Europe in Sept/Oct...
 

Hello all

I am planning a Euro trip starting 11 Sept 2016. I may travel alone or with one friend(not sure). I have a budget of about 5000 Euros. Rough plan as of now is :-

11-15 : Greece - Athens, Mykonos, Santorini
16-21 : Italy - Rome for sure and either Florence or Cinque Terre
22-25 : Barcelona (La Merce)
26-28 : Munich (Oktoberfest)
29-02 : Prague
03-05 : Amsterdam
06-08 : Paris

I really want to attend La Merce at Barcelona (22-25 Sept) and Oktoberfest, rest of the places I can adjust.

Also I want to get a flavour of as many countries and places as possible.

Is it possible to do the trip with my budget and dates ??

Is it possible to maybe reduce a day each from Italy, Prague and Amsterdam and spend a day each at Vienna, Budapest and Brugge.

Please guide me.

unonymus_traveller

Which cities will be absorbing your travel days?

How do you plan on getting from city to city?

Does your budget include airfare to/from Europe? Which cities are you flying in/out of?

Have you priced fares for your mobilizations between cities?

Aside from Oktoberfest (which will be expensive), what do you want to do in each city?

protip: you ain't getting a flavor of anything if you only spend 1-2 days there.

Firstly, budget. Your budget will be comfortable enough. There are cheap intra-European flights - book as early as possible to get the saver fares.

Second, your itinerary. Your current itinerary already includes too many cities and countries. Realize that even flying from city A to city B consumes at least half a day - if you get morning or evening flights. If you get a midday flight, the total day will be eaten up by travelling.

If you even add one more destination the itinery will get worse.

I would even cut at least one destination from the itinerary to get more time at the other destinations.

A final thought. Do not go to Cinque Terre. It is not easy to reach (given your time constraints) and it is terribly crowded.

http://www.thiswaytoparadise.com/cin...st-place-ever/

Florence, on the other hand, is a most beautiful city with many attractions.

Have you looked at a map of Europe? You're flitting from end to end of the Continent in a completely illogical manner. You need to reorganize your route.

You haven't got enough time anywhere as it is. Don't reduce anything or you won't see a thing.

For the love of God, DON'T do that.

If you take a day from, let's say, Prague, that doesn't give you a day you could spend in Budapest. You have to get to Budapest and then get away again. For each destination, if you want to see anything at all, you have to allow at least two nights.

What this boils down to is that you probably shouldn't add any new destinations, unless they are places that are exactly on your route, and where there is a left-luggage facility so that you can see the town for a few hours without your luggage. I wouldn't do this with major cities like Vienna and Budapest, because it's not possible to see enough in a few hours to make it worth the trouble. You might be able to visit Bruges en route from Amsterdam to Paris. I don't know if there is luggage storage at the station, though.

I would be inclined to take a day from Prague and add it to Paris, which looks really short-changed to me. I might also take a day from Amsterdam to add to Paris.

From my point of view, your itinerary hits all the over-hyped tourist destinations in Europe. In the Netherlands, I would suggest Utrecht as a base instead of Amsterdam. It's a lovely city, and a university town, that won't be sinking under the weight of tourists.

Speaking of sinking under the weight of tourists, I would forget about the Cinque Terre. In Rome and Paris, unless you seek out the hidden gems instead of the "must-sees" you run the risk of being crammed in like a sardine in places like the Louvre or the Sistine Chapel. These cities have lots of hidden gems, but it's hard to convince people to visit them instead of the big attractions.

@sparkchaser @traveller1959 @StCirq @PetrosB3 - Firstly thank you all for your replies. I'll try and explain my thought process to you

@sparkchaser
I'm planing to fly from New Delhi - Athens and from Paris-New Delhi.
Yes my budget includes flying into and out of Europe (500-600 Euros)

@traveller1959
I have made a rough draft of move between cities and I'm flying/taking a bus/train and that too generally overnight or early morning. A couple of travels are in the mid of the day but I'll have to live with that.
Thanks for your link and advice on Cinque Terre - it looks beautiful but maybe I'll drop it. Thanks.

@StCirq
I know I'm aiming for too much but this trip has come about after several years and God knows when I'll be able to visit again.
I think Greece-Italy-Barcelona is ok but then I'm going vague as far as going to Munich is concerned (Oktoberfest is the main aim).How would you reorganise the trip..??

@PetrosB3
For the love of God- Help Me !!

>>> For the love of God- Help Me !!<<<

We all are trying to help you. We all are Europeans or live in Europe and we know our continent. Therefore we know you will not be happy with your trip.

After your trip, what will you tell your friends and families?

The baggage carousel at Barcelona Airport was shinier than that at Athens Airport. The security check at München Airport was smoother than at Amsterdam Airport...

Petros lives in Greece. And when he sees that you want to do Athens, Mykonos, Santorini within 4 days including travel between these three destinations, he is horrified. The only way to help you is to say DON'T DO IT this way. We are serious.

<<I know I'm aiming for too much but this trip has come about after several years and God knows when I'll be able to visit again.>>

Sorry, but that way of thinking is, IMO, seriously flawed. Even if turns out to be true that you never visit again, do you want your trip-of-a-lifetime-to-Europe memories to revolve around the tray table in Row 24, Seat B?

I would spend at least a week in Greece, a week in Italy, 4-5 days in Barcelona, and 4-5 days in Paris. That, plus travel time inbetween, pretty much covers what I count as your 26 days on the ground.

Obviously, purchase open-jaw tickets.

Sorry - but you are trying to squash 20 pounds of stuff into a 5 pound bag. You have to understand that each country has a different culture, different language, different customs, transit systems, meal times, etc.

How much of a country will you see if you only have 1 day there (after you remove travel time)? Will you really understand anything of the history or culture? Will you even know what you are looking at? Plus all that bouncing around is going to be very expensive versus staying put for several days.

By my count you have 28 days - but you might be counting your arrival and departure days - which means really 26 days on the ground. And want to see 10 different cities. So, after removing at least 7 or 8 days for travel you have 10 cities in18 days. IMHO you need to cut at least 2 and probably 3 cities if you actually want to see much of anything. Otherwise you will have a very long, very expensive blur of train stations and airports.

I can;t tell you what to keep and what to cut - but that you need to cut some things to get even a few days (3 or 4) in the cities most important for you.

If you aren't planning on drinking, skip Oktoberfest.

woof...guess I'm going grossly wrong about this. I shall reconsider my entire trip and will get back to you guys again.

Thanks for your valued comments.

Given your interests and trying to make this a more compact vacation, I'd drop Amsterdam, Paris and possibly Prague. Fly into Barca and then fly to Munich. You then would have around two and half weeks to see a lot of Bella Italia and Greece. Get to Venice from Munich--only about half a day away by car, then Florence, some of the Tuscan countryside, and down to Rome. Let's say ten days for Italy and the rest of the time in Greece--fly to Athens and take a cruise to the islands.

I'd drop Cinque Terre also--been there twice and have failed twice to learn why anyone thinks it's a good place to go compared with what else Italy has to offer. If you want to see the sea, you could go to Naples and the Amalfi Coast. But since you're going to a couple of the most beautiful Greek islands, I'd skip that also.

Of course, you could spend your entire time in Italy(excepting only Barca and Munich) and leave wanting to see more.

<<Have you looked at a map of Europe? You're flitting from end to end of the Continent in a completely illogical manner. >>

Draw a line from place to place on your itinerary. Where the lines cross, you effed up.

I'd drop Italy because it's not as partypartyparty as Barcelona or the Greek Isles or Oktoberfest and it looks like you want to get your drink on.

Flights and train trips can be cut to a low cost by pre-booking far in advance - www.whichbudget.com or www.skyscanner.com for flight into between any two cities.

For trains go to the national rail site for each country - www.seat61.com is a site specializing in information on discounted tickets in various countries - for general info on trains check www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

Taking overnight trains can save daytime travel time and may be cheaper than flying because you also save on the cost of a hotel or hostel for a night. Night trains go everywhere and there are overnight ferries between Greece and several Italian ports.

Oktoberfest, if you can't find a budget accommodation in Munich and two nights is hard, look at Augsburg or another city with rail under 30 minutes. The train to and from was really a party in itself last year. I would give yourself 3 nights at least in Germany. Since it is just you and maybe a friend you can get into any tent early in the day but Hofbrauhaus has standing room tables all the time with no reservations needed. Pace yourself and eat and you can see many tents during the day and then get back here in the evening when you need reservations at the tables. It is really the best tent anyhow imo. 10€ for a liter of beer last year. I remember when it was 8 so next year it will be more. Plus tip, important. Munich is worth spin around the city also.
I would probably drop Barcelona.

@dwdvagamundo
Thanks for your suggestions. I'll keep it in mind.

@BigRuss
Yes getting a drink on is an important agenda of the trip ;-). But so is seeing places. Maybe I'll just visit Rome in Italy.

@PalenQ
Thank you for the links. Exploring them- will help me plan better.

@Macross
Yes Oktoberfest will be slighttly expensive but I think I'll be able to squeeze it into my budget. I'm planning to visit Oktoberfest only for a day, that too on a week day. I shall look for accomodation in Augsburg as per your suggestion. Thanks.

Hi unonymus- If you are going to spend only one day at the Oktoberfest, it probably won't cost much more to rent an inexpensive single room in Munich around the main train station for one night compared to a similar room in Augsburg plus the train fare to and from Munich. The Oktoberfest area is only 4-5 blocks south of the main train station. And the 'Fest is not nearly as crowded during the week so you shouldn't have any trouble getting into the tents, especially as a single in the afternoon and early evening. Be sure to stop drinking early enough to be able to find your way back to the hotel.(Voice of experience)

I have to agree with others that the Cinque Terre did not live up to the hype when I was there. On the other hand I really enjoyed Rome. For me, Florence was OK. And forget Vienna, Budapest and Brugge. You are already pushing the envelope with too many stops in too few days.


You might want to skip Amsterdam and go directly from Prague to Paris. Amsterdam is OK but Paris has much more to offer and 4 days in Paris is much much better than 2.

Most of your trips are pretty long. If you are not flying between cities, a rail pass may be of interest to you. I assume you are young enough to nap through a nite sitting up on a train which saves the expense of a hotel. Be careful of thieves targeting you as a single traveler.

If you can get by on 1500 € for travel expenses (airfare and rail pass) that would leave you about 125 € per day for hotels, (hostels?), food and drink, entrance fees for sights, and local transportation. This is doable but pretty tight. And you might want to save a few € for a stop at a laundromat- scout them out on the internet before you go.

This looks like a fantastic trip for a younger person that is in pretty good shape and does not mind climbing stairs. Pack lightly !!! One airline carryon plus a small tote.

Have a great trip and give us a trip report when finished if you have time!!!

((B))

If you aren't planning on drinking, skip Oktoberfest.>

I disagree - I never have drank while visiting the various tent with oompah bands - there is or was anyway no entry fee and you can stand around without problem - to get the flavor of each tent.

Groups come to drink and make merry and book many tables but in the afternoon I've seen empty tables in many tents.

@Travelforbeer
Thanks for a positive reply. I think you understand what I want from the trip. I'm trying to fly between places- I know airports take time but i think it'll be faster than alternate modes of transport

Cinque Terre, Vienna, Budapest, Bruges are out. I get that.

I'm hoping to make rest of the places as per plan and stick to the budget.

I have started to look for places in Munich and will stay near town center as per your suggestion.

Please tell me if I should pre-book museum tickets etc online or purchase them on the spot. Will there be long ques during that time and does it have any monetary benefit ??

Thanks for all your advice and encouragement. I shall report back to you , hopefully of a succesful trip.

@PalenQ

I might as well drink if I undertake all this hardship of getting to Oktoberfest. ;-)

Hi again unonymus- I'm not much for standing in long lines for museums. So I just skip them if the lines are too long. I believe most would suggest purchasing a Museum pass in Paris. It allows you to skip the long lines but it is pricey. If you are in Paris only 2 days you might not want to spend a day traipsing around museums to get the most value for the pass. And if you want to go up the Eifel Tower an advance on-line purchase for a specific day and time saves a lot of time waiting. Of course you are gambling that the weather is good on the date of your ticket. The only other place that I remember skipping a museum because of a long line was in Florence. But that was a loooong time ago and I have no desire to return.

If you have some interest in visiting some museums google them to get information regarding details like days of operation, wait times, costs, advance purchases, number of hours to allot for your visit, interior maps, exact location, ways to get there using public transportation, , etc.

I believe the best way to get to Prague from Munich is to catch a bus. Only 4.5 hours and not too expensive. Check the DBahn site. I usually use trains to and from Amsterdam. But Prague to Amsterdam is a long day (or night) on a train.

I just looked at rooms in Munich for 26-28 September. Ouch- It looks like the only reasonable rooms are in Hostels- about $50/nite in a 6 bed dorm room. Towels and bedding and breakfast extra. I didn't realize it was that expensive. The only time I ever made reservations for the 'Fest this late I got a double with bath and breakfast about 4 tram stops from the'Fest for around $100/nite. It was small and a dump but we survived 3 nites OK. That same hotel is charging about $300/nite non-refundable for a single with private bath for your dates. So take Macross's advice and check some towns 1/2 to 1 hour away. I have stayed in Augsburg and Ingostadt (with a railpass) and trained in for the "Fest. Some folks suggest Landshut, Erding, and Rosenheim as possible locations. Be sure to select a location close to public transportation.

Have a good trip and ask any specific questions as you get more into your planning!!!

((B))

I might as well drink if I undertake all this hardship of getting to Oktoberfest.>

Prost!

<reduce a day each from Italy, Prague and Amsterdam and spend a day each at Vienna, Budapest and Brugge>

No, that doesn't make sense. You already have 10 places or more you're planning to visit.

You need to back up and add TRAVEL time into your schedule. You're completely missing that, and it's going to subtract substantially from your time in each place. Needs to be accounted for in planning.

The OP has already, wisely, dropped a bunch of places:

<<Cinque Terre, Vienna, Budapest, Bruges are out.>>

You want to visit some places ate VERY expensive times (Oktoberfest, La Merce, etc)

With your budget you might consider changing plans and visiting those cities after/before the festivities. I know, I know, those is <i>why</i> you want to visit Munich and Barcelona -- but honestly, you'll save hundreds of € and still get to drink lots of German bier ;)

OK so I have dropped Greece from the trip. New plan is as under :-

11-16 : Italy - Rome & Florence
17-25 : Spain - Madrid, Granada & Barcelona
26-27 : Munich (Oktoberfest)
28-01 : Prague
02-04 : Amsterdam
05-07 : Paris

Hi
looks good. And don't forget that you'll get drunk at Munich, so leave your papers safely somewhere before going into the tents !
Enjoy.

That blog post whinging about Cinque Terre is hilarious. The writer clearly did no prior research - which would have informed her it is busy from March to early November and there is good food to be found if you do your research as well. The hyperlink to her 'u 'in discovered' Italy turns out to be a big spruik for a hotel in Cefalu - where she stayed for free so of course it gets a glowing revue.

OP- Cinque Terre is stunning if you go out of peak season and stay there in, say, Vernazza rather than visiting as a day trip.

Again - re that blog link - Any anyone who says 'Florence has the best Italian food in Italy' has absolutely zero credibility.

Please excuse my typos above but I think my meaning is clear.

Blueeyedcod, "Anyone who says 'Florence has the best Italian food in Italy' has zero credibility."
I have to back you up on that opinion!

Another confusion

Should i do Rome+Florence or Rome+Naples

I know Florence and Naples are very different places but Naples seems to be a interesting place with a lot to offer.

Please help

Most will say Florence but because they do not know much about Naples and to me it is a toss up having been several times to both but I guess Florence folks have been dreaming about going to for their whole lives.

Depends on your interests. If you love Renaissance cities, urban order, wonderful churches crammed with art, great museums, Florence.

If you love (as we do) urban chaos, archaeology, Greek and Roman ruins, probably the most beautiful Bay in the world, then Naples and surroundings.

While I'd go to either tomorrow if someone gave me time and money to do so, if I had to live in one or the other, I'd choose Naples despite the risks.

Buen viaggio

I'd choose Naples despite the risks.>

What 'risks'?

5 days in Rome and Florence isn't TOO bad, provided they are complete 5 days. 3 days in Rome and 2 in Florence.
Have a look at my blog page : https://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com...rence-tuscany/
I did several things cheaply in Italy(book your trains well in advance, use buses, it's not hard eating cheap in Rome).

Naples gets a lot of bad publicity for its 'risks' - pickpockets, garbage piled up, etc. But IME these are overblown and an alert traveler will not be easily victimized by crime - there are not folks lurking around every corner trying to rob you. Been there several times and never had any problems but yes be vigilant as always - Rome probably has a bigger chance of being victimized by street crime or scams.