Trip in 2009 , first time

[devereux]

Ok so ive been hesitating posting a thread because i thought people would think my questions are pointless ... well here it goes, im trying to plan a trip to Europe (Not England i live here and have been all over it too many times hehe )in 2009 preferably middle - end of the year with a friend of mine, and would be meeting a friend from Portugal who we haven't seen for a few years , So anyway trying to figure out the best countries to go to for the month were doing it , We have decided on Netherlands , Germany , France and Italy, oh and the Czech republic im not sure which others a really nice too visit ( HELP!! ) , we are all really interested in art , architecture , history etc . Its not really a matter of money as such becuase we shall all have about two thousand pounds give or take set aside for the trip, but we also have emergency funds just in case. Tbh ive been left to plan it all , i was at first going to go alone but i thought that might be a bad idea, so... if anyone could give me tips , pointers , facts , places to go it would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks in advance . Rob.

P.s il go even if they don't because it would be my only chance before i have to join the rat race of life.

[devereux]

Sorry for any grammar errors !

[herrbert]

Hi Rob,

a practical question: how many days do you want to spend on this trip?

René

[devereux]

A month i think would be enough time ?

[madamtrashheap]

Welcome to GFE Rob/devereux!

Along with herrbert's question, I have another - what mode(s) of transport are you looking at? I ask as if you're thinking of driving (as you live in the UK and may have access to a car) that will have a bearing on time, cost, parking, maps, etc.

For countries/cities to visit, here are some cities of interest based on your first Post, with the ideal number of nights to stay in brackets. As always, they are just a starting point:

Netherlands
Amsterdam (4)- with day or overnight trips to Den Hague, Groningen, Delft, etc if they interest you, otherwise 3 nights will do.

Germany
Berlin (4)
Munich (3 - if doing day trips to Neuschwanstein, etc then make it 4)
(there are many other places, but for your time frame that will do)

France
Paris (5) - including day trip to Versailles
Lyon (1 - not vital, but is a good city for food and a little history, plus is at the bottom of the Burgundy/Beaujolais region)
Nice (3 - if it's Summer and you want the beach, plus day trips to Cannes and/or Monaco are possible)

Italy
Florence (3 - if staying in the city, otherwise if you want to visit San Gimignano, Siena, etc make it 4)
Rome (5)
Venice (3)
Cinque Terre (3)

Czech Republic
Prague (4) - includes a day trip to Kutna Hora
Cesky Krumlov (1)

If you're travelling by train on some sectors, you could fit in things like a stop in Dresden (few hours or overnight) between Berlin and Prague, a stop in Pisa between Cinque Terre and Florence....the possibilities are endless. Of course, to fit all of these in to a month won't work if you keep the number of days as shown, so perhaps do a little research on what interests you in each place and narrow it down from there.