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Which route should I take for my trip?

Posted by (White Rock, BC, Canada) on

I'm going for my first backpacking trip to Europe. I'm going to a cousins wedding and I'm meeting others flying in Hamburg on May 13. I was thinking of going from March till then, 2.5 months. I'm flying in from Canada.

I was thinking of going to England, then Paris, Spain, Italy, Greece and work my way up till I reached Germany, Austria, Switzerland etc. my concern with that is that I'll be starting out in England and Paris but it'll probably be cold there it being march. Should I start out in the South like Greece and working my way backwards? I quickly did a search for tickets and they're cheaper to fly to London then Athens. I dunno. I wish I was going later in the year but I have no choice cause of then wedding. And I could always go later like in April but then I'd only have a month and a half. Maybe March is too early regardless. If anyone has any thoughts on this I'd appreciate this. I want to buy my plane tickets now. Thank you.

Posted by
32201 posts

Anna,

As this is your first trip to Europe, I'd suggest that you have a look at Europe Through The Back Door before you get too far in your planning. It contains a lot of great information on travelling in Europe, including Itinerary planning.

I'd suggest using open jaw flights for best efficiency, however you won't be able to choose the cities until your Itinerary is somewhat finalized.

London is probably going to be a bit "chilly" in March but that's a good place to start as there should be reasonably good flight availability from YVR at that time of year. For the flight home, as the wedding is in Germany you should be able to find lots of flights from Frankfurt to YVR in May.

Cheers!

Posted by
12040 posts

London and Paris are usually not particularly cold in March, probably warmer than Vancouver at the same time. Go for your initial idea and enjoy your trip.

Posted by
12172 posts

I know I would want to take advantage of the opportunity to go for 2 1/2 months. I'd probably make the wedding the middle of my trip rather than the beginning and lose a month. You could start in Spain before the wedding, work up through Paris and hop over to England, then fly to Hamburg for the wedding. From there you can work South and East for the next month and a half toward Greece.

It will be cold (at least rainy) in England that early but, as long as you're prepared for it, it's just part of the adventure. When you plan for England keep as many indoor options (museums, churches, theater) as possible available for those rainy days.

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