My husband and I are going to Nettlingen, Germany for the week of Sept 16 -22 for a family reunion. Prior to that we will do a cruise out of London to Barcelona (10 days). We plan to spend 2 days in Barcelona, then on to Paris for 4 days, then to Nettlingen, ending up back in London. I need ideas re: where to go/stay along the way, how helpful a Eurailpass will be in this endeavour (just the Spain to France to Germany part) and any ideas of how to get back to London. I'm thinking the Eurostar thingy from Brussels, but I may have my geography really messed up. Many thanks! Oh...also need suggestions on where to stay in Paris. We're not cheap, but we are also not spendthrifts. thanks again!
Gretchen
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15585 posts
How many days to you have to go/stay along the way? Is it 6 days net between cruise and family? Does go/stay "along the way" mean in-between Barcelona-Paris and Paris-Nettlingen or do you mean where to stay and what to do during your 6 days in Barcelona and Paris? What is your budget for a Paris hotel? €150-200? That's what "not cheap, not spendthrift" says to me. For that price range, there are lots of good options. If you are looking for something at $150/night, that's another story. Did you go to the "Transportation" section of the Helpline and read the "How much time to get there? & itinerary questions answered here" section. That will give you a good idea of how to get from point to point and how long it will take.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32212 posts
gretchen, In the same situation, I'd probably consider something along these lines: > Flight to London (try to go a day or prior to the cruise, so you can get over jet lag) > Cruise - London to Barcelona > Barclelona - 2 days. Be SURE to wear Money Belts, as Barcelona has somewhat of a "reputation" for pickpockets and scams. > Flight - Barcelona to Paris. I'd suggest EasyJet from BCN to CDG (you'll have to book early to get the best price - be sure to read the "Terms & Conditions" carefully and especially note the baggage limits - many Euro airlines also have a one bag carry-on rule - that means ONE BAG ONLY of the approved size, and they WILL check). > Paris - you might have a look at the websites for Hotel Duquesne Eiffel or Hotel Muguet. Both are in the Rue Cler neighborhood, close to the Eiffel Tower. Have you researched the methods to get from the airport into Paris? > Paris to Nettlingen by train - I'm not familiar with Nettlingen, but I'm sure Lee or one of the rail experts here will have a suggestion. It appears that the trip will be a minimum of 8H:10M with 3 changes and the last portion by Bus. > Nettlingen to London - this will be ~12 hours by train! You might consider taking train to Hanover (~1H:35M) and then flight to London. My preference would be Air Berlin to London Gatwick. There are probably other solutions, but I'd have to spend more time checking options. I'm not sure I'd bother with a Railpass for the few trips you'll be making. You'll have to "crunch the numbers" to determine if it will be cost effective. You could call the Rail Dept. at ETBD and discuss it with them. You might find it helpful to pick up some Guidebooks for the cities you'll be visiting, to help plan touring, etc. Good luck with your planning!
Posted by
Cary, NC
687 posts
I agree with most of the good advice above, but since I'm a big fan of train travel, I would look at taking the Elipsos night train from Barcelona Sants to Paris Austerlitz - 21:05 - 09:02. I rode the equivalent train from Barcelona to Milan in Tourist Class, and it was very comfortable. See http://www.elipsos.com and http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml for schedules
and http://seat61.com/ for info and pictures on train travel. I've never used a rail pass in Europe, I find that in most cases point-to-point fares are cheaper, especially if you book well ahead of time.