Trip to Europe for March/April

[chedder]

Hello,

I was planning on taking my eurotrip this past sept, but things came up back home so i have no moved it to March/April

I plan on visiting Germany, Austria, The Netherlans, Dublin, Scotland, and England,

Basically what i am wondering is this, for packing what is the weather going to be like during these months?

[Toulouse]

First of all, CONGRATS! I'm sure your trip is going to be awesome, as March and April are some of the nicest months to visit Europe, especially the countries you've listed, because it's the Shoulder Season, and you'll avoid lots of the tourists and get typically cheaper hotels.

You will probably encounter some rainy days, but you should expect it to be for the most part mild and sunny. I'd be sure to bring a rain jacket and maybe an umbrella and light jackets and long-sleeved t-shirts for layering. Some type of waterproof shoe and warm socks would also be smart. April should be significantly warmer, but you may still need to layer up your clothing on certain days.

[pointofnoreturn]

I've always had good luck with the weather in April for England. The last time I was in England for April, it never rained - seriously.... It was always in the 20's and went as high as 26 C. But maybe that was a fluke.

Still, bring a mini-umbrella with you for any unexpected drizzles!

[chedder]

wow i am glad to hear that the weather will be quite co-operating...i was expecting cooler weather

thank you for the input so far!

[chedder]

Hello again...

I am leaving March 1st and flying into Frankfurt... I have a friend i will be staying with for a week then i will be heading out ...the only other stop i have booked is a hostel in dublin for the weekend before st paddys day so i am pretty flexible

Out of the countries i have listed, i was wondering if anyone could put some input into what cities will be the best to visit during March/April... If you have time i would love to hear what everyone has to say...

thanks,
chedder

[madamtrashheap]

chedder, of the countries you've listed, there are so many places that are worth visiting, and I will give you a few suggestions to get you started, but it would also help if you could let us know what your interests are so we can help pinpoint the places that will suit you best (I can't recall from your previous Posts).

Germany - Berlin, Munich and Rothenburg ob der Tauber are three that are worth a visit regardless of your interests. After that, there are lots of great towns and regions that we can suggest once we know what you would prefer to see
Austria - Vienna, the Tirol region (start in Innsbruck and go into the mountains)
The Netherlands - Amsterdam, Groningen and Den Haag (the Hague)
Dublin - is this the only stop you have for Ireland or would you like to visit more cities? If so, look at Galway, Dingle, Killarney and Cork as a start
Scotland - Edinburgh, the Highlands (take your pick, but the Whisky Trail has lots of small towns along the way), Inverness is a good starting point for the Highlands, Kyle of Lochalsh, Fort William, St Andrews (pretty town, not just about golf), Skye is just beautiful.
England - London, York, The Lakes District, Bath, Brighton, Oxford, Cambridge, The Cotswolds...the list is long!

These are just starter ideas and by no means the definitive cities to visit. Hopefully the others will list their suggestions and you'll have lots to choose from. I'm not sure of exactly how long you're travelling, but remember you probably won't be able to visit everywhere in the time you have, so do a little research on the cities listed and see what grabs you.

EDIT - just saw your other post about cities, chedder pretravel.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=intinary&action=display&n=1&thread=1196645817 so perhaps best to keep the list in one Post (ie the link above) to avoid confusion.

[herrbert]

In the Netherlands, you can also add, Haarlem (quick trip from Amsterdam) and Maastricht to the list the Madam made.

In Austria, I would also add Salzburg. It might be too early to really go up into the mountains for hiking. But if the gondola in Innsbruck is working (time between Winter- and Summer season, and Summer- and Winter season is used for maintenance.) then I would go up to the Hafelekar to enjoy the view over Innsbruck and the Inn-Valley.

[chedder]

Ok sorry about the double posts!

I wont do that again...I am mainly going on this trip to meet new people, to get out and get the experience of a different part of the world, I love architecture, food and taking pictures

Here is a rough itinerary

March 1st arrive in Frankfurt for a few days with a buddy

Fly to Dublin head straight to Kilkenny

Kilkenny,
Cork,
Dublin ( i have a hostel booked for the 15th and 16th thats all i could get due to st Paddy's day and that was booked about 3 months ago)
Belfast,
Derry
Edinburgh
Glasgow
London
Amsterdam
Vienna
Innsbruck
and then head back to Germany and tour around Germany with my buddy

I would love to travel Italy as well, i just dont know how much time should be spent in each city...also i wouldnt mind stopping in some unique smaller villages ... also i am not 100% the perfect way to travel ie/ train or fly

thanks so far for your input!

[chedder]

yeah thats the problem there is to much to see and i am having trouble trying to figure out what to cut out and see

[madamtrashheap]

chedder, the notes herrbert gave for Innsbruck are worth following up (and I knew I was forgetting Maarstricht - thanks herrbert!) Still not clear on your finish date (ie how many days you have to travel within), but I doubt you'll fit Italy in based on the info provided. As a general rule of thumb, visits to Italy usually revolve around Florence - 3-4nights, Venice 2-3, Rome - 5, and that's not including places like Cinque Terre (3-4), the Amalfi Coast (3), etc.

As for what you've already planned out, I'd suggest the following number of nights in each (in brackets):
Kilkenny (1-2)
Cork (2-3, include day trip to Blarney and Cobh)
Dublin ( i have a hostel booked for the 15th and 16th thats all i could get due to st Paddy's day and that was booked about 3 months ago) (could you look at staying in Galway if you still want to be around for St Patrick's Day or need to mark time before getting to Dublin? It's a great town too.)
Belfast (2-3)
Derry (2)
Edinburgh (3)
Glasgow (2 or one and an afternoon if you're travelling from Edinburgh and need the extra day somewhere else)
London (4-5, this will depend on accommodation and costs)
Amsterdam (2-3)
Vienna (3-4)
Innsbruck (2-3, depending on any travels or sightseeing you want to do in the region)
and then head back to Germany and tour around Germany with my buddy (did you have specific places in mind already or just from the lists provised?)

As for the "perfect" way to travel, that will depend on the route you take and the time you have. Clearly London-Amsterdam is a good one for flying, but individual train tickets in Germany can be expensive so you might want to look into a rail pass for Europe (www.raileurope.com , the link is on the Homepage of GFE) that suits your travel days.

[Eagle]

chedder, it appears that you've deleted your Post from the other section. In order to keep my reply with the others, I'm re-posting it here:

chedder, as MTH suggested in your other post, it's probably best to focus replies in one area so that we can all keep track of them.

I have a few initial comments and questions concerning the cities you've listed in this post.....

> Ireland - Dublin is an excellent choice (the Temple Bar area is incredible,especially on weekends!); could you clarify why you picked the other locations in Ireland? Which ones to visit might depend on the transportation links you can find. BTW, which Hostel did you book at?

> Scotland - you might want to devote more time to Edinburgh, as many feel it's more interesting than Glascow.

> England - are you going to limit your time to London? Plan for at least five days if possible, as there's lots to see! There are other interesting points to consider (as MTH mentioned) such as Bath, York, etc.

> Austria - as herrbert mentioned you might also consider Salzburg or other points. Lienz is one that I've never considered - is there a reason you chose this?

> Italy - I would highly recommend making time for Italy, even if you're just able to get to Rome and the north. Some of the places you might consider are Rome, Siena, Florence and the Cinque Terre.

I'm sure the helpful group here will have lots of suggestions. Good luck with your planning!

[chedder]

thank you madamtrashheap this makes it easier for me to decide where to go and spread out my time

i am looking around 2 months or so, i really have no time line all i have to do is go back to work, ha ha
the money issue is more of a concern, i am hoping to go with about $9000-10 000 after pre-expenses

[herrbert]

eagle said:

> Austria - as herrbert mentioned you might also consider Salzburg or other points. Lienz is one that I've never considered - is there a reason you chose this?

I know Lienz a little bit, as it is in the same region as where I spend numerous vacations with my parents. If you want to have a place in the mountains, as a startingpoint for hikes. It is a pretty good choice. Busses can also take you to other places nearby. I think the nearby Virgental is one of the most beautiful (of the bigger) valleys in this region.

It also is on route, if you want to go further south to Venice. It is said that if you stand on the highest peaks of the Alps in this region (over 3000m), you can see Venice (on a clear day, and if there is no even bigger mountain blocking the view.)

[Eagle]

herrbert, thanks for the info on Lienz. I'll have to add that to my list for future trips.

Cheers!

[herrbert]

eagle said:

herrbert, thanks for the info on Lienz. I'll have to add that to my list for future trips.

Cheers!

If you like making long hikes, then I would really suggest the Northside of the Hohe Tauern mountains. I spend maybe 15-20 vacations in Bramberg am Wildkogel a little place in the Salzachvalley (actually in Schönbach at the entrance of the Habachtal) The mainvalley goes from west to east, before make a turn North towards Salzburg. But the best thing is that the high mountainrange also lies from the west to the east. In the Ice Ages, glaciers have cut out valleys that connect the peaks, and the mainvalley. Creating small valleys, that are all lined up from Krimml till St. Johann im Pongau. www.pensionkristall.net/media/images/panorama/sommer.jpg (this picture shows it)

The ones between Krimml and Mittersill are really good accessable. In all these valleys you will find small restaurants, that also have places to sleep. My favourites: The Hollersbachtal and Habachtal. As they are part of a National Park, traffic is very limited, making it a paradise for hiking and/or mountainbiking. And maybe just as important for you ... massive photo opportunities ;D

www.hohetauern.at/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=75&lang=en