Need Help in Creating Europe Itinary

[Nimo]

HI All,

I planning to go to Europe for nearly 3 weeks in August this year this is my first time traveling to Europe countries I want to see are

London
Scotland
Germany
France
Switzerland
Italy
Greece

Can some one please help help me to create itinerary
Are 3 weeks enough to see all above countries or not

What is the best way to travel all these countries on budget I can stay in hostels

I need information like where to start journey & where to finish I will be flying from Melbourne & I am Virgin Australia Gold class member so prefer to travel on virgin Australia partner airline

I appreciate your help looking forward for suggestions

Thanks Heaps

 

[RooFlyer]

That's a rather broad request! You could spend 3 weeks in each of them.

By 'itinerary', are you looking for suggestions for places to see and visit (and if so, what type - scenic, history, party types ...), or the most economical way to get around them? A good planner for getting around is : Rome2rio: discover how to get anywhere

Although I'm a bit of a race-arounder, I think you are trying to do too much for a first trip. Try 1/2 or 1/3 of the countries this time?

 

[Antoallison]

That's an ambitious list - I too tend to want to cram as many countries in as possible but I usually have 5 to 6 weeks to do it in.

The issue is that after paying for airfares Australia to Europe, and enduring a long haul flight - we want to see as much as we can.

In that short time span I would suggest sticking to about 3 European countries besides UK (London).

France on Eurostar, then buying point to point train tickets (personally I dont think Railpasses purchased before you leave Oz are a justifiable expense). Travelling through France, Switzerland and Germany would work. The distances are short and I find getting on a train quicker and easier than using budget airlines into out of the way airports in Europe.

There are plenty of hostels or airbnb rooms in Europe for budget accomodation.

I suggest using the Tripadvisor website for lots of information about travel itineraries in Europe.

Save Greece for another trip - it will be very hot in August anyway.

 

[jase05]

Way too many countries in that time frame IMO. I would break it up into 2-3 countries tops if you truly want to enjoy your trip.
Personally I’d fly into Paris and then hire a car or train it through France, Switzerland and Germany and fly out of Munich or Frankfurt. You could fly with SQ or EY just depending on if you want to transit through SIN or AUH. Just be aware that in August the heat is almost unbearable in the UAE if you are looking at a stop over

 

[Denali]

Thats 7 places/countries in 21 days inc travel, youre going to see more of airports than the country. Sounds like a Contiki where you see most of the country through the bus window.

I like the above idea of arriving in Europe and using the trains. Good luck.

 

[RooFlyer]

T^he issue is that after paying for airfares Australia to Europe, and enduring a long haul flight - we want to see as much as I can.

That's me to a 'T'

 

[kookaburra75]

I suppose it's a matter of whether you want to see a lot of things, or see a lot of countries. As the others have said, the trains are a good way of seeing the countryside, plus you start and finish in the middle of the cities.

We did a driving holiday a couple of years ago, and certainly one thing to think of would be to sweep through southern France - from Bordeaux, Toulouse, Arles/Avignon, Nice, Monte Carlo and into northern Italy, by car or train. Like a lot of countries in Europe, they have a lot of small ''countries' inside them - different culture, food, views etc. You can enjoy something different everyday, but not kill yourself with too much time spent travelling between places.

 

[Himeno]

It all depends on what you want to see/do in each place.
3 days could be enough for one country, but 3 weeks might not be enough for that same country - all depending on what you want to see.

 

[RB]

I guess it depends if you think you will ever get another chance to visit Europe. Fast travel is not my style so I would be suggesting 1 country & working around via train & bus. I agree that Rome to Rio would be a useful resource

 

[jetpack]

The logical route would be start in London. An English speaking country is a good place to start your first European trip. You can then train or fly your way to France, Switzerland, Italy and then Germany. Fly Berlin to Athens as this seems to be a cheap route. Then fly back home from Athens.

Alternatively you could leave Greece for next time and for this trip just do a loop from London.

After my first trip to Europe I found out that I get bored if I stay in the one place for too long so whenever possible I now take an " in and out " approach and always try to visit as many new places as I can. I am definitely supportive of your plan to visit all of those places in 3 weeks.

 

[asterix]

Our family of four 2A2C are planning to spend roughly four weeks in Europe.

We're planning:
- to fly into Paris and spend 5 nights
- TGV Lyria and Swiss trains to Lucerne for 3 nights
- Swiss trains to Zermatt and 2 nights
- Glacier Express to Chur
- Bernina Express to Tirano and then Italian trains on to Stresa for 3 nights
- Italian trains to Genoa for the night
- 7 night Med cruise (Naples, Messina, Valletta, Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa)
- Fly to UK to visit family and friends in Chester and Manchester

I wish we could spend more time in Paris and France in general and there are so many other things I'd like to see in Switzerland and Italy, but we just don't have the time to fit it all in without moving from town to town each day.

 

[kelvedon]

Our family of four 2A2C are planning to spend roughly four weeks in Europe.

We're planning:
- to fly into Paris and spend 5 nights
- TGV Lyria and Swiss trains to Lucerne for 3 nights
- Swiss trains to Zermatt and 2 nights
- Glacier Express to Chur
- Bernina Express to Tirano and then Italian trains on to Stresa for 3 nights
- Italian trains to Genoa for the night
- 7 night Med cruise (Naples, Messina, Valletta, Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa)
- Fly to UK to visit family and friends in Chester and Manchester

I wish we could spend more time in Paris and France in general and there are so many other things I'd like to see in Switzerland and Italy, but we just don't have the time to fit it all in without moving from town to town each day.

From Stessa I can thoroughly recommend a boat trip to one of the Borromeo islands on Lago Maggiore.

 

[Ausbt]

We are doing six weeks and our itinerary is Rome, Amalfi, Tuscany, Provence, Morocco, Portugal, Paris & London with as many trains as time permits and flying otherwise. I don't think we could squeeze another destination in. OP concentrate on Italy & France, particularly if this is your first Europe trip.

 

[asterix]

From Stessa I can thoroughly recommend a boat trip to one of the Borromeo islands on Lago Maggiore.

Yes, that is definitely on the list.

 

[Nimo]

Thanks everyone it has really helped me alot
Know I can decide and plan my trip will update you guys once again thanks for the efforts

 

[Worrellson]

I'd also recommend picking three to four countries rather than spending too big a proportion of your time travelling from place to place.

Car hire is very reasonable in the UK if you shop around and pre-book. On my last trip (two years ago) I hired a small car from Sixt at LHR for eight days and drove from the airport to Bath then Nottingham, Yorkshire and up to Edinburgh where I returned the car. It cost about $AU500. I paid on my credit card to get insurance for the excess. They upgraded me to a larger diesel car for free and it was extremely fuel efficient - I only filled up once, then topped it up at the end.

If you travel by rail in the UK, make sure you pre-book tickets - it's much more expensive to buy them at the station.