anna2808

I am planning for my honeymoon next year. Me and my husband will "backpack" through these few countries:
Amsterdam-2.5 days
Prague - 2 days
Vienna - 2 days
Venice - 2 days
Florence - 2 days
Rome - 2 days
Paris - 4 days

I know, most of you will say that what a rush trip we going to have. Bear in mind, we are from Malaysia and we have bad economy and weak currency. For this trip, we need to save money for 1 year and then we will have around 3500 euro each to spend (includes accommodation). I think this will be the trip of my/our life. Like, once in a lifetime thingy. I doubt we will have another chance to visit Europe again in the future. I am not exaggerating.

Do you really think this will work? Travelling with 3500 euro each for 17 days?

sandralist

What time of year do you plan to go?

Are you thinking of flying between some cities or always using the trains?

anna2808

Hi i am planning for April. I will be flying from rome to paris. Others are all by trains. I know if you purchase train tickets early, there will be discounts.

sandralist

You can follow the weather this month for Vienna and Prague to get an idea if you will enjoy being there in April. Personally. I would not enjoy all the effort it would take using trains to get to those 2 cities for such a short period. But if you really want to see those 2 cities, then consider eliminating something else because it is very hard to see much of anything in these cities in just 2 days unless you pay for tours to show you around. Also, if you really want to see Vienna and Prague, consider putting them at the end of your trip for a chance of warmer weather.

If you are coming from Malaysia, I am guessing that the best flight is to Amsterdam. But I think your trip might go better if it was more like this

Amsterdam
Paris
Venice
Florence
Rome

(and do you need to fly out of Amsterdam or can you fly out of Rome?)

Mimar

If you're on a budget, all that travel from one place to another is expensive. Maybe a pass? A train pass or cheaper a bus pass. But as you have planned it, your trip will consist of a lot of time on trains and in train stations (or buses and bus stations). Not much time for sightseeing.

kja

My reaction to the realization that I might never return to an area seems quite different than yours: Rather than trying to cram it all in (my take on your itinerary), that realization makes me want to maximize the time I have to actually see and experience the places that I do choose to see, while minimizing the time spent traveling between places.

Once you count traveling time (and time on either side for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.) each change of cities can easily take a half day. So you actually have closer to ONE day in most of your destinations. I would find that very frustrating. YMMV.

Hope that helps!

anna2808

sadly i do need to fly out of Amsterdam for for budget wise. One way flight ticket is very expensive.

Haha, I saw many people having such "rush" trip and I am thinking,my husband and I should be able to do it. But I am in doubt that is why I posted in this forum.

I feel so reluctant to cut away few places..

This is/was my plan:

Amsterdam-2.5 days
--here i will use sleeper train--
Prague - 2 days
--4 hrs train, we can take early train--
Vienna - 2 days
--here i will use sleeper train--
Venice - 2 days
--2 hrs train, we can take early train--
Florence - 2 days
--1.5 hrs train, we can take early train--
Rome - 2 days
--Flight--
Paris - 4 days

anna2808

Oh ya, I forget to mention, 17 days are my days in Europe. It does not include my flight to and back Malaysia. So in total will be around 20 days.

sandralist

Some of these places are not so "obvious" as others if you are a short-stop tourist. For instance, for most people, it is much harder to enjoy being in Rome or Vienna for 1.5 days than it is for most people to enjoy Amsterdam or Venice for 2 days. A lot of what people want to see in Venice is right outside, and you can walk and take boats to see the what the city is. A lot of what is amazon about Vienna or Rome is inside vast spaces that take hours to see.

If there are very specific things you want to do in each city, and just doing that one or two thngs is what would be fun for you -- like you and your fiancé are already saying right now: "We will take a gondola ride in Venice, we will eat a Sacher torte in Vienna and we will throw coins in the fountains in Rome --" and you really don't care if you miss most of the rest -- then some people take trips like that and don't end up running around like confused chickens -- although that is a pretty expensive way to visit Europe and have fun.

But if what you are both thinking is that you would like to "see" Rome, Venice, Florence, Vienna, etc because you want to "see" Europe, then you are not going to see very much with so little time in each city, and most of what you see will be tourist sights filled with long lines of other tourists and tour buses.

sandralist

Sorry for the auto-type. I was trying to write: "A lot of what is amazing about Vienna or Rome is inside vast spaces that take hours to see."

Gretchen

One way flight ticket is very expensive.

You say that you must fly out of Amsterdam and this statement makes me think you are not looking for an open jaw flight which is NOT one way to arrival and one way back.

As others have said, changing so many times and places eats up your budget--and you see less and less when you get to a city.

PalenQ

Have you ever taken overnight trains before? Some folks just can't get much sleep as there is a modicum of noise always from the wheels going over tracks - PA announcements in stations - from the hallway at times and if in multi-comprtment berths the ubiquitous snorer, etc. Not for everyone but I have taken ligterally hundreds of them and rarely had any problem. But if a light sleeper you may arrive wasted in the morning. But otherwise a key way to save time and money over a hotel.

check to see if Amsterdam to Prague (actually I think Duisburg, Germany to Prague) is still running next year as that trains is threatened to be cut -

anyway for lots of great rail info: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - all great primers in their own way to plan a European rail trip.

nytraveler

Agree that you should check into open jaws flights. this IS NOT 2 one-way tickets - it's usually called multi-destination on web sites and is usually 1/2 the price of the roundtrip cost to any destination (so often less than the RT fare since you don;t have to waste time and money going back to your arrival city).

PalenQ

You have at most 1.5 days in Venice, Florence and Rome - especially for Rome not nearly enough to do justice to it - relocating takes a lot of time - you pretty much only have a day in each of those places. Too quick IMO and I often enjoy traveling fast but even for me that is too fast.

PalenQ

I'd suggest cutting Prague as it is an outlier here and use those two days in Florence and Rome where you would want them after getting there. Venice itself is the attraction and 1.5 days there could be enough for the average tourist. I think you can go via overnight train Amsterdam to Vienna - maybe though you'd have to change in the morning at Munich - change Munich for Vienna too would give you more time and IMO Munich is an enticing as Vienna.

Kathie

I agree with others, start by checking for an open jaw ticket - into Amsterdam and out of Rome or Paris, for instance. That will help.

The other thing you haven't given adequate weight to is travel time. You have to stay in a place for three nights just to get two full days there. Cutting even one destination will give you more time to enjoy (less time in transit) and will help keep costs down.

PalenQ

yes less can well be more!

anna2808

Sandralist, I understand what you are trying to convey. I drafted the itinerary of each places I am going to visit but it is in excel format and very hard for me to show here.

PalenQ, Kathie, I agree.. I will consider cutting Prague! Will research on the train through Munich!

nytraveler, kathie, open jaw ticket usually cost more > MYR 1000 and that is alot.. i.e return ticket Paris = MYR 2399 and open jaw ticket will cost around MYR 3500.

Since this is my honeymoon, I really want to make it counts.

Kathie

I am surprised the open jaw costs that much more. Still look at how much difference it makes to your total cost by considering the transport getting you back to Paris. The open jaw also saves you time - time you can be seeing and doing things rather than circling back to catch your flight home.

For me, If I really want to make a trip count, I slow down and spend more time in each place so I get the chance to really explore and enjoy. So consider carefully how many stops you want to make.

anna2808

Probably I should wait until promotion period to check again on the open jaw.

Amsterdam-3 days
--here i will use sleeper train--
Vienna - 3 days
--here i will use sleeper train--
Venice - 2 days
--2 hrs train, we can take early train--
Florence - 3 days
--1.5 hrs train, we can take early train--
Rome - 3 days
--Flight--
Paris - 4 days

if follow this will be more feasible?