Going to EUROPE for 3 weeks

[newdude]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Yeah so this will be my "vacation" before med school.

I'm going to london and from there i'm gonna try to spread out as much as i can.

any advice on where to go, france, belgium, switcherland and how best/cheapest to get there. and what to do in england.

thx SDNers

 

[tulane06]

Sweet, I am also going to be in Europe for 3 weeks-month, although I will be starting in Germany and working my way to England via the Low Countries and France. To get from London to the other countries, try EasyJet. It typically costs ~25 dollars for a one way ticket to Paris for example. However, there is a limit as to how much baggage you can take. If you don't want to do that, I believe it will cost ~75 dollars to take a train from London to France via the Chunnel. PM me if you want more info.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

Yeah so this will be my "vacation" before med school.

I'm going to london and from there i'm gonna try to spread out as much as i can.

any advice on where to go, france, belgium, switcherland and how best/cheapest to get there. and what to do in england.

thx SDNers

Go see Prague. Out of this world!

 

[sparkysgirl]

I'm thinking of starting in Greece then heading North and west to Italy and eventually London. Something about the sunny warm weather along the Mediterranean is drawing me there. Thanks for the advice about easy jet, I may have to try that.

 

[LT2]

be ready to spend a LOT of money in england, it's expensive!! prague i hear is amazing and relatively cheap. germany is awesome, so are amsterdam and italy. easyjet/ryan air are good bets for cheap flights but know where the airport is that you're flying into. (ie if you fly into london on ryan air, it's london/stansted and a 20 pound ($40 USD) 45 min bus ride into the city of london and frankfurt is a nightmare). skyskanner.com is a great website for cheap flights all over europe. pm me if you have questions and have fun!

 

[lobster M.D.]

Go see Prague. Out of this world!

i second this, did 35 days in europe last summer, went allll over, top three places for me were iceland, prague, and france (tour de france, ima biker), so yea, get to prague and spend many days there, munich and dublin are also really fun cities, remote parts of italy, anywhere you go will be a blast, i am jealous, i would like to go out there again and follow some tool shows this summer, but alas i have no money, so im heading to yellowstone instead, have fun, get a eurorail pass for sure

 

[nikibean]

Buy Your Train tickets through England, even if it's from London to wherever RIGHT NOW if you can (www.virgintrain.com? or www.virgin.com, link to trains) if you think you're going anywhere outside of London (Liverpool, Manchester, etc). The Curry Mile in Manchester is awesome. Penny Lane in Liverpool has great pubs. You'll learn to love Pastys, Fish&Chips and Curry, and will have some of the best Indian food of your life. Pints are about L4, which is around $7. Dude. Don't spend more than 2 days in London if you want to have any kind of cash left.

To fly: RYANAIR.com and EASYJET.com ... they're the equivalent of southwest air for Europe. I got a fantastic deal roundtrip from Liverpool to Barcelona. GO TO SPAIN if you can, especially if you speak spanish- Madrid is awesome, Sevilla (Se-vee-ya, not "seville,") is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Barcelona has some incredible architecture done by Gaudi - the Parque Guell is incredible. Monserrat, outside of Barcelona, is a gorgeous Monastary with hiking trails that give a good piece of nature. Barcelona is easy to get to from southern France, I believe.
Just check the deals- they always have them, and it's ALWAYS more expensive to fly back into England than it is to fly out due to airport taxes.

PM me if you want any info about Spain. I've been there a few times and I absolutely loved it. My ex grew up in Liverpool, too, so I'm relatively familiar with England- we spent some time there in Aug 03.
Have a great time. Bring your quad-band cell phone if you want service (makes hotel bookings easier, yet so hotels.com works as well). Buy a phone card/sim card when you get there. It's easy.

Do yourself a favor and if you dont have a Lonely Planet yet, get one for the country you're going to. They're awesome.

 

[etown]

Go to Interlocken, Switzerland. Stay at Balmer's (hostel). Go paragliding, bungee jumping, etc in the Swiss Alps. And rent a bike, bike around the lakes and all. It's amazingly beautiful.

Interlocken

 

[2Xtrouble2X]

Yeah so this will be my "vacation" before med school.

I'm going to london and from there i'm gonna try to spread out as much as i can.

any advice on where to go, france, belgium, switcherland and how best/cheapest to get there. and what to do in england.

thx SDNers

a heads up !!! visit all the muesuems in england...they're all free !!! they have some amazing treasures...plus, USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION--dont rent a car...big mistake!!!

oh and about getting to france, belgium,...don't buy tickets from london...they're expensive as HELL--especially when you look at the currency conversions...try buyin some tickets from the US or just roam the streets of london lookin for agencies to get a bargain !!! hope this helps...

 

[GujjuNo1]

Sweet, I am also going to be in Europe for 3 weeks-month, although I will be starting in Germany and working my way to England via the Low Countries and France. To get from London to the other countries, try EasyJet. It typically costs ~25 dollars for a one way ticket to Paris for example. However, there is a limit as to how much baggage you can take. If you don't want to do that, I believe it will cost ~75 dollars to take a train from London to France via the Chunnel. PM me if you want more info.

I am also going to Europe and plan to fly around one of the abovementioned arilines. I am going to Rome the venice then paris and zurich.

What kind of baggage restrictions do they have?

 

[biggoron42]

england's exchange rate w/the US is terrible, so expect to spend quite a bit of money there. that said, while in london, check out the british museum and tower of london and make sure to get pics of westminster abbey, big ben/parliament, and trafalgar square. the london eye ferris wheel thingy is a great way to get panoramic shots.

other than that, there is enough in england to occupy your entire three weeks. edinburgh is a kickass city if you are into medieval/old-style architecture, i really enjoyed it. the skyline walking out of the train station is breathtaking. also, sort of in the same vein, be sure to check out oxford and cambridge. and if you get to ireland, please leave dublin as soon as possible, its overcrowded, dirty, and the alcohol, especially in temple bar, is SUPER EXPENSIVE (because of all the tourism). the countryside is great, though. tons of scenery and good people.

 

[gujuDoc]

Yeah so this will be my "vacation" before med school.

I'm going to london and from there i'm gonna try to spread out as much as i can.

any advice on where to go, france, belgium, switcherland and how best/cheapest to get there. and what to do in england.

thx SDNers

Are you trying to go to a lot of countries with each one for a few days or trying to go to a few countries but a lot of places within the few selected countries?? It depends on which one of those ways you want to go.

My bro, mom, and I went to Europe for 3 weeks in summer 01.

We basically stayed at each country we went to for 2-3 days, with our longest stay in London since we had family friends and family members to see there.

What we did........

We arrived in London and stayed with our friends for 2 days, then went to Paris via the Eurorail underground train system that goes underwater from England to mainland Europe.

From there we stayed in Paris for 3 days of which we went to Versaille one day via train.

Then we went to Geneva, Switzerland for a day or 2 before taking an overnight train to Italy. We went to Florence for 1 day, Rome for 2 days and Venice for a day or 2. Then we went to Vienna, Vienna Austria via train and back.

I might be forgetting one of the places, but I think I got it all.

Essentially, I found that Paris and Versaille were fun. So was Vienna, Austria. however, I found Switzerland to be boring, unless you go to the Alps which are supposed to be gorgeous.

Italy...Rome was cool bc of the historical aspects but Florence was actually the prettiest of the 3 cities.

I would probably go places like Germany or Austria because it is sooooo fun and beautiful there and lots of things to do like night life or touristy things. I'd also go to France and Italy for a bit. I wouldn't go to Switzerland at all because there was nothing to see over there.

As far as London goes, there's the historical sites to see and then there's nightlife there as well.


We used bed and breakfast inns rather then expensive hotels. This cut down the cost and was a bit more fun because it was a bit more cozy then going to a hotel atmosphere. To save money on things like food, try eating at small cafes rather then the major restaurants. That's what we did. We also ate at McDonald's there a few times because it was cheaper. McDonald's in Europe tastes nothing like the fatty greasy stuff here. The food is very different there.

When in England, the best stuff to see is the Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, and all the tourist stuff. But other then that, the only other major thing is nightlife or stuff not too different from America. Also, the English countryside is nice so if you get a chance you could always go to Oxford. But other then that, I'd say that was one of the least exciting parts of our trip and would have been more boring if we didn't have friends there.

 

[gujuDoc]

Just remembered something. There's a really cool museum in London in which they have wax statues of various famous people. Its pretty neat and if you get a chance to see it, I'd go. I forget what its called right now, but if I remember I'll post it here.

 

[biggoron42]

Just remembered something. There's a really cool museum in London in which they have wax statues of various famous people. Its pretty neat and if you get a chance to see it, I'd go. I forget what its called right now, but if I remember I'll post it here.

madame tussaud's

 

[LT2]

I am also going to Europe and plan to fly around one of the abovementioned arilines. I am going to Rome the venice then paris and zurich.

What kind of baggage restrictions do they have?

i think ryanair has a one carry-on and one checked luggage with a 15 kg weight limit. if it's over you have to pay a fee (i don't remember how much).

as far as tour books go, i've found the rick steve's series to be even better than the lonely planet series.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

Have you considered Moscow?

 

[JS15]

Definitely check out rome...awesome place...you feel more cultured just breathing in the air/smog there...and the italian femininas are smokin...

 

[drmota]

you'll want to be in germany (munich, berlin or hamburg) in early july to see what world cup fever is all about.
-mota

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

To fly: RYANAIR.com and EASYJET.com ... they're the equivalent of southwest air for Europe. I got a fantastic deal roundtrip from Liverpool to Barcelona. GO TO SPAIN if you can, especially if you speak spanish- Madrid is awesome, Sevilla (Se-vee-ya, not "seville,") is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Barcelona has some incredible architecture done by Gaudi - the Parque Guell is incredible. Monserrat, outside of Barcelona, is a gorgeous Monastary with hiking trails that give a good piece of nature. Barcelona is easy to get to from southern France, I believe.
Just check the deals- they always have them, and it's ALWAYS more expensive to fly back into England than it is to fly out due to airport taxes.

nikibean we went to a lot of the same places 👍 I agree that Seville ( 😛 ) is a gorgeous city (and Cadiz, as long as you're down there). My friend and I decided to go to a bullfight but not to spend more than $20 on tickets...we ended up in the front row next to all the bullfighter's families! It was amazing, a must see, in my opinion. Speaking of bulls, if you time it right so that you're in nothern spain (real easy if you are in france) for the running of the bulls (el Encierro) it is pretty damn fun...although more touristy than I had imagined. Lots of partying and the near-by San Sebastian is absolutely gorgeous. If you do go to Pamplona, get reservations now... We slept in a park one night.

Barcelona is great too. Montserrat was a must see (and has a miracle-working Madonna) along with all the Gaudi attractions (the park is my fave). By the way, there is a wonderful restaurant in Barcelona called Los Caracoles (I won't tell you what that means 😀 ). One of the best meals i have ever had...and I didn't even have the caracoles. so if someone reading this is going there you have to go for me! I would also recommend going to Bilbao just to see the Guggenheim. Madrid was fun too, but not my favorite...although I would do just about anything to be in the Plaza right now sharing a pitcher of sangria 🙁 I regret not getting over to Portugal, I've heard it is fun and everything is real cheap.

If I had 3 weeks and wanted to do more of a "europe" trip as opposed to exploring one country, I would start in Paris and end in Rome. However, my dream trip would be to make a full loop, moving north from paris into belgium and amsterdam, then south through germany and maybe the czech republic, down through italy and then over to spain..although this would be best as a 5 or 6 week trip I think.


After writing this post I have decided that if I don't get into med school I am going to work for 8 months and travel for 4...for the rest of my life.

 

[drmota]

zoom zoom - i am moving to barcelona for 6 weeks. i will go to that restaurant for you.
-mota

 

[Sux_Is_In]

loved england, been there twice. PM me if you have questions/want suggestions.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

zoom zoom - i am moving to barcelona for 6 weeks. i will go to that restaurant for you.
-mota

That's awesome. I'm so jealous. Just remember.. "Una jarra de sangria, por favor"...this applies for your whole trip, not just los Caracoles.

Oh, the creme brulee will make you poop yourself....you'll thank me later.


When do you go?

 

[drmota]

i leave may 25th for madrid. then sevilla and san sebastian. i get to barcelona june 4th and stay for 4 weeks. so stoked.
-mota

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

i leave may 25th for madrid. then sevilla and san sebastian. i get to barcelona june 4th and stay for 4 weeks. so stoked.
-mota

you should be. again, I'm so jealous 😡 Sounds like I did a very similar trip to yours...holler at me if you have any questions about transportation/things to see, etc.

 

[Fluorine 9]

.

 

[Tinsley55]

If you go to Italy and don't do cinqueterre, you're making the biggest mistake of your life. Period.

 

[DrMike24]

Im going to Amsterdam, London, France, Italy, and Greece.... its part of a planned trip. I was going to plan it all on my own, for me and 3 friends, but it was just a pain, and I signed up with a tour group for college students. PM me if you want more info. Its basically one price, and gets you round trip airfare, hotels, transfers between cities, entrance tickets, tour guide, breakfast, etc.

 

[annamoo]

Yo dudes

I live in Europe and have been here for a year and a half, in Innsbruck, Austria. It is in the Alps (the only major European city that is actually IN the Alps, if you consider 128,000 peeps major...) and is the most georgeous place imaginable, plus pretty small and very easy to get around. If any of you plan on visiting Austria, you must come to Innsbruck if you like mountain biking and outdoor stuff. Vienna and Salzburg and Graz are nice but the Big I is my home! And I would be more than happy to show you around, here is a pic of the city and the Old Town where I live

http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Austria/West/Tyrol/Innsbruck/photo280830.htm

http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Austria/West/Tyrol/Innsbruck/photo323517.htm

That's not what the city looks like right now, we still have a decent amount of snow on the mountains, but you get the idea. If you're not into extreme mountain biking or anything, you can come here and go hiking from hut to hut in the Alps and spend the nights in the huts, and are welcome to come to my place to do your laundry!

Also I don't know who started this rumor in the US that trains in Europe are cheap but it is not true. Buying normal priced train tics is ASS EXPeNSIVe in Austria and Germany. The really good rail passes are only for residents, but I think on studentuniverse.com you can get some cheaper ones. If you are in Germany, you can get a rail pass for one province that covers the entire province for one day for 5 euros. You can also travel with 5 people for the price of one in a province, at least in Bavaria, with the Bayern Ticket. Also there are amazing deals from Austrian cities that you don't need a rail pass for, for ex you can get from Innsbruck to Venice for 29 euros one way, which is a really good deal bc it normally costs about 80 euros one way, and remember this is euros, and the dollar is so ****ty that is like a lot of dollars, dunno how much bc I only think in euros now....Also you can get from Vienna to Budapest for 19 euros one way...and or hostel in Buda was 5 euros a night....if you need links to the Austrian or German federal railway sites, PM me, and if you need help translating any German lang site, PM me although many of them have English versions.

As for traveling around Europe, the way I do it with my Austrian friends here is to find the cheapest way in each country. Spain has cheap buses, so when I go to Spain I ride the bus around to each city, which takes a little longer than the train but its Spain and no one is in a hurry anyway.

Hmm what else....I love Venice and go there fairly often, and my ex is from Prague so I go there a lot too, love it, also to Vienna and cities in Austria. I was just in Venice for Carnival and it was amazing, but so crowded I could not believe it. Literally. You could not walk. NO walking. Impossible....and I was in Budapest last weekend and it is niiiice. Relatively cheap when you aren't in the Old Town, and beautiful. But I am used to having everything teeny now bc I live in Austria, the land of Alpine villages, so I thought it was really huge. Warsaw is also cool, although I heard Krakow is the bigger tourist destination in Poland, Greece is georgeous, and one of my roommates is from Serbia and we are driving to Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro this summer. Montenegro is really special bc they have huge cliffs and then the seaside...best of both worlds...so go to the Balkans if you have the chance and want to see another side of Europe.

And here is a list of European airlines that I use.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Discount_airlines_in_Europe

One of them has flights from Barcelona to Venice for 10 euros one way, which I will be booking shortly for the summer! For hostels I always use www.hostels.com and for flying from London Stanstead (not heathrow) try Ryan Air, you can fly to Salzburg for a penny sometimes, and a pound to fly back. Some of these airlines won't change your luggage for you, so pack lightly...


Here are some more pics of Tirol (my province where Innsbruck is), where i have yet to hear any yodeling, but you should seriously come here! It is very central and easy to get to Italy, Germany, Switz, Czech, etc

http://www.tiscover.at/at/guide/5,d...r,EUR,season,at1,selectedEntry,home/home.html

And the beer is seriously cheaper than the water here, no joke, and yes we do drink it for breakfast!

Anna

 

[newdude]

thanks guys

you have been great.

i was planning on doing a week in england and a week in switcherland.

i think 2-3 days in belgium and 2-3 in france.

i want to stay there more but i gotta go somewhere else after this.

also, i have to come back to london b/c there's were my returning flight is, so i shouldn't fly in b/c it's so expensive.

so any specific places to visit at these places i have mentioned.

thanks

p.s. don't tell me to visit this artsy fartsy crap, that's not the type of dude i am. what a shock right. I do love nature thought and old buildings and historical stuff.

 

[waterlily]

I was planning a trip starting in spain, then going to paris, then few cities in italy, and then end in greece. I was thinking about taking eurail train. Would this be cheaper or do you think flying would actually be cheaper?

 

[burton117]

Definitely go to Praque! An awesome city with an old world feel... Dirt cheap too!

And if you are ever on the train through Switzerland - don't ever take the night train. The views from the train alone are worth the price of the ticket. A truly unforgettable train ride.

In 1999, I backpacked through the following countries - an awesome 6 month experience!

Iceland, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Chech Republic, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

On a different trip, I went through Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Israel, Vatican City and Italy! Probably a little far from Europe, but Italy and Greece are definitely too far away for any short term backpacking trip through Western and Eastern Europe.

 

[newdude]

Do I need visa for: france, belgium, switzerland, and czech republic.

i checked that i don't need it for britin.

 

[burton117]

Do I need visa for: france, belgium, switzerland, and czech republic.

i checked that i don't need it for britin.

Check this out - it should answer your questions...

FOREIGN ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

 

[etown]

Do I need visa for: france, belgium, switzerland, and czech republic.

i checked that i don't need it for britin.

No.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

Do I need visa for: france, belgium, switzerland, and czech republic.

i checked that i don't need it for britin.

I haven't been to the other places, but I can suggest some things in Prague.

In Prague, go see St. Vitus Cathedral (Svateho Viteha), St. Nicholas Church (Svateho Mikulasky Kostel), Charles' Bridge, the Old Town Hall, the Astronomical Clock, the National Theater, Vysehrad Castle, Old Town Square, Tyn Church, the Rudolfinium, the Vltava river (on Charles bridge), the Hradcany Castle, the Old-New (Staranova) Synagogue, the Pinkas Synagogue, the Jewish Graveyard, the Jewish Quarter (Josefov), the Mala Strana (German Quarter), etc.

But I'm sure you can just get the travel books on Prague, they're pretty good.

Also, in the Czech republic, if you can, go see Cesky Krumlov, a really nice medieval town. Plzen has some of the best beer in the world. Ceske Budejovice is the source of Budweiser and Karlovy Vary has really nice mineral springs, if you like that, and Brno in Moravia (Mendel was from there).

 

[annamoo]

NO you will not need a visa for any EU country, but you will for Russia, and its expensive

I agree with the train night thing. If you are going thru Austria's Brenner pass to Italy, or anywhere in Austria or in Switz where there are Alps, don't sleep on the train!

Whether the flights are more exp than the rail passes here really depends on where you are going. Some of the airlines on the link I posted above specialize in eastern Europe, so Poland Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech, etc would be cheap. But many of them only fly to a few cities and some are much cheaper than others.

Like I said above, try studentuniverse.com and click on Rail at the top, and see what they have

Otherwise try here:

http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/eurail_selectpass_youth.htm

If you are under 26, these deals are pretty good. I can tell you that a one way ticket from Innsbruck to Frankfurt without a train card is 140 euros which is waaay over 200 USD, and it is a 7 hour ride, so you can see that a 5 day pass to be used in 2 monthsa in 3 diff countries for 249 USD is a really good deal.

So I think planning a dirt cheap Euro trip isn't easy, and it takes a lot of time, but use hostels.com and the airline link I already listed and these rail links and I think you can do it pretty cheaply!!!


Have fun
Anna

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

I can tell you that a one way ticket from Innsbruck to Frankfurt without a train card is 140 euros which is waaay over 200 USD

At the current exchange rate 140 euros would be ~170 dollars.

 

[gujuDoc]

thanks guys

you have been great.

i was planning on doing a week in england and a week in switcherland.

i think 2-3 days in belgium and 2-3 in france.

i want to stay there more but i gotta go somewhere else after this.

also, i have to come back to london b/c there's were my returning flight is, so i shouldn't fly in b/c it's so expensive.

so any specific places to visit at these places i have mentioned.

thanks

p.s. don't tell me to visit this artsy fartsy crap, that's not the type of dude i am. what a shock right. I do love nature thought and old buildings and historical stuff.

at your last comment. When I was at the Louvre, it wasn't the art that most amazed me or even the famous Da Vinci painting of the Mona Lisa. It was the building itself that fascinated me because it was formerly a palace and had many different passageways that made it seem kinda cool.

I would go to the Versaille Palace if you are into old historical buildings and palaces. To go to France or Belgium from England, the Eurorail would be a good route. It takes you via train under the water from England to France or England to Belgium if you want to do it that way. Then you could take train rides from France to the other places. Of course there's also the other things in Paris like the Arc de Triumph and Eiffel Tower. Paris and Versaille in and of itself would be 2-3 days if you are going to France. One day for Versaille, and the other 2 for Paris.

If you go to Switzerland and love nature, then go to the Alps. They are gorgeous, although I only saw them from the train ride view.

I would go to Zurich over Geneva. Geneva doesn't have much to do.

Or go to Munich.

 

[gujuDoc]

I was planning a trip starting in spain, then going to paris, then few cities in italy, and then end in greece. I was thinking about taking eurail train. Would this be cheaper or do you think flying would actually be cheaper?

I don't know about current rates, but back in summer 01, it was definitely one of the cheaper routes. That's what we used then. If you are going to Italy, I'd go to Rome for the rich history and then pick a few cities such as Milan, Pisa, Florence, and Venice. I loved Florence but we were there only for a day. Milan is supposedly very beautiful too. I didn't like Venice so much.

 

[gujuDoc]

Sounds like a lot of us "pre-first-year" students will be bumping into each other at youth hostels around Europe perhaps? I hope that's the case.... you guys seem like a trustworthy bunch when it comes to sharing youth hostel rooms with strangers.

I'm planning to backpack around Europe for about a month... anyone else May-June?

Soooooo true. It seems like all the SDN peepz are going to Europe. My friend and I were talking about going next summer, just last night. It would be sooooooo cool.

When I went before, I went to France, England, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria.

I'd love to go to Spain, Portugal, Greece, other part of Italy, and back to France and Austria. Oh and london to see fam. friends.

 

[riceman04]

Yeah so this will be my "vacation" before med school.

I'm going to london and from there i'm gonna try to spread out as much as i can.

any advice on where to go, france, belgium, switcherland and how best/cheapest to get there. and what to do in england.

thx SDNers

ryan air all the way!!!!
and easy jet too!

Taking the eurostar through the chunnel I thought was 75 quid...I may be mistaken though.

Check out amalfi Italy too and Sorrento....beautiful and cheap.

Also check out Spain too (islands off of spain are amazing spots too).

I heard prague is beautiful too.

 

[waterlily]

I just tried looking up airfare from CA to europe to travel in July and the only airfares I could find were around ~$1400. I was wondering if it's possible to travel to Europe for any cheaper?? Does the airfare differ much depending on what country you fly into or is it about the same regardless of what country you travel to? I'm planning to go to florence, rome, paris, madrid, and athens while I'm there. I was thinking about flying into Paris and then going from there.

 

[2Xtrouble2X]

I just tried looking up airfare from CA to europe to travel in July and the only airfares I could find were around ~$1400. I was wondering if it's possible to travel to Europe for any cheaper?? Does the airfare differ much depending on what country you fly into or is it about the same regardless of what country you travel to? I'm planning to go to florence, rome, paris, madrid, and athens while I'm there. I was thinking about flying into Paris and then going from there.

cheapest fares are in winter time...

 

[LT2]

I was planning a trip starting in spain, then going to paris, then few cities in italy, and then end in greece. I was thinking about taking eurail train. Would this be cheaper or do you think flying would actually be cheaper?

every time i've gone, flying was cheaper and faster.

someone mentioned the cinque terre, what was so bad about it? i thought it was beautiful... and the food was fantastic.

 

[DrZee]

Hey every1,
I was wondering if you will be going alone on this eurotrip or with a bunch of friends or in groups....Is it feasible to go around europe entirely alone as a student (female)?
Are any taking tour guided trips thru several countries?? How does the cost compare to just backpacking by yourself? Im just asking cuz I enjoy traveling more with people and those who are fun to be around so I am having doubts about whether I should just go this one alone.....
Thanks!

Definitely will go back to London. Most likely Rome, Amsterdam, French and/or English countryside, Mediteranean Coast, Cyprus, Eastern Europe, Greece, Western Turkey, Istanbul, Egypt (yes, not technically "Euro"-trip), Lebonan, Syria, AND oh...Spain, hmm..maybe: Austria and Germany.
Possibly 2-4 months on this trip....I want to be totally immersed in this expedition.

 

[PariPari]

GERMANY!!! WC '06

am i the only person going?! soo excited team melli woot woot



i😍 emoticons

 

[annamoo]

I travel in Europe by myself all the time but usually to go visit friends. I have never stayed at a hostel by myself but when we were in Venice we met an English girl traveling Europe by herself and she hadn't had any probs, the hostel was small, quiet and safe, and all the hostels I have stayed in have been fine. I have had more probs at American hostels in New Orleans and NYC than I have ever had in Europe. Also a good friend of mine traveled in Europe for 6 weeks alone 2 summers ago, but she stayed in hotels, met some MTV veejay and hung out with him or something...

point being that if you travel alone and want to meet other peeps to hang out with and possibly travel with, you will. Doing a tour has obvious advantages, but you can't do what you want and might be stuck traveling with a bunch of weird peeps you don't know, didn't choose and can't get away from.


I would not travel in a Middle Eastern country alone as a female, considering that they already think Western women are really easy and loose, and that they themselves need a male escort in some countries when they want to go in the city. A British friend of mine has a bro living in Lebanon, and I am basing what i am saying on her years of traveling in the Arab countries. 2 of her female friends went to Morocco alone and were both raped, on the same night by the same 2 guys, and she herself was assulted at a womens' public pool changing room in Lebanon, and she had an escort, her bro, waiting outside for her. The fact is that SOME OF THEM (NOT ALL: READ SOME) think Western women are very slutty.

Anyway other than that I think you will be fine, it helps if you speak the lang in Eastern Europe bc the signs often have the following languages to choose from: Polish (or Czech or Hungarian depending on the country) German and Russian. And no one inHungary speaks English...at least we had a really hard time finding anyone who did, but i have traveled in countries where I don't speak the native lang alone, but bc of my German it was ok, and I was always going there to meet a native of that country...except Budapest...and see above statement...


summer plane fares to Europe are high. If you come in march you can fly 284 RT on travelocity from Austin, but the weather here is sometimes **** and sometimes perfect right now so that's why.

Again, try travelocity, choose flexible dates for the best prices, and also studentuniverse.com I don't work for any of these peeps but thats where I always buy my tics.

Viel Spass!

 

[JulioFly]

www.tripadvisor.com is so excellent

 

[red dot]

i'm planning to go as well! hurrah!

 

[DrCarebear]

I too am traveling out of the country (to Central America). Is anyone on waitlists who is traveling? If so, how are you handling it? I'm a bit worried that I might miss "the call."