nickolt
Full Travel Member
Posts: 16 
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Post by nickolt on Feb 28, 2008 19:38:11 GMT -5
Me and my boyfriend are planning to backpack in Europe for around 2 months next year in may/June. We are planning to rely mostly on our eurail tickets to travel between countries, perhaps one or two cheap flights if we have to. We want to visit:
Germany (Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin)
Holland, (Amsterdam)
UK (London)
France (Paris, and Marseilles)
Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, possibly another city)
Italy (Rome, Florence, Capri, Sienna, day trip to Pompeii)
Greece (Athens and Corfu)
Both Amsterdam and London don't require much time, just a couple of days each.
Do you think this would be doable? And do any of you have any experience traveling in pairs? I have been looking at hostel rates, and me and my bf would prefer private rooms, however they are more expensive.
Basically if any of you have any tips for my rough itinerary, or any experiences in traveling with another person, let me know. I'd love any advice.
Thanks! =)
ps: we will be using an open jaw flight, flying into frankfurt where I have family, and fllying out of athens.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Feb 29, 2008 0:10:30 GMT -5
nickolt, welcome to the Boards.
I'll tackle the timing issue, however it's hard to know how much time will suit you and your boyfriend for each city until we know your interests or what you'd already planned to see in each place. I'll do an average on the amount of time to spend, but this can of course be adjusted to suit your plans/requirements.
Frankfurt - not sure how long you want to stay with your family, but 2 nights is usual as there's not much in terms of sightseeing in Frankfurt, good nightlife and shopping though!
Munich - 3 nights will allow sightseeing in the city plus a day trip out to the castles and/or time at Dachau
Berlin - 4 nights; such a great city with so much to see and do (then fly to Amsterdam with Transavia to save time)
Amsterdam - 3 nights will give you 2 full days to explore
London - you may need more time here than you think if you plan to do day trips to Stonehenge and Bath or even Windsor or Oxford. However pure time in the city I would say a minimum of 4 nights. Again, great city with so much to see and do
Paris - 4-5 nights; will also allow for a trip to Versailles and general wandering about
Marseilles - would you consider another city in France (with a little more to offer). I can see that this is a way to reach Spain, but you could either fly from Paris to Barca/Madrid or stay in Nice, Aix-en-Provence, Arles, etc and then fly to Spain from Marseilles.
Barcelona - 3-4 nights
Madrid - 3-4 nights, longer if you want to do day trips
possibly another city - can I suggest Seville, beautiful. herrbert may have some other suggestions to add, especially in terms of ease of transport, etc.
Rome - 4-5 nights
Florence - 4 nights; can do a half-day trip to Pisa and/or San Gimignano and you could even do a day trip to Siena (add a night to the time), but I'd suggest staying in Siena overnight to fully appreciate it.
Capri - off the Amalfi Coast; you can, by all means, stay on the island, but accommodation isn't cheap. Otherwise you could base yourself in Sorrento for 3 nights, spend a day on the island, half a day at Pompei (or a full one) and still get to stay on the Amalfi Coast.
Sienna - 1 night (see above)
day trip to Pompeii - if this is from Rome then go for 5 nights, if it's from Sorrento/Capri then add a day to them
NOTE: I assume this isn't the order you'll visit places in Italy?
Athens - 3 nights will allow proper sightseeing and experience
Corfu - is a flight away from Athens or an overnight boat ride from Brindisi or Bari (Italy). I'd stay for 3 nights as it's a totally different type of Greek Island to those in the Aegean. Would you also consider flying to Santorini, Mykonos, Paros and/or Naxos as part of your trip? beautiful islands and worth adding at least one to your itinerary if time permits. I'd say 3 nights on one would do it (esp Santorini or Mykonos).
As far as accommodation goes, many hostels offer double rooms but as you've seen these can be a little more expensive. You could also look at budget hotels depending on the city as these often work out to be around the same in price, or just a few Euro more.
Good luck with the further planning!
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Post by herrbert on Feb 29, 2008 17:57:04 GMT -5
May, June is perfect for a trip in Spain.
From Madrid, you can make daytrips to Toledo, and to Segovia. Both are reachable by train. To Toledo it's half an hour from Atocha Station, on the south end of the city center. And to Segovia you can take the AVE with destination: Valladolid. It makes a halfway stop in Segovia, the trip takes 30 minutes, from Madrid - Chamartin station, in the north of the city.
If you are keen on art, then you need your time in Madrid. Keep in mind that you can visit the Prado, and the Reina Sofia museums, for free on Sunday (until 14.30, when they close). In the Prado you will find the old arts (including the Spanish masters like Valasquez, El Greco and Goya), in the Reina Sofia the modern stuff (including Picasso and Dali). Another interesting museum is the Thyssen Bornemisza museum, which is across the road (passeo del prado) from the Prado.
If you like to add another city in Spain, then Granada would be my first choice. The Alhambra is an amazing place to visit, but also the city a very pleasant place to be, as it is a city with a couple of universities and loads of exchange students. From Madrid, you can get a cheap flight with Iberia or Spanair to Granada. There is a bus waiting outside the airport to take you to the city.
If you can spare a little more time, then also visit Sevilla. There are trains between Granada and Sevilla to connect both places, but take a good look at the timetable, as there are not that many. From Sevilla, you can take the AVE back to Madrid, but depending of the next destination, you can also fly out of Sevilla Airport. (Vueling as a couple of cheap international destinations from Sevilla).
As the other city in Spain, you could also opt for a place in Portugal. The obvious place to visit would be Lisbon. You can reach it by train from Madrid, but a flight (vueling) would be easier and faster. if you do prefer the train, see if you can squeeze in a visit to the town of Caceres. (the old town is stunning).
For both cities, you need two days. And for both cities I can recommend the Oasis hostels, which also have private doubles.
For Amsterdam I do agree with you. It is a compact city, and everything is within walking distance. However London is a different story. It is huge, and there is a lot to see and do.
Do consider cheap flights, as they are sometimes much better than trainride. (take a look at the timetable of the train between Marseille and Barcelona, and you will see what I mean)
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Post by stylescriber on Apr 2, 2008 20:06:38 GMT -5
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good luck