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Post by alice810 on Mar 10, 2009 12:18:44 GMT -5
Please give me a hand and check if my routine is okay~Starting from 21st Aug to 26th Sept. in fact, the return date is fixed becuz we gotta catch the flight from Berlin to Glasgow then back to our home. anyway, overall is my routine realistic? i do have tight budget. i hope i wont run out of my budget in the midway.
UK: (15 days)
Glasgow(4 days to visit a friend)-->Edinburgh(3 days)-->York(1 day)-->Cambridge(1 day)-->Oxford(1 day)-->London(5 days)
France: (5 days)
Paris(4 days)-->Nice(1 day)
Switzerland: (9 days)
Geneve(2 days)-->Bern(2 days)-->Interlaken(1 day)-->Luzern(2 days)-->Zurich(2 days)
Germany: (7 days)
Munich (3 days)-->Heidelberg(1 day)-->Berlin(3 days)
I wonder if I can stay at Switzerland for that long...or should I spend more time elsewhere?
P.S. Should I exchange SwissFranc in Switzerland? or paying Euro is ok? cuz i dun wanna exchange too many currencies. however, im afraid the exchange rate and circulation of Euro problem matter.
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Post by madamtrashheap on Mar 10, 2009 22:11:08 GMT -5
alice810, welcome to GFE.
It's hard to predict if you'll "run out of my budget in the midway" without knowing what you're planning to spend per day, what you've already paid for and what your accommodation requirements are. I see you've posted in the Accommodation section about booking ahead for accommodation, but were you looking at hostels, budget hotels...? A general budget per day is Euro70, but that is just a guide.
For Swiss Franc, you can exchange Euro once you're in Switzerland (or use your ATM card for SFr withdrawals), which would be a good idea, but to get you started you can pay for things in Euro and you'll receive your change back in SFr. Swiss Franc are a viable currency, so don't worry about not being able to exhange them back to Euro once you're done in Switzerland. Just remember to use up all your coins (on chocolate!) as it's difficult to exhange these outside Switzerland and the largest one is a SFr5 hulking great coin.
For your itinerary: UK looks fine; France is fine although you may find Nice for one day not enough to do day trips to Cannes and Monaco if you were planning that; Switzerland - Geneva for 2 full days might be too much, although you could go up into the mountains to say Gyron for a bit more variety, Bern might be enough in 1 day, Interlaken & Luzern - I'd look at 1 full day in Luzern and the other 2 further up the valley from Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland (Lauterbrunnen, Gimmelwald) unless you want to be there for adventure sports, Zurich for 2 days might be too much and the time would be better spent in the Bernese Oberland; Germany looks fine.
Switzerland is an expensive place in terms of transport, food and accommodation, so if you are thinking of reducing your time there that would save you money and you could perhaps spend time exploring the Highlands in Scotland or perhaps more of France.
How do you plan to travel between these places?
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Post by alice810 on Mar 10, 2009 22:30:33 GMT -5
madamtrashheap, thanks for your advice!!
actually I'm looking for youth hostels and backpacker hostels. I wanna finalize my itinerary as soon as possible so I can book the flight tickets next week.
For transport, I will buy a Eurail Pass to travel from country to country and city to city. Paris to Nice, Nice to Geneve, Interlaken to Luzern, Zurich to Munich, Munich to Heidelberg and Heidelberg to Berlin. For UK, I will take the bus.
In fact, I'm considering to spend more days in either Germany or UK. My 36-day budget is around EUR3500 including all the flight tickets, transport, accomodation and other expenses.
Please give me more advice. THANKS~
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Post by madamtrashheap on Mar 10, 2009 23:06:51 GMT -5
I'm not sure how much more advice I/we can offer until you submit any adjusted itinerary as that's when things start to be able to take shape in terms of transport options, accom., etc.
As far as spending more time in either Germany or UK, it's a personal think in terms of what appeals to you more - there are plenty of additional places in both countries that warrant visiting, what are you looking to see and what are your interests? And how many extra days were you thinking of spending in either country?
For your budget of Euro3,500, does that mean you haven't purchased flights yet? I thought you had as you have to return to Glasgow for a flight home. The best rail pass will depend on the eventual order of your itinerary adn time spend in each country. Busses in the UK are cheaper that rail, and in Germany rail is expensive but would likely be covered by a rail pass if you purchase one, so remember that when deciding on where to spend more time.
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Post by Eagle on Mar 11, 2009 0:25:16 GMT -5
alice810, as usual, MTH has provided some great tips to get your Itinerary organized. I have a few comments and questions to add. You indicated that you'd be working with a budget of €3500 for a 36-day trip, which is the total amount for everything. It would really help to know what "home" currency you're working with and where you're travelling from? One of the significant variables will be the flight costs, so you may find you have less to travel with than originally estimated. Also, I note that you're spending a considerable time in the U.K. - with the exchange rates, that's often one of the most expensive places in Europe (although the exchange rates have been a bit more favourable lately). It would be a good idea not to buy any Rail passes until you've got a somewhat definite idea of which cities you'll be visiting and in which order. One thing to remember is that Rail passes DO NOT include the reservation fees which are compulsory on some trains (usually the "fast" trains such as the TGV in France). Those fees must be paid separately, so that will further reduce your budget. Your idea to use Bus / Coach in the U.K. is good, as that's usually the least expensive method of getting around (Brit Rail is one of the most expensive in Europe). Check www.nationalexpress.com/ for information on routes and fares. One of our members here, Crystal, mentioned another Coach line in the U.K., but I can't recall the name. One suggestion that comes to mind after reading your proposed Itinerary, is to eliminate as many one-night stops as possible. As MTH mentioned, it would a good idea to spend a bit more time in the Berner Oberland (specifically the Lauterbrunnen Valley outside of Interlaken). Given the high cost in Switzerland, you might want to drop one of the cities that you had listed (although I'm not sure which city would be best to drop?). Regarding money in Switzerland, it would be a good idea to visit an ATM fairly soon after you arrive there. While many businesses in Switzerland will accept Euro's, the exchange rate they offer is usually not too good. It's a good idea to travel with at least two ATM cards on different accounts, in case there's a problem with one of them. Note also that your funds MUST be in a chequing account with a four-number PIN. It's also advisable to have at least one credit card for "emergencies". I'd strongly recommend looking at open jaw flights so that you don't have to return to Glasgow for your flight home. That will save you at least the cost of the flight from Berlin to Glasgow, and provide at least one more day for sightseeing. If this is your first trip to Europe, as usual I'd highly recommend reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door, as it contains LOTS of great information on everything from Itinerary planning to Rail skills. I'm sure the group here will have more suggestions for you as the planning progresses. Good luck!
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Post by alice810 on Mar 11, 2009 12:49:39 GMT -5
My home country is Hong Kong. Oh well, I'm gonna reserve some more days for traveling. Anyway, I gotta re-plan my Switzerland part. I'm pretty confused now.
Eagle, who is the author of the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door? I need help from the book!
Actually, we propose to book the flight tickets next week cuz I've planned where we are gonna visit in each city. Yet, now I look back at my itinerary. I think it's a bit crap. The attractions are not attractive at all. For Switzerland, I think I gotta add more excitement in it. The date of booking flight tickets have to be postponed again.
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Post by herrbert on Mar 11, 2009 16:34:19 GMT -5
My home country is Hong Kong. Oh well, I'm gonna reserve some more days for traveling. Anyway, I gotta re-plan my Switzerland part. I'm pretty confused now. Eagle, who is the author of the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door? I need help from the book! Actually, we propose to book the flight tickets next week cuz I've planned where we are gonna visit in each city. Yet, now I look back at my itinerary. I think it's a bit crap. The attractions are not attractive at all. For Switzerland, I think I gotta add more excitement in it. The date of booking flight tickets have to be postponed again. The Author is Rick Steves. (I guess Eagle penned it down so many times by now, that he forget's the name.) If money is an issue, than Switzerland is an expensive place to go. the cheaper option is Austria, which would also eliminate the problem of exchanging Euro's for Swiss-Francs. If you want to find a little bit of excitement in both these countries, it's time to head for the Alps. (so don't stay in the big cities.). You mentioned Interlaken, which is a good starting point in Switzerland, and our 'geheimtipp' is Gimmelwald, a small town, but in a beautiful setting. I think Eagle can give you some tips about some excitement there. If you would opt for Austria, check places like Imst, Innsbruck and Salzburg (check the ice caves of eisriesenwelt for a daytrip). |
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Post by Eagle on Mar 11, 2009 17:05:52 GMT -5
alice810,As herrbert mentioned, the author's name is Rick Steves. He's based in the Seattle area, and has been spending 4+ months in Europe every year for the last 35 (or so) years, and has an incredible knowledge of European travel. In addition to Guidebooks, he also sells his own line of travel gear, has a TV show on the PBS network, DVD's of his travel shows, radio shows and also conducts tours all over Europe led by a group of outstanding Guides (he took between 10K-12K people to Europe last year on 400 tours). I use his country-specific Guidebooks extensively, both for planning travel and for reference while I'm on a trip. Yes, I do "pen" his name frequently and recommend that book specifically, as I found it SO enormously helpful for me prior to my first trip. It's especially relevant for those heading to Europe for the first time. One good feature of the RS books is that they are updated every year. I don't know what kind of book stores you have in your area, but if you can't find it locally you could always order it from the website. For full information, have a look at travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=11&id=20 (be sure to check the "product detail" tab on the left side of the page, to see a list of the topics covered in the book). Click on the "Guidebooks" tab at the top of the page to see a listing of his other books. There are lots of choices in Guidebooks, but I find the RS books fit my travel style well, so I use them exclusively for the most part. Everyone here on the Boards seems to have "favourites", so you'll have to find which books fit your travel style best. Cheers!
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Post by alice810 on Mar 11, 2009 22:54:36 GMT -5
Well, Thank you herrbert and Eagle.
Since my existing Guidebooks do not cover much stuff on the Berner Oberland, I have no idea how to plan this. Does the RS book list anywhere worth seeing? I think I will drop Geneve and Bern but putting those days on the Berner Oberland instead. Well, Eagle, I have taken a look at your album, Switzerland 2006. How can I get to Gimmelwald? None of my books mention this town. Switzerland is a cool country. I don't wanna drop it. Going up the Alps is a good idea. Yet, I'm worrying about my budget. It seems costly to go up the mountain.
Apparantly I miscalculate some problems. I do wish to have a good time in Switzerland though, so an exciting plan is essential to me. The route in other countries is fine to me. Simply the Switzerland part bothers me.
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Post by alice810 on Mar 12, 2009 5:01:58 GMT -5
Are there any local one-day tours to the Alps or Jungfrau? Where I can register for the tours? Also, are they expensive? Besides, I can only find Grindelwald in my travel books. I bet it is different from Gimmelwald as you guys all mention it. How can I get there?
Thanks so much~
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Mikul
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 82
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Post by Mikul on Mar 12, 2009 13:30:29 GMT -5
Are there any local one-day tours to the Alps or Jungfrau? Where I can register for the tours? Also, are they expensive? Besides, I can only find Grindelwald in my travel books. I bet it is different from Gimmelwald as you guys all mention it. How can I get there? Thanks so much~ You don't have Gimmelwald in your tour book? I would expect all Rick Steves books to have it, usually an entire section dedicated to it. I also see the city mentioned in Lonely Planet's Europe on a Shoestring. I will be spending 3 nights in Gimmelwald at the end of July. How to get to Gimmelwald: www.gimmelwald.com/getthere.html |
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Post by Eagle on Mar 12, 2009 15:16:03 GMT -5
alice810,It's not surprising that your Guidebooks didn't mention Gimmelwald. I've spoken with several people who live in Switzerland, and even they had never heard of it. They tend to confuse Gimmelwald with the much larger and more touristy Grindelwald, which is in the next valley over. As soon as you mention the word Schilthornbahn, they get the idea very quickly! The towns in the Lauterbrunnen Valley (including Gimmelwald) are quite small and somewhat "informal". These are excellent towns to see classic Swiss villages and culture and wonderful mountain scenery. There's not a lot of night life or entertainment. The largest city in that area is Interlaken. If you want a "mix" of city and country, you could spend a day or so in Interlaken and the rest of your time in the Berner Oberland. You can stay in either Lauterbrunnen, Murren or Gimmelwald (each is a bit different, so your choice). If you want to see some incredible scenery (including the peaks of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau), take the Cable Cars to the top of the Schilthorn. It was supposedly the world's first revolving restaurant and also the place where the James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was partially filmed. The Cable Car rides are a bit expensive, but I believe the first ride in the morning is discounted, and I believe there's a discount for those travelling with a Rail Pass that includes Switzerland. It's not difficult at all to get to Gimmelwald. Take the train to Interlaken Ost (there are two stations in Interlaken), buy a ticket for the Berner Oberland train and travel to Lauterbrunnen, cross the street and board the bright yellow Post Bus that travels to Stechelberg, and then take the Cable Car to Gimmelwald (it's the first stop and the legendary Mountain Hostel is only about a one minute walk from the Cable Car station). If you buy a ticket with Gimmelwald as the destination, it includes all modes of transport. For the return trip, buy the ticket at the lift station in Gimmelwald. You might want to have a look at www.gimmelwald.ch to see some photos of the area, and other information. Cheers!
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Post by alice810 on Mar 14, 2009 10:40:58 GMT -5
Do you recommend me to visit Grindelwald by the way? Is it a beautiful city?
How long should I stay at Gimmelwald? cuz I'm gonna go back to Lauterbrunnen hostel at night.
Sorry I'm so confused about my Switzerland part. This is my first trip to Europe especially such a long and complicated one. I do wanna visit Jungfrau cuz it looks fabulous!! Yet, my budget is tight. I'm gonna reserve CHF900 for 8 days in Switzerland, including transport, accomodation and food so I'm afraid I may not able to afford the cable car or train to Jungfrau. Anyway, Gimmelwald looks nice so I wanna go there. Is it near the Jungfrau? I mean is it a small town around the mountain?
As I have an Eurail Pass, can I have discount for the cable car to Gimmelwald?
Once again, Mikul and Eagle, thanks for your help!!
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Post by Eagle on Mar 15, 2009 1:30:29 GMT -5
alice810,
As Grindelwald is in the other valley from the one you'll be staying in, I wouldn't bother visiting there (especially if you're working with a tight budget). You'll have lots to see in the Lauterbrunnen Valley and if you want to see a "larger city", have a look around Interlaken.
If you're going to be staying in Lauterbrunnen, it's will be easy to take day trips to Gimmelwald and other sights in the area. Gimmelwald is primarily a small farming village, so there are not a lot "tourist attractions" there. The main attraction is the village itself, and of course the people. You might want to stop in the Mountain Hostel and have a visit with the group there. I believe Esthers B&B has a small shop that sells organic cheese and other items. If the weather is nice, have a cold Beer at Walter's Hotel Mittaghorn, which is uphill from the Cable Car station, along the trail to Murren.
From Gimmelwald you could either hike or take the Cable Car to the next (larger) village, Murren. There's a good Co-Op store there if you want to buy food and there are restaurants as well. It's a great place for photos! If you're interested in a short and fairly easy hike, you could take the Allmend-Hubel Funicular to the meadows above Murren and then hike down (about 2 hours).
You could also visit Trummelbach Falls, which are waterfalls inside the mountain. It's only a short Bus ride from Lauterbrunnen. There are LOTS of hiking choices in that area. The group at the Hostel will be able to provide all the details.
Based on what you've said, the ride on the Jungfraujoch would probably not be a good idea on this trip. The minimum cost from Lauterbrunnen is SF$133~ for the first trip of the day, although this is discounted as much as 50% with a Swiss pass. Also, this is a bit farther from Lauterbrunnen. The trip on the Schilthornbahn is a bit less expensive so might be better, as you'll still be able to see the mountain peaks. From Murren the ride to Piz Gloria / Schilthorn is SF$70~ and that is also discounted 25% for Eurail Pass holders or 50% for Swiss pass holders. Having a fine meal in the revolving restaurant while watching the scenery pass by the windows is a wonderful way to spend an hour or two!
I believe that a Eurail pass will provide a 25% discount on transportation in the Berner Oberland, provided the Pass includes Switzerland. That information should be provided with the Rail Pass.
Cheers!
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Post by alice810 on Mar 15, 2009 9:49:11 GMT -5
You are so informative!!!
Alright, I bet I will spend 1 night in Interlaken and 3 nights in Lauterbrunnen. In Lauterbrunnen, I will spend a day in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, a day to Gimmelwald and a day to Murren. Is it ok? For Gimmelwald and Murren, I will go back to Lauterbrunnen at night after the day trips. You mention the group. Do you mean the local tour organised by the hostels? Where can I take the Cable Car to Gimmelwald and Murren respectively? Are the Cable Car station difficult to find? Those two towns are not mentioned in my book LOL. I do wanna see something other than church, museum and some sort of buildings though. I wanna see the scenery in Switzerland!
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