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.

Travel planning sucks up all the available time and oxygen in a room. It is best done late at night, on the computer. One staggers to bed around 3 a.m., exhausted and barely coherent, but deeply satisfied with how the itinerary is shaping up!

The laptop is for current events. I'm able to find movies, concerts, art exhibits, etc. more easily online than in a paper I can't read.

With a ff flier ticket, you can fly into one city and out another. So check with the airline on that too, and see what is available, then start planning your trip around what is availble. You could fly into Rome or Paris, and fly home from Prague. Congratulations!

I wouldn't take a laptop for current events either. It's really not all that difficult to pick out the words for music and theater and art in most other languages. And I think Prague still has an English-language newspaper.

Thanks....so basically what I am getting is I should just go ahead and book my airline tickets to and from NY. Then plan my trip between the two places we are booked to fly in and out of. I do know that the airline will hold the tickets for 2 weeks also. I was just unsure: do I book rooms and have no tickets, or book tickets and have no rooms :-P

From all the posts I am understanding to start with the tickets....

just a ?...what is a troll? I have seen other people and myself called one.....

Hi

My wife and I have been in a couple of trips to European cities. We went to Paris in April and I have posted a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/Paris_France.htm . We also went to Rome last year and I have posted a similar report on http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm . Maybe you can find some useful information there. Have a great honeymoon :d

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Hi bep,

My suggestion for 1st timers:

Fly into London - 1 week

Take the Eurostar to Paris - 1 week
(The cheapest tickets are 1-day RT)

Fly www.myair.com from Paris Orly to Venice VCE - 3 days

Train to Rome - 4 days.
See www.trenitalia.com
Fly home.

Prague will be there for your next visit.

Happy Honeymoon

((I))

&lt;&lt; ...what is a troll? &gt;&gt;

See http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1306190

I think Ira's itinerary is not only expensive but problematic in August because of heat, crowds of tourist and closed up places in the major capitals.

Maybe you've already booked you tickets but if you haven't, I'd advise agaisnt doing it. The tickets may be cheap, but going to Europe with so little planning on your part seems to me an invitation to spend more money than you would otherwise need to and get less satisfaction for your dollars. Why go to Paris or London or Italy or anywhere for YOUR honeymoon because OTHER people on a message board think London is right for &quot;first timers&quot; (Europe is not like drinking) or Italy is more relaxing or Prague isn't doable.

Prague is a relatively cheap destination. You can go next summer. And in the meantime figure out what else -- if anything -- you'd like to see and do in Europe.

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;
(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).
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

i disagree with this advice and i am addressing it only because i think that this is a very common misconception that many americans have.

for longer distance train travel, it is best to plan ahead as you would (or almost as you would) for air travel. just showing up at the station on the morning you wish to travel is a recipe for spending the whole day at the train station or the potential disaster and disappointment involved with making last minute changes to your itinerary.

show up with all your baggage and it is very possible that you will be told that you can get two standard class seats on the train to X in 5 hours, or you can pay for a place in first class on the train in 2 hours. then you sit there with your travel guide saying &quot;i heard Y is nice, do you want to go there instead?&quot;. then you and your new husband sit at the train station arguing over whether you want to wait 5 hours, change your destination or buy first class tickets. this is no way to travel, IMO.

also, train fares are often cheaper if booked in advance.

Yes, Walkinaround, you are so right about expensive train travel when not booked in advance. We learned that the hard way . . .

Beph, you came to fodors for help planning your trip, not to be told not to go at all. Someone may have assumed you were a &quot;troll&quot; because it is anathema to most of these people to leave the country without the most detailed plan possible.

After hearing your circumstances, I say go to Europe on your honeymoon! That mythical &quot;next summer&quot; may never arrive--you may have new jobs, less vacation, illness, a difficult pregnancy, or you may get hit by a bus at Christmas! But I would definitely make it to one main base and do day trips, or even an overnight here and there. Do you or your husband speak any languages? If so, you might consider that country as your home base.

Many people are have laptop paranoia or angst (will it be too heavy, will it be stolen, will I use it enough to make carrying it worthwhile) but you and your husband are young enough to be wedded (lol) to technology. I'd take a laptop as you would definitely find it helpful in dealing with last-minute scenarios. IMO, of course. :)

beph03,
my apologies for thinking you may be a troll. There has been many trolls lately.

rex,
I wasnt trying to be unkind at all. I dont know how you came up with that one. It just seemed odd to me that someone would try to go to 5 countries in 3 weeks.

Things being closed isn't that much of as problem. Especially in teh UK - nothing closes up in August. And in Rome/Paris it is usually only a few restaurants.

But let's get back to the airline tickets. You say you called and they have all these flights available. There may be seats available - but are there <u>ff seats</u> available? Unless your folks are super <b>super</b>-high value members (almost president of the airline level) it is pretty likely seats are limited or non-existant. FF seats go very early - especially to popular destinations like London/Paris/Rome.

Get your tickets lined up NOW and then where ever you end up flying into - a good itinerary can be worked out. But w/o seats the whole trip is impossible . . . . .

&lt;&lt; It just seemed odd to me that someone would try to go to 5 countries in 3 weeks. &gt;&gt;

Really? Let's take a poll on how long is appropriate for a five-country trip. Nothing in the original post suggested trying to see <i>everything</i> in three weeks in those countries.

Nevertheless, I stick with my recommendation to make this trip shorter... and the next trip sooner...

...and even the insinuation that beph might be a troll is unkind, in my opinion. There are plenty of hallmarks to her novice status. Yours was the very first reply she got. What kind of welcome does that send?

And just where are these &quot;many trolls&quot; <i>lately</i>? In the past week? in the past month?

&lt;&lt; i disagree with this advice and i am addressing it only because i think that this is a very common misconception that many americans have. &gt;&gt;

I failed to amplify - - my advice assumes that &quot;45 minutes before you want to travel&quot; means 45 minutes before the train you want to take... is scheduled to leave... and that you have consulted the schedule beforehand.

I thought it was too micro-focused to offer the specifics of finding schedules - - because the very nature of the itinerary - - what city to fly into, what city to fly home from - - were the bigger issues.

beph03- Here's what I would do in your shoes:

1) Book airline tickets ASAP into Rome and out of somewhere else, where you plan to end your trip (Paris or London would work).

2) Pick 3 more cities max., so 5 cities total including your start and end city... which is about all that is reasonable for 3 weeks imo.

3) Book hotels those 5 cities.

4) Travel by train or budget airlines between them.

Voila... your honeymoon is now planned!! See how easy?

All the rest can be done on the fly. Read a guidebook on the plane ride over, check at the train station or tourist info bureau after arrival each city, gather brochures from the hotel lobby, etc.

p.s. Yes... tickets before hotels. Once you have plane tickets, you can certainly find a hotel room especially in big cities easy enough.

rex,
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

you forgot to tell bobthenavigator that he is unkind to new posters. :)

I know you are like the &quot;boss&quot; of this forum. We all take your advise and look up to you. BUT.. you hurt my feeling saying I was unkind.

i meant

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34833351