Itinerary

[tvanemon]

this is my itinerary that i just made up...im goin from june 20th to august 8th and i jus want to know anything about the places that im goin to or if you have any recommendations on where to go...
49 days
Dublin(1)
Lisbon(2)
Cadiz(2)
Malaga(7)
Granada(2)
Valencia(1)
Ibiza(2)
Barcelona(3)
Marseilles(1)
Bordeaux(2)
Paris(5)
Brussels(1)
Amsterdam(3)
Hamburg(2)
Berlin(3)
Prague(3)
Vienna(2)
Budapest(2)
Rome(5)
49 days

[googleygoo]

I would suggest adding an extra day to Prague and Budapest, by maybe skipping Marseilles and Brussels? In the very least, spend an extra day in Budapest!!

[herrbert]

Hi tvanemon,

I think you are wanting to go to too many places in one trip. Having a lot of places were you stay for one or two days, is very tirering. For most of the bigger places, you need to add more days. In my opinion you need to settle for less places.

I see a lot places near the sea ... if that means you want to go to the beach, tell us, and I think we can come up with some advise. Maybe Greece is a county worth to consider, if you like sun and the sea.

Dublin - 1 day, as this is the first day, you are likely to have a jetleg, so it's one day, you will not do a lot. So only one day to Dublin is too short. I am wondering why you choose Dublin to fly into Europe?

Lisbon: needs at least 3 days.

Cadiz: is a very long trip from Lisbon (15-16 hours, via Caceres and Sevilla). Both these places are worth a visit, you could consider to add them to you trip for 1 day in Caceres, and 2-3 in Sevilla.

Unless there is a special reason (family/friends?), I wouldn't stay for 7 days in Malaga.

Granada: 2 days is perfect.
Valencia: for one day I wouldn't bother the long trip, and fly to Barcelona directly from Granada (or maybe via Madrid, check Vueling Airling for the possibilities).

Ibiza: If you want to go there, to party, stay there a lot longer. 2 days is hardly worth the effort (and the money, for the tickets). Maybe taking off some days in Malaga, and adding them to Ibiza, could solve that problem.

Barcelona: 3 is fine, 4 would be better

Marseille: You need to long by train from Barcelona, and by airplane, there are still no cheap options from Barcelona. Also i takes a long time to get out of Marseille to Bordeaux.

Bordeaux: Is really out of the way (you are planning to go from one side of the country to the other). If it is possible to skip Marseille, you could fly, Barcelona - Bordeaux, or skip it and fly Barcelona - Paris. Personally this is the point in your itinerary, were i would make a big chance, and fly Barcelona to Rome.

Paris: 4-5 days is perfect
Brussels: 1 day is good for Brussels, but most people would do Brugge for 2 days or combine both cities. Staying in Brugge, and making a daytrip to Brussels (and/or Gent).

Amsterdam: 3 days is perfect and will cover most of the things to see there.
Hamburg: 2 days is perfect

Berlin: 3 is good, but 4 would be better. Check if you are there during the Love Parade, Booking a hostel at that time could be difficult. I don't know the date for 2007, but I guess it is somewhere during your trip.

Prague: 3 days perfect, unless you make a daytrip to Cesky Krumlov, then you need one more day.
Vienna: I would go 4 days, but it is one of my favourite cities in Europe, but 2 is really too short.

Budapest. 3 or 4 days would be better
Rome: 5 days is perfect.

I think you have to consider skipping some of the places, which places that would be is up to you, but you have to keep in mind, that you can always come back, one day and visit the places you are leaving out for this trip.

[Jules80]

wow - way too many places there! for starters 1 day in dublin is a waste of time. you need at least 3 days and more like four to get over jet lag (assuming your coming from NA or Australia).

you have a lot of 1-2 days stops which are rapidly gonna become exhausting. you should consider nixing them or extending your stay.

i have no real comment on spain or portugal tho i have friends who would say at least 5 days for barcelona.

marseilles you need more than a day and bordeaux ideal is 3 particularly if visiting wine country interests you (and personally that is why i went).

brussels imho is the worst city on earth (except maybe for toronto ) and i would suggest brugges if you really want to go to belgium. its a very beautiful city and the people are soooo friendly! but i'd recommend 2 days. while i haven't been to prague, budapest or vienna i'm told that 3-4 days are very necessary there!

5 days for both paris and rome are a good amount of time. i'd suggest a day trip to tours from paris. the chateau are fabulous!

Jules

[tvanemon]

ya im only flying into dublin then im flying straight to lisbon that same day

im getting an apartment in either cadiz or malaga w/ a language school for a week in order to relax and get ready before i travel

im gonna go from granada to valencia then take a ferry to ibiza then take a ferry to barcelona...do you know if there are ferrys from barcelona to marseilles??

ya w/ bordeaux one of my friends lived there for a year and were probably going to go there so that he can see everyone is the reason for going there but it is out of the way

i want to take out one of the eastern european countries which one do you recommend as taking out??

i went to europe last summer for 2 1/2 months so im a little better prepared this time and most of the places im goin to r in order to see ppl i know or jus cause i want to go there but i know its a tight itinerary so thats y im planning ahead and i wanna take out at least one or two places... thanks for your help and any more is helpful too

[madamtrashheap]

As the others have written, way too many places to cover in that time. I'm not going to add too much more as Herrbert has pretty much covered it. Just a few things:

if you want to remove one of the eastern European places, then perhaps Budapest coudl go.
Marseilles - do you really have to go here? There's not a lot to it other than good Bouillabaisse.
Hamburg - unless you have a v specific reason, there's no need for more than 1 day in Hamburg (one day of sightseeing and one night out is fine - put the other day towards Berlin)
Bordeaux - I see your reason for going, and you could travel to/from Barcelona (with one change, 6h30mins) by train (then on to Paris perhaps). Get your friend to check on some wine tasting at a vineyard so that you get to see a little of the region.
Ibiza - can I suggest flying to Barcelona, or at least take the fast ferry (4h30mins). As far as I am aware, there aren't any ferries Barcelona-Marseilles unless it's part of a stop on a route/cruise up the Mediterranean or a weekly freight route. At any rate, it wouldn't be quick.
Consider the route you take - this will determine the best modes of transport (ie flying or trains).
Are you flying open jaw (in one city, out another)?

[quote author=jules80 board=intinary thread=1168800086
post=1168806248] brussels imho is the worst city on earth (except maybe for toronto ) [/quote] Bugger Jules, they are both cities I really like! (weird, I know). I'll see your Brussels and raise you Pisa! ;D

[herrbert]

As far as I know there are no ferries between Barcelona and Marseille.

The ferry between Ibiza and Barcelona will take 8.30 hrs. Personally I would opt for a flight with vueling airlines, as it only takes a short amount of time. Another reason is that ferries will most likely by more expensive. (also for getting to Ibiza). If you are using Valencia, only to get to ibiza, I would fly Granada - Barcelona (vueling: 30 euros), and then go to Ibiza. (also using Vueling airlines, prices between 25-45 euros. one way).

Budapest is the most eastern city on your list, so that would be the city I would skip. (together with Marseille).

How is your spanish at the moment? If you want to learn Spanish for a week as a beginner, don't have expectations that are too high. I wanted to do the same a few months ago (going for 3 or 4 weeks to Spain to study), but after some reseach I decided it is best to learn as much as you can at home, and maybe later go to Spain to study for a couple of weeks to really improve la lengua.

[tvanemon]

Im thinking Budapest might be the place to skip but i definetely want to go to Prague

Anybody been to Lisbon and if so how is it??

I have a friend in Hamburg and a friend in Marseille that I am going to visit are the reasons that Im going there cause I would rather visit friends and see their cities from their viewpoints then go to just strictly touristy cities too

I speak spanish pretty well thats why I want to spend alot of time in Spain again but Ive been in one of those schools before and they really dont teach you much but you meet people and its better just talking w/ people while your living somewhere

thanks for all the advice again

[madamtrashheap]

herrbert said:

The ferry between Ibiza and Barcelona will take 8.30 hrs.

There is a fast ferry with Trasmediterranea, but flying would suit you better if you can get a deal.

Fair points about Hamburg and Marseilles, and great that you have friends there to show you the cities from their perspectives. In Marseilles, make sure you friend takes you out for bouillaibasse and in Hamburg take a harbour cruise for a bit of sightseeing.

Enjoy! ;D