This is our draft plan for our first trip to Europe this
September. are we trying to cram too much in? Take a look
and see what you think- we will be travelling by night
train between most of these places.
Fly to Oslo,
Take night train to Bergen
Return from Bergen via Flam to take in scenery
2/3 days in Oslo
2/3 days in Stockholm
Copenhagen
Hamburg
Berlin
Prague 2/3 days
Krakow 1/2 days
Budapest 2/3 days
Zagreb (travelling through maybe sleep there)
Venice 2/3 days
Florence with day trip to Pisa
Fly home out of Rome.
We are planning to spend any extra time in Italy or if we
run short of days we will fly out of Venice. Are we trying
to do too much??????
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Have you noticed that you are visiting cities only?
Would you recommend at tour to your country where only
cities of similar sizes were visited.
Just my immediate impression
As far as Oslo and Bergen go, how much time do you have in
Bergen? I suggest you make sure to get down to the wharf and
the fish market and see the old buildings there. You might
want to go up Fl°yen mountain as well (tram ride or walk) to
get the most out of the view.
2-3 days in Oslo isn't much, but if you go to Bygd°y, you
can cram a lot in in a day. Go to Fram museum, KonTiki
museum, Viking ships and Folk Museum. You can get a
so-called Oslo-card which lets you ride on the public
transport and get into many museums for free. Next day, go
to Frognerparken (Vigeland statue park) and then take the
tram up to Holmenkollen. Go back downtown and walk around,
there are tons of museums there. I really like the
Nasjonalgalleriet (National Gallery) with lots of great
paintings - it is right around the corner from the
university buildings on Karl Johan.
As for Flσm - been there, done that - and it wasn't really
all THAT impressive! Rather touristy too. Still - I suppose
if you come from a rather flat country it might be ;-)
Don't forget to visit Aker Brygge when in Oslo. There are
actually a couple of souvenir stores in there that have
somewhat reasonable prices.
I see how you would want to cram a lot in, but I think you
might be in need of a long holiday after this holiday! If
you have the stamina, it sounds ok - for a TASTE of Europe,
anyway. Suggestion: Go to Vienna if you can!
Have fun!
I have taken a number of European whirl trips (of a month
or less) and can tell you from experience that the amount
of time allocated in each city is fine. As time is
limited, you want to see as many places as possible. This
is, after all, your first trip--not your last--so see as
much as you can now. You can always go back to the places
you liked most for a further look.
~
A bit of advice, I think Venice is a beautiful city and a
must-see for your first trip, but I'd take a day from
Venice and add it on to Florence or Rome. Venice,
especially the area between Piazza San Marco and the
Rialto, has turned into a large shopping mall and frankly,
I could not wait to leave on my most recent trip. Three
days there is a lot, to say nothing of its outrageous
prices and lousy (in my experience) food. Pisa, aside from
the Leaning Tower and church, offers nothing compared to
other Tuscan hill towns. For an awesome day trip, take the
one hour bus from Florence to Siena and/or San Gimignano--
it kicks Pisa's ass. Trust me.
~
Finally, of course you are trying to do too much, but this
race to see as many places is worth it.
We're recently back from our firt trip to Europe, and, like
you, we cramed in as much as we could!! It was tiring, but
exhilerating! (sp?!) And we based ourselves in only 2
cities!
I agree with Brent about getting out into the Tuscan
countryside. We took a day trip with a private guide, and it
was one of the highlights of our trip. For Pisa (I know, we
all have to see the Tower!:)) we took the train from
Florence, and then a city bus to the Tower. For us, just
seeing the L.T. was enough; we didn't go into the Domo or
Baptistry. And it was about a half-day excursion (4 hours).
Have a great trip, and remember to pause to enjoy
yourselves!
Try to mix it up more. Fewer cities, more small towns,
outdoor opportunities. Try to include some places which are
a bit off the "beaten path", places you never heard of.
Hamburg? Just wondering. Know someone in Hamburg? Zagreb? I
would streamline here. Croatia is great, but spending a
large portion of a day on a train to Zagreb may not be
worth it to you. No night trains from Budapest. Zagreb to
Venice is also a long day ride. I would try to avoid this
route. Try to take a nice night train from Vienna to
Venice. Anyway, I would drop some cities, add some small
towns and outdoor experiences. For more travel ideas see
www.footloosetravel.com. Good luck.
Thanks for all of your opinions- you have given me some
good ideas. Just a few things to mention: I am going to
Vienna in July as a separate trip, so that is why it was
missed off our itinerary (forgot to say so). Also, as I am
a first-time interrailler I decided that cities were
definitely the way to go. I plan to come back and do each
country properly, but right now I don't have the
time/experience to go looking for more obscure places. Call
this the trailer for the trip of a lifetime! Thanks again
:-)