Hi- I'm planning a trip that will start and end in Amsterdam at the end of April 2009 for 32 days. I'm very flexible as far as accomodations and transportation goes. Since Ryanair and Easyjet is so cheap if booked in advance, I think I will hop to a few different places and stay a while.
So far, I think I want to start in Amsterdam (stay 2 days), fly to Milan where I will take the train to Cinque Terre (stay 3-4 days) and head to Venice and stay for 5-6 days. I think I have to go back to Milan in order to fly to Mykonos where I'd like to stay for about 4 or 5 days visiting the islands of Greece. Fly back to Milan and then fly to Frankfurt and take a driving tour around the area (for about a week) while heading to Munich and fly from Munich to Amsterdam again.
What do you think of this "rough draft" of an itinerary? I truly want a unique experience- not travelling with the en masse on a well-beaten path. Any recommendations on hostels or doing it on the "cheap" as I will be a solo traveler on this trip.
I appreciate any recommendations as far as other must-see destinations close-by, accomodations, or transportation (I'm open to renting a car for a few days). If there is a town or city truly worth seeing, I would consider adding it into my itinerary. I don't really prefer big cities all the time, I lilke the small towns that tend to be richer in culture.
Thanks for any suggestions!
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
You've got some great places and it sure sounds like a great trip. I am sure you'll get comments from people who have been to Italy recently. The only thing that I would suggest is to consider Berlin. It's and amazing city and personally, I would go there over Munich. But everyone has their own preferences. Just check it out a bit online and in the books. There's a lot of energy their now.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Up to your return to Milan from Mykonos, you're OK for discount airlines. But be aware that from Milan to Frankfurt, the only discount airline, Ryanair, flies from Bergamo airport to Hahn airport, both a fair bus ride outside your target cities. And there's nothing showing for Munich-Amsterdam. For both those legs, I would suggest you consider the train....you can get cheap advance fares (3 months in advance) at the German rail website, bahn.de...and the time you spend will probably be equal to, or even less, than what you would spend on flights for those two legs.
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
You may want to add alittle more time in Amsterdam and its surrounds by bike Ie Edam etc. You may want to ck into Easycruise to see the Greek Islands. Frankfurt to Rhine River area and Mosel valley is great by car.Ck RS guidebk for the hostel (Castle)Jugendherberge Stahleck in Bacharach overlooking the Rhine its incredible! You will spend more euros in Venice and Italy in general than other areas.
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
It will work. My style is more to land one place - cut a logical swath through a region and fly out the other end. Your plan involves a lot of transportation connections, consuming valuable time, but will work.
I tend to agree with only spending a short time in A'dam. I'm not really a fan - it's main attractions aren't what I'm into.
CT doesn't need three or four days, maybe you can throw in a day trip to Pisa while you are there. Pisa's best sites can be seen fairly quickly. The train travel there, however, will consume a lot of time.
Venice for 5 or 6 days can be a little long also and the trip between CT and Venice is a fairly long one. Maybe you can plan a night or two enroute to keep the daily travel down (include your stop in Pisa as part of that route).
4 or 5 days to explore islands of Greece sounds like you will be moving the whole time rather than relaxing.
In A'dam, the Vondelpark hostel isn't bad. I second the recommendation to stay at Burg Stahleck on the Rhine. It's a good hostel in a converted castle with a good view. Burg Stahleck seems to be consistently full, be sure to get reservations.
Posted by
Oldsmar, FL, USA
33 posts
Personally, I would add more time in Amsterdam -- although not what you initially think of when you think of Amsterdam, it is a great city for slowing down a little and just wandering the canals, getting lost and enjoying the outdoors.
There is a hotel just off the Leidseplein (away from the overbearing Red Light District) called Hotel La Boheme -- the people who run it are so nice and they offer a free breakfast in their little cafe each morning.
Some people will tell you 5 days in Venice is not enough. Others will tell you 2 days is too much. We went to Venice as a stopover from Florence to Munich this summer and I could have stayed much longer. I am not too familiar with the tourist attractions, as all I had time to do was eat dinner, find some gelato, and sit along the Grand Canal with a few glasses of wine before heading to the train station. Maybe you could double-book hotels -- in Venice and Milan -- if you love Venice, cancel the rooms in Milan; if you hate it, move on the Milan a few days earlier.
You will love Munich. You HAVE TO do Mike's Bike Tour while you are there -- it was a highlight of our trip this summer. You will have a BLAST -- I guarantee it! And as a solo traveler, it is a great opportunity to meet some fellow travelers. While in Munich, consider staying at Hotel Astor -- it is a little bit of a walk from the main center of town, but what a deal for 100 euros a night -- by far the nicest room we stayed in. The rooms were huge and the beds had these amazing blankets. And the free breakfast was to die for -- I'd never seen such a thing in my life.
While you are near Munich, you should try to find time to head up to Stuttgardt -- it is supposed to be a neat little town.
And while in northern Italy, I would really recommend taking a day or two to explore the Tuscan region -- enjoy the beautiful Tuscan hill towns.
Enjoy your trip!!