I missed traveling to Europe in my youth, and I'm finally getting a chance to go, alone. How exciting! After spending hours and hours on the internet I am now feeling overwhelmed, and it suddenly dawned on me I'm leaving SOON (July 11, 2008). Please let me know what people think about this itinerary, as well as things I should not miss and things that I can. This is roughly what I have planned.
July 12, 13 - London
July 14 & 15 - Bath (including a 1 day tour of Cotswowld
July 16th London
July 17 - Chunnel to Paris, 18, 19, 20
July 20 - Night Train to Venice
July 21 - Venice
July 22 - Venice (Padua)
July 23, 24 - Cinque Terre
July 25, 26 - Florence (Tuscany Hills, Volapai
July 27, 28, 29 - Rome
July 30, 31 - Malta
Aug 1,2,3,4 Free (so I could stay longer in places)
Aug 5,6, 7, - Vienna (visiting friends, place to stay but only at this time)
Aug 8, 9, 10, 11 - Czech Republic
Any hints or tips to keep this trip as cheap as possible (recommendations of tickets, passes, hostels) would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you everyone for your helpful posts.
Posted by
San Diego, CA, USA
36 posts
Wow... you have a very full plate.
I did London, Paris and Rome and 3 days each. I was also by myself. Here is what I learned.
First.. All cafes just let you sit down at any table. I was a little intimidated at first on my own. They are okay if you just order a single drink.
You can NOT do everything. If you do too much in a short time you become too stressed and your mind is racing too much to really enjoy. Pick 3 things to see each day that you HAVE to see and make it a point to see them WELL. Anything else you may come across can be a bonus. You can rush and it all becomes a tangle in your memory.
London... Follow Ricks advice.. hit Bath FIRST. It is nice but I think it can be done in a day or so. Then do London. This way you can focus on London in a stretch instead of breaking it up. This will also save money on your metro pass for consecutive days. Do not buy a metro pass your first day. Use the hop on hop off bus as your metro for the day! This saves some money you will spend anyway.
Paris... Get a museum pass in Paris. I picked mine up at Notre Dame. The Metro is great.
Rome... In my opinion 2 days is plenty. Prepare to walk and be ready to use the taxis. Ricks walks are very helpful. The Rome pass here is great because it also includes your Metro pass for 3 days.
I arranged my hotels ahead of time and would advise you to do the same since you are going during peak season and will run into full places.
Lastly.. I can not say enough.. I loved my pac-safe metro 200 bag. I wore it across my body and it was prefect for the daytime. I felt safe with it and my belongings/money/etc.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32201 posts
Kathy, it's a bit difficult to offer too many suggestions, as there's so little time before departure. I suspect that a lot of the details of your trip are already arranged?
You indicated that you wanted "recommendations of tickets, passes, hostels". Could you clarify what arrangements you've made so far? I was a bit concerned when reading that, as Europe is going to be BUSY at this time of year so lodgings might be a problem on short notice. A few more questions:
are you travelling with a Rail Pass, or just buying P-P tickets?
is your flight to / from Malta booked?
which village in the Cinque Terre are you staying in?
I'm assuming you're using open jaw flights (to London and fly home from the Czech Republic)?
you indicated that you wanted to "keep this trip as cheap as possible". What type of budget are you working with? (Be prepared, as Europe is expensive, especially the U.K.).
Regarding "passes", a Paris Museum Pass would definitely be a good idea (I'm assuming you want to visit Museums in Paris?). That will avoid the long queue's waiting to buy tickets. If you're planning to visit the Louvre, you might want to focus just on the Denon wing (Mona Lisa, etc.), as you've got such a short time in Paris,
It would have been nice to have a bit more "lead time" to offer suggestions for your trip.
Cheers!
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
207 posts
make sure you get the Museum Pass in Paris... it makes a ton of difference such as no waiting on lines. In Padua, the Scrovegni (Sp?) Chapel is amazing. You should get tickets before you leave. Bath is a one day but Longleat (on the way to Salisbury) and Salisbury might be interesting if you were driving. rest and savor as much as you can, you might miss a museum or great house or two, but your experience will probably be more gratifying. George, Pittsburgh