3 wk honeymoon in europe - never been
 

My husband and I 24 & 26 yr old newlyweds that are attempting to plan a last minute belated honeymoon to Europe. A lot has been going on and we never had time to plan. We have three weeks that we would like to spend in Europe starting the second week in August. Neither of us have ever been so we would like to see and do as much as possible without killing ourselves or our bank account. We would like to hit Prague and cities in France, Italy and Spain. Does anyone have any helpful hints on where to go, what to see, how to book rail tickets. We are newbies to Fodor's and as I said have never been to Europe.

and....THANKS :-D

forgot that we wanted to go to Germany also...I know thats a lot, so we are trying to just gather ideas and tips from people in the know.

if you are not a troll,

I suggest 3 weeks in Italy.

What kind of things do the two of you like to do (museums/beach/hiking/) ... that could be helpful...

For your three weeks, I would suggest not attempting anymore than two countries, or a brief foray into a third. I also suggest contiguous countries, such as France and Spain, or France and Italy.

We are you flying from? You will have to devote some time to this immediately. The second week in August is a very busy time.

I notice you said "cities" and not villages or country, or beaches. OK. Make a list of cities you want to see.

Do that while you are searching for air tickets to Europe. Quickly.

Once you have your arrival and departure cities, it should become a little more logical to decide where to go first, second, third, last, etc.

But I repeat, do this quickly.

I think it rather unkind of &quot;europa&quot; to suggest that this is a <i>troll</i> posting (beph will surely scratch her head, and wonder what that even means!)...

...but it surely is full of naivet&eacute; to think that &quot;we&quot; can even begin to know how to advise such an undertaking, on such a limited timeframe (so little time to plan - - not too short a trip)...

...and you say you need to watch your bank account, as well?

Is everything all nailed down for the wedding, for starters?

And does the bank account have $20,000 in it? Newlyweds really should not be contemplating spending more than a third of the money they have in &quot;discretionary funds&quot; for a splurge of a honeymoon like this, in my opinion. A ten day honeymoon would be much more manageable, no matter how much money you have socked away... you'll be so much smarter about how to plan Europe travel(s) after your first trip, that you'll be glad you only took a $4000-6000 trip now. With wise planning, you can take a second trip sooner than you think, and stay 15-20 days in spring or fall... for what 8-10 days will cost you in August.

You really do need to define what draws you to Europe in the first place. Do you have Czech roots, or some specific reason to want to visit Prague? or Germany?

You need to say where you are originating. Airfare from much of North America will cost $2000-$2600 for almost anywhere in Europe, traveling in August, with no advance scouting. 10 nights hotel will add another $1500 (with some choices of modest lodging); meals, attractions and transportation within Europe will add another $100-150 per day. Figuring out how to buy rail tickets will be the least of your problems (hint: go to the train station, 45 minutes before you plan to travel by train; it will be really, really easy, and doesn't require much advance planning).

The key is choosing an itinerary that makes sense. I suggest three major cities/&quot;areas&quot;, thus, only two tain rides. Fly into city A, and home from city C. Munich, Venice and Nice would be a good trio if you want the variety you mention. Each is only about 4 hours apart from the other.

I think you may not even realize how lost you are on this. I might be willig to consult with you by phone, for free. You need a good 30-60 minutes face-to-face time with someone who has some expertise or experience to frame the skeleton of this trip.

Whatever your decisions, congratulations on your new life in marriage... and...

Best wishes,

Rex Bickers
Floyds Knobs, Indiana

in response to the what do we like to do...we are very easy going: definitly are interested in museums, historic sites. I could never sit on a beach for 3 wks straight, for more than 3 days for that matter! We are definitly up for an adventure....

We have two free international tickets via american airlines...in a quick phone call to them i know we could easily get flights to rome, madrid or london. Any tips on where is good to start...possibly rome and the go north? Also is it recommened to get a car or travel via train?

thanks to everyone...and to rex thank you also. I had been prewarned by a friend that I will prob get picked on by seasoned fordorites...i have thick skin, no worries :-P
The wedding has already occured (May 20) I am a teacher which is why we could not go away right away..plus we had been informed it is nice to wait. We have free airline tickets thanks to the parents frequent flier miles, which is a nice to have and saves money. Money is really not too much of an issue (we have been saving for this for a loooooong time, thats what happens when you date for 10 yrs) I fully understand that I an niave to attempt planning such a large trip on a short timespan. I was planning on heading to a travel agent and a friend suggested getting on fodor's to get tips, as this is how she planned her honeymoon. I understand that I will not have all my answers wrapped up nicely by the morning, but was hoping for some tips.
What I am basically getting is that I should scale down, possibly just do 2 countries...the obsession with prague comes from many friends who studies abroad and all said it was their favorite place they had visited. I have heard from others that it is pretty easy and relatively inexpensive to do a trip to Prague alone, and that it could be done at a later date...does this seem correct?
Again thanks for all the help....:-D

and I keep forgetting...we are leaving from New York.

OK - you need to at least have some ideas of your own - -you can't hit all those places in three weeks.

Having ff certs doesn't necessarily mean you can just hop on any plane. I would nail down my flights ASAP. Then you can work out your itinerary.

Sounds like you want to go to Italy - so 2 weeks in Italy and about a week in Paris inc a couple of days maybe on the Loire or somewhere like that.

But Prague, Italy, France, Italy and Spain in 3 weeks - nope . . . . .

You and everyone else in the free world would like to fly to Europe on FF miles in August. The tickets may not be as easy to obtain as you anticipate.

I understand the travel impulse, having had it and acted on it many times for short hops. But our longer trips are always and of necessity well-planned. Not from any obsessive need to cross &quot;t's&quot; and dot &quot;i's,&quot; but because planning adds immeasurably to one's knowledge, comfort, and therefore enjoyment of a foreign country.

In your place I think I would take a villa rental in Italy for a few weeks --or an apartment in Paris, or cottage in Bavaria or the Cotswolds--if you can find something at this late date-- and take a laptop and plan daytrips once you are there. At this point that would probably give the best results.

and felicitations on your recent wedding! ((^))

I suggest that you fly to Rome, spend five or six nights in Rome, take a train to Orvieto, spend the night, rent a car, drive to an agriturismo in Tuscany or Umbria and use the car to take day trips around Tuscany or Umbria to see teh sights. Stay someplace with a pool because it will be hot.

After a week, drive the car to Venice, drop it off, see Venice for 3 days, fly to Prague for the remainder of your trip, and fly home.

Janisj, we must have been writing at the same time with the same comment on ff miles. You're a late-night owl, too, I see. :)

Actually not very late in my neck of the woods . . . .

I'm just now eating dinner (a bit late though)

Guess I have that typical everybodylivesontheeastcoast mentality--every time I see the rush of posts after working hours on the west coast I'm always surprised, then &quot;duh!&quot;

in response to the ff miles...i called and they do have flights avaliable to rome, madrid and london on the date (aug. 10) :-D that we are looking to leave on. We are flexible on our dates give or take a few days also. I understand 100% that this is last minute, the reason we had to wait to plan is that my husbands company moved and we were awaiting his new emloyment to plan a trip, we have the green light to plan for as long as we would like for August (i also have school starting in sept. as I am a teacher which is why august is the only option right now) I would love to take a shorter trip now and plan a longer one for a later date, but my husband only has a certain amt of vacation days, and this break in his sched. would allow us for three weeks, this is a one shot opportunity for length of trip at this time....should i go to a travel agent, or do you think its worth a shot planning it ourselves? We are open to bed and breakfasts, hotels...WHATEVER :-P I have planned big trips before (costa rica) so I am not a total newby to planning vacations...but I am a Europe virgin.

I appreciate everyones tips....

I am a night owl also...you are not alone :-D

PS: I wouldn't take a laptop to plot day trips. I'd buy a good guidebook and the relevant maps.