first time solo traveller! - trouble in planning Euro travel!

amazingrace, With a VERY SHORT time frame of only two weeks, I don't think you have time for Stockholm or time to venture too far into eastern Europe. When choosing locations to visit, it's extremely important to factor in the travel times, which will be AT LEAST half a day in each case and sometimes longer. As you'll be arriving in London, Paris and the "4 Italian cities" makes the most sense. You could consider something along these lines: > Arrive London - take EuroStar to Paris straight away > Paris (4 days) > Budget flight to Venice (have a look at EasyJet from CDG) > Venice (2 days) > Train to Florence (~2 hours) > Florence (3 days, perhaps with a day trip to Siena by Bus) > Train to Rome (~1H:30M) > Rome (4 days) > Budget flight to London to visit your friend As you can see, this doesn't leave much time for eastern Europe or Stockholm. This is only an approximate idea of one route you could use. There are of course many other ways this could be done. With budget airlines, it's a good idea to book early, as the prices tend to increase as the flight fills. Be sure to read the "Terms & Conditions" carefully, especially regarding luggage and carry-on limits (usually only ONE carry-on item allowed, of the approved size). It would be a good idea to do some research on riding trains in Italy, as there are some "pitfalls" you need to be aware of. You might find it helpful to have a look at This Website as there's lots of good information. Happy travels!

Grace- travelling between Cities/towns/areas can eat up a lot of your vacation time. Although it hasnt yet been suggested, you have a choice between trying to see a lot of places (which suggests a guided coach tour which will cover something like 8 places in 12 days) or see a few places well and keep your travel time down. Paris (4 days) and London are usually people's first choice- and both are expensive, but probably "must dos'. for the remainder of your time you should probably keep your towns in the same area- three italian places; or maybe Switzerland and Munich; or Munich and the Rhine. I rate Amsterdam below the above choices (maybe next time) and Belgium significantly below Amsterdam Logistics would suggest do Paris either immediately before or after london (potential use of eurostar train which is a very efficient use of time)

Do you have a whole 14 days to tour or are you including travel days? Being short on time if I had just 14 full days and wanted to cram a lot of cities in 1 trip I'd go London, Paris, Brussels/Bruges, Amsterdam & fly home from Amsterdam. I'd spend 2 nights in Brussels or Bruges & daytrip to see the other since the train ride is so short, then split my other 12 days between London, Paris & Amsterdam. If my 14 days included 2 shorter travel days, I'd cut Belgium. Your other plans are scattered all over the map and you'd lose too much time & money covering the longer distances. If money is the big deciding factor, you'd stretch your wallet further with a couple of the Eastern European countries. What's your budget for the trip (without your airfares)?

I will arrive London on 1/6 and return home on 23/6.Will meet my friend by 14/6 to travel in UK & Scotland before I go home. So i think I will be able to stay in Europe for roughly two weeks, travel included. but if it is advisable to, I will join my friend later than 14/6. I am wondering now if I should just go to the Italian 4 big cities or like what you said just Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels. Which of the options would be more cost and time efficient? May I know why would you suggest stretching to eastern europe too?

How tight of a budget.? LOVE London but it is an EXPENSIVE city. Did you book a round trip ticket? Might be getter to fly open jaw. Into one city, out from another. Besides meeting your friend why are you traveling? What is it that you want to see and do in Europe? June is the height of the tourist season. Prices will be higher. Is June the only time you can travel? Provide some more details please.

Answer to your last question: because in eastern Europe you generally pay less for services, meals in restaurants, accommodation, etc. than in western Europe.

I will stay at my friend's place in London so I guess I can save a few days' accommodation in my trip. (i plan to travel in London, other UK cities and Edinburgh from 14 - 23 June, after I return to London to meet my friend) I wish to do an open jaw too but it doesn't match with my frd's schedule as she can only come to london in mid June. But I would to travel around Europe anyway so I don't mind taking London as a base point. Would love to Europe cos I have always wanted to, haha!! would love to experience a different culture since I am from Asia. Everywhere in Europe is new to me! I hvnt really done a budget plan yet but I hope to control my expenses at around 50 Euro a day. The cost of places will still be a concern to me, thats why I am asking which places are relatively cheaper to travel. And, any suggestions for Eastern Europeans countries to travel?

I agree with the first response. If you are arriving in London and would like to spend some time there, I either wouldn't stray too far from there, or would make my way towards Central or Eastern Europe to spend the majority of my vacation where my money would stretch further. London IS expensive, but most of the major museums are free and if you don't mind eating a lot of sandwiches and noodles, you can spend less than you might think. Especially if you stay with a friend or in a hostel. If it were me, I would go from London to Central Europe (Prague, Berlin, Vienna) because my money stretches further and this is a vacation! All these places are very safe and English is widely spoken and understood. Let us know what you decide. Have a GREAT time!
Emily

Given your response, Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, with time in London with your friend.

Thanks!
can you please help mapping out the cities and the route advised to take as well?

Is 50 euros a day for food, transport, admission to sites and accomadation.That will take some planning, ,, i would try and bump that up to 70-100 euros a day for all those things and start looking at some hostels. There are many hostelling website that can tell which ones are decent to stay in , and in many its a good idea to prebook for the busy season .

Is that 50 Euro a day for everything: Food, lodging, admission prices, public transit within the city limits? If yes, become a member and try couchsurfing because in all the cities in Western Europe you hope to visit, a hostel bed in a shared dorm room will eat up about half of your 50 Euro leaving you with 25 for everything else.

oh. in need of management of expectation of costs... so EURO 70 - 100 a day for Western Europe.
How much would I need for Eastern Europe?

Ken, thanks for providing the route. I personally like that too, but have to know more about the costs before I can decide. How much do I have to spend per day for Paris-Venice-Florence-Rome? Would it be cheaper in costs for (i) Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam or (ii) Milan-Venice-Florence-Rome or
(iii) Berlin-Prague-Budapest?? (Brian, I would go for Berlin if I am to visit Germany - which city I should go along with)

Ken, thanks for providing the route. I personally like that too, but have to know more about the costs before I can decide. How much do I have to spend per day for Paris-Venice-Florence-Rome? Would it be cheaper in costs for (i) Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam or (ii) Milan-Venice-Florence-Rome or
(iii) Berlin-Prague-Budapest?? (Brian, I would go for Berlin if I am to visit Germany - which city I should go along with)

amazingrace, It would take some time to sit down and work out some approximate costs, and there's no guarantee these would be the same at the time you're travelling. There are also a lot of variables, such as being able to get "Mini" fares in Italy. How "tight" is your budget for the two weeks you'll be travelling on your own in Europe? Is there any way you could add a bit to provide a bit extra for unexpected expenses? You can get some idea of the train fares by checking the websites for each rail network (ie: Trenitalia in Italy, SNCF in France). Are you planning to stay in Hostels? If so, you can check their websites for prices. Good luck with your planning!

at first I was expecting euro 50 per day. but I realised it is pretty unrealistic, especially for Italy. would 70-80 euro be better? would like to stretch my money! thanks.

amazingrace, YES, €70-80 would be better (and perhaps more if you can manage). If you're staying in Hostels, I'd plan about €35 per night for a Dorm room (some will be less, but if you plan on the high end of the scale, you should be covered). Breakfasts will usually be provided, but you'll have to have funds for lunch and dinner. You can save money on lunches by picking up a Panino or whatever at a local Deli, but dinners could be expensive. You'll also need to cover local transportation, admission charges to Museums or other sites and "incidentals". As I don't have any knowledge of your "usual travel style", there's no way to accurately estimate how much you might need. Cheers!