Where To Begin?????

[krugs127]

Hey guys, first time on the board. It seems like a great resource. Alright so me and a couple of my friends are doing the classic post college graduation three week jaunt around Europe in June and I don't even know where to begin as far as planning this thing. We're pretty much open to anything and just want to make the most of our time there. The only thing we definitely would like to do is be in Germany for a couple days during the World Cup, and my one buddy was thinking of going to Spain too. I'm very inexperienced but I would like to go somewhat off the beaten path a little and not just go to big, major cities although I wouldn't mind hitting up a couple. I just want to get a taste of everything. Since the first plans I have to make is plane reservations I was wondering if they're are any places in particular that are good and somewhat affordable to fly into. Also, is it best to try to arrive and depart from the same city or does that not matter? I'm sure there are a million posts like this on the message board but all advice would be appreciated. So basically, I'd like suggestions as to what cities a group of 22 year old guys would enjoy and what the best way to deal with air transportation is. We'd be leaving from NYC if that matters. Thanks in advance.

[omisan]

Hello and welcome...

Alright, here are a few answers I've got for ya.

Flights: Generally, the cheapest places to fly into from the US are London and Amsterdam, as Heathrow and Schiphol are a couple of the biggest hubs in the world. They often make great jumping off points as once you're in Europe, it's pretty cheap and easy to get around. However, Frankfurt's a pretty big hub and Lufthansa often has specials going through there, so you might want to look at that since you're interested in partying it up in Germany. You don't necessarily have to arrive/depart from the same city to get a good deal, but it's usually the case. Take a look at multi-city trips on sites like Orbitz.com and Expedia.com to see if you can price something good. If you want to figure out where might be the cheapest to go, you can dig up the underutilized "Dream Maps" feature on Travelocity.com, where you can enter a set dollar amount and it shows you where you can possibly go.

Speaking of Germany - the World Cup crowd is crazy to party with anywhere in the world, but remember that you'll be dealing with huge crowds, tons of tourists, full accommodations, and - above all - jacked up prices.

[bellelass]

I would say above all very passionate drunk people who will be difficult (though very interesting) to deal with.

[kingcrazylegs]

I'll just add that Spain's major cities are fun for "partying", but then again I've never been to a mjor city that you couldn't find a little of everything

[futboller]

Consider flying to Dublin. I compared flights to Dublin with flights to Amsterdam, Zurich, London and Frankfurt (the four "traditional" cheap cities to fly into) and Dublin was a lot less. Ireland doesn't put much tax on international flights. Plus you get to arrive in an English-speaking Euro country, for an easy start.

You can use RyanAir, EasyJet, or a ferry to get off the island cheaply.

And welcome Krugs!

[tumblezweedz]

It's probably not realistic to get a "taste of everything" in a three week trip, so check with your mates about specifics they really want to do. The World Cup is a great example. We live in Germany, and the authorities here are already getting antsy about all the crowds, possible (likely!) hooliganism, etc - you may want to consider a smaller town for that time - chances are the prices won't be quite so high, and I guarantee you, there'll be a venue showing all the games in every village and town across the country. If you're not all charged up about seeing major historical or cultural sites, pick a smaller city (say Trier or Mainz instead of Berlin or Munich) which still offer plenty to see and do, great food and maybe not as big crowds as the main venues.

You might consider picking three central locations - say somewhere in Germany (I'm going to suggest Trier again because you can daytrip to France, Belgium, Luxembourg and tons of places in Germany easily), somewhere in Spain and somewhere in the UK for instance, use that as a home base for about a week each time, and just daytrip to other places as the spirit moves you. It's kinda nice not to have to pack up your gear every day, and might be easier to get a break on accommodations if you stay a bit longer. Then just fly in between the central points, so you don't spend a lot of time in transit over those big distances.

Check out www.attitudetravel.com for a comprehensive site listing all European budget airlines (and they have some dirt cheap transatlantic fares too, that might work for you in NY) to get an idea of prices, schedules and some of the places you can easily go. Just know that some airlines have a baggage surcharge, and their weight restrictions are pretty strictly enforced, so if you have huge bags, you're going to have to pay more for the privilege of flying. Check before you book, just so you know.

[MeTurk]

If your using Germany as your central location you might like to choose east or west Europe to visit their both really different, west being expensive, good infastructure and well catered towards tourists and the east being dirt cheep and not overrun by tourists.

I'll have to encourage you to visit Ireland cause we love our tourists, especialy New Yorkers. We get treated well there so we like to return the favour.

[krugs127]

Thanks a lot, this has all been great advice. That's a good point about possibly going to smaller cities in Germany to avoid the huge crowds. I definitely have some things to think about now. Thanks again, I'm sure I'll be posting more.

[bookofkels]

"Where to begin?", you asked?, hey you started in the right place

Welcome to tpunk

Have fun and stay safe is all i have to offer, sorry

[benna2]

Welcome to the boards! You will soon become addicted to this site like every one of us....

[mowark]

Welcome! I always recommend Cinque Terra in Italy. It's like my mantra. Do a search on google for Cinque Terra pics and you will see why.

[ted]

what up and welcome!