Europe trip 2010!

BRPORSCHE · 06:53 PM

Well guys, the time has come. I have tierd of these American women and have decided to rape and pillage on a different continent. It has always been a dream of mine to see my extended family in various parts of Europe. It looks like Mid May 2010 I will finally have my chance!

Since I somewhat have a real (paying) job. I finally have the means to afford a trip like this on my own. My dad hitchhiked across Europe twice during college staying with family, and I have always been jealous. I want to load up my Kelty backpack and finally do my own exploring.

I have been drawing out rough maos of where I want to go. Have not looked into places to stay or drink. Started looking into airfare. Also, many of my friends have had the chance so I have been following their routes to find a way to go.

So far this is my tentive route:
See next post.

London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Milan, and Rome are all possible entrance/exits.

Now this is where you guys come in. Can one of these routes me achieved in two weeks time? Also which route if you could do just one would you pick?

Thank you guys for helping me with my dream.

BRPORSCHE · 06:58 PM

Possible routes:

Grrrr, why can't I make it bigger.

Hugh R · 04-25-2009, 06:56 PM

For really beautiful, tall women Prague.

BRPORSCHE · 07:03 PM

Well Hugh I am strongly considering the yellow route as that includes Budapest. I am 50% Hungarian and would love to meet the family there.

Working on trying to make the map bigger.

Hugh R · 04-25-2009, 07:01 PM

Budapest is very cool, check out the Castle. BTW, on my computer screen your map is about 1" square with a big white background that fills the post.

slodave · slodave's Garage

Make sure Amsterdam is not the last place you visit. Customs will have a field day with you on your return.

BRPORSCHE · 04-25-2009, 07:11 PM

Meh, I don't smoke. I can see how they would definitely want to do a 'random' search on me though.

Dave, Do you know of anyway to make my pic a tad bigger?

Tishabet · 04-25-2009, 07:16 PM

+1 on Prague. Florence is a wonderful city as well, I preferred it to both Milan and Rome. And it's not a problem if you don't smoke in Amsterdam... enjoy a space cake

slodave · slodave's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRPORSCHE

Meh, I don't smoke. I can see how they would definitely want to do a 'random' search on me though.

Dave, Do you know of anyway to make my pic a tad bigger?

Really has nothing to do with smoking or not....

Looks like you scanned that map. Try to prescan it again, but have it scan only the map - you should end up with a re-sizable box after the prescan.

slodave · slodave's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tishabet

And it's not a problem if you don't smoke in Amsterdam... enjoy a space cake

Space doughnuts too

. Had a couple before I jumped on the plane to come home...

Bill Douglas · 04-25-2009, 08:49 PM

Athens is really nice, really nice. And it's the gateway to the Greek islands. You get between the island by using the many ferries.

beepbeep · 04-26-2009, 01:55 AM

Amsterdam is sooo much more than legalized pot. I've never smoked anything on my visits to Amsterdam. I have friends living there and most of them shun the pot and see it as a turist thing. Town itself is beautiful.

Prague is also nice but a bit harsher. Don't be fooled by street salesman.

Consider Nordic countries as well. An Inter-rail pass might be handy...

imcarthur · imcarthur's Garage

Tom

The biggest mistake most 1st timers to Europe make is that they travel too fast. That's called a blur tour. You see a lot but it all jumbles together as you spend too much time in motion trying to get to the next place.

What do you really want to see/do? Museums? Art? Ruins? Historical sites?
What stops are mandatory for family?
How will you travel? Train/plane/automobile?
What is your accommodation expectation? Hostels? 3 star hotels? Super deluxe?

Good travel resources are the Europe forums on fodors.com, frommers.com, tripadvisor.com etc.

Ian

BRPORSCHE · 04-26-2009, 10:03 AM

Thanks guys for all the help.

In regards to Amsterdam I kind of have to go there. I have a lot of family in Harleem that I really want to visit. I also would love to make it to Budapest, but it just seems to far out of my reach if I land in Rome. Can I even rent a car in Rome then drive to London and return it? Basically, what ever one is the cheapest will win out, but if there is not that much of a price differential I will go with the one that offers me the most versatility. Museums, Ruins, and Historical sites are all on the list.

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

Haarlem is great - when my son and I went through Europe we stayed there for a couple of nights when we visited Amsterdam.

Trains are the cheapest, though Ryan Air and the other discount carriers are nearly free. I'd skip Rome to go to Budapest.

BRPORSCHE · 04-26-2009, 10:27 AM

How about fly into budapest...go to florence...head to monaco and nice....head north to harleem..and fly out of either london or amsterdam? Is that possible with 2-3 days in each spot?

creaturecat · 11:48 AM

Haarlem - beautiful city square, couple of fantastic bridges.
Amsterdam is where the museums and cosmopolitan lifestyle are. Van Gogh museum, Rijksmuseum to name a couple. A beautiful city to walk about - VondelPark, a great place for a picnic.
What time of year? Florence and Rome are absolutely packed in the summer. Hotter than hell as well. Shoulder season is the absolute best time of year. Less expensive, more locals, shorter lineups.
I would do London, Paris, Amsterdam, Haarlem for the family.
Fly into London, train to Paris, RyanAir to Amsterdam.
Expensive and timely to travel to/from the airports (RyanAir type airports) the exception being Amsterdam.
Fantastic train service to areas of interest outside of the the major Cities. Nice way to meet locals and fellow travellers.
A car can be a total headache. Expensive gas, tolls, no where to park, cars not allowed in some areas.

imcarthur · imcarthur's Garage

Skip the car. It is only useful rurally.

Start Amsterdam - train to Budapest (probably through Vienna so you could stop for a day) - overnight train to Rome (it wins over Florence for sights - Vatican, Forum etc etc) - cheap flight to London - fly home from London. Save Paris for a trip with a woman.

Ian

Dottore · 04-26-2009, 12:06 PM

I have to disagree on the car.

A rental car gives you the opportunity to access places that you will never see if you are confined to trains and planes. It's the spontaneous experiences in small villages and towns that will really make your first trip to Europe.

Even if you're on a budget, get a fun car like a Fiat 500—and really plan your route through the countryside.

And driving in Europe is huge fun on the B roads.

BRPORSCHE · 04-26-2009, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imcarthur

Skip the car. It is only useful rurally.

Start Amsterdam - train to Budapest (probably through Vienna so you could stop for a day) - overnight train to Rome (it wins over Florence for sights - Vatican, Forum etc etc) - cheap flight to London - fly home from London. Save Paris for a trip with a woman.

Ian

Wow Ian, never thought of that route! So far the cheapest flights I am finding are in and out of Amsterdam. How long and $ is the train ride from Amsterdam to Budapest?

Dottore, I would love to incorporate a fiat 500 into the trip. Absolutely beautiful car that I could tear up the B roads in.