Euro Trip

Max your itinerary would exhaust me. When I was 23 I did 3 months in Europe and still your itinerary exhausts me. Lol

My point I will make.
Two nights in one place is only one full day to visit it. If you are hungover, make that 1/2 a day.

I recommend if a place isn't worth three nights, maybe its not worth going to at all?

Haha honestly I get exhausted just reading it. That was my main concern is that there wouldn't be enough time in between cities. Also, there wouldn't be enough time to experience small towns and country-sides.

I just turned 24, you don't think that I might be anxious to visit the next city after a three night stay? Also, most of these cities are just passerby cities.

I assume you have a some fortune available to back up this plan. That is roughly a hundred days.

Yeah, with the pass and plane tix already booked, I am rolling through with 7K+

But I don't want a lot of people knowing that

Hi,

Good trip planned. I'll comment on the journey from Hamburg to Berlin. While the quickest way in getting to Berlin is by train, ie, a direct ICE train from Hamburg Hbf to Berlin Hbf., you also have a cheaper option of going by bus. See berlinlinienbus.de. It takes a bit longer but also is cheaper. In Berlin you have a much greater choice of hostels, and newer hostels at that, if you choose to stay in the eastern part of the city, esp in the area of Berlin Alexanderplatz, vibrant and loads of young people.

Thank you Fred for your response. I am definitely taking a bus from Hamburg to Berlin because I found that it is much cheaper (ww.rome2rio.com) to take the bus rather than the train. My Eurail pass is only for 15 days out of 2 months and I want to use it for the trips that would cost the most via a single train.

-Max

Max - if I were 20 years younger and not married I'd go with you! Nothing wrong with partying your way around Europe when you are young and fancy free!

You are definitely hitting most of the high points. Be sure to have a global smart phone or tablet with data as this will be invaluable for checking train schedules & booking hotels and finding your way back to your hotel!

You have the 15 travel days in 2 months rail pass correct?

Do you have a budget?

Just a few notes to begin

Definitely book your room(s) in Edinburgh sooner rather than later unless you have somewhere to stay. Also for Octoberfest. Other than that keep your dates open as you decide to stay in one place longer or shorter than your plan. Like Prague where as my husband noted "look at all these beautiful tall blondes!"

Innsbruck - could be skipped all together

Budapest - another place with a great young nightlife - my nephew taught for a year there and loved it!

Prague - great vibe and young hip city

Barcelona - you will love the night life - just be sure and have some waking hours in the daylight to appreciate the Gaudiness!

Stuttgart - I am certain Jo can fill you in

That's all for now - have a fantastic time!

You may want to re-think your budget - that's $70 a day for hotel, food, transportation (buses, ferries, subways), partying, sights, incidentals, etc.

Unless you plan on couch surfing, and camping even hostels could take a biig chunk of that.

Max - if I were 20 years younger and not married I'd go with you!
Nothing wrong with partying your way around Europe when you are young
and fancy free!

-If you had to choose, which of those cities would you want to visit the most if you took a small vacation?

You are definitely hitting most of the high points. Be sure to have a
global smart phone or tablet with data as this will be invaluable for
checking train schedules & booking hotels and finding your way back to
your hotel!

-I will most certainly bringing my iPhone with me. I have downloaded all of Europe as a map. I hear Europe's wifi is much better overall than the State's.

You have the 15 travel days in 2 months rail pass correct?

-Correct

Do you have a budget?

-Flask and Couchsurf

Innsbruck - could be skipped all together

-Noted

Budapest - another place with a great young nightlife - my nephew
taught for a year there and loved it! Prague - great vibe and young
hip city Barcelona - you will love the night life - just be sure and
have some waking hours in the daylight to appreciate the Gaudiness!

-Very excited for these three

Also, I do plan on CouchSurfing a lot, using Airbnb/Hostels, and BangforRoof to cut down on the expenditure of the trip. Hostels are expensive, so I'll try to mix it up as much as possible between those three

Thank you very much Kristi for your input!

-Max

Hi,

As far as beer is concerned to save expenses ie, your beer tab, get the cans or bottles in grocery stores not located inside train stations. In Germany they called Reisebebarf, where you load up on supplies, incl beer too, as I have seen youth backpacker travelers do. Wrong....they are spending more getting it at the station, where you pay extra for the convenience. Get the drink in stores outside of the stations...you'll see the lower price difference., same with food items.

Thanks Fred.

How much does a 6 pack of domestics cost usually?

jm,

Reading your proposed Itinerary was a bit exhausting, but I have a few comments......

• Premium trains in Europe such as the TGV in France and Freccia trains in Italy have compulsory reservations which are NOT covered by your Pass. You'll need to pay out-of-pocket for those. Note that France restricts Passholder reservations, so once the quota is sold-out for a particular train, you won't be able to travel on that train unless you buy a regular ticket. When travelling in Italy, if you're caught without a valid reservation for the train you're riding on, you'll face hefty fines of about €50-60 PP, which will be collected on the spot! If you don't pay the fines on the spot, they double! Note that the reservations are specific for train, date and departure time, so can only be used on one train. Also in Italy, note that your Pass will not be accepted on the new Italo high speed trains, nor on smaller commuter lines such as the Circumvesuviana in Naples.
• As you plan on travelling with your iPhone, be sure to check with your home network regarding costs for data roaming. If you're only planning to use Wi-Fi, you'll need to be very careful to ensure that cellular data is blocked. Also, some older iPhones such as Verizon iPhone 4 models will not work in Europe.
• As someone else mentioned, I also think your budget is a bit "light" for a trip of ~100 days, especially considering the amount of moving around you're doing. You mentioned a figure of $7K, not including airfare and rail pass. That's US$ 70 per day or only about €51 per day. Even with Couch Surfing, I'm not sure that will be enough. Keep in mind that each change of location will have a cost in both time and money.
• I'd have to spend some time working on it, but my initial impression is that some parts of your Itinerary are somewhat inefficient, and involve backtracking. For example, you're travelling west from Stuttgart to Strasbourg and then Zürich, and then east back to Austria. That doesn't seem logical.
• On the trip from Rome to Florence, it would be a far better use of travel time to pre-book Super Economy tickets on the high speed Freccia train as the trip is only 90 minutes.

Good luck with your planning!

Just so you're aware, very few breweries in Belgium offer regular tours to the general public. Some may allow you to visit if you call in advanced. Most are strictly off-limits unless you have legitimate business there. I met a guy who works for Brasserie d'Achouffe and asked him the reason, and he gave me two good ones: 1) Opening the brewery to regular visitors requires compliance with extra health and safety standards that aren't worth the cost to many brewers 2) Protection of trade secrets.

Hi,

As for the cost of a six pack of domestic , ie, German beer in cans, that varies from brand to brand, eg, whether it's Becks Gold or Herforder Pils, Berliner Kindl, or some sort of Radler (forget that). But, mostly, the cost is higher inside the train station than at some store outside of the station. It adds up when stocking up for 3 guys.

In Vienna (since that city is part of your itinerary) the word used is not "Reisebedarf " as the Austrians choose another word "Reiseprovianten."

I would suggest that you book the hostel now for Oktobertfest, since the closer it gets to that event, the more the prices skyrocket, let alone finding anything. Wombats is a very good hostel for Munich, Vienna and Budapest. Otherwise, if nothing is available in Munich at Oktoberfest, then stay in a Pension or the HI Hostel in Augsburg, since everyone is looking for cheap accomodations. As a way to keep expenses down, don't rule out the night train option.

One more consideration.....as others have suggested skipping Innsbruck. I agree. You take Innsbruck out, that allows you to do Zurich to Vienna on a night train, ie, gaining a day in Vienna. The choices are either direct to Vienna (Wien Westbahnhof, the Wombats hostel is across the street ) or transfer in Linz shortly before 0600. That may look early but it isn't. In the summer I would do that since it's light before 0500.

Your rail pass gets you on the night train but you have to get a seat reservation first (that's mandatory), ca 15-20 Euro, which is still cheaper than staying the night in a hostel. The Pass doesn't cover sleeping accomodations on a sleeper or couchette (Liegewagon). That's extra (and pricey) which you would have to pay for. I wouldn't and don't when I take a night train.

If you find yourself getting priced out of Oktoberfest, realize that this is only one of many fall harvest fests held throughout Germany. And actually, because it tends to attract annoying hordes of international fratboy-types, it's probably one of my least favorite. Some alternatives I've enjoyed more that occur around the same time are Stuttgart's Cannstatter Volksfest, and Bad Dürkheim's Würstmarkt. Both were fun and lively, particularly after dark, but not infested with nearly the degree of loud drunken bro-dudes as Munich's Oktoberfest. I think Köln and Düsseldorf also host similar fests, but I have not attended.

I would definitely recommend the Wombat's hostel in Budapest. Right now I'm staying in one of the Gozsdu Court apartments which is across the street and down the block. The Gozsdu Court is a hopping happening place - six connected courtyards of bars and restaurants and clubs - really rocking after dark so I'm sure you guys would love the neighborhood. For myself, a 60 something female, I'm just glad the noise doesn't reach my apartment. By the way, you can also check out the Gozsdu Court apartments. For 3 guys it might even be cheaper than the hostel.

Nobody else find "my two buddies and I's" European itinerary just a bit strange?

jm,
Reading your proposed Itinerary was a bit exhausting, but I have a few comments......
Premium trains in Europe such as the TGV in France and Freccia trains in Italy have compulsory reservations which are NOT covered by your Pass. You'll need to pay out-of-pocket for those. Note that France restricts Passholder reservations, so once the quota is sold-out for a particular train, you won't be able to travel on that train unless you buy a regular ticket. When travelling in Italy, if you're caught without a valid reservation for the train you're riding on, you'll face hefty fines of about €50-60 PP, which will be collected on the spot! If you don't pay the fines on the spot, they double! Note that the reservations are specific for train, date and departure time, so can only be used on one train. Also in Italy, note that your Pass will not be accepted on the new Italo high speed trains, nor on smaller commuter lines such as the Circumvesuviana in Naples.
As you plan on travelling with your iPhone, be sure to check with your home network regarding costs for data roaming. If you're only planning to use Wi-Fi, you'll need to be very careful to ensure that cellular data is blocked. Also, some older iPhones such as Verizon iPhone 4 models will not work in Europe.
As someone else mentioned, I also think your budget is a bit "light" for a trip of ~100 days, especially considering the amount of moving around you're doing. You mentioned a figure of $7K, not including airfare and rail pass. That's US$ 70 per day or only about €51 per day. Even with Couch Surfing, I'm not sure that will be enough. Keep in mind that each change of location will have a cost in both time and money.
I'd have to spend some time working on it, but my initial impression is that some parts of your Itinerary are somewhat inefficient, and involve backtracking. For example, you're travelling west from Stuttgart to Strasbourg and then Zürich, and then east back to Austria. That doesn't seem logical.
On the trip from Rome to Florence, it would be a far better use of travel time to pre-book Super Economy tickets on the high speed Freccia train as the trip is only 90 minutes.
Good luck with your planning!

The above information on trains is very helpful! I knew that there would have to be some time to book the tickets before you just 'show up' but I was unaware of the extra fees in some countries. I also plan to save money through buying supermarket foods mainly, and trying the local cuisine once or twice per city.

As far as backtracking is concerned, I felt that the Strasbourg/Zurich trip wasn't a 'backtrack' per se but detour. You have to understand that there are three of us and we all want to see some cities more than the other one wants to. The itinerary in the OP is a mere suggestion of what our trip would look like if we had to include every place we wanted to visit. This forum will certainly have a big influence on the final copy of the itinerary

I met a guy who works for Brasserie d'Achouffe

L'achouffe is a great brew!

One more consideration.....as others have suggested skipping Innsbruck. I agree

I may just skip the whole Stuttgart/Strasbourg/Zurich/Innsbruck leg of the trip and go straight from Munich to Vienna as some here have suggested

Your rail pass gets you on the night train but you have to get a seat reservation first (that's mandatory), ca 15-20 Euro, which is still cheaper than staying the night in a hostel.

One of the guys I am travailing with suggested doing this as well, but I think it is well worth traveling during the day to see the beautiful country-sides some of these countries have to offer

I think Köln and Düsseldorf also host similar fests, but I have not attended.

I personally would love to visit either of these cities and hopefully will one day. I am the Germany enthusiast of the trip by far and would absolutely love to live there one day!

By the way, you can also check out the Gozsdu Court apartments. For 3 guys it might even be cheaper than the hostel.

Gozsdu Court sounds like the place where I live in the US! I have been banging the drum about going to Budapest all along and didn't think I could get more excited. Sounds like a great place to stay. Thanks!

Hi,

I assume that since you are 24 and presumably your travel buddies are likewise, you got a Youth Global Pass. Now, if you didn't, there are still advantages. True, as correctly pointed out above that in France Pass holders are subject to a certain number of seats, this unpleasant restriction. You can't tell, just hit and miss, your luck or lack of it. What to do then? I've been in this situation.

Not all is lost but buying a ticket at full price (can be pricey since you're taking a TGV) is not the first and only option. If your Pass is a 1st class one, ask if the restriction applies in 1st and 2nd class. . If so, then change the hour of departure, ie, if it applies to the next departure in both 1st and 2nd class. This is where you need to have some built in flexibility. Or, if need be, change the date of departure. Bottom line, with a 1st class Pass you can choose to sit in either 1st class or 2nd, In Germany and Austria it's even easier on the ICE or RJ trains, just hop on. Seat reservations (day) aren't mandatory as they are in France on the TGV

Getting to France...take the ferry from Porthsmouth to Caen (Normandy) or St Malo.

Thanks Fred,

I plan on only really using the pass once in France. I will mainly be taking buses (especially where they are cheap in the north) due to most travel in France being very short. This trip is very flexible and if I do un into a booking issue, I can always either get a bus to another city or wait until three seats are available.

And I think the ferry I am taking is from Portsmouth to Cherbourg.

Do reserve way ahead in a train station or at http://ricksteves.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/triprequest.htm for the Marseille-Barcelona and Madrid-Paris train rides. They go on sale about 3 months ahead of your travel date and can sell out quickly. Make the Paris hotel reservation, too, since you have the flight arranged.

I assume that the middle of this plan is flexible, so that you can stay longer or change plans as you go. Give yourselves permission to make those changes as you go, or to occasionally split up. For instance, most people don't make it to Zagreb on their first trip. You have listed all big cities, so now you have to fit in some smaller towns which can often be cheaper, friendlier, more walkable, more historically preserved, and just plain different in atmosphere than the big cities.

If some of these are "passby" cities, just helping you define a general route, then go ahead to research and identify the better places to stay near there. For instance, don't go to Zurich; go to Gimmelwald, or another town right in the Swiss Alps. Cassis is the cool area for swimming/boating/hiking, not the big city of Marseille. If you're doing your research online, you can get more destination ideas at http://www.ricksteves.com/europe; details for these are filled in by Rick's guidebooks. Trying to see so many countries does mean that you need to carry more guidebooks and other resources than if the trip were more focused. Electronic versions of Rick's books are sold through Kindle, Nook, etc., which most of us don't like as well as paper books, but you may be more used to them.

Looking at your time and budget, you've allotted about $70 per day which, I assume, you are also relying on to cover your travel outside of your rail pass. Megabus is a great idea if you get your reservations early...the longer you wait, the more it'll cost since they price each individual bus on a first come, first served basis. First ones to book get the $1 fare and it goes up from there. Certainly possible since you plan to couch surf some of the time (I assume you've seen this couch surfing website). Have you seen this one? It's people who want to cook and share meals in their home for the simple pleasure of meeting new people - it might come in handy?? Hostels can be pricey and eat up most of your daily budget, especially in the larger cities.
Invest in the overnight ferry from Croatia to Italy to save time...sleep on the deck to save $$.
Skip Innsbruck unless, by this point, you're looking for a place to clear your head from all the partying you plan to do...it's a pretty quiet place.
There also isn't a whole lot in Zurich...move on to your next destination and add more time in some of the better cities like Amsterdam or Prague.
I spent 3 months in Europe when I was your age and wouldn't trade it for any other experience I have ever had - it will reshape your life...report back to us when you return! Have an amazing time!!!

Hi,

In Germany, Austria, Croatia, Hungary you won't have any problems with the Pass taking trains by w/o reservations, ie, just hopping on. I do it both ways, sometimes I reserve, mostly I don't. What I suggest is that you study the trunk lines in Central Europe so that you know when to tailor the route you want to take and not just rely on the most expedient route given by DB. One problem is doing the long rides by day, say over 7 hrs, is that you might have to transfer 2-4 times, (that gets tedious), whereas the night train is direct until 0600 or so before you need to transfer. The hostels vary in price, staying in dorm rooms where the three of you will have either 3 or 5 roommates is the cheapest.

Keep in mind that just because you have 15 travel days on your pass, doesn't mean you have to use all 15 days. It may seem like a waste to leave travel days unused, but you may burn up more money and time by traveling so often.

I spent two weeks in Scotland when I was 24. I felt like I needed to take a rest cure and dry out my liver when I got home. I can't even imagine...

Looking at your time and budget, you've allotted about $70 per day which, I assume, you are also relying on to cover your travel outside of your rail pass. Megabus is a great idea if you get your reservations early

$70~80 - I made a quick budget once that relied on cheap supermarket food, using flasks, couch surfing/hostels, sink water and it was a good deal less than $70 a day, even if it is unrealistic to expect that budget everyday.

I have already begun booking Megabus. The £1 Bus/Ferry from Dublin to Manchester is just awesome.

Have you seen this one? It's people who want to cook and share meals in their home for the simple pleasure of meeting new people - it might come in handy?? Hostels can be pricey and eat up most of your daily budget, especially in the larger cities.
Invest in the overnight ferry from Croatia to Italy to save time...sleep on the deck to save $$.
Skip Innsbruck unless, by this point, you're looking for a place to clear your head from all the partying you plan to do...it's a pretty quiet place.
There also isn't a whole lot in Zurich...move on to your next destination and add more time in some of the better cities like Amsterdam or Prague.
I spent 3 months in Europe when I was your age and wouldn't trade it for any other experience I have ever had - it will reshape your life...report back to us when you return! Have an amazing time!!!

I have already verified my couch surfing account. I haven't looked into MealShare, but I will do that sometime today in between work. Sounds interesting.

Sleeping during trains/ferrys sound like a good way to save money, but I am afraid that if I do, I might miss seeing the country. Im afraid that we've made this trip all about the city life but have ignored the countryside

I think I am going to remove the Stuttgart/Strasbourg/Zurich/Innsbruck leg of the trip. You guys have been a great influence. I will gladly post my changed itinerary in the near future and will 100% revisit this topic and give y'all a synopsis when I get back!

In Germany, Austria, Croatia, Hungary you won't have any problems with the Pass taking trains by w/o reservations, ie, just hopping on. I do it both ways, sometimes I reserve, mostly I don't. What I suggest is that you study the trunk lines in Central Europe so that you know when to tailor the route you want to take and not just rely on the most expedient route given by DB. One problem is doing the long rides by day, say over 7 hrs, is that you might have to transfer 2-4 times, (that gets tedious), whereas the night train is direct until 0600 or so before you need to transfer. The hostels vary in price, staying in dorm rooms where the three of you will have either 3 or 5 roommates is the cheapest.

The Central Europe part of the trip is the part of the trip that I am the MOST excited about. Berlin;Prague;Vienna;Budapest;Zagreb(maybe) all sound like places that I'd like. I think the advice that you gave about the night train is good, but maybe a day train could be used as a buffer day in between partying to really get a good look at the countryside and get rid of that hangover. Hostels are our 3rd or 4th option behind CS, Airbnb, and Craigslist if we don't meet locals

I spent two weeks in Scotland when I was 24. I felt like I needed to take a rest cure and dry out my liver when I got home. I can't even imagine...

Yeah hahahah it helps being Scots-Irish/German for this kind of trip. Can handle some of the 'abuse'.

How was Scotland? I am actually very excited to see this part of the world as well. Always wanted to see my ancestor's home. "Freeeeeeeeedommmmmmm!!" Haha

Max - you have a great attitude and I am certain you will do fine. I have a feeling the central Europe portion of your trip will be your favorite as well!

One other suggestion would be to blog your adventure as you go. You are packing a ton of new places and experiences in a fairly short time period and sooner or later they will start running into each other. Blogging during train rides and uploading when you find free wifi is a great way to keep things straight for later. Also make sure the location function on your camera/phone is turned on.

Hi,

Something that should be mentioned in terms of the means of transportation available to you. Taking the bus is not like an experience you might get here. Busses over there are not like Greyhound, can't even be compared. I've taken the bus in Poland from a city to a town , between France and Germany (Forbach to Saarbrücken)...the most recent experiences, all very satisfactory and pleasant. Just to allay any concerns you may have if the cheaper means is that of a bus in Central Europe. Bottom line, don't think of these buses as Greyhound.