pookymimi

Hi,

I'm planning on traveling with my 21 and 9 y/o next June. We don't have a time limit, just money limit...
Places of interest are Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, mostly coast cities
I've been looking on flying in and out to Barcelona or Madrid (we live in Denver), and from there start our journey.

Is there anything I should know?
Can you give me advice on what is easier, play as we go, or have an itinerary?
How many days do you think I should allocate for each country?

I was looking on buying an Europass, but I see some believe is cheaper buying tickets as you go.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

bilboburgler

Fantastic opportunity but a possible 3 month trip. Lets see, Porto, Lisbon, Seville, Malaga, Grenada, Barecelona, Carcassone, Arles, Monaco, Milan, Rome, Naples, Brindisi, Venice etc etc.

June is a good month should be warm but not very hot

StCirq

What is your money limit?

And how much time do you realistically have? Five countries is a LOT (even five cities would be a lot)! I would say a week in each would be about a minimum.

If you do attempt this, fly into Lisbon and out of Athens. No sense looping back to your point of origin given the vast territory you are aiming to cover. And do look at a map and get a sense of exactly what this trip would entail.

In June, and especially as you mention coast cities, you'll definitely need to book accommodations, and if you mean THIS June, I'd start today.

It's really impossible to tell whether you need some sort of railpass or not without knowing what cities you plan to go to, how many train trips you'll take, etc. And why all cities? Don't you want to see some countryside, villages, etc?

bobthenavigator

Yes, given 6 weeks you can do most of these destinations. Please tell us more--I asssume you mean June 2011.

pookymimi

Thanks for the responses.

Well, I was thinking this June, 2010. I've seen some availability flying into Barcelona and for some B&B or aparthotel, last night.

I guess we would lose our return if we fly from Athens, not sure if I can change the return city once purchased.
I may be very ambitious, but I was thinking on going just coastline, I'm interested on seeing just coast as we live in the mountains. I thought starting our journey early as possible to have no time limit, just coming back before School starts.

I would like to see small cities and countryside, it will all depends if I rent a car, still not sure what's cheaper, car or train (we are 3)

We are not set on certain places, but I would love to see Lisbon/Coimbra, Rapallo/Italy were my grandparents were and also Greece.

Thanks,
Mia

StCirq

I don't see how you can possibly organize a trip like this for June 2010. Honestly, it's mid-April and you don't have an itinerary or lodgings or transportation, and you're talking about five whole countries! Things are already booked up for June and way beyond at this point.

So do you have plane tickets already, or not?

Texastrips

I would recommend at least some of that time slowing down and renting an apartment for a few days - to give you all a break, let you get to know places better. That's a long time to keep moving, moving, moving.

pookymimi

I have Barcelona tickets on hold. I was going to rent an apartment in Barcelona for 4 days to start the planning. As I may be renting a car I am not too worried about an itinerary. I just would like to go around the Coast by train or by car. We are not anxious on seeing everything, this is just a taste for me and the kids for a future more detailed and thorought trip.

hetismij

If you plan on renting a car then you should also plan on returning it to Spain. Cross border car hire can be very very expensive.

You need to decide on how long you are going to stay to book your return ticket surely?

June is the start of the summer season and things will be booked up. You need to do some serious thinking and research now if you really want to come this June.

StCirq

<<As I may be renting a car I am not too worried about an itinerary.>>

??? So you plan to find lodgings for three on the fly on the coast in June, and you're on a budget?

jubilada

I'd worry about not having reserved in coastal towns.

bobthenavigator

You need help with this one, especilly if you have a budget concern.

pookymimi

"I'd worry about not having reserved in coastal towns."
Yes, agreed. I will look into what's available and where. I've done several trips where I don't have where to stay and having a car is really a plus as I just keep driving or rest in the car for a while.

It doesn't have to be this summer, but I thought it would be a neat experience for my 21 y/o as he may be working full time next year.

StCirq unless you have something constructive to add, please don't answer as I don't need negatives opinions at this point.

pookymimi

BTW I don't have a budget concern, but I don't want to spend 10k on this.

bobthenavigator

10K may buy you a month--how long are you planning?
If you drop Portugal and Greece you could do a nice coastal trip from Barcelona with perhaps 10 destinations over 30 days.
I would include these:
Cassis
Menton
Camogli
Portovenere
Porto Santo Stefano
Sperlonga
Martera
Gallipoli, Puglia
End in Rome to drop car

I have been to all of these over the years and love coastal fishing village on the Med

Look at the lease buy back program at kemwel.com for a pick up in France--perhaps Marseille--and a drop in Rome.

nytraveler

I think you will find that getting reservations at this point will be very difficult -esp if you want a room for 3 people at a very low budget. People have booked those rooms months ago. Just driving around could result in a huge waste of time and possibly having to sleep in the car (or paying a huge amount for the few rooms that are left).

StCirq

Oh, nytraveler, if you can't offer anything constructive, please don't bother responding

cferrb

Yes, you should have an intinerary, and yes, you should have
at least some idea of where you are going to stay at each stop.

Is the 9 year old the same gender as either you or the 21 year old? If so, you might want to look at the Hosteling International website and see what availability there is there. My daughter and I stayed in hostels in Vienna and Salzburg a couple of year ago because we needed very affordable lodgings. They were great, and the 21 year old might like the opportunity to be around other young adults. Some hostels do have small rooms (2-4 people) so you might all be able to stay in the same room, even if you are not all male or female.

pookymimi

I looked around and found some apartments for rent in Barcelona where I thought of staying for at least 4 days.

The Hostels is also something that I found still available. I believe with the economy there isn't such a huge demand as other Summers. I've been reading a lot and I've been playing with the idea of just staying in Italy and maybe going to Greece or taking a ferry from Barcelona to Genoa to start the trip. In some of the Islands you can find lodging for $50. Again we are not into going to the Museums nor to the most popular places, so just relaxing would be fine. As I'm Hispanic I believe starting my trip in Barcelona is key to find the best tips.

My kids are used to traveling with me, we usually get a double bed room as my younger daughter still likes to sleep with me, getting a room with 3 beds is a waste. We've drove several times from CO to CA and we just came back from driving from Santiago-Chile to the South were the earthquake/tsunami hit bringing donations and I see the distances are nothing compared to what I've driven over two weeks 2,000 miles, in Europe everything is close. My son is not willing to travel to several places in a short time, so I see I may just stick to a couple of Countries and lay low.

jubilada

I'm with your son.