|
|
Post by bethilda on Jun 24, 2003 18:08:02 GMT -5
This site is great and it is giving me a lot of great information as I plan a two week trip in Europe next month with a friend. But, the more I read, the more questions I seem to have  . Here are the countries we wish to visit and the amount of time we hope to spend in each of them. Could all of you seasoned travelers give me some advice? Are we going to be way better off stopping in less countries and spending more time in each? Germany--3-4 days (staying with my friend's brother who is stationed there near the black forest and we will take an excursion by car to Lexumbourg) Italy (Rome)--2 days Prague--1 day (arrive in afternoon and spend the night there, sightseeing during the day) Vienna--1/2 day (is that enough time???) Switzerland--1/2 day (just going through on the Euro...not even sure of what city we will get off at) Paris, France--2 days London--1-2 days, also possibly Scotland?? We will be in Europe from the 19th of July (evening) through August 1, so we have a total of 13 days. If we consider that we will fly from Germany to London and then from London to Italy and we will take the Eurail up from Germany through the various cities, are we going to have enough time? We want to get a pretty good idea of where we are going, but also wish to maintain enough flexibility that if we love one place we will stay a bit longer and skip some of the other places. Any suggestions for places that will need a lot of time and any ideas of places we should just skip? Also, I need some ideas of where to stay for CHEAP in London, France, and Prague. I am a bit wary of hostels--don't feel comfortable in a co-ed room with guys and stuff. Also, clean and semi-quiet (though it is nice to have the ability to socialize a bit) are both important to us. Having a private or semi-private bathroom would also be a nice feature ;D. And, to top it off, if you have any suggestions of really good restaurants in any of the cities, I would greatly appreciate it. I have read the great post someone put up on eating at a nice restaurant in Paris, and we plan to have at least one really good meal from that suggested list. Well, thanks in advance for anything at all you can tell me. I am sorry for writing a novel, but hope that you can give me some pointers. |
|
|
|
Post by LHR02 on Jun 24, 2003 18:13:22 GMT -5
How are you planning on getting around? Rail? Plane? This is an incredibly ambitious plan I must say. Have you been before? Are you making quick re-visits to places you have been or is this your first time? Not wanting to sound like a party pooper....but you have waaaayyyyy too much going on here for the amount of time you have. JMHO of course.  |
|
|
|
Post by Kim on Jun 24, 2003 22:26:10 GMT -5
I completely agree.. this is WAY too much. The travel time (train) alone between these countries will eat up many days. I as well don't want to be a party pooper but I don't even think this would be possible, to tell you the truth. Why don't you take a look at the Fares and Schedules section of www.raileurope.com to give you an idea of how long it will take to reach each place. For 2 weeks, I would say 5 cities at the most, rather than 5 or more countries. You are going to be completely exhausted if you are doing places for 1/2 or one day, you want at least 2 days in each place - at the bare minimum. Kim |
|
|
|
Post by LHR02 on Jun 25, 2003 5:18:54 GMT -5
Just for reference, if you are driving from Black Forest area (Frieburg I assume?) to Luxumbourg....unless memory fails me, going by autobahn that is at a minimum a 6 - 7 hour drive one way. At least driving at a 'reasonable' speed....if you are with a 'racin' German' ;D doing 250kph or more you may save some time.  |
|
|
|
Post by CuriousToronto on Jun 25, 2003 9:57:40 GMT -5
Not too long ago I started a thread called "Help with the nitty-gritty" under pre-travel planning section of the website. I started out with an original itinerary that we could have done but would have left us ragged. Everyone, kindly pointed that out! After a lot of stress I cut it down and now in 18 days we will be seeing Geneva, Gimmelwald, Florence, and Paris. Instead of all the other running around I was planning to do. I'm really comfortable with my itineary now. At the present moment I feel like we'll be seeing enough plus we'll be in certain places long enough to feel like we're not just passing through. Anywayz, the point of all of this is to pay attention to what people on the board suggest. And be willing to re-consider your itinerary! I have to admit that when I read your post I kind of chuckled -- it was even more drastic than mine and I knew that the inevitable would happen. I guess what it comes down to is the fact that Europe will still be there for future trips! That and in some cases it really has to be quality over quantity. That doesn't mean you have to spend all 2 weeks in one place -- but it does mean you should take the time to enjoy a place. Give yourself time to do nothing and just "be in" a city if that's what you want. Anywayz, good luck! |
|
|
|
Post by Kim on Jun 25, 2003 10:21:57 GMT -5
And I am so happy that you reconsidered your original plan, CT! Your trip is going to end up being so much better and you will remember so much more, not having seen Europe from a train window!
Kim
|
|
|
|
Post by bethilda on Jun 27, 2003 9:23:22 GMT -5
OK, so we have revised our plan a bit. It is so hard not to plan too many places...who knows when we will get back to Europe? Anyone have any thoughts or advice for us?
London--(fly straight there from the US) stay over two nights (Monday until Wednesday) and fly to
Paris--for two nights (Wednesday until Friday) and take the train to
Frankfurt, Germany--where we will stay for the weekend (Friday night until Monday morning) (4 hour trip to the part of Germany where we are going) then from Germany fly to
Italy--but staying only for the day (Monday until Tuesday morning), because we just want to do a day tour of the main stuff and probably will spend the night and then on to
Prague for the rest of the time (until Thursday night) (2-3 days).
So are we still in over our heads? The reason for the one day trip to Rome is that we found plane tickets for $10 USD from Germany to Italy, so we just want to spend the day and probably will sleep over.
I am not sure how we will get to Prague--either by plane or by Eurorail???
Also, does anyone have any good suggestions of where to stay in Paris and in Prague that is inexpensive, but includes breakfast (hopefully homestyle food from that country) and a private room with 2 beds and a private bathroom? I don't care if it is a hotel or a hostel, but it needs to be clean and convenient to the city center.
Thank you for your advice, this has been a HUGE help in our planning stages.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kim on Jun 27, 2003 10:05:30 GMT -5
I like this intinary WAY better, although I think the day in Italy is a bad idea. The thing is it's a hell of a long ride from Rome to Prague on the train with a ton of train changes, you will waste a 1-2 days right there just on travel and I don't think any of the cheap flights do that route. You are MUCH closer going from Germany to Prague - it still will be an 8.5 hour train ride from Frankfurt, but it's a night train so you will take it at night and arrive the next morning. I think you will have a much better time by skipping the day in Italy. A day won't do it justice anyway. So are you flying home from Prague then? Or do you have to backtrack all the way back to London? Definately see if you can fly into London and out of Prague. As far as accommodation goes, you will find everything you need here: members.shaw.ca/guideforeurope/bookeurohostels.htmlKim |
|
|
|
Post by LHR02 on Jun 27, 2003 11:28:04 GMT -5
Just have to ask.....why a weekend in Frankfurt? Are you visiting someone there? It's just that it is a long way from being the most scenic/fun/interesting place in Germany you could spend a weekend.  And I have to agree....forget the Italy thing. One day is really not worth the time you will spend getting there and back...no matter how cheap the tickets. Instead, why not stop somwhere else in Germany or even swing down to Austria for Salzburg or Vienna if you just want to hit another country for a day? More on your way, less travel time. As for 'how to decide' and 'who knows when I'll be back' the only thing I can say is personally I would rather spend a week within 25 miles of just one place and really see and experience it than to have merely gazed whistfully out the window at all the places I wish I had time to stop and see. But to each their own travel styles. ;D |
|
|
|
Post by bethilda on Jun 27, 2003 12:20:23 GMT -5
Thanks, Kim and Ray for your thoughts. Frankfurt (actually a little town not too far from Frankfurt called Landstahl) is where my friends brother is stationed, with his wife and two (adorable) toddlers. This is my friends main reason/justification for her trip to Europe. For me, it means a free place to stay with kind, trustworthy people who will take us anywhere within reason in their car (planning an excursion to Lexumbourg, which is not too far away). We are planning on going back to Germany from Prague, where we will fly home. But our schedule is not set in stone--just the part of staying in Germany for the weekend with her brother and his family, because that is the time when they have work off and can show us the sights. Otherwise, we for sure want to see London, Prague, Paris, and Italy (if possible..) but if it is still too much, we shall return to the drawing board. I am still unsure whether Rome is a good idea, either. But we do have friends of friends we can stay overnight for free with if it works out. Also, I have looked (pored  through the hostel review site and gotten some great ideas. I am a little bit hesitant with the hostels, though. We have never stayed in one, and since we are not that young (both of us are 31) we are not so much into the party scene, though we would love to meet other travelers. Also, we would prefer a double room where we are not sleeping in the same room with strangers and especially if it is co-ed dorm style. Here are some of the hotels/hostel rooms I have looked at and the website I got it from (all a direct link from this great site): **London: Regency Hotel ($99.95 per night for a double room)--http://www.hoteldiscounts.com/cgi-bin/chkrates?SID=EPH&Dest=LON&LKF=EPH&LANG=en&PROD=HOTEL&DispCurr=USD&QuerySeq=001|NC%20REGEN%7c%7c&MaxHotels=001&HName=REGENCY%20HOTEL Regent Palace ($89.95 for double)--not your own private bathroom?? www.hoteldiscounts.com/cgi-bin/chkrates?SID=EPH&Dest=LON&LKF=EPH&LANG=en&PROD=HOTEL&DispCurr=USD&QuerySeq=001|LON%20REGE%7c%7c&MaxHotels=001&HName=REGENT%20PALACE**France France Louvre ($149.95 for double room) www.hoteldiscounts.com/cgi-bin/chkrates?SID=EPH&Dest=PAR&LKF=EPH&LANG=en&PROD=HOTEL&DispCurr=USD&QuerySeq=001|PAR%20LOUV%7c%7c&MaxHotels=001&HName=FRANCE%20LOUVRE**Prague: Admiral Botel ($75 for a double) www.eurocheapo.com/prague/listings/selection/admiral.aspAlbatros Botel ($114 for a double) www.eurocheapo.com/prague/listings/selection/albatross.aspSorry to write such long messages. I am sure you all understand how I am feeling--overwhelmed, excited, nervous, etc. I just want to make this the perfect trip ;D |
|
|
|
Post by CuriousToronto on Jun 27, 2003 13:17:14 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Kim on Jun 27, 2003 13:20:04 GMT -5
The Regents Palace one is in a way more central location. The rate that you've given is for a standard room, which has a shared bathroom.
You can get private rooms in hostels as well and people of all ages stay there as well. It's nice cause you also get to use the facilities, such as the kitchens.
Look through the link I gave you - not all are hostel, about half of the links are budget hotels. I've also listed what kind of rooms are available so look for ones that say "2 person privates".
Kim
|
|
|
|
Post by bethilda on Jun 27, 2003 23:53:15 GMT -5
Thanks again for the great advice. My life is consumed by planning this trip, but that is a good thing, right? I am having a problem understanding one website I am looking at from the link you gave me, Kim. It is for the Armstrong Hotel in Paris (http://reservations.bookhostels.com/guideforeurope.com/hosteldetails.php?PHPSESSID=20b725647a66d3fc926c298d8729304d) It lists a 2 bed private ensuite for $34.95 USD. But is that per person? And is there a way to get a guarantee you will be in the room with the person of your choice? When I try go "book" to confirm prices, I put in 2 bed private ensuite for 2 people, but I get the price of $68.98 for two different people. I am just a little confused? Should I only be booking for one person for the 2 bed room? Or should I be booking for two people for the private ensuite? It is even more expensive that way. Also, what does "ensuite" indicate? Does it mean that the room has a bathroom included in it? Or would it be a shared bathroom with other rooms? How would I tell on that? This may not be the place to post this..but you have all been so helpful I am wondering if anyone knows? Or would it be best to contact the hotel direct on that? Thanks!! I am finding some great deals, and once I get it all compiled I may post it for feedback again . I am really not totally clueless in everything...I did live in Russia for close to 2 years. But I have not been to Western Europe and want to be as prepared as I can. It is a lot more expensive than Russia in 1992 . |
|
|
|
Post by LHR02 on Jun 28, 2003 6:27:02 GMT -5
Also, what does "ensuite" indicate? Does it mean that the room has a bathroom included in it
yes....ensuite means it has a full bath....toilet and tub/shower
oftentimes rooms will have a sink only (or even sink and shower)in the room with toilet and/or tub down the hall, but that will never be 'ensuite'
|
|
|
|
Post by Kim on Jun 28, 2003 10:24:16 GMT -5
I'm unsure what you mean by you are getting $68.98 for 2 different people? You should be putting 2 people as that's how many you want in the room. Prices are generally per person for rooms in Europe, unless it states otherwise. $68.98 is what I get for 2 people as well. I'm just confused on the 2 different people part.
Maybe give me your dates so I can put them in and see what you are seeing.
Kim
|
|
.
through the hostel review site and gotten some great ideas. I am a little bit hesitant with the hostels, though. We have never stayed in one, and since we are not that young (both of us are 31) we are not so much into the party scene, though we would love to meet other travelers. Also, we would prefer a double room where we are not sleeping in the same room with strangers and especially if it is co-ed dorm style. 