May-August 2007 72 days in Europe

[katebaby9696]

Okay so my sister and I are backpacking europe from may 28 Aug 7.....We just have a really rough draft itinerary and would appreciate any advice or input.....THANKS!

London 4 days
Brussels 3 days
Amsterdam 4 days
Berlin 3 days
Munich 4 days
Prague 3 days
Vienna 3 days
Budapest 3 days
Athens 2 days
Mykonos 3 days
Corfu 3 days
Venice 3 days
Florence 3 days
Rome 4 days
Paris 4 days
Pamplona 2 days
Barcelona 5 days
Ibiza 4 days
Salamanca---rest of time

Okay it's a lot....we know. But we are verry flexible except for the fact that we have booked our flight into London already so that will be our starting city. However, we only wanted to be in Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls and with our current itinerary we are too late for it....any suggestions on how to incorporate it in? Furthermore we're not too sure about the best way to travel around the geek isles....ferry or flight?....we're thinking about using a eurail pass and cheap flights for the rest....any ideas where the flights should be...we're thinking rome-paris. ANY input would be great. We're two 19 and 20 yr old girls and while we have traveled in europe we'ev never backpacked! THANKS!

-kat and erica

[herrbert]

Hi,

A few things to start with: (I'm at work, so can't give you a long answer)

Check the Brussels vs Brugge thread on these boards, and then change your mind, and skip Brussels in favour of Brugge. but I think two days will do.

4 days for Amsterdam in my opinion is one day too much (unless you are planning a daytrip. Maybe it's better to save that day to spend somewhere else.

I think it's easier to do London - Paris instead of seeing Paris after Rome, and then go South again.

Ibiza is a party Island, so just make sure that you are up for that, esp. in Summer it can be very crowded.

As far as I know Salamanca doesn't have an airport, so going from Ibiza to Salamanca, you should make a stop in Madrid, and get to Salamanca by train. But if you are in Madrid stay there for a couple of days, and make sure to see Toledo and Segovia as daytrips.

Pointofnoreturn has the greek isles on her itinerary, so she is able to give you an advice on that part of the trip.

[madamtrashheap]

katebaby9696 said:

the geek isles

I know it was a typing mistake, but I'm still giggling! Love it!


Hi ladies, welcome to the boards!

I agree with Herrbert about visiting Paris before Rome. A few more points for your consideration:

1.Perhaps look at the order in which you are visiting the cities, this will help with modes of transport and perhaps altering the dates will land you in Pamplona in time.

2.you could still fit Brussels and Brugge into your intinerary (I'm the lone defender of Brussels!), but perhaps stay in Brugge and do Brussels as a day trip/overnight stop. It's full of musuems, cafes and a little boy and girl peeing (!), but Brugge is just so pretty so I'd suggest staying there as you'll probably enjoy the scenery/feel a little more.

3. the Greek Islands can be reached in a number of ways (flights, ferries), but Mykonos and Corfu are on opposite sides of the Agean (so to speak), so perhaps consider either swapping Corfu for say Santorini or Paros or catch a boat from Venice to Corfu (overnight ferry) if you have the time, then fly to Athens from Corfu and continue out to the other islands.

4. Munich for 4 days might be a little too much, perhaps 3 is enough. This still leaves time for a day trip to the castles (Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, Herrenchiemsee). If you do stay for 4 days, consider a day trip to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

5. Barcelona for 5 days is a lot, can you split this time and perhaps fit in a visit to Madrid?

6. See if you can fit some day trips in whilst you're in London (Bath, Stonehenge, etc), if you haven't already planned to do this.

Let us know what you come up with once you've tweaked things a little. Happy planning!

[katebaby9696]

Thanks so much for the advice! I think we need all the help we can get. I tried to talk to a travel agent and I think she just tried to sign me up for some contiki tour....no help at all. We're gonna check out the brussels vs brugge....maybe keep both depending.

London to paris isn't a bad idea, we're still trying to work out the route. One of our friends told us that we're going for way too long and should plan a kind of break in the middle. We dont know about that. Any input? Yeah we know Ibiza is a party island....we feel like we'll be so close though that we might as well experience it.

Yeah we planned on stopping in madrid for a night or two on the way to salamanca. We used to live in salamanca so it's sort of like a home base for us, so if we do decide to do the "break" in the middle it will probably be there.

And thanks we're planning on cutting some time off of barcelona and munich and maybe substituting with something else.

thank you so much!

[madamtrashheap]

katebaby9696 said:

I tried to talk to a travel agent and I think she just tried to sign me up for some contiki tour....no help at all.

Some travel agents haven't done the full backpacking/travelling thing so will only offer what they are familiar with and what they can sell to you. There's nothing wrong with an organised tour, if that's what you like and if you'll feel more comfortable (esp if it's a first time trip), but as you've both been to Europe before I think you'll be happier arranging your own itinerary.

katebaby9696 said:

One of our friends told us that we're going for way too long and should plan a kind of break in the middle. We dont know about that. Any input?

Each person travels differently, so whether or not you need a break in the middle is hard to say. If "break" means 5-7 days in one place, then you can easily do that. But if "break" means 2 weeks in one spot, then you have to rearrange your itinerary. I just depends on whether you want to see as much as possible in the time you have, or if your idea of a holiday also involves staying put for a bit. You've allowed good amounts of time in each of the places listed, and as you've written, you'll be altering a few days here and there, so you won't be run off your feet. Plus there's always Ibiza for doing a whole lot of nothing to relax! And if you do manage to fit the Greek Islands in, you'll find the pace pretty cruisey down there too.

Keep us updated on the intinerary developments! ;D

[gelgameck]

Hey Katebaby!
Yeah, I would say change Corfu for Santorini. Much more convenient, and Santorini is the #1 must-see island. Now, if you want something less... Cycladic, I would recommend visiting Skiathos. It IS kind of far away from Mykonos, but at least they're on the same side of Greece, so it's more convenient than Corfu.
Also, when you say "Athens 2 days" do you mean 2 nights? Because I believe one single night in Athens is not enough. The ideal number is 2. Where are you satying in Athens? Because some hotels downtown can be in real shady areas...
Let me know if you need more info!
Gelgameck
[e-mail]

[lia]

Come on, you go to Salamanca and don't want to have a trip to Portugal??? I love Portugal, and I think that people usually think of Spain and forget about its neighbour - which, by the way, is gorgeous! Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra (ok, don't go to Coimbra during the summer, it's empty and you would think it's a bore..but during te academic year it's just FUN ! ) anyway, talking about cheap flights I would recommend you www.ryanair.com , or www.easyjet.com ; they fly from minor airports, but there you can find very cheap flights. as for the accommodation, check www.flashbooking.com , sometimes you can find good deals there. HAVE FUN!!!!!!