demitrii

Hi everyone.
We're 4 high-school graduates from HK planning a backpacking trip to Europe. We're complete amateurs in this field so we really need some suggestions!
We've booked our flights from 20/5 to 10/6. We'll be stopping in barcelona first, then paris, zurich, and lastly, london.

We'd be glad if anyone could give us suggestions on where to stay in these 4 cities.
We're looking for reasonably priced and most importantly, safe hostels.
Also, we're wondering how long we should spend on each city. Roughly, the plan is like this:

21/5-25/5 barcelona
26/5-31/5 paris
1/6-4/6 zurich
4/6-10/6 london

Do you think its reasonable? We planned to go hiking in zurich and enjoy the scenery. Would 3-4 days be too short for that? And is there any particular hiking treks that you'd recommend us to take? It's better if its a one-day trip because we're not planning to camp in the wild.

Thirdly, we're also planning to watch a soccer match in barcelona. But we're not sure how and where to get the tickets for the match.

So.. do give us some of your ideas! We deeply appreciate your kindness : )

zeppole

You should get out of Zurich to do your hiking. Trains are very good in Switzerland and you will want to be up in the beautiful mountain tops, with the lakes and glaciers.

The idea I most want to give you is that there are message boards that attract a lot of young people who have done european backpacking treks and stayed in hostels, and you can get lots of first-hand tips there. Do some google searches. Most people here will be happy to offer their opinions, but very, very few have done what you are going to do.

I also recommend that you all carry cell phones, and look for a cheap way to do that.

Have a great, great trip!

kleeblatt

Don't do Zürich itself. Look at the Swiss hostel website for some great idea about Switzerland. The hostels here are clean and modern.

Enjoy!

jamikins

A good site for backpackers is thorntree.

SOunds like a great trip so far!

You could check out www.eurocheapo.com for cheap places to stay.

bilboburgler

try the yha (google it) for london hostels, also the unternational yha for others.

barcelona tickets. search the web site, prices will be high and may have gone. seriously need to book now for may/june

imo zurich city worth only a day, but walks more so
barcelona can soak up 3 to 4 days (side trip to beach and winery)

London and paris are the big draws for a reason. paris centre is smaller, search the paris and london threads on this site

bilboburgler

how are you getting between, cheap airlines make most sense but keep lugage down otherwise they may stiff you for it

ElendilPickle

YHA's URL is www.yha.org.uk; you'll find several nice hostels in good locations.

Here's the link for Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa

Lee Ann

genabee6

You've got a great trip planned so far! Enjoy yourselves, my friend and I did 3 weeks last May and it was the best time of my life, so have fun!!

On another note, if you're planning on staying in hostels, make sure you book them ahead because many places fill up quickly with reservations and won't have room for you!

http://www.famoushostels.com/

another website for you!

wrldtrv

I recommend that you plan to not follow your plan. Backpacking in Europe is best when you take the approach of doing what you want, when you want. You may meet people or find place along the way that change your priorities. Don't feel like you have to stick to any one plan, except to catch your flight back!

Good luck

quiUK

I have heard good reports of these hostels in London http://www.astorhostels.co.uk/

daveesl

Check out Couch Surfing website...

http://www.couchsurfing.com/

You stay for free.

suze

I think you've got the outline of a great trip!

I think the suggestion of reading the Thorn Tree forum at www.lonelyplanet.com is a great one. There are many posters from all over the world, people who travel backpack/hostel style.

Kay2

Be careful of your choice of hostels in London. My nephew has traveled in Spain, Italy, England, Austria, Chech Republic, etc. staying in hostels and London is the only place he has had two bad experiences, two places he felt uncomfortable around the other guests and slept with his belongings in his bed. Next time he says he will find a cheap motel. I don't want to paint all the London hostels with too broad a brush, but it seems you really have to check the reviews and avoid the cheapest places.

jdfirst

My first trip to Europe: Three weeks, backpack. I went to Italy, France, Monte Carlo, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. Visited many cities. Rode the rails, many times at night and woke up in a different city the next morning. Stayed at tourist class hotels without reservations near the rail station. It was a great adventure. Make sure you take a backpack that is comfortable. Wash n wear clothes. I preplanned before leaving the states. Ie. I knew that I would fly into Paris and took the overnight train to Nice, stayed at a hotel accross from the station and then on to Monte Carlo. Since it was a worldwind sightseeing adventure I knew that I would not be able to see all of the sights in detail. Ie While in Paris two days, (on my return trip) I saw the Louvre, and Versailles only from the outside. You will have a wonderful time. Happy travels

janisj

jdfirst: Their trip ended June 10.