camping place in south france image
Lauren
I (along with a few others) am studying abroad in Stuttgart, Germany this semester. I will be there from September 3rd until November 1st. While there, we have about 28 days to travel split up into: 2 two day trips, 2 four day trips, 1 six day trip, and 1 twelve day trip. I have a group of 3 other people (so there will be 4 of us in total) wanting to travel to (in order of importance): Italy, Greece, Spain, France, and England while we are there. However, we are all students on a budget.
So my question is:
Does anyone have experience traveling around Europe on a budget that could give any advice? I have been told trains are cheapest, but from what I have seen it is impossible to get to all of these countries with one train pass. I have also been told you can find cheap airline tickets, but thus far have not been able to find any that sound cheap to me.
Also, if anyone has any recommendations of where would be best to stay in any of these countries it would be greatly appreciated.
Answer
Which is best depends on exactly where you're starting from and where you want to go, when you want to travel, how much time you have and other factors. For example, it's one thing to take the night train from Munich to Verona in Italy for a weekend, but it would be something entirely different to gpo from Berlin to Palermo or other places in the south of Italy. This is the answer I give to people asking about travel costs and planning in Europe; it should be useful in your case:
Prices depend on exactly where you start from, where you fly into, the kind of places you stay and what you see/do/eat. People who backpack generally can get by for $100 per day staying in cheap hostels and carefully watching their budget (not including airfare). However, if you stay in hotels, it will cost you more. I usually spend 100 to 150 euro a night for a hotel just for myself, but there are cheaper places.
Here are some resources that can help you plan and check options and current prices for your trip (expect prices in the future to rise):
http://www.kayak.com/ - airfares & hotels; the explore function is useful for finding the less expensive places to fly into from your starting point.
http://www.skyscanner.it/ - particularly good for budget flights within Europe, but you can also use everywhere as a destination to do something like the explore option on Kayak. You may not need the airfares, but you can compare to the cost of the trains to get around. this one may be more useful for you.
http://www.seat61.com/ - a great train site with details about railpasses. It can be cheaper to buy individual tickets than passes. This site will tell you how to determine whether you're better off with a railpass or individual tickets or some combination for your trip. It also details how to use the pass and what to avoid to get the best use out of a pass.
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.js⦠- Italian train schedules & prices. You can find links to the various national train sites on the Man in Seat 61 site above.
http://www.venere.com/ - hotels/B&Bs - prices for the same hotel can vary hugely depending on the season and what local events are going on.
http://www.hostelbookers.com/ - hostels.
http://www.monasterystays.com/ - monasteries & convents that offer accommodations
You can also look into camping or couch surfing as cheaper alternatives for accommodations.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.ht⦠- festivals, exhibitions and events
http://www.backpackeurope.com/ - information & advice
For sightseeing prices: check the websites for entrance fees for the museums & galleries you're interested in. I spend anywhere between nothing and 40 euro a day depending on exactly what I go to see when out exploring. For food, I spend around 25 to 50 euro for a meal, but you can eat for less. A pizza is 8 to 13 euro and a panino or wrap is around 3 to 6.50 euro in many places. You can often get food at festivals at a relatively low price. You can also shop in the markets and put some meals together for yourselves.When I travel, I like to try the local specialties and the good restaurants.
Which is best depends on exactly where you're starting from and where you want to go, when you want to travel, how much time you have and other factors. For example, it's one thing to take the night train from Munich to Verona in Italy for a weekend, but it would be something entirely different to gpo from Berlin to Palermo or other places in the south of Italy. This is the answer I give to people asking about travel costs and planning in Europe; it should be useful in your case:
Prices depend on exactly where you start from, where you fly into, the kind of places you stay and what you see/do/eat. People who backpack generally can get by for $100 per day staying in cheap hostels and carefully watching their budget (not including airfare). However, if you stay in hotels, it will cost you more. I usually spend 100 to 150 euro a night for a hotel just for myself, but there are cheaper places.
Here are some resources that can help you plan and check options and current prices for your trip (expect prices in the future to rise):
http://www.kayak.com/ - airfares & hotels; the explore function is useful for finding the less expensive places to fly into from your starting point.
http://www.skyscanner.it/ - particularly good for budget flights within Europe, but you can also use everywhere as a destination to do something like the explore option on Kayak. You may not need the airfares, but you can compare to the cost of the trains to get around. this one may be more useful for you.
http://www.seat61.com/ - a great train site with details about railpasses. It can be cheaper to buy individual tickets than passes. This site will tell you how to determine whether you're better off with a railpass or individual tickets or some combination for your trip. It also details how to use the pass and what to avoid to get the best use out of a pass.
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.js⦠- Italian train schedules & prices. You can find links to the various national train sites on the Man in Seat 61 site above.
http://www.venere.com/ - hotels/B&Bs - prices for the same hotel can vary hugely depending on the season and what local events are going on.
http://www.hostelbookers.com/ - hostels.
http://www.monasterystays.com/ - monasteries & convents that offer accommodations
You can also look into camping or couch surfing as cheaper alternatives for accommodations.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.ht⦠- festivals, exhibitions and events
http://www.backpackeurope.com/ - information & advice
For sightseeing prices: check the websites for entrance fees for the museums & galleries you're interested in. I spend anywhere between nothing and 40 euro a day depending on exactly what I go to see when out exploring. For food, I spend around 25 to 50 euro for a meal, but you can eat for less. A pizza is 8 to 13 euro and a panino or wrap is around 3 to 6.50 euro in many places. You can often get food at festivals at a relatively low price. You can also shop in the markets and put some meals together for yourselves.When I travel, I like to try the local specialties and the good restaurants.
What are the best places to visit in Europe?
kyle
I'm going to Germany to visit my friend after I graduate from high school in June. We are planning to travel Europe by train. Where should we go? anyone?
Answer
Definitely depends on how much time you have to travel. If you have a month or two then you could get a bunch of travel in.
It also depends if you are using your friend's place in Germany as a "base camp" and taking little train trips or you want to go the marathon backpacking route.
Personally I would recommend the backpacking option. If you are starting in Germany then get your friend to show you the highlights. I loved Munich and Berlin. Also some of the smaller places like Rothenburg aud Taber and Bamberg were nice.
From there if it is a short trip I would try to do a nice and easy circle going from Germany east to Prague. It is AMAZING and definitely worth the time. It is a beautiful, safe and fun place to spend a couple of days. From there if you have time, go to Austria. Vienna is beautiful, but spend some time in the Alps. They are well worth the time and they are a little less crowded in Austria than in Switzerland. Also Switzerland is more expensive (I loved Switzerland and it's worth the time if you have it, but if you are going to cut something short then I would just hit up the alps as part of Germany or Austria).
Then dip down into Italy. Italy is fantastic, I can't say enough about that country. I loved it there. I would spend most of my time in the north (Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Rome as the furthest south). There is a lot to see in Italy, but those are my favorites. I could spend months in Rome though!!! If you do decide to go to Pisa (as recommended above) only spend a few hours there. Other than the tower, there is NOTHING really there. Everyone (including myself) who I know has been there hasn't been super impressed with Pisa. Florence is a better spot.
From Italy I would shoot up to France and spend most of the time in Paris. So much to see and do, I can't wait to go back!
If you have more than a few weeks to travel then expand on this a bit. Go to Switzerland, Spain, take the train to London if you have time. There are really a billion things to do and see and you will never get it all in one trip. But a good loop hitting the highlights will leave you with some great memories, and give you an amazing flavor for all the different countries.
Have fun and take a ton of pics!
Definitely depends on how much time you have to travel. If you have a month or two then you could get a bunch of travel in.
It also depends if you are using your friend's place in Germany as a "base camp" and taking little train trips or you want to go the marathon backpacking route.
Personally I would recommend the backpacking option. If you are starting in Germany then get your friend to show you the highlights. I loved Munich and Berlin. Also some of the smaller places like Rothenburg aud Taber and Bamberg were nice.
From there if it is a short trip I would try to do a nice and easy circle going from Germany east to Prague. It is AMAZING and definitely worth the time. It is a beautiful, safe and fun place to spend a couple of days. From there if you have time, go to Austria. Vienna is beautiful, but spend some time in the Alps. They are well worth the time and they are a little less crowded in Austria than in Switzerland. Also Switzerland is more expensive (I loved Switzerland and it's worth the time if you have it, but if you are going to cut something short then I would just hit up the alps as part of Germany or Austria).
Then dip down into Italy. Italy is fantastic, I can't say enough about that country. I loved it there. I would spend most of my time in the north (Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Rome as the furthest south). There is a lot to see in Italy, but those are my favorites. I could spend months in Rome though!!! If you do decide to go to Pisa (as recommended above) only spend a few hours there. Other than the tower, there is NOTHING really there. Everyone (including myself) who I know has been there hasn't been super impressed with Pisa. Florence is a better spot.
From Italy I would shoot up to France and spend most of the time in Paris. So much to see and do, I can't wait to go back!
If you have more than a few weeks to travel then expand on this a bit. Go to Switzerland, Spain, take the train to London if you have time. There are really a billion things to do and see and you will never get it all in one trip. But a good loop hitting the highlights will leave you with some great memories, and give you an amazing flavor for all the different countries.
Have fun and take a ton of pics!
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No comments:
Post a Comment