elle116
Junior Travel Member
Posts: 1
|
Post by elle116 on Jul 24, 2011 12:53:42 GMT -5
My best friend and I (both 23 yr old females) will be taking our first European backpacking adventure this September to celebrate our graduation from college. We are both somewhat experienced travelers; myself as a student in Australia and southern Asia, she with her parents around eastern and southern Europe, so we are rather confident in our abilities to get around via air, rail, etc.
I've been working on our itinerary for some time and am having trouble maximizing what we see in the short 30-day time period. We have booked flights into London and return form Madrid. Also, we've booked a hostel in Munich for the first weekend of Oktoberfest (which is causing most of the itinerary trouble).
Please have a look at my current/rough itinerary and let me know what you guys think. I have a feeling we may need to drop Rome or take a radical reverse route London-Paris-Italy-Munich-Amsterdam-Spain in order to efficiently use our time there.
Rough Itinerary for the Sept 2011:
1- arrive London am, sightsee, early night due to jet lag
2- London
3- Lon (day trip to Stonehenge?)
4- London
5- Lon-Paris (3 hr) (half day in each place)
6- Paris
7- Paris (Day trip to champagne or wine area)
8- Paris
10- Paris (6hr overnight Paris- Amst)
11- Amsterdam (bike tour)
12- Amsterdam
13- Amst-Berlin (afternoon train)
14- Berlin
15- Berlin
16- Berlin-Munich (9am train) (day in Munich)
17- Munich (Oktoberfest)
18- Munich (Oktoberfest)
19- Munich-Rome (fly) (morning departure)
20- Rome
21- Rome
22- Rome
23- Rome-Barca (fly)
24- Barcelona
25- Barcelona
26- Barca-Madrid
27- Madrid
28- Madrid
29- Mad-USA (leave in am)
|
|
|
|
Post by madamtrashheap on Jul 24, 2011 21:48:18 GMT -5
elle116, welcome to GFE.
It's a good thing that you have your accommodation for Munich during Oktoberfest already booked - things are already booked out in some sectors - and Munich Airport is fairly large with a good selection of flight destinations, so keep that in mind if you have to rearrange the order of your itinerary. And you'll be happy you have booked an open jaw ticket so you don't have to backtrack to fly home, nice work.
Your itinerary looks fine at first glance, just a few questions:
1. How are you getting from London to Paris? If you haven't already, book the Eurostar asap to get the best ticket price. It's quicker and far more convenient than flying that route.
2. AMS - BER - would you consider flying this route? I ask because it may save you a little time. Check Transavia for flights.
3. BCN - MAD - again if you haven't already, look into pre-purchasing tickets on the express train on this route, just to sneak a little more time in. It's also quicker than flying this route.
4. Day Trips - you've noted that you want to visit Stonehenge from London, which is certainly possible. Look at a combination of Stonehenge and Bath with a tour company (Evan Evans, etc) to save you the hassle of trains and busses. Unless of course you only want to visit Stonehenge, in which case you will need a good half-three quarters of a day with train to Salisbury, bus to Stonehenge, then return.
Paris - the day trip to the Champagne region is again doable, but you may find that you want to stay in Paris instead as there is so much to see and do. Are you considering Versailles as well? If so, that will need half a day. And if you are going to the Champagne region for tastings, then take the train to the town of Reims and visit Veuve, Moet, etc in the town itself as well as see the cathedral (it's impressive) and have lunch. Or you can visit the Musee du Vin in Paris where they have a museum of wine making on one side and a restaurant on the other offering tastings (of wine and cheese!).
Munich - make sure you arrive at the Theresienwiese (Oktoberfest grounds) first thing in the morning (before 10am) if you want entry to one of the more popular tents/halls. If you get all 'Fested out, consider a half day trip to Dachau for a little history, and don't miss sitting in the Viktualienmarkt (market in centre of town) under the Oak Trees with a beer and a bratwurst to escape the O'fest crowds.
Madrid - one one of your days you may be able to fit in a day trip to either Toledo or Segovia.
Other than that, the trip looks great and you are pretty organised, which can only be a good thing. Happy travels!
|
|
|
|
Post by dumbdiety on Jul 24, 2011 21:54:53 GMT -5
First, welcome to the boards!
Since this is your first trip, I recommend you read Europe Through the Back Door. It gives all sorts of good advice for traveling!
Looking over your itinerary, it looks workable.
Since you have to be in Munich at a certain time, I would suggest dropping Berlin for an extra day in each previous city, as well as an extra day in Munich to visit the Castles.
|
|
|
|
Post by Eagle on Jul 26, 2011 1:27:17 GMT -5
elle116,
It's difficult to add anything to the excellent advice you've been given so far. However, I do have a few comments and questions.
Your Itinerary looks very well organized, and the order is logical. I'd suggest keeping Rome in the Itinerary as there's LOTS to see and so much history. It's also an easy trip from there to Barcelona.
Is there a particular part of your Itinerary that you're having difficulty with?
Regarding your flights from Munich to Rome and Rome to Barcelona, I'd highly recommend booking those as soon as possible. Which airlines are you using? Many of the airlines operate on a "sliding scale", so the prices will increase as the flight books up. Of equal importance, be sure to check the Terms & Conditions of the airlines, as they often have very strict baggage limits. In some cases, only ONE carry-on item of the approved size and weight is allowed. It's also a good idea to consider factors such as airport locations. Some of the "budgets" use very much out-of-the-way airports, which require time and money to travel to and from.
Upon arrival in Rome (assuming you're arriving at FCO), have you planned how to get from the airport to the city? The Leonardo Express is the quickest and easiest method, but DON'T forget to validate your ticket or the ride may be considerably more expensive than you planned!
What websites are you using to plan your rail trips? September is not far away, so it would be prudent to get all the arrangements completed as soon as possible.
Have you stayed in Hostels before? Be sure to pack a Towel, soap and a small-to-medium size Padlock for the Lockers (don't use the cheap TSA Locks, as they are NOT secure enough).
Have you got accommodations booked in all locations? I can suggest a great Hostel in Rome (it's very popular, so may be too late to get a reservation).
BTW, I'll also be making the trip by train from Amsterdam to Berlin sometime in September.
Good luck with your planning and Happy travels!
|
|
