Suggested Itineraries for 14 days to London, Paris, Madrid & Barcelona
Jan 5th, 2012, 08:12 PM
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Suggested Itineraries for 14 days to London, Paris, Madrid & Barcelona
My husband and I are planning a vacation to Europe this May or June; it will be my first time to Europe and his third. We've narrowed down what cities we'd like to visit and would like some ideas on possible itineraries [e.g., # of days, places to visit, transportation/lodging options, etc.]. Budget is a consideration [typical vacation for us is about $2000/person all inclusive]. Any ideas are welcome!
Jan 5th, 2012, 08:20 PM
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I suggest you narrow the trip to two or three places. Remember you lose a lot of time every day you move. Having spent considerable time in each, I would eliminate Madrid unless you are artists or art historians then the three major museums are worth the trip.
Jan 5th, 2012, 10:00 PM
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No doubt you've looked into open-jaw filghts, that is fly into, say, London and out of Madrid? If not, do so as that will make the most of your 14 days. They are usually more expensive, but if you add the cost of a flight back to your original point of entry for a flight home, plus the extra travel time, it can be worth it.
The time spent in each city will depend on what you both want to see and do. London for 4 days, ditto for Paris (with no day trips), Barcelona for 2 days and Madrid for 3 (poss. with one day trip). Hard to recommend exact time without knowing your interests, but you get the idea of how much decent time you can spend in each city within the 14 days you have. If you can drop one city as suggested, the of course you can add more time to the other destinations, but if you want those 4 cities in the time you have then understand that you'll not be able to see everything - good excuse to go back I guess!
Sticking with the four cities:
London to Paris I would book the Eurostar well ahead of time (3months out is good) for good prices.
Paris to Barcelona - budget flights with Vueling or Easyjet. Just look for flights out of CDG or Orly (not Beauvais) and into Barcelona (BCN) rather than Girona as you'll save time.
Barcelona to Madrid - the fast train (AVE) is the way to go. Around 2hr45-3hrs and you're there.
As far as itineraries in each city, you'll have to let us know what your interest are. Otherwise, have a read of the city guides on Fodors as well as doing a little Googling on each city. Make a list of what sounds interesting and read up on them a little more - that will give you things you should see as they sound interesting to you.
Accommodation - even though you've given your overall budget, it would be good to know how much you'd like to spend per night on accommodation, what type of accommodation you prefer (hotel, hostel, B&B) etc.
The time spent in each city will depend on what you both want to see and do. London for 4 days, ditto for Paris (with no day trips), Barcelona for 2 days and Madrid for 3 (poss. with one day trip). Hard to recommend exact time without knowing your interests, but you get the idea of how much decent time you can spend in each city within the 14 days you have. If you can drop one city as suggested, the of course you can add more time to the other destinations, but if you want those 4 cities in the time you have then understand that you'll not be able to see everything - good excuse to go back I guess!
Sticking with the four cities:
London to Paris I would book the Eurostar well ahead of time (3months out is good) for good prices.
Paris to Barcelona - budget flights with Vueling or Easyjet. Just look for flights out of CDG or Orly (not Beauvais) and into Barcelona (BCN) rather than Girona as you'll save time.
Barcelona to Madrid - the fast train (AVE) is the way to go. Around 2hr45-3hrs and you're there.
As far as itineraries in each city, you'll have to let us know what your interest are. Otherwise, have a read of the city guides on Fodors as well as doing a little Googling on each city. Make a list of what sounds interesting and read up on them a little more - that will give you things you should see as they sound interesting to you.
Accommodation - even though you've given your overall budget, it would be good to know how much you'd like to spend per night on accommodation, what type of accommodation you prefer (hotel, hostel, B&B) etc.
Jan 6th, 2012, 04:20 AM
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Your typical budget for past vacations will probably not suffice for a European one unless you have gotten some deals somewhere/how.
1. Have you looked at flight/transportation costs? Depending on exactly when and where, your $2000 could get almost used up simply by getting there and back. Of course, you may have FF miles, or have found a bargain, or something, but transcontinental flights can be $$$$$$$$
2. You don't say how long you have. So hard to suggest much helpful. And of course the longer you stay the more $$$ You may have to work really hard searching or use bidding things like Priceline or stay longer term in maybe an apartment or something to hold housing costs around $100 per night. I know there may be a rash of responses to this assertion--of course there are exceptions and ways to cut hotel costs, but I'm just saying that rooms cost--and if you are planning to stay 10 days to 2 weeks at the minimum, well, that alone could use up at least $2000.
3. And then there's local transport, admission tickets/etc., and oh, yeah, food, which even if you eat really cheap and even cook some on your own, will cost some.
And you say what countries, but not what cities---?? I adore London--you could just stay there and see some other parts of the UK via public transport and stay a week or 2 or a month and not run out of stuff. I am going (with hubby) to Barcelona/Tarragona for 8 days in November and having fun planning that, but I don't have personal experience there (although we are going partly because hubby's brief experience in that area on a business trip was positive). It is hard to say much else about specifics until you say what you are wanting/thinking.
And you may get widely varying suggestions here about where to go and how long to stay there. There is something to be said for both staying several days, even a week or more, in one place (and maybe taking a few day trips) as well as for moving from place to place. We've done both in the UK--one fabulous 2 week stay in London with 5 day trips via train/bus and one 13 day trip to the UK which had 4 days in London and then 9 days of car travel staying in a different city/town every night. Both were terrific and fit what we wanted each year. So......
For a first trip, if you decide you really can afford it, I'd urge at least 2 weeks and no more than 3 cities. Even just 2 would be great--as from hubs you can take day trips via local transport and not use time up moving from place to place. If you are in a car, then changing accomodations takes up time but not a whole lot more than the actual time traveling point to point. But if you are traveling via public transport, then travel days often leave little or no time for seeing anything in the new destination.
So come back with a few more specifics and you will get some more suggestions, probably. (If you come back with a really really busy, full itinerary, or one that hops around all over the map, you will get some negative feedback. As I said above, my family did a really busy driving loop of the UK with much success, despite some suggestions from here not to do it, but it was a reasonable plan in the end, just a busy one. Travel in Europe, whether by public transport or via a rental car, takes more (sometimes much more) time than travel in the US.)
1. Have you looked at flight/transportation costs? Depending on exactly when and where, your $2000 could get almost used up simply by getting there and back. Of course, you may have FF miles, or have found a bargain, or something, but transcontinental flights can be $$$$$$$$
2. You don't say how long you have. So hard to suggest much helpful. And of course the longer you stay the more $$$ You may have to work really hard searching or use bidding things like Priceline or stay longer term in maybe an apartment or something to hold housing costs around $100 per night. I know there may be a rash of responses to this assertion--of course there are exceptions and ways to cut hotel costs, but I'm just saying that rooms cost--and if you are planning to stay 10 days to 2 weeks at the minimum, well, that alone could use up at least $2000.
3. And then there's local transport, admission tickets/etc., and oh, yeah, food, which even if you eat really cheap and even cook some on your own, will cost some.
And you say what countries, but not what cities---?? I adore London--you could just stay there and see some other parts of the UK via public transport and stay a week or 2 or a month and not run out of stuff. I am going (with hubby) to Barcelona/Tarragona for 8 days in November and having fun planning that, but I don't have personal experience there (although we are going partly because hubby's brief experience in that area on a business trip was positive). It is hard to say much else about specifics until you say what you are wanting/thinking.
And you may get widely varying suggestions here about where to go and how long to stay there. There is something to be said for both staying several days, even a week or more, in one place (and maybe taking a few day trips) as well as for moving from place to place. We've done both in the UK--one fabulous 2 week stay in London with 5 day trips via train/bus and one 13 day trip to the UK which had 4 days in London and then 9 days of car travel staying in a different city/town every night. Both were terrific and fit what we wanted each year. So......
For a first trip, if you decide you really can afford it, I'd urge at least 2 weeks and no more than 3 cities. Even just 2 would be great--as from hubs you can take day trips via local transport and not use time up moving from place to place. If you are in a car, then changing accomodations takes up time but not a whole lot more than the actual time traveling point to point. But if you are traveling via public transport, then travel days often leave little or no time for seeing anything in the new destination.
So come back with a few more specifics and you will get some more suggestions, probably. (If you come back with a really really busy, full itinerary, or one that hops around all over the map, you will get some negative feedback. As I said above, my family did a really busy driving loop of the UK with much success, despite some suggestions from here not to do it, but it was a reasonable plan in the end, just a busy one. Travel in Europe, whether by public transport or via a rental car, takes more (sometimes much more) time than travel in the US.)
Jan 6th, 2012, 05:38 AM
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Does your 14 days include the day you travel to Europe and the day you return home? If it does, then you really only have 12 days on the ground for sightseeing. And if you include all these cities, you lose about 3 days traveling from city to city. You may have part of an afternoon & evening on the day you arrive in each city, but it is still rushed. Even if the 14 days excludes travel to and from Europe, you will only have roughly 11 full days for sightseeing if you stick with this itinerary. I do agree with Adu that you should eliminate at least one city.
One suggestion might be to eliminate London on this trip (unless it is a must for both you and your husband). This way you get to see 2 Spanish cities, which I understand are very different from each other (I've only been to Barcelona) & I think it might be easier to get from Barcelona to Madrid by the train. (no hassle with airports). Then from there fly to Paris.
As a reference point, we spent 5 days in Barcelona in October 2010, and did not see everything. If you spend only 2 days in Barcelona, you won't see much at all. IMO, it's not worth it unless as someone else posted, you just want a taste of each city to determine where you might want to return.
One suggestion might be to eliminate London on this trip (unless it is a must for both you and your husband). This way you get to see 2 Spanish cities, which I understand are very different from each other (I've only been to Barcelona) & I think it might be easier to get from Barcelona to Madrid by the train. (no hassle with airports). Then from there fly to Paris.
As a reference point, we spent 5 days in Barcelona in October 2010, and did not see everything. If you spend only 2 days in Barcelona, you won't see much at all. IMO, it's not worth it unless as someone else posted, you just want a taste of each city to determine where you might want to return.
Jan 6th, 2012, 07:48 AM
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<<Barcelona to Madrid - the fast train (AVE) is the way to go. Around 2hr45-3hrs and you're there.>>
Not necessarily - the train is often more expensive than a hop on a Vueling or FlyEurope flight.
<<You don't say how long you have. >>
OP has 14 days, says so in the title.
First, decide why you want to go to these places other than "they're in Europe" or "we can get direct flights from the US." You like castles and palaces, shows, history, museums, architecture, shopping, big cities where people speak languages other than English, or what? Figure out why you want to go to X and you can prioritize.
For a 14 day trip, pick three places maximum, not four. Best bet would really be a week each in London and Paris OR a week each in Madrid (with day trip to Toledo and possible overnight to Cordoba; skip Segovia) and Barcelona (with day trip to Montserrat and/or Girona). Assuming you're relatively young (e.g., not > 50) you'll have time for more trips in the future.
You could get decent prices on apartments for staying a week in each place and can easily drop your outlay to about $1700 total, or less, for the two apartments (for Barcelona, look for companies listed on APARTUR.com; for London, www.aplacelikehome.co.uk is one of many sites). You'll be hard-pressed to do that in hotels if you want anything above semi-dump. It's easier to meet your budget in an apartment because you can eat in, but in London there are the most options for eating well and inexpensively; in Paris, food quality tracks price more closely; in Madrid and Barcelona, you can eat well for not too much, but you'll pay in Euros what you'd normally pay in dollars so that's a 30% bump in pricing due to the exchange rate.
Finally, get a credit union or Capital One bank account AND credit card for use in Europe. For a credit union, make sure it does not charge foreign exchange fees; the Cap One cards do not. This will save you 3% or more over your normal Visa/MC. And NEVER pay in dollars in Europe when offered (aka Dynamic Currency Exchange) because it is always more expensive than paying in the local wampum.
Not necessarily - the train is often more expensive than a hop on a Vueling or FlyEurope flight.
<<You don't say how long you have. >>
OP has 14 days, says so in the title.
First, decide why you want to go to these places other than "they're in Europe" or "we can get direct flights from the US." You like castles and palaces, shows, history, museums, architecture, shopping, big cities where people speak languages other than English, or what? Figure out why you want to go to X and you can prioritize.
For a 14 day trip, pick three places maximum, not four. Best bet would really be a week each in London and Paris OR a week each in Madrid (with day trip to Toledo and possible overnight to Cordoba; skip Segovia) and Barcelona (with day trip to Montserrat and/or Girona). Assuming you're relatively young (e.g., not > 50) you'll have time for more trips in the future.
You could get decent prices on apartments for staying a week in each place and can easily drop your outlay to about $1700 total, or less, for the two apartments (for Barcelona, look for companies listed on APARTUR.com; for London, www.aplacelikehome.co.uk is one of many sites). You'll be hard-pressed to do that in hotels if you want anything above semi-dump. It's easier to meet your budget in an apartment because you can eat in, but in London there are the most options for eating well and inexpensively; in Paris, food quality tracks price more closely; in Madrid and Barcelona, you can eat well for not too much, but you'll pay in Euros what you'd normally pay in dollars so that's a 30% bump in pricing due to the exchange rate.
Finally, get a credit union or Capital One bank account AND credit card for use in Europe. For a credit union, make sure it does not charge foreign exchange fees; the Cap One cards do not. This will save you 3% or more over your normal Visa/MC. And NEVER pay in dollars in Europe when offered (aka Dynamic Currency Exchange) because it is always more expensive than paying in the local wampum.
Jan 6th, 2012, 09:02 AM
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Sorry, but $2000 is just not going to be adequate. Airfare alone will likely come to that or more. Fourteen nights in even the cheapest accommodations will be about $1400. Meals, even if items picked up from a supermarket, probably $50 a day. And that doesn't even begin to account for your transportation from one country to another, museums and other attractions, and incidentals.
Before you start working on your itinerary, I think you need to re-examine your budget. Even if you cut down the number of places you visit (and I think you should), you can't go to Europe for 2 weeks on $2,000 (unless you plan to camp, hitchhike, and hunt).
Before you start working on your itinerary, I think you need to re-examine your budget. Even if you cut down the number of places you visit (and I think you should), you can't go to Europe for 2 weeks on $2,000 (unless you plan to camp, hitchhike, and hunt).
Jan 6th, 2012, 11:12 AM
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thank you all for your replies, they are a great help to a newbie on the site. I'm re-thinking narrowing the # of cities to 3 or even 2.
Thanks for the great advice about renting apts. instead of hotels! I typically stay in B&B's off the tourist beaten path as much as possible. - the "husband"
Thanks for the great advice about renting apts. instead of hotels! I typically stay in B&B's off the tourist beaten path as much as possible. - the "husband"
Jan 6th, 2012, 12:23 PM
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We took a 14-day trip to the UK in 2007 which cost us approximately $4000, if I remember correctly. This included airfare from LAX to Heathrow, car rental, gas, staying in private rooms in hostels plus a couple of nights in a Travelodge, food, and two seven-day Great British Heritage Passes, which saved us a lot of money visiting places we really wanted to see.
With the amount of time you have, I would increase the budget and cut your list of destinations to two.
Lee Ann
With the amount of time you have, I would increase the budget and cut your list of destinations to two.
Lee Ann
Jan 6th, 2012, 12:29 PM
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<<Barcelona to Madrid - the fast train (AVE) is the way to go. Around 2hr45-3hrs and you're there.>>
"Not necessarily - the train is often more expensive than a hop on a Vueling or FlyEurope flight."
The AVE train between Madrid and Barcelona is now down to 2.5 hours, city center to city center, which beats flying time-wise. As for cost, if you book in advance on RENFE you can get tickets for as little as 47 euros. If you can't manage on the RENFE site, they are also available from agens like RailEurope, Petrabax and Rumbo.es for a bit more.
We did a similar trip last May, althoug we spent a lot more time in spain and visited other places as well. We flew from London on British, open jaw lfight into Barcelona and our from Madrid. Those tickets were 49 GBP each, RT.
So London, Barcelona, and Madrid might work out pretty well, at least for the cost of transportation. We found nice, very reasonably-priced hotels wherever we went in Spain. London, not.
"Not necessarily - the train is often more expensive than a hop on a Vueling or FlyEurope flight."
The AVE train between Madrid and Barcelona is now down to 2.5 hours, city center to city center, which beats flying time-wise. As for cost, if you book in advance on RENFE you can get tickets for as little as 47 euros. If you can't manage on the RENFE site, they are also available from agens like RailEurope, Petrabax and Rumbo.es for a bit more.
We did a similar trip last May, althoug we spent a lot more time in spain and visited other places as well. We flew from London on British, open jaw lfight into Barcelona and our from Madrid. Those tickets were 49 GBP each, RT.
So London, Barcelona, and Madrid might work out pretty well, at least for the cost of transportation. We found nice, very reasonably-priced hotels wherever we went in Spain. London, not.
Jan 6th, 2012, 12:30 PM
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you could do a London /Paris trip quite easily. Fly into LDN, out of CDG, Eurostar train between two.
Longer stay makes an appartment rental easier.
As an example, someone posted recently this apt. which I thought was reasonably priced, located well.
http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_176.htm
Longer stay makes an appartment rental easier.
As an example, someone posted recently this apt. which I thought was reasonably priced, located well.
http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_176.htm
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