Eurotrip

Blln

Sooooo, three of my friends and I are going on an extended trip through Europe this summer after graduating high school. We're aiming for a sort of classic eurotrip - training around, backpacking, meeting fellow travelers, getting in some sightseeing, some nightlife maybe, getting a taste of the local culture and ambience etc.

At the moment it looks like our itinerary will be fly into Barcelona, take trains through the south of France and Provence up to Paris, train to Amsterdam, train from there to Berlin, then train down to Prague to finish it off. This looks like it will take a little over a month, spending about 4 days in each place. One of my friends speaks German fluently, one speaks Spanish fluently, and all of us are very competent in French, so that should make things easier.

Either way, I was wondering if anybody here has ever done anything like this, and maybe has any advice to give? Any recommendations for must-visit places? Places to stay away from? Hostel vs hotel? Train vs plane? Or even if you have any good stories from a trip you've taken... ;)
 
please stay in hostels unless you have money for hotels. some hostels, i found for only fifteen euros a night. surprisingly (and luckily), my hostels were very quiet, unlike from the festive photos i've seen online. once, i had three beds to myself.
anyways some information: not all hostel rooms come with their own toilet and shower, but more than likely, a sink. also, don't feel obligated to stay in the first place you visit just out of courtesy.

about the train vs. plane: correct me if i'm wrong, but airfare seems much cheaper than train tickets - especially if you're going to another country. ryanair had fair prices.
 
I recommend staying in hostels even if you have money for hotels. That way you actually meet people..

Have a nice day.
 
Well it depends on what you want to see, oh and dont get exhausted too early( btw i live in amsterdam, i know the good places/ hostels , i could show you them if you want
 
Take trains. The expense of flying over such short distances is not worth the environmental effects or the fee. Buy tickets in advance - they will be way less pricey. Get a EuroRail pass maybe even.
 
I'd strongly advise taking trains because they're easy. Buy ticket, go to station as little as five minutes before the train leaves, take as much luggage as you want. No checking in two hours before nonsense, no security checks, no getting a huge extra charge because that bottle of sherry made your suitcase 15.1 kilos.

And volcanic ash doesn't stop trains.
 
You have to check in a little earlier if you're taking international trains like the Thalys Cantab. But it's still less hassle than planes. Only Eurostar was a bit more at 45 minutes.
 
Last time I'd gone to Europe was when I was 5. All I remember was chasing pigeons around squares and hoping to catch one. Hmm... sounds like a pokemon game. Haha, I'm visiting again this summer, though this time we're doing a cruise.
 
- Split the weight of a tent between yourselves - definitely something I would recommend. It won't be too hard to carry if there's four of you, since you can fit in a single relatively small one and can split poles flysheet etc to distribute weight.

- Get an unlimited train pass. Depending on how long you're staying, you can get 14 day, 21 day, or 30 day train passes, during which time you can travel as much as you want anywhere in europe. It reduces transport hassle a ton not having to worry about what train you can or cannot get, where you can or cannot go, and so on. Let's you focus much more on the sightseeing (ahem) and the other things you do in europe ;).

- Have a decent idea of where you're wanting to go. Don't book anything in advance, but it's extremely helpful to know exactly where the hostels in a particular city are.

- Top 4 recommendations for cities to visit: Barcelona, Florence, Munich, Amsterdam. Among the best party cities in the continent :).
 
come to florence man it's the best place in italy :)
Oops just saw you're not going to italy, shame. Anyway i really recommend berlin, i've lived there 3 years it's a blast. I second using trains, since it's much less hassle. And go to hostels, they're cheaper and you can meet other people
 
Seconding trains > planes, as they are cheaper, easier, more frequent and not disrupted by vulcanos with impossible names. Also, altough you guys keep saying hostels/tenting, hotels are often more affordable then you'd think, and a night of average luxury can be nice when camping all the time. Also, cities to reccommend are Amsterdam, Antwerp, Paris, Berlin.

Another usefull thing might be going around by buss. Mostly saying this due to personal experience as I live in the Netherlands, and when you wanna go do some sightseeing, it beats metro due to the so much bigger network and the fact you travel above ground. Trains are quite limited in where they go sometimes
 
Legacy Raider said:
- Get an unlimited train pass. Depending on how long you're staying, you can get 14 day, 21 day, or 30 day train passes
Click to expand...
The only such passes I know of are the Interrail ones, which can only be bought by people residing in one European country to travel in other European countries. I assume Danyul is not European (since his trip starts with flying to Barcelona) - are such passes available for non-Europeans?
 
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