lisadforeman

I am looking to take 6 days off from work surrounding July 4 (including 2 weekends) for a Europe trip totaling 11 days, including travel. I created a first draft map of a potential itinerary to use: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid...b3afdbb3&msa=0

Amsterdam-->Brussels-->Luxembourg-->Geneva-->Lucerne-->Zurich-->Budapest-->Vienna-->Prague-->Copenhagen

I am looking for suggestions on where I should fly into/start (what's cheapest coming from Baltimore/DC area?), what cities I should cut (I'm assuming that's too many for my timeline), how long I should spend in each place, what kind of Euro rail pass I should use, etc. I've never been to Europe before so any/all suggestions are welcome. I'm also curious how little I can get away with spending.

A few more details:

- It will be me and 2-3 other friends, all in our early 20s, all coming from Baltimore or DC airports
- We'd like to squeeze in as much as possible
- We are more than happy to stay in hostels to save money

nytraveler

You say the 11 days inclues trvel - so you really have 9 days on the ground. this will give you a quick look at 2 (TWO) cities. If you want to squeeze and spend a lot of times on trains you might fit in a 3rd.

More than that is nothing but a tour of the train stations of europe.

I think you really need to figure out what you want to see in those cities and which couple are most important.

Tulips

I would take out Luxembourg, Brussels, Zurich, Geneva, for a start. Don't know about flights, but Amsterdam usually has good coverage from the US, and is a good place to start.

keowwc

I'm 25 and I did Prague a couple of years ago, we spent 3 days there and easily covered the main things to see. It is VERY cheap and its easy to get around without knowing the language. It has a really good nightlife and people are pretty friendly too. I went in July as well and it was pretty cold still, so if you go- pack warm clothes.

If you are looking to travel and travel quickly, look at easyjet and ryanair for cheap flights vs. trains. However, Ryanair may not fly into the main airport so you could incur more travel time by getting a cab/bus/train. If you prefer trains, look at night trains to maximize time and save money for hotel/hostel. If you do a night train, I'd suggest booking your own compartment as there have been some theft on overnight trains. You can use raileurope to determine how long each train will be and can map out your possible itinerary w/ costs.

Also, Eurail offers country passes that you can combine for a group price.

suze

You have way too many places on your list for the timeframe. Once you consider the time to get from one country/city to the next by train or plane you don't even have 1/2 day in each place! I think you need to cut your list by at least 3 or 4 places, and you'll still have an ambitiously paced itinerary left.

dwdvagamundo

Lisa--

You've got nine days in Europe and enough itinerary for at least three months. So you'll have to cut a lot.

Paradoxically, you will "squeeze in" a lot more by going to many fewer places and taking the time to see each in some detail rather than trying to spend less than one day in each city on your current itinerary. Take your time to really look around, go out at nite for a drink and some music.

Europe is very heavily packed with things to see and do--think of it as basically like the DC/Baltimore/Philadelphia triangle. In nine days you could barely scratch the surface of that area, and all of Europe is like that.

So:

The first cut would be in half: cut either the western (that is Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland) or the eastern: (everything else).

Then get some travel guides (Rough Guide, Lonely Planet) to read with your friends for an idea of what's where in the half you've chosen. These also list good lower price lodging options. But you can also use sources like Tripadvisor to find others.

Having read the travel guides, you'll have a pretty good idea of what you're going to want to see, which will lead you to choose where to go.

I'm surprised you're omitting France from your itinerary, as northern France would work in very well with Netherlands and Belgium for a short trip (which is what you're planning), and Paris is a charming city.

With three or four of you, consider renting a car rather than taking the train.

Amsterdam and Brussels are or used to be fairly inexpensive European gateways.

dwdvagamundo

I like keowwc's idea: Prague is a great city for young people. Spend a few days there and then go to Vienna for a few days. Maybe Budapest as well. Or Prague then some of the smaller towns in the Czech Republic.

lisadforeman

Thank you everyone! This is great advice. I'm working on chopping in half now for a start. I appreciate everyone's insight and willingness to share ideas.

StCirq

10 destinations in 9 days is just impossible. Imagine if someone told you they were coming to the USA for 9 days and wanted to see Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Charleston,Myrtle Beach, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, and Key West. Completely unthinkable.