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Is my trip do-able?

Posted by on

Me and my girlfriend are planning a month long trip to Europe (we live in England), starting in Prague on July 12th. We fly home from Amsterdam on August 9th. In between we intend to spend;
3 nights in Prague,
(train)
3 nights in Budapest
(train)
2 nights in Venice
(train)
3 nights in Florence
(train)
3 nights in Rome
(ferry)
3 nights in Barcelona
(train)
3 nights in Madrid
(plane)
4 nights in Paris
(train)
2 nights and 1 day in Amsterdam
(plane)
Home

I have a couple of questions,

1) Is this trip do-able? I don't want to spend the whole trip in train stations
2) Is it worth buying a rail pass, considering the extra charges and reservations french and italian trains require?

Im having a hard time deciding, even if we go less places for more time it means the trains between destinations are longer so we will still spend a lot of time travelling. I have a budget of £3000 and so does my girlfriend.

Any help is appreciated

Posted by
19232 posts

Your plan is better than most- almost 3 nights per destination. Once you get to Italy, your travel legs are pretty short. Barcelona to Madrid is not too long, and Madrid to Paris is by plane, probably a good idea.

However, your Budapest to Venice leg is 12-14 hours by train. If you think you can sleep, consider an overnight sleeper train, or fly, or take a few days off other stops and stop somewhere on the way. Have you ever been to Innsbruck?

Posted by
4 posts

No I've never been to Innsbruck although at first I was considering Vienna for 1 night as a rest stop, however the over night train sounds a good option. Are they frequent from Budapest to Venice?

Posted by
11613 posts

Check Hahn.de for train schedules. To view prices or buy tickets, go to each country's rail provider.

Posted by
809 posts

Check the Deutsche Bahn website bahn.de for train schedules. You will need to check the various national rail sites to get prices for each leg of the trip - then compare the total to the cost of a railpass to see what is the cheapest. You may not be able to see prices for your exact dates but if you plug in dates that are 3 months out you should be able to see the lowest fares. Good luck!

Posted by
4637 posts

Yes, your trip is doable. As Lee already said I would consider flying between Budapest and Venice. Also Prague to Budapest is 7 hours by train. I would consider to make train ride shorter by stopping in some smaller towns on the way like Brno or Bratislava. Another idea could be to go via Vienna and stop there. If you don't have time for any stop then you must endure 7 hours on train.

Posted by
4 posts

All sorted now! Flights booked for many of the legs. Prague train to Budapest is being broken up with a 1 night stay in Bratislava. I booked flights from Budapest to Venice, Rome to Barcelona, Madrid to Paris, Paris to Amstersam and Amderdam to Liverpool all for £300 each for me and my girlfriend. Works put cheaper and way more convenient than a rail pass and we will get to spend more time exploring rather than on the inside of a train carriage. Thanks for everyone's input! Here's the final itinerary with the number of nights in (brackets):
Prague (3)
Bratislava (1)
Budapest (3)
Venice (2)
Florence (2)
Rome (3)
Barcelona (3)
Madrid (3)
Paris (5)
Amsterdam (3)
Fly home the next day! Can't wait to go!

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