Need help planning a trip to Europe

[BWebb]

The title says it all. I have never been, so I'm open to any ideas. Some info, I can travel between Valentine's Day and the end of March (Delta has some good deals right now). I will probably spend 7 days there (2 more days traveling). Not sure if I'm going to be going alone or with friends, I kind of just decided I want to this right now. I would like to see more than one major city while there, but I don't want to rush around barely spending time anywhere. Three cities sounds about right. I'll be doing it on a budget, meaning hostels as much as possible. I'm under the impression that staying in hostels while traveling in Europe is a good experience, is this wrong?

So, what are the best cities to visit, based on easy of getting there, things to see/do and overall experience? Anything I should know about that I probably don't?

I have very limited knowlege on the subject, so any suggestions/recommendations/comments you can make based on this info will be greatly appreciated. If I left anything out that will be useful to know, just ask. BTW, I'm 26 years old.

Get a Eurail pass. You can take the train between cities and save a lot of cash. Also you can come and go as you wish with the pass so it gives you flexibility with planing. The hostels are pretty decent and should help you save cash as well. Maybe hit some of the major countries/cities to get the feel of Europe and next time you can plan more detail.

[westside_eh]

Heard of Contiki tours?

They are tour groups for 18-35 yr olds. I did one in September which was 2 weeks long. I was by myself and had a great time.

They have a variety of tours varying in price.

I'd really recommend going to Amsterdam [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

www.contiki.com

[BWebb]

Westside,

Thanks for the link, the London/Paris/Amsterdam trip looks interesting. I'll look into it.


Thanks,
BWebb

[MrMon]

With only 7 days there, I'd seriously suggest just staying in one city. You can just barely begin to scratch the surface of London in that time. And I HATE organized tours. Here's just that start of what you can do in 7 days in London:

Day 1 - Take a day tour of the city, just to get oriented. Go to Trafalgar Square. Walk down the Mall to Buckingham Palace.

Day 2. - British Museum and Library. It will take all day. Pop across the street to the Museum Tavern for lunch. Karl Marx used to hand out there after long days writing Das Kapital. Even a diehard capitalist can appreciate that.

Day 3. - Westmister Abbey and St. Paul's. I think you could get lunch at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in between the two. Rebulit 1667. I stupidly asked why they rebuilt. The reply was they had a fire in 1666. (If you don't under stand this joke, read up on your English history.)

Day 4. Or whenever Saturday is. Portobello Road antique market. Find something cool to bring back home. Since this is where the attics of the British Empire are sold off, there's bound to be something interesting. Spend the rest of the day shopping at Harrod's, other antique areas, or pop into an art museum.

Day 5. Tower of London. Be sure and do a Yeoman Warder tour, they're full of gruesome detail. Only way to see some things is to go on one of these tours. The Tower can take all day, but if you'd prefer not to, take a boat ride in the afternoon down the Thames to Greenwich. Straddle the Eastern and Western hemispheres.

Day 6 - Day trip to Windsor or Hampton Court.

Day 7 - Day trip to Dover, Portsmouth, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford-On-Avon, or any other place you'd like to see.

In addition, get tickets to two shows in the evening. Before you go, contact the Tower of London and ask to be admitted to The Ceremony Of The Keys, which is when the lock up the Tower each night at 9 PM, provided the Germans aren't bombing the place, but that hasn't happened since the mid-1940s, and even if it did, it just delays things a few minutes. You might be able to get a tour of Parliament through the U.S. Embassy, but that's a tough ticket.

There are tons of other museums you might be interested in (Imperial War Museum, London Trasport Museum, Victoria & Albert, etc.), cultural things (St. Martin-In-The Fields, Opera, Symphony, Globe Theater), specialized tours (Jack The Ripper, Sherlock Holmes), tourist traps (Wax Museum, London Eye), etc. Consider this trip an intro to Europe, not the only time you'll go. Pick one city and do it well. It'll increase the likelyiood you'll go back.

[MyTurn2Raise]

goto Ljubljana and play something with the locals