plan for 2006

[new_pasique]

after some time reading posts from you guys (you're all very helpful, thanks a lot!), i've made up a plan for my adventure next year (or two years later, once i save up enough money). here goes :

fly from home to London, got some friends there, so accomodation won't be a problem. thinking about staying there for 3 nights or maybe 4 (i wanna go to either Liverpool or Manchester, which one's better? i wonder how long does it take to go there by bus? is it possible to just explore the town and return to London so i don't have to spend a night?).

after that, gonna take the eurostar to brussels and maybe just stay for a night (been there, not much to see besides the mannekin piss, right? or i just don't know any other good sites?)

-maybe- go to amsterdam for a night or two (is it worth it, really?)

go to Nurnberg, got a friend there, so i can cut out accomodation from my expense list. spend 2 nights, go to neighbouring towns (Munich or Frankfurt or Wurzburg, which one's better?) and spend a night or two there.

go straight to Italy and spend 2 days in each cities (Venice, Florence, Rome, Milan). or should i spend more days in rome and less in others?

fly to Spain (madrid or barcelona?) and explore the country. i was thinking only Madrid and Barcelona, but i heard some good stories about Granada, Seville, Toledo, etc, so I was thinking to add 1-2 towns, but when i look at the maps, looks like Granada and Seville are too far away from Madrid&Barcelona and I'm afraid it'll be too expensive. what do you think?

well, that's all i can think about. what do you think guys? i got a really tight budget here, and i need some plan just to make myself comfortable although maybe i won't be too strict in italy and spain.
oh yeah, do i have to buy eurailpass or something like that? i'm from indonesia, where can i buy it? it's not available in europe isn't it?

wow, sorry i asked too many questions, it's just that i read so many great infos from you guys and i just wanna know if my plan's doable. thanks a lot!

-pasique

[skidrage]

I'll take a crack at these questions. First, don't set such a specific itinerary unless you have to, such as only getting a certain amount of time off of work. I think most others around here will agree to have a basic idea of where to go and then kind of go with the flow.

As for the cities you are planning to go to, a good day trip from Brussels is Brugge, which is only two hous away I believe, so that would be a reason to spend an extra day in Brussels (or just go right to Brugge). Amsterdam is definately worth spending several days. If you like to party and smoke you will love the city. If you don't, there are still a lot of sites worth seeing and some very nice towns close by to experience a more typical Dutch town.

I have not been to Frankfurt, but have heard from others that it is more of a business town and not much for tourists to do. Munich offers a lot and is a very fun town, probably a little cheaper also.

As for Italy, you need more than two days in Rome if you want to see all of the famous places. The Vatican City area takes a fully day by itself. I was in Rome for five days and still did not see everything I wanted to. Milan, like Frankfurt is more of a commerce area and does not offer much. You are better adding time to one of the other cities or going to Southern Italy.

For flying into Spain, it is probably easier to fly into Barcelona from Italy and circle the country like it sounds like you want to do. Sevilla is three hours from Madrid on the high speed trains. Barcelona is eight hours from Madrid so that will be your longest journey unless you go for a place halfway between, like Valencia or Zaragoza. Travel in Spain is cheap, and the busses are as fast as some of the trains for half the price, so transportation cost will be low for Western Europe standards.

You can by a eurail pass from online sites, check out the links from the front page on this site. It sounds like a flexi-pass would be your best bet, maybe a 10 day one since you will be doing some flying and I am not sure if Eurostar is covered by the pass either. The pass is not available in Europe.

This trip is very doable. Just budget about 70 euro a day and you will do fine (a little more for England and a little less for Spain).

[jorgino]

ouch, got a question for you skidrage, I saw in some other forums that a good average is about 40-50 Euros a day, I see here that you set it at 70, of course I know that 70 is better than 40, but with how much exactly can I get by in Western Europe??? Thanks for the feedback

[skidrage]

Jorgino

I like to set a budget of 70 euro a day for myself, but it is definately possible to get by on less. For example, for 70 euro, I factor that it will get me the following:
a small shared dorm room (4-6 beds)
two meals at a restaurant
entry to a couple sites
transportation
money for bars

I think unless it is Eastern Europe, 40 euro a day is really pushing your limit. With this, you get:
the largest shared room at a hostel
food bought from a market and prepared by yourself
transportation
entry to a site

I tend to spend the extra money because trying different cuisine is one of the reasons I travel, so many backpackers do not eat two meals a day at a restaurant. Also I like to chill at the end of the day with a couple drinks (or more), which if you don't drink won't be an expense for you. I am also a light sleeper, so I don't like to risk being in a large dorm room (more of a chance for a snorer). I think a safe number for any non Scandanavian/Switzerland/England country is 50 euro a day.

[new_pasique]

Originally posted by skidrage@Sep 20 2004, 10:34 AM
For flying into Spain, it is probably easier to fly into Barcelona from Italy and circle the country like it sounds like you want to do. Sevilla is three hours from Madrid on the high speed trains. Barcelona is eight hours from Madrid so that will be your longest journey unless you go for a place halfway between, like Valencia or Zaragoza. Travel in Spain is cheap, and the busses are as fast as some of the trains for half the price, so transportation cost will be low for Western Europe standards.

wow, thanks for the reply skidrage! you're the best!
yeah, i know my plan will seem too spesific, it's just that i have to calculate the budget i will need and how many days i will spend. who knows, perhaps in 2006 i'm already an employee and only have a month time off.
as for Spain, I'm not too familiar with the cities, so can you recomend where i should go etc? i've been reading this bulletin and i can only get Madrid, Barcelona, Granada, Sevilla to visit. any other cities?

-pasique

[jorgino]

Skidrage - I see it now, thanks for your explanation, it makes a lot of sense and I think I will be raising my budget to 70 instead of 50 euros, afterall, it's not a bad idea to come home with a few extra euro bills in my pocket (good excuse to go back, right?) than run out of money in the middle of the trip and have to cut it short!!! :greenguy:

[skidrage]

new_pasique

I would say another city to go to in Spain that is worth it is San Sebastian. It is not as big as the other cities (less than 200,000 people), and has a couple excellent beaches. The food, especially the tapas were the best I had in Spain (maybe the best food I had in Europe). If you are going during the summer then this is a good place to see. Otherwise, there is not a whole lot to do and it is a little out of the way from other major cities. Valencia is another town worth going to, but really only if you are there during the summer. The main beach there is huge and is a place where a lot of local Madrid and Barcelona residents go to get away from the tourists during the summer. Plus, it is the place where paella was created.

[new_pasique]

Originally posted by skidrage@Oct 18 2004, 02:56 PM

If you are going during the summer then this is a good place to see. Otherwise, there is not a whole lot to do and it is a little out of the way from other major cities. Valencia is another town worth going to, but really only if you are there during the summer.

Well, that seems to be the problem here cos i haven't decided WHEN i'll be going. here's the dilemma :

If I go at summer (around June-July? --> correct me if i'm wrong) that means high season and THAT means swarms of tourists anywhere. i wanna meet locals you know, not tourists! BUT, i bet there's gonna be sooo many SALE! Hmmm.. discounts..
But if i go after/before summer, i wonder will the weather kill me. I bet summer in Europe in even more colder then the rainiest season in my country.

Mmm.. what do you think?

[skidrage]

I have been to Spain during both the winter and summer. You are going to get a lot of tourists in Barcelona and Madrid the entire year because they are popular places to go to. This happens everywhere though. But, when I was in Madrid during the summer, I did not really feel as though the city was overran with tourists (like I felt in Amsterdam and Munich). If you go to some of the other cities, such as Valencia or San Sebastian, you will run into a better ratio of locals to tourists than in other cities probably.

If you are waiting for the summer for sales, I don't think you will find too many. Usually the sales are for the winter months. Either time you go though you will enjoy it.

I don't know where you are from, but Europe can get very hot during the summer. Madrid was around 100 Farenheit when I was there.

[jorgino]

How's the weather in Spain around the beginning of September?

[worldwidemike]

Gorgeous! That's when I went the first time...

worldwidemike

[jorgino]

glad to hear that! Thanks dude!

[jorgino]

Is the weather pretty much nice all over Europe in September?

[jorgino]

like LONDON for example, I heard it rains a lot over there...