Itinerary for ambitious trip

[drock411]

Planning a trip for summer '09. Any comments would be greeeeeatly appreciated. I have a few particular questions that I posted beside the itinerary.

Plan:
Cunard transatlantic cruise NY->Southampton (6 days)

London (4 nights) - Bestplace Waterloo (new place I hear, anyone seen it?)

Paris (4 nights) - Pension Residence du Palais (how doable is it to walk everywhere in Paris?)

Madrid (3 nights) - Los Amigos Sol (does it have A/C? I've seen it said yes and also no, might be important in July...)

Barcelona (4 nights) - Centric Point or Kabul (Anyone have an opinion on either?)

Nice/Monaco (3 nights) - Hostel Paradis (Can Monaco all be seen in a day?)

Pisa (3 nights) - Under the Tower (Should this be 3 nights in Florence and take a day trip to Pisa one of those days?)

Rome (4 nights) - Alessandro or a B&B (Looking to tour more than party in Rome, would Alessandro Downtown be a party place?)

Venice (4 nights) - B&B Al Saor (How do you avoid spending insane amounts of $$ on food and other necessities in such a tourist-y place?)

Lucerne (3 nights) - Tourist Hotel (Any more major Swiss cities that are relatively inexpensive (for switzerland) that you can still go up into the Alps from?)

Munich (4 nights) - Euro Youth Hostel (Best things to see/do in Munich?)

Vienna (3 nights) - Wombats (Is one of the 2 Wombats hostels better for anything than the other?)

Prague (3 nights) - Czech Inn or Sant Jordi (Place to stay/ things to see/do?)

Berlin (4 nights) - Citystay Hostel or Eastseven (Which Hostel? Things to see? We might be there during the beer festival...whats that like?)

Copenhagen (3 nights) - Hotel Copenhagen or Loeven (I can't seem to find any hostels in copenhagen? What should we see/do here?)

Amsterdam (3 nights) - Flying Pig (Will I be able to sleep at all in a party hostel like that?)

Back to London to fly home to Halifax, NS, Canada

Thank you guys so much if you actually read through all that, haha.
Going with 3 friends (4 of us in total), all 22 years old. Not looking to party everywhere but might do some of it. I'd say we're a pretty mature group for our age

[drock411]

Now thinking that maybe Cinque Terre rather than Pisa for 3 days might also be an option?

[madamtrashheap]

drock411, welcome to GFE.

I've made a few notes for you below on the areas I can answer:


London (4 nights) - Bestplace Waterloo (new place I hear, anyone seen it?) It's not far from Waterloo station which will assist with getting around on the Tube, and Southbank is closeby if you're feeling cultural. Otherwise it's central enough to access all the sights/areas you'll want to go to. Don't know what it's like inside, however.

Paris (4 nights) - Pension Residence du Palais (how doable is it to walk everywhere in Paris?) Walking in Paris is a great way to get a feel of the city, and if the weather is good there's nothing more magical than wandering Paris, but you should try to use a combination of walking and Metro trips to make sure you cover all of the things you want to see. Walking between Champs-Elysees, Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Musee Rodin & Gardens, Eglise du Dome & Eiffel Tower is a good start, then the rest (especially if further out like Pere Lachaise or Versailles) should be Metro/RER journeys.

Barcelona (4 nights) - Centric Point or Kabul (Anyone have an opinion on either?) Kabul, I believe gets good reviews from our Members - have a look on the GFE Homepage seciton on Hostels.

Nice/Monaco (3 nights) - Hostel Paradis (Can Monaco all be seen in a day?) Paradis has a great location, very central, but just be careful walking home from the Old Town after a night out as Nice is still a little rough late at night. The new tram system makes it easier to get around, although you won't need it to reach your hostel as it's very walkable from the beach, shopping, bars, etc. Monaco can be seen in an evening if you feel like being a little glamorous, otherwise spend a day there to see the change of the guard at the Palace, the Oceanographic Museum, great lookouts/scenic points (on Monacoville) then wander over to Monte Carlo for the Casinos, cars and more views of the harbour.

Pisa (3 nights) - Under the Tower (Should this be 3 nights in Florence and take a day trip to Pisa one of those days?) Yes! In fact, as you've noted in your next Post, Cinque Terre is also worth a visit, but not at the expense of Florence (IMO). You could travel to Cinque Terre from Nice (long day), stay 2 nights then visit Pisa for a few hours on your way to Florence (3 nights here would be best if you can adjust your trip). This flows better geographically too. Unless you really want to spend time at the Uni of Pisa (it's Summer holidays though), cathedrals and other sights, Pisa for 3 nights is not necessary.

Rome (4 nights) - Alessandro or a B&B (Looking to tour more than party in Rome, would Alessandro Downtown be a party place?) Can't recall right now, but based on other reports, I believe Alessandro Downtown would suit you best.

Venice (4 nights) - B&B Al Saor (How do you avoid spending insane amounts of $$ on food and other necessities in such a tourist-y place?) Don't know this B&B but a way to not spend a lot on food/drink is to stay away from the major piazze (squares) and look for pizza by the slice, a small trattoria or two in areas like Dosoduro, Castello or Cannaregio (off the main areas). And many sights are free to enter - St Mark's Basilica, Santa Maria della Salute, wandering the streets & bridges, etc so you will only need to pay for things like the Accademia, Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Doges Palace.

Lucerne (3 nights) - Tourist Hotel (Any more major Swiss cities that are relatively inexpensive (for switzerland) that you can still go up into the Alps from?) Luzern is my favourite of the cities, but if you really want to get into the mountains, try Gimmelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald - all in the Berner Oberland. You'll see that this area is a favourite with Members of GFE if you look through some other Posts.

Munich (4 nights) - Euro Youth Hostel (Best things to see/do in Munich?) Depends on the time of year you'll be there, ie the month, as to what's on. But have a look through some other Posts in the City and Country section for further ideas on Dachau, Neuschwanstein, Englische Garten, Glockenspiel, Frauenkirche, Deutsches Museum, Residenz...the list goes on.

Vienna (3 nights) - Wombats (Is one of the 2 Wombats hostels better for anything than the other?) I believe they are both great properties, but have a look through the Accommodation section as there is information on Wombats in Vienna in there. Perhaps someone else will be able to elaborate.

Prague (3 nights) - Czech Inn or Sant Jordi (Place to stay/ things to see/do?) There are far too many things to see/do/eat/drink in Prague to list here, but here's a start: Hradcany, Old Town Square, Jewish Cemetery, a river cruise, a beautiful part of town called Mala Strana (Little Quarter; small alleys, cobblestone streets, great to get lost in and explore), a photo of Charles Bridge (Karlov Most) at night (preferably from Kampa Island!), wash down a fried cheese snack or Czech rösti (Bramboráky) with a Pilsner Urquell or Budvar.

Berlin (4 nights) - Citystay Hostel or Eastseven (Which Hostel? Things to see? We might be there during the beer festival...whats that like?) Which "beer festival" do you mean? There are quite a few that take place at different times of year. Again, things to see are massive, so look into a walking tour with a company like Third Reich Tours or a sightseeing bus tour to get you orientated first. My must-sees: Memorial To The Murdered Jews Of Europe – Holocaust Memorial, Reichstag, Alexanderplatz and the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) that variously looks like a death star or a golf ball on a toothpick, Berliner Dom, Museum Insel....that'll do for now.

Amsterdam (3 nights) - Flying Pig (Will I be able to sleep at all in a party hostel like that?) I'd say no, but then again it depends which of the Flying Pig Hostels you're in (there are two I believe). Have a look at a few recent Posts for Amsterdam Accommodation suggestions as an alternative.

See how these notes fit into your plans and hopefully the others will have suggestions on the places I haven't been able to cover.

[madamtrashheap]

Sept 19, 2008 16:29:43 GMT -5 jack said:

when i made my first visit to the Alex, i wasn't about to go up in that tower. didn't trust Easter European engineers to construct a structure like that to be stable. on a later trip, years later, i heard that it was thoroughly checked out by Western engineers and was certified safe. <i was even told it was a Finnish engineering firm that was hired to design & build it>

Swedish actually.
Come on jack, DDR engineers built the Palast der Republik and there's nothing wrong with that (asbestos and demolition notwithstanding!)!