My European Grand Tour

Certainly you can travel easily on a budget of $4,000 per month. You don't always need to stay in the big cities; staying in smaller towns can be much more tranquil, walkable, personable, charming, cheaper, and different. You have plenty of time to read up on the smaller destinations and work on a second draft to this plan. Rick and company would not give much priority to Frankfurt, Milan, or Genoa, for instance, and also usually choose Nice over Marseille. I can't recommend one guidebook to cover it all, but Rick's Best of Europe covers a lot of these highlights. You'd still need other resources for Nurnburg, Dresden, and Greece and Turkey.

Greece and Turkey: Daily expenses will be less. Of course you should fly to/from these regions; see www.skyscanner.com. The greatest destinations of these counties are well outside the big cities. I would not go that far unless you can spend a couple of weeks in each country.

If you watch it, you'll have money left over. If this wasn't your first time out of the box, you'd have a lot of money left over.

Where you're high is the fifty bucks for food and the fifty for miscellaneous stuff. London and Venice will be high, but they'll be offset by Germany and Turkey. Thirty-five bucks a day might not cut it for urban hostels, you might want to take a closer look and refine the estimates. Overall, everything might average out.

You may have over-estimated the time for Brussels proper. The couple of weeks for London obviously includes some excursions, have you included those expenses? Inclusion of Genoa is a mystery unless you have something in mind.

I included Marsaille because I plan on visiting Avignon and doing some research. I have read the train is a mere $20 round trip and only 15 minutes from Marseille. I am petitioning via my PhD advisors to gain access to some of the archives in Italy and Avignon. I chose some of my stops for religious propinquity.

Milan and Genoa were chosen because the train from Venice leads through those cities and I want to do a ferry from Genoa to Marseille. I figured if I was passing through I might as well see see places I have read so much about while getting my MA. I have all of Rick's books and really plan on doing a heck of a lot backdooring. I would extend my stay on mainland Europe but do not want to get in trouble by surpassing the 90 day limit.

Brussels includes trips to Rotterdam and the Hague. I also want to visit Dunkirk, but might hit that as I come from Paris into London. Once in London I plan on heading out to various smaller towns do see less touristy types of stuff. Although, I will be timing my trip based on updated concert and soccer matches. I have been checking out sites that discuss various festivals (both music and cultural) but its hard to get a sense of what's what so far out. But, it would be incredible to catch Roger Waters in Europe, or Styx, or any decent group.

I also want to do silly stuff like get tickets for Graham Norton, catch where Doctor Who is filmed, and just immerse myself in the experience. My son, who will be 15 when I travel, will join me for last three days in Paris and for four days in London.

The details help.

Now your original cost estimate might be fairly accurate since you've tossed in an extra warm body for a while -- and a bunch of entertainment expenses in subjects I know nothing about.

Dunkerque might be hard. The ferry from Dover doesn't take foot pax, plus the terminal is way the hell and gone in an industrial area. Some Eurostars stop in Calais, but I don't know how that works or how you'd make the connection. As an aside, a buddy and I who know just a tad about amphibious warfare spent a rainy morning all along the beachfront once. We could find the terrain, recognizable from old photos, but nary a plaque nor marker.

So, it might not be worth it to even try to see Dunkirk, eh?

I was not counting my son into the equation. I figured he would be extra and just play that part by ear. :)

If anyone has any suggestions for places to visit outside of the main cities I have hit on, I would love to hear them. When I say "using the cities as base", I more mean I will be in that area. I would prefer to split my time between the city proper and outlying sites recommended by guide books, and just getting lost!

I plan on staying in hostel dorms so I can meet people and be extroverted. Luckily, I am pretty outgoing and that should work out fine.

Brussels---do yourself a favor and get down to Bruges. Short train ride, and for my money, much better overall experience than Brussels.

I'd say that 3 days in Venice is really enough. The thing to do there besides the gondola ride (alternatively, you can take the vaporetto at sunrise, have it all to yourself, and make a circuit of the island and save 60 euro), Piazza San Marco, the cathedral, and the palace is to simply walk around and soak up the atmosphere. I'd go to the Isla d'Giudecca, as well. It gives you a great feel for non-tourist Venice.

You've hit it right on the head with 2 days in Milan. I felt there wasn't much to do but shop and see The Last Supper.

You could easily spend another day in Barcelona.

I'd also hop a train in London and go up north somewhere. Edinburgh is one the most beautiful, elegant cities I've ever been to. You can take a sleeper from London at 9 or so and wake up in Edinburgh at 7 (although the journey only takes 5 hours during the day).

Also, if you're a sports fan, make sure to catch a soccer game (preferably in England). An integral part of their culture.

Why not stay in Avignon? You might need more than one daytrip there, and French train tickets aren't as cheap as some other countries'.

Lots to do in Milano, two days will give you time for it. Get tickets for Santa Maria delle Grazie as early as possible. See the Duomo and take the elevator to the roof, commune with the gargoyles.

If you stay in Nice, have a look at St-Paul-de-Vence, a short bus ride up the hill.

Looks like a great trip! We are planning 8 weeks in 2015 - wish I could manage more!

I would have to agree - 3 days in Venice is really enough. I might also split my time in Brussels with a stay in either Gent or Brugge - personally I prefer Gent - it is a working city and not nearly as touristy as Brugge but with many great medieval sites and easy to day trip to Brugge.

I have to also agree $35/nt for hostels is definitely the low end - a few places may be lower but some will also be higher - I would do a little research for each city and see what $35 will get me.

The further you into the tourist season the more crowded places will be and the lines will be longer for the top sites. Be sure and make arrangements for some of the top sites well in advance - The Last Supper for one - they sell out fast way in advance and you would end up paying 3, 4 or 5 times more than the actual ticket to join a tour.

In Vienna on Sundays where the the Boys Choir performs for the church service you can queue up and buy cheap no-view tickets for the service.

Another vote for Edinburgh - a nice cozy little city, very walkable with a great vibe. Or - as a Doctor Who fan perhaps a trip to Cardiff is in order.

So many possibilities!

If you are anything like me you will have researched and listed and daydreamed and planned and obsessed from now until the day you leave!

Well, let me be a dissenting voice on Venice - I have spent 6 nights there over my last three trips (08, 10 and 2012), and am spending another 3 nights there in Sept. Mind you - it isn't 7 days all at one time, but I never get tired of it. You can make a day alone visiting Murano, Burano, Torcello...I think lots of people do trips to Verona...and just exploring the quiet little areas...also Padua, Treviso, Chioggia, Vicenza - lots of day trip options if you are bored of wandering the back alleys. And it won't be oppressively hot in Apr, and a little less crowded then in the dead of summer.

NB: I haven't been, but I keep hearing good things about York and Durham (especially Durham). The Lake District is also incomparably beautiful.

Great advice so far!! As for UK, that is pretty open ended. I plan on being in the UK for about two week, but that could easily extend to a month. A week each in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland could be arranged.

Great advice so far!! As for UK, that is pretty open ended. I plan on being in the UK for about two week, but that could easily extend to a month. A week each in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland could be arranged.

I would echo MWTraveler in the recommendation to take a spin up to the north of England. We did this last summer and it was a nice few days out from London. We drove the car straight to the Lake District (4.5 hour drive) and spent several days hiking and seeing the sights. It is literally my favorite place on Earth and I make time for it whenever I'm in England. Stay in Keswick...it's a great town that is touristy but not overrun and it is easy to get out to the most beautiful places in the area from there. On the way home we stopped at Fountains Abbey, spent time in York, and then came back to London. I would schedule an overnight in York as there is just about a solid day's worth of stuff to do there and it is only about 3 hours drive north of London. Outside of London you might consider going to Hatfield House, one of my favorite stately homes in England, since it is not as crowded as somewhere like Blenheim. Take time to go to Oxford and/or Cambridge - as an academic you shouldn't miss it! My husband has done research at Oxford and it really is a unique place in the world of academia.
I agree with the previous poster that 7 days in Venice is fine! Especially in April when it isn't too hot and the tourists will be a little lighter than in summer. Take a day trip to Verona and definitely go out to Burano and Torcello. Murano is OK if you are into glass blowing but I spent about 45 minutes there and it was plenty for me.

Another dissenting voice for Venice. My weeklong trips there have been my favorites! And in April, it will be perfect. Only on my 8th or 9th visit did I discover their dinosaur in the wonderful little natural history museum, and I'm sure there are interesting places back in Castello that I've never found. In the Dorsoduro there are many small inexpensive places where the university students eat. Highly envious of your travel plans!

Sounds wonderful! Good luck.

A lot of people here don't like Marsielle, but I think it's great. It's really unique, has an exotic feel, yes it's gritty and some parts of it are less than savory, but any good guidebook will steer you towards the right areas to stay and explore. It's extremely diverse, the food is amazing, and it's very close to great villages like Cassis to visit for the day or overnight and get some peace and quiet after the hustle and bustle of the big city. Aix-en-Provence is a great daytrip from Marsielle as well. The other nice thing about Marsielle is that it's relatively cheap for France!

Hi,

Good plan on the use of the days, exactly what I would do, ie, all the Schengen zone travel within the 90 day time contraint, then England for the tail end, totaling 102 days...very doable. Besides, London is a good place to relax and reenergize

For Dunkirk you might want to consider this: dep Gare du Nord (Paris) to Arras on the TGV ca. 40 mins. Another ticket Arras to Dunkirk, a direct connection.

Be careful of not leaving sufficient buffer at the end of your Schengen time. Leaving on day 89 is risky because of the unknown.

Last night shuttles and Eurostars through the Channel Tunnel were cancelled because of an incident; many people with plans to travel yesterday are going today instead. Not their fault but if checked and found that they had overstayed they would have a heap of trouble.

I have seen other accounts where people have been just over by a few hours and wound up in custody and then a very large fine.

Or you could break a bone, or the French could go on strike (who's ever heard of that??) or or or ....

It is worth leaving a sufficient buffer...

I may have dissented regarding Venice as well but the beauty of long stays in Italian cities is that if you've had enough, day trips to other fun locations are just a short and inexpensive train or bus ride away.

Will disagree, though, that there's nothing to do in Milan but the Last Supper and shopping. We had a single day there, didn't see the Last Supper and didn't shop at all, but visited some old and very interesting churches (in addition to the Duomo) and wished we'd had a couple more days for exploration. Sure, I wouldn't give it the same amount of time as Rome or Florence but it definitely has some high points. Make sure to visit Sant'Ambrogio and San Lorenzo Maggiore.

OP does have a 5 day buffer - the 5 days in Turkey (Istanbul) are out of the Schengen zone.

Yes, Venice is marvellous and I could easily spend a week or 10 days there and take day trips, etc., but zaara is doing a grand tour on limited days. I'm basing my advice on the fact that this seems to be either his first trip to Europe or his first trip there in a long while. You don't want to rush things, but you also want to be able to sample enough places to find the one that truly speaks to your soul and will return to on subsequent trips.

Obviously there is some subjectivity involved, but I also based my advice on the vibrancy and culture of the cities listed. Given that zaara said in later posts that he's staying in hostels and is pretty extroverted, he seems pretty young at heart and adventurous, and for that reason, I felt that he'd enjoy a city like Barcelona a bit more.

As far as Milan goes, I absolutely agree that there is more to do than "The Last Supper", the Duomo, and La Scala, but is there stuff there that you absolutely cannot do in any other city in Europe? I think that's what the focus has to be on when you're touring in the way zaara is.