First Europe Trip!!! (21 Days)

[allison]

Hey all! I have read countless posts which have helped immensely, but now that I have a little bit of a clue, I need more specific advice. I am planning a trip with my 2 best friends for 21 days in the end of July and early August. We are interested in daytime sightseeing, good food, and nightlife. We are trying to budget between $2500 and $3000 per person. This is what we have agreed on so far...

barcelona, spain
venice, italy
munich, germany
budapest, hungary
prague, czech republic
brussels, belguim
amsterdam, netherlands
london, england

flying out of London is the only plan that is set in stone, everything else is subject to change.

I know we are being overzealous on how many places we can hit in Europe this summer and I definitely underestimated how long it would take by train to get from city to city, I just don't know what to do about it. We are at 8 cities and I think we need to cut it down to 6 max.

One thing that we could do, is stick to western Europe by cutting Prague and Budapest and possibly replacing Venice with a city in France or another city in Spain. This way we could stick to trains and get a deal on rail passes. OR we could use a few cheap flights for some travel days and trains for others, keeping the eastern cities, but maybe cutting Venice and Brussels. OR we could potentially disregard geographic proximity, pick only 5 cities that we want to visit the most and just fly everywhere to cut on travel time. there are obviously a million ways that we could cut this, I just don't know how to make the decision.

Any Ideas?

[madamtrashheap]

allison, welcome to GFE.

You've recognised that 21 days for all of those cities is a stretch, so you're on the right track with planning, let's see if we can help with the decisions on a revised itinerary.

For the cities you've listed, the following are recommended amounts of time in each place (full days, not nights):

Barcelona - 2-3 days
Venice - 1-2 days, depending on your interests
Munich - 2 (allows for 1 day trip to castles and 1 for city and Dachau)
Budapest - 2
Prague - 2-3 depending on day trips planned. If no day trips, then 2 days min.
Brussels - 1, but then I'd suggest (again, depending on your interests, ie if you want to visit the art museums in Brussels) having time in Brugge/Bruges, about 2 days if you want to do a day trip to Ypres/Iper, with only one or even half a day in Brussels.
Amsterdam - 2
London - 3-4 depending on day trips.

Don't forget, if you plan your travel between cities right, you'll be able to sneak in some time at the start or end of each day in cities, even just to explore an area rather than a museum (depending on time of day of course).

If you are considering flights as well as trains, you could do the above itinerary, but you may find it helpful to consider your reasons for visiting each city and then assess if it can still stay in your itinerary.

Are you flying into Barcelona or is your first destination still being decided? Is the budget you've mentioned in addition to flights to/from Europe or all up? Also, as I am sure you are aware, July and August are the peak of Summer so the sooner you sort your itinerary, the sooner you can book accommodation and transport.

[allison]

Thanks! that is very helpful a few things have changed since my last post though. We have cut our trip down to 16 days and are no longer going to Barcelona or Venice. So... we are flying into Budapest.

Budapest 2
Prague 3
Munich 2
Brussels 2
Amsterdam 2
London 3

I think this is a much more feasible itinerary. to answer some of your questions, I am actually studying in London until late July and my 2 friends are meeting me at our first destination, then we are ending in London to fly out together. The 3000 budget is including flights to and from Europe. do you think it is do-able? I have already booked hostels in prague and amsterdam so dates are beginning to be set in stone.

I have a question about Munich. We certainly want to go to a big city in Germany, partially because we are avid beer lovers but also for the culture. However, it doesn't seem like you are too excited about Munich in particular. Is there another city which you think would be of more interest?

thank you so much for your help! we would really like to book flights this weekend. I am so excited!!!

[Eagle]

allison,

Regarding your question on Munich, I think it's a great choice for cities in Germany (one of my favourite spots!), especially as you're "beer lovers". There's LOTS to see and do there!

For "beer lovers", I'm sure you'll want to check-out the Hofbrauhaus. A bit "touristy" but there's about three floors of beer drinking. The main floor is a bit of a "zoo" at times, and it's not uncommon to find people passed-out in their seats. There's an "unusual appliance" in the men's washroom for those that have imbibed too much (I wasn't able to see the ladies washroom, so not sure if it's equipped with the same type of "appliance"). There are some awesome wheat beers in Munich, so you'll want to sample all types.

Depending on your time, you could tour Dachau or the Castles of "Mad King Ludwig" in Fussen (Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau). One interesting point is that Neuschwanstein was reportedly used as the "model" for the Snow White Castle at Disneyland. It's very opulent inside, and interesting to see how "the other half" lived at that time (although Ludwig only occupied the Castle for a short time before his somewhat "untimely and unexpected" demise). You might have a look at www.radiustours.com at that would be the quickest and easiest way to do those day trips. They take care of all the arrangements. Allow about half a day for the Dachau tour and perhaps six-seven hours for the Castles tour. While you can travel to the Castles and tour on your own, the tours of the Castle have specific appointment times, and if you miss your time, you're out of luck!

In Munich, there's also the Deutsches Museum (16 kM of exhibits!), Viktualien Market, English Gardens, some incredible Churches and of course Marienplatz which is always interesting. It's an incredibly beautiful Bavarian city! You might find it worthwhile to have a look at a Guidebook for some ideas on activities that might interest you in Munich.

Regarding Brussels, you might consider Bruges instead, or perhaps base in Brussels and take a day trip to Bruges (unless there's something specific you want to see in Brussels).

Be sure to allow for adequate travel times between the cities on your list! I haven't checked, but I suspect you'll need about half a day for each trip (Munich to Brussels will probably be longer).

Cheers!

[madamtrashheap]

allison, I'm not sure why you got the impression I am not "too excited" about Munich, it's one of my favourite cities in Germany. As Eagle has noted, there are an array of things to see and do (and eat and drink, btw!) in Munich, and it's a great base for visiting the surrounding sights and areas.

Eagle mentioned the Hofbräuhaus, which is a great place to visit for a beer and a pretzel, even if it is a little "touristy". He also mentioned the Viktualienmarkt which is the market in the centre of town and it has a great beer garden in Summer, so grab a Bratwurst and a Maβ (a Stein in Bavaria) of beer and find a bench under the oak trees. The Englischer Garten is a great place in Summer, full of people (in various states of undress) and another beer garden. Even if you don't drink beer, beer gardens are the quintessential Bavarian Summer experience.

With regard to other cities in Germany, Berlin is also a great place, but with the itinerary you have listed, it will only be possible to include it by removing another city as 3 full days are a good idea when visiting Berlin. I'd keep Munich in as planned and if you can't find flights to Brussels (you should be able to find cheaper ones) then at least you're aware of a long train ride ahead.