Wow where do we start! We have purchased Ricks books and all the travel DVD's but are still having a heck of a time trying to plan our Europe trip for the whole month of July 2010. We are traveling with our 14 year old daughter and my husband wants to lease a car & drive. After doing lots of research we realize that there are some parts of Europe that it's better to take the train,so my question is we need to be budget wise so where would be the best place to fly into & would it be better to drive some & go by train for other parts of our journey? We would like to visit Amsterdaam,Netherlands, France, Paris, Germany, Berlin, Belgum, Rothenburg, Venice, Berlin,Rome, Switzerland, Netherlands, Frankfurt, London - does that seem too much to do in 4 weeks. For all you experienced Europe travellers how would you plan this trip. Oh & my husband wants to drive on the Autobarhn! Any assistance would be greatly appreciated - thank you for your time!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32352 posts
Michelle,
To begin with, I really think you're trying to fit too many stops into a fairly short one-month time frame. Adding the aspect of lease/rental car is an additional complication, as getting around will be slower with a car than by train (significantly in some cases). No car can (legally) travel as fast as the TGV at 300 kmH!
For driving in Europe, a GPS and a good Map would be highly advisable. Also, each driver will require an International Driver's Permit, which is compulsory for driving in some countries (Italy). A highway permit will be required for some countries (Switzerland, I believe). You might also want to read the posts here regarding the dreaded ZTL zones which are being implemented in many towns in Italy. Each time you pass through one of the automated Cameras, a €100+ violation notice will be issued!
In July, Europe will likely be hot and crowded, so efficient planning and a logical route will be essential! If I've read your post correctly, you're planning to visit eight countries and at least 11 cities in a 30-day time frame? That will allow about 2.7 days in each city with no allowance for travel times.
I really believe it would be a good idea to pare down your list somewhat. If you could indicate which cities / countries are most important to you, it would be much easier to suggest possible Itineraries.
Using open-jaw flights would be an excellent idea (for efficiency). You'll probably find a better selection of flights out of Calgary than Edmonton. Air Transat will be operating their European routes by July, but I often find that Air Canada is able to fit my timing and schedule better.
Good luck with your planning!