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Post by madamtrashheap on Mar 4, 2012 21:24:54 GMT -5
Autumn/Fall is a lovely time to visit, can still be warm in the days (esp Sept and early Oct), but you'll need a light jacket in the evenings.
Considering your interests, you might consider 5 nights in London with a day trip to Stonehenge & Bath - see Evan Evans for day trips by coach - and then either take the train to York for the rest of the time, or take the train or fly to Edinburgh for that time.
To make it work, as I believe you'll likely fly in and out of London, you could arrive in London, spend the first 2 nights there to deal with tireness, then head up to either York or Edinburgh for 2-3 nights, then back to London for the remainder of your time, allowing for a day trip as mentioned above.
There are plenty of museums, art-related things and food opportunities in all three cities, plus the castles, historical info and other requirements would also be met.
Splitting your time might not work if you rent an apartment as they usually only rent for 7 day periods, not less, but there are a few which offer day by day rental. Otherwise a B&B would suit if you do split your time.
As for wanting to see a lot - don't we all?!! But don't be fooled into thinking Europe is a small place and underestimating how long it takes to get to places. You would be better off picking one region and exploring it well, rather than changing places every day or so and spending more time travelling than seeing.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Mar 3, 2012 19:58:24 GMT -5
skornick, welcome to GFE. It's difficult to suggest exactly what you should do without knowing the following:
1. What time of year are you travelling? 2. What are your interests? Museums, food, history, etc? 3. What budget do you have?
In lieu of that information, I'll give a few things to think about:
8-10 days is probably only enough for one or two major cities maximum, without day trips. If you did want to do two major cities, you could fly into London, spend 5 days there (maybe time for one day trip) then Eurostar to Paris for 4 days and fly out of Paris. If you did stay in London the whole time, then you certainly would have time for day trips, eg Stonehenge & Bath, Cambridge or Oxford, Windsor Castle, Leeds Castle (not in Leeds, but just outside London) as well as time to explore London - lots to see and do. You could also rent an apartment rather than a hotel/B&B which might work out cheaper.
If you book a tour, you'll have transport and accommodation taken care of, but your free time might be limited, depending on the tour schedule. If you're not at all confident with solo travel, then by all means look into a London & Paris tour - both of those companies offer good ones - but make sure you're seeing what you want to see.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Mar 3, 2012 1:27:14 GMT -5
Welcome to GFE, dumbbel.
As you're just starting your research, I might be a good idea to do a little reading on places you want to visit and show your kids - by that I mean which cities interest you the most. You will also have to keep that list short as you only have 14 days (15 nights) to travel, so keep it simple.
Once you have some ideas on cities, let us know and we can help with the ideal amount of time to spend in each.
As for transport, you will have a better idea which type will suit you better (planes, trains, etc) one you work out cities and a route.
Accommodation will depend on how long you spend in each city, but if you end up looking at staying a week in say Paris, you could look at renting an apartment instead.
As for if it's a good idea to backpack with kids - of course! Travel is never a bad thing, especially when you're young. Perhaps get each of them to tell you the one thing they really want to see/do in Europe and that way they'll have some input, keep interested and also will help narrow down destinations.
Once you've looked at all of that, post again and we'll help fill in the gaps.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Feb 18, 2012 20:52:26 GMT -5
Once you know if and when the next ship will visit some of the places on your list, let us know and that will allow your itinerary to take shape. The temporary visa would usually only apply if you were on a cruise (which you may well be) and visiting St P from Helsinki, however I think this now extends to the use of the overnight ferry (not train AFAIK) called St Peter Line ( www.stpeterline.com ). I believe it's possible to visit St P (or any other Russian port, not overland travel) for 72 hours without a full Russian visa. This is dependent on travelling to and from Russia by this ferry/cruise within that 72 hours. There was a change to visa rules in early 2010 which allows this form of entry and exit to Russia. There is also a compulsory "city tour" with an additional cost (around Euro15 I think) which is part of the visa-free conditions, but from what I hear it's more like a shuttle bus that takes you to/from the port to the city centre with no real commentary, so it's just to make sure they comply with the visa legislation by a bare minimum. Have a look on the website for details. As for your budget, assuming that is US Dollars, that's a good amount to travel with. If you work on around US$100 ber day (which is Euro 75 per day) that will be a modest budget for food, accommodation and travel. You may want to up the amount per day, particularly in Scandi countries, and of course that will be impacted by the eventual amount of time you have to travel (6 weeks vs 8 weeks).
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Post by madamtrashheap on Feb 16, 2012 1:48:11 GMT -5
Welcome to GFE, notthefall. Just to stop double-answers to your two Posts, let's keep them all in one place rather than splitting between this one and your other one pretravel.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=intinary&action=display&thread=8382As far as modes of transport go, you will be best served using a combination of flights, trains and sometimes bussess between each city. If you could give us an idea of how long you're planning to spend in each city, as well as list the cities in each country you're visiting, that will also help. Also an idea of your interests will help with suggestions. I'm going to advise from the outset that 8 weeks will probably not be enough to adequately cover all the places on your list. There is a lot of ground to cover in that time and journeys can take longer than you expect in some places (esp. Croatia, Serbia, Albania, Romania). So if you could list the number of days in each city you were thinking of, that will certainly help to get an idea of just how much time you'll need and how much ground you can cover in 8 weeks. You will likely find that you need to remove some destinations in order to fit others in, so list your must-visit places first, then your "if there's time" places and that will give a skeleton itinerary to start with. You may also want to readjust the order of places visited. For example: 1. from Barcelona, fly to Amsterdam, spend time there then fly to Copenhagen (closer and flight to Oslo abound) and continue by flying to Oslo, flying to Stockholm and flying to Helsinki (there is a ferry Stockholm to Helsinki but it's an overnight journey with a 5pm departure. Here's a website for the Silja line: www.tallinksilja.com/en/. NOTE: not sure why you're going to Luxembourg, but unless you have a specific reason for visiting, you may want to drop it as it doesn't fit "comfortably" with the rest of the itinerary in terms of direction/transport. 2. From St Petersburg, you can travel to Tallinn by bus which leaves twice a day and takes around 6hrs (try to avoid flying out of St Petersburg - you need to be at the airport a minimum of 4 hours before your flight for the security, check-in and more security. It takes an eon, so decide what suits you best.). From Tallinn, the bus to Riga takes a little over 4hrs. On to Lithuania and Belarus (that visa can take longer than a Russian one) then Kiev/Ukraine (look at flights if you can, the train/bus will be a bit of a journey). 3. From there it gets tricky in terms of direction. You could fly from Kiev to Warsaw then train to Krakow and on to Berlin, but you are close to Romania and Bulgaria so it's tempting to say to Romania while you're in the area then fly to Krakow, train to Warsaw and fly or train to Berlin and then train to Dresden-Prague, etc. But I'm going to suggest doing Ukraine, Poland, Germany, then on as below as this makes the most sense in terms of not backtracking too much. 4. After Warsaw and Krakow, you could make your way to Berlin (by train), then to Prague via a day (or just an afternoon depending on interests) in Dresden via train. The journey between Berlin and Prague is not long, and a side trip to Dresden is easily done. 5. From Prague, look at going to Austria (eg Vienna, not sure where else you're looking at, but look at Innsbruck, Salzburg and parts of the Tirol) by train, then on to Hungary. NOTE: if you are only going to Bratislava in Slovakia, then that can be done in a day trip from Vienna. 6. Switzerland and Northern Italy - it would help to know where in both of these regions where you're planning to visit, ie cities/towns. This will help to advise on routes to take and where in your itinerary they will fit best - it may be that they need to be placed in a different order than you currently have as there is a little back-tracking going on. 7. From Venice (am counting this as northern Italy) it is easy to go along to Slovenia and then on to Croatia, B&H, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, etc. NOTE: travelling through Albania will take longer than you think as the roads aren't exactly in top shape and accommodation isn't yet up to a high standard - they are still getting used to people wanting to visit so taking a while to catch up. 8. Getting around Romania and Bulgaria will be a combination of trains (which are mercifully better than they were even 10 years ago) and busses. However, we will need to know where in each of these places you plan to visit in order to give transport, etc, advice. 9. Assuming you're flying out of Athens to your home base. If not, let us know where you'll be flying out of Europe as this will affect itinerary order as well. Visas - depending on the passport you hold, you will, as you've seen with Russia, need Visas for some of the countries you're planning to visit. Check with each embassy - online is usually a good start - and remember that getting a Russian visa can be tricky as there is a "timer" on it from the time you get it to the time you activate it, plus you may need to surrender your passport to the Russian visa processing office. Make sure you're very correct and exacting with the details you place on your Russian visa as they will take payment to process it and if there are any mistakes you'll have to pay again. Get your "Invitation" letter from your accommodation prior to applying (they will email it to you in most cases). Also, look into visiting St P from Helsinki on the ferry or the spanking new fast train line (Allego - everyone is very excited and all of St Petersburg is raving about it, my friend has been on it 4 times already!) as there may be an option for a temporary visa (24hrs) if this is the only place you visit in Russia and you may not have to go through the full visa office rigmarole. Once you've go your cities and route sorted, you'll be able to work out the best transport methods between each place. Some sites which might help you: www.skyscanner.net - budget flights www.luxexpress.eu/en/timetable - travel around the Baltic and into/out of Russia www.db.de (German train site but does routes for all of Europe so easy to work out times, etc). www.seat61.com - the guru of train travel Happy planning and let us know when you have your cities listed and the next version of your itinerary. NOTE: looks like Eagle and I were posting at similar times (spotted the Post, Eagle!) As he and I have now noted, your itinerary will be hard to do in the time allotted.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Feb 12, 2012 19:42:36 GMT -5
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Post by madamtrashheap on Feb 1, 2012 18:11:17 GMT -5
To add to Eagle's always-excellent advice: Hiring a car in one country and dropping it off in another usually incurs a much higher charge - check into it with different rental companies, but they all seem to charge a hefty fee. You could look at trains on some routes and then driving within a country (esp Italy as parts of Tuscany are best seen by car) before dropping the car off and training/flying to your next destination. The order of your itinerary is good, but needs a little tweaking as there is a little bit of semi-backtracking: you could do Lake Como on your way to Switzerland from Venice. And I'd skip Milan too. You only have it for one day and unless you're going there for something specific (The Last Supper - book ahead, or La Scala) I'd drop it in favour of more time somewhere else. As per Eagle, Provence for one day is probably not enough, regardless of where you stay. It will be the end of Summer/start of Autumn when you're there and it's just stunning. You could base yourselves in, for example, Aix-en-Provence and visit Nice (by train, don't drive as parking is annoying) for a full day. Or if you do drive, take a trip along the coast from Cannes to Monaco for great scenery. Some additional websites for planning: www.deutschebahn.com/de/start.html for general train information; it's the German train website, but gives good international train information too, and you can change the language to English if you need www.viamichelin.com is great for journey planning and shows toll costs and any other information you'll need for each journey. Happy planning and let us know what you come up with.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Jan 21, 2012 23:48:45 GMT -5
To add to Eagle's always excellent advice, I too would suggest staying away from the first Prague-Amsterdam-London option if you plan to travel to London at any time while the Olympics are on - unless you have tickets in which case, awesome! The Olympics are on from 27 July to 12 August, so if you are travelling mid-June then you'll still be ok to visit London, however you may find accommodation a little more expensive than usual so check it out first (hostels with double rooms are available, as well as B&Bs).
Barcelona and perhaps Madrid (with some day trips) will work well too, and will be easy to fly to for both of you (check flights from Pisa to Barcelona as I don't think there are many/any direct from Florence). Vueling.com would be worth looking at.
Eagle's suggested route will also work well by adding AMS instead of Prague, and you could even alter it to be Berlin, Prague, Munich (flights to Berlin can be found from both Paris and Florence/Pisa, ditto for Munich - check Air Berlin or Air Dolomiti) if that appeals more, so it just comes down to what you both want to see and do in your 2 weeks as each combination has its advantages.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Jan 17, 2012 2:36:23 GMT -5
"Tough to find in Europe" is correct. It's a very tenuous link to post this website on a site about travel in Europe when there are only two countries in Europe in which this place trades - one of which is a US Airbase so not even accessible to general travellers.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Dec 23, 2011 2:24:24 GMT -5
Welcome to GFE, newbackpacker. Although you're not yet sure how long your leave will be, we can at least give you some advice on how long to spend in each of the places you've listed along with other information to get you started on your research. Amsterdam - as you're starting here, I'd suggest 3-4 full days, this will allow for jetlag (I'm guessing you'll have some) as well as time to explore and aclimatise to travel. Food isn't super cheap in AMS, but you can find cheap lunches (and dinners) in small cafes and look for the Albert Hein supermarkets for their deli and fresh fruit sections. As for accommmodation, I'm not sure of your budget, but you can look at Budget Hotel Tourist Inn - Despite the dodgy name, it's actually quite nice and caters to single travellers as well as families. Really excellent location and nice property. St Christopher's at the Winton - Keep hearing about this one as it's a mix of budget hotel and hostel in a really central location with themed rooms and good facilities. Can be a bit too close to the Red Light District for some. Stayokay Hostel - 2 properties, one located near Vodelpark and also not too far from the Museum Quarter; another one (Stadsdoelen) is located near Waterlooplein, so quite central. They are both huge hostels but have good facilities. Vodelpark has less of a party atmosphere than the Stadsdoelen property. There are plenty more, but they may suit you to start with. Otherwise have a look at the prices for the Ibis Amsterdam Central Hotel, which is right near the Centraal Station and is your standard Ibis property but might have specials for the start of Summer. Berlin - such a great city! Again 3-4 full days here depending on your interests, but you'll find plenty to see and do. Berlin is still fairly inexpensive (mercifully) and plenty of places offer budget meals, and the portions are huge. Accommodation: Wombat City Hostel is great, good location and nice staff/amenities. Other hostels to consider are Baxpax, Plus Berlin or Inn-Berlin. The Generator is also good, but might be a bit too far from the action for you (it's only a 15min tram ride from Alexanderplatz, so keep it in mind if you have trouble booking the others). Paris - another superb city, so you're looking a 5 full days here, leaving 1 for a day trip (Versailles, Giverny) if you want. If you're looking to do more than one day trip, then add days accordingly. Cheap lunches such as filled baguettes or crepes (mmmmm, crepes) are everywhere, plus you can't beat a good Croque Monsieur, as well as mini-marts for a picnic in the park. Also keep an eye out for Set Menu (Prix Fixe) boards in cafes and restaurants which offer a 2 or 3 course lunch or dinner (sometimes with choices of mains) for Euro20 (esp around Montmartre). Accommodation: so many places to choose from, but to start, Plug Inn Hostel - “boutique” hostel in a great location in Montmartre on the hill, so near Sacre Couer but you'll have to either walk or take the funicular up and down to the metro stop Blanche but there is also another one nearby. Haven't stayed here, but have heard good things about it. They have private rooms, not just dorms. www.plug-inn.frWoodstock Hostel – located in Montmartre, just near the Sacre Couer and Moulin Rouge and it always gets good reviews; www.woodstock.fr/ Peace & Love Hostel – gets good reviews and is near Gare du Nord train station, but is on the other side of the action, at least there is a Metro stop just near it. Also look at the Timhotel chain of hotels as they are basic but many in good locations. www.timhotel.frVienna - not sure how long you are spending with family (and assuming you're staying with them so haven't included accom recommendations) but 2-3 full days would be a good amount. Venice - 3 full days will allow for a trip to Burano and even Torcello (islands a short ride from the main part of Venice) as well as time to wander the streets and alleyways, esp in the evening when the crush of visitors has left. Eating super cheap in Venice isn't easy, but can be done by going off the beaten path, staying away from major squares and sights and keeping an eye out for small Trattorie (Italian bistros) with daily menus. Accommodation: the area around the train station (Piazzale Roma) has a lot of budget accommodation, but you might find something better and a good price if you look around the San Marco, Accademia or Dosoduro areas. San Marco is the "centre" of Venice so to speak, but you'll walk everywhere (except for the odd Traghetto or Vaporetto trip) so it's a good base and sometimes a bargain can be found. Hotel Flora - located in San Marco, tel: 041 5205844, great little boutique hotel with garden and courtyard. www.hotelflora.it Pensione Accademia – Dosoduro area www.pensioneaccademia.it/ Great location, just a block from the Accademia Bridge towards Peggy Guggenheim Museum Hotel Bernardi - www.hotelbernardi.com/en/ Good location (not far from Rialto Bridge) in the Cannareggio residential district, old style Venetian hotel, has a good internet room price. Pensione Accademia Villa Maravege – www.pensioneaccademia.it/ 5min walk from Accademia; rooms canal or courtyard side; standard Venetian pensione, but neat and clean and good location Travelling between these locations (in that order) could look like this: Amsterdam - train to Berlin (overnight or day) or budget flight with Transavia. Berlin - fly to Paris (check Air Berlin, EasyJet) Paris - fly to Vienna (check Air Berlin or Niki Air - part of Lauda Air) Vienna - train to Venice (around 6 hours, but decent enough scenery and easier than getting to/from airports). There are also a few other questions I have: 1. what are you and your sister interested in - history, food, museums, nightlife? 2. How are you planning to travel around? If you aren't sure yet, then don't buy any train passes/flights just yet as there will be better options depending on the final route you are able to take in the time you have. 3. When will you know how much time you have off? I ask this in relation to the above question/note as budget airlines are usually best booked at least a month ahead for the better prices. 4. Where are you flying in to Europe from? Look into open-jaw flights, that is fly into Amsterdam and out of your final destination, rather than a round trip into and out of AMS. This will save you time travelling back to your original starting point and give you time in other places. 5. It doesn't matter that you've never backpacked before, but do remember to pack light (regardless of whether you're taking a backpack or a suitcase) to a) make it easy to move around; and b) leave room for purchases of European shoes and goodies! 6. Accommodation - not sure of your budget, but don't just look at Hostels as sometimes B&Bs/Pensione and Budget Hotels might suit you better (for price and location). If you stay up to a week in some locations (eg Paris) then an apartment might be a better option as you can cook for yourselves and often find cute places in central locations. Start with Hostelworld.com and sit with a map of each city open to get an idea of locations and prices. 7. Budget - hard to give exact idea as not sure of your shopping, sightseeing and eating requirements, but US$100 a day per person is the standard comfortable but small amount. Of course some days you'll spend more, some less, but that's the rough guide. Once you've decided on a route and time in each place, we'll be able to give you more ideas on where and what to eat. Happy planning and keep us posted on your progress.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Nov 26, 2011 2:23:50 GMT -5
After a long absence, I'm back! Hopefully I can add some further info to Eagle's excellent suggestions. As you have a tour already booked in May, that's a fixed point around which you can work. April weather in Europe is typical Spring weather - some showers, some sun, cooler evenings (light jacket, nothing major required). May is the beginning of the Summer Season in Greece, but it certainly will be warmer than nothern Europe so that will be a bonus (things in Greece usually kick of May 1st, but take until June to fully "Summer up". Same goes for Ibiza, so hang off on that as long as you can.). So from what I can make out, you fly into Amsterdam on April 3rd then it's fairly unplanned until the Greece tour. Thus, to get you started, you could look at: Amsterdam - 4 nights (3 full days) train to Hamburg, stay Hamburg 3-4 nights (depending on family commitments. No doubt they will have places they want to show you in the city and nearby places - it's a great town, habour cruise is a must, so enjoy the north of Germany. train to Berlin - stay 4 nights minimum, there's so much to see and do in this awesome town, so 3 full days will be a good start. train to Prague via Dresden - if you're interested in museums and art, you could stay a night in Dresden (it's only 2hrs by train from Berlin) and explore, or just have a lunch stop there for a few hours before continuing to Prague by train. Prague - stay 4 nights, again lots to see and do so 3 full days is a good amount, but one more won't hurt if you plan to do a day trip to Kutna Hora. You could also take a trip overnight (or a long day trip) to Cesky Krumlov (bus is better than train on this route) for some stsunning scenery. Do a little research on both and see if they interest you, then add the extra days to Prague as required. train to Vienna (4hrs45mins on direct EC train) - stay 3 nights, 2 full days; not sure if you're into Vienna, but I think it's a good addition to your trip. You can even catch the hovercraft from Vienna to Bratislava (capital of Slovakia, cute little town) for lunch and a look around if you add another day to your stay in Vienna, but I wouldn't stay in Bratislava as is not a huge place, just a cute old town and the hovercraft is a good scenic ride. train to Salzburg - takes around 2hrs45mins, stay 1 night (will give you time on day of arrival and next morning) unless you want to do a Sound of Music tour or see other parts (the Salt Mines, etc), in which case stay 2 nights. train to Munich - from Salzburg will take 1hr30 on the fast train/EC train. Stay in Munich 4 nights which will allow for time in the city as well as a day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle (and the other Ludwig castles), and half a day to visit Dachau. train to Innsbruck - back to Austria, but a more sensible route and a funky little Tirolean town to stay for a night or two. If you're into hiking or mountain biking, then look at venturing further up the Tirol to smaller villages, otherwise 1 night in Innsbruck is worth a wander around. train to Venice - this will take a little over 5hrs, so a chunk of your day, but it's worth it as the scenery is great and then you're in Venice. Stay 3 nights, so 2 full days, and try to book accommodation as far ahead as possible so you get a good deal. From Venice, you can fly to Athens (look at direct flights with Aegean Air, otherwise you'll need to fly from Rome so you could train there first, stay a bit and then fly) to have a day or two before your tour begins, or if you find you have a few more days up your sleeve you could take the boat from Venice to Athens (Pireaus) on a 2 day cruise. If this sounds interesting, look at www.ferries.gr/greek-ferries-italy-greece.htm and book a twin cabin to sail down the Adriatic (the sail out of Venice is spectacular, stand on the port - left - side for awesome views as you start out). Greece Tour Athens fly to Rome, stay Rome 4 nights From here, you have several options, depending on where you need to be next: you could take a train to wherever you need to be in Calabria, unless your relatives meet you somewhere and drive the rest of the way as trains don't service all of the smaller towns there. Or you could fly from Rome to Sicily (Catania or Palermo, whichever suits better) and once you've visited family then take the excellent ferry from Messina to Reggio di Calabria and see the whirlpools on the Straits of Messina made famous by Ulysses's journeys in Homer's "Odyssey", and train on from there to the rest of Calabria. If you do that, you'll need to make your way back to Rome or Naples for a flight to Spain (there are boats, but check ones from Sicily as I'm not familiar with them). Spain - not sure where you're thinking of visiting other than Ibiza (stay for 3 nights, but again book accommodation well in advance and be prepared for expensive club entry and drinks), but also consider Barcelona (ferries to/from Ibiza, or cheap flights) and Madrid. Not sure where in France you're considering, but if you're just looking at Paris, then fly from Madrid or Barcelona as the train is very long. Or if you're considering the French Riviera, you can also fly from Barcelona or Madrid to Marseille and now Nice. Do this as the train is over 12hrs long and only in the day, so a waste of a day when you could be sightseeing in a city. From Nice, you can take a train to Paris, either direct, or stop at places along the way for a night or two. A few questions/notes: 1. what are you both interested in? ie nightlife, museums, food. 2. are there any particular places/sights either of you have on your "must-see" lists? 3. transport - as Eagle has noted, you might find a combination of trains and flights (plus a few bus trips in Sicily and Calabria) will be your best best, so don't purchase any flights within Europe or any rail passes until you've set your itinerary. 4. Where in Spain and France are you considering? That will help with itinerary route. Hopefully that gives you a skeleton itinerary to build on. Let us know when you've got your first draft and we'll go from there.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Sept 29, 2011 20:33:32 GMT -5
Sounds like the Paddywagon tour was great - glad to hear. And by now you'll be revelling at Oktoberfest so hope you're enjoying the 6million new friends!
Good idea on activating your pass once you leave Munich for the train to Berlin, but I would have done the order of vist that you've listed a little differently as you are still backtracking at little. However, considering your plans are pretty fluid, there's no need for me to list an exact route as you'll likely stay longer in Berlin and Switzerland by the sounds of things so that will alter the time you have for Italy and AMS. If you leave Spain out this time around that will give you a good excuse to return! i see tht you have 3 nights in Gimmelwald, which means 2 full days which is a good start, and will let you have the mountain experience without costing the earth. After that, see if you want to change bases but stay in Switzerland (Lauterbrunnen, or even to somewhere on Lake Geneva) or move on to the next country. Happy travels.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Sept 18, 2011 4:43:50 GMT -5
That's great news you made it into Ireland with no major issues at Immigration. Depends on who is on duty that day as to how things go.
Aaah the Greyhound Pub in Kinsale, know it well! As you're staying with family, perhaps ask their opinions on places which might interest you in Ireland. But if you do decide to take the Paddywagon tour, you'll enjoy it as they are fun guides and they do fun things whilst travelling around. Might be a good thing for a few days to travel with some others, never know who you'll meet and it will save you trying to organise things at the last minute. Spend 2 full days in Dublin before your tour if you can, that way you can visit the Guiness Storehouse, Kilmainhaim Gaol and do a hop-on-hop-off bus tour when you arrive to orientate yourself.
Speaking of last minute, you really should book that flight to AMS asap. Look at flights from Dublin to AMS with Aer Lingus (book now and there are some seriously cheap fares to be had, but you need to book a week in advance) or Ryanair (note what Eagle mentioned above about luggage, etc).
Time in Amsterdam will depend on what you want to see and do and if you want day trips anywhere (The Hague, etc). But if it's just Amsterdam, then 3 full days will be plenty to see things by day and by night. It makes more sense to fly to Munich from Amsterdam, then train to Berlin, but flights AMS-MUC are not cheap (check KLM) so an overnight train using your pass and making a sleeper booking prior to travel might work best. In fact it makes more sense to do Berlin then Munich, but you're bound by your accommodation booking in Munich, don't give that up! And here's another thought: if you spend more time in Ireland than you thought and find you'll only have a day in AMS before you need to be in Munich, look for flights Dublin-Munich with the above (and check BMI too), then head to Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Switzerland, Italy on your train pass. Just giving you options if you take more time in Ireland, you don't have to stick to that suggestion.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Sept 15, 2011 20:53:48 GMT -5
Done! ;D
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Post by madamtrashheap on Sept 14, 2011 23:26:08 GMT -5
Didn't see your Post until today, ickiskrumm, so no doubt you're on your way to Dublin by now. At any rate, a few more notes for your adjust itinerary:
Amsterdam - great town, lots to see and do, just watch for pickpockets. The train to Berlin will take around 7-8hrs during the day, but there is a night train if you prefer.
Germany - great that you have a room in Munich for O'fest, have fun! Berlin is a great city, spend at least 3-4 full days there and do a walking tour or bus sightseeing tour when you first arrive to orientate yourself. The train from Munich to Berlin is easy enough to take, will be around 6hrs, and getting to Spangdahlem to visit your friend (the airbase is near the Black Forest and not far from the city Bitburg - home to a very good beer) will take a bit, including a train to Bitburg then either your friend collecting you or a train to Spiecher then 2 busses. Check with your firend on the best transport options.
France - Paris will, as has been noted, need a good 4 days just to explore, that's without day trips. From there, Amboise/Tours are only 2hrs from Paris by train (take the TGV if you can) so use one as a base and visit the other. Both are pretty and good for Chateaux visiting, but Amboise just has the edge on Tours for me. The train (TGV in parts) from here to Nice will take all day, around 8hrs, so unless you have specific reasons for visiting a chateau, wine tour, etc in the Tours region, leave it out for the sake of time as Paris-Nice TGV is only 5hrs or so.
Switzerland - Gimmelwald is a great choice, book well ahead for accommodation as it can still be busy in September and things up the mountain start to close down for winter so you may have to stay in Lauterbrunnen or even Murren instead.
To throw an idea into the mix, if you leave Tours/Amboise out, you could go Paris to Switzerland, then fly to Rome (Zurich has direct flights with a few airlines), train/bus to Siena, train Florence, train Venice, train Cinque Terre (long trip, but saves backtracking in the Florence region) then train to Nice, fly to Barcelona and fast train to Madrid.
OR - you could go the route you planned in France, then fly Nice to Zurich, train to Gimmelwald (through Interlaken), train to Venice (day train anywhere between 6-9hrs so choose wisely or take overnight train), then CT, Florence, Siena, Rome, fly to Barcelona, Madrid.
You haven't noted how much time your thinking of spending in all each of the places you've listed, but at a guess, you may find that you run out of time for some places as you want to visit many towns/cities in a broad area, so travel will eat into your time. Work out an ideal amount of time in each place you've listed (from Dublin onwards) and that will give you an idea of how many days all up you're planning on. Also, work out the must-see places on your list and that will give you some "anchors" for your trip.
Just a note about a one-way ticket, ie not booking a return flight before you leave: you will find that at immigration in Dublin airport, they will ask you what your plans are and may want to see a return ticket. If you let them know you're staying in Ireland for a week then flying to Europe and plan on flying out of Spain, that may be enough. They don't like the idea of people arriving with no visible means to get back to their home country, so if you also print out a bank statement showing the money you have access to, then that will help if you're asked to prove your ability to support your holiday. Remember, you are on holiday for 45 days, nothing else, so let them know that so they don't think you'll be looking for work without a visa.
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