Post by Eagle on Dec 25, 2008 0:57:03 GMT -5
sparat1k, thanks for the reply; that clarifies a few things. I see that you're on this side of the pond as well (although your flight times to Europe will probably be shorter than those of us on the west coast).
Some further thoughts, based on your reply.
Your revised Itinerary in the table looks reasonably well sorted. It's great that you're spending at least two nights in each location. Some travellers insist on scheduling one-night stops, and those get to be tiring very quickly.
Note that even with a Railpass, you'll still need to pay reservation fees separately (these are compulsory on same trains, usually the fast trains such as the TGV in France). You'll need to use fast trains for at least some of your routes. Don't be caught without a valid reservation or you'll be nicked with a fine on the spot! You'll need to validate the Railpass before first use. The Eurail Passes also don't include fees for Couchettes (night trains), if you were planning to use those.
Note that you can buy Rail passes from the home page of this site. The cost is the same as elsewhere, and it helps to support our efforts.
I would probably choose the town that's most central and has the best transportation connections to each of the cities that I want to visit on day trips. I'm not sure which one would be best for the places you listed? Hopefully the others will have some thoughts on that.
In your most recent Itinerary, you've allotted four days for Siena, partially to allow for day trip to Civita di Bagnoregio (I'm assuming that's what you meant in the "daytrips" column?). Civita is best done as a day trip from Orvieto, so you may want to drop one day from Siena and add that to your time in Orvieto. I can provide further details on visiting Civita if necessary.
Yes, there are "extreme sports" available at Interlaken, including Sky Diving and Paragliding. However these are also possible in other parts of the Berner Oberland as well. For example, if you want to try Paragliding (which I did when I was there), there used to be a firm in Lauterbrunnen that offered this. They used two launch locations - just above the village of Murren (about a 20 minute flight) and the Schilthorn / Piz Gloria (at the 10,000 foot level - about a one hour flight). As I recall the longer flight was about SF$100. I'd have to check some web sites to see if I can find the links again? I took the shorter flight and it was a "unique experience" to reach the edge of the cliff near Gimmelwald and suddenly be looking about 3000 feet straight down! BTW, I'm 50+ so this was really unique for me!
Along the same lines, when in Paris you might consider a Segway tour. They're a bit pricey but a very interesting and unusual way to see some of the major sites in Paris. Check their web site for details and prices. One note of caution, they require a credit card imprint for a deposit on the machine. If a guest decides not to follow the driving instructions and they damage it, the credit card charge is processed.
If you have a Library or book store close by, you might also want to have a look at some of the Rick Steves Guidebooks or the Lonely Planet series.
You didn't indicate whether you've been to Europe previosuly? If not, I'd highly recommend reading the rail guide at www.ricksteves.com/rail/railpdf.htm.
Do you need any information on money issues (ATM withdrawals), travelling with technology (Cell Phones, AC Chargers for Cameras, etc.) or other Euro travel questions?
Once you've more-or-less finalized the order of cities, it will be much easier to start planning travel methods and deciding which Rail Pass will be most cost effective. Although I'm not sure if the web site has been updated recently, you could try entering your Itinerary into www.railsaver.com to see which combination of rail pass and Point-to-Point tickets it recommends?
Cheers!
Some further thoughts, based on your reply.
if you think there could be a better route plz let me know
Your revised Itinerary in the table looks reasonably well sorted. It's great that you're spending at least two nights in each location. Some travellers insist on scheduling one-night stops, and those get to be tiring very quickly.
yes hopefully a eurail pass will cover most of these
Note that even with a Railpass, you'll still need to pay reservation fees separately (these are compulsory on same trains, usually the fast trains such as the TGV in France). You'll need to use fast trains for at least some of your routes. Don't be caught without a valid reservation or you'll be nicked with a fine on the spot! You'll need to validate the Railpass before first use. The Eurail Passes also don't include fees for Couchettes (night trains), if you were planning to use those.
Note that you can buy Rail passes from the home page of this site. The cost is the same as elsewhere, and it helps to support our efforts.
would it be better to stay at those southern french cities rather than marseilles?
I would probably choose the town that's most central and has the best transportation connections to each of the cities that I want to visit on day trips. I'm not sure which one would be best for the places you listed? Hopefully the others will have some thoughts on that.
in siena, i was thinking of using it as a base to take a couple of day trips to divita di bagnoregio, orvieto, cortona
In your most recent Itinerary, you've allotted four days for Siena, partially to allow for day trip to Civita di Bagnoregio (I'm assuming that's what you meant in the "daytrips" column?). Civita is best done as a day trip from Orvieto, so you may want to drop one day from Siena and add that to your time in Orvieto. I can provide further details on visiting Civita if necessary.
i've read from some people that Interlaken was their fav place
Yes, there are "extreme sports" available at Interlaken, including Sky Diving and Paragliding. However these are also possible in other parts of the Berner Oberland as well. For example, if you want to try Paragliding (which I did when I was there), there used to be a firm in Lauterbrunnen that offered this. They used two launch locations - just above the village of Murren (about a 20 minute flight) and the Schilthorn / Piz Gloria (at the 10,000 foot level - about a one hour flight). As I recall the longer flight was about SF$100. I'd have to check some web sites to see if I can find the links again? I took the shorter flight and it was a "unique experience" to reach the edge of the cliff near Gimmelwald and suddenly be looking about 3000 feet straight down! BTW, I'm 50+ so this was really unique for me!
Along the same lines, when in Paris you might consider a Segway tour. They're a bit pricey but a very interesting and unusual way to see some of the major sites in Paris. Check their web site for details and prices. One note of caution, they require a credit card imprint for a deposit on the machine. If a guest decides not to follow the driving instructions and they damage it, the credit card charge is processed.
i JUST got my Let's Go Europe 2009 yesterday!
If you have a Library or book store close by, you might also want to have a look at some of the Rick Steves Guidebooks or the Lonely Planet series.
You didn't indicate whether you've been to Europe previosuly? If not, I'd highly recommend reading the rail guide at www.ricksteves.com/rail/railpdf.htm.
Do you need any information on money issues (ATM withdrawals), travelling with technology (Cell Phones, AC Chargers for Cameras, etc.) or other Euro travel questions?
Once you've more-or-less finalized the order of cities, it will be much easier to start planning travel methods and deciding which Rail Pass will be most cost effective. Although I'm not sure if the web site has been updated recently, you could try entering your Itinerary into www.railsaver.com to see which combination of rail pass and Point-to-Point tickets it recommends?
Cheers!
