March Itinerary Thoughts?

[IrishMonkey]

How is everybody?

I've been planning to backpack Europe for a couple years, saving up money and everything. Now that I've graduated college and I have $6000 saved up for it (thats all money for over there - i have plane tickets, railpass, etc covered already). My friend and I will be over there from March 1st through April 30th. I've been reading Lets Go Europe, this website and a bunch of others for info and helpful hints so I think I have a pretty good itinerary set up for March so far but I wanted to run it by some more seasoned travelers and see how it looks to you.

February 29th - Flying from Dulles Airport in D.C.
March 1st-4th - Dublin
March 4th-7th - more of Ireland (my cousin tells me I should definitely check out Kilarney)
March 7th-9th - Britain (Stonehenge area, Bath, Bristol, all on the way to London)
March 9th-13th - London
March 13th-16th - Paris
March 16th-19th - Amsterdam
March 19th-25th - Germany
March 25th-30th - Czech Republic and Prague

I planned for about a half a days worth of travel between most of them, figuring i'll leave say, Paris on the 16th and arrive in Amsterdam a few hours later.

I haven't gotten in depth with April's plans yet but they'll include Greece, Italy, and Spain before we head back up through more of France and fly out of Dublin again (kicking myself for not getting an open ticket - but looking at the bright side, this way i can hit the top half of France in March, and the bottom half in late April)

Any advice or encouraging words would be greatly appreciated. Lately I've been a little worried $6000 US won't be enough for all of it, even though i plan to do it all on the cheap with hostels, not eating out much, no touristy shopping, etc.

Thanks!

[WillTravel]

Have you bought your airline ticket yet? United has a fare sale to Germany that ends today.

Assuming you can get your ticket for $500, or less, that leaves about $5500 USD.

I'll guesstimate about $800 for travel within Europe.

That leaves about $4700, which is equivalent to about 3200 Euros.

You are going to have about 60 days on the ground, so you'd have about 50-55 Euros per day.

It will definitely be a bit tight.

[francefiend]

Hello, Irishmonkey!

You're definitely off to a great start. You've done your homework and earned the cold hard cash. The dollar will probably continue to weaken - sorry! - but that doesn't make your trip impossible. It just encourages you to spend responsibly - which you are already prepared to do!

First, a few questions:

1. Have you already purchased railpasses? If so, which one(s)? If you haven't already, purchase "twin" passes for you and your travel companion.

2. Do you plan on traveling from London to Paris by Eurostar? If so, BOOK THE TICKETS NOW. This trip is not covered by any railpass. Tickets get very expensive as the departure date nears. You can book the tickets with Rail Europe or Eurostar.

3. Are you aware that you're flying through London, Paris, and Amsterdam at lightning speed?

I planned for about a half a days worth of travel between most of them, figuring i'll leave say, Paris on the 16th and arrive in Amsterdam a few hours later.

After clipping off time to arrive and leave in each city, you barely have enough time to experience anything. Sure, you will see some of these cities, but you can "see" cities in pictures online for a lot less than $6,0000!

4. Where cities are you visiting in Germany?

Also:

but looking at the bright side, this way i can hit the top half of France in March, and the bottom half in late April)

Francefiend approves!

[pointofnoreturn]

Regarding rail passes, not everyone needs a rail pass. Using railsaver.com and figuring out the total P-2-P costs will be a deciding factor on whether it's worth to buy a pass or not.

If you want to fly, buy your tickets ASAP.

[me]

irishmonkey,
i'd suggest you reverse the trip. spend March in Southern areas, April in the North of Europe.

March will be *COLD,* especially in Germany & Czech Rep! April won't be much warmer, but every little bit helps.

- d

[IrishMonkey]

francefiend said:

Hello, Irishmonkey!

You're definitely off to a great start. You've done your homework and earned the cold hard cash. The dollar will probably continue to weaken - sorry! - but that doesn't make your trip impossible. It just encourages you to spend responsibly - which you are already prepared to do!

First, a few questions:

1. Have you already purchased railpasses? If so, which one(s)? If you haven't already, purchase "twin" passes for you and your travel companion.

2. Do you plan on traveling from London to Paris by Eurostar? If so, BOOK THE TICKETS NOW. This trip is not covered by any railpass. Tickets get very expensive as the departure date nears. You can book the tickets with Rail Europe or Eurostar.

3. Are you aware that you're flying through London, Paris, and Amsterdam at lightning speed?

I planned for about a half a days worth of travel between most of them, figuring i'll leave say, Paris on the 16th and arrive in Amsterdam a few hours later.

After clipping off time to arrive and leave in each city, you barely have enough time to experience anything. Sure, you will see some of these cities, but you can "see" cities in pictures online for a lot less than $6,0000!

4. Where cities are you visiting in Germany?

Also:

but looking at the bright side, this way i can hit the top half of France in March, and the bottom half in late April)

Francefiend approves!

Purchasing railpasses was the next item on my list (besides buying a backpack).

And taking the chunnel was one of the expenses I was figuring would be worth forking out some extra money for but I should definitely book that soon from what you guys suggest!

After doing the quick breakdown of dates for March, I was really surprised to find that I'd flown through nearly 2/3rds of my trip in that one month so I could easily budget some extra days in London, Paris, and Amsterdam.

Germany is one of those countries where I want to go, but I haven't gotten *excited* about seeing any one particular thing yet. So obviously we'll probably hit Berlin, and I've asked a friend of mine who recently traveled there what she liked about it to get some ideas. If anyone else has some suggestions, i'd love to hear them!

Thanks guys!!

50 some days and counting ;D

[herrbert]

So obviously we'll probably hit Berlin, and I've asked a friend of mine who recently traveled there what she liked about it to get some ideas. If anyone else has some suggestions, i'd love to hear them!

That would depend on the things you like. Do you want to stick to the bigger cities in Germany, or would you like to visit some smaller towns as well. I think you should reserve 4 days to Berlin, so that would leave about 2 days to play with.

If you are going to hit Berlin and Prague, the obvious places to spend some time are Hamburg (if you travel by train), and Dresden. (on route from Berlin to Prague)

There are also other possibilities, like visiting Groningen in the north of the Netherlands, or Bremen.

Another possibility could be to go to Cologne from Amsterdam, and then a train or plane to Berlin. Around Cologne you can also find some less obvious places like Maastricht (NL), Aachen or Trier, but also the other places in the Rhine/Mosel area, like Koblenz or Bingen would make great towns, where you can take a cruise on these rivers.

I don't think that reversing makes a whole lot of difference, if you would go to Italy or Spain it would make a lot of difference, but in this itinerary it doesn't. (actually the chances for snow are big at the end of February in the Czech Republic)

[Eagle]

irishmonkey, to add to the comments from the others, your Itinerary looks quite well organized. However, a few comments and questions.

- What are you planning to see in Dublin? I was there recently, so might be able to offer some suggestions.

- Other than Killarney, are there other places you want to visit in Ireland? I'd suggest making out a rough list, and working on transportation options. The trains in Ireland are good between major centres, but not so good to some of the outlying areas. You might have to use Coach for some trips, which is going to add to your travel times. I really enjoyed Dingle (good Pubs and good music!), but it's a bit "out of the way" from Dublin. Kinsale was great also (good food!).

- For your visit to Bath, you might consider basing yourself in Bath and taking day trips. Have a look at Mad Max Tours, as they offer half day and full day tours of Stonehenge and surrounding areas. The full day tour covers a small part of the Cotswolds as well as Stonehenge, and that's a really unique and "quaint" part of England. The tour was well run and very interesting.

- For London, it's great to see that you've allocated five days, as there's a lot to see. Which sights are you most interested in visiting there?

- For Paris if you're planning on visiting any of the Museums, a Paris Museum Pass is a really good idea! I believe they're now offered in 2 & 4 day versions. You can order these off the net, or buy in person when you arrive in Paris. Check their web site.

- Amsterdam - as usual, herrbert has that well covered.

- Germany - Berlin is a good choice, as it's quite a "hot spot" at the moment. It's also somewhat on the route to Prague, so is a good fit for your Itinerary.

- Czech Republic - where are you planning to visit besides Prague. Cesky Krumlov is apparently a nice stop, although I haven't been there yet.

Regarding your budget, US$6000 could be a bit "tight", but it's about the usual "ballpark figure" of US$100 per day (given that your trip will be 60 days). If you're careful, that amount should work (although if possible it's always nice to have a credit card or some "backup" method of financing).

Good luck with your planning!

[pointofnoreturn]

The Paris Museum Pass is a great deal. I bought a 2-day pass and used it for the "more expensive" museums and I saved TONS of money. It was so useful to not have to stand in line to buy the tickets!

[francefiend]

Where to Buy the Paris Museum Pass
2 days = 30E; 4 days = 45E

Buy your pass at one of the smaller museums, like Musée Rodin or Musée de la Poste. Smaller museum = shorter line

Remember that the Musée du Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, but the Tourism Office in the Carrousel du Louvre downstairs can give you excellent maps of Paris any day from 10am-6pm :-)

Print out your own personal map of the métro before you go. Or, ask for a Paris Poche (pocket map of the métro, RER, and bus lines) at any métro station. Use the RATP to plan routes. (Click the British flag in the top right corner, then click "Finding Your Way.")

To make the most of your time in Europe, invest in a quality guide. For Paris, I would recommend the Michelin Green Guide - thorough, thin, and cheap (ca. $14USD)

[IrishMonkey]

Thanks for all the responses already!

First off, I definitely realized I need to sit down and figure out where I want to go exactly - some of the countries I'm mostly just like "Germany" without any set plans on what to visit there.

I'm a big fan of history (especially ancient) so while i know i don't want to see every single castle in Europe, I am interested in seeing a lot of the relics and history it has to offer.

But aside from that, I'm mostly going to Europe to see how the rest of the world lives outside of America, have a chance to explore a bit before I'm forced to settle down, get a job and a mortgage and everything that comes with.

Any suggestions on fascinating places to go? I'm already planning on the big ones (Stonehenge, and from what Ive read the lesser known Avebury; The Louvre; Notre Dame Cathedral; Athens; Rome; Pompeii is one of the places I'm most excited to see; etc)

[francefiend]

Here are some fascinating places in Paris. I don't have my Michelin with me right now (left it at school), so I'm doing this from memory/notes. Forgive my mistakes

Supertip: Before you see any of Paris, try to remain underground or near your hotel. Then, when you are ready to explore, take the métro to Place de la Concorde, preferably in the evening. It provides a BEAUTIFUL first time view of the Parisian landscape.

1. The Quartier Latin, especially after the tourists have gone home - [m] Cluny-La Sorbonne, Saint Germain-des-Prés, Odéon, and to an extent, Saint Michel-Notre Dame. Walk until you don't see tourists. Don't worry - the tiny back streets are perfectly safe.

2. The Michelin Guide's list of unusual métro stations (on the front flap) - Great activity for a rainy day.

3. Jardin de Luxembourg - For being in a touristy part of town, it sure is lovely. It even has French people! [m] Luxembourg.

4. The banks of the Seine - What's more romantic than the smell of fresh urine next to a polluted river surrounded by rude tourists and booksellers selling useless junk? ;-) Seriously, it can be quite nice in the evening in some parts of town.

5. Place de la Bastille - It amazes me how a sophisticated city could erect such an ugly opera house. It looks like a toilet bowl covered with solar panels. To their credit, the column (what's left of the prison) is very...shiny.

6. La Défense - Take the metro line 1, NOT the RER there. The Arch is just...well, very big, but the Esplanade is where it's at. Very odd statues and pretty pond. [m] La Défense.

7. Line 6. It's mostly aerial, so it gives you great views of the city, all for 1.50E! The best part is between Dupleix and Passy in the evening/at night. Best view of the Tour Eiffel IMO.

8. Place de l'Opéra - the REAL opera house in Paris - Opéra Garnier - calls this place home. Quite stunning. Right across the street are the supersize department stores, Printemps and Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann. [m] Opéra.

9. Visit the Musée d'Orsay if you're a fan of impressionist/19th and early 20th century art (Degas, Cézanne, Picasso, Daumier, Renoir). Fantastic terrace. [m] Musée d'Orsay across from Le Grand Louvre on the other side of the Seine.

10. The Marais is...interesting. It's the Jewish/gay quarter. Yes, that is possible. It looks the most Parisian - although I did see a giant SUV . Falafel and indie stores. [m] Hotel de Ville, Chemin-Vert, St. Sébastien Froissart.

STAY AWAY from the Mona Lisa, unless you absolutely need to see it. It gets crazy-crowded around that part of the museum. See Italian art in another museum. Go look at the 19th century French art instead; it's bigger and less crowded ;-)

If you are in the Quartier Latin and get hungry for a sandwich, hop on over to Stratto. Good prices, friendly atmosphere. It's right around [m] Odéon. I had their bolognaise - yummy! And when Supercheap Me asked for un verre d'eau (glass of free tap water), instead of heading towards the sink, the man opened A NEW BOTTLE OF EVIAN and poured me a cup Quality service!
Address: 95 Bd St. Germain 75006 Paris.

Happy travels!