Hi

I am a 50yr old female looking for a first trip away from the states and Caribbean. I am going by myself...inexpensive lodging and meals...looking for architecture, peace, beauty and people watching...I only speak English ; (

Leaving from NY...1-2 weeks depending on cost...mid Oct.-Nov.?? 2010

Thanks so much for your help!!

If solo i would go by train and if going to the famous tourist places you've dreamt about going to all your life - Paris, Rome, etc then also i'd go by train as cars in cities like that are IMO a complete hassle.

Anyway for someone who may be clueless about the European train system i always spotlight these great info-laden sites for planning such a trip: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter's free and superb IMO European Planning & Rail Guide for possible itineraries by train, etc.

And you may want to indicate here something more specific - what countries appeal most to you - in autumn i would try to go to more warm places like Italy - though you could start in say Paris and go thru Switzerland and end up in Rome - flying open-jaw into say London - take the Chunnel train to Paris and then take the train to Switzerland - the Interlaken area and the Jungfrau Region that lies just to south of it is IMO the absolute highlight of Switzerland and its majestic glacier-girdled Alpine peaks - then train to Venice, Florence and end in Rome. For only two weeks you would have to pare some places from that, like say London and perhaps Venice, etc.

Thanks so much! I'll start investigating. Other than flight what would you ballpark the range of cost of this trip?

Depending on the city or if you stay in smaller towns, the hotels can range from 26€ per night in small towns and up in the cities. I travel solo a lot and I stay in 2*-3*. the 26€ was in Mittenwald, Germany. 46€ per night n St. Gilgen, Austria. I think Ira has a good recommendation for Salzburg which I might try next year. I'm thinking it was about 30€ single per night. In Paris 106€ for a single for Hotel Bonaparte in the 6th. Venice is expensive. You can find rooms for about any budget. I have found Germany and Austria to be the most reasonably priced hotels. Can't help you with a budget for food, because I eat mostly junk.

The English thing is not totally in the way as in the main tourist zones there is lots of English spoken. However if you want English very easy to access then you would look at Holland, UK, Ireland, Denmark--ish. Trouble is that far north the weather will be cold and probably damp. Hence time waling around will be a bit uncomfortable.

If you want it warm at that time then Southern Spain/Portugal, France, Italy, Turkey is the place and of those Southern Spain and France would be the best, but basically its not the main cities you might want to see.

Using the train system is so easy in Europe and for a single person it is so affective.

If it were me (and I'm 50, white, male and british) I'd look at the central zones of

Paris, Amsterdam, Bruges, possibly London. I might try of 5 days paris, 2 Bruges and 5 days Amsterdam.

For a first trip to Europe, by yourself, and leaving possibly in about 3 weeks - you do mean 2010? I'd choose a simple itinerary, that includes not much moving from place to place, and if you're traveling, probably by train, direct trips with no connections.

Paris has great architecture, beauty and people-watching. You could spend your entire time here, with day trips to all sorts of locations. Or an overnight or two somewhere else, though given the time of year, maybe not. Keep the weather in mind, though.

Or Florence and Rome, where it will be a bit warmer, but also with great architecture, beauty and people-watching. It's easy to take the train between the two. And of course, you could travel to other sites or cities nearby, such as Pisa, Lucca, Siena, Bologna, even Venice, though it is expensive.

There's a huge ranges to prices of everything, of course, but ballpark, you could say it would be 100-150€ for single rooms in hotels with good locations (such at Hotel Bonaparte in Paris, mentioned above). Add in some amount for whatever museums you'd go to. Add in something for transportation, public, such as buses or the metro, though we rarely take either of them anywhere, generally preferring to walk.

Food, we spend more than most people on food, so I can't help a lot. But if you're accustomed to a light breakfast, a croissant and coffee sort of thing, then it would be about 3-5€. Some hotels include breakfast - but be careful, make sure it's actually included in the price. In France, as I understand it, hotels are required to make it be optional. Most breakfasts at hotels are more expensive than what you'd pay at a cafe.

For lunch and dinner, it's possible to eat well but cheaply. In Italy, there are tons of pizzerias (yum), but also places where you can get pizza by the slice. Also, I noticed the last time we were in Rome, a number of cheap places offering a set meal of main course, pasta and drink for 10-15€. Probably not the best quality, but you'd be in Rome! In Paris, there are lots of places that offer food to go, that you could eat in your room. Not fast food (though they do have those, too), but prepared main course items. And cheese and bread is always a wonderful option! In France, many restaurants have set menus, where you'd pay, for example, 25€ or 35€, and get 2 or 3 courses, with a choice between two or three items for each course. Those tend to be a really good deal, and even expensive restaurants offer them.

With one week, I'd stick to one or two cities relatively close together - for example London and Paris. Actually, with two weeks it wouldn't be a bad idea to do the same thing, folding in a day-trip or two per city to broaden your experience. With two weeks, you could also plan three major cities - say London, Paris, and Rome, taking the Chunnel between London and Paris and flying by budget airline from Paris to Rome. If you do that itinerary with an 'open-jaw' ticket, into London and home from Rome, it would be an efficient and very rewarding trip.

Thanks so much everyone! Great info which is most appreciated. It's interesting everyone has the same thoughts on general areas.

Any thoughts on Portugal?

oops I meant Barcelona...

I've been to Europe solo a few times. I pick two cities and travel by train between them. Try to fly into one, and out of the other.

I think that's the easiest trip to plan and do... say combinations like: Amsterdam/London, Amsterdam/Paris, Paris/Venice, Venice/Geneva are ones I have experience with.

I think you need to budget at least $100/night for a hotel and $50-100/day for the rest of your expenses (food, drinks, snacks, admissions, local transportation, entertainment, shopping).

Nothing wrong with Spain and Portugal but I think they are a bit more difficult to plan and harder to get around then the places I mentioned above.

I think Barcelona would be a fabulous choice for a solo one week trip. If you do have only 1 week, just go there. Plenty to see and do and (again as above) that makes for an easier trip to implement (& since you don't have a lot of time to plan)

Have you seen the movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona? If not, watch it. You'll be buying a ticket pronto.

You're talking about leaving in three or four weeks? And you haven't bought a ticket? And budget is a concern? Then for starters I'd check prices to the main cities: London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon. If one is significantly cheaper then let that be your deciding factor since you don't seem to care where you go. They are all "worth" going to, and you will probably enjoy all of them. Try kayak.com for airfare comparisons.

If you decide on one week then pick one city, and maybe do a few day trips. If you decide on two weeks then pick two or three cities. If you can get two weeks I would definitely pick that over one week. The airfare will be the same regardless so your "daily rate" will be less (more bang for your buck). Also, it takes some people a while to get acclimated to travel and being someplace new so with only one week you may spend half your trip just getting your feet wet.

London and Paris are classic first time destinations and for good reason - they are very easy to do without a lot of planning, speaking only English is not an issue (even in Paris), there are a zillion guide books, etc. But Italy or Spain will be a bit warmer and are almost as easy. But remember days are pretty short in Europe at that time of year - by November it will be getting dark by 4 or 5pm and not light out till after 8am.

Once you buy your plane ticket post a new question on the cities you are visiting and you will get lots of suggestions.

isabel makes a VERY good point. since budget is a consideration, why not start with pricing plane tickets to your top 4-5 destination possibilities? checking availability and flights (are there any nonstops?).

i also agree definitely make the trip 2 weeks if you can afford it. your biggest single expense is the plane ticket, so why not stay longer if you can manage it? i'd do 2 weeks and 2 cities myself.

Barcelona is very nice but second tier to Paris or London. There are some good train journeys from Barcelona to wineries and the beach. I've spent a good week in Barcelona and enjoyed it, we stayed in the hotel Windsor (which is central and cheap) with an indenpendant breakfast bar just downstairs. Staff were very nice.

We took a lot of buses after buying the local week long ticket.

Hi All,

Thank you so much for the input. I have miles I can use for the air! I think maybe it's a good point to maybe stay in one area with possible day trips. Unsure of which possibility as yet.

Rome 6 or 7 nights + Venice 3/4 nights
or
Paris 7 nights + Amsterdam 3 nights

Have fun!

I think that budget accomodations are easier to be found in Spain due to the huge number of hostals. These are not youth hostels, but (usually) small hotels which lack some amneties of their big cousins and come in 1 to 3 star quality levels. Especially for a solo traveller, a good hostal can offer the upside of getting to know other people easier than at the Holiday Inn because you often have shared facilities like a lounge room or communal kitchen. Single rooms start as low as 20-30 Euros a night, sometimes even with en-suite bathroom at that price level.

Barcelona will be a good choice in fall with temps in the 70s mostly, esp. the sooner you can go now. Some rain must always be factored in around the Mediterranean, though, so don't expect Carribean style picture perfect beach weather.

"English only" is no real problem in Barcelona. The city has massive numbers of tourists from all over Europe (and the world), and during my last five or so visits to BCN, I hardly ever had a problem with communicating in English. In fact, I do speak some basic Spanish and ten phrases of Catalan, but most Barcelones preferred and easily switched to English rather than having to deal with my rustic Castellano

As much as I like Barcelona, it would not be my first suggestion for the serious museum lover. The choice is fine for the usual suspects (Picasso, Miro, Dali), but the museums are not in the same league as the famous "big ones" in Paris, London, or Madrid.

For day trips, BCN offers a wide range of (mostly inexpensive) day trips with public transport, i.e. to Montserrat monestary, the Roman remains in Tarragona, small picture postcard towns or villages like Vic, or the nearby wine region of the Penedes.

From my subjective point of view, Barcelona is a destination with a certain vibe, not as busy or hectic (or even geographically huge) as Paris or London, but more a place where you start to "hang loose" if you stay long enough.

Barcelona is not an overall cheap destination, but once you found an inexpensive accomodation, you can live happily on a budget. There are no places (with the possible exception of 5* hotel cafe-bars) where you get charged $10 for a cup of coffee just because you have a great view. And if you skip the "top 5" tapas bars, you can stuff yourself with as little as €10 (incl. one beer or wine).

For people watching it is definetely a good location, either in the old town, the market halls, the big shopping boulevards, or the smaller neighborhoods like Gracia which have more a feel of a small slow-paced town within the bigger city.

The usual disclaimer on BCN or Madrid would be that both destination have a certain reputation for pickpockets, so it does not hurt to pay some extra attention to that and not waltz around the city carelessly with lots of cash, passport, and all credit cards in easy "reach".

Cowboy is spot on about Barcelona

What about Portugal? Even though you re-wrote you meant Barcelona

But if cost-conscious and weather-conscious Portugal in late fall could be a great choice. IME more affordable than Spain and there is more than enough to do in a week or two - i'd do three bases - Porto, Lisbon and one in between these cities like in Nazare, an old fishing town where the day's catch is still grilled in streets and sold to passersby. From there you can do great easy day trips to Batalha monastery and Alcbaca monastery and perhaps Coimbra, another really neat town.

So if budget is a matter consider Portugal - well not only for budgetary reasons - research those places and see why.

IMO - easy day trips to Sintra and its fairy-tale castles, Evora, Obidos and others

Porto is to me what European cities looked like say 30-40 years ago - old-world charm and an ABC - Another Bloody Church city with churches dazzingly decorated with brown-hued azulejo (sp?) tiles.

sweet day trips from Porto go to the Duoro River wine region, Braga and Gimares to start