LinnyP

I will be graduating in May (we would want to travel near the end of May, beginning of June... or even later) and want to plan a 4/5 week trip to Europe -- economically of course! Another friend will be accompanying me, and we have some idea where to start researching, but not enough to start making final plans.

A general idea we had was to start in Italy and work our way up. Our mode of transportaion? Train? Car? My experience with renting a car in Italy with my mother was so eventfull I'll never forget it, so I'd like to keep the car renting as minimal as possible!

Are there any websites, sample itneraries, that could help us? Also, suggestions of affordable places to stay would be of great help too.

Cimbrone

I'm not sure I understand. Do you want to spend 4 to 5 weeks using several places across Europe as bases and do some day-hiking from those? Or were you wanting to do some inn to inn hiking as well?

Either way, there is really no need to rent a car. Trains will work just fine for you.

England is the place where hikers (called ramblers) are catered to beautifully. Well-marked paths and inns catering to the many ramblers who use them make it a pleasure. The Cotswolds Way and the Dales Way are two good choices. Scotland and the Lakes District also have many trails.

If this sounds interesting, I'd buy Lonely Planet's Walking in Britain and go from there.

wally34949

Starting in Italy and ending in London makes a lot of sense! Good thinking!

Check out these websites: www.hostelz.com, www.bookhostels.com, www.bugeurope.com

They will give you information about hostels, tours, etc.

I would recommend spending plenty of time in Switzerland. Many tours designed for backpackers include hiking. When you go to www.bookhostels.com, you will see tours. A Eurrail pass is much cheaper if you are under 26. Check out www.raileurope.com for prices of passes.

I can't stress the importance of packing light if you plan to use the trains and do a lot of hiking. Remember, only two pair of pants and two pair of shoes.

Consider purchasing an open-jaw airline ticket, which means fly into Milan, Italy and fly out of either London or Amsterdam. March is a good time to purchase the airline ticket as there are few good deals right now. And remember, Alcohol is free if you are 18 on foreign airlines and it is $5 if you are 21 on U.S. airlines.

altamiro

>England is the place where hikers (called ramblers) are catered to beautifully.

So are Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

I have made the experience that just "hiking" (as opposed to heavy-duty mountaineering), which is a very popular pastime in these three countries, is somewhat... well, not quite usual in France and Italy (except Alsace resp. South Tyrol).

There are long-distance hiking trails (200 km and more) through the Black Forest, where inns have a common program of "hiking without luggage"; you start off with a daypack in one inn/mountain hostel, leave your stuff there and it is transported to your next overnight station. Of course you have to plan it a bit and it's not too cheap.

bigtyke

you can check with the german tourist offices about "wandern ohne gepack" programs where you walk inn to inn and your luggage is transported for you.

In the Black Forest area i believe you can get free public transportation if you stay in a hotel/inn. Check Baqvaria Ben's website for good info on Black forest.

When in Germany, be sure to do at least one 'Volksmarch' - an organized walk of 10-50 km. They are held all over Germany. I have had friends who (when stationed in Germany) did 4 events every weekend for years. see AVA.org and dvv-wandern.de

check with AYH hostel info. Be sure to factor in the inconvenience of hostels when comparing then with inexpensive hotels

LinnyP

Thank you all for your help, this has made my search easier...

Can anyone recommend a good starting point in Italy (preferably more south). This does not have to be hiking related, and if it is, great.