First Trip- 30 days- Mid May to Mid June

[oneday9898]

Hello,

This will be my first trip in Europe. I've read a lot of what other people have been posting in the forums and it has really helped me. Please give any recommendations you can on my proposed trip. Also, note that I didn't plan to touch France this first trip just because of time constraints.

1 Fly into London early AM
2-4 London (any good hostel recommendation??)
5. Train to day in Brussels, then to Amsterdam
6-8 Amsterdam (Flying Pig Uptown)
9-11 Berlin (Circus)
12-15 Prague (Boathouse)
16-18 Munich (Wombat)
19-21 Florence (Ostello Archi Rossi)
22-25 Rome (The Beehive)
26-29 Interlaken/Gimmerwald (Mountain Hostel)
30 Train to ? for evening flight home

Night trains during travel to Berlin, Munich, Florence, Interlaken could be rough but I think are a smart way to make the most out of the time. Eurorail and supplemental rails passes will be my main way to travel.

I put hostels in "()" that I plan to stay in. If anyone can let me know if the reviews stand up for these or not I'd greatly appreciate it.

Finally, I'm going alone on this trip from the looks of it. I'd love to meet up with other backpackers so if you'll be in Europe this time let me know! Thanks

[herrbert]

First of all welcome to the boards,

I think you want to check a few things: I think you are a little bit tight on the schedule, it might work out a little bit better if you leave out 1 or 2 cities, it gives you time enough to see other places properly.

How keen are you to go to Interlaken and Gimmelwald? Depending on where you are heading, it can take some time to reach the airport you want to go, to fly home. I think if you are planning to fly open-jaw, it would be better to end your trip in Rome. If you are very keen on getting to Gimmelwald, then I would suggest squeezing it in between Munich and Florence.

If you want to keep to the shedule you made, than I am not quite sure which airport is best for you to fly home again. I think Zurich is the closest major airport, that would be around 2 hours and 30 minutes by train, from Interlaken (ost). You need to make sure that your airline, is flying for Zurich. (as it is not a major hub, like London, Madrid, Frankfurt or Rome -> btw Frankfurt is 5 hours by train + time to get to the airport). Normaly you could also take a flight to an airport, your company is servicing, but there are no low-budgetflights out of Switzerland (yet)

Compare the prices of your traintickets, to the prices you pay for low-budgetflights, taking a plane, can save you some money, but also some precious time.

If Brussels is only a town, you want to go, because your train is passing there, than you might want to take a lot at some offers of Easyjet-flights between London and Amsterdam (22 pound sterling, incl taxes) or even British Airways (they fly from Heathrow, which you can reach by metro). If you want to see Brussels anyway, then BMI might have some good offers.

For the Amsterdam-Berlin trip, you could use Transavia to fly to Berlin-Tegel. (63 euros/incl taxes). moneywise: I don't know if you can save money this way, and when you take a nighttrain, taking a flight might not save you time at all, but it's something you could consider (or at least check if it can save you money). At www.bahn.de I can see a nighttrain, that goes via Brussels, So if you are planning to take this nighttrain, you could fly to Amsterdam before Brussels. (maybe David, can find you a better option for a nighttrain).

If you are planning to go from Munich to Florence, you fly from Munich to Venice (and stay there for a day, or take the train to Florence if you want), with www.hlx.com (Hapag Loyd) for a price of just 19.99 euro (incl. taxes and fees).

[me]

hi,
some suggestions:

a low cost flight from London, if planned ahead, would be much cheaper than the train. Eurostar is a *very* expensive train!

Amsterdam to Berlin might be best with a night train, a night train goes from city center to city center and eliminates the need to pay for a hostel bed. it cost little extra time, you must sleep anyway, no?

if you fly: you must pay for the ticket, which includes a good bit of tax, pay for ground transport to an often distant airport, wait through security, fly, and pay for ground transport from an often distant airport to the city center. also, there's another night's fee at the hostel to pay. often it's cheaper in total and less time consuming in total to take a night train, when one is available.

but, in any case, it'd be best to reverse your plan, fly London to Amsterdam, train to Brussel, and take your night train from Brussel to Berlin. [the NT from Amsterdam to Berlin goes via Brussel]

also, it might be best to fly from London to Rome, and move North. you'd prolly want to be at the Southern most part of your trip at the coolest time of your trip- mid May.

btw, Switzerland is exspensive. Western Austria is just as beautiful, yet cheaper.

[Eagle]

oneday9898, welcome to the Boards! I have a few comments to add to the others.

First of all, regarding Hostels in London -- check the Hostel review section on the main page of this site, www.guideforeurope.com/englandhostels.html as that should give you a few ideas. You can also book Hostels through this site, which helps to support our efforts here.

Now, regarding your proposed Itinerary:

Day 5 - were you planning on stopping in Brussels or just passing through? BTW, most on this Board seem to feel that Brugges is a better stop.

Days 22-25 (Rome) - you'll have to book the Beehive VERY early to get a space there. You could also consider Alessandro Palace if the Beehive is booked-up. It's only about a seven minute walk from Termini and a great location. I was there in late September, and will post a review as soon as I get a few spare minutes.

Days 26-29 (Interlaken / Gimmelwald) - were you planning to stay in both locations, or just Gimmelwald? The Mountain Hostel is great and I'm sure you'll enjoy sitting on the patio with a Beer and watching the sun turn the mountains pink in the late afternoon, as I did. If the Mountain Hostel is booked, there are also a number of Guesthouses there and one Hotel. Esther's Guesthouse just expanded this fall. Check her listing on the official Gimmelwald site, www.gimmelwald.ch. The Pensione was the only restaurant in town but unfornatutely they closed at the end of October 2006, and not sure if or when they'll be open again? They sell some food at the Hostel, but it's an easy ride to the Co-Op Store in Murren if you want to buy groceries. If you need any other particulars on Gimmelwald, post another note.

Day 30 - the city you travel to for your flight home will depend to some extent on what kind of flights are available to your home? You didn't indicate where you're flying from, so it's difficult to provide any advice on that point.

RAIL TRIPS:

- Amsterdam to Berlin - you might consider IC-141 or similiar
Departs 07:13
Arrives 13:19 (Duration 06H:06M)
NO changes - Reservations probably MANDATORY in addition to your Pass

- Munich to Florence - you might consider EC-85 or similar
Departs 09:33
Arrives 17:53 (Duration 08H:20M)
NO changes - Reservations probably MANDATORY in addition to your Pass
Keep in mind that you want to go to Firenze S.M.N. station and not one of the others.

- Rome to Interlaken East (Ost) - a night train might work best for this one, as you don't want to arrive in Interlaken late in the evening. One train to consider would be EN-314, with times as follows:
Departs Roma Termini 20:40
Arrives Spiez 07:48
Departs Spiez 08:14 (the view of the lakes at that time of the morning should be fantastic)
Arrives Interlaken Ost 08:35 (Duration 11H:55M)
Reservations ARE required and you might want to book a Couchette.
I figured that trip might work, as there's only one change at 07:48, which means you'll probably have a good sleep. DON'T oversleep and miss your change though!!! The problem with overnight trains that have 3-4 changes, is that it's difficult to get a good night's sleep if you're waking up every few hours!

When you get to Interlaken Ost, buy a one-way ticket to Gimmelwald in the station (be sure to "take a number" before going to the ticket window). The ticket will cover your fare on the Berner Oberland train, the Post Bus in Lauterbrunnen and the Cable Car from Stechelberg to Gimmelwald. On the way back, buy a similar one-way ticket at the Gimmelwald Cable Car station to take you back to Interlaken Ost.

ONE IMPORTANT POINT - I chose an arbitrary date to find these times. The schedule might change next year so you'll have to verify these as your trip gets closer. Check www.bahn.de for current schedules, preferably just before you leave on your trip.

Hope that helps. Happy travels!!!