6 wks UK, France, Spain, Italy

[un0oiseaux0rebelle]

Hi there! My friend and I are first time backpackers planning a ~6 week trip thru Western Europe in May/June 2009. We'd love some feedback on whether this itinerary seems feasible! Thx!

First, we are planning to fly in and out of London, even though that means some back-tracking, because it seems to be cheapest this way.

1) Arrive in London (6-7 days)
2.5) Maybe stop at Harrogate to visit friends on way to Edinburgh
2) Train to Edinburgh (4-5 days)
3) Train back thru London and Eurostar to Paris (7-8 days Paris)
4) TGV train to Biarritz (1-2 days)
5) Bus/Train into San Sebastien (1 day)
6) Train to Bilbao (1 day)
7) Train to Barcelona (5 days)
8) Train to Avignon/Arles (about 3 days between the two)
9) Train to Florence (2 days including side trip to Pisa)
10) Train to Rome (6-7 days)
11) Train to Gourdon, France to visit friends (1-2 days)
12) Train back up to London to leave

We are planning to get a Eurail Pass and a Britrail FlexiPass to cover all the train travel.

Does this make sense? Any tips? (By the way, we've been reading this site and it has been super helpful so far!) Thanks so much!!!

[un0oiseaux0rebelle]

Hmm...after spending more time reading and researching cheap flights, I'm thinking we might be better off skipping Avignon/Arles and flying Barcelona to Rome and then making our way north by train to Florence, Pisa, and possibly time for the Cinque Terre.

Just typing out loud here...

[un0oiseaux0rebelle]

Thanks! Yeah I was thinking that maybe we should just fly edi to cdg. Otherwise we waste a day of travel. I'm kinda confused with the BritRail passes though. If we end up doing a train from london to edinburgh initially, then just flying from edi to cdg, we could just get a point to point ticket, however this is more expensive than a 4 day youth BritRail pass???

[Eagle]

un0oiseaux0rebelle, Welcome! I have a few comments to add as well.

First, before making any suggestions, it would help to know whether either of you have been to Europe before, and where you're from?

First, we are planning to fly in and out of London, even though that means some back-tracking, because it seems to be cheapest this way.

I wouldn't usually recommend that type of travel. Normally, open jaw flights are a better choice even if they are a bit more expensive to begin with. It's important to consider the time and cost of returning to your starting point. Six weeks is not a long time for travelling in Europe, and this would provide you with at least one more day to enjoy your trip.

Rather than return to London via train and then EuroStar to Paris, you might find that a budget flight from Edinburgh is a less expensive option. One possibility is a flight on EasyJet from Edinburgh to Paris CDG. The price will depend on the date that you're flying and how early you book, but I've seen flights listed for £31.99 (plus applicable fees of course). If this might be an option, be sure to read "the fine print" so that you are absolutely clear on their terms of service and charges. Once booked these flights are often very difficult to change or cancel, and usually no refunds.

My preference would be to spend two full days in Florence (more if possible) and drop the visit to Pisa on this occasion. IMO you need to put a bit of a "cushion" into part of your Itinerary to make allowance for travel days.

Have you considered making the stop in Gourdon on the way from Paris to Biarritz? It would be much more efficient (IMHO), and would provide a "break" on what could be a somewhat long travel day from Paris to Biarittz. Perhaps you could make your outbound flight from Rome?

Good luck with your planning!

[un0oiseaux0rebelle]

Thanks for the tips! We have each been to Paris a couple of times, but only for one week at a time. We've never been elsewhere in Europe or travelled for much longer than 10 days. Oh and we're flying from the Midwest area, USA.

I'm definitely going to look into these budget airlines some more...and flying open jaw. Unfortunately Gourdon ideally needs to stay near the end of our trip for timing reasons so we kinda have to go back north anyways.

Any suggestions for getting from London to Edinburgh? It seems like we could fly cheaper than what it would cost for the train trip. Any experience with that? Thx!

[Eagle]

un0oiseaux0rebelle,

Any suggestions for getting from London to Edinburgh?

You have a couple of choices. Rail is certainly one option, but British rail services are among the most expensive in Europe.

Depending on your budget and timing, you could also consider going by Coach (Bus). Check www.nationalexpress.com for details. I found one "red eye" overnight trip for £27, but it departs at 23:00 (travel time 08H50M).

The same firm offers rail transport on that route, but the fares vary widely depending on whether these are advance tickets, first class or whatever. Travel time is about 5H (approximately).

Your third choice is via budget airline. One possibility you might have a look at is www.easyjet.com. Depnding on when you fly and when you book your tickets, they have fares for about £34.99 (which apparently includes all applicable taxes & fees) on that route. Travel time is about 01H30M. EasyJet operates out of Gatwick, Luton and Stanstead, however I only checked the schedule out of Gatwick. You can get to Gatwick from London via the Gatwick Express, about a 30-minute trip (£15~) from London Victoria Station. You can check the other airports if you're interested. I didn't bother checking RyanAir, given the fact they're not the favourite budget airline of many travellers due to the restrictive baggage allowances, etc.

If you decide to go with the budget airline, be sure to read their Terms and Conditions carefully, so that you're perfectly clear on what your costs will be. Note that tickets are usually least expensive when booked very early, and the price increases as the flight fills up ("sliding scale"). Also, tickets are often not refundable if you decide to change your plans.

Happy travels!

[un0oiseaux0rebelle]

Thanks! That helps a lot! ;D

[crystal]

You could also try www.megabus.com sorry I haven't time to check the route for you right now (they definatly go London - Glasgow) but they do cheaper bus AND train tickets than national express and british rail.