Hello everyone, I'm new here and this is my first post, so I apologize in advance if I unintentionally breach any etiquette! I would love to hear any input or advice for a 2-3 month trip to Europe I have planned starting in April. This will be my first trip overseas, and as the stars have aligned and allowed me the time and money to do this, I'm very excited!
I have spent many many hours researching each individual country, travel routes, costs, etc so I have a fairly good idea of what I am getting into. I also have a friend who lives in Mainz Germany who I plan on staying with for a few weeks and using their place as a base to explore most of Germany, and the closer attractions like Paris, Amsterdam, Prauge, etc. I have already decided, with advice from my friend, to travel by rail during my whole stay in Europe and am purchasing a pass shortly.
What I need help with are the more far flung places, like Eastern Europe, Greece, Spain and Italy, Scandanavia, and The UK. What are the must sees? must do's? I have also been wondering is it better to do UK by rail (as they are not part of the Eurail Pass and I would need to purchase a seperate Brit Rail pass) or is it better to just rent a car for a week or so?
I think my biggest problem so far is trying to decide how much time to devote to each country to really get an opportunity to see the "best of's" as well as some of the more off the beaten track places. I am sure a country like Denamrk will not take as much time to see as, say, Spain. So I guess Im wondering, if you had 2-3 months to see all of Europe, which countries would make the list?
My other roadblock is that I'm not the type of person who likes to plan everything ahead of time, I like to be able to go with the flow. Are hotel rooms or Hostels or other types of accomodations failry easy to find without advance reservations? When does the tourist season start in full? Also, I may be missing something, but I noticed alot of the local trains require a reservation. Can that be done the day of or maybe a day before? Like I said, I'm kind of a spur of the moment type of guy. Also Im not too big on the toursity spots. Sure I'd like to see the iconic stuff, but I'd much rather take a scenic hike, view some really beautiful outdoor scenery,or check out a local pub or village then see a museum or a house someone famous lived in.
I know this is turning into a novel, and it's alot of ground to cover, but any little bit of advice is welcome and appreciated greatly!! Thank you for your time and consideration!
CH
Help with 2-3 month tour of Europe
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Welcome to Fodors. Just a couple of quick comments now -others will chime in.
" . . . 2-3 months to see all of Europe, which. . . . "
You can't see ALL of Europe in 2 to 3 months. But you can see a lot. Just don't try to go everywhere. That will be exhausting and probably not very satisfying. W/ as much traveling as you are considering - a railpass might make sense. But I seriously doubt you will use the trains enough in the UK for a Britrail to be at all cost effective.
When we were young we did a ten week trip that started in Germany (Wolfsburg to pick up a car) and the went through Austria, Yugoslavia and Italy for five weeks and then France for another five weeks. We had some constraints: meeting my future mother-in-law in Florence (she was traveling around the world) and my parents in the south of France.
In your case, for two or three months, it might be worthwhile doing the purchase/sell program offered by Peugeot and Renault (http://www.renaultusa.com/ ) depending if your touring emphasis is small towns and countryside or large cities where there is a stiff parking cost and complicated driving rules such as ZTL (zones limited to local residential traffic).
Get a map of Europe, read guidebooks that deal with Europe as a whole, and start figuring out a preliminary itinerary.
You cannot see an entire continent in 2 or 3 months. You can see lots of places, though. Don't buy a railpass until you have your itinerary nailed down - it may be cheaper to buy point-to-point tickets in advance.
I totally agree with getting a map of Europe (pin it on a wall and put pins in it - old-fashioned, but works wonders), and read guidebooks that deal with all of Europe,
Thanks for the replies! I realize I won't be able to see every country in 3 months, so was hoping to get help narrowing down the 24 countries the Eurail covers to something more manageable like 12-15, spending a week or less in each. Ive already decided to skip Finland and Sweden, and just do Norway and Denmark for my Scandanavian tour for example.
Michael, I did look into renting a campervan, as well as the buyback program, but decided since the train network is so extensive, supplemented by local bus service, that it would be much more cost effective to do the Eurail Pass. Im not looking to go anywhere that is so far flung a bus wouldn't even go there! Not to mention, I would rather sit and enjoy the views of the country by train rather then having to keep my eyes on the road and worry about parking.
I guess what Im looking for is just some tips or advice on the highlights, both natural and historic, of each country from someone who has experienced them, as well as advice on the other topics I mentioned (accommodations, reservations, etc) Looking at everything each country has to offer has been exhausting, and sometimes Im not always sure that what the tourist guides say are a must see are really something I personally must see. For example, I really would like to see Delphi in Greece, but it looks really out of the way (which appeals to me)and would like to know if it is worth the effort. Maybe that will give an idea of what Im looking for. Im not opposed to getting off the beaten path, but don't want to waste precious time either. Also,I would love to get to the places the locals would go rather then plodding along with a bunch of tourists like me!
I think what other posters are trying to say is each persons highlights and lowlights is different. Where have you always dreamed of going? For me, I'd always had a love of London and Sherlock Holmes so naturally I went to London and since Paris was only a train ride away I spent some time there as well. Do you know a foreign language-you could brush up on your French in France or Spanish in Spain.
First thing just make a list of everything you want to see in Europe-doesn't matter how long the list is. Second, rank them in importance-which would you like to visit now as opposed to later. I will say that unless you are over 60 chances are you will be heading overseas again someday.
I don't know how old you are but Lonely Planet or Lets Go might help in planning such a complicated itinerary.
As for hotels, I've found that the TripAdvisor forums as well as Fodors have helped in locating more economical hotels in cities.
A couple of other things to think about:
It's very tempting to try to visit a lot of places on your first trip, but the result is likely to be that you'll spend a lot of time (and money) travelling (instead of being there), and your experiences will be fairly superficial. You might consider instead mixing some longer stays (e.g., 2 weeks in a country, with up to a week in a key city) with some hop-around phases. You're doing a bit of that already with your base in Mainz, but you might think of picking another couple of "anchors" for your trip.
You might think of picking a theme or two for your trip. Pick something that interests you and could be serious or silly. For example, you could try to hear live music in each place you visit (different kinds), or visit a church (or synagogue) in each place, or take a cooking lesson, or visit city hall or the city's museum of local history, or photograph paintings that contain dogs (something my husband does - he has a friend who loves dogs), etc.
Sorry, but Delphi - although well worth seeing - is firmly on the tourist trail. Really, anywhere you find in a guidebook is pretty well discovered or it wouldn't be there. You could head east rather than west from Germany if you want somewhat less visited places, it will be cheaper, too.
Besides the map - you might buy Thomas Cook's Rail Map - I suggest buying or borrowing Lonely Planet's "Europe on a Shoestring" which will give you some idea of reasonable itineraries, and of costs.
Sorry, but Delphi - although well worth seeing - is firmly on the tourist trail. Really, anywhere you find in a guidebook is pretty well discovered or it wouldn't be there. You could head east rather than west from Germany if you want somewhat less visited places, it will be cheaper, too.
Besides the map - you might buy Thomas Cook's Rail Map - I suggest buying or borrowing Lonely Planet's "Europe on a Shoestring" which will give you some idea of reasonable itineraries, and of costs.
Well, that time will fly by! I could easily spend a whole month in one country and only scratch the surface. IMHO April, May and June are ideal months for an extended trip to Europe. You will probably be given advice to start in the south and work your way north as the weather gets warmer, but that's not always the best tactic. I would much rather go to Greece in June, but would be happy to visit London or Paris in April.
What I would recommend, as others have done, is go back to your research and planning, narrowing your destinations down to a more manageable number. Then come back to Fodor's and make some specific posts, tagging them for individual countries rather than all of them together.
My travel blog might help you in some way. The information's are not the latest but will give you some idea of doing your trip. Any question just drop me a comments.
http://www.travelathousandmiles.com/preparations-2/
Thanks for the advice everyone