Naffion

Hi,

I'm planning to backpack across Europe by myself at the end of this March. It will be my first time in Europe and my first time backpacking as well, so I'm really excited, nervous and a little worried at the same time. I would be great if you could help me comment on my itinerary below. It's very unlikely that I'll be able to afford a euro trip in any foreseeable future, so my plan is very ambitious and hectic!!. I just want to see everything within such a short period.

1s t Day : I've already booked a flight with Ryan Air from Manchester to Paris for 18 pounds, but I'm thinking if I should leave it and get a eurostar ticket for 31 euro, since my wheeled backpack is too big to be taken abroad and I'll have to pay 10 pounds extra and I'll also have to pay for the bus ticket from the airport for 12 euro. This is purely a stupid mistake of mine. Initially, I really wanted to go with Eurostar, because of the view, but I didn't check the price properly and I thought it was more than I could afford when it really isn't!!! Arrive in Paris by 4 pm.

2nd Day (Paris): I found a very affordable hostel in Zone 3 with free breakfast and dinner, so I think it might be worth the travelling cost. I will be in Paris for 2 full days, one afternoon and very short morning. I'm not sure if I should get Paris Visite for 2 days and pay for the rest. I plan to go to Versilles today.

3rd Day (Paris): Walking Tour (self-guided) and museums. I plan to follow a route on Wikitravel or other websites I can find.

4th Day (Paris to Nice): Arrive in Nice at 3 pm. Walk around Nice. Might go to Chagall Museum if I have time.

5th Day: Go to Cannes and Monaco by bus and explore Nice a bit more.

6th Day (Nice to Florence): Arrive quite late

7th Day: Explore Florence might not have time to see museum. Again follow the walking route from Blogs.

8th Day (Florence to Venice): Leave my bag at the hotel and explore Venice. I might get the afternoon Museum ticket.

9th Day (Venice to Innsbruck, Austria): It's a stopover from Italy to Germany. My first preference is to stopover in Switzerland so that I can enjoy the view, but it takes to long and I don't want to get there really late. I assume Innsbruck is also quite nice and not too big. Any suggestion?

10th Day (Innsbruck to Heidelberg):

11th Day: Visit Heidelberg Castle. I also want to visit Kiblenz, but I'm not sure if I'll have time.

12th Day (Heidelberg to Amsterdam): I'm not sure if Amsterdam is too big for a two days trip. Will it be too difficult for me to navigate my way around the city without feeling too overwhelmed or should I opt for a smaller city like Utrecht or Maastricht?

13th Day: Explore Amsterdam. Might not be going to any more museums here.

14th Day (Amsterdam to Celle): I want to take a break it a small town and Celle looks as cute as a button.

15th Day ( Celle to Copenhagen): Arrive quite late. It has always been my dream to visit the Scandinavia and Denmark seems so lovely. Even though I heard that there's not much to see there.

16th Day: Explore Copenhagen

17th Day (Copenhagen to Gothenberg):

18th Day ( Gothenberg to Stockholm)

19-22th Day: Stockholm. Then fly to Edinburgh for another short visit there before going home.

Due to the visa requirement I have to show all my hotel/ hostel reservations, hence I 've already reserved rooms up until my Venice trip. I got myself a 15 days global pass which I'm not quite sure if it's a right decision since I have to plan in advanced and can get advanced ticket quite cheap anyway (I'm under 25), plus the reservation fees can add up since most of my trips seem to need one. I'm thinking of returning it and get 85% refund if they turn out to be much more expensive with the reservation fee.

I plan to eat as cheap as I can, but maybe won't be cooking as much since I move around a lot, it wouldn't be easy to buy enough to cook for 1 meal without wasting anything. Am I correct? I don't eat meat, so it might make it cheaper a bit.

My budget is maximum 1500 pounds inclusive. Will it likely be enough?

I'll be in Stockholm during Easter. Will that make it really quiet, really busy or business as usual? Anything I should be aware of?

Sorry for not being succinct at all here. I tried my best. It's not my forte.

Thank you very much in advance. Happy New Yea! Best wishes for the year to come!

Sarastro

Assuming you were planning on Ryan Air to Beauvais, the bus to Porte Maillot is 15€ so the Eurostar to Gard du Nord at 31€ is not only cheaper but probably faster.

http://www.aeroportbeauvais.com/bus.php?lang=eng

Generally staying outside of the central area of Paris (one of the 20 arrondissements) is not recommended as any money you might save on hostels will be consumed by increased travel costs, not to mention longer than necessary travel times. Additionally some of the zone 3 areas are not as safe as is central Paris, particularly those to the east side of Paris. There are a good number of inexpensive hostels in Paris which would be a much better choice in my opinion.

You basically will need transportation in Paris for 4 days. Normally I should suggest your purchasing a book of ten tickets t+ for 12.50€ and perhaps a Mobilis Pass for the day you want to visit Versaillles - 10.55€ (unlimited travel through zones 1-4). However your staying in zone 3 (if you are indeed outside of the reach of the métro system) will complicate the transportation solution. A two day Paris Visite Pass to include zones 1-5 will cost 31.15€ yet, you still have not reached your zone 3 accommodations on day 1 nor have you included the costs of reaching Gare de Lyon on day 4. Outside of the métro service area, tickets are sold point to point so unless you tell us exactly where you are staying, I cannot even guess at what these additional ticket charges might be.

As for the train to Nice on day 4, reserve a seat as soon as possible if you have not already done so. Available TGV seats to passholders are severely restricted and you might find it difficult to reach Nice without prior planning.

That´s all I can really help you with, but good luck.

PalenQ

Yes for all that training some kind of railpass will be of great use to you - especially if under 26 years old where you can get the Youthpasses - as you are a resident I presume of the UK you cannot get the Eurailpass, only for non-Europeans but can buy the equivalent for European residents, the Inter-Rail Pass, sold in the UK by travel agents - anyway check out these European rail sites for fantastic info - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. For schedules of all European trains I always use the Wunderbar www.bahn.de or German Railways web site!

Naffion

Thanks so much for your suggestion. I should really have come here before I paid for anything!!!

@ Sarastro; Yes, it is Ryan Air to Beauvais. I'll quickly grab the eurostar ticket while it lasts then. Thank you.

I will be staying close to Villejuif Louis Aragon station, last stop on line 7th.( It's in the South East. I hope it's safe.) It appears to fall on zone 3 on the RATP map, but it seems to be in zone 2-3 pricing zone. Does this mean I can still use zone 1-2 ticket? Cheap hostels closer to central Paris seem to have really awful reviews. I'm a bit too scared to risk it and I really can't afford anything more than 30 euro.

I'll book my seat to Nice ASAP. Could you recommend me some online reservation websites? I only know europe-train.co.uk and they charge me half the cost of the actual ticket!!!

@ PalenQ; Although I'm residing in the U.K. , by the time I start using the pass I won't have been here along enough ( 6 months) to be eligible for the much cheaper Inter-Rail. I'm only 8 days short, so I guess I could have postponed my trip, had I not stupidly already paid some hostel deposits and the plane ticket from Sweden. However, the websites you suggested are really useful. Thank you.

Happy New Year to you both. Hope you have a fantastic New Year's Eve Celebration.

Sarastro

One of the quirks of the métro pricing structure is that the ticket t+ is valid on the métro anywhere it goes. Villejuif is considered as if it were in zone 2 for purposes of riding the métro. Thus, you might be able to simply purchase 10 individual tickets t+ (un carnet) for 12.50€. Single ride tickets are 1.70€.

If you are in Paris on the weekend or a holiday, you qualify for the <i>Ticket Jeunes Week-end</i>, a day pass available for those under 26 years of age. A zone 1-3 pass is only 3.55€, a zone 1-5 (good for Versailles) is 7.10€.

Regular TGV tickets, including the reservation, can be obtained in advance as cheaply as 19€ so I do not use passes nor do I necessarily recommend them, at least not for travel within France. You´ll need to contact the entity which sold you the pass for information about how to make reservations. If you are unable to obtain reservations for the train you want, there is a process by which you can <i>standby</i> for a seat. You´ll need to really ask at the train station, Gare de Lyon, for more information should you have difficulty obtaining a seat.

You might take a look at what ticket prices are for the day you might want to travel. Tickets might be cheaper than purchasing a reservation using a pass. Some March departures are still available for 24.90€:

www.idtgv.com (this site is available in English, look for the flag)

Naffion

Wow. It would be fantastic if I could get away with the cheap tickets t+. I thought I'd have to settle with the expensive visite pass. Thank you!!!

Too bad, I'll be in Paris from Monday to Thursday, so I'll miss out on the cheap fare. (Really should have planned it better!!!)

I'll take a look at the website.

Thank you soooo much.

PalenQ

@ PalenQ; Although I'm residing in the U.K. , by the time I start using the pass I won't have been here along enough ( 6 months) to be eligible for the much cheaper Inter-Rail.>

well if you are not eligible for the Inter-Rail then you are certainly it would seem eligible for the Eural Youthpass priced about the same - if you are not a resident of Europe then you are eligible for the Eurail Youthpass and once you activate it it don't matter if later you become a technical resident of Europe - besides if you have any passport non-European you can effectively use the Eurailpass - Youthpasses very cheap and you have flexibility to in many countries on your trip to just hop any train anytime - no cementing yourself into non-changeable non-refundable often tickets weeks before setting off.

Naffion

I see. Thank you.

PalenQ

thanks too - if doing all that by train the youthpass will be cheaper than any combo of online discounts IME and you will not be saddled with all the restrictions and have flexibility as you go to hop any train anytime - and that is priceless in itself.