 My 1st Backpacking Trip |
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| Hi my name is Mel and this is the first time I have posted in a forum.... I am hoping all you experienced travellers can offer advice & suggestions on my first Back packing journey. I haven't booked my flight I'll be doing that this weekend or early next week.I have 20 days but this includes 3 days flighing there and home so I actually have 17 days to explore My Best Friend is currently working in Bath in UK, and she will meet me in Amsterdam and well make our way down to Rome or vise versa Deffinate places to see are Amsterdam, Nice/French Rivera/Italy...now Italy is such a little place BUT has loads of places to see so in a nut shell it's Cinque Terre (5 villages) - Pisa-Florance-Rome-Amafli Coast. I'd love to see Venice but this is a little out of the way and I think I'll save this one for another trip to Italy. Any advice or suggestions are appreciated!!! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mel OZ melissa merten Post Count: 3 Msg: #1 30 days ago, November 4th 2009 | Day 1 | Depart Brisbane Sat 29 May 2010 (28 hr flight) Day 2 Arrive Amsterdam Sun 30 May 2010 9.20 am check into Hostel - any suggestions? Crusie around, get my bearing & hope I don't have much jetlag Day 3 Amsterdam Day 4 Amsterdam Day 5 depart Amstersdam early morning Fly to Nice 2 hrs (if we can get a cheap flight) OR train from Amsterdam - Paris - Nice approx 8 hrs by train Arrive Nice late afternoon, find hostel (any suggestions) and grab dinner/drinks Day 6 Nice & day trip to Cannes & Monaco Day 7 Depart Nice 10.05 onto Cinque Terre 5 hr train ride then walk from train to Monterrosso and find a place to stay the night (any recomendations?) Day 8 hike to Vernazza find a place to stay - then hike to Corniglia then train it back to Vernazza for the night (suggestions) Day 9 train it from Vernazza to Monarola then hike onto Riomaggiore train it back to Vernazza for the night??? * If we get sick of walking we can train it between some of the town & walk the better parts - any suggestions on the better parts to hike? not sure if the hike can be done in 1 day??? Day 10 Depart Vernazza and catch train to Pisa sightsee then catch train to Florance (1 hr) check into Hostel then probably time for well earned dinner/drinks Day 11 Florance Day 12 Thinking of hiring a car and driving through Tuscany onto Siena OR if we should depart Florance lunch time by train onto Siena & stay in Siena or near by village suggestions?? Day 13 Depart Siena early catch train to Rome Day 14 Rome Day 15 Rome Day 16 from Rome train Pompeii, Naples Day 16 Amalfi Coast onto Sorento Day 17 Sorrento Day 18 free morning but need to be back in Rome for flight next day Day 19 Depart Rome for my journey home (28 hrs) Day 20 Arrive home to Brisbane * Obviously I need to work out how long the train journeys are between each destination, so this will effect days spend in each place..... * Is this too much????  The Travel Camel Shane Dallas Post Count: 1046 Msg: #2 30 days ago, November 4th 2009 | Hello Melissa and welcome to the forum from another Brisbane dweller! | This is a good itinerary - you are giving yourself some time in Rome and Tuscany, and that is always a good idea. I think you have given yourself one day too many in Amsterdam - yes, it is a great city, but it is not a big place. However, after your flight, you will probably lose the whole first day due to lack of sleep/time zone shifts and it is a pleasant place to find your feet in that part of the world, so that extra day there will be useful. If you are able to rent a car in Tuscany, do so as some of the smaller villages in the countryside are wonderful (i.e. San Gimignano). The distances between places in Tuscany is short (compared to Oz) so you will be able to cover a lot of ground in that time. Most car hire companies hire for a minimum of three days, so maybe you could stay on the outskirts of Florence or in a village nearby - it is cheaper plus you wont have to face the daily exploits of the drivers in a busy city. Everyone usually puts Pompeii on their essential places to visit, but for me, the place which is much better preserved after the eruption of Vesuvius is Herculaneum. It is further north than Pompeii and though it is not a large as Pompeii, it is more than compensated by the much higher quality of the ruins. If you are going to use trains the whole way - invest in a Eurail Select Pass for 3 countries - this will cover Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg (counted as one country) France, and Italy. A 5 or 6 day pass should suffice for your journey.  Mell Mell Post Count: 14163 Msg: #3 30 days ago, November 4th 2009 | Welcome to TravelBlog Mel. |  I am never much of an ininery maker, but I think as a basic guideline, spend at least 3 nights in everyplace you stop. That will prevent you from trying to do too much rushing around. Also, taking night trains will save you time, and also money on accomodation. Mel Phantek Steven Post Count: 20 Msg: #4 30 days ago, November 4th 2009 | Hi Mel, | I have a few recommendations regarding Italy. First off, the hiking paths of the Cinque Terre can be accomplished all in one day if you wish to complete them all at once. It takes about 5-6 hours depending on how quickly you walk and how much you stop to take photos. The longest path is between Vernazza and Corniglia, but the most difficult path is between Monterosso and Vernazza. After Corniglia the paths are very short, and relatively flat, and you can walk the whole way to the next two towns in about an hour. Unfortunately I cannot help out when it comes to choosing accommodations in Monterosso and Vernazza as I only stayed in Riomaggiore. What I can recommend is that if you are ever having trouble finding a place - or you wish to make a reservation in advance - you can consider<snip> is an agency that rents out private apartments and dorms in town, and I had a very good experience with them finding an inexpensive place for two of us to spend the night. Remember too that it only takes about 15 minutes to travel through all of the five towns by train, so you can stay in any one town and hike or ride the train or boat to get around. For Florence and Rome, I would recommend that you look into making reservations for major sites that you want to see - The Uffizi, Accademia, Colosseum, etc. Although it should not be too bad in May, it may help you save time in lineups. For details on reservations in Florence, take a look at this page on RickSteves.com. Your trip sounds great - I am sure you'll have a wonderful time! [Edited: 15:36 - Mell ] Kat94 Katrina Post Count: 2 Msg: #5 28 days ago, November 6th 2009 | Hi there, | I toured Italy for 6 months and saw some fantastic places... In Florence make sure you head over to see Michaelangelo's statue of David - (it's in the Galleria dell'Accademia) it's truly spectacular and you must see it while you're there - I could have stood there for 3 hours just looking at him it's such a beautiful masterpiece. Also head up to the Piazza Michelangelo which is South of the River up the hill (it's a short bus ride) for stunning views over the city (if the weather's good). Two highly recommended restaurants are : The Four Lions (Quattro Leoni) - An amazing restaurant in the Artisan Quarter South of the River in the Santo Spirito district - you need to book though as it's only small. Also another fantastic restaurant is Acqua Al 2 on the street Della Vigne Vecchia - have the rump steak with balsamic vinegar or blueberry sauce (if you're not a veggie!) - it's devine!!! They're not the cheapest but it's true Italian cuisine and worth every penny. In Rome go to the Trevio Fountain in the evening as it's stunning (Fontana di Trevi) as well as the other obvious places - Coliseum, Panthenon, Vatican - I did them all in a day although I only made it to St Paul's rather than the Cistine Chapel.. (Coliseum tour is worth it too) For Naples you need to explore the city properly as on the surface it doesn't seem appealing - it is a crazy city! People tend to either love it or hate it. I loved the urban feel of the city - visit the Spanish Quarter and all the quirky back street bizarres (be careful though - never wear jewellery or anything worth anything on show) For Amsterdam - go to the Van Gogh Museum and the Flower Market on the Canal - there's a site where you can get discounts on attractions - discountamsterdam.net - you just print off the voucher and voila 20% off! - It's only has a few of the main ones but it's a money saver. Hope that's been useful! You'll have a great time I'm sure! Kat :) Mel OZ melissa merten Post Count: 3 Msg: #6 24 days ago, November 10th 2009 | Thanks Guys | I'm very excited!!!! I want to enjoy this holiday and not have to rush about BUT I also want to see alot as well. I guess I wasn't sure how close places are/distance it takes to travel in Tuscany or Cinque Terre. So I think it would be better to stay in one of the villages outside of Florance, not so touristy.... I'm going to have a look at San Gimignano - how far is this by train/bus to Florance or Siena? Does anyone else have other suggestions to stay outside of Florance? And when we catch the train from Nice to Cinque Terre Phantek you said it only takes 15 min train ride to do the 5 villages, do you recommend the best village to stay in? It would be better if we made a base for 2 nights and train/hiked to explore the villages. I don't want to rush. Language Barrier.....I'm going to learn a few phrases and I have a book mark I brought that has Italian phrases on it which will be helpful. So obviously in the tourist spots more people speak english but what about the smaller towns?? Will I have any problems will Langauge? I'm talking with my friend tonight to double check my dates in May to come then I'll book.....very excited!! I like to have a plan/itnerary obviously I know this may/will change once I get over there but I really want to research trains/ distance/time it takes to get between places so that I don't get over there & ahve no clue!! I'll have to check with my friend about hiring a car, that would be pretty cool, cruise through tuscany!!! But can you get GPS? with the language barrier it would be safer to have one I think. Anyone recommend car hire company's? Thanks Again Everyone I appreciate your suggestions Mel Mell Mell Post Count: 14163 Msg: #7 24 days ago, November 10th 2009 |  Will I have any problems will Langauge? Your probably will, but you will get by. Write what you want on a piece of paper. This will make it easier for people to understand if they cant understand your Italian because of the accent or if they dont speak English. Just the name of your hotel, or whatever will be enough for people to know you want their help. The accent seems to cause more problems out of cities, I find. I like to have a plan/itnerary obviously I know this may/will change once I get over there but I really want to research trains/ distance/time it takes to get between places so that I don't get over there & ahve no clue!!When I was travelling around Italy, I used to take trains that would take all night. Naples to sicily took all night. I think Pisa to Rome also did, or at least most of it. So, half way down Italy is a night or day on the slow trains. I think the official train website for Italy will provide you with more accurate times. Phantek Steven Post Count: 20 Msg: #8 24 days ago, November 10th 2009 | Hey again Mel, | First off, you wanted to research travel distances. Fortunately, I can recommend two great sites to do that on. The first is the Trenitalia (Italian rail) website. The link here is to their English site. When you enter in your destination, day and time of travel, it will let you know the options, duration, and type of train. Alternatively, you can also use the Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) website, which I find to have excellent schedules for all European trains. This is especially useful since you will be traveling from other European countries. In the Cinque Terre, each of the towns are lovely, but my main recommendation is not to stay in Corniglia. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful there... but it is also over 300 steps above the train station, which will limit your mobility a bit. Manarola is the smallest, and quietest town. Many people find Vernazza to be the most beautiful. Monterosso al Mare is the most developed and resort-like of the towns, which cause some people to believe that this makes it the least desirable of the towns. On the other hand, it has the most active nightlife in the Cinque Terre, so it really depends on what your interests are. Riomaggiore is a good trade off for size, yet still having the small-town quaintness to it. In short, you will really be happy anywhere. I guess the one last thing to point out is that Monterosso has the best beach by any measure. That being said, I stayed in Riomaggiore and spent a day lying on the beach in Monterosso before taking the train back. One last thing I should get you to think about, and that is getting a rail pass versus buying point-to-point (p2p) tickets. Many people say that Italy is the country that gives you the least value to a rail pass, and I have to agree with that. You might find it the best value to get a rail pass to cover you into Italy (or to the Italian border) and then just buy individual passes from there. You can use the Trenitalia website I listed above to price out the cost of your individual journeys before seeing if a full pass is worth it for you. Remember too that if you will be taking any Eurostar Italia (ES), Eurostar City, or Alta Velocita (AV) trains, there is a mandatory reservation fee if you will be traveling with a rail pass (the reservation fee will be included in the p2p ticket cost). These reservation fees are quite high in Italy, with costs ranging from about 15-20 euros per person, per trip. You need to make the reservation prior to boarding the train, but usually there are plenty of seats on the train so I would not worry too much about reserving them far in advance. Mell Mell Post Count: 14163 Msg: #9 23 days ago, November 11th 2009 | Thanks Steven | Number of Users: 5 | Number of Posts: 9 | ||||||||||||||||||
