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Post by cellabella on Oct 21, 2006 15:12:40 GMT -5
So my cousin and I are planning a trip to Europe next July 2007....The itinerary is something like this.
1)Vancouver to London, England - 3 days
2)London to Barcelona & Madrid, Spain - 7 days
3)Barcelona to Nice - 1-2 days
4)Nice to Paris, France - 6 days
5)Paris to Amsterdam - 3 days
6)Amsterdam to Germany - 6 days
7)Germany to Pisa, Venice, and Rome - 11 days
8)Italy to London - 2 days
9)London to Vancouver
Let me know what you guys think about the trip, if you have any ideas i would love to hear them.....
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antoine
Full Travel Member
Posts: 33
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Post by antoine on Oct 21, 2006 17:05:12 GMT -5
Quick Note: Barcelona to Nice is about 8hrs by train, and basically goes the whole day. And am pretty sure no one flys the route (causing me to skip it). Just a thaught
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Post by herrbert on Oct 21, 2006 18:29:29 GMT -5
Would it be possible for you to get open jaw tickets? this way you don't have to get back to London, and you could fly out from Rome. If it's not possible, then it might be better to make (sort of) a circle, like this:
London
Paris
Madrid
Barcelona
Nice*
Rome
Pisa
Florence
Venice
Germany (I reckon Munich and Berlin???)
Amsterdam
London
*If Nice is only a stopover, then you could fly very easily from Barcelona to Rome.
11 days for Italy is fine, but I reckon you need 5 for Rome, maybe 2-3 for Venice, but in Pisa, there is not a lot more to see than the leaning tower, so "nearby" Florence, would be an option to spend some time aswell.
Take a good look at the low budgetflights, because you are covering a lot of miles in a short time. For London to Paris take a look at AirFrance and Britisch Airways (they often don't show up, on searchpages for budgetflights, but for the moment they are a lot of time the cheapest, and have the benefit, they fly from Heathrow as most lowbudget carriers leave from Luton or Stansted).
Paris to Madrid, fly for sure. A train journey will be too long.
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Post by pointofnoreturn on Oct 21, 2006 18:51:56 GMT -5
My suggestion is this: Maybe you can consider flying with Zoom Airlines. I am using them because they allow me to fly in and out of a different city without any surcharges. www.flyzoom.caVancouver flies to: Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Paris. Maybe you can start in Paris and finish in London like this: Vancouver - Paris Paris - Madrid Madrid - Barcelona Barcelona - Rome (Nice stopover?) but maybe you could fly to Florence instead or Pisa using a budget airline and then take the train to Rome. Venice/Rome/Florence - Germany Germany - Amsterdam Amsterdam - London London - Vancouver Since you're flying in July, expect plane tickets to be higher but go to the website I linked and see if it's a good price to have the Vancouver-Paris and London-Vancouver multi-city option, compared to other tickets. Recommendations: Leave off Nice and Pisa. |
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Post by cellabella on Oct 22, 2006 13:18:00 GMT -5
hey all,
I really appreciate everyone's help, I think my cousin and I are gonna leave off Nice because I never realized how long the train ride from Barcelona was, and we're probably just gonna stay in Pisa 1 night, because my cousin really wants to see the Leaning Tower. If anyone has anymore ideas, I'd love to hear them..
Thanks
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Post by Jules80 on Oct 22, 2006 13:33:44 GMT -5
Nice is a nice place and in my opinion, you need to see more than paris to give france justice. nice was my favorite place in france ( i also visited tours and bordeau). i also really enjoyed tours which was in the loire valley and full of castles. i believe the train from florence to barcelona is on the scale of 18-20 hours (my friend did it i think that was how long she said it was) so i would second the thought on getting a budget flight (you could get one for about 40-50$ cdn).
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Post by pointofnoreturn on Oct 22, 2006 13:43:48 GMT -5
That's a wise idea to leave off a city. You could fly from Barlecona to Pisa via RyanAir then take the train to Florence then another train to Venice then a third train to Rome. Either way, now that you've left off Nice, your itinerary could be: Vancouver - Paris (with Zoom Airlines) Paris - Madrid (via easyJet) Madrid - Barcelona (train) Barcelona - Pisa (via RyanAir or find another budget airline) Pisa - Florence (train) Florence - Venice (train) Venice - Rome (train) Rome - Berlin (via easyJet) Berlin - Amsterdam (via train or a flight with Air Berlin, etc) Amsterdam - London (via easyJet) London - Paris I think this route is very doable. I don't know about Munich. You never mentioned which German city you wanted to visit so I just put in Berlin for kicks. Check out www.whichbudget.com to see what city flies to with what airline, etc! P.S. Aside from Paris, you could take a daytrip to Versailles and do the same thing in Rome with Pompeii via Naples? |
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Post by me on Oct 22, 2006 17:15:32 GMT -5
FYI, these three are also available as night trains. sleeping between cities is an efficient use of time. but, they're not all full nights. for Berlin/ Amsterdam, i'd suggest an alternative plan for using the night train. on your last evening in Berlin, catch a train to Berlin's Lichtenberg suburb to catch to night train at the earliest chance, 23.36. settle into your couchette, the train gets to Berlin's major stations after midnight. it gets to Köln (Cologne) just before 7 am. have some breakfast & a nice look at Cologne, it's world famous cathedral is across the square from the station, and catch a late morning/ early afternoon train to Amsterdam. (there's a 2½ hour train) Madrid - Barcelona (train) Venice - Rome (train) Berlin - Amsterdam (via train or a flight with Air Berlin, etc) |
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Post by me on Oct 22, 2006 17:30:27 GMT -5
don't know if it'd interest you, but a nice, relaxing Italian national park is just North of Pisa, Cinque Terra <means 5 lands, or 5 villages>. Cinque Terre is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. the train between Pisa & Cinque Terra passes just West of the leanin' tower. there's also a town called Lucca in that general area. i've never been, but it's culinary delicacies were recently written up in New York Times. hey all, I really appreciate everyone's help, I think my cousin and I are gonna leave off Nice because I never realized how long the train ride from Barcelona was, and we're probably just gonna stay in Pisa 1 night, because my cousin really wants to see the Leaning Tower. If anyone has anymore ideas, I'd love to hear them.. Thanks |
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Post by pointofnoreturn on Oct 22, 2006 18:21:04 GMT -5
Yeah, I've heard great things about Cinque Terre. David has a great suggestion for a nice relaxing place to stay for maybe a few days (2-3?) before heading to see the rest of Italy.
P.S. 6 days in Germany is quite a lot. Unless you are only visiting one city you could allocate the 3 days to one German city and the other 3 days to visit Cinque Terre?
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Post by herrbert on Oct 23, 2006 15:31:36 GMT -5
As you have only 40 days, and Cinque Terra might be too much to put on your shedule: you can make Pisa, as a daytrip from Florence. The only thing is: besides the leaning tower, it's not really special.
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Post by cellabella on Dec 30, 2006 18:41:08 GMT -5
My cousin and I have rearranged our itinerary for Europe, can someone tell me if this sounds like it's gonna work...or please give suggestions for transportation too.....Thank you
Vancouver to London (3 days) then fly with Easyjet to
Paris (6 days) Bus or Train to
Amsterdam ( 3 days) Bus or Train to
Germany- Cologne (3 days) Bus to Berlin (3 days) then Fly or Train (not sure yet) to
Italy - Pisa (few hours), Bus to Florence ( 1-2 days), Bus or Train to Rome (5 days), Bus or Train to Venice (4-5 days) then fly into
Spain- Madrid ( 1-2 days), then bus to Barcelona (5 days) then fly to
London ( 2 days) then BACK HOME.
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Post by Eagle on Dec 31, 2006 4:36:47 GMT -5
cellabella, as some of the others have indicated, using "open jaw" flights would be an efficient way to plan your trip. There are undoubtedly many ways to arrange your Itinerary, but perhaps something like this would work for you and your cousin:
Fly to London HR via Zoom Airlines. I found it worthwhile to pay the slight extra charge for "premium seating" on Zoom, as it makes the check-in easier and the flight much more comfortable. Check the web for information on the progress of construction at Heathrow, as this might have a bearing on your transportation options into the city.
> London - 4 days (keep in mind you'll lose the first day due to flight times and the time zone change, so you will actually only have 3 days).
Fly to Paris via EasyJet (this will probably depart from Luton, so you'll have to allow for the time and cost to get from London to Luton). More about the budget airlines later.
> Paris - 6 days (you'll have to decide how you want to get to the city from CDG - the RER B3 line goes to Paris, but you could also consider airport shuttles, etc.). Give some thought on which area of Paris you might want to stay. I like the Rue Cler area, as it's within walking distance to the Eiffel Tower, and is close to the Ecole Militaire metro stop. There are lots of nice restaurants and markets, Laundry and Internet points and an SNCF Boutique close by for getting train tickets and reservations.
One other important point to mention -- it's a really GOOD idea to get a Paris Museum Pass if you plan on visiting the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Arch de Triomphe or any of the other significant sites in Paris. It makes admission so much easier and avoids the long queues for tickets. You should be able to buy this from a travel agent before you leave.
Fly to Madrid (I believe RyanAir flys this route, and I saw one price listing of EU$ 41.00, however this could easily change by summer).
> Madrid - 2 days
Train to Barcelona (this will likely be a 7 hour + trip, so you'll have to allow a travel day for this).
> Barcelona - 4 days
Fly to Rome (Vueling Air is one possibility on this route and I saw a price listed in July for EU$52.00, but again this is just an estimate).
> Rome - 5 days (you'll have to give some thought on how you want to get to the city from Fiumicino). Five days is about right, but you'll have to plan your touring very efficiently, as there is LOTS to see in Rome! One point to mention is that the Metro lines have been closing early lately, in order to allow for construction of a third line. I'm not sure what the status of this will be in July?
Train to Florence (this trip is only about 2 hours, but of course will depend on exactly which train you select. Reservations might be required, especially if it's a high speed train).
> Florence - 3 days (this is a minimum time for Florence, IMHO. If you want to visit the Uffizi or Accademia, reservations are a REALLY good idea!). I really enjoyed the double decker Bus tour, which also goes to Fiesole. Florence is a wonderful city!!! I can hardly wait to go back!
Train to Pisa (about 1 hour). As some of the others have indicated, it only takes about half a day to see the Tower. This would be a really good opportunity to see the Cinque Terre, so I've added an extra destination here.
Train to La Spezia (change trains here and board the local C.T. train). You'll have to decide which of the five towns you will want to stay in. I like Riomaggiore but all of the villages have their own unique character. Riomaggiore is only about eight minutes from La Spezia, so it's a really quick trip.
> Cinque Terre - 3 days (including the half day in Pisa). If you want to hike the trails between the five towns, you'll need to buy a C.T. card at the station. This also provides free trips on the local train for the duration of the card, so it's good value. They have booths set up at the entrance to each of the trails to make sure that all hikers have a card!
Train to La Spezia and to Venice. This will be a 5 - 6 hour trip, so another travel day will have to be planned here.
> Venice - 3 days (Venice is quite expensive IMO, and if you plan your touring efficiently, 3 days should be more than adequate).
Fly to Berlin. I found a listing for Hapag/Lloyd Air on this route., with one price listing for about EU$ 53.00.
> Berlin - 3 days
Train to Cologne. One listing showed a departure at 08:51, arriving at 13:09 (04H:18M, no changes). Reservations might be required.
> Cologne - 2 days
Train to Amsterdam. One listing showed a departure at 10:48, arriving at 13:25 (02H:37M, no changes).
> Amsterdam - 3 days
Fly to Vancouver via Air Transat. With this Itinerary, you avoid the time and expense of returning to London. It's certainly possible to fly one way with Zoom and the other way with Air Transat (I know, because I've done it!). I usually figure out which airlines and routes I want, and then book them through a travel agent (even Rick Steves recommends using a travel agent for flights, car rentals, etc.).
With regard to the budget airlines, keep in mind that in many cases the flights are non-changeable and non-refundable once booked. Also, they have tightened their baggage limits recently with respect to both size and weight, so you might want to check the respective web sites to find out what the current limits are.
As you'll be travelling in July (peak tourist season), you might want to consider pre-booking accomodations. I've found that even in September and October (shoulder season), many lodgings can be fully booked up. It's always nice to know that one will have a place to sleep on arriving in a "new" city. If you have to start looking for accomodation, you'll end up wasting either time or money (or both), and may end up sleeping in a less-than-desirable location. Just a thought.......
A Rail Pass would probably be a good idea to cover the longer trips. Pay separately for point-to-point tickets on shorter trips. Reservations and Couchette fees are NOT included with Eurail Passes, so you'd have to pay for these separately. When checking train schedules, I usually use the central station in each location, but keep in mind that many cities have multiple stations and you'll have to be clear on which station your train is using.
One final point, if this is your first trip to Europe I would highly recommend the Rick Steves book "Europe Through The Back Door". It's an essential "pre-read" for travelling in Europe. It appears that you're located on the west coast, so you might also find it interesting to attend a RS Travel Festival and the free seminars covering various Euro travel topics in Seattle (Edmonds). There will be two of these in 2007, in February and March (these usually include a less-than-subtle sales pitch for his products and tours, but I tend to ignore that part). Although the seminars are free, pre-registration is required and your travel expenses to Seattle are your own responsibility.
Hope this helps. Good luck with your planning!!!
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Post by herrbert on Dec 31, 2006 6:26:32 GMT -5
How can there be anything to add to a pst like that .... but I will make an attempt.
The Paris - Madrid flight by RyanAir leaves from Beauvais AIrport (about 75-90 minutes away from Paris, so add at least 13 euros to the ticketprice for taking the busshuttle Paris-Beauvais). You could also check flights by Easyjet (Orly), and Vueling (CDG).
One thing: Madrid 2 days??? Try to find some days somewhere else and add at least one or two days to Madrid, so you have the possibility to make a daytrip to Toledo. (it's too pretty to be missed)
Berlin - Köln (Cologne), can also be done by plane. Germanwings fly this route for 19 euros all inclusive (4 times a day). If the Cathedral is the only attraction you want to see, then you m ight even want to shorten your stay in Cologne to 1 day.
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Post by pointofnoreturn on Jan 1, 2007 12:26:09 GMT -5
I'll vouch for that. It was the first travel book I bought - before I bought the LP and Let's Go book. It was indeed a very valuable tool!
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