Eurotrip summer 2008

[bs1313]

Hi I was wondering if I could get some tips, here is my very basic itinerary...lemme know...

Barcelona -3San Sebastian -3
Madrid -3
Paris - 4
Dortmund - 2
Berlin - 4
Prague - 3
Venice - 3
Rome - 4

[me]

Rome is the greatest city in the history of Western civilization and deserves a commensurately greater amount of time.

Vienna is the 2nd most important city in the history of Western civilization, and is also the MOST important in the history of Eastern *European* history, yet you're skipping it entirely.

London, number 3 in history of Western civ/number 1 in Angelo history, is also missing from your plans.

yet, you include Dortmund. Dortmund is a nice place, i'm sure - never been - but isn't in the same league with places you're skipping. Edit: a smaller, yet more historic, city in the area is Münster. as i'm more familiar with Münster, i could advise you there.

why these big holes?

- d

[bs1313]

I have some what of limited time and Budget and I want to see as much as possible in the time period that I have. I wanted to go to London but I thought it would be a little bit of a pain because I would have to do extra stuff to get there, opposed to just taking the train, in fact I wouldn't even know how to get there. I am visiting Dortmund because my Aunt and Uncle live in Dortmund and I couldn't very well go to Europe and not stop by. I did have Vienna in my original plan but it I had to cut out some things and I don't have a burning desire to go there. I will look into it more. Thanks for your help.

Bret

[herrbert]

If you are willing to fly, almost all the cities you mention, can be reached very easy. Even the two you left out. London, is reachable from almost every commercial airport in Europe, And I think the connection Berlin - Vienna, and Vienna - Venice can be done easier by plane, than going to Prague by train.

Within Spain, you can find a couple of budgetairlines, but especially for Madrid - Paris, check Vueling Airlines. They do this route. Try to avoid Ryanair for Madrid - Paris, as they fly to Beauvais Airport, which is about 2 hours outside of Paris. (Get a flight to de Gaulle Airport or the Orly Airport, which are both well connected to Paris.

For Madrid, check out a daytrip to Toledo, and if you like art, you would need more days here, as it houses three very good museums: The Prado, The Reina Sofia, and the Thyssen (B.... difficult name). As you only will be there 3 days, I would not go to Segovia. but if you could pick up a day extra for Madrid somewhere, be sure to put it on your list. Spain has a lot to see, and I hope in the future you will have time to visit some of the other beautiful places, like Granada, Sevilla and Cordoba.

Another point to consider is that Madrid can be really hot in July and August.

Also one other question, did you calculated time for travel?

[bs1313]

So would it be better to fly to these places rather than buying a eurorail pass? Becuase if so it would be much quicker to fly. And it would open my options a little more. The other thing was why I wasn't spending that much time in Madrid, I have already been to madrid and I have been to Toledo, Segovia, etc. And I have seen many of the important sites in Madrid. I do want to revisit becuase the person I am going with hasn't been there, but isn't that interested in seeing those things. Plus it would give me a chance to practice my spanish. I did consider travel time but now that I look at it more I will have to alot more time I think. Let me know. Thanks.

Bret

[herrbert]

Planes can be cheap, and fast in Europe, the disadvantage is that you don't see the things, along the road, or tracks. If you go by train, and have a little time, it is advisable to stick to cities, that are close to eachother.

For Madrid - Paris I would for sure, take flight with Vueling, as the travel by train is really long, so for sure it saves you time. If you want to go Prague - Venice or Vienna - Venice, I would also take a flight. As it saves time. But you can always decide to go by train, and your bonus would be a very scenic route through the Alps. I would then make a one or two day stop in Innsbruck to take in the scenery, make a hiking trip into the mountains.

Paris - Dortmund - Berlin - Prague can be easily done by train. I don't think it would save you much time if you would fly these parts, in fact I don't think you will find cheap flights as the routes are too short to be interesting to exploit in an economical way for airlines. In Spain flying is a good way, but on the other hand trains are not too expensive. (check www.renfe.es for timetables for the trains in Spain.) For a good advice on which passes you need, or don't need. check www.railsaver.com, and fill in your itinerary.

OK I didn't know your friend isn't interested in seeing Toledo or Segovia. (can't image it, but ok, it's your trip).

[bs1313]

Ahh okay thanks for the tips I will look into this. Yah its my girlfriend and she isn't as interested in these things as I am but she wants to go .But there isn't much of a point to see these things again, as I just saw them this past summer. I will look into flights and try and get more information for my trip...Do you think that it would be better to skip Prague and go to Munich? Thanks.

Bret

[herrbert]

Choosing between two cities, always depends on the interests. If you can provide us, with a little bit of a background, and tell us what you and your girlfriends interests are. You might find some surprising suggestions coming your way.

Personally if I would have to choose between Munich and Prague, then I would rather reconsider Vienna, as an option. It might be a little bit more to the east, but for me it warrants the detour.

[Eagle]

bs1313, Welcome! I have a few suggestions to add to the others.

First of all, I'm assuming that you'll be using "open jaw" flights for your trip? As you have a "limited time and budget", it's important to plan your trip in the most efficient manner possible! You didn't indicate which area you're flying from, so not sure what flights are available for you?

Your transportation options can best be determined after you've finalized your destinations. For the longer journeys (ie: Madrid to Paris), budget airlines would definitely make sense! For shorter trips there's not as much of an advantage to using budget airlines, given the fact that many of these operate from distant airports so the cost and travel time to get to these has to be factored in as well. Add to that the two hour check-in, going through security, etc. It's often more of a hassle! For most of the other trips, rail is usually the best option. As herrbert suggested, once your Itinerary is planned you can use Railsaver to provide the best and most cost effective rail options.

Again as herrbert mentioned, it would help to know a bit more about what you and your girlfriend want to see in Europe, and which cities are most important (and which ones could perhaps be eliminated?)

A few thoughts on the destinations you listed:

> Barcelona (you'll lose the first day due to flights and time zone changes, not to mentioning recovering from jet lag - will two days be enough?)

> San Sebastian (a bit of a distance from Barcelona - be sure to allow for travel times)

> Paris (one extra day would be nice, but four days should be enough - if you're planning on visiting Museums such as the Louvre, a Paris Museum Pass would be a really good idea!)

> Dortmund (not a usual destination, but I understand you have relatives to visit)

> Berlin (a bit of distance - what do you want to see there? Perhaps Munich would be a better fit in terms of time?)

> Prague (be sure to allow for travel time)

> Venice (is this a "firm" destination? You might find that Florence would be a bit easier to fit in here, on the way to Rome? Also, the Cinque Terre might be a good possibility, if you can fit it in???)

> Rome (as David mentioned, this is one city that deserves lots of time! However, given your time and budget constraints, four days should be enough if you plan your touring carefully)

Generally speaking, travel costs and times can be minimized by choosing locations that are all fairly close geographically. I don't know your exact circumstances, but tend to agree with the others in that perhaps Vienna and Munich would be good substitutes for Berlin and Prague. "Assume you will return" and plan those for a future visit.

Good luck with your planning!!!