SigEpSean

Hi Everyone,
I'm beginning to plan a six week trip to Europe this May and June. I want to see as much as I possibly can. How do you guys normaly plan your trips? Do you have an agenda, or do you just "wing it"? I was thinking I should probably plan out places that I definately want to visit. In your experiences, how many different countries/cities would be feasible in six weeks?

Also, any advice on "must see" places would be appreciated.

Thanks

Sijuki

6 weeks (42 days), you can do quite a bit.

First off, is there a section of Europe that interests you the most? Ruins in Athens, Ruins in Rome, great castles of Bavaria, Beautiful scenary of Madrid, the beaches of east spain, history of England, etc.

Are you going mostly for sightseeing, history, partying, etc.

I would recommend reading a travel guide, i.e Lonley Planet or Let's Go, about Europe. There is stuff everywhere to see, it depends on what you are passionate about yourself.

You could easily probably pick 8 to 10 cities with a few day trips or side stops. Give or take.

I think most people plan their trips to an extent but always leave the possibility open for changing their plans to how they see fit. So while you may plan to spend 4 days in Rome, something might change your mind and you spend 5 or 6 instead, for example.

__________________
.~Sijuki~.



2009-2014: February - Mexico (Cancun x 3, Cozumel x 1, Mazatlan x 2

2014 : Europe: Norway, Denmark, Hungary, Czech Rep, Germany, France, England

2015 : US:Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Joshua Tree NP, Salton Sea, Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Mt. Rushmore. 20 states. Europe: Stockholm, Barcelona, Madrid, Prague, Krakow, Warsaw, Ireland (month driving around), Northern Ireland, Edinburgh.

2021: Europe?

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SigEpSean

Wow, that all sounds awesome! I guess I never put much thought into what I was going for. I guess a little bit of everything: sightseeing, partying (although I am on a budget, so that's not as important), maybe a little history, and mostly just experiencing the different cultures.

There are certain places I would definately like to visit: Greek Isles, the Ruins in Athens, Rome, Paris, Somewhere in Spain, Somewhere in Germany, etc... Is there anywhere that everyone going to Europe must visit at least once? I have been to London, Brussels, and Amsterdam and hope to spend a little time in one, if not all of those places.

Also, know of any festivals or big events going on between May 11 and June 22? Unfortunately, I'm going to miss the running of the bulls.

skorch

You might want to consider flying into London and buying a one-way easyjet ticket to the city furthest that you wish to go or the most difficult to get to ( greece isn't really that easy to get to other than flying). Then spend your entire trip making your way back to London.

London is one of the cheaper places in Europe to fly in/out of and you can find an Easyjet flight for $30 to get to your destination.

For planning out my route, I like to make it very general since I like to change my plans on the fly. I learn a lot more about where I want to go by talking to other travelers while I'm there than reading a guide book.

But some people like to have a clear agenda and thats cool too.

__________________
"There is nothing in the world more helpless and
irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an
ether binge, and I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff
pretty soon." - Raoul Duke

SigEpSean

That is all good advice. Where can I find tickets from London to Greece? I'm assuming that I should book those before I leave...

skidrage

SigEpSean

I did exactly six week earlier this year and I was able to circle the mainland of the continent and also hit a couple countries in Scandanavia. In total, I stayed in ten countries, but I was doing a lot of short 1-2 day visits in cities I had been in before and I spent several days from dusk till dawn on the train. If you don't mind this, you can hit pretty much any cities you want. Since it sounds like you mostly want to stick to Southern Europe, you should have no problem going to the places you list. As Sijuki said, around 10 cities is a good starting point with time for some day trips or travel days.

I had a general plan before I left of where I wanted to go. I ended up going to about 75% of the places I had planned, and added in some others and subtracted a few. I think having a rough outline is a good idea, but allow yourself some winging time. You might find out from some other travellers about some lesser known towns that you might want to visit so allow some flexibility with that.

Check the Let's Go book for festivals. In the beginning they list major festival in each country.

SigEpSean

Thanks Skidrage,

That sounds awesome. I was definately planning on spending the night on a train every now and again. This will be my first time riding the trains in Europe. Are the trains (schedule, boarding, etc...) pretty easy to get the hang of? Also, will I have any problems in May and June with trains being full? Will I need to reserve a seat in advance? Anything else I should know about riding the trains?

-Sean

pinion

At every station they will have a Departure and Arrival schedule. You can't miss it. You can also check this site here

I was in Europe for those months this year and never had a problem. If there is and "R" next to the schedule info this means you'll have to reserve (you'll know it when you see it).

__________________
I've been a wild rover for many's the year,
And I've spent all me money on whiskey and beer.
But now I'm returning with gold in great store,
And I never will play the wild rover no more

skorch

Easyjet is supposed to be the better discount airline. It doesn't fly out of London Heathrow, so if you fly into Heathrow, you'll have to make your way to another of the airports.
Easyjet

Ryan Air is another big discount airline but I've only heard bad things about them. Supposedly they say they'll fly into a major city, but they can land in some regional landing strip somewhere outside the city they claim they're flying into.

__________________
"There is nothing in the world more helpless and
irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an
ether binge, and I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff
pretty soon." - Raoul Duke