csk71

Hi guys, I will be going on my first trip to Europe in September for a little over 2 months. This is what I have on my itinerary so far:

Paris: 8 nights
Bruges/Ghent: 4 nights
Amsterdam: 5 nights
Copenhagen: 5 nights
Berlin: 7 nights
Prague: 5 nights
Krakow: 5 nights
Budapest: 7 nights
Vienna: 3 nights
Salzburg: 3 nights
Munich: 4 nights
Venice: 3 nights
Rome: 7 nights

What do you guys think? Is this too ambitious? I will be traveling by rail for the entire trip. I would love to hear your suggestions and thoughts on the itinerary. I am also concerned whether I am allotting enough / too much time on each location, and I would love to hear some feedback. Thank you so much!

nytraveler

Well at least you're not moving every night.

I would give another night to Vienna and another to Venice. Think you can cut one from Salzburg and 1 or 2 from Berlin if you want.

BigAleinstein

You have 14 cities in 60 days. Remember even if the travel time is minimal you will lose time packing, unpacking, checking in and out, getting to and from the train station and waiting time. That said:

Five days in Krakow and seven in Budapest is a lot. If planned strategically you can really cut down on travel time.

janisj

All in all a very nicely paced itinerary. You could add/subtract days here and there but that would just be quibbling.

I personally would add at least a day to Venice and try to fit in a couple of days in Florence - probably by cutting a couple if days from Berlin and one day from maybe Copenhagen or Budapest.

But then it would be my trip

oedipamaas

I think it's great that you have allotted plenty of time for the big cities like Paris, Berlin, and Rome. One thing I would consider - again, my personal preference - would be including more places outside the famous capitals and tourist cities. Yes, you can often visit smaller towns as day trips, but there is a different experience when you stay over in provincial Germany, Hungary, Italy, etc., even for a night or two.

iris1745

Agree, a nicely planned itinerary. And Florence would be a good fit for three days.

Take a day from Paris, Berlin and Budapest for Florence.

My guess is you are backpacking, so you will never be fully unpacked. Then you will lose 1/2 to 3/4 of a day travel between cities.

Looks like a great trip--enjoy.

csk71

Thanks for your replies! I guess the consensus is that 7 is too much for Budapest. I will definitely adjust my itinerary with that in mind. I was actually worried that I am going too slow, so I am glad to hear the pacing is okay.

I am worried that I am focusing too much on major cities. If anyone has any suggestions on smaller towns, nature-oriented locations (hiking, biking, etc.), or just anything to mix up my current itinerary of major European cities, I would love to hear them!

I just couldn't think of any as a first timer, and I figured September - November would be a poor time frame for any outdoor/nature activities. But I'd love to know some if there are any!

csk71

Oh god, Iris thank you for reminding me. And also thanks for your comment!

Yes, this is a backpacking trip! I will be traveling by rail for the entire duration of the trip. I will be staying at youth hostels for most of the time!

Forgot to mention that in my original post; I apologize.

PalenQ

will be traveling by rail for the entire trip- if doing half those places by train then go for some kind of Global Eurailpass that allows you to just hop on any train anytime in every one of your countries except Italy - full and fully flexible individual fares can be dauntingly high so flexibility to hop any trains once there can be priceless - In Italy you'll have to pay 10 euros fee plus using your pass but you can easily get on any train IME - or at least will rarely find all trains full - never has happened in my zillions of years of traveling with passes in Italy.

For lots of great dope on European trains and passes check out these IMO fantastic sources - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com (be sure to download their free andsuperb online European Planning & Rail guide: (http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/si...s/rg011210.pdf) and www.ricksteves.com.

PalenQ

I am worried that I am focusing too much on major cities. If anyone has any suggestions on smaller towns, nature-oriented locations (hiking, biking, etc.), or just anything to mix up my current itinerary of major European cities, I would love to hear them!>

Use those big cities as a base and take the train (or boat or bus) to nearby smaller places or places conducive to great biking - for example from Paris day trip to much smaller regional towns like Chartres or Reims (Champagne swilling from the source!) or the Loire Valley for the day (great mini-bus tours meet folks at Tours' train station, an hour from Paris by bullet-train and take you to some of the most famous Loire chdateaus, etc.

Or from Berlin day trip an hour or so to Lutherstadt-Wittemburg, a neat old town made famous by Martin Luther nailing some demands on the local church door - Luther lived in Wittembourg for several years - lots of Luther-related places but just a sweet old town - or from Berlin day trip to nearby Poland - just over an hour - to see another and very different country!

Base Cities can be used to hop from mega tourist cities to smaller gems or the countryside.

yorkshire

I was thinking it is good you have good stretches in cities, that way you can explore the surroundings (via bus or train) and still have the convenience of staying in big cities.
Do you have a guide book? You can also check online, as any source for info on a city will likely have info on things to do in the vicinity, such as the examples PalenQ provided.

MaloBalo

It seems you simply enjoy staying a bit longer in a city than the average traveller. If you're not explicitly planning on certain day trips, I could see you cutting up to two nights in Paris, Berlin, Krakow and Budapest, and one each in Amsterdam, Rome and Salzburg. That would give you eleven days to allocate elsewhere.

That said, a lot depends on your connections. If you do good on searching suitable overnight trains, connections in the early morning etc., you should not lose too much time in transit.

I second adding Florence in general as it's on your way anyway, but I'd also think about stopping at the Lake Garda en-route to Venice for a night or two.

janisj

I didn't assume you we're spend all the time IN those cities, but were going to do a few day trip out into the countryside. So say 8 days in Paris, but going to chartres for one day and giverney or versailles another day. Still would mean 8 days in Paris. So no, I wouldn't cut it all up and add 11 days in other places. Not having to pack and move so often is an advantage.

oedipamaas

"I am worried that I am focusing too much on major cities. If anyone has any suggestions on smaller towns, nature-oriented locations (hiking, biking, etc.), or just anything to mix up my current itinerary of major European cities, I would love to hear them!

I just couldn't think of any as a first timer, and I figured September - November would be a poor time frame for any outdoor/nature activities. But I'd love to know some if there are any!"

Well, there really are so many options. The way I find ideas is to get a good country specific guidebook and read up on towns and areas you might not have heard of before. I can toss out some places I've found worth visiting near your cities, in no particular order: Haarlem (Netherlands), Pecs (Hungary), Olomouc (Czech Rep), Regensburg (Germany), Laon (France), Aero (Denmark). Others may have different opinions and preferences.

If you are wanting to do some hiking, then September can actually be a good time, but you would have to arrange your itinerary order accordingly. I think hut-to-hut hiking in the Alps is an amazing experience. If that appeals to you, you could start your trip in Italy and look for hiking possibilities in the Dolomites (Italy), the Julian Alps (Slovenia), Tyrol or Salzburgerland (Austria). The Czech Republic and Germany can be terrific places to cycle, with a good network of bike paths and a developed cycling culture.

The advantage of using major cities as bases is that rail connections are frequent and you won't have to check in/out of accommodation as often. The advantage of spending a couple of nights here or there in smaller places is that accommodation is often cheaper and you see a different side of these towns after the day trippers are gone. It's also usually easier to get immersed in the national language and culture.

bobthenavigator

My suggestion is to spend half of your time in OTHER than big cities if you hope to see Europe. Holler if you want to know the best regions.

csk71

Wow thanks all for the great suggestions! I will definitely take all these suggestions into account when rearranging my itinerary. I am already noting these smaller day trip locations as I type. I think the whole base city/day trip thing is a great idea. I do wonder, however, whether these smaller cities will have suitable lodging arrangements. As I had mentioned above, I will be staying at low-budget youth hostels for the duration of this trip, and a quick search on hostelworld.com is not really yielding much options for some of these smaller cities. I am sure there are hotels and such, but given my budget, I am not sure if I would be able to afford some of them. Part of the reason I was focusing on cities is also the fact that hostels are aplenty! But in any case, thanks so much for the suggestions. I am going to do more research on these locales once I get my guidebooks from the store!

oedipamaas

I would recommend two resources. First, a site like booking.com will often have budget accommodations including hostels and guest houses. For instance, in Pecs, you can stay for 10 euros a night.

Second, the Lonely Planet guidebooks often focus on budget accommodations and attractions. Like I say, country-specific ones are better - if you need to economize, check out a library or actually I find previous editions just fine and dirt cheap online.

iris1745

do not discount booking.com in any of the cities you will be visiting.

KL467

You have a nice itinerary. I recommend adding at least one night in Vienna and decreasing the nights in Budapest and Berlin. I would definitely add Florence.

BigAleinstein

Time Out has sites for some your stops not all. They are uber hip and list the events of the week plus standard sights and restaurants.

Here is Amsterdam for example:

http://www.timeout.com/amsterdam/