8 Week Plan

[joe826]

Hey everyone,

I'm planning an 8 week trip for late September, and need to get everything ironed out here. What do you think of this country/city list, and do you have any recommendations for where would be best to fly in and out of? All this stuff makes my head spin!

[Eagle]

joe826, I have a few general comments on the questions you raised. First of all, it's generally best to fly in & out of major hubs such as London (LGW or LHR), Frankfurt or Amsterdam. With your Itinerary I'd suggest (as always) an "open jaw" flight arrangement for best efficiency.

As far as the destinations you've chosen, they look good for the most part however IMO Frankfurt isn't really worth a visit. Also, you might consider Salzburg or Hallstatt in Austria as well (or instead of) some of your other stops there.

As you're going to be travelling in late September, it would probably be a good idea to visit the "northern" cities first and work your way south. That way you won't have to pack too much cold weather kit.

When you plan your Itinerary in more detail, don't forget to allow for travel time between locations. I believe travel to/from Spain and Greece will be the largest distances. For your trip a combination of rail travel and budget airlines would probably be the best solution. Check www.bahn.de for rail travel times and other information.

Good luck and happy planning!

[joe826]

Thanks for the reply Eagle!

How's this look for a potential plan?

(fly in) London >> Amsterdam >> Berlin >> Prague >> Krakow >> Budapest >> Vienna >> Salzburg >> Munich >> Innsbruck >> Venice >> Florence >> Rome >> Athens >> Santorini >> Barcelona >> Valencia >> Madrid (fly out)

I'm not sure about the logistics of flying from Santorini to Barceloa, or whether it would be better to leave from Athens. Can you recommend any good sites to look for budget flights? Also, do I just need to get the main euro railpass?

Thanks!

Joe

[me]

Joe,

a glance at www.whichbudget.com doesn't show any cheap flights from Santorini or Athens to Barcelona, or any place in Spain, Portugal or, even, France! So, you might not want to change your plan to have Greece at the end.

but, i did see flights listed from Santorini to Munich or Leipzig.

- d

[herrbert]

You can leave Athens with a LTU-flight to Düsseldorf, and from there you can fly (also with LTU) to Madrid Bajaras. In mid-late November this is the cheapest option I can find (flightnumbers are LT223 (Athens-Dusseldorf,dep 10.35, landing 12.45) and LT196 (Düsseldorf-Madrid, dep. 14.55, landing 17.25). If you book early, and outside of the weekend, it can be done for about 150 euro's.

There is also a direct flight with Olympic Airlines that goes directly to Madrid but it's more expensive but in the other side, is quicker: OA247, (dep. 9.05, landing 11.55), and costs about 200 euro's.

All flights that I can I try to get from Thira (Santorini) to the bigger international airports, are all making a stop in Athens.

Madrid has the big advantage, that you can walk straight into the underground metro station, that can take you to the city in about half an hour. (and in my opinion Madrid deserves more than just 2 days)

I also can't find flights from Athens to Barcelona, that have a reasonable price (for around 400 euro's, and above it is possible).