Help... planning trip to Europe!

LoveleeB

Hey guys n gals. I will be finishing grad school next May and I am thinking about taking a big trip to Europe with my fellow classmate in celebration. We are planning on going on some type of trip geared to college-aged individuals where we get a reduced rate and prearranged tours, so it's less hassle.

I have never been to anywhere in Europe so I would like some help in deciding the best places to visit sometime between the end of May to early July.

What's was your favorite place to visit and why?

Must see attractions/activities/experiences?

Places to get good travel deals for students?

Thanks for your help!!

Sumo813

I'm just gonna say I'm jealous. And that's all I've got to say about that. JENNAAAAAAAY!

Contrarian

http://ca.contiki.com/destinations/europe/tours

arc918

Big thumbs up to Spain. Barecelona is awesome, so is Madrid.

Janie5605

I LOVE LOVE LOVE London...period. Love it. Fav city in the world! and I've traveled. My one bit of advice is take your time...spend as much time in places as you can. don't rush it...a friend of mine just did basically all of the major sites in europe in 3 weeks and just missed so much. didnt enjoy it. and felt like she wasted her money. I say do 3-4 places fully...not 8-10 places half *kitten*. and take into account travel time...ya everyone wants to to france spain italy greece but there's a long travel time awaiting people with that itinerary.

HAVE FUN!

juliekin

What do you like? I like Cathedrals and museums and walking like crazy, so Rome/the Vatican/Florence/Milan were for me. If you like glasswork and water, how about Venice? Museums and museums and plenty of English? London. What are your likes and dislikes?

Eleanorjanethinner

Yes, I'd agree with the person who said spend a reasonable amount of time in a few places. You can do a whirlwind tour, but you might as well stay home (nearly) 'cos you won't get much sense of what these places are actually like. You can't 'do Europe' in one trip or even three or four... there's always more to see and do. (I've been three times and am planning to go back to live for a couple of years to see more).

My fav. places that I've been to so far are: Paris (it really is all that - just walking the streets and seeing all the old buildings... and the shopping... and the food!), rural England (green, lush, cute old villages, old churches/ cathedrals/ markets, surprisingly good food, good shopping) and Bruge in Belguim (the perfect tourist town for a couple of days - incredibly picturesque, amazing food and shopping and museums and art galleries, lots to do, easy to get around with just English).

Would love to see more - heaps more to see and do in Europe!

gillster28

I think what people are saying is right. You have to decide what you want and how long you want to spend in each place. If you want information regarding airlines and train companies then add me and I'll help you wherever possible.

I've been to Spain, Rome and Poland. Lived in London for a while as well, so i might be of some use.

All that aside, i would be an utter disgrace if i didn't take this opportunity to encourage you to visit my fair land, Scotland.
From London it takes 1hour to fly to Glasgow. An amazing city filled with a million and one things to do. One hour to the north you'll hit mountains, to the west is beach and some amazing little islands. Less that one hour to the east is Edinburgh, another amazing city with old world architecture.
As long as you don't mind the rain Scotland is a must see.

Ha ha ha, how did i do? Do you reckon the tourist board will give me a job ;-)

I should probably also add that London is totally awesome. Not cheap but well worth a few days on your trip.

seriously though, if i can help then im more than happy to

Gill ;-)

glypta

I agree, you must come to Scotland. The weather's not reliable but there's so much to see, do, and we're lovely, as a nation I'd also recommend Barcelona, Madrid (as a previous poster said), Prague & Amsterdam. London is amazing, as is Rome. It depends on how long/much money you have!

i_love_vinegar

ive never been to europe, but ppl always tell me how amazing spain is so...go there!!! XD

myofibril

It's really impossible to say without knowing your budget, what you are hoping to experience, how long you are going for and so on on.

I have travelled extensively in Europe and highly recommend the following:

England: London (it must be great - I live here) Bath & the Peak District
Scotland: The Highlands, Aberdeen, Orkney
Germany: Berlin (absolutely awesome) and Munich
Spain: Madrid & Barcelona
Sweden: Stockholm & Gothenburg
Estonia: Talinn
Poland: Warsaw
but possibly my favourite place in Europe is Italy: Florence, Verona, The Amalfi Coast...

Hmmm, I must book another weekend away now!

macpatti

It's going to depend on your interests and how much time you'll have. Like another poster, I like Cathedrals, churches, museums.

Spain is beautiful. I've been to Loyola, Barcelona, and Madrid. Spain country side is gorgeous, but we did a lot of driving there and go to experience all that.

Rome is my favorite place to stay. You can stay in Rome and make lots of day trips to other cities.

We stayed in hotels, but I know many people who rent apartments for a lot less.

Good luck finishing up grad school, and have fun on your adventure!

suzycreamcheese

depends what youre into. Europes pretty big and diverse

dream_litotes

I don't know what you like doing, but maybe try to plan in varied destinations/activities? As in, don't visit five capitals/huge cities and no countryside (unless you really hate everything rural, I guess). I am European and until a few years ago I'd practically only visited the capitals of whatever foreign countries I'd been to, and I had a much more negative view of each of those countries than I do now that I've explored smaller cities and gone outside the 'beaten track' basically. I think capitals are great, but if you want to get to know what a country is really like, they shouldn't be your first stop IMO. (That said, it will be easier to get around with English in bigger cities. You'll likely be okay in most places in Scandinavia (I'm Swedish so I have to brag a little, haha) but I don't know about the rest of continental Europe.)

A few actual destination tips:
Prague looks awesome, and it's on my to-visit list (yes, even though it's the capital!)
Paris is quite lovely if you make sure to go to the outskirts as well as the centre (Versailles in particular!)
La Rochelle is a nice small town on the western coast of France. It's easy to get to from Paris and there's tonnes to see. In the south-east there's the Jura mountains if you like hiking (I'm in Besançon currently, which is very pretty and has plenty of museums and hiking paths and lovely restaurants and cafés), and I've heard awesome things about southern France. (I suppose just about any part of France would be worth visiting, they all have something unique to offer.)
Stockholm is a nice city - boat tours and pretty buildings.
And I'll echo the Scotland recommendation. I've lived in Edinburgh for two years and it really is lovely (if you can stand the weather). Don't miss out on the highlands if you go there, though!

Also, consider organising your trip yourselves. It will be overwhelming and maybe chaotic, but you won't be stuck with people you don't like, you'll be able to spontaneously decide to spend another few days in a place you want to see more of, and so on.

Um... look into railcards (I think there are some deals aimed at backpacking youths?) if you want to take the train around Europe. And get European phones and SIM-cards.


And have fun! I hope I get the chance to take a substantial trip like that to the US someday.

gillster28

Did you go to Europe??? If so, where and did you enjoy it?!!

laurelboynton

I live in London and it is a truely great city. So many great restaurants, museums, parks (you wouldn't guess so for a city!), theatre shows, shops etc. It is great... but expensive.

I would also recommend Italy. It is absolutely beautiful. The Amalfi coast and venice and Florence. So, so, so gorgeous.

Greece is meant to be great for food, the culture and the beaches. My mum highly rates Rhodes and I am thinking of going there this year.

I enjoyed Amsterdam for a few days- spending time in one of the fun cafes and the red light district is really an eye opener.

If you like colder weather.. I enjoyed Austria, we rented a log cabin and spent a few days snowboarding in the mountains and eating spiky sausages (their speciality)

Hope this helps!

If you decide on London, I can offer loads of great suggestions too!

Sylvitryinghard

Oslo
Dublin
London
Paris
Germany
Amsterdam
Barcelona
Rome
Budapest
Prague
Riga
Talinn
Helsinki

that would be an amazing round trip!!

for inner europe flights check out www.airberlin.com ryanair.com easyjet.com
air berlin sometimes has super offers for example like germany to vienna only 50 €!

for hotels/hostels www.booking.com (you can cancel for free most hotels few days in advance! and also payment when you arrive)

MoiKarina

I'm French and live in Ireland so I know a few places you can visit.

First of all in France, I know you won't, but please don't visit Paris only. My home-town is Marseille deep in the South-East, by the Mediterranean sea. Avoid July there as it's really hot weather. There you can go to the beach around the end of June, visit the little fishing ports and see the cultural diversity in the little streets and markets. There's also a lot of museums like the MUSEM that opened last spring and is all about the Mediterranean culture.

In Ireland I also live in the South-East, but it's a coincidence, I like in Cork county and it's the greatest of them all. You can visit Cork city and its picturesque streets and buildings, the docks and the market. There's also the famous Blarney castle. For Ireland I advise you to come in Summer as the weather here is really cold, well especially for me.

Also I went to Barcelona in Spain when I was 18 and it's a great city. Of course you can enjoy the playa but there's also the Picasso Museum if you like him but a few kilometres from there in Figueras there's the Dali museum and as a fan I highly recommend for you to see it.

donnat238

London - loved it. So many things to see and do (museums, gardens, shopping, food, theater, art, etc) and lots of walking.
Ireland - what a gorgeous country - can't say enough about it!
Venice - it was like stepping back in time....the museums, architecture, food, gondolas
Germany/Austria - Bavaria, beautiful scenery, quaint villages, over the top castles, and FOOD