hapoole1

I'm staying over in Wales with family right now and would love to take in between a week and a half or three weeks to see some of Europe!

I really want to do Paris, Nice and any other recommended cities in France. And then Rome, Florence, and Pisa in Italy.

The real 2 questions are if I should try and backpack this by myself via train and hostels or if I should try and find a Contiki tour or something similar in order to go about this, and secondly if I were to do this alone how would you go about doing it. Any advice it appreciated, thank you so much!!

Holly

Christina

That's a lot to figure out. I guess I wonder have you ever traveled before, and how much? Have you been around big cities and are used to taking public transportation, trains, etc? If so, I think you should give it a go of doing it yourself.

However, you need to scale down what to do, that will help. YOu could really only do maybe Paris to Nice in your time frame (at least the 1.5 week one). YOu could stop somewhere in-between. that might be a good way to get your feet wet, you have alot to figure out, after all. If you know how to do trains and hostels already (it isn't clear), sure you could do Paris to Nice then to Rome in 3 weeks.

PRLCH

It can be quite daunting headed off on your own for thie first time in Europe. What about looking at the Busabout website http://www.busabout.com/hop-on-hop-off/flexitrip . They have transport loops, some accommodation options etc. My nephew did it recently and spoke highly of it as an option for a young person.

justineparis

My 18 yr old nephew took a Contiki tour, he enjoyed what he remembers of it, he and many others on the tour apparently drank their way around Europe for 14 days, lol and sightseeing while hungover and on a tight time line was not so fun. He did have fun, but he also found that while the tour initially looked like a good deal there was a lot of nickel and diming going on...

If I was you I would take as long as I could (since your wish list has lot of placies on it) and do it myself. I would stay in good hostels.. there are many, clean, reputable etc. You will meet others travelling and will have lots of opportunity to share a meal with someone , a daytrip , a night out even.. but still have your independence.

This would mean doing some research on good hostels, and I would also suggest you get yourself on the Lonely Planet Thorntree forums, likely more people on there under 40 and budget conscious.

For three weeks I would keep it simple, don't make it harder then it has to be, and take time to enjoy the places you visit. Remember, you are likely young enough that is not the last time you will get over to Europe.

I would take 4-5 days in Paris ( are you interested in doing a daytrip or two out of city, there are many great ones) then I would take train to Nice ( 19 yr old girl from my work loved the hostel she stayed in there will have to ask her the name) 2-3 days there ( take local 1 euro bus for a visit to Monaco while there, or maybe Eze!) . Then from Nice I would grab a flight ( check out Easyjet and Vueling for deals) to Rome, spend 4-5 days there, train to Venice and or Florence for a few days , fly home from Venice or Florence ( check prices) . Personally I can't recommend Pisa but that's just my personal tastes.

Remember travel takes time so allow each leg of journey to consume at least 1/2 a day, sometimes more.

bdsbeautyblog

Pisa is craptacular. I would definitely skip that one! I would also vote Paris-Nice-Rome.

suze

With 10 days I would pick either Italy OR France, not try to do both. If you have the money for 3 weeks, then you could try to fit in all 5 places.

Going solo or joining a tour is a very personal decision. Either would work. Just depends if you enjoy being with a group and having someone else structure your days, or if you'd rather be out on your own.

hapoole1

So I have decided to cut out Florence and try to do it another time, maybe this summer maybe next. I will be in Amsterdam for a weekend with my Aunt and will have multiple opportunities to make is London.

I have decided 4 nights in Rome, 3 nights in Nice and 4 nights in Paris finishing off meeting a friend in Barcelona who is their studying abroad. Of course I would like to stay in each city MUCH longer but I only have a certain amount of time in which this has to be done and I don't necessarily have much of a choice. I've decided the hostel route doing it alone is the best option for me after reading thoroughly into Contiki tours.

Any advice for what to limit my sightseeing to in the short amount of time I have in each city?

Thank you all so much for your time and advice so far!!

-Holly

StCirq

For sightseeing suggestions, get hold of guidebooks and maps and see what appeals to you. Almost any guidebook will have a section devoted to an overview of a city for folks who only have a few days. Also read the Destinations sections here on Fodors for a synthesis for each venue.

PalenQ

questions are if I should try and backpack this by myself via train and hostels or if I should try and find a Contiki tour or something similar in order to go about this>

It is easy to do your own hostel/train tour as thousands of young folks do - a plus about hostels is that you meet other folks there - keep your itinerary flexible as you may meet others you want to travel with. For the train planning part check out these fab IMO sites - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com (download the latter's free and superb IMO European Planning & Rail Guide as it is a primer on using trains (http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id2.html).

Are you a British or European resident or do you have say an American passport - if so check out the France-Italy Youth Railpass (if you are under age 26) or if a British/European resident check out the equivalent for Europeans - Inter-Rail Passes.

suze

Like StCirq already mentioned, pretty much all guidebooks have outlines of various itineraries to see suggested highlights for a given city. Or the Destination pages right here on Fodor's.

PRLCH

The following are good places to start:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/rome
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/nice
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/paris
http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/italy/rome/
http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i...alian-riviera/
http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/france/paris/

PRLCH

When looking at the most economical way to get from say Wales to Rome, look at www.skyscanner.net to find cheap flights. It is a very useful website.

PalenQ

Let's Go Europe is IMO the best guidebook for students and younger travelers - especially for its unparalleled IMO coverage of budget places to stay, from hostels to youth hotels to pensions and B&Bs - also info relevant to a younger traveler that books geared to the older upscale crowd may not include - like nightlife for younger folks. Get a copy of Let's Go Europe and tear out the France and Italy chapters to take along!

Christina

I agree, it is a good guidebook for younger people (Let's Go).

PalenQ

www.whichbudget.com is also a site similar to skyscanner.net - linking any two cities with planes between then, including the no-frills airlines (where you have to calculate every little extra expense - remember CEO of Ruyna Air was wanting to charge folks to use the toilets not long ago before than scheme was shot down.

skatedancer

If you are open to meeting people, then I would do it yourself in hostels. It is a really unforgettable experience to be meeting people overseas this way! Be sure if you book cheap flights through Ryan Air and Easyjet that you account for the arrival and departure times -- often these flights leave so early or arrive so late that it may affect where you stay and how you can get to your ultimate destination. The airports are often not the major airport for the city you are traveling to as well so might be some distance from them.

PalenQ

many younger folk now eschew HI (Hostelling Interntional) hostels for youth hotels and alternative hostels, boht private and government funded - HI hostels are still full of rule, though less and less but are more likely to have screaming groups of younger kids running amok - look at Let's Go Europe's listing of many youth hotels - kind of a cross between a hotel and a hostel. Many have bars/cafes on the premises to meet others in a convivial atmosphere.