30 Days in Europe

[bvonro01]

Hi There! I posted on the "Pre-Trip Planning" and got some advice on my travel ideas and I revamped my itinerary from the tips.. wondering if anyone can look at this and let me know how it looks thus far?? I'll be spending ~30 days in Europe flying from either Ohare (chicago) or JFK (nyc) whichever is cheaper...

unfortunatly i think im going to have to go in july (i know hot and crowded but it's the only time my friend who wants to come is able to)

so here are the thoughts now:

*London*- Arrive early AM day 1. there Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 leave AM for Amsterdam (either by flying or flight train
*Amsterdam*- Arrive afternoon Day 4. There day 5, Day 6, Day 7 AM leave for Paris (by rail)
*Paris*- Arrive afternoon Paris Day 7. There day 8, Day 9, Day 10, leave Afternoon Day 11 for Madrid (by air)
*Madrid*- Arrive late afternoon Day 11. There day 12, 13, 14. Day 15 leave AM for Barcelona by rail.
*Barcelona*- Arrive Afternoon Day 15. There Day 16, 17. Day 18 leave AM for Venice (By air took out NICE)
*Venice*- Arrive late afternoon Day 18. There Day 19, 20. Leave Day 21 early afternoon for Rome by rail
*Rome*- Arrive afternoon Day 21. There Day 22, 23, 24. Leave Day 25 afternoon for Athens by air
*Athens*- Arrive late evening in Athens Day 25. There day 26. Day 27 early- ferry to Mykonos. Day 28- AM/afternoon ferry back. Athens Day 28, Day 29.
Day 30- Fly to either NJ/NY airport and/or Chicago airport...

if you guys dont mind and have an opinon on the revamped thing... just the 2 questions on transportation from Barcelona to Venice AND the day trip to Mykonos..

Also- not including the flights to and from the USA--- is 3500$ enough? I didnt think so but my friend said thats all she might have so would it be possible? If not, ill let her down now

Thanks a bunch!!

[Eagle]

bvonro01,

Some answers on your most recent questions.....

- For the trip from Barcelona to Venice, travel by budget air would be the easiest method. I believe Air Berlin and Vueling both offer flights from BCN to VCE. As you'll be travelling in July, booking early would be a really good idea to get the best price, but be sure you read the Terms & Conditions provided by the airline. Usually the budgets in Europe only allow ONE carry on item, so you'll probably have to pay to check your main luggage.

- The day trip to Mykonos is going to be a bit challenging. Travel by normal Ferry will be about 7 hours return, so it wouldn't leave much time on Mykonos. Fast boats would reduce this somewhat. You could fly to Myknonos via Aegean Air, however the timing of their flights is not good for a day trip. The flights I checked depart Athens at 14:25 while the return flight departs Mykonos at 15:35. That would provide you with 35 minutes in the airport only! You might want to plan at least one night in Mykonos or choose another island. Have a look at www.greektravel.com for ideas. You might also consider a day trip to Hydra, as that might be easier.

Regarding your travel budget, I suspect that might be a bit low. The usual "guideline" is to allow for a minimum of US$100 per day, but that doesn't include Railpasses or airline tickets. That will be affected to some extent by Euro / US$ exchange rates next July, and there's no way to predict that. You should also plan on having a bit of a "cushion" for unexpected expenses. Perhaps your friend could mention "cash" on her Christmas wish list?

I'll defer to the collective wisdom on the Board on your budget question.

Good luck!

[herrbert]

I was looking up a flight from BCN to Venice a while ago, through edreams.com and it came up with a cheap flight, but I couldn't see which company it was, as it only said economy. Those were cheaper than the flights by Vueling.

There are some other options to fly into instead of Venice. Ryanair will go to Treviso and also to Pisa. It's not ideal, but it could be a possibility to make it work.