Hi!

I am planning a 7-week trip to Europe this July and August. I'm in my early-20s, and I've spent two great weeks in Italy and 3 days in Vienna. I am relatively money conscience, but won't sacrifice experience/comfort. I have a very general itinerary here, and would love your advice on it!

I want to go to Central and Western Europe, and am very flexible with my destinations and time spent in each. I'd also like feedback on the feasibility of my trip. Are there good night trains, better routes, or even other options (ferry, etc.)? I am starting in Croatia and moving up because I am meeting my brother there. If there are other viable options, please let me know.

Fly from LAX --> London --> Croatia

Central Europe + Switzerland (21 days):
Croatia (Dubrovnik) - 3 nights  boat to Korcula
Korcula/Dalmation Coast – 2 nights
Budapest – 3 nights
Krakow - 3 nights (night train)
Prague – 3 nights
Salzburg - 2 nights
Swiss Alps (Gimmelwald near Interlaken?) - 4 nights

Western Europe (28 days):
Provence – 2 nights
Barcelona - 3 nights  Grace comes here
Seville/Andalucia – 3 nights
Madrid – 2 nights
Loire Valley – 2 nights
Paris - 4 nights
Brussels – 3 nights
Bruges - 2 nights
Amsterdam – 2 nights
London - 4 nights

Is Salzburg worth the trip? Also, I plan on getting a round trip flight to London and getting a ticket from there to Croatia. Open jaw seems much more expensive. Any thoughts? Thank you for your insight on anything and everything you think of!

Well I can only comment on a few things, haven't been everywhere myself!I haven't done any eastern Europe, but I am anxious to go to Prague one day , hear it is wonderful.
First what kind of train pass are you getting,, seems you will be in fact living on trian. I would definately rework trip a bit, cut out a few places, and maybe spend a few more days in some places.

I would cut out Salzburg( unless you are really into Mozart chocolates and seeing the house where Sound of Music was filmed, which , what takes less then 1/2 hour, LOL )

I would give Paris a min of 6 or 7 nights, and two nights in Loire is unness. , you can see all main chateaus in two days one night.
Consider adding the Normandy area, Mont St Michel , St Malo or Bayeaux are worth two or three days.
London deserves an extra night or two for some daytrips, Bath is good , so is Brighton if weather is decent.
Either Brussel or Brugges no need for both. Give the extra time to Amsterdam , or better yet stay outside Amsterdam in Haarlem.

I guess you are taking some flights, there are some really cheap inter Europeon flights, look at Tuifly and Vueling, as well as the usaul Easyjet and Ryanair.
Have fun, and do built in some vegging time, you sort of have a Bataan Death March trip going on,, on and on and on,, relax , you are on holiday!

I won't make any suggestions just now - you will get lots of specific recommendations.

But for what its worth - this itinerary would make me CARZY. Not a little bit crazy -- totally certifiable!

17 destinations in 7 weeks (or 7 months for that matter) will be a total blur. You will spend approx 14-15 days of your total time just in transit.

I would try to cut down on destinations and spend longer in a few places. Specifically you might consider cutting your time in Belgium and/or Provence to add to Paris and eliminating Salzburg, spending more time in Switzerland.

I meant to add to my first post: I don't think your plan is crazy, just tiring. I did a similar kind of trip at age 21 and really enjoyed getting a taste of many different places. But you have to realize that it is a taste and that can be especially frustrating in major cities.

drop Salzburg and Brussels. May find Budapest could be shortened.

add to amsterdam, London and Paris.

UK look at yha.net for cheap clean accomodation

use skanner.net for internal flights. Monitor major cheap airlines for sudden price movements normally over the weekend. Research local tourist info web sites for festivals. No point in just turning up in Saville at the height of the fiesta and hope to find a room

If doing lots of train travel a recommend a basket of food, offer to people in your carriage area and you will make so many amazing friends (only needs to be say grapes)

Hi P,

You did do some good research on this.

You have 11 changes of venue. That's going to take up about 6 days of your visit.

It is also going to exhaust you; even if you are under 30.

Have you checked the schedules between cities at www.bahn.de?

How important to you is Spain in August?

Salzburg is right on your route from Prague to Provence. 2 nights is about right.

I can highly recommend www.ammoos.at for lodging.

You have to get your accomodations ASAP, as you will be going in season.

I look forward to your trip report.

Ira - you need to re-count. There are 10 changes just in the "western Europe" bit.

Thanks J,

I was counting on one hand and lost track.

Whoa, take a step back.

To start, after flying all that way, staying in Croatia 5 days is hopelessly unrealistic. You will have to take a very long ferry to Split to fly to Budapest or back to Dubrovnik (about 3 hrs by bus).

All of those transfers are going to eat away at your budget quickly.

For later in your trip, do more research into night trains. I love them as a money and time saving method of travel, and so Prague-Budapest-Krakow looks doable. That is the only thing in your itinerary that made any sense to me.

I am less familiar with Western Europe. I have been to Spain though, and Andalucia in summer is madness.

Also, only spending 3 nights in some of the greatest cities is a shame, but spending time in smaller towns in limited regions instead would preserve your budget.

I'm afraid it's back to the drawing board--with maps. You are blessed to have 7 weeks to travel--please make the most of it by not seeing it from a window in a blur or exhaustion.

Okay - I actually don't think it's that crazy. I mean, the OP is young and I bet many of us here have done something similar (maybe not as long a trip) when we were in our early 20s.

I guess, Q for the OP is: you must be independently wealthy! While most of us are lamenting the price of Euro and thinking of cutting our trips short, you can the $ to spend 7 weeks in Europe!

Anyway, for your itinerary, I have a few suggestions:

I think Salzburg is worth a stop, but may just one day is enough (not sure when you say 2 nights if you mean 1 day or 2 days there)

I agree with others on rethinking visiting Spain in August. I haven't been there myself in August but I heard it's unbearably hot. But it sounds like you're meeting up with someone in Spain? If I were you, I'd drop the Spain part and spend more time in your other destinations.

I'd cut down the time in Brussels and spend it in Amsterdam/Paris.

Good lucl with your planning and enjoy your trip.

BTW, do you have a budget for this trip?

If you must go to Brussels then with 3 nights you could include a day trip to Bruges. Then add the 'saved' nights to Paris and Amsterdam. I think by the end of this trip you'll feel the need to slow your pace a little.

oh man, dont get rid of spain! spain is sooo much fun. im 24 and i think it was one my favorite europe desitnations. i did barcelona and madrid. both are fantastic. i would also def hit up aix en provence. aix is great if you want to party at night and take it easy during the day. its full of young, fun and gorgeous people. you can take a bus from aix to barcelona- its about 6 hours and approx 50 euros.

i would take brussels out of your trip. its more of a working city and i think if you dont know where youre going, it wont be that fun. i toured it with a freind who is from there and i though it was just okay. ghent and bruges are way better i think. even antwerp, but i would pass in brussels.

you could do seville> madrid > barcelona> Aix> Paris>amsterdam

when i lived in aix last year i went to Madrid to Porto to Barcelona all on Ryan Air then back to Aix by bus then to Paris via TGV. it was totally do-able and not very stressful.

beware on night trains. especially italy. i was drugged in my sleep and then robbed while going from cannes to rome. many of the compartments on the train dont have a lock so use a belt or anything to lock your door at night.

this company can help with ticket arrangement and suggestions. i work with them all the time:

www.traveldynamicsgroup.biz

calling is your best option

Having done an 8 week trip myself - I would suggest that you break up "high travel periods" with longer stays - as travelling can get tiring - even when it is wonderful! I would lengthen your stays in "base town/cities" and plan day trips instead of moving around quite so much.

Just my two cents,

Naxos

I'll echo the thought that your itinerary looks very ambitious. I'd choose fewer cities and stay in them longer, but maybe that's just me.

If you go to Prague, avoid taking a cab no matter what. If things are the same as when I went there, it's a guarantee they will rip you off shamelessly, either by claiming no working meter, taking roundabout routes, circling streets to build up fares, or something else. Choose any other means of transport you can. And if you eat in a Prague restaurant and there are snacks sitting on the table, ask to have them removed; if you make the mistake of eating them, they will sock you with a huge charge for the privilege. Despite this, I found Prague a wonderful city to visit.

hi pchen,

I agree with the others that you are trying to pack too much in. by the time you get to your third or fourth destination you won't care what country you're in let alone whether it's a Titian or tintoreto that you're looking at.

I would pick 2 or 3 bases, and use them to look at an area. IMO good places for a 20 something would be Paris, London, Berlin. Barcelona if you don't mind it hot and want to be on the beach. then do a bit of ad hoc travelling in between.

remember, europe will stil be here when you want to come back.

regards, ann