gariffiti

Hi all,

I'm travelling from India to Europe for the first time this November for 10-14 days. I reach around 7th and definitely want to land in London. Want to spend 3-4 days there and then move on to see maybe 2 more cities. I want to backpack, live in hostels on a reasonable budget. I'd like to see cities/towns street style, visit flea markets and explore street art. (Not the architecture, museum art galleries type) I enjoy visiting the countryside and mountains as much as beaches and deserts so no particular preferences there.

Need advice on:
Best cities to visit weather wise from London onward?
Best mode of travel?
What kind of per day budget should I have in mind?
Any websites/apps I should check out for information on hostels and travel in Europe?
Is it advisable to book tickets and hostels in advance or can I do it as I go?
Any other tips or advice?

I know that's a lot of questions but any advice will be hugely appreciated.

Thank you

nytraveler

November is well into fall - so you can expect temps to be chilly/cold and a substantial amount of rain most places, esp north of the Alps. For warmer temps head for either southern Spain or southern Italy. Rain and chilly still possible but less likely although no place in europe has beach weather this time of year. And be sure you have appropriate clothing - since trekking around either a city or town when you are freezing will not be pleasant.

Remember daylight hours are very short, days likely to be gray and most places in the countryside will have leafless trees, no flowers and brown/crunchy grass.

In terms of budget Portugal, Spain and central europe are the best deals - but the latter tend to have much colder weather. Avoid Swtiz and Scan as they are VERY expensive.

The best resources for budget/hostel travel are the Let's Go Europe student guide and the Thorn Tree section of the Lonely Planet website.

And yes, I would reserve hostels in advance. They differ a lot in both cost and amenities/safety (sadly some have substantial drug and theft issues).
And you will often get by far cheaper train fares by purchasing 90 days in advance - but it does usually lock you into specific departure times.

One number quoted in some places as the rock bottom cost per day is 50 euros - but that includes a lot of walking and eating prepackaged sandwiches from supermarkets on a park bench - not sure you want to do that in Nov. And this does not include transit between cities.

Pegontheroad

My best advice to you is to get a guidebook--maybe Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. It will contain much of the information you're seeking.

Remember that days will be quite short in England in November, so you should plan for some indoor activities. The further south you go, the longer the days will be, though they might not be a great deal longer. I'm sure posters who live in London or in England will be more able to give you that information.

I like your idea of visiting only two more cities in addition to London. Many newbies try to see too many places in too few days.

I personally would not bother to book tickets or hostels in advance, since November is low season.

Just my opinion, of course.

mjs

Nytraveler has given the advice I would give except I don't think you need to book hostels ahead of time in November. November is not a particularly good time for the countryside in Europe and much of the countryside is best visited by car which would be expensive for one person. I would stick to cities in November, especially due to the limitation of daylight hours. Beaches too cold and there are no desserts in Europe. I myself would pick Paris and Rome in addition to London for two weeks and would use a budget airline for travel.

Edward2005

mjs is badly mistaken. There are definitely desserts in Europe!

mjs

My bad. Now that I think about it there are both deserts and desserts in Europe.

gariffiti

Hi all thank you so much for all the advice I'm researching Spain Portugal next and looking up hostels and trains.
Much appreciated!