Visiting Europe for a month this summer

[Arnfinn Madsen]

Have you been to Sweden? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

You may go on

Kilroy Travels Sweden

I found there for $1,174 via Rio de Janeiro, but this is really a company with a lot of fine print, so I would call them to verify if you are young enough/have the right nationality etc. etc. etc. (I have sold them some of their call center equipment, so it should be a pleasant experience [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]).

[gobbomom]

ok no one has said this, but I'm a mom, so I will: take extra pillowcases for the hostels. You WILL be exposed to bedbugs, and most likely get lice if you don't.

Secondly, must sees in Paris: Musee D'Orsay (skip the Loevre), Notre Dame, take the canal trip down the Seine, I liked Sacre Coeur(it's also close to the Moulin Rouge). Verseilles was awesome, but it's about a 45 min.? train ride from Paris.

You don't have to speak much French, but you should know the basics. Taking the subway, or better yet the busses, is the best, cheapest way to get around. Buy a 5 day pass.

Hostels in Paris: http://www.hostels.com/en/fr.pa.html

I can ask my daughter if you have any specific questions, she lived in Paris as a student last year. PM me if you want/ need to.

[WillMagic]

some basic stuff:

first, tight schedules are bad. go where you feel. otherwise it's not so much a vacation as a class schedule.

second, you should be bringing a backpack and not suitcases. this may be obvious to you and everyone else but it is so important that it can't be left out. mobility is super, super important on this kind of trip. if your bags are a pain you will stay in one place for longer than you would otherwise. i made this mistake myself and hope you don't.

third, gobbomom's advice on paris is perfect. skip the louvre, hit the musee d'orsay, and take a day to walk (or climb) through montmartre and hit the sacre couer.

fourth, planes are bad and trains are good. especially with the cheap planes you will often have to take long taxi rides out of the city to get to the cheap airports. better to just take the train, which gets you from city center to city center, and is just generally more pleasant. plus trains give you much more flexibility in where/when you go.

have a good trip.

[Matt Flynn]

I'd go to Barcelona and Florence.

[Neuman101]

I studied in Madrid for a semester and am extremely partial to it over Barcelona. However, at that time of year, most folks in Madrid take their vacations and head to the beach. It will probably be 100-110 degrees while u are there. Its a dry heat, but its something else. Hope your hostel has good air conditioning. In addition to the Prado, make sure you go to the Thyssen Bornemisza - its directly across the street, a huge private art collection bought by Spain and now showcased in its own museum. Try and catch a bull fight while you are there (sit in "la sombra" - the shade)

Also, if your cutting out Milan, but want to add Florence, there are very cheap flights from Pisa to Amsterdam on Basiqair/Transavia (Basiqair.com)...Pisa is a 45 min train from Florence and you can see the leaning tower while your there.

[adsman]

[ QUOTE ]

second, you should be bringing a backpack and not suitcases. this may be obvious to you and everyone else but it is so important that it can't be left out. mobility is super, super important on this kind of trip. if your bags are a pain you will stay in one place for longer than you would otherwise. i made this mistake myself and hope you don't.


[/ QUOTE ]

Oh yeah, this is super important. Nothing sucks more than to drag luggage all over Europe. I travel extremely light.

[Go_Blue88]

I did this last summer--my brief thoughts:

1. Rome is awesome. I was there during the World Cup and it was an insane experience.
2. I stayed at the Bulldog in Amsterdam--it's really cool. You'll meet tons of people, there's a good hangout area (eg- pool tables, big TV w/ every movie ever made, a bar, etc.), and no curfew.
3. BEWARE OF CURFEWS in hostels. Some of them force you to be back by like 11 (or you get locked out)...so be sure to note that. Edit-- By this I mean, don't stay in these hostels.
4. BarTHelona is overrated. I don't get what the big deal is. San Sebastian and Madrid were my favorite places in Spain (although in Madrid, not that man people spoke solid English).
5. Nice, France is overrated. Blahblahblah the water is cool, but that's about it.

I dunno, my buddy and I improvised a lot of it. We had an idea of places we wanted to go to, and if we got tired of one, we'd go to another. Normally we'd book our hostel on the train ride there. However, if you want to get good hostels, this may not be so smart as many of them get booked rather quickly. We stayed in hotels in those instances.

[TheMetetron]

I just had a new idea.

What are people's thoughts on couchsurfing this? I mean, yes it will be like $700 cheaper, but it seems like a cool way to meet some locals as well. Probably not even in all cities, just some of them. Like Amsterdam I'd still want to stay in the Bulldog. Comments?

[TheMetetron]

[ QUOTE ]
I just had a new idea.

What are people's thoughts on couchsurfing this? I mean, yes it will be like $700 cheaper, but it seems like a cool way to meet some locals as well. Probably not even in all cities, just some of them. Like Amsterdam I'd still want to stay in the Bulldog. Comments?

[/ QUOTE ]

And I've decided against this idea on my own.

At this point we have now booked our hostels, all of our flights within Europe, and my brother has booked his flight from SFO to CDG roundtrip. I still haven't bought my ticket yet, but I finally found one I like despite the $1500 price tag. I will buy it as soon as I get the okay from someone then we are set.

Here is the final itinerary with final hostel picks and flights.

<u>Wed 7/18 - Thu 7/19 :: In Transit from Buenos Aires to Paris</u>

I will be leaving at night from Buenos Aires(EZE) on Iberia to Paris with a stopover in Madrid for an hour. The total cost is $1491 and this is the only thing I haven't entirely booked yet. Does anyone know anything about Iberia and how they are on long flights? I will be arriving in Paris during the late afternoon on the 19th.


<u>Thu 7/19 - Sat 7/21 :: Arrival in Paris and Marne-la-Vallée, France</u>



Hostel: We will be staying with a friend of mine in Paris, so it will be the only city where we aren't getting a hostel. Not too sure on what the accommodations are like, but as long as there is a couch we are fine. Should be really nice to have a local here to help out.

After arriving, I'll be spending the night at my friend's place and then for both Friday, July 20th and Saturday, July 21st I will be taking off early in the morning and returning late at night via the RER train to Marne-la-Vallée and Disneyland Paris. The train is about 15 Euros for a day pass each day. I've wanted to see Disneyland Paris for a long time after hearing about it from friends in California and I grew up going to Disneyland in California all the time. It may seem a little weird, but its a high priority for me on this trip to have some time there. My brother is not as into as I am and would've been fine to visit for a day, but he is on a tighter time budget than me, so I'll be doing this before he arrives.


<u>Sun 7/22 - Thu 7/26 :: Brother Arrives and Paris, France</u>



My brother arrives on Sunday the 22nd sometime in the afternoon from SFO after stopover in Frankfurt. I won't be detailing the types of things we will be seeing yet, because none of that stuff is decided or has even really been looked at yet, but it will come in a future update.


<u>Thu 7/26 - Mon 7/30 :: London, United Kingdom</u>



Flight: We are on an EasyJet flight from Paris Orly to London Luton that arrives at 14:15. The cost was $62.

Hostel: We are staying at The Generator in London. We are there for 4 nights and the cost is about $24.50 per night per person. 80% rating on Hostel Bookers, central location, and free continental breakfast.


<u>Mon 7/30 - Thu 8/02 :: Amsterdam, The Netherlands</u>



Flight: We are on another EasyJet flight from London Gatwick to Amsterdam that leaves at 10:30 and arrives at 12:45. The cost is $57 per person.

Hostel: We will be staying at The Bulldog in Amsterdam at a cost of $38 per night per person. It is rated 90% on Hostel Bookers as is easily the best hostel to stay at in Amsterdam from what I can tell. An attached coffee shop and a location in the red light district. Breakfast and bed linens included; washing machines and internet available.


<u>Thu 8/02 - Sun 8/05 :: Barcelona, Spain</u>



Flight: We are on a Vueling Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Barcelona that leaves at 12:00 and arrives at 14:15. The cost is $82 per person.

Hostel: The pick for Barcelona was the Kabul Hostel at a price of $34 per night on average. It is rated 82% on Hostel Bookers and has an awesome location. Includes breakfast, but a charge for sheets of 2 Euro. Internet and washing machines available. Has a bar and pool tables on site.


<u>Sun 8/05 - Wed 8/08 :: Madrid, Spain</u>



Flight: We are not taking a flight. The bastardly train has won so we will be taking a approximately 5 hour train from Barcelona to Madrid at a cost of $82.

Hostel: We are staying at Mad Hostel which has an 86% rating on Hostel Bookers. $21 per night per perrson here with breakfast and bed linen included. Pretty good deal and a good location.


<u>Wed 8/08 - Sun 8/12 :: Rome, Italy</u>



Flight: From Madrid to Rome on a Vueling flight early in the morning (leaves around 7:30). Should give us a good start in Rome though. Cost is $55 per person.

Hostel: We are staying at the Alessandro Downtown Hostel for $35 per person per night. It is rated 84% on Hostel Bookers and has free breakfast and free bed linens. Has for-pay internet access.


<u>Sun 8/12 - 8/16 :: Berlin, Germany and Return to Buenos Aires</u>



Flights: We are flying on Easy Jet from Rome to Berlin leaving at about 9:30 and arriving at 11:30. The flight cost $55.

On the 17th of August, I have a flight back on Iberia from Berlin to Buenos Aires with a layover in Madrid for an hour. I arrive the next morning in Buenos Aires at around 7:30. This cost was already included up farther in the page.

My brother has a flight on August 17th from Paris to San Francisco with a stopover in Frankfurt. He is going to see if he can skip the first leg and simply take a train from Berlin to Frankfurt and catch his flight back to SFO from there. It may work because there are two different airlines that aren't codeshare partners.

Hostel: We are staying at Mitte's Backpacker Hostel which is easily the cheapest hostel of the trip at $13 per person per night. It is rated 89% on Hostel Bookers and not surprisingly doesn't include breakfast or bed linens. Bed linen is 2.50 Euro. Washing machines and an attached bar are at this hostel.


That's the update for now. Should give everyone a good idea of what the final plans are and allow for any suggestions that can possibly be implemented (there aren't many as most things are booked). I will be updating within a few weeks with more detailed things that we will be doing in each city. Hope this post is helpful to some... your feedback definitely has been.


Total Hostel Cost: $572

Total Travel Cost for Me: $1,884

Total Travel Cost for My Brother: $995

[PITTM]

i am tentatively going to europe for 9 days in may with the only necessary stop on the trip being in athens, greece on may 23rd for the champions league final. I have only been to Florence and Bologna, Italy. I will probably want to go to Amsterdam, Spain and maybe Rome, I'm getting pretty excited about planning this baby.