WOOHOO! First backpacking trip, help please :)

[n0rthface08]

Hey, I'm planning a backpacking trip to Europe with 2 of my friends in the summer of 2009 and I was hoping you could help me out with getting an itinerary set up. We are from North Carolina. We are planning on staying for about 5 weeks, give or take a few days. Here's the list of countries and cities we would like to visit and we are open for suggestions for other places. Start in Italy: Rome, Florence, and Venice; Germany: Munich, Czech: Prague, back to Germany: Berlin, Netherlands: Amsterdam, then France: Paris and Nice. I know this might seem like a lot, but it would be great if you could give us some advice on each of these cities, like how long we should stay in each and what there is to do there, and a possible route, like where we should start and what the best connections are and how we should get to each place. By the way, we are looking for a mix of sightseeing as well as nightlife during this trip. We just got back from 10 days in Greece, ( 2 days in Athens, 3 days in Ios, 4 days in santorini and 1 day for traveling) We had an amzing time; our favorite was Ios because of the night life as well as the scenery. We also wanted to know what it was like during the nights? Is each place one where you start at around midnight and end around sunrise or does it vary?

p.s. and if possible at all, London, England; Mykonos or Ios, Greece; or Spain; disregard these if they won't work, we would rather do less cities, and get more enjoyment from them)

Thanks!

[pointofnoreturn]

A general idea of how many days (minimum) to stay in each place and at least enjoy the atmosphere:

Rome: 4 or 5 nights
Florence: 3 nights
Venice: 3 nights

Germany: I don't know....

Amsterdam: 3 nights
Paris: 4 or 5 nights
Nice: 2 or 3 nights

For Greece.... it's doable but probably not when you have all the above places to visit. You need at least 10 nights to enjoy Greece and summer is the high season so if you're serious about Greece, you need to book acccomodations first thing. Plus, travelling between the islands (or back to Athens) takes up a good portion of the day so you must be prepared to lose a day due to travel for each leg of the journey.

Athens: 3 nights
Ios: Haven't been there but the general consensus seems to be 3-4 nights
Santorini: 4 or 5 nights

London: 5 nights

I haven't commented on the order of the places you're visiting for I'm running errands really soon.

[carlyb]

Hi!

Sounds like you're about to do something that I just finished doing! Amazing! I just got back from 3 months backpacking around Europe, and I did it all on Busabout. It's a hop on/hop off bus network that's just for backpackers. I bought a pass to travel on all 3 loops, and it got me all the way from San Sebastian, to Berlin, to Venice, Rome, Nice, Madrid, Paris and sooo many places in between. You should check out their website: I think its www.busabout.com

It's really handy because the buses go around the loops every second day, so you get off in a city, and decide when you want to jump back on. And it's really flexible - you can change your dates as many times as you like. It's not like a normal tour - its not like you have to do everything in a big group if you don't want to. You can even stay wherever you like. I know I sound like a walking advertisement, but I honestly loved it and would recommend it to anyone.

[Eagle]

n0rthface08, my first impression is that your proposed Itinerary is rather "ambitious" for a five week trip. Even though it might be feasible, visiting 10 cities in a space of 35 days is going to be somewhat challenging. I think it's safe to say that Greece and Spain are out of the question unless something else in the equation changes!

PONR provided a good overview of how much time to spend in each city. Given your criteria of "we would rather do less cities, and get more enjoyment from them", I'd suggest dropping at least one city from your list. Nice would be my choice, as it's quite a distance from Paris so the travel time there and back would be an issue.

As usual, I'd suggest using open-jaw flights for best efficiency (even if they do cost a bit more, these are generally the most cost-effective method both in terms of time and money). You indicated that you want to start in Rome. That's a good choice, as you should be able to find a good selection of flights to Rome (you might want to check with a travel agent to find out what's available from your area).

A few thoughts on each of the cities you mentioned.....

> Rome - 5 nights good as PONR suggested. You'll lose the first day in flight so that will only leave 4 days for touring. You'll probably also be jet-lagged to an extent, so won't be up to touring speed for a day or two after that.

> Florence - 3 nights. If you plan on touring the Uffizi or Accademia, reservations are a good idea. You can deal with this as the trip gets closer.

> Venice - 3 nights. I find Venice a bit more expensive than other locations in Italy, but it's definitely worth a visit. It's a very unique place, and given that it's "sinking", I'd highly recommend a stop there.

Each of the train trips from Rome > Florence > Venice is ~4 hours or so, therefore not really necessary to allocate a travel day.

> Munich - 3-4 nights, depending on what you want to see. Were you planning on day trips to Neuschwanstein or Dachau? Of course, a stop at the Hofbrauhaus is a "must" to have a few steins of the local brew and watch the performance. Be sure to explore upstairs as well - there's a large banquet room on the top floor (which Hitler used on occasion) where they offer a buffet and an authentic Bavarian show (don't be surprised by the "unusual appliance" in the men's washroom on the main floor!). You could also do walking or bike tours, as there are lots of historic sites in Munich, and just joining the crowd in Marienplatz or the Viktualien Market is interesting too.

The trip from Venice to Munich is ~6 hours or a bit more, but very scenic through on the Kufstein-Brennero portion. This will likely be considered a "travel day".

> Prague - at least 3 nights!

The trip from Munich to Prague varies from 6 - 8 hours, depending on which train you select. Your best choice is a direct train (no changes), and that's about a 6 hour trip (reservations compulsory).

> Berlin - at least 4 nights (there's lots happening in Berlin at the moment!).

The trip from Praha hl.n to Berlin is 4 - 5 hours. There seems to be lots of direct trains on that route, so it will be an easy trip.

> Amsterdam - I think the "consensus" on the Boards is that 3 nights is an appropriate length of time for Amsterdam (herrbert, any comments?)

The trip from Berlin to Amsterdam is about 6-7 hours, depending on which train you choose. There are some direct trains on that route. NOTE that it's important to be sure of WHICH station you'll be departing from or arriving at, as there is usually more than one station in each city. Amsterdam Centraal is the one to choose.

> Paris - at least 5 nights! Of course, this will depend on what you want to see and do? If you plan on visiting any of the Museums or whatever, a Paris Museum Pass would be a good idea.

> London - 5 nights. At this point, it might be possible to fit London in, depending on the time and budget situation. Travel in the U.K. is expensive but if you choose your lodgings carefully and don't overdo the sightseeing it should be manageable. Many of the Museums are free, although there's a charge for attractions such as the BA London Eye.

Getting a flight back home from either London Heathrow or London Gatwick should be very easy.

Of course, the trip I've described could also be done in the reverse direction. Some "travel experts" feel that it's better to start in the location with the least "culture shock" and progress from there. Starting in an English-speaking country might be a good idea?

One other important point to note - you mentioned that your trip would take place in "summer 2009". Travel during the summer months wouldn't be my choice, as it's usually hot and crowded in Europe. If you have the flexibility to travel either in the spring or fall shoulder seasons, it would probably be a more enjoyable trip. Also, many Europeans take holidays in August, so most places are even more crowded.

As usual, if this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door, as it's an essential pre-read for anyone travelling to Europe.

Good luck with your planning.

Cheers!