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I'm planning my first solo trip to Europe next summer for 47 days, starting from June 17 to Aug. 2. I've been doing a lot of reading already, but I still have some questions. My budget is 3,000-4,000 US dollar including airfare and transportation and accommodation. At first, I was planning my trip around Tomorrowland at Belgium, but maybe I should just skip it...
I'm interested in WWII history, therefore I want to visit Auschwitz & Normandy...(Do you guys have other suggestions?) I also want to follow the usual tourist route such as London, Paris, Vienna, Prague, Berlin and Amsterdam... I know many of you guys suggested not to over-plan or try to see many things at once. I made a rough itinerary and I was wondering if you guys can give me feedback and suggestion.
Rough Itinerary: Planning around Tomorrowland.
1 week- London
1 week- France (I was thinking of staying in Paris for 4 days then go to Normandy for 3 days)
3 D/N- Switzerland (Take a night train from Normandy to Interlaken)
3 D/N- Munich (I want to visit the Neuschwanstein castle on the way)
3 D/N- Vienna (Maybe a stop-over in Salzburg?)
With Bratislava (1 day) and Krakow (3 day & 2 nights):
At first I want to take a trip to Bratislava for a day and take a night train to Krakow and visit Auschwitz from there and take a night train to Prague). If I skip these places, I was thinking of going straight to Auschwitz..
4 D & 3 N- Prague (Take a night train to Berlin)
5 D/N- Berlin
3 D/N- Amsterdam
3 D/N- Brussels (Tomorrowland festival on July 26-28. If I skip this festival I'll have 3 days to explore Belgium and possibly visit some WWII sites)
With this itinerary I'll have extra 5 days at the end of Belgium. If I do go to Tomorrowland, I can use the 5 days to explore Belgium and possibly back to the Netherlands.
If I skip Tomorrowland, Bratislava and Krakow, I'll have an extra 8 days. How should I utilize these 8 days? Should I go to Ireland and Scotland since I'm planning on departing from London. Any suggestions please?
As for transportation, is it wise to get a Eurail pass to get around the Schengen countries? What about in England? Should I get a hop on-off bus? Also where can I find free tour guides? I ordered Rick's Steve book, "Europe Through The Back Door 2013". I'm planning on getting a map of Europe too.
Please don't bite my head off. Lol. Any suggestions is welcome. Thanks in advance.
It's still a little fast so you may want to consider skipping Austria and Slovakia and spending more time in other places but it's ok.
Thanks for replying ToadofToadHall. I was also thinking of dropping Switzerland since I'll be going to Neuschwanstein and Salzburg anyway. I'll still see some of the countryside. As for Normandy, I'll do more research and find the best way to get there from England. Yeah I'm thinking of dropping Slovakia.
My concern is your budget. 47 days with your maximum of $US4000. is around €50 a day.
If (as you say) that also includes your air fare, it won't work at all.
I don't see how you can eat, sleep and travel on that budget.
How have you calculated that budget yourself tobe practical?
That's all.
Budget not with standing I have a couple of points to make, firstly Krakow should not be missed given your interests. Also look in to ferries from Portsmouth to Caen to visit the war cemeteries.
Tryfan I want to go to Bath, and I'm thinking of ending my trip of UK there. From Bath to France via ferry as you suggested.
Edited by: IMCHESKA
There are trains from Bath to Portsmouth every 30mins and it takes about 2 hours. Try to book your ticket in advance for the cheapest fares.
A couple of links for you:
Ferries: http://www.directferries.co.uk/
Trains: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
London and Paris is must-see in my list.
I really want to see the Neuschwainsten Castle. Is there anyway I can go from Paris to Fussen without going to Munich? From Fussen then off to Vienna. I also want to see Auschwitz, Berlin Wall.
As for WWII: I want to see landmarks, artifacts from the war. I've checked out the Imperial War Museum. Unfortunately, it's closed from January-July 2013. But I definitely want to check out Churchill War Room and the HMS Belfast since they're both in London. I'm also want to see Anne Frank's house, one concentration camp, preferably Auschwitz, Hitler's bunkers, D-Day related sites, memorials.
I've decided to make a loop b/c I'm thinking of arriving/departing in UK. But I've heard of open-jaw ticket b4. Rt now if I'm doing the loop starting from UK.
Much appreciated :)
Edited by: IMCHESKA
If not it makes things simpler. If not I would do the following route:
London-Bath-Caen(via Portsmouth ferry)-Paris-Amsterdam-Berlin-Prague-Krakow-Vienna-Munich.
I would then either fly back to London for your connecting flight or see if you can go home straight from Munich. You could also do this the other way round and fly straight to Munich when you get to London.
A few points:
Hitlers bunker in Berlin doesn't exist, afterb the war Germany basically tried to forget everything about him (understandably), the bunker location is now a car-park! In Berlin make sure you do a 3rd Reich walking tour.
Krakow is not just about Auschwitz, it is a fantastic city in its own right (one of my top cities!).
Munich is also a fantastic city and not just stop off for Fussen.
Ahhh, I didn't know about that. I actually found a tour group led by Terry Brewer. I know any WWII tour related is must-do in my list. Have you done any tour b4? If so, what is your favorite? Do you have any favorite sites in Germany and other countries I've listed?
Go cities: London (8), Paris (8), Brussels (3), Amsterdam (3), Berlin (5), Prague (4), Krakow (3), Vienna (3), Munich (5) = 6 weeks instead.
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First Solo Eurotrip
Hey guys.I'm planning my first solo trip to Europe next summer for 47 days, starting from June 17 to Aug. 2. I've been doing a lot of reading already, but I still have some questions. My budget is 3,000-4,000 US dollar including airfare and transportation and accommodation. At first, I was planning my trip around Tomorrowland at Belgium, but maybe I should just skip it...
I'm interested in WWII history, therefore I want to visit Auschwitz & Normandy...(Do you guys have other suggestions?) I also want to follow the usual tourist route such as London, Paris, Vienna, Prague, Berlin and Amsterdam... I know many of you guys suggested not to over-plan or try to see many things at once. I made a rough itinerary and I was wondering if you guys can give me feedback and suggestion.
Rough Itinerary: Planning around Tomorrowland.
1 week- London
1 week- France (I was thinking of staying in Paris for 4 days then go to Normandy for 3 days)
3 D/N- Switzerland (Take a night train from Normandy to Interlaken)
3 D/N- Munich (I want to visit the Neuschwanstein castle on the way)
3 D/N- Vienna (Maybe a stop-over in Salzburg?)
With Bratislava (1 day) and Krakow (3 day & 2 nights):
At first I want to take a trip to Bratislava for a day and take a night train to Krakow and visit Auschwitz from there and take a night train to Prague). If I skip these places, I was thinking of going straight to Auschwitz..
4 D & 3 N- Prague (Take a night train to Berlin)
5 D/N- Berlin
3 D/N- Amsterdam
3 D/N- Brussels (Tomorrowland festival on July 26-28. If I skip this festival I'll have 3 days to explore Belgium and possibly visit some WWII sites)
With this itinerary I'll have extra 5 days at the end of Belgium. If I do go to Tomorrowland, I can use the 5 days to explore Belgium and possibly back to the Netherlands.
If I skip Tomorrowland, Bratislava and Krakow, I'll have an extra 8 days. How should I utilize these 8 days? Should I go to Ireland and Scotland since I'm planning on departing from London. Any suggestions please?
As for transportation, is it wise to get a Eurail pass to get around the Schengen countries? What about in England? Should I get a hop on-off bus? Also where can I find free tour guides? I ordered Rick's Steve book, "Europe Through The Back Door 2013". I'm planning on getting a map of Europe too.
Please don't bite my head off. Lol. Any suggestions is welcome. Thanks in advance.
1
At least there's obviously been some thought process to your trip. I'd suggest you visit Normandy before Paris (as you go through Normandy between London and Paris). I'd skip Interlaken. Beautiful spot it may be but it's a bit of a detour - head to Munich from Paris (there's probably an overnight train or something). Visit Neuschwanstein and then Salzburg (you can spend a day in Salzburg) then onto Vienna, Bratislava, Prague, Krakow, Berlin, Amsterdam, Belgium.It's still a little fast so you may want to consider skipping Austria and Slovakia and spending more time in other places but it's ok.
2
ToadofToadHallThanks for replying ToadofToadHall. I was also thinking of dropping Switzerland since I'll be going to Neuschwanstein and Salzburg anyway. I'll still see some of the countryside. As for Normandy, I'll do more research and find the best way to get there from England. Yeah I'm thinking of dropping Slovakia.
3
hi....My concern is your budget. 47 days with your maximum of $US4000. is around €50 a day.
If (as you say) that also includes your air fare, it won't work at all.
I don't see how you can eat, sleep and travel on that budget.
How have you calculated that budget yourself tobe practical?
That's all.
4
Like battybilly says there may be an issue with your budget, can you clarify this, ideally expressing €/day AFTER the initial airfare.Budget not with standing I have a couple of points to make, firstly Krakow should not be missed given your interests. Also look in to ferries from Portsmouth to Caen to visit the war cemeteries.
5
Yeah, I know. I already decided to increase my budget to $6000=4686euro=99euro/day. I also posted this on W. Europe section. I might dropped other cities too: Swiss, Munich, Bratislava, Krakow and lengthened my days in possibly in UK or decreased my trip, if needed.Tryfan I want to go to Bath, and I'm thinking of ending my trip of UK there. From Bath to France via ferry as you suggested.
Edited by: IMCHESKA
6
Budget sounds much better!There are trains from Bath to Portsmouth every 30mins and it takes about 2 hours. Try to book your ticket in advance for the cheapest fares.
A couple of links for you:
Ferries: http://www.directferries.co.uk/
Trains: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
8
WW II history? Here's a place I've been meaining to get to http://www.lacoupole-france.com/en/9
Hey Tryfan, thanks for the links. I checked it out and played around with it. I didn't think it would take 6 hrs to get from Portsmouth to Caen. I checked out the other stop which is Cherbourg, it's less time in the water but it still takes the same amount of time to get to Caen. I've never taken a ferry ride for that long b4, only a 5 min ride from Staten Island to NYC lol. I'm a little uncertain, but if it's the quickest way to get to france, then what the heck, I'll do it lol.London and Paris is must-see in my list.
I really want to see the Neuschwainsten Castle. Is there anyway I can go from Paris to Fussen without going to Munich? From Fussen then off to Vienna. I also want to see Auschwitz, Berlin Wall.
As for WWII: I want to see landmarks, artifacts from the war. I've checked out the Imperial War Museum. Unfortunately, it's closed from January-July 2013. But I definitely want to check out Churchill War Room and the HMS Belfast since they're both in London. I'm also want to see Anne Frank's house, one concentration camp, preferably Auschwitz, Hitler's bunkers, D-Day related sites, memorials.
I've decided to make a loop b/c I'm thinking of arriving/departing in UK. But I've heard of open-jaw ticket b4. Rt now if I'm doing the loop starting from UK.
Much appreciated :)
Edited by: IMCHESKA
10
Are you still going to Tomorrowland?If not it makes things simpler. If not I would do the following route:
London-Bath-Caen(via Portsmouth ferry)-Paris-Amsterdam-Berlin-Prague-Krakow-Vienna-Munich.
I would then either fly back to London for your connecting flight or see if you can go home straight from Munich. You could also do this the other way round and fly straight to Munich when you get to London.
A few points:
Hitlers bunker in Berlin doesn't exist, afterb the war Germany basically tried to forget everything about him (understandably), the bunker location is now a car-park! In Berlin make sure you do a 3rd Reich walking tour.
Krakow is not just about Auschwitz, it is a fantastic city in its own right (one of my top cities!).
Munich is also a fantastic city and not just stop off for Fussen.
13
No, I've decided to skip it. I would rather take my time and enjoy each countries. Yes, I've considered the other route b4. I'm going to try find an open jaw ticket and end my trip in Munich.Ahhh, I didn't know about that. I actually found a tour group led by Terry Brewer. I know any WWII tour related is must-do in my list. Have you done any tour b4? If so, what is your favorite? Do you have any favorite sites in Germany and other countries I've listed?
Go cities: London (8), Paris (8), Brussels (3), Amsterdam (3), Berlin (5), Prague (4), Krakow (3), Vienna (3), Munich (5) = 6 weeks instead.
