesn't mean I don't also travel.

You mentioned a few places that are a "must" (hey I happen to love Switzerland) so write those down, add the places where you have friends to stay with. Try to come up with about 8-9 places total. Bingo. There's your itinerary!
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Old Apr 30th, 2016, 10:15 AM
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According to my personal experiences, I do not think you could cover( as you expect ) all the countries withing 90 days. Anyway, If you manage & plan everything (day by day) then it won't be a tough one.
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