Like the title says, I am planning a Eurotrip for March-April for my Wife and I. We are both 24, born and raised Californians, no kids, speak multiple languages, never been out of U.S. We are interested in taking pictures, meeting people, visiting pubs/cafes, and eating good food. Museums, night clubs and fancy restaurants won’t really be in the picture for this trip. We will have about ,000 to plan the trip and another ,000 in spending money for our Month in Europe. Most of our major transportation and the majority of our lodging will be paid for/reserved before we even leave the US. So with that said, what does everybody think about this itinerary? Too cautious? Too ambitious? Downright crazy? I appreciate any tips, info, or help that anyone can give. Thanks in advance, have a good night everyone!
DAY 1 – San Francisco plane gets to London 7am Next Day
DAY 2 – Check into Hotel, Explore Surrounding Area, Meet up w/ Friends
DAY 3 to 5 – Explore London by Bus, Train, Bike, etc.
DAY 6 – Eurostar to Paris, Check into Hotel, Explore Area
DAY 7 to 9 – Explore Paris by Bus, Train, Bike, etc.
DAY 10 – Plane to Barcelona, Check into Hotel, Explore Area
DAY 11 to 14 – Explore Barcelona & Area by Bus, Train, Bike, etc.
DAY 15 – Night Bus/Train to Valencia, Plane to Pisa, Check into Hotel
DAY 16 to 17 – Explore the Cinque Terre by Foot/Bike
DAY 18 – Train to Rome, Check into Hotel, Explore Area
DAY 19 to 21 – Explore Rome by Bus, Train, Bike, etc.
DAY 22 – Bus/Train to Bari, Check into Hotel, Explore Area
DAY 23 – Ferry from Bari to Patras, Check into Hotel, Explore Area
DAY 24 to 25 – Bus/Train to Athens, Check into Hotel, Explore Area
DAY 26 to 30 – Explore Athens & Area by Bus, Train, Bike, etc.
DAY 31 – Plane from Athens to San Francisco, HOME!
That is doable,l but if you did Paris to Barcelona by train you would see a lot more. Also I think you will find that Athens gets a bit too much after a couple of days. You might consider a ferry or short flight to one of the nearby islands. Skyros is nice!
It’s obvious you’ve never been to Paris if you expect to be able to do it in just two days. Paris is HUGE, and merits at least a week. I’d also give Barcelona a couple of days longer. Both cities are very easy to explore with the metro, or underground rail system.
I think Pisa is a day trip only, it is not worth your while staying there for 2 days. Other than the Campo Dei Miracoli area, there’s nothing there.
Its look quite ok with the budget, furthermore , euro is not as expensive as previous year. London by bus, fantastic idea. You would covered every places, just with their bus. I wonder why you not stop in Amsterdam? . Paris is really big city, and really busy. I agreed with commentor above, you need to have more days in Paris if you plan to see all their important things. Anyway, just mingle around with their people, that will be more interesting than go every little places.
Barcelona, another amazing city. Rome is among your fantastic destination in waiting. You can go everywhere just by walk, its more enjoyable. You can see Rome ruins, and any historical landmark scattered everywhere, so its better walking.
Personally, I think your budget is all right for a month stay. You can do many things, like go museum, pay ticket kinda place, and such, and you still can enjoy night life properly.
Most of the time, accomodation will put your budget on tight, that why I prefer stay in Hostel, meet alot of new friend and partying all night together. Why you choose to stay in hotel anyway? Its boring
I’m not sure on the budget – have a look on hostelworld to see how much it all really costs. you can also find out costs for the Eurostar and your flights. Don’t forget travel insurance and that you need to tell your bank and credit card company so that your cards will work.
However your itinerary, while very packed, is realistic – at least you realise that it takes a day to travel between places! The time will never be enough of course but it’s a start.
one thought; if you can get the onward transport from Patras to Athens the same day as you arrive there it would be good, there isn’t much at Patras. Cycling in or round Athens is only for the brave. You could take a ferry trip to the Saronic gulf, maybe treat yourself to an overnight at Hydra or Spetses. You said museums are out but while in Athens you really should spend a Euro at the new Acropolis museum as well as going up to the Acropolis itself. The ticket for the latter also covers lots of other sights round Athens, and this is a fantastic time of year to go.
enjoy.
I think you are trying to see too much. I would visit London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Athens. Drop the others. That way you will have more time for each locations and be able to see and take in more.
If you do you itinerary it will be a huge rush and you will only be able to scrap the surface of each city. Seeing London and Paris in 3 days is just not enough.
For Barcelona check out PromptGuides preplanned city guides. They are optimized or 1, 3 and 5 days.
http://promptguides.com/barcelona/guides.htm
Your budget should be enough.
Luka
http://PromptGuides.com
Preplanned City Guides and Travel Itineraries
Realistic. Hostelbookers.com will help. I work in a hotel in a small town close to Pisa, San Giuliano Terme. The Hotel (Hotel Granduca) is close enough to Pisa downtown but lets you experience the small tuscan village lifestyle. 4 stars but super cheap rates (double 39 Euros).