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23-24 day trip throughout Europe

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Hi all!
I have posted a couple of times about a trip I am planning this summer after studying abroad in Florence for six weeks. After each post, I gain more insight from you guys on the infrastructure of this trip, so I will post what I have right now. I would appreciate comments on logistics, best travel options (RailPass? should we just by tickets at each station? Air?), Hostels vs. airbnb, and anything else that would help! To give some context, a friend and I (originally a group of three, but one person had to drop out) will be studying in Florence until June 27th. On June 27th we will embark on a 23 day trip throughout many different countries, hoping to get as much as we can out of the trip. We are both about 20 years old, energetic and eager to explore. That being said, we do not have as much time or money as we would like, so we are trying to avoid high cost items (unless they are absolute must-dos!) and time consumers. Here is how our trip looks so far:

On June 27th we will head from Florence to Vienna. I am not sure whether to fly or to take a train from Florence to Vienna. We need to be in Vienna first in our itinerary because I have a friend who lives outside of Vienna who is willing to take us in for a few days. We will proceed to stay in Vienna until June 30th, when we will travel to Krakow, by train.

We will be in Krakow for a couple days, mainly to visit Aushwitz-Birkenau, with another day to check out the city. Researching hostels in Krakow I found Greg and Tom's Party Hostel, which looks like a pretty good option for people our age to meet other people our age. We will travel from Krakow to Prague on July 3rd, by train.

We will stay in Prague, where we will stay in one of four hostels: The Art Hole Hostel, Florenc Hostel, Prague Square Hostel, or Hostel One Prague. We will stay in Prague until July 7th. On July 7th we will travel from Prague to Munich, by train.

We will be in Munich from July 7-10. In Munich, we are looking at the CVJM/YMCA Muenchen Hostel or the Haus International. On July 10th we will fly to Amsterdam

We will be in Amsterdam from July 10th to 13th. In Amsterdam, there are some options for lodging I was looking at: the Lucky Lake, Flying Pig Uptown, Shelter City, Hans Brinker Budget Hostel. On July 13th we will fly to Dublin.

We both have a friend in Dublin, and we will probably stay with her while we are in Dublin and she can show us around. We will be in Dublin until July 17, when we will fly to Stockholm.

My fellow traveler has a friend in Stockholm who we will probably be staying with from July 17th to either July 20th or 21st, when our journey ends and we fly home!

Essentially, our journey looks like this: Florence-Vienna-Krakow-Prague-Munich-Amsterdam-Dublin-Stockholm

7 Cities in 23-24 days. I realize I will be criticized on not spending a lot of time in particular cities, but we are hoping to get a small taste of different countries. We have plenty of time left in our lives for discovering each individual city more in depth if we choose. Again, I would appreciate any information that would assist in travel, lodging, budgeting, food, drink, or anyhiting really. This is both of our first time in Europe, and we are hoping to make it a lot of fun!

Thank you all so much!
Ty

Posted by
11613 posts

Ty, young and energetic with plans to return are key. Your long-distance travel costs will be somewhat offset by low- or no-cost housing. So, check out low cost airlines for Florence-Vienna, and at least Dublin-Stockholm.

I would say a Railpass would probably not be worth the money and time, but you should compare prices vs. airfares. Remember to add reservation fees with the railpass.

If you know your travel dates in advance, and can stick to them, you can get super-economy fares well in advance of travel dates.

Keep an eye on your food budget, it can mount up fast. Cheap eats near universities and train stations.

You will be quite familiar with European customs since you will have been in Florence for awhile - use your fellow students' experiences for tips as well.

Posted by
86 posts

Greg and Toms is great. Really friendly and they feed you breakfast and dinner everyday. They help organize tours to auschwitz and also to the salt mines or to other day trip locations near Kraków. Also very clean. Got off night train and they let us store our bags, have showers and have breakfast. Likewise on the day of departure we stayed for dinner too. They also have nightly activities although I did not partake. Although party is in their name it was more just social an relaxed. Partiers tended to go out to the pubs and clubs. I spent 5 nights there and filled them all. Definitely a great choice for you and the right price.

Posted by
16893 posts

There are cheap flights from Rome to Vienna, but I did not see any from Florence or Pisa on June 27. The direct overnight train from Florence to Vienna is convenient. With a rail pass, you pay extra for the type of sleeper you select, or the point-to-point ticket price will also vary based on sleeper selection.

If you take the night train to Vienna, then the pass you could consider for your trips on the continent would be the Eurail Global for 15 continuous days + 2 extra (special offer available to purchase before March 30) for about $433 per youth, but it is not cheaper than regular tickets for the trains you listed. It would be a better value comparison if you needed to cover a train from Munich to Amsterdam.

If you fly to Vienna and your train trips are just three rides between Vienna-Krakow-Prague-Munich, then there is no rail pass worth considering. Poland is not a choice on the 4-country Selectpass or the European East pass.

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