places : Italy Austria Germany Switzerland France Belgium Spain
 

Hi

Am planing to travel to Europe in Feb.. Im posting ths early as I have to know how much time needed? What is the best way of travelling within cities? What places are suggested?

My plan is: total days 25 days

Italy: 4 days
(Milan Rome and Venice)

Austria: 3 days
(Salzburg Zell Am See Vienna Innsbruck)

Germany: 3 days
(Munich Garmisch)

Switzerland: 3 days
(Zurich Geneva Interlaken Luzern)

France: 4 days
(Paris Marseilles Lyon Versailles caen)

Spain: 6 days
(Barcelona Seville Garnada Malaga)

Would this be too many places for this amount of time? Anyone have any advice for this itinerary? Thanks

Your itinerary is impossible -can't see all of those places in days listed (did you factor in time getting between those places - seems not. You need to cut at least 2/3s of that -start by eliminating half of your stops then cut in half what you want to see in each place.

Trains are best for those places -especially in winter-planning info for a train trip: www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

First to the cutting room then back to the planning board.

You have also labeled your thread a "trip report" meaning you have gone and come back and are reporting on your trip - re-post without that orange globe -don't hit trip report.

Agree, all you will see if you attempt to do this is train stations and airports.

Pare it down by eliminating maybe two or three countries then the number of locations in the remaining countries.

Is this a first time in Europe? If so, assume you will get back. What are your "must sees" for this trip?

Absolutely impossible without a magic carpet or a helicopter. Not to mention that in February the days are short and the weather is generally terrible. Start over.

I just re-counted the number of countries you listed. Cut at least three, possibly four.

With 25 days (assuming you want to see the cities listed) you just about have time for Italy and France -- and even that will be <B>VERY</B> rushed.

Or Italy, Switzerland and France would be possible - France just Paris and maybe a day trip to Loire Valley or Normandy D-Day beaches- Switzerland one area such as Jungrfrau Region - just off a main rail route Paris-Switzerland-Italy.

Paris - 5 days
Versailles and I day trip maybe

Train to French Riviera- 1 day

4 days in Nice area - weather much nicer than nortern Europe - lots easy day trips by bus or train to neat hill towns and lovely seaside towns up and down the Riviera.

1 day train to Venice or fly

Venice 3 days (may be Carnival which IME was a real treat - fancy costumed old-style garbed folks milling about.

Florence 5 days -including one to Pisa and one to nearby iconic Tuscan hill town like Siena

Rome- 6 days

that is a fairly relaxed trip IMO and about the max.

I'd forget Germany, Austria and Belgium - cool dank weather often at that time.

Spain could work in lieu of Nice - Barcelona and fly to Venice.

>>Or Italy, Switzerland and France would be possible<<

Not with the list of places the OP mentions in those countries. Twelve cities spread over huge areas.

I'm thinking this just <i>might</i> not be a serious post. 4 days for Paris, Marseilles, Lyon, Versailles and Caen!?

To clarify -- the OP listed 12 cities just in Italy, Switzerland and France

Not with the list of places the OP mentions in those countries. Twelve cities spread over huge areas.>

No of course not - so I gave a reasonable achievable itinerary in those countries - 3 countries max but not all far-flung cities on wish list.

Is it a serious post? Who knows lots of shenanigans at times here but also some first-time travelers who know little of European geography and may be used to American car trips where sometimes folks do cover lots of ground and hit lots of places in a short time.

Totally unrealistic yes - have to give benefit of doubt -sometimes OPs are too whatever to come back after not receiving positive comments -mommy are you there? -we would like to help -if so mull it over and come back with more questions. Novice travelers often over plan - take all this as positive criticism.

janis -would a hoaxer put this down as a trip report?

I didn't say it was a hoax -- I asked if it is a serious question. What TR?

When I add up the number of days it is 23, not 25. I suggest you spend 1 of those 2 unaccounted days in Florence.

Hi all,

Thank u all for your response. It's my first time travel to Europe I thought I could make it to all this countries after looking at the map and distance within the cities.. I am from UAE n I won't be able to visit Europe anytime soon again.

Cathinjoetown,

Thanks for ur reply. I haven't plan yet what are the things we have to do or see.. I just listed down the places n wanted to get an idea about it.

Am planing to do all this places and have fun with my husband as much as we can as I know I will never go Europe again.

PalenQ, thanks I will re look at it.

Am just confused I think I will have to re order the thing all again.

OK another question. For all the countries I listed how many days will I need more? Thanks again

Why do you want to visit these countries?

Why have you chosen the cities to visit within those countries? For example, let's start with Austria (where I live). February is dreary for those who do not ski; and sometimes, even dreary for those who do ski if the conditions are terrible. Zell am See will be crowded; the idea of "fun" can be easily lost if you have to settle for subpar lodging and mediocre meals because all of the good places are booked. Innsbruck can be hit or miss because of the weather. Salzburg is prettiest at Christmas time and on sunny days outside of tourist season.

As for Vienna (our home), it is "fine," so long as you're willing to layer and unlayer as you go from museum to cafe to museum to restaurant. Ball season is over and the locals are recovering ahead of Carnivale. We usually take full advantage of our daughter's half-term break week during this month to bail for a sunnier, or at least less dreary, destination.

As many wise posters above have suggested, pare down your plans to account for the weather, travel, reasonable daylight hours, and for what constitutes "fun" for you and your husband.

OK another question. For all the countries I listed how many days will I need more? Thanks again>

with all those places probably about 50 days

>>with all those places probably about 50 days<<

More than that for sure -- 22 destinations were listed. After subtracting about 14 or 15 days just in transit, 50 days would leave and average of about 1.5 days per stop.

Yes I was figuring just one day per stop!

OP- check travel schedules and make a dummy real-life itinerary -train and plane times and see how many days it would take to do all those countries.

Really, you'd need 3 months. Even then it would be rushed.

Every single one of the stops you have mentioned, like

<<France: 4 days
(Paris Marseilles Lyon Versailles caen) >>

will take a week or more, and even that would be rushed. How on earth do you think you can get from Paris to Marseilles to Lyon and back to Versailles (which makes no sense to begin with as you are backtracking to Paris to get to Versailles) in 4 days? And then you go back to Caen? Absolutely impossible.

I would recommend getting a big paper map of Europe, pinning it up on a wall, and pin the places you want to visit. Then note the distances between them using the map scale, which is usually on the lower right of the map, and then researching train and air connections between places.

25 days can't see all of Europe- chose say 8 maximum stops - figuring in travel gives you two full days in each -forget counting countries -hit the famous cities like London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence, etc. And then figure out how long to go between them.

Anyway I think everyone has made the point - yes months to do your original wish list - pare down with as StCirq suggests travel times, etc.