3 month long trip - how much to see everything

[stampadhesive]

OK. so maybe not everything.

The two of us are students and looking to travel to Europe in the off season (starting in Jan. or Feb.) We want to go for 3 months and see as much as we can for as little as we can. If this means sleepless nights, that's fine ; )

We are planning on getting the 3 month eurorail pass that goes to 20 countries. Our goal is to go to each country at least one night (but we can average 4 nights at each place.)

The train card costs about $1500 USD. Will I need to buy additional train tickets to see major cities or should this be good enough along with occasional bus tickets/ferry? Is this train ticket worth the cost or are there better options?

We want to to stay in hostels, eat cheap, spend little on trinkets. Drink some but not overdo it (and do it in the countries that are cheaper.)

How much is the minimal amount needed for this trip? We were planning on having $10,000-$15,000 USD per person but if we could do it cheaper, that would be great.

[Eagle]

stampadhesive, Welcome to the Boards! I have a few thoughts on the questions you posted.

First, travelling Europe in winter would not be my first choice, but if that's the only time you have, I suppose you'll have to make the best of it. Hopefully MTH will see this Post, as I believe she was in Europe about that time last year. In the more "northerly" parts of Europe, the weather can be miserable at times, which means packing along a greater amount of cold weather kit. Is there any way you could shift the departure date by a month or so?

In determining the length of your trip, keep in mind the limits imposed by the Schengen Agreement which limits the time non-EU residents can stay in the countries that signed the Agreement. Three months is the limit! While it's possible to go to non-Schengen countries and then return, there are rules associated with that also so it becomes very complicated.

It's difficult to comment on whether the 3 month Eurail Pass will be the best choice, without having some idea of where you're going to be travelling? Rather than a "marathon session" of going "to each country at least one night", my preference would be to spend at least two nights in each location, and enjoy the experience, the culture and the people. If you could provide some idea of your proposed Itinerary, it would help.

Keep in mind that even with a Rail Pass, some trains require compulsory reservations, and these are not included with the Pass. You'll have to pay for these separately. Reservations are normally required for the fast trains, such as the TGV (France) and inter-city trains in other countries.

As far as the "budget question", I think most here agree that the normal "ballpark figure" is to allow at least US$100.00 per day for lodgings, food and incidentals (public transit, Museum admissions and of course drinks!), but this does not include air fares or rail passes. This amount may be too low for some cities, or above what is needed in others, but it should average out. Of course, the exchange rates relative to the Euro will have a bearing. Your cost for lodgings might be a bit lower than most of us have experienced in travelling in the "warmer" parts of the year. That will be the "off season" and rooms should be less expensive (most Hostel web sites post their rates on the web, so that's easy to check). Based on a trip of 90 days, US$11,500 would be a good budget to work with (Air fare $1K, Rail Pass $1.5K and expenses $9K). Hopefully the others will have a few comments on this point.

Your idea to stay in Hostels and "eat cheap" is the best way to travel inexpensively. The Hostels will most likely be less crowded, so hopefully you won't have any problems finding a room.

One other point to think about. If you're planning on travelling in any of the former "east block" countries, be sure to check to determine if a Visa is required. This is most definitely the case in Russia.

Good luck with your planning!

[stampadhesive]

Thanks! Yea, I'm pretty flexible with my travel month. Is late Feb. or Early March a good time? I don't mind the cold but if everything will be closed or travel impossible, I'd obviously want to rethink things.

Three months is the limit so I'd only be staying 3 months. I live near JFK in NYC. I was thinking of flying out of there to Dublin (about $700 RT but have seen as low as $570), traveling around Ireland a few nights, get over to England which ever way is the least expensive (fly? boat?), touring there a few nights to see the major things, and then move on to mainland Europe.

As far as where I want to go, I just want to kind of get a taste of everywhere. I've already been to Spain so that isn't really necessary. I *do* want to see Italy and Greece. I've read on other posts that Greece is not a good place to go until later in the season so that would probably be one of my last locations I visit.

I'd like to see Paris, Germany, Amsterdam, Vienna, Rome, Athens, Austria, a few of the major sights in Ireland and England and maybe Norway.

I'd probably fly out of Italy since I want to end my trip in that area (to do a multi-city flight my airfare is about $700.)


Thanks so much for your input!

[stampadhesive]

Oh, is there anyway to see which train lines are covered by the Eurail without paying extra after you've purchased the original train pass?