jra3

Howdy all,

I'm trying to piece together a pre-grad-school European vacation for May of next year, and have an idea of where I want to go, but am open to advice. I expect that I won't be traveling alone the whole time, a few friends will probably join me for various parts of the trip.

I scored 1st class tickets in to Istanbul at the beginning of the month, and out of Dubrovnik at the end of the month. This is the itinerary I'm toying with:

5/1-5/5 - Istanbul
5/5-5/8 - Budapest (Here for a short weekend in '02)
5/8-5/10 - Vienna
5/10-5/14 - Prague (Studied here in 2002)
5/14-5/17 - Berlin or Munich
5/18-5/23 - Paris
5/23-5/25 - Zurich
5/25-5/30 - Barcelona
5/30-6/2 - Split / Dubrovnik

I'll fly to Budapest from IST and to Croatia, and do trains for the rest of it, I think. The longest is ZUR-BAR, but there's a "trenhotel" that looks neat to try.

I'm not sure whether I want to go to Berlin or Munich, but I don't think there's time to do both and I don't know if I want that much Germany.

Where else should I go, or what should I change? Maybe a short stop in Bratislava? Skip one of the trips in the middle and include Madrid?

I know it's early to ask, but I really enjoy planning these kinds of things and always value the opinions of fellow Flyertalkers! I'll do more research soon, but if you know any must-sees that might not be emphasized enough when researching these cities, a heads up would be awesome.

Thanks!

gtownguy

Wow, that's certainly an ambitious itinerary. I think you're going to need a vacation after your vacation. Anyway...here's my 2c on a few things but I'm sure you'll get a lot more.

Are you buying a Eurail pass or point-to-point tickets? You can check www.whichbudget.com to see if any cheapo airlines fly those specific routes. Or you may want to look into a Euro air pass from whatever airline you're flying over on.

As for all your stops... I'd vote for Berlin over Munich if you're going to do just one city in Germany. If you decide to skip Germany, perhaps add a couple of days in Vienna. A really beautiful city with lots of great museums.

If you have some extra time in Vienna, then I'd add Bratislava. Otherwise, I'd forget it. It's easy enough to get there but there's not a whole lot to see or do once you get there. I've been 3 times with friends from Vienna, and other than some good meals really wasn't terribly impressed. If you do go, take the train, not the ferry. Ferry is much more expensive.

Think I'd also forget about Zurich and substitute Madrid. Zurich is a pleasant enough city, but it's mostly a business destination, not a tourist one. Really didn't find a whole lot to do there. A train ride across Switzerland though does afford you some beautiful scenery.

As far as other suggestions... If you do go to Munich, maybe Salzburg as it's pretty close by. If you don't do Germany & have those 3 days, maybe Amsterdam or Rome? Both are really amazing places.

Hope you have a great trip!

thepointsguy

Just did Munich/ Salzburg/ Berlin and I have to say you must do Berlin. All of the cities are gorgeous, but Berlin has a great nightlife/restaurants and a super interesting history.

You also MUST do Madrid. As JRA3 advised, Zurich is beautiful, but a snooze. Madrid is cheaper and much more interesting. If I were you, I'd also sub out Vienna and try to do Amsterdam.

Sounds like a great trip!

EWRTravelers

Just some feedback:

1. Check some discount airlines out as you may find some cheaper fares and shorter travel times.

2. Going from Zurich to Barcelona is quite a trek. Perhaps fly from Zurich to Madrid and train to Barcelona? Or perhaps ditch Iberia completely and focus more on the other areas you are visiting.

3. Munich will be more touristy - While Berlin will more large city, nightlife gay etc.
Although looking at your plan Berlin is somewhat going out of the way

Davidwnc

If the choice is Munich or Berlin - it's Berlin hands down.

As far as Zurich, I would skip Zurich - but unlike like some who advise Madrid instead, I would say spend some time in the Swiss Alps. Places like Zermatt, Crans-Montanna, Chaminoix (France), while touristy towns, are deep in the heart of lovely mountain ranges.

SeaMeFly

I 3rd that...BERLIN !

jra3

Great ideas. So, strong feelings for Berlin here, skip Zurich, and get Madrid back on the table. I agree, it's uber ambitious to be doing 3 nights per place. I suppose if I had to give something up, it would be Budapest... but I remember really liking it and feeling like I missed out on spending enough time there the first time I went.

I've heard that for Split and Dubrovnik, I only really need a day, so I'm trying to do about 1.5 in each. Do I need more?

Looking more like this now:
5/1-5/5 - Istanbul
5/5-5/8 - Budapest (Here for a short weekend in '02)
5/8-5/11 - Vienna
5/11-5/15 - Prague (Studied here in 2002)
5/15-5/18 - Berlin
5/19-5/24 - Paris
5/24-5/27 - Madrid
5/27-5/30 - Barcelona
5/30-6/2 - Split / Dubrovnik

thepointsguy

I personally think 3 nights per place is fine, especially if you don't have friends in the city. I think your itinerary looks great (though I'd still swap AMS or south of France for VIE)

EastbayMike

Wow! Ambitious itinerary. I'm going to be a contrarian and say drop Istanbul. It's a great city, but I think Turkey/Greece is worthy of a separate trip. You could divide the extra time among other cities on your itinerary. Start your vacation in Budapest. Most of your subsequent destinations are easy half-day train trips except Berlin - Paris and Paris - Madrid. Might be worth checking flights for those city pairs.

I'd also drop Split / Dubrovnik (or at least not try to get there from Barcelona). If you want to spend time at the beach, substitute Sitges. Or, take the TGV from Paris to Nice (I think less than 3 hours) and work your way along the coast to Barcelona, then take the AVE to Madrid and fly home from Madrid.

(My two cents. No matter what you decide, I'm jealous, sounds like a fun trip!)

wiredboy10003

Sitges is nice because there's a gay scene there. And it's only 30 minutes by train from BCN, so you can choose whether to make day trips or actually stay over.

I investigated BCN to Nice last summer and it's a little bit of a schlepp. The train is a local train so you'll stop in every little town along the way. They night be charming, but it's kind of a long ride for the actual distance covered. Flying might be an option. I suspect Nice to BCN by car is 7 hours. And FWIW, road tolls in Spain can add to the cost of the trip. I don't remember if there were any in France. If you do make the drive, note that the automated toll booths take credit cards, but only ones with a chip. Very few US credit cards have chips in them.

I'm dying to take the AVE. The old BCN-MAD train was something like 5-6 hours. The AVE is under 3. The only thing is the price. The airlines are doing their best to undercut the AVE on price. AVE is viewed as a businessman's train, and like the NY-DC air shuttle, it doesn't really go on sale. I've heard it can be booked from the US at a discount but it's hard to do.

Your trip is sounding great!

dragonfirebcn

Vueling has daily flights BCN - NCE