Where to go, What to see?

[villvy16]

I'm heading to Europe in February.
I'm backpacking solo, I have $6000 Canadian, so after I finalize my return flight I will probably be in Europe for 2-3 months. (After some help on the currency board)

Concrete destinations are:
England
France
Germany
Italy

I'm big on photography and will be bringing my camera with me.
Anyone know of some good spots to see? Also the necessary equipment to bring with it? Or just good spots to travel to within those countries in general?

I'm an 18 year old male so planning things out myself usually doesn't work well

Thanks!

[herrbert]

villvy16 said:

I'm an 18 year old male so planning things out myself usually doesn't work well

Well you need to do some planning yourself, it's not like this is a travel agency ;D

I think currency will be a problem if you want to stretch it for so long. 6000 CAD (is that without the flight?) is about 4000 euros. Which is enough to last you for about 50-70 days, (also depends on where you go, accomodation, food, etc). that is, if all 4000 euros can be spend in Europe (so without the flight).

It would also help if you can give a little bit more information on your interests, to give more information. Do you like big cities, the nightlife, arts, history, beach, hiking, nature?

If you leave in February I would say: start in the south (Italy). There the weather will be best, at least of the destinations you described. (the south of Portugal and Spain, would be even better).

[villvy16]

herrbert said:

Well you need to do some planning yourself, it's not like this is a travel agency ;D

I think currency will be a problem if you want to stretch it for so long. 6000 CAD (is that without the flight?) is about 4000 euros. Which is enough to last you for about 50-70 days, (also depends on where you go, accomodation, food, etc). that is, if all 4000 euros can be spend in Europe (so without the flight).

Do you like big cities, the nightlife, arts, history, beach, hiking, nature?

If you leave in February I would say: start in the south (Italy). There the weather will be best, at least of the destinations you described. (the south of Portugal and Spain, would be even better).

Hey if you guys can save me an extra trip to the travel agent you'll be considered better then them. Unless you start charging

All 4000 euros can be spent IN Europe give or take. (A bigger chunk being removed for a Train pass potentially.)

Would you suggest flying into Italy?
I've never actually checked into the price difference between that
and London. Maybe a London---> Italy flight (You'll have to excuse me I've done my studying but haven't gotten to Italy yet! So I'm not quite knowledgeable of it's cities) could work. I'll have to look more into Spain, I've heard way too many good things to be leaving it out of my trip. (This is why I'm still in the PRE-planning board)

I figure since I'm backpacking I'll be doing enough walking to scratch hiking out, and I live in an area surrounded by beautiful nature so unless theres something I cannot miss. Historic locations, beaches and art do appeal to me. (whats Marseilles like?) and a bit of nightlife won't hurt anyone.

Big Cities = Good, but I understand my funds are low and I might enjoy it more sticking more to smaller locations.



Thanks by the way!

PS. This may be a random question for some but has anyone visited Ile De Res in France? Off the coast by La Rochelle? It's a small small Island but its where a large portion of my family has been raised. Wondering if the trek out there is worth it?

[Eagle]

villvy16, Welcome to the Boards! I have a few comments to add as well.

To begin with, it would help to know where you're from, as we might be able to recommend some flight options, etc. Also, since this is your first trip, as usual I'd highly recommend that you read the Rick Steves book Europe Through The Back Door. It's an excellent resource and an essential pre-read before travelling in Europe for the first time. You should be able to find this at your local Library or book stores.

Regarding budgets, the normal "ballpark" figure is to allow about US$100.00 per day for lodgings, food and incidentals. This doesn't include air fares or rail pass. If you're staying mostly in Hostels and using deli's and grocery stores for food (as opposed to restaurants), you might be able to get by on US$75.00 per day. You'll have to keep in mind that England is going to be more expensive than the Euro countries due to the exchange rates (I recently returned from a month in England and Ireland, so can certainly attest to the cost of travelling there!).

With respect to flights, most of the group here tends to recommend open-jaw flights (fly to one city and return home from another); they're often the best option (even if the initial cost is a bit higher).

It would help if you could indicate what cities you'd like to visit in each of the countries you listed? Also, what type of Camera will you be using? I always travel with a dSLR & kit as well as a smaller P&S, so I might be able to offer some suggestions. Finally, are you travelling THIS February? If so, that doesn't leave much time for planning!

If I think of any other points, I'll post another note. Good luck with your planning!

[pointofnoreturn]

Buy a good guidebook that has all of the main attractions in each city you want to visit. One I can recommend is "Let's Go". You can get the full Europe one and from there, you can browse through the separate city/country guidebooks they also publish. I find it very detailed and useful for trip planning. That will help you in determining what you want to see

[villvy16]

Thanks a ton for all the advice you two! Yes I mean this February although now after trying to rush plan everything it's looking more like late February-Early March, which I think I can pull off.

Camera wise I do want to get some good quality but I think I'll stick to a P&S just incase. It's not a small one but it's not as expensive as my life! haha. 7.1 MP, 10x Optical Zoom. It'll get the job done I assume.

Open Jaw does seem to be the best way of doing things. I'm looking into flying to London for a few days and then taking a Ryanair flight to Milan and working my way up, to fly out of Amsterdam (Seems to be a cheap departure airport from what I've dug up) at the end of it.

Now for London. What's a reasonable amount of days to spend there? Any suggestions of things to do? You seem to have spent time time there Eagle maybe you've got some ideas.
I'd like to see Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, and I'd be interested in visiting Stratford Apon-Avon (very interested), Trafalgar Square, Maybe see the London Eye and if time permits my inner nerd would like a picture of Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross.

I'll go grab me some guidebooks this week. I've heard of people scanning the needed pages of multiple books and putting them together, thus saving room. This is a good idea? yes?

[Eagle]

villvy16, thanks for the additional information. Regarding your Camera, it sounds like one of the "monster zoom" models. Is the zoom image stabilized? Be sure to take lots of memory capacity!

Now for London. What's a reasonable amount of days to spend there?

That's a difficult question to answer, as everyone's interests are different. I was there for a full week in September, and even though I was busy every day I didn't get to as many sights as I had wanted. I'm very interested in military history, so places like the Imperial War Museum, HMS Belfast and the National Army Museum were definite priorities. Next time I'll probably re-visit some of those locations, and also add the British Museum and the National Gallery. There are so MANY choices! I think the others will agree, that especially with London the cost of travelling there tends to be a limiting factor to some extent in how long to stay. BTW, what's the attraction of Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross? Also, I'm not sure if Big Ben is still "silent" - it was in September as they were doing maintenance or something.

Checking through a few Guidebooks will be the best way to narrow down which sights are most important for you. I use the Rick Steves books extensively when I travel, and I took the England book with me this time so that I'd be able to refer to it if needed (which I did on several occasions). I've never tried scanning the pages, but I do photocopy some pages (especially city maps and maps showing where my lodgings are located).

London and Amsterdam (Schiipol) are both good locations to consider for open-jaw flights, as they are major hubs. For London my preference is Gatwick rather than Heathrow, as it's smaller. It's easy to get into the city using the Gatwick Express from the airport to London Victoria Station.

I'm sure the others will have some great suggestions for you. Late February is not far away, so there's not much time to plan a 2-3 month trip. I'm wondering about your budget of Cdn$6000 for 3 months though. With air fare and rail costs, I'm not sure this will be enough. Comments anyone???

[pointofnoreturn]

I've been to Stratford-upon-Avon.... to be honest, it's not all that. Sure, it's a Shakespeara mecca but that's pretty much it. However, I did enjoy visiting Anne Hathaway's cottage for it was a really beautiful place.

Eagle - if someone is talking about platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross.... it has to do with Harry Potter

[herrbert]

Even if you would need to fly back to London, from Amsterdam it would not be a disaster, you could fly VLM to London-City Airport, and continue to Heathrow by Metro.

London has a lot to see,
- Take a walk on the south bank from the Houses of Parliament to the Tower Bridge. You have some great views from the river towards some of the major attractions, and you will also come across some attractions. - Houses of Parliament/Big Ben, The London Eye, Oxo Tower, HMS Belfast, Tate, Millenium Bridge, St. Paul's is close, The Tower and the Tower Bridge, and you will also come across Shakepeare's Globe -

The changing of the guard, is nice to see and after it you can go for a walk in Hyde Park.

London is Musical City number 1, so think of going to one. Maybe going to the market at Portobello Road is something for you, and nicer for gift shopping then other places. If you are a music fan, maybe go and see Abbey Road (it far up North), if you are a football fan, maybe do a tour through one of the stadiums.

If you want to take a ride on the Hogwarts Express train, you would need to go to Scotland. I believe it is the ride from Fort William to Mallaig (ferry to Isle of Sky) they used to shoot the train scenes, for the films.

the British Museum

Very interesting place to visit, I spend about 4 hours in there, but only went to see the things that intested me. I will probably go back one day to see the rest. They have a very good guide on sale. If you arrive before opening time of the actual museum, you can get a cup of coffee or tea, buy the guide book and plan your route. I heared rumours that Egypt, would like to get the Rosetta Stone back, so it might be a good opportunity to see that. (and like most other museums, in London entrance to the BM is free)

[Eagle]

PONR, thanks for the clarification on that! I've never read any of the Harry Potter books, so didn't know the significance of that platform. On the same topic, during my trip last fall I was in the village of Lacock, and the guide indicated that one of the houses there was used in the Harry Potter movies (possibly his "boyhood home"?).

herrbert,

London is Musical City number 1

.

Great advice! I forgot to mention that. I went to see Mamma Mia at the Prince of Wales Theatre when in London. It was the first musical that I've seen, and I really enjoyed it.

If you want to take a ride on the Hogwarts Express train, you would need to go to Scotland

Do you know if the Harry Potter movies also used the North York Moors railway that runs from Pickering to Whidby? I believe there's a photo of one of the trains in our Photo Gallery here. The Goathland station looks similar to photos I've seen in some of the movie previews.

[villvy16]

eagle said:

villvy16, thanks for the additional information. Regarding your Camera, it sounds like one of the "monster zoom" models. Is the zoom image stabilized? Be sure to take lots of memory capacity!

Yes and yes! It's a great camera. It's got great manual settings but even with automatic settings the pictures come out beautiful, and for 300 bucks it's not TOO much to be worried about it disappearing every second.

I use the Rick Steve's books extensively when I travel, I've never tried scanning the pages, but I do photocopy some pages (especially city maps and maps showing where my lodgings are located).

I've heard lots of good comments about Rick Steve's books, I'll go pick some up. My mistake I meant photocopying pages, not scanning. I'm not sure, just for a backpacker it might make life easier for space saving.

Late February is not far away, so there's not much time to plan a 2-3 month trip. I'm wondering about your budget of CD$6000 for 3 months though. With air fare and rail costs, I'm not sure this will be enough.

I definitely appreciate the concern. I too am questioning whether I will go for 3 months because 6000 dollars may be pushing it (Although I am working up until I leave so I'm hoping it will give me some extra financial help). Planning isn't so much of a worry for me. I do like to be organized but at 18 years of age I'm kind of looking forward to some spontaneity on this trip. I have a house in Versailles, France to stay in, as well as one right in the middle of Paris. And I have locations to stay in at both Aachen, as well as Brussels and also a small town up in the North of Germany if I head up there. They might not be the most convenient but its friendly faces to stay with as well as as an option to save money.

But with your concern do you think an open ticket would work well with my situation? I'm organized enough to know when the end is the end and I'd have enough to get to my departure city and get back to Canada.

I'd love to go visit some of the Harry Potter attractions but I think I'll just settle with Kings Cross. I'm not sure if I have the time or money to be visiting Scotland and Ireland, although they do sound quite nice. I didn't know the train was in Scotland though, fancy that. I also didnt know the British Museum was free! I will definately be visiting it.

I'm meeting with a travel agent this week as well as doing some more planning myself so once I get an itinerary made I will come back for some more opinions! Thank you all!

[pointofnoreturn]

A few things:

• Rick Steves has a great guidebook series but his maps are worthless. They're hand-drawn and look nothing like the real maps. I only have two of his books - the Back Door one and the Rome one. I was highly disappointed in the Rome book. I found it too biased and it wasn't really aimed towards the budget traveller. The Back Door book is much better for first timers.
  
  
• I used the photocopy method and definitely recommend it. I figured that it was kinda pointless lugging around guidebooks when travelling. So what I did was buy the Let's Go country/city books (more thorough than the the Europe book) and photocopied all the pages that contained the info I needed. It was really helpful and plus, I cut out some stuff and pasted it in a notebook for me to use. It allowed me to access information quicker rather than skimming through a huge book to get the right info.
  
  
• With your camera, definitely bring rechargeable batteries that go with your camera plus a battery recharger and an adaptor. I have a Kodak EasyShare Z650 camera that comes with a camera dock. But the dock was huge and pretty much a waste of space so I bought an extra pair of rechargeable batteries and took that with me.
  
  
• I forgot to add.... instead of Stratford-upon-Avon, you could visit Oxford and include the Christ Church in your day itinerary. It was the filming site for the Great Hall in the Harry Potter movie. The city is very pretty albeit an university town but worthwhile to visit.

[herrbert]

eagle said:

Do you know if the Harry Potter movies also used the North York Moors railway that runs from Pickering to Whidby? I believe there's a photo of one of the trains in our Photo Gallery here. The Goathland station looks similar to photos I've seen in some of the movie previews.

I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised, if that's true.

This is a good article, with loads of information, on the train that runs from Ft. William to Mallaig: www.sptimes.com/2005/10/30/Floridian/Ride_the_rails_like_R.shtml

[villvy16]

Thanks for the input everyone!

I went and picked up four Guidebooks. There was a serious lack of selection at all 3 stores I went to so I picked up some at each. I got
Lets Go France
Lets Go Italy
Lonely Planet Germany
Rick Steves England

The question I'm posing now is, do I take all 4 guide books? They do take up a good amount of room and they are pretty big. I'm sure it's worth it in the end.

I was a big Shakespeare buff so thats why I was wanting to visit it. Is it really not worth it?
I think a visit to Oxford would work well, I'm big on books and I've read plenty based out of Oxford.

Can anyone help me out with Greece quickly?
I've heard it is not very tourist oriented in March. I'm going along Italy to Greece after I fly out of London and I've heard from 3 different people that they kind of close their doors to tourists November through March. Can anyone back up this claim?

Thanks!

[villvy16]

Also.
Flying from London to Italy.
I've found a Ryanair flight to be between $50-$100 CDN, depending on the time of departure (This is March 3 or 4th I'm departing) However. If you go to departing from Luton instead of Gatwick or Stansted the flights are early but remarkably cheaper.

Reg Fare 0.01 GBP
Mon, 03 Mar 08
Flight FR3402 07:10 Depart London Luton (LTN)
10:40 Arrive Rome Ciampino (CIA)

Is this true?

Thanks.