Two months in Europe BABY!

[stevedanger]

I'm finally doing it. I'm finally going on my long-planned backpacking trip throughout Europe. I've been planning on doing this trip for a long time but for various reasons (money, girlfriends, cowardice) I haven't done it. Well, I've finally bought my plane ticket and my rail pass and have even booked some hostels already. Here is my planned, and very vague, itinerary.

Some notes before I get started:
- I have a Eurail Global Pass that lasts 2 months
- I am leaving from Vancouver, Canada on May 3rd and fly into London. I come back on July 5th from Paris.
- Ireland is a must-see and as you'll read soon I've already covered that
- Hungary, Budapest in particular, is also a must-see. I have to get there
- I must be in Zurich by June 18th because I really, really, really want to see the Metallica concert there. Do people sell tickets outside the venue in Europe? In North America it's called 'scalping' tickets. Not sure what you call it over yonder...
- I love trains. I love riding on trains. Hanging out for 3 or 4 hours on a train doesn't bother me. It's part of this whole trip for me, just as much as seeing sites and meeting new people is.

This first part of my itinerary is set in stone already as things have been purchased and things have been booked.

May 4th - Arrive in London about 10:30am (4, 5, 6)
May 7th - Ryanair flight from London to Dublin, arriving about 11:30am
May 8th - Shamrocker 7 Day All Ireland Tour
May 14th - Arrive back in Dublin about 5:30pm (14, 15) I want some extra time in Dublin, thus the extra day.
May 16th - Ryanair flight back to London

The reason I'm going back to London is because I want to take the train through the Chunnel. It's just one of those things I really want to do. I love riding on trains and riding a train underwater through a tunnel tickles me pink for some reason.

May 16th - Here I'm thinking I will stay one more night in London as train ticket prices are cheaper on Monday than they are on Sunday. Cheaper by a lot. May 16th is a Sunday. So now is where my trip planning is somewhat vague but somewhat planned, if you get what I'm saying. Once I'm in Paris I can use my rail pass for everywhere else I'm going. Hooray!

May 17th - London to Paris (17, 18, 19)
May 20th - Paris to Brussels (20, 21, 22) Have a day trip to Bruges planned for one of the days here.
May 23rd - Brussels to Amsterdam (23, 24, 25)
May 26th - Amsterdam to... Hamburg? Frankfurt? Whichever one I'll stay there 2 days most like, travel day included (26, 27) These are the two closest main cities to Amsterdam, except for maybe Cologne. I'm not sure...
May 28th - If I'm in Hamburg, I go to Berlin next. If I'm in Frankfurt I go to Munich. (28, 29, 30)
May 31 - Berlin or Munich, with most likely a stop in Dresden or Leipzig in between. (31, 1, 2, 3, 4)

All my dates are pretty much approximated now as I'm not sure how long I'll be in Germany for or what route I will take. Any pointers? At this stage I'll list places and approximate time of stay.

Prague (3 days)
Vienna (3 days) probably. Or I could take a longer train to Budapest.
Budapest (3 or 4 days, depending how awesome it is)

This puts me around June 15th at my count. From what I gather the easiest way to get out of Hungary is to go back to Vienna. Traveling through Slovenia seems like a hassle. If I've already visited Vienna I'll most likely get right on another train immediately and get myself to Switzerland.

Zurich (3 days) Lets say I get to Zurich on the 17th, 18th for the concert, say I leave on the 20th?

From here I want to go into Italy. In Italy I'd like to see Venice, Rome, possibly Florence, and maybe something else not too far away?

Let's assume I finish Italy and get back into Switzerland (Bern most likely) around July 1st. That leaves me a day or two there and perhaps another day or two somewhere else in France before going back to Paris to catch my flight home on July 5th.

Phew!

How does this look to others? Feasible? Will I be exhausting myself too much? Do I need to expand some and cut down on others? Have a left stuff out? Let's assume I'm interested in almost anything and everything.

Basically, this is my thing. I'm almost 30 years old. It's time to buckle down and get myself a career and buy a house and all that other grown up stuff that no one really wants to do. This may be my one and only chance to do a trip like this. I tell you, I'm blessed that my girlfriend is understanding and is supporting me going alone while she stays home. I want to fit in as much as I can and get to as many places as I can, but still have enough time to enjoy and appreciate things. If I ever get an opportunity like this again (hopefully with my lady by my side) I'll focus more on a smaller number of places and stay longer, but for now I need to experience as much as possible!

Many thanks to any future help anyone provides.

[Eagle]

stevedanger,

First of all, welcome to the GFE Boards! It appears that you've put a lot of work into your proposed Itinerary, and for the most part it looks good. However, I have a few comments.

As this is your first trip to Europe, my first suggestion would be to pre-read the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door. That will provide you with a lot of information for travelling "well" in Europe and help to avoid problems.

Regarding your Eurail Global Pass, be sure to budget for the reservation fees which are compulsory with some trains (usually the fast trains, such as the TGV in France). These are NOT included in the cost of a Railpass, and must be paid separately.

As you're flying twice with RyanAir, I'd suggest packing VERY LIGHT. If not, you'll be "nicked" with overweight luggage charges. RyanAir is very good at squeezing every last Euro out of their passengers (they were considering charging €1 to use the washroom during the flight, but not sure if they've decided to proceed with that?).

Your 7-day Ireland tour looks like it covers many of the "highlights". There doesn't appear to be an overnight stop in Dingle, but it looks like you may pass through there? It's one of my favourite spots! When you arrive at Kilronan (Inishmore), you'll probably have three options for local tours: Bicycle, Pony Cart or Minivan. The weather will probably determine your choice to some extent. I preferred the Minivan tour, as it allowed more time at the sites. Be sure to make the hike up to Dun Aengus, but BE CAREFUL at the edge because it's a long way down to the rocks! There's an awesome Café at the base of the train to Dun Aengus. Kilronan reportedly has the largest sweater shop in Europe, so if you're interested in one of the heavy knit sweaters, it would be a good time to buy one (be sure to leave room in the Backpack for souvenirs).

The history of Derry (and indeed Belfast and other parts of the north) is very moving! When you arrive in Derry, keep in mind that you'll now require Pounds Sterling for cash, so you may want to get £50 or so before you leave (or you can visit an ATM when you arrive - more on ATM's later).

The Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge isn't really all that "hazardous", but it's a bit of a hike from the car park to the entrance of the bridge. You'll have to go down a set of steep stairs to reach the bridge. If the Guide has time when you're in that area, you might see if it's possible to take a tour of the Bushmill's Distillery (nothing like a shot of 16-year old single malt whiskey for lunch!).

Now some comments on the other areas you'll be visiting.....

> Paris: You might consider buying the two-day Paris Museum Pass. If you visit a lot of sights covered by the Pass, it will pay for itself. In addition, it will help to avoid queues (which at that time of year might be a problem, as it's the middle of the spring shoulder season). Check their website for costs and locations where you can purchase.

> Brussels: I'd suggest spending two days in Bruges and one on Brussels, before making your way to Amsterdam.

> Germany: From Amsterdam, you might consider going through Frankfurt to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (which has been described as Germany's best preserved medieval city). Be sure to take the Night Watchman's tour! That would set things up nicely for your next stop, Munich. There's an enormous number of things to see in Munich - the Hofbrauhaus, Deutsches Museum (16 kM of exhibits), Viktualien Market, English Gardens, etc. You can also take day trips to visit "Mad King Ludwig's" Castles in Fussen (Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau) or to Dachau (if you're interested in WW-2 history). You might consider one of the Munich Walks tours to get some sense of the history of the city. Check www.radiustours.com/html/tours.html for the details.

> Vienna: that's a good spot to visit if you're interested in a larger city, and the history. However, you might also consider Salzburg as it's a wonderful smaller city, and would allow day trips to Hallstatt, Berchtesgaden (Eagle's Nest, more WW-2 history) or just exploring the Hohensalzburg Fortress above the city.

> Budapest: If your budget will allow, you might consider taking a Segway tour of the city. Have a look at citysegwaytours.com/budapest for the details and costs (NOTE: be sure to take a credit card, as you'll probably have to leave a deposit in case the machine is "damaged" - if you follow the directions of the Guide, that will be unlikely). I've done the tour in Paris, and it was a lot of fun and I'll be taking the tour in Budapest when I get there.

> Italy: There are LOTS of possibilities for places to visit in Italy, and Venice, Florence and Rome are a good start. Try to allow at least four or five days in Rome, as there's an incredible amount of history there and lots of place to see. Some other locations you could consider are:

- Cinque Terre (it's very popular with many here - favourite activity is hiking the trails between the five ancient villages).

- Siena: would be good for a day or two (it's an easy trip by Bus from Florence).

- Orvieto: lots of history there, and it's an easy trip from there to Rome.

- Lago di Como (Varenna): this is a wonderful location to just enjoy Il dolce far niente. Lots of elegant old Villas, a beautiful lake and mountains (no surprise that Clooney owns a Villa there).

- Verona

- Lucca

- and the list goes on......

Regarding Switzerland, you might also consider a short visit to the Berner Oberland region, outside Interlaken. It's a big favourite here, especially the small village of Gimmelwald. Have a look at www.gimmelwald.ch to see if it appeals to you. The Mountain Hostel often books up quickly at that time of year, so you might consider pre-booking.

Some general comments (in case you haven't considered them).....

> ATM's: it's a good idea to take two ATM cards, in case one malfunctions (which happened to me last year when I was in France). At least one credit card is a good idea too. Note that many automated ticket machines (especially in France) will now ONLY accept the newer "chip & PIN" credit cards, as well as Euro cash. The machines in Italy will still accept the older magnetic stripe credit cards AFAIK. Note that your travel funds MUST be in a chequing account with a four-number PIN.

> If you're travelling with a Cellphone (to keep in touch with your girl friend), it must be a quad-band GSM model. If that's the case, roaming with your home network is fairly inexpensive if using text most of the time instead of voice calls.

> If you're travelling with any electronics or appliances, be sure to check the ratings to make sure they're designed for operation on 220 VAC electrical systems. You'll definitely need Plug Adapters, which are very inexpensive. The UK-style has three large rectangular pins, while the Euro style has two round pins. I usually pack two of each type, just to ensure that I have a backup.

> DON'T forget to validate your Railpass before first use.

> You might have a look at some country or city-specific Guidebooks to obtain information on local transportation options, opening and closing times and costs for Museums and other sights, etc.

> BE SURE to wear a Money Belt under your clothing! Keep only enough money in your pocket for incidentals and don't access the Money Belt where others can see. Especially in Paris and Rome, there are lots of pickpockets. Be vigilant in any crowd situations, especially on the Metro or Buses. Don't fall for the bracelet or gold ring scams or others.

That's about all I can think of at the moment. Time for a rest! Hopefully, MTH or some of the others will have a few comments as well.

Happy travels!

[stevedanger]

Wow! Thanks so much for all that!

All of the stuff you mentioned about ATMs and credit cards and money belts and plug adapters I'm already one step ahead. I've got all that stuff covered already. I pretty much have everything I need already purchased; travel towel, plug adapters, a guide book etc. Still need to get a backpack but that's coming soon.

It's awesome that you mentioned staying one day in Brussels and two in Bruges. Just today I was reading stuff online and going through my guidebook and was thinking to myself that I might want to change my Belgium plans a bit.

I really appreciate your advice for Germany, I'll definitely be looking at everything you mentioned in more detail in the coming days.

All in all, thanks again!