I think good advice is: There is a lot to see in Europe - too much for one trip. I would plan out your route (where starting, next stop etc) but not the timing. Don't leave a place you're enjoying just to get to the next place. A hurried trip sucks. My experience is that the best way is to get to a place, see if you like it, if not move on if so stay until you're ready to move on. In most places you can find small family owned hotels that are cheap (compared to chains and compared to the US), clean, and include breakfast. USE THE TOURIST OFFICES. In many places they can direct you to appropriate lodging and 'things to do.' In France, at least, you can even reserve and pay for your lodging at that office. Amsterdam is cool if you're into the smoking experience but I wouldn't detour there if you're not into that.
Actually they reallt didnt respect us very much while me and my famly went to Spain this year. They would usually not serve our table at a restaurant and they refused to acknowledge our Spanish, even simple words that they would obviosly understand. They all seemed like the just didnt want to deal with us. It actually seemed the complete opposite in China.
The area Cohen mentioned in Switzerland is beautiful. Grindelwald has a really, really nice youth hostel, as does Interlaken. Wonder if the glacier is still there?? The youth hostel is across the valley from the Eiger... remember The Eiger Sanction, Clint Eastwood's flick? That was filmed there, in part. You go to Interlaken to get to Grindelwald. Youth hostels are a way to really save money, if you're college age, or around there. And you can get a really good deal on a 2nd class Eurail Pass, if you're young enough. (unless they've changed how they do it) Agree with JV that you can sleep on the trains. And Amsterdam, besides just being a gas to visit, is a great place to start. You can get a train early in the morning there, and be eating dinner in Interlaken that evening, having watched beautiful scenery on the way. The Greek Islands are fantastic. The ones I went to 25-35 years ago are probably full of tourists now, but get to some remote ones, and you can find beautiful beaches, and cheap prices. Check out Crete. You're lucky. You can get huge amounts of info, more than you can process, via the internet, an option some of us didn't have when we went. Ios was far out when we were there...
See the movie Hostel before you go. It's full of good ideas on what to do and see while backpacking in Europe.
I'll second those suggestions. Prague was a MAJOR disappointment. Way too crowded and touristy now. Poland, Czech Rep., and Buapest were the best times I ever had in Europe. I also really enjoyed Salzburg and Vienna (what can I say? I like classical music), but they can get pretty expensive.
I'm going on my honeymoon for a few weeks...have you checked out the exchange rate: $1 US = .51 BP and $1 US = .76 Euro. Pay for most of your stuff here in the US (Rail Europe is cheaper than Euro-rail in some cases). Also check out flights in-between countries, some of those might be cheaper than the rail (flight from Rome to London was only $65 per person on British Airways).
Romania. One of the most beautiful places you might not think of. Avoid Bucharest as there's not much there you can't find anywhere else--but the Transylvanian region (including Brasov, Poiana Brasov, Sinaia, Sibiu) is incredible. Google those towns for some pictures, it'll blow you away.
Amsterdam is as hip as it gets. Greatest city in the world, and I've been to at least 20 cities. Paris is so full of monuments everywhere, I ran into Notre Dame by accident. I'd forgotten it existed, we turned a corner, and I said, "Hey, that's Notre Dame!" The city is obscene if you like historic structures. Makes London look like Detroit. (And I'm a British citizen.) If you can drive in the hills around Saltburn in the northeast of England, do so. Incredible. Stonehenge is a bust. Go to The Prince in Ledbury. Only place I've been that has Trappistes Rochefort 10, the greatest of all beers (only been through Belgium by train). It's on the left:
In most places the tourist offices help for economical lodging, but be forewarned... the place they sent us to in Amsterdam was a DUMP. When we arrived, the rude mgr tried to browbeat (don't use that word often) us into paying for all 3 nights before we saw the room. We refused and started to leave, then she suddenly got sweet and let us just pay for one night. If I wasn't too exhausted to move on, we would have left after seeing the closet with outdoor carpeting and a cot that was our room... or the community bath in the hall with solid mildew in the shower's floor tile. Before we left, I found the special European issues of the major travel magazines and ripped out those articles and took with. I used it to find an amazingly clean and comfortable hotel in Amsterdam for the remainder of our stay (Piet Hein). We also ate at some of the recommended restaurants in Italy. We got Rick Steve's book 'Europe through the Backdoor'... an excellent intro to economical travel in Europe. http://www.ricksteves.com/ He'll help you understand how to get around and how things work, but for nightlife you'll need to supplement the info from elsewhere. Are you planning on a backpack? Also, I think I may have Steve's Europe DVD set if you'd like to borrow.
We did also... I think we got an upgrade for the sleeping cars at the station? Heh... also remember you're in Europe not the US, so try not to drool whether on a Greek beach or sharing a sleeping car with females or couples.
You should check out Budapest (fly Sky Europe...cheapest fairs to Eastern Europe -- I flew from Milan to Budapest for 20 Euro roundtrip, taxes included), Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Barcelona, Milan (for nightlife), Florence (for historical Italy), skip Venice, Cinque Terre (in Italy) is AMAZING....
Everybody has listed their favorite places already, so I won't add to that. I will add some convenience advice, based on my experiences. Travel/Health Insurance Copies of your passport Extra passport photos International Driver's License Unlocked GSM phone and global roaming SIM card (I used United Mobile) Electric socket adapter A couple ATM cards Travel/Health insurance, just in case. It's usually inexpensive. Copies of your passport, in case you lose yours. Extra passport photos. These are necessary for ID cards if you buy a weekly subway pass. International Driver's License. Cheap to obtain, makes renting cars easier. GSM phone and SIM card. Allows your friends and family to reach you. The United Mobile card gives you one phone number to use in like 80 countries, plus free incoming calls. Outgoing are expensive though. Electric socket adapters. There are a bunch of different types of sockets over there, with different voltages. A couple ATM cards. Mine got eaten by one ATM so I had no easy access to cash. Cash advances on credit cards are very expensive. My bank has international banking partners, so if I had checked beforehand, I could have avoided this problem. Also, change your PIN to 4 digits. Some don't accept 6 digits. Keep your wallet (with large bills and credit cards) in your front pocket. We ran into two pickpockets in Madrid, and my cousin ran into a group in Prague. Luckily I kept an old wallet in my back pocket so they just got a few euros and an expired credit card. Check alternatives to trains. Airfare or car rentals are often cheaper than taking the train. If you plan out a few weeks beforehand, airfare can be VERY cheap. That's all I can think of now.
thanks for all the advice and recs, folks. just talked to my buddy today and he is officially "in", so it looks like this is pretty much a done deal :rock i'll keep yall posted.
inside europe u should go wity ryanair,who has some of the cheapest flights u could find. For example I've done Stockholm- Paris for about 40 euro,a couple of times. U just have to pre order thats all!
Living in London now, so I pretty much agree with all the suggestions. I'm just going to reiterate: If you can fly, most of the time its cheaper. go with ryan air or easy jet. if you have to take the train you can get a multi-day/country pass. And yeah they don't really hate us american's here, I've never had a problem and I've been living here for almost 2 years. Most of all Have fun! Don't rush... focus on 2-3 places and really soak it all in, you don't want to have a vacation from your vacation if you catch my drift.
