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winter planning and itinerary

Posted by on

Hello! So me and a friend( both female 19y) will be traveling through Europe for 8 weeks( December 12 - February 5), starting and ending in Milan, which was the cheapest option considering where we are from.

We Will most definitely be buying an Eurail Global pass for 2 months unlimited, because we really like the freedom you get to make changes to your itinerary as you go.

But I still want and need your help with our ideas of where to go and our budget, because we would like to spend as low as possible without sleeping in a dumpster. But we are completely fine with hostels and buying food on the street and supermarkets.(Budget around usd100??)

Ideally we would like to go to

Slovenia( Ljubljana, Bled)

Hungary(Budapest)

Austria(Vienna, Salzburg, Hallstatt)

Czech Republic( Praga, Cesky Krumlov)

Poland( Krakrow, Wroclaw, Auschwitz)

Germany(Berlin!, Munich, Nuremberg, Dresden, Hamburg, Fussen)

The Netherlands( Amsterdam, Delft, Utretch)

France( Lyon, Bordeaux, Tours, French Rivera, Annecy, Carcassone)

Spain( also Portugal, but we know it is to far away so we will probably just end up going to Barcelona)

Bosnia(Mostar)

Switzerland( Interlaken)(? not sure because it is really expensive

Italy( Florence, Venice, Rome, Cinque Terre, Sorrento)

These are just ideas I would really apreciate your thoughts and comments on it; it is not definite and can be changed according to what you say. We would also like suggestions on places to add and/or omit! and what would your ideal 8 weeks winter Europe itinerary be!!!

Please! all comments are appreciated!

Also what are the best places to spend Christmas and New Years that wont break our bank?

We are both history buffs!(especially WW2) and like pretty places and cool places with lots of stuff to see and do! and me don't mind spending an entire day just walking and taking in the sight!!

Thank you very much!!

Posted by
16893 posts

Moving this response to the general Europe page, which seems the best home for this thread:

Posted by Peter.S.Aus
Melbourne, Australia
10/06/16 01:33 PM
169 posts
You have nominated 34 places for your 42 days. You need to cut a few out.

Posted by
11507 posts

Wowsa , as Peter says.. you need to edit that list down a bit.. I know you think 8 weeks is a long time.. but it ends up not being so long( my 19 yr dd and her friend just did 11 weeks this april-june) and it was a really hard for them to edit their wish lists too.

I don't know how much the pass is.. but you realize you may not be saving much money with it.. but that's the price of total freedom.Due note with some trains you will still need reservations .. so be careful to plan out a rough intinerary so you can check on which route and trains those are.. and is that pass good in Switzerland.. check.. because you are right.. Switerland IS expensive.

I would pare list down to no more than 8 countries.. and maybe 15 stops.. You have about 56 days.. don't count landing day or leaving day for much.. so 54 days.. now if you visit 15 places in that time , that's about 3.5 days in each place.. keep in mind some places you may only want to do 2 nights ( one full day) but others may be somewhere you would want to hang for 3-4 days.. Travelling at break neck speed for the entire 8 weeks can be exhausting.. and everywhere starts to look the same ..

You will need a few "break" days..where you do laundry and sleep.. my dd and her friends got a great cold that kept them sick and in bed for 2-3 days.. they tried continuing on but that was likely why they go so sick.. so build in a few chill days ... its not the Amazing Race.. its the Amazing trip!

Posted by
11507 posts

Also keep in mind the short dark days and poor weather will influence what you can see and do.. its not like summer where its light out till 10 or 11 .. it can be dark out by 4.30 in winter in northern countries..

Read hostel reviews CAREFULLY.. some hostels are great.. and some are horrible. and while its slow season you can get in without reservations .. but when you arrive in town you should have a list of one or two of the better ones to check out first..

My dd got her boots ripped off in a hostel.. and in another one they were in a 14 bed dorm that was super busy and noisy all night long.. like till 6 am.. people smoking puking and screaming noisy.. lol They stayed in some great ones too..

In Paris her boyfriend met her.. and her and boyfriend and friend shared an apt for a week.. only 600 euros all in.. that works out to less than 28 euros a night each.. cheaper than a hostel!!

Posted by
11613 posts

You will be able to visit Christmas markets for part of the time, which will help with free entertainment and some great street food.

I think you will probably have to cut a few places. You can spend time in the Alps in Italy, France or Austria instead of Switzerland.

Get a map of Europe and mark all the places you want to visit, see if you have a circuit to travel or if your trip will be more linear. Then figure out how much travel time you will need between points.

Happy planning!

Posted by
20103 posts

Your money will go a lot further the longer you stay in Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Poland. Since you are starting and ending in Italy, you will have to hit the classics of Venice, Rome and Florence. Nothing happening in the Cinque Terre in that season, so that is your first cut. Sorrento? Maybe.
Berlin can be quite reasonable.

Posted by
11322 posts

You are getting lots of good advice. Cinque Terre must go. Not a winter spot. I woudl think the same about the French Riviera...

Switzerland is crazy-expensive, but if you go there, go to the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Do not stop in Interlaken which is quite boring compared to actually being in the mountains. There is a hostel in Lauterbrunnen that gets good reviews.

Moving about will take a lot of time by train. That alone will knock some countries out, I think. Plan your route carefully. Bosnia, Poland, and Spain seem to be outliers in this itinerary. Consider cutting them just because it will take a long time to get to/from. Make better use of your time in the remaining locations.

Posted by
1 posts

I would nix Cinque Terre and Sorrento from your Italy list. I would keep Venice, Florence and Rome but perhaps add in Bolzano, it's in Northern Italy and has german vibe and a huge xmas market, and is accessible by train! Be warned, things can become a ghost town in Italy close to xmas!! I would nix Switzerland as well, it's expensive and you can get similar experiences in Germany/Northern Italy, a friend just got back from there and she said it was a bit rough!! I would look into the ease of getting to each of these places, ex: Slovenia, I'm not sure how direct the train is there. I personally feel that the train would be fine for Italy/France/Germany but look into the times. It can take a long time on the train which will eat up your days. Have you looked into flights? Ryanair and Easyjet offer cheap rates to help with the time aspect that the train eats up. I live in Europe and that's how I fly everywhere.

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