4 weeks in Europe!! :D

[nanner]

Hi everyone!

My friend and I are first time travelers. We'll be backpacking Europe from May 25th - June 25th. So far all we've done is book roundtrip tickets to Paris. We wanted to start and end our trip there, even though it's in the middle of all the places we'd like to visit. I know now we should book railpasses and hostels. I'm open to any advice you have.

I know there are different eurail pass types. Not sure which we should choose. Also, if you guys have any top hostel choices, I'm all ears. If there are any places you think I should add to the list or take out, let me know. Thanks everyone, much appreciated !!!

Here's where we're hoping to go:

France: Paris
Italy: Florence, Rome
Spain: Barcelona, Seville, Ibiza
Netherlands: Amsterdam

I look forward to your responses.

[herrbert]

Hi nanner,

Only Amsterdam is further north, but also only a 4 hour trainride from Paris, so don't worry too much about that. I think you are at least not being too ambitious. How many days did you plan in each city?

I think that for Ibiza, you need to find a good spot. I think it will be possible to place that between Rome and Barcelona (I am sure there are ferries and flights between Barcelona, but you need to check if you can get there from Rome). If you like parties and dancemusic than Ibiza is the place to be. It's a party island, so be aware of that. If you don't like that Mallorca can be a better option, as there are many things to do, once you get away from the touristic parts of the island. (It would be good to rent a car, if you want to explore the rest of the island.)

I would add Granada to the list, you can fly Barcelona - Granada. (check Clickair.) Train Granada - Sevilla, and after that you can fly directly from Sevilla to Amsterdam (Vueling), but you can also head to Madrid first, and take a flight from there.

There are also some good options within in Italy to add if you want.

For both Granada and Sevilla I can suggest the Oasis hostels.

[Eagle]

nanner, Using open-jaw flights would have been a more efficient method (something to keep in mind for future trips).

I'd probably arrange the trip along these lines:

> Flight to Paris

> Tour Paris (how many days?)

> Budget flight to either Barcelona or Madrid form Paris CDG (check Vueling)

> Tour Spain, perhaps leaving Barcelona as the last stop

> Budget flight from Barcelona to Roma FCO via ClickAir or Vueling

> Rome (how many days?)

> Train to Florence

> Budget flight (Meridiana / EuroFly) or train from Florence to Amsterdam. Flight would be preferable, as that trip via train is a minimum of about 17 hours with several changes! One way to reduce that time would be to stop at an "intermediate point" for a day or two on the way to Amsterdam, which would break the journey into smaller segments (each trip via train would then be approximately 9 hours and 7 hours). One possibility for a mid-point stop would be Munich but there are others, perhaps Lucerne?

If you're planning to use any budget airlines, it would be a good idea to start booking these as soon as possible. A few important things to note are that the budgets have VERY restrictive baggage limits (pack light!) and also tickets are usually non-refundable and non-changeable once booked. Read their Terms & Conditions carefully!

Good luck with your planning!