Hey,
I'm guessing this is a bit uncalled for and some people may be upset about it but I'm here for a bunch of newbie questions.
Some background:
I'm a 26yo male from Israel.
In the past I've done some camping in israel (no more than a week long), and went on two 1-week vacations in Europe (sleeping in a hotel).
This October I'm thinking of going on a 1-month tour around Europe.
My initial thoughts are to go around a few countries spending 3-5 days in each country, using the train as my main transportation between cities / countries.
I've been thinking in the direction of:
1. Italy (optional)
2. France
3. Belgium
4. Netherlands (optional)
5. Denmark (optional)
6. Germany
7. Austria
8. Czech / Serbia / Croatia (optional)
I have checked the pricing for train tickets and found that it's within my reach (about 500 euro for 10 days of train travel within 2 months).
I've also checked the approxiamte price of flying to one of those countries and back from another and it's around 400 dollars (again, in my reach).
As it may arise:
I'm interested mostly in meeting people of different cultures, a bit of sightseeing, visiting some events would be nice, would also enjoy a few days of nature (granted that it's somewhat accesible nature)
What I wanted to know is the following:
1. Which route would you recommend for the above mentioned countries
2. Do you think the list is too long? if so, how many countries do you think would fit better in a month? (bear in mind that this is not intended as an indepth tour to any of the mentioned countries)
3. Which cities / activities / places would you recommend doing / attending / visiting in those countries?
4. What are some tips you could give me about traveling in the mentioned countries? (as I am a newbie to traveling, general tips are also welcome)
5. If any of you live in one of those countries and are willing to host a nice Israeli dude (even if it comes at some modest price), I would also love to hear about it!
thanks.
Oh, and pic isn't related, I just don't have other macros on my laptop.
>mostly interested in meeting the country's people
>3-5day per country
choose one
you better stay longer or choose less countries.
>>1123083
Granted, I won't have any "deep and long built" relationships nor a firm understanding of the various cultures I may encounter, But I still think for a first tour around Europe it'll be okay.
I may reduce the number of countries to say just the 4 that I didn't list as optional, leaving about 7 days for each country.
I would love to stay longer, but that's just impossible for me at the present time.
I would love some input regarding the other things, if you have some?
thank you :)
3. there are so many things that you are better off checking a tourist guide a at least wikitravel, then asking more specific questions.
I'd suggest skipping Germany. It's been basically bombed out, not much left to see. (I mean, compared to the rest). Also Serbia.
Rail travel is mch nicer, but flights can often be a much cheaper alternative (and obv faster long distance). Check skyscanner.net or momondo when planning
if you are into meeting ppl then maybe try couchsurfing
>>1123091
Well, I wouldn't want to go to a place that requires pre-ordering tickets and things I'm sure I'll be able to find the main tourist places when I reach a country / city.
I was wondering more about the less known things, maybe things local people could recommend to an outsider (I know that as a Israeli, if someone told me they were coming to Israel I would have tons of tips to give them that one wouldn't normally find in the tourist-oriented guides)
noob advice, you got two options
a) a round trip like germany-austria-italy-france-germany
b) point-to-point like denmark-germany-austria-italy-croatia
if you travel by train include at least one scenic route
http://www.eurail.com/europe-by-train/scenic-trains
you could spend a month in one of the larger country’s and still only scratch the surface
>>1123098
>noob advice, you got two options
>a) a round trip like germany-austria-italy-france-germany
>b) point-to-point like denmark-germany-austria-italy-croatia
It's my understanding that I can actually get good prices even if I'm not booking round-trip flight tickets, am I wrong?
>if you travel by train include at least one scenic route
>http://www.eurail.com/europe-by-train/scenic-trains
That is an excellent idea, thank you!
>you could spend a month in one of the larger country’s and still only scratch the surface
I'm well aware.
Heck, I could spend more than a month in some cities and still not get enough.
That being said, I have 1 month and at least the 4 countries I'm anxious to get a taste of (albeit, a small taste).
more advice is welcome :D
You have to choose between flexibility and low cost.
Low cost means having a rigid schedule.
Flexibility means paying more.
Lowest cost would be buying either train tickets well in advance (2 months in advance, at least) or low-cost carriers with one month in advance (or just gamble and try to find last minute deals, which also gives you no flexibility).
Maximum flexibility would be go with nothing booked and buying tickets on the go. Trains will give you the most flexibility, as you'll hop in and out pretty much in the heart of every city you go.
Middle ground, I guess, would be getting an interrail pass for 4 countries and go for it. You have great flexibility in terms of when leaving a city and the price is not that bad if you travel long distances.
>>1123125
this is a great post only that i already knew what you said in it :p
it's true that in the compromise between lowcost and flexibility i went for the eurail option (i'm still figuring out which of their deals works best for me)
which correlates with this line from my OP
>I have checked the pricing for train tickets and found that it's within my reach (about 500 euro for 10 days of train travel within 2 months).
I will also add that in the process of trying to determine some rough idea of the route this is what i came up with:
florence -> (possibly lyon, to meet a friend) -> paris -> the city my friend lives in in belgium (i forgot which...) -> amsterdam -> (possibly dusseldorf, to meet a friend) -> munich -> salzburg (or another city that my friend lives in in austria).
does it sound like too much? for a month
