Backpacking Europe
 

A friend and I are setting out on our first major backpacking trip through Europe. We've each been a few places in Europe before (France, Ireland) but are looking to see more than a school tour.

What countries/cities should we try to go to? try to avoid?

What guidebooks would be most accurate for economical places to stay or eat?

Any and all advice is most welcome!

Let's Go Europe IMO is by far the best guidebook for you and backpackers who are young - unparalleled critical coverage of zillions of low-cost places to stay.

And I'd suggest taking the train as zillions of folks from around the world you age do - and if under 26 you qualify for the bargain Eurail Youthpass - of which there are several versions - hopping overnight trains can save travel time during the day and save on the cost of overnight lodging.

Anyway for loads of great info to plan a European rail trip check out these fantastic IMO sites - www.budgeteuropetravel.com (download their free and superb IMO European Planning & Rail Guide which gives rail-oriented itinerary suggestions for many countries) and www.seat61.com and www.ricksteves.com.

and you may consider flying open jaw - say fly into Rome and bop around the Continent by train for whatever period, end up in Paris, take the Eurostar Chunnel train to London and fly back home from there!

I 2nd Lets Go. How long are you going? What are you most interested in (city, country, museums, etc)? What time of year?

My daughter did a 6 week trip a few summers ago with 2 friends. She did Paris, Barcelona, Rome (and beach area outside of Rome), Athens/Ios, Prague, Berlin and London. That mostly flew (easyjey, ryanair, etc) between cities but did use the train a handful of times, and the overnight ferry for Ios. They also used publics transportation to get to/from airports. They had places to stay in Paris/Barcelona/Rome (family connections).

They booked the flights and hostels in advance (maybe 2-3 months). It was the summer and the good hostels and cheap flights do book up. They had one last minute change, Santorini replaced by Ios because last minute problem with Santorini hostel (closure due to illness of owner) so all they could find (with decent reviews) was a place in Ios and took it.

I just want to add that my daughters favorite place was Berlin, with Barcelona being a close 2nd. She also thought Prague was just beautiful. She had the best food in Italy. Ios wouldn't have been her first choice for a Greek Island (actually wasn't but last minute situation left them without many options). They overall were pleased with all the hostels they stayed in, some with maybe 4 to a room and others more dorm style with lots of beds.

In addition to Let's Go, Lonely Planet would also be helpful (and their Thorntree forum online gets much more traffic from backpackers than Fodor's does).

<i>What countries/cities should we try to go to? try to avoid?</i>
You should go wherever you think you'd enjoy - the answer to this depends on whether you're interested in art, partying, history, food, beer, etc. The Destinations pages here will help give you an idea of what different places have to offer. Generally speaking, things get cheaper as you move south, but there are definitely ways to cut expenses just about anywhere. (For example, many people think London is incredibly expensive, but it's actually very easy to do cheaply.)

Definitely fly open-jaw (or the "multi-city" option on most web sites); this saves you time and money getting back to where you started at the end of your trip.

My best advice is to spend at least 2-3 days in each place. On my college backpacking trip we had a few one-night stays, and I remember next to nothing about those places. It's tempting to try to cram in as much as you can, but balance is key. Depending on how long you're gone, you may want a couple of places where you stay even longer - that gives you time to sleep in, do laundry, have a "down day." Once you figure out what sounds appealing, people here can help answer specific questions about each place.

Hi blu,

>In addition to Let's Go, Lonely Planet would also be helpful (and their Thorntree forum online gets much more traffic from backpackers than Fodor's does).<

I agree.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

For something different, I'd add Istanbul: history, nightlife, food, culture.

I hadn't considered some of your suggestions before. Thanks!

We're leaving in Late May, after we both finish our undergrad. So basically traveling all of June. The Eurorail looks like a good deal.

As far as places, we're thinking Bavarian germany, Austria, Spain, Southern France (neither of us have a desire to go to Paris again), Italy and Greece if they get their act together again.

I was just in Italy two months ago, and they've been having issues for awhile (along with a few other countries...). I can't think of any reason you shouldn't go, whatever happens with finances, and I'm assuming the same is true for Greece.

Four or five weeks to cover six different countries isn't a lot - think in terms of cities/places, not countries, and that will help you plan. We had two weeks in Italy, moving relatively quickly, and could have spent many weeks more going to places we didn't see.

That a nice time to go. By July it's hotter and busier. Check the Eurail routes vs the cheap flights for both time and cost. In the case of my daughter's trip, a Eurail pass didn't make sense.

As already mentioned an open-jaw air ticket is the way to go. You can try different combinations that may fit into your itinerary and see which is the best deal.

www.lonelyplanet.com and their forum (similar format to this one) called The Thorn Tree.