madscds

Hi!!

A friend and I are planning to go interrailing summer 2017 and I'm concerned that we have too many stops, we are attempting to take as many couchette trains as possible. I understand that people say to 'keep flexible you never know who you might meet' however I will be moving to the USA in the autumn and this may be my last opportunity to see Europe. We are both very regimented and can keep to a schedule, but is this just too manic? We literally just want to walk around these cities, see the architecture/churches and maybe pop into a few museums. Thank you!!!!

Plan:
Athens - 2 days
*fly to Naples so our pass doesn't start until then
Capri - 1 day
Naples - 1 day
Rome - 2 days
Milan - 1 day
Cinque Terre - 1 day (also is this worth doing in the peak of summer??)
Vienna - 2 days
Prague - 1 day
Budapest - 2 days
Krakow - 2 days
Berlin - 2 days
Copenhagen - 1 day
Amsterdam - 2 days
Barcelona - 2 days
Madrid - 2 days
Lisbon - 2 days
Porto - 2 days

PalenQ

. We are both very regimented and can keep to a schedule, but is this just too manic?>

Sticking to schedules ain't the problem- you will be spending about half of your daytime travel time on trains - I only see six possible night trains on your route (and night trains are being axed all the time - like none to Copenhagen from Germany anymore or Copenhagen to Amsterdam or Germany).

Berlin to Copenhagen takes most of a day - ditto from there to Amsterdam - you will only see Copenhagen train station and a night in a hostel there.

Put one travel day at least in between each 1 day stop (perhaps you have but that is not clear from your post)- and really bopping around say Barcelona or Amsterdam or Berlin can be fun - really youth-oriented places- check out youth hotels as well as hostels.

anyway really need to pare down a bit - that is an impossible just yes too manic itinerary.

Could drop 2 days in Athens and Spain except Barcelona.

anyway for loads of great info on trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. Let's Go Europe is a guidebook that contains tons of useful stuff for your type travels -especially on low-cost hostels and hotels (in some countries it may be as cheap for 2 in one budget hotel room as two individual hostel fees).

MmePerdu

When I see "too much?" in the title, I know you already know it's too much.

I'd start by cutting the number of stops in half. Pick your favorites that make sense moving one to the next, then consider several days at each including day trips to smaller nearby towns. If you want a real feel for Europe, as Rory Stewart would say it's "The Places in Between" (one of my favorite books).

Don't ruin a perfectly good trip just because it won't cost any more.

Kathie

When you say one day - are you aware that it takes two nights in a place to get one full day?

Yes, I think you have way too many destinations and as a result will see nothing but the inside of train cars.

Drop CT - goggle for images of CT in the summer.

Sassafrass

Have you accounted for travel time?

You do realize that to have one whole day in a place, you need two nights?

Have you checked that overnight trains are even available for most of your trips?
When the distance is short, only two or three hours by train, it may not be worth it to try and sleep in overnight trains, plus there may not even be any. What do you do with your time and luggage when a train arrives at dawn with not much open yet?
It might even be better to make your trip shorter, and save time by taking some short flights.

Where are you coming from?

Are you staying in hostels?

You are kind of zigzagging all over, back and forth. Look at maps and rail distances. It seems strange to go from Rome to Milan and back to CT, which will be crazy crowded in Summer. You are skipping right by Florence and going to Milan. It seems odd to fly from Berlin to Copenhagen and back to Amsterdam. I can only assume you have researched and have reasons for those choices.

Besides just walking around, is there actually nothing you feel is important enough that you really want to see it?

Lay out your trip very carefully and completely day by day and include travel time. Allow time for getting to train stations and getting to hotels or hostels, etc.

Day 1, depart from home
Day 2, arrive Athens, check into hostel or hotel, 1/2 day of sightseeing
Day 3, Athens
Day 4, Travel from Athens to Naples, 1/2 day, 1/2 day for sightseeing
Day 5, day trip by ferry to Capri, return to Naples
Day 6, Naples, 3/4 day, evening train to Rome (Pompeii?)
Day 7, Rome, whole day
Day 8, Rome, whole day
Day 9, Travel to (Milan or CT, etc?) will take at least 1/2 day!, so no more than 1/2 day of sightseeing
Day 10, (?) whole day of sightseeing
Day 11, Travel to ? (1/2 day)
Etc.

janisj

The plan is total insanity and a waste of a huge amount of time and money.

You will see next t nothing except trains and train stations.

marvelousmouse

I just spent 5 days in Rome...pretty much just walking around and popping into a few museums. 2 days is insufficient. I love the trains but not enough to spend that kind of time on them. That trip is going to be nothing but a blur.

And just because you are moving to the states does not mean you can't ever come back.

Edward2005

You're high as a kite if you think you can do 17 cities in 27 days, especially ones as geographically distant as these. I wouldn't try it even if someone else were paying the bills.

Cut the number of destinations in half. Then halve that. 4 or 5 locations in 4 weeks would be awesome.

travelhorizons

This is crazy busy...

Athens - 2 days
*fly to Naples so our pass doesn't start until then
Capri - 1 day
Naples - 1 day
Rome - 2 days
Milan - 1 day
Cinque Terre - 1 day (also is this worth doing in the peak of summer??)
Vienna - 2 days
Prague - 1 day
Budapest - 2 days
Krakow - 2 days
Berlin - 2 days
Copenhagen - 1 day
Amsterdam - 2 days
Barcelona - 2 days
Madrid - 2 days
Lisbon - 2 days
Porto - 2 days

You're seeing places, "doing" places in the parlance of some, but not really experiencing much of anything except seeing the countryside outside the window of a train. You will be tired, frustrated, and disappointed at the end of this vacation.

27 days? I agree with Edward2005. 4 or 5 destinations would be a great trip.

janisj

>>I agree with Edward2005. 4 or 5 destinations would be a great trip.<<

6 max - which would still be pretty busy when you factor in travel time. So basically pick about 1/3 of your wish list and eliminate the rest.

PalenQ

29 days - I'd say you are fine with a fast paced trip and at your age go for it (most of us here are old fogeys who can't remember that we also traveled fast -well most of us -when we were young.)

Not every stop demands more than one full day there but major cities like Rome, Berlin, etc should be one day getting there and two full days there at least.

Maybe 8 different bases -with some 1 day and some 3 days and yes trim some outliers like Athens, Copenhagen and Portugal.

Each person here has a subjective take on this -no one is right or wrong of course and each expresses their reasons - but this is my opinion- based in part on my first trip to Europe exactly at your age - with a Youth Eurailpass long before yous were born.

Jean

If you want to salvage some of this Big City tour, there are places I'd eliminate to save time in detours. It still wouldn't be my kind of trip, but it would be a bit more efficient.

I'd drop both Milan and the CT. They draw you northwest of Rome when your greater interest appears to be more northeast. The CT will be buried in tourists, and, as others have pointed out, you're traveling a long time to have just a few hours of sightseeing. Depending on your dates, there may be an overnight train from Rome to Vienna with one change at Padova. Departs 7:50p, arrives 8:46a. Otherwise, look for a cheap flight.

Skip Prague. A few hours there isn't worth the travel time from Vienna and then onward to Budapest.

Same argument for skipping Copenhagen.

Fly Amsterdam-Barcelona. If you get more comfortable with the skipping idea, drop Amsterdam and fly Berlin-Barcelona.

A couple of things to consider when embarking on such a fast-paced trip... A transportation strike or long delay anywhere could blow up the rest of the itinerary. If you have lodging reservations everywhere (which I recommend in high-season summer), you risk losing money for any no-shows. On the mundane level, in a month-long trip in summer, you need to plan/schedule when you'll do laundry (or pay someone else to do it) at least 3-4 times. Or possibly more often if you intend to pack very light, which IMO is a necessity in a trip like this.

pbal

My two bits cos I've been planning a multi-destination trip too recently, also relying on night trains and have had to prune my itinerary as several night trains have been cut.

In fact, several were axed just last month - so you really need to forget all that you remember about friends who did a particular night trip and re-learn which connections are actually active.

With OBB taking over several of the DB night trains - you are in luck because several of the destinations you mention (in Austria, Hungary, Czech Rep., Poland) are now likely connected by night trains - but you really should check your assumptions.

Berlin to Copenhagen seems a long way to go to spend just a day - there must be a night bus via Hamburg covered under your Interrail pass - but it probably does not run all the days of the week. And the journey to Amsterdam that very evening might be tough - cos of too many changes.

There might be plenty to do in Amsterdam and Rotterdam area that should be engaging and fun for another day!

Robert2016

If you have to ask, then yes, it's too much. It pretty much becomes a waste of time and money.

PalenQ

Less can be more! More or less.

AJPeabody

What happens when your one day in X is Sunday and everything is closed? Or Monday when all the museums and official sites are closed. Or it rains and you don't want to . . .?