Backpacking Europe
 

Me and my friend are going to go backpacking in Europe next summer and we want to visit France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria. We are planning traveling by the Eurostar and spending 4-6 weeks for the whole trip. What are the cities and town we should visit while in each country and what is an appropriate amount of time per stop?

Well, just to avoid future confusion: the Eurostar is the train that runs from London to Paris and Brussels. Each country has a national railroad, such as DB in Germany and SNCF in France. In the UK there are a dozen or so independent operators.

For places to visit and things to see and do, click http://www.fodors.com/world/

Eurostar gets you from Britain to France or Belgium. You want a Eurailpass of some sort to travel around on the continent (which doesn't include Britain.)

You and your friend need to do your own homework to see what cities/experiences will interest you. Then return to ask specific questions and you'll get some good advice. The library should have recent copies of...

Let's Go Europe
Frommers and of course
FODORS.

Lots of options there.

A great start is to pick up one or more travel books that broadly cover Europe (Frommer's or Fodor's are two good choices) and do some solid research. Decide how much in depth time you want to spend at various cities by looking at the attractions there. Then arrange your travel order on cities by looking on a map and drawing what seems like the most economical train route in miles.

Larger cities that should be high on your list in these countries (assuming no travel experience in them) would include Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, and Berlin. You could easily spend all your time seeing just these places. Have not been to Munich or Berlin, but I'm guessing a week in the former and about 5 days in the latter would easily be possible. My experience suggests you could profitably spend a week each in Paris, Rome, Florence, and Vienna. Salzburg and Venice can be seen adequately in a few days.

Have not been to Switzerland, but my guess is that a few days each in any or all of Geneva, Bern, Basel, and Zurich would be reasonable possibilities.

Once you decide where to go, it's wise to plan at least a basic itinerary (consult open days and hours for the things you want to see, and book ahead at any museum -- like the Galleria Borghese or Uffizi -- that may require it). It's also a good idea to set up places to stay ahead of time, which the guidebook can help you with.

Best of luck.

Also note that you list five countries for a 4-6 week trip. You could easily spend all that time in one or two of the countries you list. Suggest that while you do your guidebook research you cut a couple of countries, otherwise you're only going to get a quick overview - Paris or Rome could easily consume a week each! And allow time for travel - try using something like this calendar - www.vertex42.com/calendars/monthly-calendar.html - to plan your time.

Also - you don;t say if you've looked into costs yet. Since the trip is next summer you will have lots of time to sae- and perhaps get a second job. But do look now at what things cost - air fare, train fare, basic hotels or hostels and sights you would want to see (the Tower of London, for instance costs more than $25) - so you will have an idea of how many thousand dollars you will need to stay for 6 weeks.

One of my step-daughters did 5 weeks last summer with some friends - at fairly basic hotels - and came back surprised at prices - even in comparison to NYC. And the dollar has sunk even further since then.

Thanks for the info guys. Here is a rough itinerary that I have created:

Paris 4 nights
Nice 3 nights
Naples 3 nights
Rome 3 nights
Florence 3 nights
Venice 2 nights
Milan 1 nights
Zurich 2 nights
Interlaken 1 night
Geneva 3 nights
Basel 1 night
Heidelberg/ Rhine Valley: 3 nights
Salzberg 2 nights
Vienna 3 nights

Is there anything on there that you would add or take off? Thanks again for the help.

Ummm, just for the record and to avoid further confusion, there are trains in Italy called Eurostar, and you will want to take them between cities.

far too many stops. Plan on loosing at least half a day when you change cities plus the train time. If you want to have a picture postcard tour, go Contiki if you are young and globus/Insight/Trafalger if you are not. If you do it yourself slow down and see more. Plan to stay at no more than 2 cities per week and do day trips if needed.

Agree with travelbunny - have you checked train schedules at bahn.de? I would drop Germany altogether from this trip. Also, why only one night in Interlaken and all that time in Swiss cities??? The best part of Switzerland is the mountains.

You really only have one day for Venice and two for Rome - that's way too short. Two days in Naples would give you one for Capri and one for Pompeii, but no time for the Amalfi Coast.

It may sound too anal retentive, but I'd highly recommend getting a good guidebook (Let's Go is good for backpackers) and making a specific list of all the things you want to see, and how much they cost, and then plan you're itinerary from there. For example, you may have no interest in art museums, which means your days allotted for Rome and Florence may be fine; on the other hand, there may be 5 different castles in the Rhine you want to see, which means you may not have left enough time there. I've backpacked 4 or 5 times already and am planning another trip for (hopefully) this fall, and though allowing flexibility once you get there is highly recommended, a very specific plan before you go is really essential so you don't get rushed or disappointed.

Also, second (third?) to check the train times, especially if there are smaller towns you want to go. Sometimes there are only a couple of trains a day for where you want to go, and you can lose a whole day trying to get out of a town.

Forget Geneva.

It looks to me like you'll need a stop between Nice and Napoli. How about 2 nights in Nice and one below Genova? The train runs along the coast, so it's pretty and you can have a swim. Le Cinque Terre is popular with other backpackers, so you'll get a chance to compare notes and pick up tips.

Milano is an extremely expensive town that you can safely skip on this trip. I would push on further into Switzerland. With a long day of train travel, you could get to Interlaken from Venezia, and then use it as a base for a couple of nights for spectacular mountain hikes and again, meeting other backpackers.

I think thursday is giving you a good tip to read the book he suggested. When you travel, you invariably make a lot of mistakes that cost money and time. So you want to minimize the chances of that.

And then unexpected happens...

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...4140/tpod.html

That isn't a bad first draft - seems almost workable to me. My suggestions:

1.) I agree you do NOT need all that time in Switzerland. I'd skip Geneva for sure, probably Zurich too. Better to have 3 nights in the Interlaken area - I like Lauterbrunnen very much - to suck up the alpine splendor.

2.) Do NOT skip Germany. Heidelberg is one of those places that rings in the ears of foreign visitors but is actually fairly uninspiring as German destinations go. I'd suggest instead that you see Basel on the way out of Switzerland and then overnight in nearby Freiburg Germany. Maybe spend 2 nights there and take a daytrip into the Black forest via the Hell's Canyon railway - quite scenic.

3 nights on the Middle Rhine is about right - some of the best medieval castles are here...

www.burg-eltz.de
www.marksburg.de

..and do some hiking, biking, river cruising, etc. St. Goar has your best located, cheapest hostel on the Rhine - great view of the river and castle on opposite side, ferry so you can cross the river (no bridges between mainz and Koblenz!) If you have extra days, take a trip up the nearby Mosel River to Cochem and/or Trier as well.

3.) I'm not a Vienna fan, it's sort of boring IMO, but some are; you might like another day in Salzburg with a daytrip to Hallstatt or Berchtesgaden instead.

4.) You need another day in Rome if you want to see the stuff Rome is famous for.

You do not mention your age, but if you are in your 20s, and want to meet people your age, there are more "youth oriented" destinations in Europe than Berner Oberland or quaint village along the Rhine valley.

Barcelona is very popular among younger travelers, and also has the option to mix beach and town when you stay in one of the towns on the Mediterranean near Barcelona which have tons of hostels for little money.

Instead of Vienna, you could also think of Budapest - which is not really far from Vienna and is a bit "younger", IMO.

In Germany, Berlin and Hamburg are probably more interesting than the Rhine valley (for anyone under 30).

You may also run into people you may want to travel with, or which know about festivals or other events nearby (or at the other end of the Continent), so a strictly pre-planned and pre-booked trip may rob you of many opportunities which arise while you will be traveling.

As others said before, a proper backpacking travel guide should be a good resource for more ideas.

Does your use of 'backpacking' mean that you are going to camp out? Or use hostels? Some ingenious backpackers use overnight busses and trains to travel and sleep between sites. With a year to plan you nheed to plot your trip on a map and build a spreadsheet to record details such as, travel times and costs. Travel in Europe is not as simple or quick as in the USA. I also suggest that you seek out tour groups and see what they have to offer in line with your expectations.

These are great guide books for young people on a budget: MTV Guides and The Rough Guides.

Besides the regular information, the MTV Guides have all kinds of information bits not found in other guides: places for adventure travel (kayaking, mountain biking, rappelling, paragliding, etc., best places to party and meet local young people and how to dress at different clubs, etc.

The Rough Guides also have the basic stuff, but include informaiton about things just a bit more off the regular tourist places and more about nightlife.

You and your friend might also check out from your local library, some DVDs about cities you think you want to visit and places like Pompeii. Look at the travel chanel also. Seeing places might help you in your planning.

Another idea on planning is to look at Contiki itineraries and use them as a basic guide at they go to places that are popular with backpackers.

I agree 100% with Cowboy - allow yourselves some flexibility. Backpacking is first and foremost an adventure! Lonely Planet's "Europe on a Shoestring" is another good source of info (especially about costs and how to get around).

Cheers.

1 night stops make no sense.

By the time you get to the next city (you have some lengthy train rides in here, they'll take some time) and find get settled in your next hostel/hotel, there's half your day gone. Next morning you are back to the train station and on to the next place.

Your itinerary has you spending WAY too much time on trains and not enough actually being anywhere imo.