March/April '09 Europe Adventure!

[AmberNicolette]

Hello! Please review my itinerary and post feedback. Thank you!

Railpass: Eurail YouthSaver Pass 15 days in 2 months for five countries: Spain, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, and Germany

Accomodation Preferences: Couchsurfing, Hostels, Friends

Budget: For the two of us, about $150 or LESS per day

Travel Style: Somewhere in between busy and relaxing. We are young, so roughing it is our style, essentially. We may spoil ourselves with one romantic b&b night (or an actual double bed in a hostel) for our anniversary in Rome, or a different city...

Interests: Biking, Hiking, being outdoors, architecture, great food, cultural experiences, the nitty gritty of the city, and the slow pace of the country, quaint, interesting bars/parties, musical venues, parks, museums, art.

Concerns with Itinerary: Is there room to fit in more day trips? Also, connections in Spain are scaring me...I think they are impossible.

Amber and Kevin's European Adventure
March 5th, 2009 - April 29th, 2009

Day One/March 5: Flight Day[/b]

Fly IAH (Houston) ----> Madrid, Spain ---> 4:30 pm

Day Two/March 6: Flight/Arrival Day

Arrive Madrid, Spain ----> 9:05 am

Day Three/March 7: Madrid, Spain -> Top Madrid Sights: Prado Museum, Royal Palace, Puerta del Sol, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, "Guernica" at the Centro de Arte, seeing a Bullfight, the Retiro Park for a picnic, El Rastro Flea Market

Day Four/March 8: Madrid, Spain

Day Five/March 9: Madrid, Spain

Day Six/March 10: Rail Travel Day! Madrid-----> Sevilla {about 2.5 hours by AVE}

Day Seven/March 11: Sevilla, Spain -> Top Sights for us in Sevilla: Flamenco! Not the touristy shows, but the random spontaneous ones! Columbus's tomb at the Cathedral and climbing the bell tower, the Alcazar, evening paseo through the old Jewish quarter

Day Eight/March 12: Sevilla, Spain *Are Toledo and Cordoba two cities that would be good for a day trip somewhere within our itinerary?*

Day Nine/March 13: Travel Day! *Important Question...shall we use rail or bus for this connection?)* Sevilla ---> Granada {3 hours directo by bus, or about the same by rail?}

Day Ten/March 14: Granada, Spain -> Top sights in Granada: Obviously...the Alhambra! seeing the tombs of king Ferdinand and queen Isabel in the Royal Chapel, having a picnic at sunset at the San Nicolas Viewpoint, possible sighting of a Zambra dance?

Day Eleven/March 15: Granada, Spain

Day Twelve/March 16: Granada, Spain

Day Thirteen/March 17: Travel Day! *Important Question...where on Earth is a connection from Granada to Valencia? As for as my 2008 RailEurope timetable is concerned, there is none! Help!* Granada ---> Valencia

Day Fourteen/March 18: Valencia, Spain for LAS FALLAS

Day Fifteen/March 19: Valencia, Spain for LAS FALLAS

Day Sixteen/March 20: Travel Day! Valencia ----> Barcelona

Day Seventeen/March 21: Barcelona, Spain -> Top sights in Barcelona: Las Ramblas shopping, the Picasso Museum, the always unfinished Sagrada Familia, the casa mila, participating in the Sardana dance

Day Eighteen/March 22: Home-base Barcelona - Day Trip to Figueres to see the Salvador Dali Museum

Day Nineteen/March 23: Barcelona, Spain

Day Twenty/March 24: FLY Iberia Airlines from Barcelona, Spain ----> Rome, Italy

Day Twenty-One/March 25: Rome, Italy. Kevin and I's 2 year anniversary.

Day Twenty-Two/March 26: Rome, Italy -> top sights in Rome: Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, National Museum of Rome, Vatican, St. Peter's, Borghese Gallery, Cappuccin Crypt, Trevi Fountain, GELATO!

Day Twenty-Three/March 27: Rome, Italy *When is a good time to work in a day trip to Pisa?*

Day Twenty-Four/March 28: Travel Day! Rome ----> Florence

Day Twenty-Five/March 29: Florence, Italy -> Top Sights in Florence: The Duomo, the Uffizi, Accademia

Day Twenty-Six/March 30: Florence, Italy

Day Twenty-Seven/April 1: Travel Day! Florence ---> Venice

Day Twenty-Eight/April 2: Venice, Italy -->

Day Twenty-Nine/April 3: Venice, Italy

Day Thirty/April 4: Travel Day! Venice----> Munich via CNL train

Day Thirty-One/April 5: Munich, Germany

Day Thirty-Two/April 6: Munich, Germany

Day Thirty-Three/April 7: Travel Day! Munich---->Vienna

Day Thirty-Four/April 8: Vienna, Austria

Day Thirty-Five/April 9: Vienna, Austria

Day Thirty-Six/April 10: Vienna, Austria

Day Thirty-Seven/April 11: Travel Day! Vienna----> Prague

Day Thirty-Eight/April 12: Prague, Czech Republic. Amber's 21st Birthday and Easter Sunday.

Day Thirty-Nine/April 13: Prague, Czech Republic -> Top Prague sights: Charles Bridge, seeing a concert, old town, prague castle, st. vitus, jewish quarter, Mucha museum, Wencelas square

Day Forty/April 14: Prague, Czech Republic

Day Forty-One/April 15: Travel Day! Prague----> Dresden

Day Forty-Two/April 16: Dresden, Germany

Day Forty-Three/April 17: Dresden, Germany. Day Trip to Sachsiche Schweiz.

Day Forty-Four/April 18: Travel Day! Dresden ----> Berlin

Day Forty-Five/April 19: Berlin, Germany

Day Forty-Six/April 20: Berlin, Germany

Day Forty-Seven/April 21: Berlin, Germany

Day Forty-Eight/April 22: Travel Day! Berlin ---> Hamburg

Day Forty-Nine/April 23: Hamburg, Germany (With Family)

Day Fifty/April 24: Hamburg, Germany (With Family)

Day Fifty-One/April 25: Hamburg, Germany (With Family)

Day Fifty-Two/April 26: Frankfurt, Germany (With Family)

Day Fifty-Three/April 27: Frankfurt, Germany {Day Trip to Heidelberg}

Day Fifty-Four/April 28: Flight Day- Frankfurt, Germany ----> Houston, 10:05 am

Day Fifty-Five/April 29: Arrive Home in Houston, 1:35 pm for my Father's Birthday

And hopefully that'll be the end of a safe, amazing trip!

[madamtrashheap]

Good to see your itinerary is progessing, AmberNicolette!

I'll leave the Spain portion to herrbert and the others, but a few comments on the remaining seciton of your plans:

Flying from Barca to Rome is a very good idea and depending on the flight times available you'll have more time in one of the cities as it's only a 1hr45m flight.

Rome - 4 nights here will give you 3 and a half days of sightseeing, plus the train journey to Florence is only 1hr30 on the Eurostar Italia (longer if you take the Regional train for stops in places like Orvieto, but still not a long travel day). Do you have any ideas for where you'd like to spend your anniversary (accommodation, restaurant, etc)? If you need suggestions, just let us know.

Rome to Florence - as above, so consider if you want to have a lunch stop somewhere or go straight to Florence when looking at train journeys. Don't forget to book tickets for the Uffizi and Accademia ahead of time rather than standing in line on the day www.firenzemusei.it/index.html may be of help to you. You could also visit Santa Croce church (Euro 4.00, pay at entry, no need to book ahead) for Ghiotto's frescoes and tombs/monuments of some rather famous Tuscans (Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini...), the Bargello Museum (Euro 3.00, no need to book ahead) for more Michelangelo pieces and some hidden treasures, the Medici Chapel (more Michelangelo pieces and an impressive interior).

Pisa - the trip to Pisa could either be done as a morning trip from Florence (train is 1hr one way), as a "stop" from Rome before you settle in Florence (you'll have to change trains in Florence obviously) or as a slight detour (in the "wrong" direction) on your travel day from Florence to Venice. I'd be more inclined to fit it in on the Rome-Florence day or one morning from Florence.

Florence - Venice: this is not a long train ride, around 2h40m on Eurostar Italia direct, so again look at any other cities you might like to visit along the way for a few hours (Pisa if not already, Verona, Bologna or Padua).

Venice-Munich: this train ride is around 7hrs give or take, so it will take a good chunk of your day. You could look at the overnight train (leaves around 10.45pm from Venice) otherwise just be aware (as I'm sure you are) of the time it will take. Have you planned any day trips/specific sightseeing for Munich? You did mention some in an earlier Post - any changes/additions?

Munich-Vienna: a direct train is just over 4hrs so depending on the times available you will also have a good chunk of the afternoon to play with in Vienna, which is always a good thing.

Vienna-Prague: The train is 4-5hrs, so a bit of a travel day ahead of you so see if you can find an early-ish train to get more time in Prague when you arrive. I recall another Post of yours mentioning that your birthday was Easter Sunday this year and you'd likely be in Prague - have you done any more research into what will be open or places you'd like to spend it?

The rest you have well in hand and have also planned time with family. Make sure you let us know how the trip to Sachsische Schweiz goes too!

[AmberNicolette]

I did not consider timing for our journey when it came to our anniversary and my birthday/Easter. I planned my route strictly around the Las Fallas festival in Spain. It was the only festival that was feasible for us to experience during our time frame, and we definitely wanted to "experience" a festival somewhere in Europe on our trip.

I would love to do something nice for our anniversary in Rome. A *splurge* for us would be one night in a quaint B&B and dinner at a nice restaurant. Heck, even a *splurge* would be actually buying a nice private double in one of the nifty hostels that are abroad. If anyone has any suggestions on a nice romantic evening in Rome, that would be great.

Otherwise, we plan on cutting costs by trying out *couchsurfing* It's a new popular way for students to travel on the fly...we aren't sure how well it'll work or how comfortable it'll be, but we've got back-up hostel listings as a plan B.

We are not going to reserve any rooms except for our room in Valencia (due to the crowding from the festival) and perhaps that nice room in Rome for our anniversary. We assume that because we will be traveling during off and shoulder season, we can be a little bit more footloose and fancy-free.

The Venice-Munich train is definitely a long one. We plan on taking it as a night train. It just offers us more time for sightseeing by day, and we definitely want to experience sleeping on a train for a night anyway! he he...

I adore the Sachsische Schweiz...it will be lovely!

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of some Florence, Vienna, Munich, and Venice city-guidebooks so that I can research these areas of my trip a little bit more. I've studied the most for Spain and Rome so far.

[Eagle]

AmberNicolette, wow, that's a well planned Itinerary! It's looks like you have all the details well sorted (except for a few "transportation issues" in Spain).

Regarding the trip from Venice to Munich, I prefer to take this during the day so that I can enjoy the scenery, but a night train is certainly another option. It appears there's only one night train on that route with no changes, departing Venezia S.L. at 22:51 and arriving Munich Hbf at 06:30. There's a bit of a gap in the day trains, but I would probably take the train departing at 11:09, arriving at 18:27 (one change in Verona). Reservations compulsory in either case.

Do you have information on avoiding queue's at sights in Rome, such as the Colosseum?

Regarding nice restaurants in Rome for you to celebrate your two-year anniversary, I'd have to check a few sources. It would probably be better to stay away from the "touristy" areas and find something more "local" as they will not only be less expensive but more authentic. I had a fine meal in a small trattoria in the Trastevere area, which I believe was called Z'mberto (unfortunately I can't locate my reference on the address). It's close to Piazza Trilussa. As Italian meals are often served in "courses" (antipasti, primi & secondi), the cost of meals can add up quickly. One method you might use would be to both order antipasti or salad, one order the primi and one order the secondi and share those. I'm not sure if the restaurant would object, but even I find it difficult to finish full meals in Italy (and that certainly doesn't help my weight). I can't recall if you've been in Italy before, but if you were going to order salads the only dressings are oil & vinegar.

Were you going to ask your Hotel in Florence to make reservations for the Uffizi and Accademia? Also reservations are required at the Borghese Gallery, and as I recall guests are only allowed a maximum of two hours in the Gallery. When you visit the Borghese you'll have to check just about anything you're carrying including Purses, Daypacks, large Cameras, etc. They're very strict!

Good luck and happy travels!

[herrbert]

On the Spanish part:

Save some money and plan your visits to the Prado and the Reina Sofia carefully. Prado has free visiting everyday (tuesday to saturday from 6 to 8 pm) and on sunday from 5 to 8. (museum is closed on mondays.) The Reina Sofia has free entrance on saturdays after 4pm, and on the sunday until 14.30, which is when they close.

El Rastro is every sunday in the la Latina district. if you take the metro until La Latina, you can start at the top of the hill, walking down. Most of the stuff is commercial, and not a lot unlike other markets, but there is a plaza (if you start at the top, it is on the right, just beyond a small street.) which you can find the less commercial stuff. (my favourite part of the market - one warning, keep a hand on your wallet)

A daytrip to Toledo is possible, and a really nice place to visit, but don't attempt to do this from Sevilla, but from Madrid. From Atocha Station (just south/east of the center - Metro: Atocha Renfe), it just takes 30 minutes. Think about the time you want to return to Madrid, as a returnticket works out much cheaper. If you want to take the daytrip to Toledo, I would suggest to change the initerary a little bit, and to have one more day in madrid, to make this daytrip, and to have one day less in Granada. (2 full days, are enough for Granada, as it is not that big. You know have full 3 days.)

Cordoba can best be done from Sevilla, or if possible, make a stop in Cordoba on the way there. The only stop of the AVE will be at the station in Cordoba, so leave Madrid early, spend the day in Cordoba, and arrive in the evening in Sevilla.

I don't want to spoil it, but please know that it is Columbus' (or Colon as he is know here.) body that is inside the tomb. Nevertheless the Cathedral is worth a visit. I would also suggest to place the Basalique de Macarena on the to-visit list.

[AmberNicolette]

Thanks, Herrbert. I know that it is Columbus' tomb....I'm very excited about that. I've got goosebumps just thinking about it!

[herrbert]

Hmm, I wrote is a bit weird. I meant to say it is not the body of Columbus that is inside the tomb. (otherwise the "I don't want to spoil it", wouldn't make any sense.)