Epic Eurotrip

[knickerbocker]

Hey,

I'm going on an Eurotrip in September for 30 days. I'm looking for the experienced Eurotrippers out here to look at my itinerary and critique it.
I've outlined the cities that I really want to go to, and I've tried to give myself ample time in each city.

The mode of transportation is Eurail. Departure date is September 18th.

Here is my itinerary.

Amsterdam - 3 days 2 nights
Munich - 3 days 2 nights
Interlaken - 3 days 3 nights
Venice - 4 days 3 nights
Rome - 3 days 3 nights
Nice -2 days 3 nights
Barcelona - 5 days 4 nights
Paris - 4 days 3 nights
London - 3 days 3 nights

I know there's an excellent backpackers thread in this section too. I've read up on ricksteves, let's go Europe, and Europe for dummies on planning advice. I've tried to avoid making it rushed. Any comments and suggestions is highly welcomed.

[krazynuck]

well if you are in Munich oktoberfest is a MUST...i will be there from sept 20 - 23 and the festival runs from the 19th of sept - oct 4th i think?!?

[Pete_Coach]

Not exactly epic but a nice 30 day trip.
Make sure you take into account the travel days. It does take up a good part of the day.
Plan a route that is somewhat circular so you don't backtrasck. that is a waste of time.
You missed Florence, and that is a mistake. I would shave a day from Venice, Barcelona, Paris and Interlaken to do Florence and a bit of Tuscany (Greve in Chianti perhaps) and an extra day in Rome to see the Amalfi Coast.
Nice, while nice, is kinda off the path and if you missed it, you would not feel it.
I have never done hostels so I cannot provide any guidance but I sure have seen lots of young people with backpacks that seemed to be having a blast.
Ahh yes, Knickerbockers Excellent Adventure.
I will be over in Italy around the same time and when sitting at a sidewalk cafe, drinking some wine and nibbling on some cheese, I will wonder if the kid strolling by with the backpack is Knickerbocker :cheesygri

[Maximaro]

I would shave off one or two days off Venice, two off Barcelona, and maybe add them to Paris and/or London. Those two cities need quite some time to enjoy, especially if you are into the museums and such.

Bring a student card, if you have one, because you'll get good rates on museums in Europe.

Munich, you should go for Oktoberfest. krazynuck, I believe, is right about the dates, that's how it was about this year - one of my peers hopped back to Germany for the weekend.

Keep in mind, that aside from the cities themselves, there are possible half-day trips you can take to near by places that are must see (i.e. Paris and Versailles, Barcelona and Tibi-Tabo [if you want to see an amusement park...])

I tended to pick my hostels from hostelworld.com and hostelbookers.com. But I only booked with hostelbookers because they have no fee added for using their services.

Consider petecoach's suggestion on seeing a bit of Tuscany. It is a must if you are going to Italy!

[Aristophanes]

Everything looks good except for:

Interlaken - 3 days 3 nights

You can do that in 1 day. Explore the area. Grindelwald is right next door. Bern, 40 min away by train, can be done in 1 day. Fribourg can be seen in 4 hours. Schwarzsee is breathtaking. Murten is an undiscovered treasure.

And if you're using rail, you'll waste a lot of time on the train (as mentioned), unless you travel overnight. The rails in Italy are unreliable.

well if you are in Munich oktoberfest is a MUST...i will be there from sept 20 - 23 and the festival runs from the 19th of sept - oct 4th i think?!?

Awesome. I, too, will be there.

[Talamasca]

I'd shave 2 days off Venice and Barcelona and add them to the bigger cities on your itinerary. Other than that, looks good!

[tail_duck]

Hey,

I'm going on an Eurotrip in September for 30 days. I'm looking for the experienced Eurotrippers out here to look at my itinerary and critique it.
I've outlined the cities that I really want to go to, and I've tried to give myself ample time in each city.

The mode of transportation is Eurail. Departure date is September 18th.

Here is my itinerary.

Amsterdam - 3 days 2 nights
Munich - 3 days 2 nights
Interlaken - 3 days 3 nights
Venice - 4 days 3 nights
Rome - 3 days 3 nights
Nice -2 days 3 nights
Barcelona - 5 days 4 nights
Paris - 4 days 3 nights
London - 3 days 3 nights

I know there's an excellent backpackers thread in this section too. I've read up on ricksteves, let's go Europe, and Europe for dummies on planning advice. I've tried to avoid making it rushed. Any comments and suggestions is highly welcomed.

Big big BIG BIG mistake giving Venice 4 days, 3 nights. Give it 2 days, 3 nights (Maximum). I spent 14hrs covering Venice in one full day the first time I went, and a few years later spent two days in quiet quarters of the city (it's very small), finding smaller basilicas and points of interest. You'll love it there but will despise it if you stay more than 2 days because of the crowds (literally, it's an american city).

Add the spare days to Rome, you will NOT be disappointed. One day I'm going to plan a 3 week trip just for Rome. I recently spent a week there covering almost the entire city (split it into 4 quadrants) and it was still not enough. The saying is that even a month cannot cover what you will see in Rome, it is a legendary city and one that I will remember for the rest of my life.

You're also spending too much time in Barcelona, it's not that large either. I would spend a max. of 3 days there and add 1 or 2 extra days to Paris, beautiful city. Why aren't you hitting Vienna? Salzburg? Prague? You would love Prague. Not to mention Budapest.

Damn I wish I had a month :(

Happy travels! ;)

[b166er1337]

Everything looks good except for:

Interlaken - 3 days 3 nights

You can do that in 1 day. Explore the area. Grindelwald is right next door. Bern, 40 min away by train, can be done in 1 day. Fribourg can be seen in 4 hours. Schwarzsee is breathtaking. Murten is an undiscovered treasure.



Awesome. I, too, will be there.

Bern is beautiful and charming and Einsteinhaus is in the city. I'd stay at Gimmelwald, Murren or Lauterbrunnen, rather than at Interlaken. The view is so much nicer from the mountains. There's a lot of hiking/ physical activities/extreme sports people can do so 3 days sounds about right. I spent 4 days there and wished I could stay longer. What a magnificent place.

As others have mentioned, reduce the time in Venice and spend more time in Rome (totally awesome place). I'd take out Barcelona because it's kinda out of the way of every place else. It seems you are trying to get to the highlight of Europe. Don't rush it. It's not worth it.

[heymikey]

I'd take out Barcelona because it's kinda out of the way of every place else.
While Barcelona might be out of the way, it's perfect if OP wants to maximize the use of overnight trains to save money on accomodation and less travel time during the day. Nice - Barcelona and Barcelona - Paris are actually quite popular overnight train routes so make sure you book about 2 days in advance.

Yeah, sleeping in Gimmelwald is better than Interlaken but it's just a pain to get to Gimmelwald. The mountain hostel though as incredible views so it's probably worth it.

[heymikey]

I will be over in Italy around the same time and when sitting at a sidewalk cafe, drinking some wine and nibbling on some cheese, I will wonder if the kid strolling by with the backpack is Knickerbocker :cheesygri
Oooh, and I bet Knickerbocker will wonder if that pretentious old guy drinking some wine and nibbling on some cheese is Pete_Coach. :cheesygri

[Pete_Coach]

Oooh, and I bet Knickerbocker will wonder if that pretentious old guy drinking some wine and nibbling on some cheese is Pete_Coach. :cheesygri
Naww, there are to many pretentious old guys sitting at every cafe to single me out. That and soccer are the National pastimes in Italy :lol:

Oh, and I resemble that remark of pretentiousness;)

[b166er1337]

Yeah, sleeping in Gimmelwald is better than Interlaken but it's just a pain to get to Gimmelwald. The mountain hostel though as incredible views so it's probably worth it.

Mountain Hostel is one of my favorite hostels of all time. The view, the ambience, and the price can't be beat!

[heymikey]

Naww, there are to many pretentious old guys sitting at every cafe to single me out. That and soccer are the National pastimes in Italy :lol:

Oh, and I resemble that remark of pretentiousness;)
Pete, I hope you realize I was just kidding. Everyone here values your contribution to this forum. ;)

[Psubs]

Venice is my favorite city after Paris. I've been twice for only 1 day. It's expensive to stay on the island. Definitely 2 night max. Florence is on the way and is worth at least a day. Go to the Red Garter pub and Space. Good times.

Oktoberfest is in September, hopefully, you don't miss it. If not find a beerhall and or chill in a beer garden.

I agree shave off a day in Interlaken and Venice, go to Florence (don't bother with Pisa) and even though Barcelona is an amazing place (hot wimmins), I would take off 1 day there and add it to Paris. You could spend a whole day in the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay and Notre Dame. London is fine.

Wait, you're already in Paris for 4 days. You could take a half day and go to Versailles, you can take an RER (like Go) train there included if you get a transit pass. Definitely get a 3 day transit pass.

[Talamasca]

I'd say Versailles deserves a full day. I was there from 9am-4pm, visited the four main buildings (main palace, Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, & Hameau) and still barely got to explore the gardens. The timing didn't work for me but try to go there when they turn the fountains on so you can pretend to be French royalty without the nasty guillotine part. ;)

[Maximaro]

I agree shave off a day in Interlaken and Venice, go to Florence (don't bother with Pisa) and even though Barcelona is an amazing place (hot wimmins), I would take off 1 day there and add it to Paris. You could spend a whole day in the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay and Notre Dame. London is fine.

Wait, you're already in Paris for 4 days. You could take a half day and go to Versailles, you can take an RER (like Go) train there included if you get a transit pass. Definitely get a 3 day transit pass.

A thought just came to mind. Please be aware which days the museums are closed. D'Orsay is closed on Mondays, and the Louvre on Tuesdays. Extended nights until 9PM on Thursdays.

[Psubs]

I'd say Versailles deserves a full day. I was there from 9am-4pm, visited the four main buildings (main palace, Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, & Hameau) and still barely got to explore the gardens. The timing didn't work for me but try to go there when they turn the fountains on so you can pretend to be French royalty without the nasty guillotine part. ;)

Ha, my friends got tired so we left around 1 pm. I ended up buying a guide book. :razz:

[GemInite]

Venice, Amsterdam, Barcelona you can easily shave 1 day minimum.

With the extra days you can either add them to another place e.g. London/Rome, I would say 3 days in Rome is a bit tight.

As Pete mentioned with the day saved you could also probably add another place if you really wanted.

[Pete_Coach]

Pete, I hope you realize I was just kidding. Everyone here values your contribution to this forum. ;)
Oh, damn, I gotta call the hit squad back and I already paid em :lol::lol:
Thanks for the kind words.

[knickerbocker]

Hey, thanks for all the advice thus far.

Quick question. When is an appropriate time to book a hostel? I've heard that some people prefer to book a hostel the night before they go to a new city, and some people book it in advance. But there are a few hostels which I've been told you must stay at...so I'm rather interested in visiting those hostels...how should I go about booking them?

[heymikey]

I sometimes book a hostel a day or two in advance. Sometimes not at all. If you're only there for a few weeks (3 weeks or less) and have a fixed itinerary that you know will not change (transportation booked), then you might as well book them right now.

Edit: You mentioned you will be there for a month in September and you have a eurail pass. If that's the case, then you'll be fine booking your hostels a day in advance. You probably won't have a problem even if you don't book at all. Of course, the only exception is Munich during Oktoberfest, assuming there's still some availability.

[asdfvcx]

Edit: You mentioned you will be there for a month in September and you have a eurail pass. If that's the case, then you'll be fine booking your hostels a day in advance. You probably won't have a problem even if you don't book at all.
September can still get busy in some cities, especially on weekends. A lot of Europeans will do weekend trips and fill up the hostels in party cities.

A couple of times in September I've arrived in a new city around noon, forgetting it was the start of a weekend, and had to scramble a bit to find a hostel. So for weekends, I'd suggest a least a day in advance, and maybe two.

Of course if you're itinerary if fixed, you might as well book as soon as possible. But if you want more flexibility, and won't be crushed if you have to take your second or third choice hostel, the day before will be fine, or just show up if it's not a busy time in the city.

[Sashimi23]

I agree with other posters that you could take at least a day off Venice/Barcelona and transfer it to London.

Just curious, what's your budget for everything?

[shaolinmonk]

back from a recent backpack trip and i would also shave days off venice and amsterdam...

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=687404

here's the thread for my trip.. lots of good info here..

[{PolarBear}]

Quick question. When is an appropriate time to book a hostel? I've heard that some people prefer to book a hostel the night before they go to a new city, and some people book it in advance. But there are a few hostels which I've been told you must stay at...so I'm rather interested in visiting those hostels...how should I go about booking them?

Hi knickerbocker,

I'm planning a trip to Europe now, leaving soon... I booked all of mine well in advance. My reasoning: I am on a pretty tight schedule with fixed transportation, so I didn't want to spend time while traveling looking for a good hostel. I wanted specific hostels in most cities, and didn't want to risk them being full. I also like to plan some stuff from home in advance to save me time/money during the trip, such as transportation arrangements, so knowing exactly what location I will be in is useful to me.

But if you want more flexibility, and won't be crushed if you have to take your second or third choice hostel, the day before will be fine, or just show up if it's not a busy time in the city.

These are good reasons why you may not want to book in advance. Just consider your own traveling style, I think both ways are fine.

[knickerbocker]

Hi knickerbocker,

I'm planning a trip to Europe now, leaving soon... I booked all of mine well in advance. My reasoning: I am on a pretty tight schedule with fixed transportation, so I didn't want to spend time while traveling looking for a good hostel. I wanted specific hostels in most cities, and didn't want to risk them being full. I also like to plan some stuff from home in advance to save me time/money during the trip, such as transportation arrangements, so knowing exactly what location I will be in is useful to me.



These are good reasons why you may not want to book in advance. Just consider your own traveling style, I think both ways are fine.

When are you going...and where?

[knickerbocker]

I agree with other posters that you could take at least a day off Venice/Barcelona and transfer it to London.

Just curious, what's your budget for everything?

About 5-6k.

[knickerbocker]

Hey, so the flight has been booked, and its official, I'm off in September.

Quick question, we're starting to book hostels right now. And I was wondering how about we should do it. (There's 4 of us)

Option 1 is for each person to book each bed individually on their credit cards. So for each hostel we'd have 4 separate bookings on 4 different credit cards.

Option 2 is to have one person book all 4 beds on one credit card.

Is there a difference in either option. I'd prefer option 1 because this way we don't have to worry about doing the math and seeing who owes who money. But will it be time consuming at the front desk?

[dealguy1]

i wouldn't bother booking 4 separate beds if you're traveling together. each hostel will operate their own way, but i'd be comfortable saying that your odds of all getting into the same room are higher if you book together, rather than 4 separate... there are no guarantees though. you can always split up the bookings between the 4 people to reduce the amount you owe each other (ie. you book in once city, someone else books elsewhere).

i've done several backpacking trips through europe and have always stayed in hostels. basically, if you book ahead, you don't have to worry about where to stay, but you lose flexibility. if you don't book, you can change your plans anytime, but will probably have to spend more time finding a place to stay, as hostels do get booked up (less so during the off-season). however, if you're not too fussy on where to stay, you'll eventually find somewhere to sleep - at least i always have!

another option, since there are 4 of you, is to split a cheap hotel room. often, this will be around the same cost as 4 beds in a hostel. i've done this a few times, and it's not a bad alternative - though hostels are more sociable.

a few comments on your itinerary:
- i enjoyed venice, but as many have said, you're spending a long time there; i arrived in the early morning via train, spent the day, and took the overnight to paris; had about 10 hrs to explore, which was plenty of time
- many of the best spots are the smaller towns - places like siena, cinque terre (somewhat over-rated, but still very nice) - so it may be worthwhile to pick one or two and add them to your itinerary, subtracting from the big cities... if nothing else, it provides a nice change-of-pace from the cities; florence would be disappointing to miss, though is not that small
- i loved interlaken - it's somewhat of a backpacker's haven; if you do a few of the adventure activities (canyoning, paragliding - i think), you can easily spend a few days; i stayed at balmer's, which is one of the two big hostels there, and it was fine
- it's tough to go wrong with an extra day or two in rome; it is one of the most amazing cities in the world, and will take some time to explore on foot, as the sights are scattered throughout the city; there are also a few sights in the outskirts, so you'll have to take the subway and/or bus (such as the catacombs); i was told ostea antica is worth a visit as well, if you don't make it out to pompeii (which you could do as a long day-trip from rome)

have a great time!


Hey, so the flight has been booked, and its official, I'm off in September.

Quick question, we're starting to book hostels right now. And I was wondering how about we should do it. (There's 4 of us)

Option 1 is for each person to book each bed individually on their credit cards. So for each hostel we'd have 4 separate bookings on 4 different credit cards.

Option 2 is to have one person book all 4 beds on one credit card.

Is there a difference in either option. I'd prefer option 1 because this way we don't have to worry about doing the math and seeing who owes who money. But will it be time consuming at the front desk?

[GemInite]

Hey, so the flight has been booked, and its official, I'm off in September.

Quick question, we're starting to book hostels right now. And I was wondering how about we should do it. (There's 4 of us)

Option 1 is for each person to book each bed individually on their credit cards. So for each hostel we'd have 4 separate bookings on 4 different credit cards.

Option 2 is to have one person book all 4 beds on one credit card.

Is there a difference in either option. I'd prefer option 1 because this way we don't have to worry about doing the math and seeing who owes who money. But will it be time consuming at the front desk?


I tend to book everything on one credit card that way all the reservations are linked. Since there is 4 of you, you'll most likely find hostels with 2 or 4 people rooms which you guys can get for yourselves since you're making a booking of 4.

Generally speaking hostels only charge about 10% up front, so it's not like one guy is going to get stuck with a huge bill.

Most hostels will allow you to pay whichever way you like once you arrive e.g. the remainder on 4 different credit cards, or in cash. Also to note is some hotels charge a little extra, %4-10 if paying by credit card on arrival (e-mail them to find out)

[Jyeatbvg69]

Nice man, almost like mine this year:

Paris
Normandy
Bruges
Amsterdam
Zurich
Munich
Salzberg

As others have mentioned, 2 days in Venice is more than enough. I recommend taking a train to Florence, arguably the nicest city in the world. I had a great time there. Also definitely take a day to see Versailles. It's an important part of history and also beautiful! I was like 14 years old when I went and even I was awed by the magnitude of this place.

[Jay1234]

To the OP, I see you are spending some time in interlaken, if you have time you may want to visit one of the other Swiss cities.

I am currently finishing up a 1 week tour through Switzerland, there are some really nice places here:

Zermatt
Arosa
St. Moritz
Lucerne
Lausanne
Bern
Basel
Zurich

Didn't care for Geneva much, would skip it and spend more time in Zermatt if I was to do it again.

Jay

[knickerbocker]

So check it out...after all the train travel, this is how many actual hours we'll spend in each city. What do you think...Rome seems like a lot.


Brussels 29
Amsterdam 51
Munich 53
Interlaken 63
Venice 34
Rome 122
Nice 42
Barcelona 97
Paris 75
London 60

Am I spending too many hours in Rome/Barca?

[knickerbocker]

Anyone stay at the following hostels? If so...what are your thoughts?

Amsterdam - Flying Pigs Downtown
Munich - Hi Hostel City...booked already.
Interlaken - Balmers
Venice - Venice Fish
Rome - The Yellow
Barca - Kabul
Paris - Three Ducks
London - The Generator.
Brussels & Nice....haven't researched.

Also...anyone care to comment on my previous post if I'm spending too many or too few hours in each city?

[Jyeatbvg69]

So check it out...after all the train travel, this is how many actual hours we'll spend in each city. What do you think...Rome seems like a lot.


Brussels 29
Amsterdam 51
Munich 53
Interlaken 63
Venice 34
Rome 122
Nice 42
Barcelona 97
Paris 75
London 60

Am I spending too many hours in Rome/Barca?

Take away 20 hours from Rome and Barcelona and add them to Paris..and I'm being serious.

[knickerbocker]

Lisbon or Nice, France??

I could potentially work my itinerary out where I could substitute Nice for Lisbon.

Should I do it?