Europe - 4 Months

[speedbird]

Hey guys!

It's been forever in planning and I think I've finally got a good idea of what my coming four month trip through Europe will be looking like. I'm not very much of a party person and will just be travelling solo, but of course hoping to meet many people along the way. I think you'll notice that in some areas, specifically Eastern Europe - I'm off the beaten path a little more for hiking.
Anyway guys, I'd really appreciate some thoughts & input on what I've got here. Sorry it's dragged out so long!

With regards to the dates I've posted - it's the nights I will be staying. (For ex. in Oslo - staying the nights of the 9th, & 10th.)
7 March 2007 - fly Vancouver to London Heathrow. Arrive Heathrow 8 March & spend the night in London before flying to Copenhagen on the morning of the 9th of March and this is where it all begins...

Copenhagen - 9, 10 March
Oslo - 11, 12 March
Kristiansund - 13 March
Bergen - 14, 15 March
Lillehammer - 16 March
(Overnight train Lillehammer - Bodo 17 March)
A Lofoten - 18 March
Stamsund - 19, 20, 21, 22 March
( Hurtigruten cruise to Kirkenes)
Rovaniemi - 26, 27 March
Kuopio - 28 March
Mikkeli - 29 March
Tampere - 30, 31 March, 1 April
Helsinki - 2, 3, 4 April
( Ferry from Helsinki - Stockholm 5 April)
Stockholm - 6, 7, 8 April
Ostersund - 9 April
Lulea - 10 April
Kiruna (ICE HOTEL! ) - 11 April
( Overnight train Kiruna - Malmo 12 April)
Malmo - 13 April
( Overnight train Malmo - Berlin 14 April)

Germany..
Berlin - 15, 16, 17 April
Dusseldorf - 18, 19 April
Benelux..
Rotterdam - 20 April
Amsterdam - 21, 22 April
Brussels - 23, 24 April
Luxembourg - 25 April
Switzerland..
Bern - 26 April
Montreux - 27, 28, 29 April
Zurich - 30 April
Lucerne - 1, 2 May
Interlaken/Gimmelwald - 3, 4, 5 May
Italy..
Torino - 6 May
Cinque Terre - 7, 8 May
( Overnight train Cinque Terre/La Spezia - Ljubljana, Slovenia 9 May)
Slovenia..
Ljubljana - 10, 11 May
Bled - 12, 13 May
Austria..
Innsbruck - 14 May
Hallstatt - 15, 16 May
Salzburg - 17 May
Vienna - 18, 19 May
Slovakia..
Bratislava - 20, 21 May
Vysoke Tatry - 22, 23, 24 May
Spisska Nova Res/Cingov - 25, 26 May
Kosice - 27 May
Hungary..
Eger - 28 May
Budapest - 29, 30, 31 May
( Overnight train Budapest - Sighisoara - 1 June)
Romania..
Sighisoara - 2 June
Sibiu - 3, 4 June
Sinaia - 5, 6, 7 June
Brasov - 8 June
Bucharest - 9, 10 June
Timisoara - 11 June

Serbia..
Novi Sad - 12, 13 June
Novi Pazar - 14, 15 June
Nis - 16 June
(Leaving an extra day for transport)
Macedonia..
Ohrid - 18, 19, 20 June
Prilep - 21 June
(Leaving extra day for transport)
Bulgaria..
Bansko - 23, 24, 25 June
Plovdiv - 26, 27 June
Koprivshtitsa - 28, 29 June
Veiko Tarnovo - 30 June, 1 July
(Leaving an extra day for transport)
Turkey..
Istanbul - 3, 4, 5, 6 July

From Istanbul I'll be flying back into London for another four nights to end my adventure before returning to Vancouver on the 11th July.


Thanks for reading guys & again, any of your comments are greatly appreciated!

Best regards,
Sean

[herrbert]

Hi Speedbird, Looks like a very interesting trip !!!

I hope you know that it can still be very cold in Scandinavia in March (personaly I would do the trip, the other way round.)

I would fly London - Oslo. Because you are ending you trip in Sweden in Malmö, from there it is only 45 minutes by train to Copenhagen.

I would also include Türkü in the Finnish part of the trip (the castle and the cathedral are worth a visit), and then take the ferry between Türkü and Stockholm (overnight boat). From Helsinki you can make a daytrip to Tallin (with Viking Lines or Silja Lines). For Helsinki: don't book the hostel in the Olympic Stadium. Did you consider Kuusamo for Hiking?

For Stockholm: the Vasamuseum is great!

For Benelux I would take the train from Düsseldorf to Amsterdam. If possible go Düsseldorf - Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Brussel. (it save you doing the trip Rotterdam - Amsterdam and back again)

The connection Bled - Innsbruck, will take you about seven hours, there is a nighttrain but it arrives at 3.30 in Innsbruck, but there are also some other options (with two trains leaving bled very early)

[speedbird]

herrbert, thanks so much for your reply & advice! As you mention doing the trip the other way around - I had actually looked into that and had that planned originally but changed it to how it is currently because I thought Scandinavia would be a very unique & exciting experiance! Not to mention the Ice Hotel

Fortionately for me, I have a good friend in Finland - she has a place in Tampere & relatives in Helsinki who I will get to stay with. Incidently, we were just looking at a day trip (or a night) to Tallinn, so I definitely think that's a go & thanks for the ferry provider names!
I'd not considered Kuusamo for hiking, and you'll have me taking a peek at my LP Scandinavian Europe guide shortly!

The reason I've got down going to Rotterdam before Amsterdam is because (call me crazy) I don't fancy being in Amsterdam on a Saturday night. Though your itinerary does make more sense obviously.

Do you know much else with regards to Eastern Europe - I'm still a bit worried about that end of my trip. I have accommodation booked for Scandinavia right now (hostels) but haven't started for mainland Europe yet - though I plan to soon. D'you reckon I best leave accommodation open through Eastern Europe or perhaps book some major cities? I feel more at ease with accommodation bookd in advance - as it's one less thing to worry about as I approach the train station.
Thanks for your help thus far!

[herrbert]

For Eastern Europe, I will let somebody else answer these questions, as I can only give you advise on Berlin, Vienna and the rest of Austria (I spend a lot of my holidays in the mountains of the Hohe Tauern). I have made the mistake to drive into East-Germany, right after the Wall (and the Iron Curtain) came down, and that still is the picture I have of Eastern Europe, I need to adjust that picture (and did a little bit in Berlin), and I have heard very good stories about Eastern Europe. But my focus right now is more on Spain/Scotland and Scandinavia, so it has to wait for a while.

You are right to go to Rotterdam on a saturdaynight, it's the better place to go out. (and in the end it only one hour to Amsterdam).

[me]

i'd thought this, too. but am very surprised that Malmö - Copenhagen takes so long!

when the Øresundsbron was planned, they were talking about a high speed train . and when i took a walk-on ferry from Malmö to downtown Copenhagen some years ago, i remember a short ride. so, i figured ten minutes, tops, for the train!

herrbert said:

I would fly London - Oslo. Because you are ending you trip in Sweden in Malmö, from there it is only 45 minutes by train to Copenhagen.

[herrbert]

me said:

i'd thought this, too. but am very surprised that Malmö - Copenhagen takes so long!

when the Øresundsbron was planned, they were talking about a high speed train . and when i took a walk-on ferry from Malmö to downtown Copenhagen some years ago, i remember a short ride. so, i figured ten minutes, tops, for the train!

herrbert said:

I would fly London - Oslo. Because you are ending you trip in Sweden in Malmö, from there it is only 45 minutes by train to Copenhagen.

I should correct this to 35 minutes, the bridge is south of Copenhagen, with almost every train, stopping at the Airport. Maybe the highspeed connection is a plan for the future. The trains all pass the Airport first. Crossing the öresund, might be a nice thing to do. (maybe go by train, and return by ferry?)

[me]

per wikipedia <not always the most factual source, i know> the Øresund link uses Sweden's X2000 high speed train. (which, at 200 k/h, isn't in the same class with other high speed trains).

- d

me said:

when the Øresundsbron was planned, they were talking about a high speed train .

[madamtrashheap]

speedbird said:

Do you know much else with regards to Eastern Europe - I'm still a bit worried about that end of my trip. I have accommodation booked for Scandinavia right now (hostels) but haven't started for mainland Europe yet - though I plan to soon. D'you reckon I best leave accommodation open through Eastern Europe or perhaps book some major cities? I feel more at ease with accommodation bookd in advance - as it's one less thing to worry about as I approach the train station.

Speedbird, I just answered your question in the other post in "Balkan Woes" pretravel.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&n=1&thread=2920&page=1 so I won't repeat it here. The cities and days you've allotted for the eastern Europe leg look good - I'm looking forward to hearing about your adventures as there are some cities I haven't been to tucked in there. You've picked some amzaing places in Bulgaria, quite off the beaten track too which is great - shame you're not in Bansko earlier in the year for the skiing, and Koprivshtitsa will be gorgeous at that time of year. Can I also suggest trying to get to somewhere on the Black Sea (Bourgas, Sozopol, Varna) - maybe a night in a former Communist resort. It's another facet of Bulgaria and gives an insight into it's more recent history. I love Istanbul, but you may find 4 nights one too many so consider a day trip - either over land or on the Bosphorus perhaps.

You've researched your trip really well and it sounds amazing - got room for one more?!!! The western Europe part of the trip looks fine too and caters well for your interests. I think you'll really enjoy yourself. Please keep us updated while you're on the road and see if you get time once you're back to update the photo section with eastern European images.

Happy trails! ;D