Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona??

[jp]

Hey
I am planning a relatively short trip of about 20 - 30 days.
The problem is that I cannot decide where to go in that time span.
I definitely want to go to Paris and Amsterdam. Other than that I am open to suggestions. Some ideas are Barcelona, Berlin, Venice (because it is rather north), Prague etc
Any ideas would be helpful

[Eagle]

jp, Welcome! With 30 days for travel, there are lots of possibilities on locations you could visit. However, it would sure help to have a bit more information. For example, what area will you be flying from, what types of attractions & sights are you most interested in seeing, have you been to Europe before, etc.

A few more questions:

- do you have any interest in visiting the U.K.?
- are there other areas in Germany you would be interested in?
- are there other areas in Italy you want to see?
- any interest in Switzerland or Austria?

With more details to work with, I'm sure the helpful group here will be able to offer lots of suggestions.

Cheers!!!

[jp]

Hey,
To respond to the above comment, I will be leaving out of Montreal, (or Ottawa if necessary)
I am interested in England, but I hear it is really expensive, mostly London. This is my first time off of North America. My Budget is around 3 - 4000 for the entire trip (including airfare). Also, another reason I did not really consider the UK is because the Eurail does not work there. Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria interest me. Italy seems too south from Paris or Amsterdam and Switzerland seems expensive as well. Munich in Germany looks like fun also.
I am interested in anything that is fun, there is really nothing in specific I am interested in.
Also, are dorms in Hostels worth the savings? or is it better to delay my trip (until lets say winter) to get my own room in a Hostel/Hotel.
Note: Sorry for the poor paragraph structure. I didn't know how else to write it.

[herrbert]

I think you can almost include every country in Europe as a possible target. There are a lot of cheap budget airlines available to places in Italy and Spain. You can get from Berlin to Madrid or Rome in about 3 hours. (which is faster and cheaper, even if you consider check-in, and lugage-claim, than taking a trainride to Amsterdam or Munich).

If you like Munich and you want to visit Venice, you can get cheap tickets at hlx.com, to make this connection. Another good option would be to take the train, and make a stop in Innsbruck.

You are right about London, it is an expensive city. But in my opinion also a place not to be missed. Switzerland is an expensive country, you are also right about that, but Austria can be a good substitute for that, with some great places to visit.

In my opinion it is worth it to stick to dorms, but if you like some privacy, you can sleep at a dorm in one city and a private room in another one. Hostels are a good way of meeting people, that are also traveling. I wouldn't wait until winter

For tickets to Europe, check with Zoom Airlines, they tend to give the best prices for the intercontinental tickets. An open-jaw ticket, could be a good option for you.

I also would suggest to see where you want to go, instead of letting Eurail guide you. Since the low-budget boom in Europe, trains don't need to be the cheapest way of getting around anymore. Providing, you want to book tickets early, and give up a little bit on flexibility.

[madamtrashheap]

jp said:

Also, another reason I did not really consider the UK is because the Eurail does not work there.

BritRail passes of various kinds are available for train travel in the UK. Have a look at www.raileurope.com and click on the British Products section (or buy the pass through this site so GFE benefits!).

jp said:

Italy seems too south from Paris or Amsterdam and Switzerland seems expensive as well. Munich in Germany looks like fun also.

Herrbert covered this with the mention of budget airlines as there are now so many more connections to cities across Europe that not all travel has to be by train. If you use flights you'll be able to cover more ground in a shorter space of time so you can choose cities you want to see most, rather than those that are geographically close to each other. Why not make a "wish list" of the top cities (in order) of where you'd really like to go, and then we can flesh out an itinerary (with transport suggestions) based on this. This will also help with your budget as you'll know which countries need to be included in a train pass and which ones you're flying in to/ out of.

[jp]

In order, the cities I would like to visit are:
Paris
Amsterdam
London
Prague
Venice, Florence, Rome (any recommendations on which are the best?)
Barcelona
Vienna
Berlin / Munich

[herrbert]

These would be the number of days you should spend in my opinion in each city

Paris 4-5
Amsterdam 2-3
London 4-5
Prague 2-3
Venice 2
Florence 3-4
Rome 5
Barcelona 3
Vienna 3-4
Berlin 4
Munich 2-4 (depending on daytrips)

As far as connections are concerned, London - Paris and Amsterdam are easy to hook up to eachother. (cheapflight London-Paris, and the train to Amsterdam).

Personaly I would make the flight Amsterdam - Barcelona at that point (check Vueling Airlines, Air Berlin, Clickair and Transavia) if it is possible try to get a flight to Barcelona El Prat (instead of Girona).

After Barcelona, I would make the crossing to Rome, and get Florence and Venice by train. (all three are worth it imo). If you have time left, you can do one of the other cities, but they also make a good package for another trip.

So it would look like this ...

London (4-5)
Paris (4-5)
Amsterdam (2-3)
Barcelona (3)
Rome (5)
Florence (3-4)
Venice (2)

in total 23-27 days. (you could fill up the route, with visits to Brugge and Siena)