Gretchen

OOPs Janis--I really thought I had done the math better!
C'mon folks--they really cannot do it on that, bottom line.

yoli2013

Switzerland on your budget is out of the question, I would suggest with 2 weeks limiting to 2 countries which will reduce the transportation costs. France & Italy are good if that is what your heart is set on but cheaper Western Europe countries are Spain & Germany. Spain has great castles, churches, museums and a lot of young people; food is great.

michele_d

There is a hostel in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland in the Berner Oberland. It is located right on the main/only street just a couple blocks from the train station. We found it by accident while doing laundry in the front part of the building.

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldet...rbrunnen/25041

I agree with getting Rick Steve's book. He has good budget ideas and a ton of info for newbie travelers. Switzerland is expensive but if you plan to stay maybe three days it will not break your budget. There is a grocery store right across from the hostel and we just purchased picnic items to have for meals. It is a gorgeous area that we highly recommend. Going up to the Jungfrau will break your budget but even without that day trip it is still a beautiful location with some gorgeous hikes.

janisj

>>Yes, I meant $1K each for 2 weeks. We are willing to spend more, but I wanted to see if it was possible to stick around that budget and still have an enjoyable trip. <<

>>I'm fine with paying significantly more than $1,000! <<

You are the one who offered up $1000 (which simply isn't realistic). But now it seems to be a moving target. So what actually IS your budget? 'Significantly more' could mean $1500 (still difficult but semi-doable. Or it could mean $3000 (which is a very comfortable but not posh budget for two weeks)

megalodon

Sorry for the lack of clarity — I would hope to keep my travels under $2,000.

I still have to look into what I would like to do on this trip, but my friend has suggested we look at Lyon, Bern, Interlaken, Jungfrau, Lucerne, Genoa, and Cinque de Terre. (Obviously we can't get to all of these places, but we need to start somewhere!)

michele_d

For Switzerland I would recommend staying in the Berner Oberland, in either Wengen or Lauterbrunnen. This is 20 minutes up the valley from Interlaken. If you only visit one place in Switzerland this would be my choice. The Jungfrau is a mountain you can visit by taking an expensive train to the top, it is not a place that has lodging.

megalodon

Do you recommend going right from Paris to Berner Oberland and then onto one or two locations in northern Italy? Or, is there a location between Paris and Berner Oberland that is worth a stop? What places in Italy make sense when coming from Berner?

Thanks again!

michele_d

I would go straight from Paris to the BO. The TGV is 5 hrs from Paris to Interlaken, then another 30 minutes up the valley to Lauterbrunnen. Since your time is limited I recommend three locations total: Paris, BO and ? in northern Italy. Fly open jaw in to Paris and return from ?

Go onto the http://www.bahn.com/ website. Enter Interlaken as departure and play with other cities you want to visit in Italy. Evaluate the time spent on the train. It will be the better part of a day for each train ride. So there goes two days. Now you are down to 12 days. Three locations at 4 days each would work for a good first trip.

sandralist

Hi,

I wonder why others didn't read your first post as asking for advice as to whether you needed more money than 1,000. That's the way it looked to me. Nothing wrong with having a budget that is flexible or that moves based on what you ultimately want to do. Some people set a budget and pick destinations to fit the budget, Others choose where they want to go and then spend and do what it takes to travel there frugally but enjoyable.

Traveling in the first 2 weeks of August could land you in some very crowded vacation spots when it comes to scenic destinations in the mountains or by the sea. If you put Switzerland in the middle of your trip, and then go to Italy, the shortest route to the prettiest seaside is taking a train from Interlaken to MIlan (approx 4 hours), and then another train to the coast. That is definitely a full day of travel, close to 8 hours. If your trip ends on the Italian coast, flying out of Pisa or Genoa saves you the trouble of going back to Milan.

Another possibility would be to take the train from Paris to Torino (5 hours) and then a train to the coast (3 hours). Then go to Switzerland from there for your last stop and fly out of Switzerland.

Depends on what the best air deals would be.

If you and your friend could give up the idea of going to the beach, you might find it more interesting to visit towns in northern Italy with lots of historic interest, like Verona or Venice, Ferrara and Padova. But they can be quite hot and humid, so if that is going to ruin your mood, then head to the sea.

megalodon

I know I still need to make adjustments (and do much more research!), but which route seems to make more sense?

1. Paris > Lyon > Genoa > Berner Oberland
2. Paris > Berner Oberland > Genoa/Cinque Terre

michele_d

I like the second choice simply because it only involves two days of travel instead of three. The first would involve you heading back out of the BO to a major city in order to fly home, where as from the CT you would only have to head to Pisa.

megalodon

What are some good trips we can make from BO and from CT? I am an avid hiker and was considering hiking through CT — has anyone done this, or can anyone offer advice on this from what they have read? Thanks!

MmePerdu

I also suggest you leave Switzerland off your itinerary. The greater expense of it and the cost involved with moving around aside, I think you'll find more of interest to a young person in France & Italy. Also, a week in France and a week in Italy is still not much time. Give yourself the gift of not trying to see more and seeing less instead.

MmePerdu

In answer to your question regarding the CT, yes, I've hiked those paths, years ago and in March. These days and particularly in August, when so many Europeans are vacationing, do yourself a huge favor, do more research and find yourself some hikes beyond the usual suspects. With so many people following the leader to the well-known and crowded places, you can do much better with just a bit of effort.

PalenQ

We'd prefer to take a train from each location, is a Eurail train pass worth it?>

Depends on how many train trips you take and how long and expensive they are - if you are under 26 you can get a bargain Eurail Youthpass, a 2nd class pass tht lets you chose which trains to take once there, not have to book in stone weeks/months in advance as many discounted online tickets require and then they are train-specific and often can't be changed nor refunded.

Look at a Eurail Select Pass valid in any 4 countries that you want - like France, Italy and Switzerland and throw in one other even if not going there.

For lots of great info on European trains and passes and discounted tickets check these IMO superb sources: www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com - the last site hypes discounted train tickets so is a good source for info on those.

and by all means get a copy of Let's Go Europe - great details on zillions of hostels, youth hotels and budget digs as well as nightlife, etc all written by students your ages for students your ages (amazon.com or any of vanishing bookstores or check one out of your local library).

michele_d

The BO is hiking heaven. All sorts of difficulty levels. We spent a week there and hiked miles every day. You can take the cable cars or trains up the mountains and hike back down. Trummelbach Falls in Lauterbrunnen is astounding. Try hang gliding in the Lauterbrunnen valley or watch the gliders from Murren, high above the valley. No views like it in the world.

PalenQ

I echo michele about the Jungfrau Region in and around Grindelwald, Wengen and Lauterbrunnen/Murren being a hiker's nirvana - from easy flat strolls slike the famous Ridge Walk from The Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg - the most famous and popular walk in the region I guess - views of both the Grindelwald amphitheatre and the deep Lauterbrunnen Valley and front view going towards Kl Scheidegg of the glacier-girdled Jungfrau Massif in all its glory.

Jungfrau Magazine is free at every train station, tourist office and hotel literature rack and has all the trails on it color-coded from easy, to meoderate to challenging - lots of easy to moderate hikes everywhere.

PalenQ

I think for hiking the CT is fine but due to overcrowding Mmd Perdu talks about on main trails there are many many other places for hiking in Italy that may be more calm. The Amalfi Coast has some incredible hikes as does the islands of Capri and Ischia just off shore or hike between hill towns in Tuscany.

But the Berner Oberland in Switzerland just can't be beat for ethereal hikes in astounding scenery.

megalodon

Looked at flight prices today — flying out of any major city in Switzerland is less than half the price of flying out of anywhere near CT (it also would allow for a nice layover in either Iceland or Canada). Looks like I am shifting towards Paris > CT > BO now.

suze

If you end up using Geneva as your airport, the towns of Vevey and Montreux (1 hour outside Geneva) are a very nice place to stop and there are hostels available there. These towns sit right on Lac Leman and are very beautiful.