ComiteVirtute

Plus, a very beautiful national museum (outstanding Flemish pictures) and a great tradition for comic strips (you also see them in the houses' facades...)

ComiteVirtute

Checked some comments as well. I mentioned Giorna because most Ryan Air flights land you in Girona rather than in Barcelona (Girona it's an hour form Barcelona, or 1h1/2, I don't remember). As for Paris... both Paris and London are VERY expensive (ie if you want to buy clothes), but so many cities are (ah, the Euro...)! You obviously 1) can do some research and shop where the locals do, or take advantage of summer sales etc. 2) avoid shopping at all, skip restaurants if not some times, survive on sandwiches an all that. But, say, if you want to buy some postcards or memorabilia in the Versailles Castle, be prepared! They're certainly not cheap!

PalenQ

postcards ain't cheap and to mail them back home costs about $2 a crack many places - keep postcard promises to a key few. Yes discrecinary rxpenses like Comite V outlines can be killers on budget- nice to have a cuppa at a Parisian outdoor cafe and wathc the flotsam and jetson walk by but it may cost $4-5 a cup and NO free refills but you can stay there all day if you like.

Deyaa1989

With this budget, I would recommend the following cities with the following itineraries:

City of Departure --> Madrid --> Seville --> Lisbon -->> City of Return

Day 1: Relax in Madrid, perhaps a night out for fun.
Day 2: Museo del Prado and Parque del Retiro, and then a walk by Gran Via (and any other activities)
Day 3: Plaza de Espana, Puerto del Sol, Lavapies, and Salamanca
Day 4: Day trip to Toledo or Segovia

Day 5: Madrid to Seville (You could take a bus for around 20 euros to Sevilla but will end up in a 6 hour journey, or the RENFE train and arrive in half the time), Cathedrale de Sevilla, attend a Flamenco dance (if you prefer), Al-Cazar, wander the city.

Day 6: Day trip to Granada and see Al-Hambra (even a full day is barely enough), or a day trip to Malaga Beach; I know Tennessee does not have a beach.

Day 7: Seville to Lisbon (Air flight is recommended- most likely TAP airlines), one could walk by the attractions, depending on where one would stay (I stayed at Hotel Don Paco because it was 296 Euros for 7 nights, which was quite unbelievable for a 4 star hotel).

Day 8: Jardim Zologico de Lisboa (city zoo), a day trip to cascais using the regional railway (less than an hour away- I could be wrong, as I remember I was talking with someone throughout the trip and lost the sense of time) taking a nice walk by the Baixa-Chiado metro in the evening/night.

Day 9: Taking a day trip to Sintra using the regional railway.

Day 10: Lisbon to Madrid (finish up Madrid)

then return home.

Deyaa1989

I meant (',then a return home'). I missed an article.

PalenQ

Day 10: Lisbon to Madrid (finish up Madrid)

There are no direct day trains I believe but there is the overnight Hotel Train Lisbon to Madrid - save daytime time and the cost of a night in a hotel and experience Europe's legendary night trains - get a private compartment and bring all the food and drink aboard you want and chill! These hotel trains are amongst the finest in Europe - Gran Classe some compartments even have WCs and douches.

ComiteVirtute

Yes, as a matter of fact actually Spain could be cheaper... Portugal as well... I prefer Barcelona over Madrid (Gaudì , contemporary archistars etc.), anyway Madrid is beautiful too... Both Toledo and Segovia very nice... Lisbon seems a bit "shadowed" anyway! Lisbon is WONDERFUL!!!Maybe a little less lively, but... unique )

ComiteVirtute

Beware: Check for the weather. Spain is hot during summer (Madrid more "dry").

Michael2727

Once again everyone thanks for all the opinions and suggestions! I just checked back on this thread and found some more responses. During June I was able to extend the trip to a total of 16 days! My friend and I settled on 4 cities:

Paris
Munich
Rome
Barcelona

Definitely very different than my original plan, but with the extension we decided to start from scratch since we were having trouble deciding. Roughly 4 days in each city seems enough to get a taste. Any opinions or suggestions on Must Do's at each stop? So far we have this:

Paris - Eiffel Tower, Catacombs, Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, d'Orsay

Munich - Beer Halls & Gardens, Marienplatz, English garden, Neuschwanstein Castle & Zugspitze (Day Trip)

Rome - Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, Basilica(s)

Barcelona - Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Beach, Gothic Quarter

Would really like your opinion on things to add or cross off the list. This could be anything from an attraction to your favorite food spot suggestion.

Thanks again guys,

Michael

AisleSeat

Two thoughts....
London, Paris, Rome are the big three because they have the most to offer.
Don't try to concour the continent on your first trip.

What do you guys like to do? That will help you decide where you want to go.

Sassafrass

It is easy to disregard travel times and in your calculations, way overestimate how much time you actually have in each city.

Your whole trip is now 16 days. Sounds like a lot. However, if 2 of your days are still travel, you are left with 14 days on the ground. You will use a minimum of 1 & 1/2 days getting from city to city once there. That leaves approx. 12 & 1/2 days for sightseeing. With 4 cities, that is barely 3 days per city, not 4.

That is OK as long as you realize that it is quite a bit more rushed.

Cost.
Adding 4 days and nights, plus the cost of getting to one more city, will add considerably to your overall costs. I don't remember your exact budget, but will it stretch to cover the extra days and travel costs?

Michael2727

Yes, you are right in there actually only being 14 days on the ground. However, I have outlined all possible flights and we would arrive at each destination around 10AM roughly. All in all flights total up to around $2,000. Hostels would total to roughly $435. That leaves around $1,000 for food/drink, attractions, and everything else. Just over $60 a day is probably not enough so I will have to add a little bit more to my budget. The order we are traveling in is Paris->Munich->Rome->Barcelona:

Would really love to hear some suggestions at each stop other than what I listed above. We would like to do some of the main touristy things at each stop to get a taste of the town, but would like to discover the lesser known treasures (restaurants, bars, best views, etc).

Much appreciated,

Michael

dwdvagamundo

If it were my trip, I would drop the day trips from Paris and Munich and add a some museums and possibly musical performances for more culture--all those cities have world-class museums.

In Paris, go to the roof of the department store Galeries Lafayette or to Sacre Couer for nice views over Paris.

In Rome, the Janiculum Hill (across the Tiber from the main city) has really nice views.

Don't recall any views in Munich and have never been to Barca--although Montjuic Castle and Park Guell get good reviews.

One word of advice re restaurants and bars: you have very little time. Don't waste it by trying to track across a city to find particular restaurants or bars. We tried that on our first few trips and it didn't work well. Instead, when you get hungry or thirsty, see what looks good in the area you're in. Then check your Yelp app to make sure the place gets decent reviews.

In Paris, buy some picnic stuff--bread, cheese, wine-- and go the Luxembourg Gardens (or elsewhere) for a picnic lunch.

I think you can picnic on at least one of the two sites I gave you for Barca. Picnics will help a lot in the budgeting department also.

In Munich, there is a big outdoor Biergarten pretty close to the Marienplatz which sells lots of types of beer and lots of types of wurst. It's a blast, even for old timers like my spouse and me.

Bon voyage!

Deyaa1989

Greetingsm

I have few comments I would like to add:

1- Sorry, just a correction, if it matters, the hotel name was Real Parque in Lisboa. I mixed the name up with the one in which we stayed in Sevilla.

2- I also prefer Barcelona over Madrid, as it is more fun and has more activities and sights to do and see for me. I like Madrid as well and noticed that it is more reasonably priced than Barcelona and closer to the other attractions mentioned in the earlier itinerary.

3- I stayed in Madrid July-August and December-January. Madrid, indeed, has extreme, continental, weather.

4- I would definitely listen to the great consultations served on this page for locations and transportation means. For example, the view from la Sucre-Couer in Paris during Sunset is so beautiful, I wouldn't miss it.

5- The selected itinerary covers multiple countries on vast lands. I would expect the time and budget to be stretched, as mentioned. However, all the cities selected are beautiful.

Regards,

ComiteVirtute

Paris - Eiffel Tower, Catacombs, Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, d'Orsay
I agree with the person that advised doing picnics at Luxembourg (or Tuileries Gardens).
Well, I would start with Notre Dame+Sainte Chapelle (even more impressing)+ Concergerie (for revolutionary memories...)+ Place Dauphine. Of course you must go to the Louvre, only remember it takes a whole day (or even more...), the same applies for Versailles (once you are there, you want to see M. Antoinette's estate...). In Paris it is wonderful to just stroll around... I, too, advise the Sacre Coeur (and Montmartre) for the sight.
It could be a bit extreme, but at Orsay I would concentrate on Impressionists and "famous ones" (Courbet... Toulouse-Lautrec) but skip a lot. Sure, all is interesting and once you payed the ticket you could feel cheated to miss something... but if you're locked into a museum to look at, say, oil paintings of French Colonialist, in the meanwhile you are not seeing Paris, Place de la Concorde, Place Vendome, Champs Elysees, everything!
Rome - Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, Basilica(s)
This summer is so HOT try for some "fountains' tour", in Rome every major square is blessed with some fountains (some, like Moses fountain and the Four Fountain near S. Carlo, are along the street). Basilica(s): You can't miss St. Peter's (inside: Michelangelo, Raffaello, Bernini), only a warning: St. Peters' = security check = queue (under the colonnade, but always hot); Coliseum = ticket purchase = queue = heat; Forum = open =heat. I think I'd go very early. (Plus, remember in Rome Roman ruins are here and there, say, buildings in Largo Argentina... only without an explanation "lay people" miss a lot...).
You didn't put in your list many famous churches you should see (say, S. Maria della Vittoria, with the Bernini's statue of S. Teresa; the churches with Caravaggio's work - for free, and without queue needed), but any guide could suggest the main ones. You didn't consider Musei Vaticani.... I don't know... there are so many things to see... hard to choose...
Best "unusual" sight if you have a penchant for macabre: the Capuchin Crypt on the Via Veneto (near Bees' Fountain and Tryton Fountain)
There are so many things to see, but as in Paris, take a stroll and you'll find a richness which is lost with a mere list.

Barcelona - Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Beach, Gothic Quarter
Gothic Quarter: it can be seen on late afternoon (to be admitted into churches - beautiful, worth seeing) and at night. Beach: you want to go to the sea or go to Barceloneta (for nightlife)? Parc Guell and Sagrada Familia are a must, but if you can, add visiting Casa Battlò (in the "Block de la Discordia") and Casa Milà (=La Pedrera) which is nearby. Barcelona has many archistars' buildings (beginning with Mies Van der Rohe Pavillion near Montjuic and Poble Espanyol plus Picasso museum and Mirò museum which are wonderful. But the main sights, in my opinion, are Gaudì's.
NB: BEWARE of pickpockets!!! Both at Barcelona (expecially at Magic fountains at Montjuic) and Paris they seem a highly skilled lot, I have personally witnessed people's bags and wallets being stolen by what seemed a magician's trick... I don't know if I express it well... In Rome, they warn you about some buses (number 40, say), anyway I've been there for, like, 100 times and never saw anything like that.
Never been to Munich.
Enjoy yourselves!!!

Deyaa1989

ComiteVirtute,

I took notes of some of the locations and recommendations of Rome for the next trip to Italy in this winter.

Thank you,

LSky

I think nytraveler was right about Berlin, it's a fun city. And it could be relatively cheap. You'll get art, culture, great beer and lots of young people. It's a vibrant city.

If you go to Dresden and at all interested in hiking there are some gorgeous spots in the Saxony region (Saxon Switzerland - Sächsische Schweiz)

You'll be able to eat and sleep cheap wherever you go.

LSky

Oh sorry, I didn't see your last post.

I'd skip Munich, but I've been there a couple of times. It's nice but Berlin is a far more exciting city. With the addition of days, did you also add some more money?

If not, think of Berlin and the addition of Poland or Prague.

Traveling to 4 major cities in different countries will cost more money, plus your days.

You'll always be able to go back. If you get a taste for travel you will find ways. So enjoy yourself wherever you land.

Spain is a good idea too. You can see quite a few cities and eat and drink fairly cheap. Plus the language is easy.