Yes another "post your itinerary" thread - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

dsanchez · 06-05-2010, 11:14 AM

Hello everybody.

I joined this site about a year ago with some questions on my previous 2 trips and got a lot of great input and information. I have now found myself with a 4 week trip, plus a couple of days if I need them, so I have some questions. I have the last week of July, plus all of August off. Right now, lets assume I have 28 days, or 4 weeks. My rough route is this:

3 nights in Amsterdam (been there twice, love the city)
3 nights in London (first time there)
3 nights in Paris (was there before, but the evil hostel bar kept me from seeing everything I wanted)

3 nights in Interlaken (was there last summer, love the alps and want to hike some more)

3 nights in Cinque Terre region
3 nights in Nice (day trip to Monaco)

3 nights Barcelona (do I break this train ride up by staying somewhere in between Nice and Barcelona?)

Where to next?????

So, as you can see I have some days to fill. My question is: what is a good base for the Cinque Terre? I was thinking Genoa, with a day to walk the Cinque Terre trail, and a day to visit Pisa, which seems feasible from here. Also, do I fit in Venice for 2 days between Interlaken and Cinque Terre?

I would also love to fit in some time in Spain, and Portugal if possible. Never been to South of France, Spain or Portugal, so some advice would be great!!! I would like to make Barcelona, and I am not married to the idea of visiting Madrid.

So, to sum it up, my questions are:

1/ Home base for Cinque Terre, and is 3 days enough?
2/ Do I squeeze Venice in between Interlaken and Cinque Terre for 2 nights?
3/ Destinations for Spain and possibly Portugal
4/ Will I run into problems of boredom, etc. since I've heard some places shut down for the month of August, which will be the bulk of my time in Europe?

I have 10 days to play with given the above schedule. Any way to improve my schedule? I realize I have some lengthy train trips in there, but I found from my last trips that I don't mind a 4 or 5 hour train trip. It helped me relax, unwind and I met some amazing people travelling by train. I also realize that I'm hitting some of the most expensive spots, but whatever. That's not a concern of mine. Mind you, I don't like to piss my money away either.

I would like to keep the night trains to none, but will fit in 1 or 2 if necessary. I did that from Budapest to Rome, and it was worth all of the aggravation as I loved Rome!!

Thanks for the input. Would love to hear your thoughts. I am very capable of dealing with little sleep and hangover mornings, so I can handle hectic itineraries. If you ask me, backpackers should be deprived of sleep, drink every day and not hold back for anything. At least that was my motto last year anyways.

Look forward to your thoughts.

Cheers

dsanchez · 06-05-2010, 11:21 AM

Sorry for the double post, but I thought I should mention other places I've visited last summer.

I have been through most of Germany (Munich, Berline, Rhinelands, Koln, Fussen), Brugge, Austria (Vienna, Salzberg), Budapest, Rome and Prague.

I would like to save the rest of Eastern Europe for another trip!!

**mooloo** · 06-13-2010, 04:02 PM

Welcome back to the boards, I can't help with europe unfortunately, but hopefully someone who's been will come along soon

**Legitikick** · 06-14-2010, 03:13 PM

A couple thoughts . . . .

I'd skip Genoa. I found it to be too big and industrial, and didn't have too much to offer a backpacker. I could be wrong though.

If you want to hike, I REALLY recommend Grindelwald, just up the mountain from Interlaken. Its amazing. Glaciers crashing into each other, ground rumbling, hidden lakes, crazy mountain goats, waterfalls galore . . . its really a magical place. There's a hostel there, ummm . . . forgetting the name. There's also a valley nearby . . . ummm, Valley of a Thousand Waterfalls, or something like that, really stunning as well. I'm going back here again next month with my mom, can't wait.

**mbo108** · 06-17-2010, 10:44 AM

Quote:

There's a hostel there, ummm . . . forgetting the name. There's also a valley nearby . . . ummm, Valley of a Thousand Waterfalls, or something like that...

Sounds unforgettable. ;-)

3 days in Cinque Terre is probably good unless you're trying to hike every route in the area. But I would stay in one of the towns. Plenty of rooms to rent, great nighttime chill vibe when daytrippers leave.

dsanchez · 06-19-2010, 03:46 PM

Thanks for the info. I'm spending 4 nights in Cinque Terra and plan on spending a day checking out the Leaning Tower. I plan to spend the rest of the time hiking.

I have revised my plans and will be spending a bulk of my time in spain. I am having a trouble finding a place to stay in Tarifa, and I have checked the big hostel sites. They all give the same couple of options and they all kind of seem like they suck. One won't rent if I'm not staying 4 nights. So, I want to cut it out. Now I need 2 days between Nerja and Sevilla (already have plans to see Arcos, Cordoba, Granada, etc.) Would Ronda be an option? I am travelling by train/bus.

Can anyone suggest another place?

**Legitikick** · 06-20-2010, 07:42 AM

I stayed at Hostel Facundo in Tarifa a few months ago, it was great, and cheap.

I know I sound like a broken record, I'm always saying this, but why so much planning? You'll be fine booking hostels a few days in advance as your trip goes on, you may find that your trip takes you somewhere else anyways.

**Dig** · 06-20-2010, 11:53 AM

Sounds like a great time.

I did part of Espana last year and LOVED it. I was in madrid, cordoba, sevilla, nerja and granada. Here is that thread.

I would use Nerja as a cool down spot. I wish I had been there longer. I never got around to Barcelona, so I can't make a comparison to Madrid. I did really enjoy Madrid though. I thought the public transportation system was awesome too (trains, taxi's, buses).