First time in Europe Itinerary help

matt,

If you're travelling in May this year, it would have been prudent to have started the planning much earlier than now. That's only about a month away! As this is your first trip to Europe, you're going to have a very steep learning curve to get up to speed on "how" to travel in Europe and get accommodations booked. May is the start of the spring shoulder season, so it could be busy.

It's difficult to offer many suggestions without having more information on your situation, what your interests are, what you're most interested in seeing, what type of accommodations you prefer, what type of budget you're working with, etc. I'd suggest staying in Amsterdam for about three days before moving onto the next place, as that will give you some time to get over jet lag and get up to "touring speed".

I'm sure the group here will be able to offer lots of suggestions, but more information would be helpful.

How great! As Ken said, accommodations are more difficult to find as the time gets closer. If you want to stay in hostel dorm rooms, you will find it easier. You can get an idea of prices and lots of information on the style (some are real party centers, some are for serious travelers, and everything in-between) and the location at sites like Hostel World. If you want hotel rooms, the longer you wait, the less choice you have. Sometimes you can get bargains at lastminute.com.

The other big consideration this close to departure is train travel. Trains are great in Europe, clean, comfortable, often very fast (140-180 mph), frequent and usually on time. But tickets are often expensive. The more you travel, the more you'll have to shell out. Depending on where you decide to go, you may be able to get youth discounts or passes that will save you $$$.

You say you're having trouble deciding. That means you've thought about it and have some ideas. What are they? We can help you choose and plan a route. A couple of things occur to me since you're terminus is Geneva. First is that the Alps may not be a good choice. It's too late for skiing and too early for hiking. Second is that Switzerland is very expensive. Not just hotels, but cokes, coffees, pizza - all pricey.

Asking such a question for two young men is like giving an artist a big unfinished canvas. You can make anything you can out of such a trip, and Amsterdam is a great place to start.

If you're young Bohemians, I'd suggest you book a cheap flight on EasyJet to Prague. Then take a bus or train down to Munich. Then take in Vienna on your way to Budapest.

Or, take a train from Amsterdam to Berlin, train to Prague, train to Vienna and train to Budapest.

I say visit these cities as they have such lively social scenes for young adults. The grunge bars of Budapest are not to be missed when the weather's good.

Hello matt. Some of the people reading your request for advice could help you plan your trip at Europe, if you give some information. First : What countries in Europe do you want to go to ? That is for you to decide. Is being at Paris a high priority for you ?
Second : what is the approximate total amount of money that you can spend at Europe ? We need to know that, in order for us to be able to give suggestions for your transportation in Europe, and some places to go to.
The Rough Guide books have good descriptions of places and geographic areas in countries in Europe. I suggest : read parts of the book "Rough Guide to France", and parts of the book "Rough Guide to Germany".
I think the best travel guide book on ITALY is "Rick Steves' ITALY". It is not necessary for the books to be recent editions. You can acquire current information about overnight accommodation places from other sources.

Thanks everyone, here are a few more details. We are just finishing university so we will be using hostels, and most likely trains as our method of transportation. My budget is anywhere from 1500 to 2000 euros for the trip excluding flights in and out. I've never been out of North America so I am really looking get a feel for the different culture in places, as well as see some historic areas. Having places that are fun for my age group would also be nice. There are a few areas I've thought of going to. This has been a rough draft of our trip but i'm not sure about the amount of time to spend in each city/country or if we are spreading ourselves a little thin. Amsterdam>Hannover(family reasons)>Munich>Italy>Barcelona(recommended by some friends)>Paris(side trip to London)>Geneva. Hannover doesn't have to be more then a one day stopover.
Thanks again for all the help.

One tip if you plan to visit several countries: budget your euro per country, if not per day (some countries are more expensive per day but you may really want to spend more time in those). Your budget is going to be pretty tight.

You might like the Lonely Planet guidebooks and their Thorn Tree website.

I don't normally weigh in on itinerary questions because I think each person's sight choices are individual, based on their personal preferences.

That said, here's a couple techniques I use to develop an itinerary:

Be flexible on your dates. I start by getting my air booked (sounds like you've already done this). When I'm booking I try moving my dates a few days in either direction, reverse my trip, try different airports both to fly in and out of. I set up alerts for a variety of options and buy when I get a good deal that works for me.

Remember travel days. A travel day is any day you don't sleep the same place you woke up. On a travel day, you get up, pack, check out, get to transportation, get to your new destination, get to your lodging, check in, unpack/get settled, and find some meals along the way. My general rule is no more than 4 hours travel time (whether by air, train or car) on a travel day. By the time you throw in the extra activity, your day will be full. Any time you end up with for seeing sights at your new destination is a bonus on a travel day, better to not count on it. I often plan a stop along the way but realize that means extra connections, waiting, hassle - and more of your day shot.

It takes two nights to spend one full day at a destination (flanked by travel days). Three nights translates to two full days, etc. When you're planning time, it's easy to think two nights equals two days but it really doesn't.

When I'm planning an itinerary, I want to know every sight option possible. I'll read travel guides from the library, check local TI sights online as well as Trip Adviser "Things To Do". Don't forget to check for festivals, fairs, special exhibitions on or around the dates you will be in an area.

Once I know all the options I rate them according to my personal interest as must-see, good to see if there's time, and skippable. I plan two must-see sights per day, one in the a.m., one in the p.m., with time for lunch between the two. I keep a list of good to see sights in my back pocket (for me on a spreadsheet on an iPod) with all relevant information (address, open hours, cost, etc.). If I have extra time (spent less time at a must-see, first choice wasn't available, add something in the evening), I can pull that out and find something to do (assuming I'm not burned out and want something to do).

As I said above, I plan two must-sees per day. So how long do I stay in one place? Take my must-sees in that location and divide by two - literally. Sometimes I don't have time for that, other times I want to stay longer just to slow down - but that's the rule of thumb I start with.

(Edit) Hello Matt. We appreciate your quick reply here. I think planning your itinerary for travel in Europe is difficult, because you must go to Amsterdam and Hanover and Geneva. And you can not spend much money for transportation at Europe. I recommend : go to not more than 5 countries. Avoid long distance train trips, as that would be expensive. You said you will be at Amsterdam and Hanover and Geneva. Those places are in northern Europe. Therefore, my first thought is for you to travel in the northern half of Europe : Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland. Putting Paris into your itinerary is not easy if all of your transportation will be on land. A travel plan for you, that I thought of, is :
Amsterdam > Hanover > Bacharach (at the Rhine River in Germany, east of Koblenz), Paris (via Koblenz), Gimmelwald in the Berner Oberland in Switzerland (south of Interlaken) > Geneva or Lausanne.
Read about the Rhine River valley area in Germany (it includes Bacharach) in the travel guide book "Rick Steves' GERMANY". I guess the hostel at Bacharach (in the castle on top of the hill) is still there.
You will be in Switzerland (Geneva airport). Therefore I highly recommend that you go to Gimmelwald in the Berner Oberland in Switzerland, to see the Alps mountains. And the train ride between Interlaken and Montrose (travelling toward Geneva) is scenic. One possible route for travelling from Paris to Gimmelwald is :
Railroad trains from Paris > Basel > Bern > Interlaken > Lauterbrunnen > bus to Stechelberg > cable-car (alpine lift) to Gimmelwald. A hostel is at Gimmelwald. That is a great place for seeing the huge Alps mountains and the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
(Edit) The night before your airline flight from the Geneva airport, your overnight accommodation could be at the town Lausanne (at the north side of Lake Geneva). The part of Lausanne at the side of the Lake is the best lakeside place for relaxing in Switzerland. The word Lausanne is pronounced loh-zahn. A hostel is at Lausanne. It is Lausanne Guesthouse & Backpacker. It is one of the best hostels in Switzerland. Four beds (bunks) are in each dorm room. It is a 5 minute walk from the train station. I suggest : be at that hostel at Lausanne, two nights.
Matt, we will be interested in knowing what you decide to do at Europe : your travel route.

Matt, Brad was absolutely right when he stated "It takes two nights to spend one full day... Three nights ...translates to two full days, etc." Try your best to minimize one night stops or you'll spend lots of time in transit instead of seeing / doing what you are there to see / do. And it almost always takes longer to get from Point A to Point B than anticipated. Better to experience fewer places well than many places poorly.

Amsterdam>Hannover(family reasons)>Munich>Italy>Barcelona(recommended by some friends)>Paris(side trip to London)>Geneva

I would first cut Barcelona, which is way out of the way and doesn't seem to be a priority for you. Yes, you could fly fairly cheaply Italy-Barcelona-Paris, but there are plenty of other things you could do, as well. Trains on these routes are long and/or expensive.

A rail pass can be a good way to pay for longer train trips, but rail pass travelers must reserve well ahead for faster trains in France, which limit the number of pass holders, and French-international seat reservations can also be expensive, on top of the pass. (Some people see this as a reason to skip France and others to skip the rail pass.) For 5 or more countries on the continent, one of the cheaper rail pass choices is the Eurail Global Youth pass for 10 days of travel within 2 months at $490 per person in 2nd class. Eurostar trains to London always require a separate ticket, not covered by passes. For 1-4 countries, cheaper and shorter passes are also available.

A lot of "how to" advice from Rick's book Europe Trough the Back Door is excerpted on this web site. See, for instance, http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/itinerary-tips. For multi-country trip plans, you can also steal some ideas from Rick's 2- and 3-week guided tours.

Under Explore Europe, each country page has tools to help prioritize sightseeing stops in each country, for instance under "At a Glance" and under "Plan."

Aside from French train reservations, you need not decide everything before you go, leaving some room for flexibility. But the more you understand and agree about your options and priorities before departure, then less likely those issues will take up your time or cause conflict on the road.

Is the 1500 to 2000 euro per person, or your whole bankroll for the 2 of you? It is a tight budget (maybe impossible if it is your whole wad). I think you need to cut the geographic area and number of travel days. Travel days eat up cash, and the longer the trip, the bigger the bill (in general). You should look at train ticket prices NOW. They will only go up. Buying now nonrefundable, nonchangeable tickets now will get you the best prices, but lock in your trip.
A day trip to London on May 20 (the cheapest day) will run you $264 US. And that is just the train tickets, local transport and food extra. That's about 12% of the entire budget, and that is if you buy them today!
So I'd toss Italy and Spain, unless you can increase your bankroll.

Matt,

If you have the ability to add around $250 to your $2000 budget I think you could do
everything but London. It would look something like this.

Flights and trains would need to be booked ASAP. Prices Will go up as dates are closer.

Travel costs are $340 (310 euro).

AVERAGE prices of Hostels are $ 37 using Venere.com.

5/3. Travel.

5/4. Arrive Amsterdam.

5/6. Amsterdam.

5/7. Amsterdam.

5/8. Train: Amsterdam-Hanover. 4H18m. 44 euro.

5/9. Hanover.

5/10. Train: Hanover-Munich. 4H30m. 29 euro.

5/11. Munich.

5/12. Munich.

5/13. Munich.

5/14. Flight: Air Dolmiti. Munich-Venice. 1H05m. 76 euro.

5/15. Venice.

5/16. Train: Venice-Rome. 3H45m. 39 euro.

5/17. Rome.

5/18. Rome.

5/19. Flight: Vueling Air. Rome(FCO)-Barcelona(BCN). 1H50m. 29 euro.

5/20. Barcelona.

5/21. Barcelona.

5/22. Barcelona.

5/23. Barcelona.

5/24. Flight: Vueling Air. BCN-Orly Paris. 1H45m. 39 euro.

5/25. Paris.

5/26. Paris.

5/27.Paris.

5/28. Flight: Easyjet. Paris orly-Geneva(GVA). 1H05m. 44 euro.

5/29. Geneva.

5/30 Flight Home.

If you are on a tight budget, I highly recommend sticking to Germany (Berlin especially) rather than trying to move all over. After Amsterdam and Hannover, head towards Berlin for a good long while and head to Munich and/or Prague afterwards.
Not only is Berlin the least expensive capital city in Western Europe, it is world-wide famous for its nightlife and partying. There is more than enough there to capture your attention for a week.

Try www.rome2rio.com this is what I use.

Any real reason for going to Hannover? Personal, linguistic, a certain site? If not, you can take the CNL night night train Amsterdam to Munich, which gets in a bit after 0700.