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azhawk08 Jun 30th, 2011 12:00 PM

7 wk trip, questions on eurail/hostels/itinerary
 
Hello all,

I'm a 25 year old female- fresh out of law school, and traveling to Europe in Aug/Sept before I start work at a law firm in October (I've noticed a LOT of attorneys posting in this forum!). The only set details for my trip thus far are that I fly into Paris and out of Madrid. I've already been to London and Rome, so I'm skipping them this time around (I've also been to Paris, but only for a very short time- so I've decided to return.)

I have a few questions:

1) Should I plan my accommodations in advance? I intend to stay in hostels because I'd like to meet people and keep costs somewhat low. I'm concerned about finding lodging in big cities in busy August, but I'm also attracted to the flexibility of figuring it out as I go along. Does anyone have experience, one way or the other, that they could share?

2) Debating between Eurail passes. I'm considering three options. I could buy the 15 day flexi ($789), the one month consecutive ($809), or the two month consecutive ($1145). Choosing 15 day flexi or one month consecutive would force me to buy additional tickets for point-to-point. Two month consecutive gives me the luxury of not really having to worry about "spending" days, but it's more time than I need.

3) Can anyone speak to the safety and comfort of night trains, especially for a young female traveling solo?

I should mention that I am not comfortable without having *some* sort of itinerary in place before I go. While I'd enjoy the flexibility of being able to add an extra day here or there, I am the type of person who needs to have at least a rough outline of where I'll be, and when.

Here's my tentative (and open to suggestion) itinerary:
Days 1-4: Paris
Day 5: travel to Bruges
Day 6: Bruges
Day 7: morning travel to Amsterdam
Days 8/9: Amsterdam
Day 10: evening flight (or night train) to Prague
Days 11-14: Prague (night train to Munich)
Days 15-17: Munich (incl. day trip to Dachau)
Days 18/19: Salzburg
Day 20: travel to Lucerne
Days 21/22: Lucerne
Day 23: travel to Interlaken
Days 24-26: Interlaken and surrounding area
Day 27: travel to Venice
Days 28/29: Venice
Days 30/31: Florence
Days 32-34: Siena and surrounding area
Days 35-37: Cinque Terre (suggestions on which village to stay in?)
Days 38/39: Nice
Days 40/41: Provence (suggestions on which city to stay in? Arles? Aix en Provence? Avignon? other?)
Day 42: travel to Barcelona
Days 43-46: Barcelona
Day 47: travel to Madrid
Days 48-51: Madrid (incl. day trip to Toledo)
Day 52: return flight to the US

Again, in addition to the questions I posed above, I'm also open to itinerary suggestions (and good day trips from these locations). My main priorities on this trip are seeing various scenery and landscapes, meeting people, trying different foods, and having a good balance between relaxation and sightseeing. I'm more into history than art, and I'd rather see the landscapes that inspired French artists (for example) than their works in museums.

I'm truly grateful for your opinions and feedback as I've found this forum to be such a great help so far. Thanks again, in advance!

sarge56 Jun 30th, 2011 12:09 PM

Wow, I'm tired just reading your itinerary. Are you sure you want to spend so little time in each place? Think of all the time you'll spend packing/unpacking. And the amount of wasted time sitting on trains.

I don't think the itinerary is bad, but I would cut out a number of cities and concentrate on perhaps five or six.

I can highly recommend both Venice and Florence. I would consider making Venice at least 5 days and Florence 3. And possibly consider one hotel in Florence for 4-5 days and do day trip to Siena (just over an hour by bus). You could also do day trip to Pisa, etc. from Florence. Just a thought.

I cannot offer advice on any other cities, but you are correct that this is a very late time to try to be booking accommodations for August of this year. I would not delay long in getting this finalized.

Good luck and have a wonderful trip! What a delightful way to reward yourself! Congratulations on your degree and, if you haven't taken it yet, good luck on your bar exam!!!

jent103 Jun 30th, 2011 12:20 PM

I actually disagree with sarge somewhat (though not on the booking accommodations part!). As a first-year associate, I'm guessing you won't get much vacation for awhile, so I get the moving around. On the other hand, for such a long trip, you may want to add a couple of "long stays" just to give yourself a few built-in down days. I think Venice would be great for that.

As far as what to cut - I wasn't that thrilled with Lucerne when I went (though that's been ten years ago, it was in December and I wasn't there to ski or anything). Just my opinion, though, and not terribly well informed at that!

As far as the safety on the night trains, I'm a 30-year-old single woman and I probably wouldn't do it by myself. I don't think you'd automatically be in danger on one, but between the comfort factor and the "being asleep and not able to watch myself or my stuff" factor, I'd rather fly. My one experience on them was less than pleasant (we were in the cheap seats). There are several recent threads about night trains, though, so you might check those out to see what your options are and decide for yourself.

qwovadis Jun 30th, 2011 12:37 PM

Congrats on your trip...

Looks fine as long as you are wanting lots of traveling.

seat61.com excellent site for training pass discussion

for me point to point train works best almost always

pass is expensive with lots of surcharges and you have

to train EVERY DAY just to break even on pass cost per day

from 25 euros so you have to train a lot.

hostelworld.com hostelbookers.com for each of your areas

Solo females do fine there I prefer day trains to see more

Night Trains more theft couchettes uncomfortable

beds uncomfortable expenive stick with regional intercity

trains and a real bed to get some sleep after.

If at night or dodgy areas for a couple of euro more

will book first class lots nicer and safer and uncrowded

hang with the conductors on dodgy trains u will be fine.

insuremytrip.com wise travel.state.gov for a heads up

Overall safe if careful... journeywoman.com great site.

onebag.com excellent packing site...

Happy Travels!

qwovadis Jun 30th, 2011 12:38 PM

eurocheapo.com good budget guides cheap hotels for cities

if u elect to go that routs...

qwovadis Jun 30th, 2011 12:40 PM

lecalendal.com Arles my fav in Provence

hostel5terre.com only decent Hostel in the CT

in Manarola

adrienne Jun 30th, 2011 12:43 PM

I certainly wouldn't take a night train without at least booking a couchette. I think night trains are quite safe, even in couchettes. The doors lock; you can store your luggage behind the ladder. You keep all your valuables on your person while you sleep. There is a wagon lit conductor who takes your ticket and passport for border crossings so there is someone to go to for help in case you need it but I've never had a problem. If you do book a couchette (6 person compartment) you can request same sex compartments and I would advise booking an upper berth.

You do have a good mix of cities although far too many for a seven-week trip.

I would book accommodations right away, at least for the initial part of your trip. If you're taking an ipad or netbook with you, you can always book hostels a week or so in advance to give yourself some flexibility.

My niece stayed in the Aloha Hostel in Paris (Montparnasse) a couple of times and liked it. It's convenient to many sights either walking or a short metro ride.

You should go to the Thorn Tree site where there are more people backpacking and staying in hostels for further info.

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

PalenQ Jun 30th, 2011 12:53 PM

With your itinerary some kind of railpass is a no brainer IMO - and since you are under 26 you can buy the bargain Eurail Youthpass - check out these fab IMO sites for help on choosing a pass and planning a rail trip - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com. For schedules for all trains in Europe I always use the Wunderbar IMO German Railway web site - www.bahn.de.

whether a flexipass - 10 or 15 days of unlimited travel to use as you wish within a 2-month period or a consecutive day or month pass is better is hard to tell - note if taking overnight trains you only use one day on a railpass - so you can relocate quickly say from Munich to Rome and use only one day on a flexipass.

azhawk08 Jul 1st, 2011 07:48 AM

thanks, everyone, for your advice!

I'm leaning toward the 15 day flexi pass, and using it for the more expensive travel days, then taking a budget flight from amsterdam to prague, and just paying point-to-point in italy and on shorter day trips.

I also learned that there's no night train from prague to munich, so I'll need to set aside another day for train travel.

I'm thinking I'll book hostels for the cities that are more set in stone (toward the beginning and end of my trip- paris, bruges, amsterdam, barcelona, madrid; as well as cities that might be harder to book on-the-fly) and figure out the rest as I go along. I like the idea of bringing a shortlist along for the cities that I haven't booked in advance.

as far as being rushed, I understand your comments, sarge and adrienne. if I ultimately decide NOT to book hostels in advance, that'll give me the flexibility to stay a little while longer some places, or skip a city or two that I'd been planning to visit. if you have any suggestions on what to skip, or where I should spend more time, let me know!

lindy27 Jul 1st, 2011 08:50 AM

My only advice is there is a lot of moving around with pretty long train connections. I think the time you are staying in most cities is okay but they are all pretty spread out (I think I counted 11 countries!). I would look into seeing more of fewer countries, I always recommend at least a week per country.

I also agree with somewhere, probably a few weeks into the trip and a few weeks later, to have a longer stay of 5ish nights to recharge. I personally think Munich or Venice would be good for that.

adrienne Jul 1st, 2011 09:33 AM

I would cut out Austria and Switzerland. That gives you an extra 8 days. You need to consider what a city has to offer and give it an appropriate amount of time. Not all cities/places deserve equal time.

As an example, you have allocated 3 days (or 3.5 days) to see Paris (I don't count day 1 as it will take half a day to get to your lodging and get settled in after a flight) and 1.5 days to Brugge. Brugge is lovely but it does not have the wealth of sightseeing and culture that you find in Paris. This itinerary is giving you a disproportionate amount of time in Paris.

I know you're only 25 but travel fatigue occurs at any age - it has nothing to do with energy level. You can also develop what I call "sensory overload" from too many sights/places too close together. You trip will become a blur.

- Add 2 days to Paris
- Add 2 days to Venice - you're in your 4th week and Venice is an ideal place to relax. You'll then have time to go to the lagoon islands (Burano, Torcello, Murano) and if you get tired of wandering around Venice, gaping incessantly at its beauty (hard to believe this could happen), you can take a day trip some place else close by.
- Add some time to Nice. Your 2 days there include travel time from CT so you don't have 2 days. Nice is a great place from which to explore the surrounding area by train or by bus. You can explore Antibes, Cannes, Monaco by train and take a bus to some hill towns such as St-Paul-de-Vence or Vence (and see the Matisse Chapel).
- I would save western Provence for another trip as you should have a car there to explore the delightful small towns.
- Fly from Nice to Barcelona and finish your trip in Spain.

nytraveler Jul 1st, 2011 09:55 AM

Have no idea about train passes we drive. But you should know a couple of things about night trains:

1) many have no seats - only berths
2)berths aren't covered by passes and can be quite a lot
3)shared berths means trusting the srangers you are sharing with (maybe good - or not)
4) You never allow your valuables to leav your person (if sleeping put underneath you - where they can't be taken)
5)some people can sleep on trains and some can't

In August the better hostels can be fully booked in adance - so traveling with o reservations is a calculated risk (you might have to spend much more for a hotel or you might have to move on to another town)

One of my step-daughters went last summer with a couple of friends - room all reserved. A couple of times they met other american girls desperate for a place to stay - since hostels were either full or awful and they couldn;t afford a hotel.

Your trip is uber crowded and uber fst-paed but obviously yuo want it that way. One more thing I would consider is the weather. In Aug and early Sept Spain and Italy can be incredibly hot (upper 90s to 100 or more)- you need to be sure the hostels you find have good AC.

aimeekm Jul 1st, 2011 08:12 PM

I would encourage you to price out flying between cities instead of taking the train. Europe has many low cost carriers and many times their prices are shockingly low. My best friend lived in Madrid for a time, so I would fly there and we would use that as a base for exploring much of Europe. We were budget travelers and every time flights priced out less than a train.

I know many times trains are encouraged over flying, because you need to arrive earlier, airports aren't as well located as train stations etc.. I maybe in the minority, but airports, security etc. don't really bother me. I have found, w the exception of CDG, European airports less of a hassle than US ones. Usually the time difference is an hour or two, and to us that was worth it to save 50E or each.

Oh, and I would discourage using Ryan Air. Their fares maybe low, but their policies are designed to squeeze every euro out of you.

sarge56 Jul 2nd, 2011 06:02 PM

@aimeekm- We used Ryan Air a few years ago and I booked far in advance (6 mos.) It was an unbelievably cheap fare and the staff was uber-friendly when they discovered I'd had a bad pedestrian accident earlier the day of our flight. And my daughter's luggage was way over weight (she knew), but they didn't charge us as much overage as they could have. Just our experience. I would fly them again any time.

aimeekm Jul 3rd, 2011 08:47 AM

sarge - I think that Ryan Air could be an option if one makes an informed decision, and is fully aware of what the total price of taking the flight will be. I just personally feel that advertising very cheap fares that don't include mandatory taxes and fees deceitful. I find their luggage policy to be particularly unscrupulous. Their carry on allowance is only 22 lbs. My daily laptop bag weighs more than that! If your carry on is overweight then it has to be checked, and it will cost 40E. Checked baggage is 20E and the weight allowance is 33 lbs. Every 2 lbs over the 33 lbs allowance is an additional 20E!?! I'm glad you had a kind agent, but I would not count on that.

PalenQ Jul 3rd, 2011 12:19 PM

at least Ryan Air decided not to install pay toilets aboard its flights after floating a trial balloon that was quickly shot down last year!

suze Jul 3rd, 2011 09:34 PM

Have you done this type of trip before? I ask because I know it's personal style and preference but 17 places in 7 weeks is WAY too many for me personally. You spend such a large percentage of your travel time on trains or planes instead of sightseeing. I wouldn't like staying so many place for only a couple nights each place. What to cut is again personal preference, but I'd try to build in at least a few places where you stop and stay 4-5 days.

I don't mind an occasional overnight train, just not too often as I really don't sleep well. Definitely at least book a couchette.

As to waiting to find hostels as you go along, I think it's OK, but again personal preference I'd rather not spend valuable vacation time having to figure out where I'm going to stay each night. Again rather be sightseeing or enjoying places. Personally I'd pin down an itinerary and book it all in advance myself. I think waiting to do it on the ground you need to be prepared for spending time looking, possibly not finding availability at the best hostels, and/or having to pay more than if you'd done it in advance.

(after all that said -lol) Have FUN! Sounds like a wonderful trip.

PalenQ Jul 5th, 2011 10:54 AM

For any trip involving hostels buy Let's Go Europe, which to me has unparalleled listings of hostels and budget accommodations of all types - availabe in any bookstore and written by college students for their peer age group - and use it to e-mail or call ahead to book a hostel so you do not trek out to a hostel only to find the full sign hanging on the door.

azhawk08 Jul 6th, 2011 07:22 AM

Thank you all for the wonderful advice and kind words. I've encountered some Fodorites who don't appear as well-meaning as you all do, so I appreciate your friendly suggestions!

I have done a Europe trip before, though much shorter and with fewer destinations. I have a little bit of travel ADD- I really enjoy hopping from place to place. That said, I'm planning on cutting out Provence and considering cutting Switzerland as well. I'm having such a hard time choosing which areas of Switzerland to focus on that I think it might just be best to save it for another trip entirely.

I haven't found any cheap flights from Nice to Barcelona, but if anyone has info on that idea I'd appreciate it!

P_Peppington Jul 6th, 2011 10:15 AM

Agree: You just can't go to the Bernese Oblerand for just one or two days if you want to go up to the Jungfrau.

If the weather doesn't cooperate, there is no use spending all that time and money going up.

ANOTHER THING TO REALISE: 5K people a day are allowed up to the Jungfrau. In the summer, the tickets up are often sold out by 10 AM.

So, Miss Thing, if you want to go up, you had better jump up out of bed at 6 AM on the first beautiful morning at get your tickets.

I have witnessed hundreds of people at Kleine Schedeigg with long faces because they got to the ticket book at 10:30 AM and all was SOLD OUT.

And good luck going up with all those people. Like being in Times Square on NYE. ROFL!!!


P_P, still great after posting in Fodorville for 10 years.

P_Peppington Jul 6th, 2011 10:16 AM

Sorry,

TICKET BOOTH!!

suze Jul 6th, 2011 10:23 AM

While I'm a big fan of Switzerland (I love the Lac Leman area outside Geneva, the towns of Lausanne, Vevey, and Montreux myself) I think it would be an excellent idea to cut it this trip. That frees up 6 days that I would add to the places you already have on your list. Cutting Provence adds another 2 days.

I can understand an ADD travel style (lol) but there's a reality about sitting on trains for hours and hours and hours or spending a large percentage of time on many of your days getting to and from train stations or airports, checking in and out of hostels, etc.

I think if you spread out the 'extra' 8 days you just gained to your original itinerary, you've got a pretty fantastic trip planned!

easytraveler Jul 6th, 2011 12:37 PM

Hi,azhawk08!

Congratulations on getting through law school!

In answer to your several questions:

1) Should you book your accommodations in advance?

ABSOLUTELY! Definitely. August is when Europeans go on vacation en masse. Good luck trying to book anything decent even a week ahead of time.

Use Hostelworld and read their reviews. You should try to find something that has a rating of at least 90% or higher. These go fast, but they are the best hostels. (Personally I find the rival Hostelbookers' reviews are not that accurate). When you have found something you like, book it and check the box for cancellation insurance. It costs one euro per booking but the advantage with Hostelworld is that a) you can usually cancel 24 hours ahead of time, and b) they only charge you 10% up front (unlike some websites which debit from your credit card the entire amount when you book). Hostelworld also has some kind of "card' they sell for about 10 euros which gives you added protection. Sorry, can't remember off the top of my head what the exact benefits were - been awhile since I bought that "card", but i seem to recall it has something to do with refunding you the 10% upon cancellation. Don't quote me on this, check out their website to make certain you want this benefit.

Oh, and the better hostels have free wifi, which is going to be critical for your needs.

Your idea of "just winging it" is nice but not practical for the time of year you are traveling - when the best and the better would have been booked months ahead by others. You'll be left with the hostel dregs for last minute bookings.

2) The Eurailpass. I can't advise you very well on this, as I usually get the global pass which allows unlimited travel for a set period (one month, two months, three months) and I always get the First Class pass because the slight difference in price between first and second class is more than made up for by the benefits that you get in First Class - better seats, free newspapers (at least in Germany), an attendant who will bring your orders of light snacks and drinks to you instead of your having to go to the dining car, an individual plug for your laptop, etc. etc.

Be aware that in some countries (Germany, Austria) you can just board a train and show your Eurail Pass, but in other countries (Italy, France), you still have to make a seat reservation even with a pass. This said, since you are traveling during peak travel season, booking a seat ahead of time would be advisable. On some of the more popular routes, all the seats may be booked and you may still get on but will have to stand during the entire trip or sit out in the corridor and have others step over you.

If you travel by train, be aware that large European cities have several stations in each city. Make sure you go to the correct station. maybe this won't happen to you, but I've gone to the wrong station a couple of times and it's just such a panicky feeling not to find your train listed!

Flying is not a bad idea. Try looking at skyscanner.com for good rates. If you do decide to fly, travel light to come within the mandatory single carryon (only one carryon allowed and it could be just your purse! You can't carry a suitcase AND a purse. Not possible on the budget airlines). Again, you get the best prices by booking air travel as soon as possible. Huge penalties for cancelling on the budget airlines, so be certain of your itinerary before booking.

3) Safety while traveling on a European train.

I've done dozens of night couchette trips all over Europe - some with a family member/friend, some alone. Here are my preferences: book a second class couchette because the price difference between first class and second class is huge and I don't sleep well on trains anyhow. you'll find that most Europeans book second class couchettes and that some trains have only second class and no first class sleepers. Book in a four bunk compartment, never six. Six bunk compartments are for families because they like to stick the young kids in the middle bunks. Book in an all-female compartment. If you insist on this there's a 50% chance you'll be in an all-women compartment. There's usually only one or two of these all-women compartments and they're usually booked by a gaggle - I mean - group of young female backpackers traveling together. You'll most likely end up in a mixed compartment. Do not fear. Men or women, if you talk at all with your fellow compartment mates you will find them some of the most fascinating people you'll meet on your trip.

So, what is there to fear? Thieves. You MUST lock the compartment door when all the occupants are in. The conductor will tell you in German, French, broken English, Croatian, whatever... that you must lock the compartment door. Heed that advice. There is a knob at the top of the door, turn that knob and lock the door. There's also some kind of lock lower down, sometimes it's a sliding lock, sometimes it's a chain lock - whatever the lower lock is, lock that one too. The more secure lock is the upper one, but it's good to have two locks.

If you really want to feel more secure, book an upper bunk. There's a fairly large storage space above the door and you can put your things up there. I have a TSA-approved lock and always lock my suitcase when traveling by train.

The only problem I have with night couchette is the pillow. It's so thin as to be almost nonexistent.

4) your itinerary - you've gotten some very good input on this section already. All I'll add is that you should plan an "empty" day, a down day, a slack day every two weeks or so. Not only do you need time to stop, sip coffee at a sidewalk cafe and do nothing for several hours to regenerate yourself but also things happen. You need to have some slack time to rearrange, to adjust and to take care of unexpected events - a flight may be cancelled or you get on a train going in the wrong direction. (You'll be surprised how many Europeans themselves do this!)

One more thing (there's always one more thing, isn't there?) - if you cut out Switzerland, maybe you could substitute the Dolomitis in Northern Italy. Absolutely gorgeous mountain country there.

Sounds like a great trip in the making! Have fun!

Mademoiselle Jul 6th, 2011 01:21 PM

I used to travel on the constant move, now that I've been out of university for some years, have slowed down a bit. So I do understand about packing a lot in 7 weeks, and I actually don't unpack all of my stuff, as I've traveled so much on the move. Take out what I need, keep it in one place, and done. Traveling with a backpack keeps one from bringing extra items that are rarely used.

In the past few years airline fares have gone up all over, but I still see that fares on the low budget carriers are still inexpensive. I once paid about $12US including taxes, fees, surcharges and all for a flight from Paris to Barcelona. I think the actual fare was 0.5Euros, the rest of the cost were fees, taxes, etc.

Low budget airlines that I would check:

RyanAir
EasyJet
WizzAir
AirBerlin
Transavia
Flybe

If still no good flights, try GermanWings, and SmartWings

Aduchamp1 Jul 6th, 2011 02:36 PM

So after beating yourself up studying for the bar, you will take a relaxing 52 day, 6 hour and 33 minute tour of Europe. And then upon your return enter the restful existence of a first year associate.

No mater if you fly, take the train or walk, you will lose time travling.

We travel with the idea that we would rather see a few places well, than many poorly. And I assume you will travel again to Europe, once the partners unlock your shackles. Pick three countries and learn their culture, people, and the history. Luxuriate at a cafe while others are racing to work.

Everyone here has there favorite counties and you will get conflicting advice. I personally would skip Switzerland.

Two more cheap-o airlines are Vueling and Spanair(which could help with Spanish legs of the trips.) And if you think diversity jurisdictions are confusing wait until you read the rules of these cheap-o airlines.

suze Jul 6th, 2011 03:49 PM

<You need to have some slack time to rearrange, to adjust and to take care of unexpected events>

Or even expected events! Like washing your clothes!!

Mademoiselle Jul 7th, 2011 02:56 PM

I think the speed at which one travels is personal preference. My first few overseas trips I did cover a lot of ground, and have since slowed down, but I can see coming out of university the faster movement. When I had the back to back several country trips, I wasn't as concerned with seeing sights as I was just having a good time. I ended up getting a lot of sights in anyway.

Priorities change with experience, so if one knows ahead of time that they can deal with constantly being on the move, and being more rushed than not, then that is for them to enjoy.

Different strokes for different folks. Three years ago I went to Europe, and only knew where I was landing and leaving from, the other three weeks in between depended on which flights would be the cheapest at that time. This was a last minute trip and we went into it ready for the adventure. My friend and I had a general outline of we would like to see, but were ultra flexible and we had a great time. Not stressed about our next location. We got amazing deals on airfare from city to city (ie Berlin to Madrid, etc.), modifying our basic outline as we went.

There have been other trips that I had to predetermine our location and overnight accommodations, so as long as the person knows going in what pace they are going at and make peace with it, I say enjoy.

PalenQ Jul 8th, 2011 06:54 AM

Book in a four bunk compartment, never six. Six bunk compartments are for families because they like to stick the young kids in the middle bunks>

IME many overnight trains only have 6-person couchettes - France does have 4- and 6-person compartments but usually it seems the next step up from a 6-person couchette is a T-3 or a triple - these are sex-segregated usually but IME most couchettes are not sex-segregated at least I've seen only a few in hundreds of couchette trips.

easytraveler has given a wealth of great info!

azhawk08 Jul 9th, 2011 12:12 PM

Thanks to your GREAT advice, I think I'll cut out Nice and Provence and instead go up to Switzerland from Cinque Terre, then fly from Geneva to Barcelona (found VERY cheap flights, thanks for the tip!).

Does anyone have recommendations for where to stay in Cinque Terre? I'm told that Monterosso is the best village, but I'd like to hear other opinions too.

After Cinque Terre, where should I spend 4 days in Switzerland? I've done some reading on other Fodors posts, and it sounds like Lauterbrunnen might be a happy medium between Interlaken and smaller villages like Wengen or Murren.

So, the new itinerary:
Paris 4 days
Bruges 2 days (Hostel booked)
Amsterdam 3 days (Hostel booked)
Prague 4 days (Flight booked, still need lodging)
Munich 4 days (Hostel booked)
Salzburg 2 days
Venice 3 days
Florence 3 days
Siena 4 days
Cinque Terre 3 days
Somewhere in Switzerland 4 days
Barcelona 4 days
Madrid 4 days

(# days does not include travel time- just actual time in the city)

I think this is a much better pace than what I'd proposed earlier. Would love advice on good hostels (I've done a lot of research on this, but always open to more opinions!), and city bases for Cinque Terre and Switzerland.

Thanks again everyone!

aimeekm Jul 9th, 2011 12:28 PM

In 2007 I stayed at the Hotel Du Commerce http://www.commerceparishotel.com/ in Paris. I just put in a random August date and a single room w a shared shower (private toilet) came out at 44E. It looks like it has been renovated since our stay, it is was perfectly nice then. I would stay there again. The best part was the neighborhood, it was in my mind, perfectly Parisian! Around the corner there was a butcher, a wine shop, a cheese shop, a bakery, a bar/cafe etc.. Also plenty of cheap eats around.

suze Jul 10th, 2011 07:03 AM

From Geneva you could take the train (about 1 hour) out to Vevey). This is a very nice hostel right on the lake there: www.rivieralodge.ch
Lausanne, Vevey, and Montreux are a beautiful part of Switzerland, right on Lac Leman ('lake geneva'), very picturesque, in the French-speaking part of the country.

PalenQ Jul 10th, 2011 09:32 AM

with that much rail travel IMO a Eurail Youthpass of some kind is a no-brainer - either the 15-day in a 2-mo period flexipass or a consecutive-day one and then you could use it to do day trips from your bases if the fancy strikes you - like in Munich to Fussen and Mad Ludwig's fantasy castles or to Rothenberg - a fine fine walled medieval-looking town, etc.


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