105 days in Europe

[bicycles]

so probably in two years (march 2010 or 2011) me and my friend are planning on backpacking through Europe for about 105 days. we both plan to take around $10,000 and our itinerary looks like this:

1 Edmonton to London
2-6 London
7 London to Paris
8-12 Paris
13 Paris to Barcelona
14-17 Barcelona
18 Bareclona to Milan
19-21 Milan
22 Milan to Florence
23-24 Florence
25 Florence to Rome
26-30 Rome
31 Rome to Athens
32 Rome to Athens
33-38 Athens
39 Athens to Venice
40 Athens to Venice
41-44 Venice
45 Venice to Vienna
46-50 Vienna
51 Vienna to Prague
52-54 Prague
55 Prague to Leipzig
56-57 Leipzig
58 Leipzig to Berlin
59-63 Berlin
64 Berlin to Hamburg
65-67 Hamburg
68 Hamburg to Copenhagen
69-73 Copenhagen
74 Copenhagen to Oslo
75-78 Oslo
79 Oslo to Stockholm
80-83 Stockholm
84 Stockholm to Copenhagen
85 Copenhagen to Amsterdam
86-90 Amsterdam
91 Amsterdam to Antwerp
92-93 Antwerp
94 Antwerp to Brussels
95-98 Brussels
99 Brussels to London
100 London to Edmonton

just a rough draft of course but just a few questions. is $10,000 enough for this type of trip (airfare, rail pass, etc all included in this)? also, we have about 5 days left over, where should these days go? Bern and Budapest are two places I`m thinking i`m missing, any other? should I be in some of these places more or less days? any help is greatly appreciated!

also, I just included the cities I consider kind of our major points, we`ll of course probably do Santorini, etc under the Athens days. thanks!

[Eagle]

bicycles, Welcome to the Boards! I have a few initial thoughts after looking over your proposed Itinerary.

The first point that stands out is the 105 day length of your trip. That could be a problem, as non-E.U. residents are allowed a maximum of 90 days in the Schengen zone, which includes most (if not all) of the countries you plan to visit. I've heard that it's extremely difficult to get an extension to this limit.

It would help to know what interests you about each of the cities you listed (ie: the reasons you chose those cities)? I have a few thoughts on some of the ones on your list:

> Milan - probably not necessary to spend 2-3 days there, unless there's something specific you want to see.

> Athens - my preference would be no more than 2 days. If you want to spend more time in Greece, visit the Peloponese Peninsula or the islands.

> Leipzig & Hamburg - I suppose they have their charms, but wouldn't be high on my list of places to visit. Spend more time in Berlin or have a look at Munich, or possibly Cologne?

> Brussels - you might want to consider Bruges as well, or instead of. It's a much nicer visit in some ways.

> Switzerland - no desire to visit anywhere in Switzlerland? The small village of Gimmelwald is a big favourite here (have a look at to get an idea of the area.

> Italy - in addition to Venice, Florence & Rome, the Cinque Terre is a very popular area. It's become somewhat "touristy" now, but still an awesome place to see. You might enjoy having a look at (not the best quality, but it will give you an idea). Other locations in Tuscany (ie: Siena) are also great places, and of course south of Rome (but that would probably have to wait for a future visit).

> London - are there other areas in England that you might visit also? Locations such as Bath or York could be easily done as day trips from London (you might want to budget a few extra days there, as there's LOTS to see!).

Hopefully herrbert will spot this post as I'm sure he'll have some great advice on Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Regarding your budget question, were you referring to taking "around $10,000" each, and was that Cdn$ Does that include your air fares and Rail Passes (if you plan to use passes)? Also, be aware that the Scandinavian countries are especially expensive, and travel in the U.K. is almost as pricey, so you'll need to budget accordingly.

As I usually recommend, I'd recommend using "open jaw" flights (for example, start in London and fly home from Amsterdam). I'd need to have a more detailed look at your route to see which way would be most efficient. In many ways it's a better and more cost effective option.

Also as I usually recommend, if this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door. It's an essential "pre-read" and includes lots of information on Itinerary planning, rail skills, language issues, money, etc.

Good luck with your planning!

[pointofnoreturn]

Sept 30, 2008 20:07:22 GMT -5 bicycles said:

so probably in two years (march 2010 or 2011) me and my friend are planning on backpacking through Europe for about 105 days. we both plan to take around $10,000 and our itinerary looks like this:

1 Edmonton to London
2-6 London
7 London to Paris
8-12 Paris
13 Paris to Barcelona
14-17 Barcelona
18 Bareclona to Milan
19-21 Milan
22 Milan to Florence
23-24 Florence
25 Florence to Rome
26-30 Rome
31 Rome to Athens
32 Rome to Athens
33-38 Athens
39 Athens to Venice
40 Athens to Venice
41-44 Venice
45 Venice to Vienna
46-50 Vienna
51 Vienna to Prague
52-54 Prague
55 Prague to Leipzig
56-57 Leipzig
58 Leipzig to Berlin
59-63 Berlin
64 Berlin to Hamburg
65-67 Hamburg
68 Hamburg to Copenhagen
69-73 Copenhagen
74 Copenhagen to Oslo
75-78 Oslo
79 Oslo to Stockholm
80-83 Stockholm
84 Stockholm to Copenhagen
85 Copenhagen to Amsterdam
86-90 Amsterdam
91 Amsterdam to Antwerp
92-93 Antwerp
94 Antwerp to Brussels
95-98 Brussels
99 Brussels to London
100 London to Edmonton

just a rough draft of course but just a few questions. is $10,000 enough for this type of trip (airfare, rail pass, etc all included in this)? also, we have about 5 days left over, where should these days go? Bern and Budapest are two places I`m thinking i`m missing, any other? should I be in some of these places more or less days? any help is greatly appreciated!

also, I just included the cities I consider kind of our major points, we`ll of course probably do Santorini, etc under the Athens days. thanks!

It doesn't make sense to go Italy-Greece-Italy - that's really expensive to fly back and forth. I'd save Greece for last because easyJet does have an Athens-London flight that you can get at a cheaper price than other airlines. Athens is so out of the way and warrants 3 nights plus to get more of Greece, visiting the islands or the Peloponnese would be ideal as well. You mentioned Santorini - I wouldn't spend less than 4 nights on that island. It's gorgeous and can be done by flight or ferry.

I think you should rework your itinerary to accommodate the 90-day thing that Eagle mentions. Other notes:

- Milan = ugh. I wouldn't spend more than 2 nights here. It was okay, especially if you're a big da Vinci fan.
- Florence = definitely warrants 3 or 4 nights. There's so much to do here and also you need to find out what day of the week you'll be in Florence for as many places are closed on the same day (I think it was Monday or Tuesday, can't remember).

[bicycles]

first off, thanks a lot for the replies! I wasn't sure if the 90 day rule applied to just one country, or depending where you fly in/out from (ie if you fly in and out of london, have to do it in 90 days, but if I leave elsewhere, it's alright?) anyways, I will probably cut it back to 90 days and will definetly probably do what the second poster suggested and just fly from Athens back to London.

a few other things, I have been to Europe before. I did a cruise of the Baltic (Copenhagen, Berlin, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Helsinki) but I only had one day in all but St. Petersburg. Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Berlin all left me wanting more and as I have a freidn i can stay with in Stockholm, that helps save me a bit of money.

a big help from you guys would be the top 3 places to visit in england, greece, rome and germany. this would really help me rule out some of the lesser places and make more time for the places worth spending a lot of time in! switzerland also sounds like a great idea, I definetly might have to work it in.

and to the first poster, yes, that estimate was $10,000 Canadian. am I way off?

Thanks again!