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3/26/2008 1:07:59 PM

Time to buy plane tickets and Eurail passes. As a preface, my trip is going to be about 6 weeks...starting in Paris and ending in Spain. I'm going to be doing somewhat of a sideways "U", starting in paris, then amsterdam, berlin, prague, austria, switzerland, croatian coast, italy, and ending in Spain (not exactly a perfect "U", but close enough).

So questions:

Did some searching and have found the cheapest plane tickets happen to be round-trip tickets from Raleigh to Paris at right around $860. I tried to find a cheap flight going from Spain to RDU, but they were all around $700. So I figure I'll just get a quick flight/train ride back to Paris so I can do the round-trip ticket. So does that $860 sound about right??

As far as Eurail passes go, I'm thinking about getting a 2month/15 day pass. I'm still barely a youth (25 and under), so that pass is around $750...which I thought was a little expensive. When I was on the Eurail website, they offered some multi-country passes and a combination of other passes that might have been cheaper. I'm just a little worried about changing my trip because of what my Eurail pass allows me to do. I'm also just a little worried that I might run out of "days" on that 15-day pass. I found out that overnight rides count as two days. When I counted the number cities that I wanted to visit, it was right around 13. Thoughts? Should I do the 2month/15 day or try and combine passes? Also, is there a special student rate?

5/12/2008 11:09:21 AM

i'm glad that i searched for this thread. i'm going for a month after november 4th.

i'm planning ahead on the airfare and found a flight for $250 base fare out of Dulles Airport (DC) into Heathrow.

I'm going to go by myself, which should be interesting.

One question though, anyone know if most hostels have places to store a backpack? That's what I'm planning on bringing with me, but I wasn't sure if I could bring a daypack with me too and just use that when I'm walking around the cities.

5/20/2008 10:40:27 PM

Quote :

"One question though, anyone know if most hostels have places to store a backpack?"

The ones I went to had lockers you could rent out by the day.

5/20/2008 10:53:37 PM

My roommate is trying to convince me that I don't need a Eurail pass. I'm gonna be over there for right at 6 weeks and plan on making 13 major stops. But I'm sure I'll stop at some smaller towns in between. He thinks I can do a lot of cheap flying in between big cities and buy a Eurail ticket when I need one. I don't have a specific itinerary, just a starting point (Paris) and ending point (Madrid), with a bunch of places I want to visit in between. So I think a Eurail pass would allow me a lot of flexibility. But at the same time, I'd like to save money if I can.

Thoughts??

5/21/2008 8:23:55 AM

from the reading that i've done (and i haven't been, so take this for what its worth) but it seems like having the rail pass is the best idea for flexibility. I was looking at their train system and its incredibly large, nowhere like our crappy system over here.

5/21/2008 8:47:51 AM

if you are looking for some alternatives to hostels you can check out couchsurfing.com

5/21/2008 9:41:31 AM

^^^ try looking up the cost of train tickets in between the cities you're planning to go to now (through the country-specific websites, i know germany is bahn.de and i think austria is oebb?), just to get an idea of how much it costs then see how that compares to the eurail pass

5/21/2008 10:58:25 AM

Once you get the Eurorail pass it is free to travel anywhere in Western Europe. You may pay for a reservation if you definately want a seat. I know some countries in Eastern Europe aren't on the program. When I went in 2006 I got a pass for 4 weeks for like 600 and it was well worth it. We flew between two cities too, when our passes ran out. In most cases it takes longer. 2 hours before the flight and you are a non- EU citizen which means longer lines in the airport. Also most of these cities have airports far away from the city center while the train stations are more centrally located.

5/21/2008 11:04:24 AM

I am in Europe right now on a 3 week trip. I have a Eurail pass, and would definitely say go for it. There are just so many train rides you will be taking; not just from city to city, but usually if there are any things you want to see outside of a city. It is worth it just to eliminate the hassle of buying tickets. You hop on the train and are off; some trains do require reservations though, so just make sure you check on that.

Every hostel I have stayed in has had either lockers in your room or a luggage storage room; usually both. Any hostel that does not have something like that is not the kind of place you are going to want to stay in. Every hostel I have stayed in so far has been great. For what its worth...

Belfast - Belfast International Youth Hostel
Munich - Euro Youth Hotel
Freiburg - Black Forest Hostel
Bern - Hotel Glocke
Florence - Hostel Archi Rossi

If you are in Switzerland, I cant recommend enough going to Interlaken and doing a day trip up the Jungfraujoch. The train trip was like $130 even with my Eurail pass, and I think it was $180 without, but it was so worth it. The most amazing thing Ive seen on this trip.

Picture I took yesterday:



In 11 days I have been to Parc Asterix near Paris, Belfast, Dublin, Munich, Freiburg, Europa Park, Bern, Interlaken, Venice, and arrived in Florence tonight. After a couple of days here it will be on to Pisa, Barcelona, Port Aventura, and Paris. I have to say, I was kind of freaking out about traveling to Europe for the first time as you seem to be, and any worries seem silly in retrospect. I adjusted pretty much immediately, but Im going to be pretty pissed when I get home because I have become way too used to the ease and efficiency of mass transit here.

5/21/2008 6:52:39 PM

Got my passport today, actually only took the State Department two weeks to process.

One step closer to Europe!!!

6/10/2008 8:30:36 PM

It's a good time, I went about two years ago right after I graduated. Went to Germany, Switzerland, Amsterdam and France.

France was my least favorite

6/10/2008 8:45:58 PM

When I did it it was the world cup, It was the greatest experience of my life and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It would be a great time to be there now with the Euopean Cup going on. It would be nuts.

6/10/2008 9:49:37 PM

Just booked my flight. November 16 through December 17th. Four weeks in Europe by myself.

Sahweet!

6/11/2008 5:42:52 PM

By far the best place in Italy - Cinque Terre, spend a couple days there, it's well worth it.
http://www.google.com/search?q=cinque+terre

6/11/2008 7:10:28 PM

train is the best way to travel in Europe

hostels can be booked easily via http://www.hostelworld.com
if you have a Student Advantage card they will waive the $2 booking fee... but they'll do that anyway on your third booking so I'd consider the cost versus the savings before buying one of these

check out WikiTravel for good, free city guides

I strongly recommend that you travel to Budapest as it is very cheap and the most beautiful city in Europe

6/11/2008 10:46:54 PM

I'll totally recommend Carpe Noctem Hostel in Budapest
its the best hostel I've ever stayed in

most hostels will have lockers for you to secure your pack
there are also lockers to rent in most of the big train stations

travel lightly
lay out everything that you think that you will need and then toss 1/3 to 1/2 of it

remember Europe has stores and shit and you can buy most of what you need

Central and Eastern Europe are great places to travel because the US$ still has some clout there
otherwise be prepared to feel like a Mexican cause your money is worth less than HALF the Euro

DON'T get ripped off at exchange offices - be aware of the exchange rates but understand that changing your money is going to cost you no matter what

honestly it would have been a good idea to buy some Euros quite a while ago

6/11/2008 10:52:10 PM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ8zwI4i3s

6/11/2008 11:40:50 PM

I just got the iphone and you can download applications that give you key phrases in other languages. i downloaded french and italian, but they have a ton. it'll definitely help get me around both France and Italy

Ready for November so that I can start my trip!

7/17/2008 10:49:31 PM

anyone have any good thoughts on rail tours through the swiss alps. i found one website, but it wasn't all that helpful. i'm trying to find out how much they usually cost, and how far in advance they usually book up.

7/22/2008 8:23:50 PM

^Have you bought your rail pass yet??

I haven't and I'm leaving in September. I've put off a lot of planning for this trip because i've been studying for the bar. My whole month of August will be spent getting ready for this trip and bartending so I can make extra cash to spend.

My trip has taken a big turn though. I wasn't planning on stopping in the Greek Islands (because its a little expensive for my budgeted trip and also slightly out of the way). However, right before I quit my job at my bar to study for "the Bar", we hired this bartender who lived in Santorini for 6 years. He ran a bed and breakfast and bar there...and he's going to be there for 4 weeks...right smack in the middle of my trip. Said he would put me in a place to stay and take care of me for as long as I wanted to stay.

So I'm trying to figure out at what point in my 6 weeks am I going to fit Santorini in there (arriving and departing from Paris). We've also started to talk about me possibly getting a job and a work visa and staying there on a more permanent basis.

Shit...I can't wait to get out of this country for a while.

7/22/2008 8:35:36 PM

I need to buy my rail pass. Waiting for the paycheck in the middle of august to purchase that one.

My trip's not until November though.

And that's awesome about the Greek Islands. I'm doing the whole hostile thing and sleeping on trains when I can. Should be fucking awesome!

7/22/2008 8:42:40 PM

^I'm doing the hostel thing too. Santorini is the only place where I've got someone to set me up, so I'm going to take advantage of it.

7/22/2008 8:43:57 PM

nice. well if you find any hostels that you're particularly fond of, let me know. there were a few that i found in paris that my friend recommended, but the bookmarks are on my office computer.

i'm definitely going with the unlimited month eurorail pass. should be doing a large amount of my traveling at night when at all possible and getting a sleeper car.

7/22/2008 8:46:50 PM

That's what I wanted, but my trip is 6 weeks. So I think I'm going for the 15 trip pass (I think that's what it is??). I figured that to be the most economical which also allowed me the most trips. I think I'll be cutting it close with my trips, but I figure I'll take a couple flights (those are pretty cheap over there) and if I need to take a few extra rail trips, I'll just pay for them. I guess we'll see.

7/22/2008 8:50:21 PM

yea short flights are reasonably cheap for sure.. it's nice

7/22/2008 8:53:41 PM

flights are not necessarily that cheap in europe.

Flying tomorrow from venice to amsterdam, w/ return, cheapest ticket I found was 270US. Found all others but the one I got for about $470. also, be prepared to pay massive tax on those flights. My ticket is actually for $60, and the tax totals $210.

Ryanair - they have a 15 kg weight limit for luggage, and then charge something like 10-15 euro per extra kilo, be prepared. Also, if you are trying to stop over somewhere with them, they might fly into an airport an hour west of the named city, and fly out an hour east of the named city. (plus the bus/train transfers might cost a good amount 15-30 euro)

The dollar is currently worth 63euro cents. By far the best way to take it out is at an ATM, my exchange rates from wachovia have varied between 1.57 dollar per euro to 1.60 with a 3-6 euro fee. Conversion places will charge a flat fee and a percentage. I changed 90 swiss francs to euros and got 37 euros (one swiss franc is about a dollar).

Things are expensive, at least in Switzerland and Northern Italy, I will report on Amsterdam when I am there. I hear that croatia is dirt cheap and amazing.

Eurail is nice, but be prepared to pay 3-15 euro for some trains, and perhaps more for the TGV, etc. Sleeper cars are pure hell if you have a six man one, unless you are good at sleeping in tiny quarters (I'm not, plus I was at the top bunk, 80+ degrees and roof less than three feet above the bed)

OTher than those things to keep in mind, Europe is awesome. Finding hostels w/ empty beds can suck, at least right now in the busiest time of the year, but my experience in hostels has been really good, dirt cheap and not a thing to complain about (but I'm not someone who cares if the room has its own bath attached)

[Edited on July 23, 2008 at 6:13 PM. Reason : .]

7/23/2008 6:12:24 PM

This is what I paid in May after all taxes and fees:

Paris to Belfast (Easy Jet): $53.65
Dublin to Munich (Aerlingus): $94
Pisa to Gerona (RyanAir): $56

7/23/2008 6:24:38 PM

Any suggestions on backpacks??

8/10/2008 4:44:53 PM

Quote :

"but Im going to be pretty pissed when I get home because I have become way too used to the ease and efficiency of mass transit here."

This is so true...

8/10/2008 5:28:31 PM

^^ when i went on my six week trip in 2006, i used the rei lookout backpack (but the current version looks a little different than what i bought): http://www.rei.com/product/747524

i'd suggest you go actually try backpacks on and get something that's comfortable. yes, hostels tend to have a storage room to keep backpacks, but when you're traveling between cities -- or walking frorm the train station, etc -- you want tsomething that is going to sit right on your back.

but i also took a small daypack with me (also from rei: http://www.rei.com/product/747522 ), which was by far the most useful item i took with me. you can carry a bottle of water, an apple, and any other small items around without too much trouble.

8/10/2008 5:56:34 PM

Does anyone have a hostel recommendation for Vienna? The better half and I are flying down there in two weeks and spending a few nights there and Bratislava. I've been to Vienna a few times but only stayed in hotels out near the airport. We're interested in something near the center of the city.

8/13/2008 1:32:26 PM

^ when i was in vienna, i stayed in wombat's city hostel - the lounge. it's a pretty cool place...bar downstairs, pool tables, clean...very nice

8/13/2008 6:10:23 PM

if you're getting a large backpack, make sure you get one that has a zippered access front (not just top load)...makes it much easier to live out of

i love Bratislava...if you're going to the restaurant at the top of the bridge, ask if they still have a pair of sunglasses that were left there in june 1999

8/13/2008 6:54:00 PM

So fucking pumped right now. Spent more than I wanted to on a backpack ($200+)...but I picked up an extra bar shift that more than covered it tomorrow. Got this Eagle Creek Pack:





Basically has 2 packs in one (there were three sizes, and I got the medium one). With the medium size I can have two carry-ons (which I like because I've had several family members lose their luggage on recent flights). It's one big pack that can separate into two packs (with the small one being about 1/3 the size of original...which is perfect for leaving all of the main luggage in a locker in a hostel while taking a small "day-pack.")

Been spending the last few weeks finding the cheapest/best hostels in the places that I want to visit. Found some great hostels in Drubovnik (Croatian Coast) and Cinque Terra (Italy Coast)...among other places....from $20-37 at the most.

I'm going to have trouble coming home...

8/14/2008 3:48:42 AM

Struggling with packing. I swear I pack like a fucking girl. I'm also iffy about what the temperatures are going to be like.

I'll be doing France, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the first three weeks of September. Then Hungary, Prague, Croatia, Italy, and Spain for the last three weeks. I'm thinking a couple t-shirts and a couple of long sleeved t-shirts. A pair or two of jeans and a pair or two of shorts. Then a jacket (fleece and rain??). One pair of sandals and one pair of new balances.

I know I'm going to be thankful I didn't get the bigger backpack...but its looking pretty nice right now as I try to stuff everything in (along with a laptop, camera, and the shit that comes with that).

8/28/2008 4:31:23 PM

you will love Cinque Terra

FWIW, i spent 3 weeks in Europe with a pack a bit smaller than that, all i took was 3 dry-fit shirts, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of pants, 1 pair of gym shorts, etc, a fleece, and a rain jacket (if you get cold use the fleece instead of packing separate long sleeve shirts), flip-flops for shower/beach, and a good pair of trail shoes... and just did laundry as needed, or washed my shirts & shorts in a bath/sink, the dry fit stuff dries really quickly (overnight)

i wouldn't take jeans, get a light-weight polyester cargo pants or something that can be washed/dried easily, stay away from cotton at all costs

you may reconsider the laptop too, there are plenty of internet cafes in most towns that will a) give you internet and b) allow you to burn your digital pictures to CD/DVD for fairly cheap... a lot less expensive then if your laptop got stolen, but it's up to you. i just took a digital camera and a palm that i used for translations

[Edited on August 28, 2008 at 5:35 PM. Reason : .]

8/28/2008 5:31:59 PM

I wouldn't take any shorts personally. They aren't that common over there other than tourists and the weather will be fine for pants. Probably not a big deal, though

I was there for 18 days and I took 2 pairs of pants (plus the ones I was wearing),3 shirts (plus the one I was wearing), and enough underwear and socks for 9 days. Then I washed clothes halfway through the trip.

[Edited on August 28, 2008 at 7:10 PM. Reason : .]

8/28/2008 7:09:57 PM

^^ you're right..cinque terre is wonderful

^ if it's warm enough (and you like wearing shorts), i'd go ahead and wear shorts. a lot of locals do wear shorts...and besides, they're going to know you're a foreigner, anyway. so you might as well be comfortable

[Edited on August 28, 2008 at 7:29 PM. Reason : ]

8/28/2008 7:29:19 PM

Quick question....

I'm in Paris now (got lost as fuck for the first half of the day...should have spent my free time in the DC airport getting familiar with the city instead of drinking):

I took my phone with me...but not to use while in Europe. I'm flying back into DC and I was wanting to meet up with some friends, so I was just planning on turning the phone off while in Europe and back on when I got back to the States. Well it somehow got turned back on while it was in my backpack and I received some calls (didn't answer them, just received them) and some text messages, which I checked but didn't reply.

Will any of that be extra charges because they were received (and read) while in Europe?? And do text messages have abnormal charges in Europe like the phone calls do??

9/2/2008 8:09:53 AM

Plan on getting lost a lot. First thing in every city is to get a decent map. Don't be afraid to ask people. Just dont ask any shady looking folks, they will try to hit you up for money and aviod gypsies at all costs.

9/2/2008 11:44:44 AM

it depends on your plan of course, but the text messages will probably be $0.20-0.50 -- not ridiculous for just a few and much cheaper than answering a phone call

9/2/2008 12:13:56 PM

Okay, here are the countries that I'm going to:

Ireland
UK
France
Italy
Switzerland
Germany

Anybody have any specific off the beaten path type things that they've done in any of those countries that they'd like to share? I've got a month (not a ton of time, i know) but I'd like to see as much as I can.

9/4/2008 2:50:35 PM

I went to basically the same places. Don't know what cities you are going to, but I'll point out some city specific things that I really enjoyed. They aren't necessarily off the beaten path, but some of the touristy things are actually worth it.

Belfast - I suspect you aren't going to Northern Ireland, but if you are, definitely take a walk down Shankill (in the daytime). The murals are certainly interesting. I did a bus trip out to a couple of castles, Giant's Causeway, the Bushmills distillery, and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Generally I hate this sort of thing, but that was a good one and you really get to experience the Irish countryside. Kelly's Cellars is the oldest pub in the city, and it's a true Irish pub without any of the tourist bullshit and plenty of old drunken Irishmen who will rant endlessly in an indiscernible accent about the most random topics.

Munich - Probably my favorite city that I went to. Eat currywurst. More of a Berlin/northern kind of thing, but they've still got it all over the place. Would also recommend a bar crawl. Great way to see a lot of the beer gardens and halls. On the one I did we went to Augustinerkeller, the the Lowenbraukeller Biergarten, and the Augustiner Braustuben.

Freiburg - Small German town near the Swiss border. I stayed here because it was 30 minutes from Europa Park, which I spent a day at. What I didn't expect was how cool this little town is. It's a small college town on the edge of the Black Forest. I stayed at the Black Forest Hostel which was by far the coolest and most laid back hostel I stayed in. Most of the other guests there didn't even speak English; it's more of a regional destination and you aren't really going to find hardly any foreign tourists here, so this was one of the rare places where I felt like I was truly immersed in the culture rather than just being another tourist.

Interlaken - This is the complete opposite of off the beaten path, but I couldn't recommend the Jungraujoch train enough. At the top, take the path up towards the lodge. The tourists don't stray from the visitor's center, so you can really get out on your own. I didn't make it all the way to the end because it was steep and I was struggling in the thin air, but I walked to the point where there were no other people in any direction. This is also a good place for a bottle of scotch.



Venice - I got so fucking lost here. I only had about 4 hours in the city, and just started walking. Bad idea. Made my train by mere seconds. The good thing was that I stumbled into this park area which was filled with locals. Lots of kids out playing soccer and whatnot. Real laid back place. No idea where it was, though.

Florence - Across the river and up in the hills overlooking the city is an old fort which is a great place to look down into the city. Eat at Trattoria Za-Za. A full course meal.

Barcelona - Go to the bar at the Museu de Cera (wax museum). It's called El Bosc de les Fades (Forest of the Faries). Not a local drinking hole by any means; in fact, you'd probably be hard pressed to find a local here. But it's probably the coolest looking bar you'll ever go to. The Camp Nou tour, while again not off the beaten path by any means, is well worth it IMO if you are a soccer fan.

Paris - Eat a croque-monsieur. The red light district is fun for a stroll through. The Eiffel Tower lawn at night was an unexpected gathering place to drink and raise hell.

9/4/2008 3:20:29 PM

man, i miss those days

9/4/2008 3:34:34 PM

One thing I wish I would have taken/bought when I went to Europe this year was talc. All that walking up and down hills paired with sweat chafed the hell out of me.

9/4/2008 3:41:43 PM

^^^ Thanks for the ideas!

9/4/2008 4:05:58 PM

Quote :

"One thing I wish I would have taken/bought when I went to Europe this year was talc. All that walking up and down hills paired with sweat chafed the hell out of me."

yeah...gold bond was as essential as a toothbrush

corn starch works in a pinch

9/4/2008 4:17:38 PM

Cities:

Ireland (Dublin, Galway, Limerick)
UK
France (Paris, Versailles, Burgundy, Orleans, Aux en Province, Nice, Cannes)
Italy (Rome, Venice, Florence)
Switzerland (Haven't decided, probably Lucerne, looking to do a train day trip through the alps, I'll be there in early December)
Germany (Also haven't decided what countries. Trying to stay on the Western part of the country. I'll be there during the Christmas marketplaces, and that's really what I wanted to see while I was there)

9/4/2008 9:02:51 PM

galway is in a pretty area. it's worth it to rent a bike for a day and wander around the countryside

9/4/2008 9:30:09 PM