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Old 02-14-2006, 05:14 PM   #1
micdans
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So, IM planning on travelling Europe the end of the summ with some friends right before heading back to school. I was bored during my Psych lecture today so i decided to write out more definite travel plans. If anyone has any thoughts that would be helpful. Or if there are places nearby or in each city that are specially cool... this is my first time by the way.

July 22 - Fly to AMS
22,23,24 - Visit Amsterdam
25,26 - Rail to Luxembourg (is this even possible?), visit
27,28 - Rail to Brussels, visit city
29,30 - Fly (ryanair) to Glasgow, visit city (is Glasgow a nice city, i've not heard much about it)
31 - Fly (ryanair) to London
Aug 1,2,3,4 - Meet up with the other 3 guys, visit London, Stratford etc.
5,6,7 - Fly/Chunnel (any idea for the better?) to Paris, visit city
8,9,10,11 - Rail to Munich/Bavaria (possibly trip to Prague), visit
12,13,14 - Rail to Switzerland (Bern, Interlaken...) visit the countryside
15,16,17,18,19 - Rail to Rome possibly stopping in Milan, visit
20 - Fly to ORD



I wouldn't mind just leaving now...


For budgeting the 30 days i thought

Lodging - $520 ( a few days free using frequent hotel 'miles')
Food - $600
Nights out - $400 (probably wont be going out every night)
Day travel & admission - $200
extra $530 just cause, its my first time, i have no idea what to base this off of.

total $2250 (this is only for over there)


whew. that was long.
thanks for any help


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Old 02-14-2006, 05:32 PM   #2
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You're going at peak season, so it's going to be pretty crowded in many of the places you're planning on going - so you might wind up having to pay more for lodging - hostels can climb well over €20/night in the summer in many cities, and hotel rewards programs may have blackout dates, especially with the World Cup going on in Deutschland.

Another thing I'd like to point out is that you're typically giving 2-3 days to each city, but I'm imagining that includes rail travel to/from, which may eat up some time. You might wind up missing out on some of what the cities have to offer that way. I'd work on perhaps cutting out a few cities here or there. Is Luxembourg really necessary? Or Brussells? I know you probably want to get the most out of your BeNeLux segment of your Eurail pass, so maybe just going for one Belgian city like Bruges (I hear on all accounts that Brussells is crap...) Also, Switzerland is really f'in expensive, so you might want to amend your budget to accomodate the hole-in-the-wallet syndrome there.

I'd recommend flying to Paris from London. While doing the Eurostar via chunnel is very convenient, and you get a passholder discount, it's still pretty expensive. You could probably snag a Ryanair, EasyJet or BMI flight for dirt cheap.
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Old 02-15-2006, 12:20 AM   #3
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ok, so taking out luxembourg, add another day to belgium (not sure where) and another day to glasgow...i still need to do more research into cool places.
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Old 02-15-2006, 01:07 AM   #4
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any reason why youve chosen glasgow? if you want to go to scotland then edinburgh is a lot nicer, and theres much more to see and do.

like omisan said, luxembourg isnt really that great. anything more than a day trip and it could get a bit boring. i would definitely spend the time somewhere else, like brugges

the world cup will be over by the time you start your trip, but its still the high season so prices will still be high for accomodation etc.
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Old 02-15-2006, 03:18 AM   #5
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I agree with freakypete, of all the places in Scotland to see, Glasgow would not be my #1 choice. Scotland's know for its scenery and all you'll really see in Glasgow is a big city...much like the other big cities you'll see on your itinerary. I would get up in the highlands, do some hiking, rent a bike, pedal around, see some castles and such. Much better than tramping around the streets of a city!

So, maybe go straight from A-dam to Scotland (after cutting out Belgium and Luxembourg)? It's your trip, though, so only YOU know what really sounds interesting -- what you really want to see.

One other tip: If you haven't already arranged your flights by the time you get there, shoot for travel on Tues-Thurs. At least here in the states, those are the slowest time, so you should be able to find the best prices...

Feel free to chime in with more questions!

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Old 02-15-2006, 12:08 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally posted by worldwidemike@Feb 15 2006, 03:18 AM
I agree with freakypete, of all the places in Scotland to see, Glasgow would not be my #1 choice.* Scotland's know for its scenery and all you'll really see in Glasgow is a big city...much like the other big cities you'll see on your itinerary.* I would get up in* the highlands, do some hiking, rent a bike, pedal around, see some castles and such.* Much better than tramping around the streets of a city!
[snapback]102825[/snapback]


Sounds great! More like what I'm looking to do this trip. Im lookin for a change in the scenery. Thanks.

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Old 02-15-2006, 12:36 PM   #7
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I would definetly skip Glasgow for Edinburgh. I went to both places a couple of summers ago and found Edinburgh a lot nicer with more things to do. Plus nothing beats shopping on Princes Street and being able to see that castle. All I remember doing in Glasgow was going to that aquarium thing that was not as nice as the one I have in my little hometown of Atlanta.
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Old 02-21-2006, 10:38 PM   #8
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Not a huge change, but here's what I got. I haven't purchased tix yet, so after we get dates set in stone, then I'll get the ticket because I'm not sure if it'll be better to fly out of the same city I flew into, or another city (the end of the trip city)

July 22
Fly out of ORD

July 23
Arrive at AMS (loss of day)

3 Nights in Amsterdam – 23, 24, 25, 26

July 26
Leave in the morning for Belgium (Train)

2 Nights in Belgium (Bruges, Brussels?) – 26, 27, 28

July 28
Leave early, to Eindhoven. (train/bus)

Fly from Eindhoven to Glasgow (Ryanair)

3 Nights Visit Glasgow/Edinburgh – 28, 29, 30, 31

July 31
Fly to London from Glasgow (Ryanair)


Meet up with Ball. Field and Goertz get to London August 1.

Aug 1
4 nights. In London. Visit city and surrounding – Aug. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Aug 5
Fly to Paris (Ryanair)

3 Nights in Paris – 5, 6, 7, 8

Aug 8
Night Train to Munich

Aug 9
3 nights in Munich – 9, 10, 11, 12

Aug 12
Train to Switzerland

3 Nights in Switzerland (Bern, Interlaken…) – 12, 13, 14, 15

Aug 15
Train to Rome





One of 2 options:

1. For those flying out of Rome

5 Nights in Rome – 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Fly out of Rome to ORD


2. For those flying out of the Original city (AMS, LON)

4 Nights in Rome – 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Travel back to City (AMS, LON?)


Aug 20
Fly back home…


This looks a little more organized in Word. Whatev.

Better?
Other thoughts?
Cities nearby that I must hit?


Danke
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Old 02-22-2006, 03:23 AM   #9
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My two cents worth:

-Bruges is a fairytale city which I prefer over Brussels without a doubt. Here is one of my favourite pictures of Bruges.
-Milan is a big city with too much traffic only worth visiting if you are a fashion diehard.

I have not been to Glasgow personally but what I have heard is the same posted here - it's a big industrialised city with Edinburgh a much better option.

Good luck with the final choices!

ev
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