Author	Message
olivia mendoza Member	# Posted: 14 Sep 2005 01:43:20 hi... in less than 3 weeks i am setting off for 2 and half months round europe, alone, and have absolutely no idea what i'm doing! I fly into Amsterdam, and have a vague plan of travelling down through belgium, france, germany etc to arrive in spain for 2weeks in barcelona, then doing italy, switzerland, austria and scandinavia etc Can anyone give me any tips/ advice on the best routes to take? the order I should go in?? dont want a concrete plan, just a slightly clearer idea than i have already :) thanks, LiVi x

JaMeZ Moderator Amsterdam	# Posted: 14 Sep 2005 02:12:29 Just a few quick questions before I give you my advice: from which European city do you fly back? Have you looked into rail passes already? Are you only travelling around, or working as well? James "It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an Airport' appear." - Douglas Adams
olivia mendoza Member	# Posted: 15 Sep 2005 00:28:55 hey, thanks for the quick reply :) no not working just travelling. i have my rail passes... 2 x 1 month all-zone passes. what i do know: i'm flying to amsterdam on oct 3rd. want to spend 1 month travelling around then stop in barcelona for 2 weeks (nov 2nd-nov 16th). then start moving again. I want to end up in scandinavia and fly back from there, tho havent booked my flight home yet. does that help at all with any potential advice?? ;) thanks for your help :) Livi x
JaMeZ Moderator Amsterdam	# Posted: 15 Sep 2005 02:07:50 Great about already managing the rail passes. And yes, that definitely helps with some potential advice. I reckon the most logical itinerary for the countries you'd like to see would be something like this: From Amsterdam down to Belgium, then down to France and into Spain (if you have enough time: definitely do some travelling in Spain before settling in Barcelona). Then from Barcelona to Italy, on to Austria or Switzerland and then through Germany to Denmark, and finally Sweden, etc. You might have to hurry a bit to be able to see this much of Europe in 2.5 months by the way. If you'd like to visit nine or so countries, this'll leave you less than a week per country, which is like two destinations per country on average. If you'd like to spend some more time than that per country, you'll have to consider skipping some of the countries on your wishlist... There's a lot to see in every country of Europe, you see. Last summer I spent about a month and a half in Spain and at the end of the trip I still felt like I'd only seen the tip of the iceberg. I hope this helps you out with getting a general idea of a possible itinerary. James "It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an Airport' appear." - Douglas Adams
olivia mendoza Member	# Posted: 16 Sep 2005 03:33:09 hey, thanks for your help :) glad you said that cos you've kind of confirmed my really vague ideas about routes! i know im cramming in loads... guess i'll just see how it goes once im on the road :) in Spain i was plannin Madrid definitely - can you recommend anywhere else worth a visit? thanks again for your assistance ;op Livi x
JaMeZ Moderator Amsterdam	# Posted: 17 Sep 2005 13:02:48 Recomendations... always tricky, cause there's just so much to see in Spain. San Sebastian is very interesting patriotism-wise and it has a beautiful city center and a great beach. Granada has a very relaxed atmosphere and the absolutely stunning Alhambra... The real must sees are obviously Madrid and Barcelona, but I can recommend you to see a bit more off the beaten track if your schedule allows it. San Sebastian and Zaragoza are on your route France - Madrid - Barcelona, so that would be easiest to stop over. And if you have enough time, consider visiting Valencia instead of Zaragoza. "It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an Airport' appear." - Douglas Adams
Anonymous Guest	# Posted: 1 Oct 2005 03:54:54 hey, i will also be traveling to europe on the 18 of oct.we have bought a British Airway tic that allows us to stopover in europe for a year and continue to new york. touch down london , then amsterdam, paris, madrid, seville, barcelona, milan, venice, , florence lastly rome, we will then fly budget back to london to get to get to new york. we will be spending bout 2 months in europe and a month in us/canada. about spain, is seville a good place to visit?