Ajithkumar

Hi,

Myself & two of my friends are planning to make a Trip to Europe during this Christmas & New year-2012-13. We tried looking for packages for around 10 - 11 days, but the cost was expensive about 1,50,000.00 Indian money per person. Hence we planned to make the trip on our own. As of now we have got a cheap airline ticket for 32,000.00 INR to & from Paris. We have planned to cover the below region on the dates mentioned.

Except this planning we have zero knowledge about Europe. Please need your inputs as in attractions, must visit place in this region & how or what mode of travel will be better, Budget hotels/Apartments Cost, average local transport cost, Food Cost......Basically the itinerary for this entire trip with complete travel & stay details & cost

I Know we are expecting a lil too much ;-) but your thought & inputs will be very very helpful & make our Christmas more Merrier & Blessed this year... Thanks in advance for all of them who will help & not help... Good Day

Dates Places
24th Dec To Paris frm India
25th Dec Paris (France)
26th Dec Paris (France)
27th Dec Copenhagen (Denmark)
28th Dec Copenhagen (Denmark)
29th Dec Stockholm (Sweden)
30th Dec Stockholm (Sweden)
31st Dec Zurich (Switzerland)
1st Jan Zurich (Switzerland)
2nd Jan Back to India

Thanks & Regards...!!

bilboburgler

Have a surf on this site for Christmas and new year. Basically, the place more or less closes down in this period so where ever you end up you will need key meals booked and hotels/hostels fully booked.

Public transport also goes on limited activity during Christmas (varies by country but can include complete stopage)

Now you are trying to get to too many places too far away. Max two say Paris and Amsterdam makes sense.

caroline_edinburgh

In 10-11 days you should only try to visit a maximum of 3 cities.

The 4 you list are amongst the most expensive in Europe.

What types of things do you actually want to do and see?

Pegontheroad

I suggest that you get a guidebook and peruse it. I agree that visiting four cities is too much and that those cities are very expensive.

Have you considered time needed to travel from one city to another? It usually takes at least half a day to pack, get to the train, register at new hotel, etc. You won't really have 2 days in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Zurich.

nytraveler

Agree that in the time you have and over the holidays with many closure you should stick with two places - otherwise you would be spending a huge amount of yuor time just sitting on trains.

Separately, Denmark and Sweden are VERY expensive - and I doubt very much woudl fit within your budget.

Since you alredy have RT tickets into Paris you can't do open jaws which is what I would have recommended (for instance, into Paris and back out of Franfurt or Munich).

After such a long trip I would spend several days in Paris then take a train to Strasbourg - which while still France is very Germanic in feel and then possibly see one or two smaller towns along the Rhine - before quickly returning to Paris.

If you are looking for real winter in the mountains you might consider sticking to France and spending a couple of days in the French Alps (Switz is another super exepsnive place so you don;t want to do that).

Sorry - not sure of the value of Indian currency - but I wuold go online and check out the cost of some of the major sights so you have an idea of what things cost. Just so you know, europe is generally more expensive than the US - even than New York -so don;t expect any bargains.

Yuo might consider looking at the Let's Go Student guide or the Thorn Tree section of the Lonely Planet web site - since backpackers have picked out the most economical way to do things.

LSky

Your post brings up more questions for me than answers.

Does it have to be during Christmas week? Things will be closing and closed for you 1st 2 days.

Do you want to enjoy the Christmas holiday in these places?

Your best bet would be a large city like Paris and a big hotel. You'll be getting in on Christmas eve, many stores may close early and I don't know about finding a restuarant open on Christmas day, it may be hard to find. You may end up at McDonalds Paris.

What time does you plane arrive on the 24th?

If you rent an apartment with a kitchen you could at least bring something dry to cook with you so you won't go hungry for Christmas.

nytraveler has a good point about Denmark & Sweden. for a week, it's too much money to spend traveling about.

Have you already bought tickets?

What do you really want?

Mountains with snow? Christmas spirit?

A huge New Years celebration?

I love to travel to Europe or other places in the winter because I'm a Californian and I like to see snow.

Ajithkumar

Dear..... bilboburgler, caroline_edinburgh, Pegontheroad, nytraveler & LSky..... Thank you all for your time

What we are looking for is, celebrate Christmas in Mountains & snows in truly European style and also visit Sweden because we happen to hear its 6 months days & 6 months knights there. Just want to get the feel as entire Knight/Day. We have flight arrival in Paris on 24th Dec Evening around 6 Pm and departure to India from Zurich on 2nd Jan morning. Considering this can we Spend CHRISTMAS in Paris in between visit SWEDEN alone for 2-3 days return back to Zurich for NEW YEAR and depart from there(since the low cost airline does not operate from Stockholm).

We have though to rent an apartment as suggested above and cook on our own by getting some rice & spices from India or in Europe whichever feasible. However we also wanted to experience Scenic train journey’s going to & back from Sweden will solve that problem I believe. Any thoughts ??

After your response i have a plan 'B' which i would like to share once fully done

hetismij2

You would need to go a long way north in Sweden to experience the Arctic night I'm afraid. Much further north than Stockholm. And you will need to wrap up very warm, especially coming from India.

LSky

My thoughts are these:

Christmas is a holy holiday and as with all holidays, holy or not, the joy seems to be most in the anticipation. You will arrive on Christmas Eve it will take an hour or so to get to your sleeping place drop off your bags. You may want to google Christmas Eve services and go to one. If you go to a Catholic Church you might get a midnight mass. The big churches and Notre Dame will most likely be crowded so you may want to plan for a smaller service. All are welcome. God is God is God... After that, Christmas morning. I have never spent Christmas in Europe but I imagine it's much the same as in America. The streets are empty, they shops are closed, everyone is hanging out with families.

You may find a restuarant open, I'd google ahead on that one.

Well, you'll certainly see lots of Europe keeping with your plan A. The trains will be nice as you will find out. You'll be traveling quite a bit and that may be the bulk of your European experience this trip. How do you plan to travel to Sweden and to Zurich? Trains?

Enjoy your trip, pack your sense of humor.

Christina

That's an interesting comment but I think it is true (that Christmas is mostly in the anticipation). And I will warn you that arriving in Paris on the evening of Christmas Eve is not going to be much fun as lots of things are closed that evening. But maybe your hotel can suggest a place to eat.

I didn't really find Switzerland any more expensive than France, if anything, a little cheaper than places like Paris. I don't know what it would be like to travel around there at that time of year, though, but it sound slike you are only going to be there a day or two, anyway, not enough time to travel anywhere else in Switzerland.

I'd drop the whole Sweden/Denmark thing myself, but I understand you are fascinated by the idea. At least Switzerland is closer to Paris and you have to leave from there, anyway, you could just to Paris and Switzerland. Or you could go to Strasbourg as someone suggested, as I think it is on the train line in-between Paris and Geneva, that wouldn't be very difficult to do. YOu could go from Paris to Strasbourg, spend a couple days then take the train to Lausanne and then to Zurich from there. There are other places to visit around there (such as Luzern in-between). There are plenty of mountains and snow in that area. That already is too much in 10-11 days, for my taste, but at least it is only two countries.

nytraveler

Training from paris to northern sweden is a gigantic trip - from paris just to stockholm is more than 27 hours on the train - with at least 4 stops. To northern Sweden would be quite a few more hours. And the return the same - so 3 full days just getting back and forth on the train - looking at a landscape that is brown and crunchy - and may or may not have snow.

The Alps will give you a better guarantee of snow that time of year and are much closer to Paris and Zurich. You might look into costs of flights if you really have to go to Sweden - but I wouldn't even consider it - on the basis of time and cost.

As for expenses - in Sweden a sandwich can easily cost you $20 or more (more than 1100 rupees) with any sort of meal being much more than that.

LSky

It's the arriving on Christmas Eve that might pose a problem. An apartment might be harder to book as it may be hard to find a person who wants to interupt their Christmas to get someone settled.

A hotel would be a better option because someone has to work on the holiday. Start googling Chinese restuarants while you have time. I'm only part joking and a lot more serious. Either that or bring enough food to get you through Christmas. If you think I'm overly attached to food, I'm not. You could always google doner stands and restuarants in middle eastern neighborhoods.

All of that said, it occurs to me that while I'm writing all of this very well intentioned advice that on a spiritual note; Christmas is a time of miracles.

I don't doubt that it will be a magical time for all of you. Namaste'

But please, be so kind as to indulge the part of me that wants to worry about you like a mother, what is the plan B?

Christina

I don't think anyone is going to rent an apt to someone for just a couple days during the peak holiday period of the year, with an arrival on Christmas eve. Just won't happen. Besides, that complication (renting an apartment) is really not another thing they need added to this plan. Lots of rents are higher during that week or have minimums even higher than normal (and hotel rates are often higher than normal). But I would never do that just to have something to eat on Christmas eve. There will be some places to eat, they won't starve, just not that many on Christmas eve. There will be places open on Christmas if they aren't picky.

All the brasseries in the FLo group are open CHristmas, and Chartier up near Montmartre is. I don't think it's that great, but it might be just the ticket for this expedition, and it is cheap. I just wouldn't worry about food that much considering the other problems involved that need to be settled.

hey, a blog on the topic http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2...nner-in-paris/

oh, I agree about the costs in Scandinavia, I forgot about that, out of sight

LSky

We don't really know what "budget" means to the OPs. There are hotel/apts that one can rent for a couple of nights. The OPs can go to booking.com and read the reviews if they haven't already.

That was an informative article. I've been thinking about Christmas in Paris, thanks Christina.

From the article the meals at some of the more reasonable places start at 22euros and up. Which is a a good deal less than I expected (actually I didn't think much would be open but then again we do not know what "budget" truly means.

Ajithkumar

Hi... Back again
I earlier mentioned about the plan 'b'. Its quite simple i have not done any great planning, But not sure if i can call it as smart planning ( Im afraid )

We will be taking flights to & fro Paris ( cost 35000.00 INR)
In Paris take the below package ( Cost 55698.00 INR )

Which is still under a lakh rupee and fits in our budget for 10 days trip. Just was wondering if there would be any hidden cost which needed to be paid in package.

http://www.expatexplore.com/winter/index.html
CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR (Visit 5 Countries) 10 Days from £629

Is this okay......... My only concern if you ask would be, we cannot Visit Sweden

kerouac

Except for France, you have chosen some particularly expensive countries.

LSky

Yes but you can go again. Where is Sweden going to go?

I've taken a tour once. Yes we did see quite a bit in 10 days but it was a lot of shuffling around. It was fun because we went with a big group of people we knew and that was worth it. I wouldn't want to go with complete strangers. Maybe when I'm 90 and can't get around without a tour.

Don't be afraid of planning. It can be fun.

Ajithkumar

Okay... Am getting confused Day by Day
Can someone tell what would be the best destination in Europe to celebrate Christmas & Newyear. and how we can plan our trip during these days

jamikins

If you are flying in and out of Paris I would spend 5 days in Paris and then the rest in strasbourg...you can day trip to Baden Baden and smaller villages there and all will be decorated for Xmas and have great xmas markets (check the dates though they may lose after dec 24...)

Over the holidays many things are closed so be sure to check opening times.

Fodorite014

@nytaveler - where on earth, in Sweden, do you buy your sandwiches? You can easily have lunch (incl salad buffet, bread/butter, coffee and a non alcoholic drink) for USD 15 or even less. I have never, ever paid 20 USD for a sandwich.