First time travelling to Europe

[ms1]

Hi all,

I've decided to travel to Europe next year and just want to know if anyone can offer any tips or advice for my trip. I'll start by giving a summary of my itinerary:

27th Feb - Sydney - Ho Chi Minh City - Jetstar
5th March - Ho Chi Minh City - London via Kiev - Aero Svit
8th March - London - Lisbon - British Airways
10th March - Lisbon - Madrid - Air Europa
13th March - Madrid - Barcelona - Iberia
16th March - Barcelona - Rome - Vueling
19th March - Rome - Paris - Vueling
21st March - Paris - Krakow - EasyJet

So far all the above is booking and confirmed. The prices were very cheap as I did a fair bit of searching on the net. Here's where my trip is becoming a bit tough. I'm arriving in Krakow very early in the morning and I'm planning to stay that night and then catch an overnight train the next evening to Prague. I then want to stay in Prague 2 nights then catch a train to Berlin where I plan to stay 2 nights and then another train (or flight) to Amsterdam before returning home.

I'd appreciate if anyone could give me some advice on whether they my post-Krakow plans sounds good or whether I should try to include some other cities that would be worth visiting. I've found air travel in Western Europe is very cheap however central and eastern Europe is quite dear. eg The cheapest Krakow-Prague flight I found was AUD$300-350.

Thanks!

 

[RB]

Have a look at Kayak as a guide- shows LOT & Lufthansa as cheaper than what you are quoting. Also have a look at Matrix. Just for me & the way I like to travel, I would be catching rail on some of your early links and your trip is pretty busy and concentrated on cities-depends if you have been to Europe before & what you enjoy though

 

[ms1]

I was originally planning on traveling by rail however the airfare's were so cheap. None of the flights were more then AUD$80. Lisbon-Madrid was only $36.

I Like to plan and confirm everything as far ahead as possible but the issue with the trains is I can only book 3 months in advance. I'm considering traveling to Munich from Prague and then going on to Berlin so trying to find the best way to do that.

 

[TimB]

I Like to plan and confirm everything as far ahead as possible but the issue with the trains is I can only book 3 months in advance.

I understand the desire to book ahead, but that's very rarely necessary with trains in Europe. One week ahead is usually plenty.

I'm considering traveling to Munich from Prague and then going on to Berlin so trying to find the best way to do that.

Unless there's something particular about Munich that you want to see, I'd suggest visiting Nuremberg instead. It's closer to Prague and Berlin, and it's an amazing small town, compared with the larger towns/cities in the rest of your itinerary. The old town has been rebuilt after it was largely destroyed in WWII, but you can hardly tell it was damaged at all. If you're interested in history of that period, there are many naz_ relics including the Zeppelin Field, as well as the National Socialism Documentation Centre, which is well worth a visit. If you're into art, there's Albrecht Durer's house.

There's a train to Nuremberg from Prague via Cheb (at least there was back in 1996), and of course trains from Nuremberg to Berlin. It's worth stopping in Leipzig on that trip if you have time.

For me, much of the charm of travelling in Europe is in the train trips, especially during the day. Since most of the travel you've already booked is by air, I recommend doing these legs by rail.

 

[ChrisFlyer]

If you've never been to Rome or Italy before, perhaps reconsider Rome unless you particularly want to see the sites that are specific to Rome. I can only describe Rome as Italy's "ghetto"... people are nice, but there is graffiti *everywhere*, and my first impression wasn't that good (I was in Italy for 2 weeks in January - visited almost every major touristy city)... Venice is a much better choice in my opinion (as are a number of cities in northern Italy, which is the part of Italy most tourists tend to prefer), but it's entirely up to you!

 

[rechoboam]

If you've never been to Rome or Italy before, perhaps reconsider Rome unless you particularly want to see the sites that are specific to Rome. I can only describe Rome as Italy's "ghetto"... people are nice, but there is graffiti *everywhere*, and my first impression wasn't that good (I was in Italy for 2 weeks in January - visited almost every major touristy city)... Venice is a much better choice in my opinion

Huh? Venice is pretty but has been more or less abandoned as a working city. Rome has great food, as much history as anywhere in the world, and many unique sights. I agree the station area is a horrible dump though. But avoiding Rome because of graffiti???

 

[ChrisFlyer]

It wasn't that you should avoid Rome because of the graffiti - it was more that if you had only time for one Italian city, for me, it would be Venice (followed by Milan and then Florence) as opposed to Rome

 

[Bikehike11]

Hi all,

I've decided to travel to Europe next year and just want to know if anyone can offer any tips or advice for my trip. I'll start by giving a summary of my itinerary:

27th Feb - Sydney - Ho Chi Minh City - Jetstar
5th March - Ho Chi Minh City - London via Kiev - Aero Svit
8th March - London - Lisbon - British Airways
10th March - Lisbon - Madrid - Air Europa
13th March - Madrid - Barcelona - Iberia
16th March - Barcelona - Rome - Vueling
19th March - Rome - Paris - Vueling
21st March - Paris - Krakow - EasyJet

So far all the above is booking and confirmed. The prices were very cheap as I did a fair bit of searching on the net. Here's where my trip is becoming a bit tough. I'm arriving in Krakow very early in the morning and I'm planning to stay that night and then catch an overnight train the next evening to Prague. I then want to stay in Prague 2 nights then catch a train to Berlin where I plan to stay 2 nights and then another train (or flight) to Amsterdam before returning home.

I'd appreciate if anyone could give me some advice on whether they my post-Krakow plans sounds good or whether I should try to include some other cities that would be worth visiting. I've found air travel in Western Europe is very cheap however central and eastern Europe is quite dear. eg The cheapest Krakow-Prague flight I found was AUD$300-350.

Thanks!

Hi there,

It seems, you have made a confirmed plan with all the thing written.

It's great. When exactly you are starting your trip next year?

So, might I can suggest you few good spots as per your duration of begin.

Txs!

 

[Timtammi]

Huh? Venice is pretty but has been more or less abandoned as a working city. Rome has great food, as much history as anywhere in the world, and many unique sights. I agree the station area is a horrible dump though. But avoiding Rome because of graffiti???

+1

I've just come back from Europe where I visited (amongst other places of course) Rome for the 3rd time and Venice for the first. Rome continues to be a must visit place for me. Not only are the sights amongst some of the most important and fanstastic in the world but its also one of the most beautiful and friendliest places to visit IMHO. Venice is very pretty but I felt like I was in Disneyland and now I've visited probably won't bother again.

Cheers

Timmi

 

[casanovawa]

Its a nice looking trip so far, a bit tight, but that is how i like to do it myself...

The alternative to trains is buses than can tend to be reasonably cheap around Europe, not as fast as planes or trains but another option to consider, you might want to look at something like BusAbout as they have quite a few bus itineraries covering west and east europe... I caught a bus from Copenhagen to Berlin in July and it went reasonably well as i left it late to book a flight and they had gotten quite expensive by then...

I had a look at Chzech (sp) airlines this year for getting from Copenhagen to Rome I think it was and they also looked pretty cheap but didn't end up using them, but getting to Prague they might be an option, but i didn't go to their site and check before writing this...

I've been to Munich before, nice city, went and visited Dachau Concnetration Camp there which was interesting, not sure why you are visiting Krakow but Auschwitz is just outside so not sure if Dachau would be of interest also, it was the first concentration camp established... Neuschwanstein is probably also somewhere on the way from Prague down, but haven't got Google Maps open at present to check so it may be to the west of Munich... So anyway, depends what your looking for and how much time you have... If you can extend your visit there are always more interesting cities to see...

Been to all the cities you have booked except Lisbon, so all sound good, I would probably choose to live in Spain if I went to Europe, love those warm climates, late nights and the vibe, a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels in HCM City was good, London is always great and the free museums, Paris has some amazing architecture and Versaille... Rome gets a thumbs up, so much history and sites to see...

Prauge, Munich, Berlin and Amsterdam all sound good stops to end the trip and if you only have approx two or three nights in each, I wouldn't try to cram anymore intermediate stops in unless you can extend your trip... If you haven't been to any of these cities before 2 nights would probably be minimum to stay... If you want to do a tour of the Reichstag in Berlin you need to write and request, i was lucky that i only had 3 days there and made the request when i arrived and got it on the morning before i was going to fly out, but better to do it early... When i visited Berlin in 2004 I also made the trip to Sachsenhausen concentration camp an hour or so out of Berlin as well to see and pay respects, so again, just depends what your after, but some good cheap/free walking tours in some of those cities you might want to consider

SANDEMANs NEW Europe | Home of the Famous Free Tour ...

 

[The Rok]

What about Ireland or Scotland?

 

[Fantic125]

I was originally planning on traveling by rail however the airfare's were so cheap. None of the flights were more then AUD$80. Lisbon-Madrid was only $36.

I Like to plan and confirm everything as far ahead as possible but the issue with the trains is I can only book 3 months in advance. I'm considering traveling to Munich from Prague and then going on to Berlin so trying to find the best way to do that.

Even though the flights are cheap and get you from Point A to Point B quickly, you tend to waste a lot of time before and after the flights with all the check-in and luggage collection. Going by train you reduce that time, but then you aso increase your transit time so it (sort of) evens out. The advantage of train (IMHO) is that you get to see a bit more on the ground than you do by flying and it's more 'interactive' than flying. (With the short amount of time you have, I would rather spend it on the ground than stuffing around in airports).

However, to get from Munich to Berlin by train is basically an all day trip & 90 euro, compared to 70 mins flying time & 150 to 200 euro, so in this instance ( and given the short amount of time you have) flying would most probably suit you better.

Whichever way you do it, you're never going to see enough to satisfy.... so start planning the next one (or do what a number of us have done - work for a multi-national company that sends you off around the world on a regular basis. Be warned though - sometimes it wears a bit thin!)

 

[casanovawa]

I agree for certain distances the time taken by train can even out to flying with having to get to the airport 90-120 minutes before and stuffing around with luggage and immigration after etc (of course it helps if you are close to the train station) but any flight say longer than 1.5-2 hours pretty quickly works in favour of the flying thing seeing you can have travel several hundred to a thousand or more kilometres in that time, plus you can fly as the crow does over water and land rather than having to zig and zag obviously...

So yeah, if less than say 1.5 hours the train is competitive often in cost and time taken, nice if your travelling on one of those German ICE trains that do about 160km/h and pretty decent in first class and not some dodgy eastern european train... Although the nicer trains start costing a bit as well...

And if anyone knows of any international companies offering positions that you have to fly for a bit, I am all ears...

 

[RB]

So yeah, if less than say 1.5 hours the train is competitive often in cost and time taken, nice if your travelling on one of those German ICE trains that do about 160km/h and pretty decent in first class and not some dodgy eastern european train... Although the nicer trains start costing a bit as well...


..

Not quite sure that my recent experiences of eastern european trains fit this description. Maybe we have different expectations. To me 2nd class in Germany is pretty spot on

 

[medhead]

I've only skimmed the thread. For me the only real viable train trips in what you've booked are Madrid-Barcelona (I've done this) and maybe Rome Paris, if you can get a fast train. Even then then on a tight timetable they are significant day trips.

From Prague I could suggest bratislava and Vienna as easy day trips. Seem some of my colleagues, when in Vienna, make a visit to Prague. Munich is probably in that region as well. Munich to Berlin by ICE is about 7 hours IIRC.

Rather than nurnberg I'd suggest Bamberg. Unlike Nuremberg it wasn't bombed during the war and has world heritage listing as the only remaining example of medieval Germany architecture. Or something like that, check wikipedia as it says exactly what the deal is. You might even search AFF for bamberg and possibly find one of my worthless contributions to AFF.

Neuschwanstein is south west of Munich a couple of hours by train, near a town called Fussen. Well worth a day trip if you have time but not worth pushing for in a tight timetable if you might get back one day.

Edit: just did a quick check Prague to Munich 5hours by train, €29 one way on 19 October 2011.

Whoops that includes bus to nurnberg. I shouldn't search in german. €61 on a train, 6hours

 

[casanovawa]

Not quite sure that my recent experiences of eastern european trains fit this description. Maybe we have different expectations. To me 2nd class in Germany is pretty spot on

My experiences were going around Europe on a Eurail pass in 2008 and after going through Germany, Switzerland and Austria on some of their nice trains, the train from Vienna to Budapest and then from Budapest down to Venice wasn't quite up to the same standard... There weren't chickens in the aisles (to allude to a certain recent south american airlines/trip report post) but they weren't the same as the German ICE's either...

In fact most of western europe have a couple of different quality of trains as I have seen nice, sleek fast trains in France, Italy, Spain and Germany, and have also ridden on some of the cheaper, more pedestrian run of the mill trains as well in those countries (whether there is a difference between domestic and international trains??), so I guess it just depends what train you get and what your prepared to pay... Maybe the Hungarian railway trains/carriages that i were in were the exception rather than the rule??? As i said, still functional but not ICE quality or probably speed from recollection...

And yes 2nd class in those ICE trains is pretty decent as well...

 

[medhead]

My experiences were going around Europe on a Eurail pass in 2008 and after going through Germany, Switzerland and Austria on some of their nice trains, the train from Vienna to Budapest and then from Budapest down to Venice wasn't quite up to the same standard... There weren't chickens in the aisles (to allude to a certain recent south american airlines/trip report post) but they weren't the same as the German ICE's either...

In fact most of western europe have a couple of different quality of trains as I have seen nice, sleek fast trains in France, Italy, Spain and Germany, and have also ridden on some of the cheaper, more pedestrian run of the mill trains as well in those countries (whether there is a difference between domestic and international trains??), so I guess it just depends what train you get and what your prepared to pay... Maybe the Hungarian railway trains/carriages that i were in were the exception rather than the rule??? As i said, still functional but not ICE quality or probably speed from recollection...

And yes 2nd class in those ICE trains is pretty decent as well...

My experiences are pretty similar, Eurorail pass 2005 and 2007. Did Munich - Budapest on Austrian train, hydrofoil back to vienna and then orient express to Venice. Neatly avoiding Hungarian trains. Gotta say the 6 berth austrian couchette was pretty dodgy, especially when 2 guys got on carrying car wheels as their luggage. I guess my point is everything is an adventure. You should share your experiences.