Europe Planning: Itinerary
I'm backpacking through Europe starting June 18th and ending August 7th. Here's the itinerary:
- Fly to London, England
- Fly to Amsterdam, Holland
- Train to Brussels, Belgium
- Train to Paris, France
- Train to Nice, France
- Train to Barcelona, Spain
- Fly to Rome, Italy
- Train to Florence, Italy
- Train to Zurich, Switzerland
- Train to Munich, Germany
- Train to Prague, Czech Republic
- Train to Berlin, Germany
- Train to Amsterdam, Holland
- Fly to London, England
- Fly home
I'm traveling with two of my best buddies from high school, Dustin and Dan, Dustin's sister, Lindsay, and Dustin's girlfriend, Morgan. We're all getting 15-day train passes that allow us to train 15 days in two months. We're planning on spending 4-5 days in the cities that we really like and 1-3 days in smaller cities. A lot of people have recommended more depth than breadth, but all of us agree that we'd rather have breadth, at least for this trip. We might also check out the following cities if we have time:
- Pisa, Italy
- Cinque Perre, Italy
- Sienna, Italy
- Venice, Italy
- Lucerne, Switzerland
- Salzburg, Austria
- Vienna, Austria
- Olomouc, Czech Republic
I've only been to London and Canada so far, so these seven weeks should be a great experience. We'll primarily be staying in hostels and visiting internet cafes only occasionally. I've created another category, Europe, which is where I'll blog about the trip. I'm pretty excited to say the least. Give me some feedback! More planning to come soon.
April 2nd, 2008 - 22:30
Dude, you can’t leave Venice for a “maybe.” You have to go. I’ve been twice – it’s one of my favorite places.
April 2nd, 2008 - 22:32
You’re totally right. Everyone says we have to go to Venice, but I suppose what’s holding us back is the out-of-the-way train ride. Screw it. We should go.
Thanks for the inspiration, Eric!
April 3rd, 2008 - 07:45
I would go to the mountains…with a lot of kids…and make your own clothes…and sing alot…run from Nazis…these are a few of my favorite things to do in Europe…
April 4th, 2008 - 09:41
Wow, you’re going to have a great summer.
Based on my experiences last year, here’s a recommendation in favor of the Sleep Well hostel in Brussels, the Paris Metro and Museum Pass, and wholeheartedly against the D’Artagnan hostel in Paris. Also, since you’re in a group, you might find that splitting hotel rooms will come out cheaper and/or more effective than hostels in many cities.
Sweet! Make sure to write along the way and post when you get back.
April 4th, 2008 - 12:44
Great feedback, Sunil. Thanks!
May 4th, 2008 - 21:06
If you’re serious about Pisa and Cinque Terre, I’d recommend going Florence -> Pisa for half a day -> Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore is probably my favorite of the five towns for staying overnight) -> Milan -> continue with itinerary. Personally, I’d take Pisa/Cinque Terre over Venice…I found Venice to be great for a day, maybe two if you ferry out to the glassworks, but if you want some BEAUTIFUL countryside and amazing towns, Cinque Terre is the way to go.
Good luck!