im_out_of_here

@nytraveler - Hiking/biking isn't a priority of mine, someone just asked about it earlier and it is something that I am interested in possibly doing. I just don't have anything specific I want to do/see, so I was looking for anything. Currently looking into possibly switching around the places I am going, but still unsure about it. I almost feel like I would be better off going to these places during a nicer/warmer time of year, but I am open to going in the winter.

sparkchaser

Thanks nubbyrose.

spaarne

<i>Backpacking Europe and not sure what to see and do
Posted by: im_out_of_here on Sep 2, 13 at 5:38am
Basically, I am planning on backpacking through Europe for about about five weeks this Dec-Jan and I don't really have anything I want to do. I think I have the cities pinned down that I am going to, but then again I have no idea what I am doing and basically picked the major cities. I figure I can go off to the smaller towns from the major city for a day trip. They are as follows:
Dublin -- London -- Paris -- Brussels -- Rotterdam -- Amsterdam -- Cologne -- Strasbourg -- Munich -- Prague</i>

First thing to do is get a copy of Lonely Planet's 'Europe on a Shoestring.' Try to figure out where you are going.

Next, get a good Michelin map of Europe or a Thomas Cook rail map if you plan to take the trains. For an illustrated introduction to trains see http://tinyurl.com/eym5b.

Next, ditch the backpack idea. Get a 22" roller bag and a shoulder tote bag.

Skip Brussels and Strasbourg. Do D&uuml;sseldorf with K&ouml;ln. Maybe add Edinburgh between Dublin and London. Sneeze and get out of Rotterdam ASAP.

im_out_of_here

@spaarne - Thanks for the insight! I appreciate it and have taken note of it to consider. Why do you say skip Strasbourg? I have heard it is a nice place to check out.

spaarne

<i>im_out_of_here on Sep 2, 13 at 5:37pm
@spaarne - Thanks for the insight! I appreciate it and have taken note of it to consider. Why do you say skip Strasbourg? I have heard it is a nice place to check out.</i>

I admit I've only been there once. Stopped for dinner as I was driving to France from Germany. The diner was good, that Leon from Brussels chain that serves mussels. The place was packed. I didn't have time to explore. Strasbourg is best known as home to the European Parliament.

nytraveler

Strasbourg is a charming town that while in France has a distinctly German feel. The cathedral is beautiful, there is a lovely old town and several great museums. We loved it and would go back again in a minute - but this is your first trip and you might want larger places.

However, it all depends on what other places you decide to go.

onetwothreefourfive

Ireland is great in the winter. Cold, but wonderful. Plan on staying in hostels? How about Bed and Breakfasts? <-----this is the place to do it!! Taking the Chunnel or a Ferry?
Book report!! I want to read all about your adventures!

im_out_of_here

@nytraveler - As you said this is my first trip so I am trying to get a mix of the two, large and small. Seems like from my list above I am leaning more towards the larger cities, but after securing the final itinerary I was going to look more into the smaller towns in the area of the city for possible day trips.

@onetwothreefourfive - Originally I wasn't even thinking about going to Ireland, but then I saw another persons post and thought why not. As far as accommodations go, I am 30 and while I still have some party in me, I won't be on a nonstop bender by any means. I will definitely be looking into all types of accommodations and make it work with my budget.

im_out_of_here

I am also open to all suggestions on cities to check out.

justineparis

Well college must be paying well.. cause you are making the trip pretty pricey by moving every few days, lol
Not really joking, keep your head up about how much you add to cost of trip if you are taking a train or plane every three days ,, it adds up, most especially if you don't pre purchase ..
Price differences can be stunning, we paid 40 euros Paris to Nice last summer , first class on an iDTGV.. the people sitting across from us paid 200 euros. Difference was I booked months in advance, they booked two weeks in advance. So nailing down an itinerary is a good idea.

I am personally not into alot of cold and rain, so would spend minimal time in northern countries, but cities like Paris, Munich, London, have so much to see indoors that they are fine in winter , even if weather is not.

bilboburgler

Ireland will be wet, no really wet, I've visited Dublin in the wet and it takes the edge off. A writer called Eric Newby went to Ireland in the winter and when it wasn't raining it was storming.

Strasbourg is a good visit, a university town, lots of ancient military sites and a medieval centre.

dwdvagamundo

If you don't really know what you want to do then at that time of the year, I'd go to southern Europe to do it--that is, Spain, Italy or Greece. There are beautiful and historic things to see in all the major cities and smaller towns, good food (great in Italy) and the prices may be a bit more affordable than northern Europe.

You have no guarantee of really warm weather anywhere, but those countries will almost certainly be warmer than farther north.

You could fly to London to see your friend, then fly to one of the southern countries and explore. With five weeks, I'd pick just one country. Five weeks seems like a lot of time, but it really isn't because Europe is very "dense" with things to do.

So, for example, you could do Venice, FLorence, Rome, Naples.
Or Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla. That would permit you to soak up history/food/culture much better than constantly roaming from country to country.

Hans

I really like Dublin but if there's no personal reason to visit there, I'd skip it for that trip sine it requires another flight to London.

Otherwise the trip from Paris to Munich seems very sensible to me with only reasonable travel times between the destinations. I've been at all places but Rotterdam and I think each of them offers plenty for a few days.

If you have the chance for flexible transport, you could also easily skip one of them if you decide to stay somewhere longer than planned.

Prague is also more out of your way than the other destinations and I'd probably advice to skip it if I didn't happen to love Prague. It has the additional advantage that it's cheaper than the other places you want to visit.

If I was you, I'd skip Dublin and add a destination between Munich and Prague (maybe Vienna) to avoid a very long train travel.

Hans

I forgot, for train travel in Europe, the website of the German rail is very convenient though it gives no prices if the ride neither starts nor ends in Germany.

There are also many deals on prices which aren't alwalys shown but it gives a very good idea on how long you'll travel between your destinations.

www.bahn.de

im_out_of_here

@bilboburgler - Noted and it has been cut from the list. Only place I forgot to look up about the weather.

@dwdvagamundo - Thanks for the pointers, I appreciate it and after looking over my potential itinerary I am thinking of taking a couple places off of the list. Italy is the one country I don't really need to go to since I was there a few years ago for 2.5 weeks and I saw a lot. Multiple coastal towns, Rome, Florence, and stayed in the Tuscan countryside.

@Hans - After seeing bilboburgler's comment about Dublin, I seriously started questioning it and I think I am going to cut it from the trip. I plan to only be in Rotterdam for one day and night to visit a friend and then off to Amsterdam, so that is going to be a quick stop. What do you think about Cologne? A lot of people seem to be against going there, not really sure why, but curious on your opinion. Since I am skipping Dublin, I am thinking of putting another place in, but I think I will might your advice and give myself some flex time. I think I might switch the city order, because it seems like Germany is a cool place to see before the end of December. Just not sure how I am going to do that.

PalenQ

What do you think about Cologne? A lot of people seem to be against going there, not really sure why, but curious on your opinion>

Cologne is a nice modern city with a stunning cathedral and sweet Rhineside footpaths but really there is little for the average tourist to see or do here -but for a few-hour stop it is great - put your bags in a locker in the station - the station is right next to the huge cathedral and town center with in it everything of interest (a major Roman-era or such museum is right next to the cathedral).

spaarne

Ditto PalenQ. The Dom in K&ouml;ln is striking. The ground floor has all sorts of royalty interned. If you stand outside and face the front look to your left at the beautiful facade of a restaurant. Then make for D&uuml;sseldorf for the Saturday night action.

im_out_of_here

Thanks @PalenQ and @spaarne, I think I might just do that and make it a quick stop for a day/night.

bilboburgler

Day trip to Cologne makes sense as others have said, you could almost do a route down the Rhine stopping off for a few hours here and there.

mariha2912

Due to work restrictions I can travel only on European winter and I think the whole weather issue is somehow overblown by many-not necessarily on this forum, in general I mean. Unless you plan to do strictly summer activities or you have in mind to visit an attraction which might be closed,I find traveling on winter a pleasure. Exception would be of course if you do not have tolerence on cold/rain/snow at all, which is highly unlikely.

As a back packer you may meet less visitors around, by on my experience those generaly tend to be more interesting travelers with many stories to share and a more relaxed mood.

Although me my self I like to have a plan A and a plan B and a plan C, I never pre-arrange everything as some people on this forum tend to do. Around Xmas/NY time it is important to do some accomodation and travel arrangements, yes. And it is nice to have a place booked for first couple of days upon arrival. But otherwise I do not see reason why not to relax, explore, see how you feel at the moment while on the spot and decide your next move while there.
Some people arrive on a destination and find accomodation on the spot but if you find this a hassle, you can usually prebook a couple of days in advance.

A major factor here is the budget issue and how flexible you are.
"Backpacking" means different thing to different people. The more time you have in a place and the more money, the more flexible you may be. If your budget is circa 60-70 euro/day, unfortunately you'll have to move only every few days and maybe prebook to insure cheap transit and in reality this is a very strict budget. If you have around say 100 euro/day, advice differs. Also, although this forum's members are great fans of train travel and rightly so, I find that although sometimes slower, buses or even an organised tour here and there make no harm and might actually be cheaper. So you have some alternatives.

Some background work is necessary on your part though and I believe that although websites, travelers forums etc are great, a decent guidebook or two help to soak in the information and make some right choices for your self.

Just my 2p .

PS: My very personal opinion, but I find Dublin perfect to experience some culture/history and why not, even food, especially if you have a friend who can show you an other side of the city.
Actually I find Irish culture great and I would make a point to visit Cork or Galway too as a solo traveler. People are welcoming and very social, you can strike very interesting conversations over a pint of Guinness or Murphy's and there is a great vybe that still differs from city to city.
You do not go to Ireland for weather even in summer, so I do not see why not to spend a visit there......

Whatever you decide to do, Have a Great Trip : )