Europe for 2-3 months.

Hi guys! I'm planning a trip to Europe, and boy, Europe is one expensive continent!

I intend to travel for less than 2 weeks in UK (I've got some friends and relatives in London + Liverpool, so acc. shouldn't be a problem hopefully!). London will be my first stop.

Well, to brief it up:

1. UK (less than 2 weeks; not intending to stay longer there, due to budget constraints)
2. Netherlands (less than 2 weeks too.. or maybe a week)
3. Germany (specifically in Berlin; I've got a friend who's willing to host me for more than a week, so it's cool, I'm guessing 2 weeks in Berlin?)
4. France (I know this is cliche, but I really do want to visit Paris. Are there any recommendations or nice cities/places to visit apart from Paris? not more than 2 weeks too)
5. Andorra (less than 2 weeks, more like camping here!)
6. Romania ( is it possible for month? Might do some volunteer work or camping most of the time = save money)
7. Bulgaria (similar as above)
8. Prague (heard that it's becoming expensive too like any other Western Europe countries)
9. Latvia (2 weeks)
10. Denmark (a week is enough. trying my luck to couch surf or camp.. or go for the budget hostels)
11. Norway (as above)
12. Sweden (less than a week. Not sure if it's worth checking out.)
13. Finland (trying to see if a friend of mine is able to host me for few days; if not, camp around too!)

The thing is, my budget is around 6.5K USD/ 4.1K GBP. And I really intend to visit for at least 2 months.

Main purpose is cheap travel, the cheaper the better. I was thinking are there any free campsites in Western Europe? I'm couch surfing too... but that'll be like few weeks before my trip starts.

What about Eurail? The rail pass? Is it worth buying? Are there any websites that will explain the steps or how cost efficient are they to get one?

Happy to take down alternative suggestions, or recommended places to go apart from the one listed above.

Cheers,
Farhan Reply to this

Hello Farham

Looks like a very comprehensive itinerary!

A few suggestions from me regarding this itinerary.

Andorra is really only suitable for a few days at the most. The area is beautiful, but you are probably better served by using much of this time in Spain instead or spending more time in provincial France. Two weeks in Netherlands is quite a long time too - I really enjoyed my time there, but after a week, you might be ready to move on.

Ensure you visit Prague, a really beautiful place. Even if it is only for three or four days, it is well worth the effort.

Paris is a must - an amazing city - so much to see and experience. Would recommend at least one week there alone. For a cheaper way to see the sites, buy a 4 or 6 day Paris Museum Pass. It soon pays for itself, you avoid the queues and it also includes entry to the Palace at nearby Versailles.

Eurail Passes are great, but still not cheap. The most cost effective Pass is the Select Pass, so instead of unlimited travel with 1 or 2 months - it is better to purchase a 10 or 15 day usage within a 2 month period.

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A lot of people don't seem to like Madrid for some reason, but I love it. Sure it doesn't have the party scene of Barcelona but it has art galleries and architecture to equal Paris - and that is a very high recommendation. After Madrid I would strongly recommend Granada to see the wonderful Alhambra - to me this is on par with the Palace of Versailles. After this, head back to Barcelona and see the city. From there it is easy to reach the south coast of France and then onto the French Alps. Also a good way to reach Andorra is from Barcelona. You could easily spend a month in Spain alone, but for a week, these are the three essential stops.

As for other ideas (I have not been to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Romania, Bulgaria, or Serbia) - I have one recommendation for Paris (that is not an obvious one) and that is the magnificent Sainte Chappelle (near Notre Dame) - it is my favourite church in the world. France has some wonderful countryside and most places in France are beautiful - you really cannot go wrong.

Turkey is another of my favourite countries - recommend the ancient city of Ephesus very highly, and the anicent sites of Aphrodisias and Pergamon if you have the time. Cappadocia around Goreme is fascinating too. I really loved the east of the country, but you probably won't have time to head there.

Copenhagen in Denmark is a really good place to chill for a while and a good base for visiting nearby castles, viking relics and the world's oldest theme park. Berlin (in my opinion) is the most interesting city in Germany, so if money is tight, just restrict your travels to there.

If you like camping, Switzerland has some spectacular options, but you really need a car to make the most of them. I camped in areas through most of Europe and the standard of options is usually very high. It was a long time ago since I've been there, so my suggestions are a bit dated (except for the camping ground in Grindewald - my favourite one in the world).

Italy necessitates a lot of time because it is another wonderful country, so budget wise you need to consider is it worth heading all that way for just a week (you could spend that time in Rome alone). Which brings me to an important travel planning point - the more you move around, the higher your costs are. Europe is not a cheap place to move around and you will find it more cost effective to spend longer time in fewer places. Of course, if you want to see a lot, then just ignore this suggestion :-)

Just one suggestion, use Europe to its fullest by indulging in all the wonderful culture and history on display on the continent and thus avoid the temptation or suggestion to visit any seaside/beach areas - Asia has far superior options both in terms of price and quality. Judging by your itinerary, I don't think this suggestion really applies to you, but thought to make it just in case. Reply to this

Hi, there are lots of great places to see in all of the countries you mentioned + Italy is the best one regarding the history and sights (I really would not come only to Venice). For some great tips check the site <snip> or here <snip>

Prague is still cheap, however the currency exchange is now rather strong against euro. You still can get world's best beer Pilsner Urquell for just 1,5Eur (litre) and great lunch for $7Eur including beer, soup and main meal in the city centre (but you have to know places 😊). I am not aware of any free campings (but there is a site where you can find free accommodation + some friends and see the real life of those people.

If you need a free guide in Prague (and near cities), just write me and I can provide it 😉 You should reserve 3 days for Prague

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PS. Try to pick up a second hand copy of Europe on a Shoestring, by Lonely Planet(or a similiar book aimed at backpackers), or even invest in a new one. Then be picky and selective about where you choose to go. Reducing your moving around and staying longer in the places you are most interested in will maximise the quality of your trip and reduce moving around costs.
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Not sure I'd want to work on a farm for three months on a holiday - but I'm sure it would appeal to some people. Do they have internships for one month? If they do, you could work for that month and then travel for the other two months.

It would be a different travel experience from your standard European holiday, and it would certainly provide some great memories. Reply to this

I must say your itinerary is quite ambitious kudos to you! I can advise you on France easily since I lived there for 9 months. I will warn you it's an expensive country to visit especially Paris but it's worth your trip! However, I would suggest that you visit at least 1 or two cities outside of Paris. Here are some options-I noticed you mentioned that you have friends in Northern France-you could see Strasbourg. Strasbourg is located along the German/French border in the Alsace region. There's an awesome gothic cathedral there, gorgous art museums, a palace designed by the same architect as Versailles, as well as EU related buildings, a lovely park, etc. You could probably tour some of the other cities in Alsace because the region is famous for its wines, particularly riesling. Stasbourg is about 3 hours away via train (I don't remember taking TGV which s the fast train in France but I remember my trip taking that long.) Another city I highly recommend is one of the cities I lived in which is Dijon. it's about an hour away if you take fast train, and you can actually save on your ticket there if you travel on a Saturday (round trip, back by that day only). Dijon is the capital of the Burgundy region, so there's lots of great food and local, cheap wine. There's also some killer historic sites like the Cathedral du Notre Dame, Cathedral St. Benigne, Musee des Beaux Arts (one of the most famous museums in France actually no lying), eglise St. Micheal, Musee Archeologique, and Palais des Ducs just to name a few. The Medieval history in this town is incredible because Dijon was the capital of the Burgundian empire which stretched to modern day Belgium! It's also a beautiful city and all the buildings in centre ville (aka downtown) are historic so it's a great town to visit. If you like wine you can also visit Beaune, Nuit Saint Georges, Macon-Ville and Chalone-Sur-Saone for some of the best wine and food in the Burgundy region. I also recommend Lyon, which is two hours away from Paris, which also has incredible museums and Medieval architecture. Another awesome thing about this town, is the authentic 1 BC Roman amphitheater and museum, which are still in mint condition.

You could also tour cities in the Normandy region like Roen and Caen for the WWII and Medieval history (which is overwhelmingly everywhere in France). You could also take a TGV train all the way down to Nice (3 hours) to see the beaches, the historic centre ville and the Matisse Museum there. However, the south of France tends to be expensive. Dijon is cheaper than Paris, and Lyon is too to a certain degree.

Ok Norway-I have only been to Oslo but it was incredible! There's also Bergen which is famous for its fjords and charming seaside town scenery. Oslo has countless museums, monuments and parks that could keep you there for weeks. I only saw a third of what the city had to offer. However, Norway is dizzingly expensive (for example a waffle, a sandwich and a drink cost around 20 dollars us in a convenience store c. 2007 no joke). So stay there only two or three days however there's a lot of great things to see in Oslo and I heard that Bergen was also a wonderful place to see. I have yet to plan my return there for sure I loved Norway!

Spain-adored Spain I went there for Spring break. Here's what I saw: Granada, Valencia and Barcelona. Of the three I actually preferred Granada and Valencia because of the architecture, history, museums and Valencia has that incredible Ciudad de artes y ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences) which is in this gorgous modern building built in 2002 by a local artists, which houses a theater, an interactive science museums and one of the best aquariums you will see ever! I had a friend who studied abroad in Sevilla, actually several and they loved the city. I also knew people who lived in Madrid and were homesick for the city, so I guess there are people out there who love or hate Madrid, as there are those who either love or hate Paris or NYC.

Venice is incredible however a gondola ride is VERY expensive (like 80 euros per person). I was on my own when I went and I was like NO way am I paying that! Also, very few of the gondoliers actually sing to you, so it's a myth that all of them know how to sing or play an instrument. I'd suggest if you go, just take a ride on the waterbus, which goes on the Grand Canal and is far cheaper (you can get a week pass for 14 euro), and is just as cool. I've heard mixed reviews about Milan. I've heard that it is expensive and that there are some rough sections of town (rough meaning buildings that are on the verge of collapse) however there's some amazing sites including Da Vinci's last supper and a magnificent cathedral, some of the most famous shopping regarding fashion and I think there's also famous museums there. So I'd decide according to what you want to do. I have heard amazing things about Sienna; I wanted to see Sienna when I was in Italy but I didn't get the chance (but I also had Florence as a distraction). But if you go to Sienna you should spend some time in florence-that city is beyond words incredible. If you love art, culture and museums and history Florence is the city for you! I've also heard that Padua and Verona in the Veneto region (same region as Venice) is also unbelieveable. I hope all of this helps! Enjoy yor visit and happy travels! I have so many precious memories from traveling and living in Europe! I wish you luck with your trip! Reply to this

Wow, thanks guys!

I realise that most of your recommendations does not include UK. I did my 1st round of research for UK. I guess what Mel mentioned was true; try not to travel around too much as it'll cost a lot more!

Anything interesting for UK, since I'll be touching down in London Heathrow. I thought of making my way down to Soho first. There's a hostel called Piccadilly Backpackers Hostels which charges 12 GBP per bed per night, so it's not that bad afterall. I'm trying my luck here to couch surf.. but I'm guessing I need to get myself adjusted to the surroundings for few days before I try to couchsurf.. just to get the hang of it.

I realise London is a big city. There are lots of places I could go to, and I think 4 nights isn't enough if I were to do some sightseeing and visit galleries/museums of that sort?

I heard fantastic stories of Glasglow and Birmingham.. I might give it a shot. I wonder if my stay in the UK will stretch up to 2 weeks? Pretty scary though thinking about the budget.

What do you guys reckon? As of now, I'll just focus on UK research first, before I move on to the other Europe countries.

Cheers,
Farhan Reply to this

That's what I thought so too, London isn't enough 4 nights. Jesus, looks like I'll spend most likely 2 weeks in UK! :S

And I guess I should cut down some of my itinerary too. Depends on what I want to do.

Anyways, keep those tips coming. It's still a long way to go, but one thing for sure...

I booked my flight to London!! Wohoo... Etihad Airways FTW! Ok, I better shut up now.

-Farhan Reply to this

In terms of Spain, I went on a weeks trip this year which involved volunteering to help Spaniards learn English. All you have to do is chat in English and accomodation is free in 4 star hotels as the Spaniards pay for it, so good for your budget. They have English speaking volunteers from all over, USA, UK, Austaralia...and obviously people from Spain so it's a great way to make friends...they might invite you back to stay so that would give you some more free accomodation. They all start from Madrid but are based in other places. My blog has more information if you want it, I went on a teen program but adult programs run all year round.

The UK: - Oxford is a really nice city and the surrounding towns and villages are mostly of a quite typical English style. Also it only takes an hour to get to from London and it's pretty central for getting to other places.
- The South West Coast is my favourite part of the country, try Exmoor, Dorset and Cornwall.
- Sheffield is located fairly close to Liverpool and is right next to the Peak District which is pretty scenic and good for getting out into nature for a while, but Sheffield has a couple of Universities so there's good social life there. A bit of everything really. Reply to this