24 Days in Europe - How does this sound?

[jab1985]

Hey everyone.... just joined the board. I've enjoyed reading people's various itineraries and thoughts! Its very interesting.

So anyway, a friend and I are studying in Barcelona this summer from May 26th until July 14th. We are planning to do some backpacking after the program and before we start grad school this fall. We plan to backpack from July 14th until Aug. 6th (24 days). This is our itinerary as of now. Neither of us has backpacked across Europe before, but last summer I visited the French Riviera and Naples/Capri while on a cruise, so I'm somewhat familiar with traveling in the area by train and ferry. I have heard suggestions of maybe substituting Umbria/Todi instead of Venice, but not sure how that would work. I'd love to get in on some of those truffles!

Anyway, any thoughts on whether this itinerary below seems reasonable would be great! Thanks.

July
14 Train from Barcelona to Nice (arrive early evening, 10 hours traveling)
15 French Riviera (Nice)
16 French Riviera (Cannes, Monaco)
17 Train from Nice to Geona (3 hours), Genoa to Cinque Terre (3 hours)
18 Cinque Terre
19 Train to Venice (arrive afternoon, 6 hours)
20 Venice
21 Train from Venice to Florence (arrive late morning, 2 hours traveling)
22 Florence
23 Florence
24 Train from Florence to Naples (3 hours), Ferry to Capri (arrive afternoon)
25 Capri (Anacapri + skylift)
26 Capri (Blue Grotto + rest of island)
27 Fly from Naples to Athens
28 Greek Islands (definitely want to do Santorini)
29 Greek Islands
30 Greek Islands
31 Greek Islands

August
1 Fly from Athens to Istanbul
2 Istanbul
3 Istanbul
4 Istanbul
5 Fly to Madrid
6 Leave Madrid to US

[Eagle]

jab1985,

Welcome to the Boards! Your Itinerary looks reasonably well organized, especially as you've allowed for adequate travel times between locations.

A few comments and questions.....

> July 16: I'd probably drop Cannes from the list and focus on Monaco with perhaps a short visit to Monte Carlo (which is just across the bay from Monaco). You could also stop in Villefranche or Eze for a short look as they're on the way from Nice to Monaco. Cannes and Monaco are in different directions, and there's really not a lot to see in Cannes (except for lots of ritzy yachts in the harbour). With only one day, you can have a good visit in one location or a very brief and cursory visit in two. While visiting Monaco, you can watch the Changing of the Guard (11:55 daily as I recall), visit the Church where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier are interred or visit the Oceanographic Museum (quite interesting!).

> July 19th: when buying tickets for the train to Venice, note that your destination will be Venezia Santa Lucia (NOT Mestre).

> July 24-26: Where are you planning to stay on Capri? Note that it's VERY expensive there and at that time of year it's going to be hot and crowded! Pre-booking accommodations would be a really good idea!

> August 1: I'm assuming you'll be travelling with a U.S. Passport? Note that you'll need a Visa for visiting Turkey. You can purchase a "sticker Visa" at the airport when you arrive in Turkey, however you'll need US$20 in exact change in CASH. The fee is US$60 for those travelling on a Canadian Passport. You might check the Turkish Embassy website to confirm that.

> Flights: Pre-booking your flights would also be a good idea, especially at that time of year. Note that many European budget airlines operate on a "sliding scale" and the prices increase as the flights fill. Be very careful to read their terms & conditions! In many cases, tickets are non-changeable and non-refundable once purchased. Also, usually only ONE carry-on item is allowed and baggage limits are strict!

Hopefully the others will have a few comments as well.

Happy travels!

[jab1985]

Thanks so much for the advice! I would never have known any of those things haha, especially about the visa for Turkey. Much appreciated!

[herrbert]

Another crazy idea.

Spain is packed with holidays. Would it not be possible to make a 4 day trip to Nice and back from Barcelona, so that you can fly into Venice for this trip? Or Pisa from Gerona, from where you can get to La Spezia, and further to CT. It would save you a lot of time, which can be used in the other cities, you plan to go and maybe add Umbria for the Trufas. Have a day more in Cinque Terra, so you do the hike.