The Beligerant 6 Week Trip

[dasboot]

Hey yall,

Me and some close friends are planning a trip to Europe this summer (late June through August) for six weeks, and are looking for any and all advice we can get while backpacking through Europe. So far, a list of places is as follows:

Ireland and/or Scotland
Denmark
Germany
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Austria
Italy
Croatia
Greece

The preceding list is ordered from North to South (most likely the order that we would travel to them). None of us chose any of these countries with any past experience or true rationale; they just appeared interesting.

We aren't looking to be tourists through our travels. Some sightseeing would be good, but we are more interested in immersing ourselves in the culture. We'd rather like to experience all of the unique towns through each country, with an emphasis on local watering holes, eateries, and recreation.

Any suggestions on what cities to visit, or what events to attend?

[me]

"Belligerent?" with whom are you fighting?

- d

[dasboot]

Aww c'mon! No fighting....

www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=beligerent


Only with the best of intentions.

[pointofnoreturn]

I think you have a bit too much on your plate. For example, even to visit just 3 cities in Italy would take more than 10 days at least.

I'd seriously look at the cities you want to visit and narrow down your trip from there. Denmark is quite a bit out of the way but if it's a high priority, it's certainly doable. I'd have a look at the other threads in this sub-forum to get an idea of what kind of itinerary to create

[Eagle]

dasboot, Welcome to the Boards! Regarding your proposed Itinerary, I definitely have to agree with the others that it's somewhat "ambitous" even for six weeks. Some of the countries you've listed are quite distant from the others, which increases travel time and the logistics of getting around.

Keep in mind also that since you're travelling in "peak" season, Europe is going to be very busy, hot and crowded so transportation or lodgings might not be as easily accessed. Trying to fit that many countries in to a six week visit might be theoretically possible, but I suspect you'd spend a lot of your time looking at Europe through the windows of a train.

You might want to "pare down" your list to a more realistic number of destinations. My preference would be to drop Denmark and Greece to begin with. In order to offer suggestions, it would also help to have a tentative list of cities you want to visit, and some idea on what the interests of the group are (ie: what sights do you want to see - Museums, Art Galleries, historic sites?). Also, where are you flying from?

Summer is not far away so it would be a good idea to start some definite planning right away!

Cheers!

[dasboot]

Interesting! Initially, I thought six weeks was going to be plenty of time. I guess I definitely have a lot planning to do, and I'll be sure to be more specific in the future when asking for advice here.

A far as flying goes, We are planning to do an open jaw flight. Are there typically cheaper airports around Europe to fly in or out of?

Thanks!

[pointofnoreturn]

You didn't say where you're from originally. If you're from Canada, you might consider Zoom Airlines. They have open-jaw flights available and they're much more cheaper than standard airlines.

[dasboot]

Sorry, must have missed that one. I'm from Washington State, and would most likely be flying out of Portland (PDX).