Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
Quoting chachu201 (Thread starter): Paris - Amsterdam - Cologne - Prague - Vienna - Budapest - Belgrade - Istanbul - Athens - Italy - Zurich |
Quoting chachu201 (Reply 2): I was going to get an Interrail ticket |
Quoting L410Turbolet (Reply 3): All of them in three weeks seems simply too many and too little time. |
Quoting L410Turbolet (Reply 3): Not sure what city(ies) in Italy you plan to visit |
Quoting signol (Reply 4): This is an awesome site about rail travel in Europe : http://www.seat61.com/Railpass.htm |
Quoting signol (Reply 4): You can't get an Interrail ticket unless you are a European resident. The Eurail ticket is similar, but has some important differences to the pricing structure, for non-European residents. |
Quoting signol (Reply 4): If you have a fixed itinery, it may be cheaper to book all tickets in advance - and you can then include a few flights for longer legs if you want for no overall extra cost. A pass is best for maximum flexibility. |
Quoting chachu201 (Reply 5): Apparently he's also written a book...? |
Quoting chachu201 (Reply 5): Still havent decided yet - Rome, Venice, Florence? |
Quoting chachu201 (Reply 5): I'm in fact a Kiwi stuck in the UK |
Quoting L410Turbolet (Reply 3): Not sure what city(ies) in Italy you plan to visit, however I'd recommend slightly different order: Paris-Amsterdam-Cologne-Zurich-Prague-Vienna..... This will allow you to fly from either FCO or MXP on your way back home (if that's what you plan to do afterwards). |
Quoting signol (Reply 6): We did Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples (for Pompeii). Pompeii was well worth the mileage. |
Quoting chachu201 (Thread starter): Paris - Amsterdam - Cologne - Prague - Vienna - Budapest - Belgrade - Istanbul - Athens - Italy - Zurich |
Quoting ajd1992 (Reply 7): You are probably better off booking scheduled flights between the cities for cheap - it'll probably end up the same (or a little more expensive, but far quicker) and you'll have more time to do what you want. |
Quoting sw733 (Reply 8): Still, I think most of Italy is overrated. |
Quoting sw733 (Reply 8): Prague: I prefer Budapest, myself. |
Quoting sw733 (Reply 8): Berlin, Dresden or Krakow |
Quoting sw733 (Reply 8): Ljubljana and Sarajevo |
Quoting kevinl1011 (Reply 10): Deutsche Bahn is the best rail system in the world |
Quoting EXTspotter (Reply 12): Prague is nice, however it can be VERY touristy. |
Quoting kevinl1011 (Reply 10): The most memorable and scenic trip was from Frankfurt to Munchen along the Rhine river. |
Quoting kevinl1011 (Reply 10): IMO, the Deutsche Bahn is the best rail system in the world. |
Quoting kevinl1011 (Reply 10): and is on time |
Quoting chachu201 (Thread starter): Belgrade - Istanbul - Athens - Italy |
Quoting kevinl1011 (Reply 10): As far as Europe goes, I have only traveled by rail in Brittan, Germany and France. The most memorable and scenic trip was from Frankfurt to Munchen along the Rhine river. That was right up there with the Coast Starlight. I highly recommend that one. Best of all, you wind up in Munchen among the friendliest people and the BMW museum is fantastic! |
Quoting kevinl1011 (Reply 10): If it were me, I'd go see the "Miniatur Wunderland" in Hamburg. There's a scale model A-380 that lands and takes off! |
Quoting kevinl1011 (Reply 10): IMO, the Deutsche Bahn is the best rail system in the world. No disrespect to my beloved Amtrak or the French, but the Germans are genetically pre-disposed to have the best trains. So if you want to travel on a rail system that works, is clean and is on time, DB. |
Quoting chachu201 (Reply 11): Do others agree? I've heard a lot of great things about Prague... I suppose I could always visit both! |
Quoting chachu201 (Reply 11): Berlin sounds very interesting, and I've never been there personally. Haven't heard anything about Dresden, and Krakow is apparently also great, but packed with tourists? |
Quoting chachu201 (Reply 11): Yeah, i looked at these, especially as theyre in the Belgrade area - ish. Would these be worth a visit in preference to other major European cities? |
Quoting mdavies06 (Reply 16): ATH to Italy |
Quoting mdavies06 (Reply 16): Athens to Istanbul |
Quoting sw733 (Reply 8): Paris: Meh, it's ok. You have to see it, but I think Paris, too, is overrated |
Quoting sw733 (Reply 8): Cologne: Great for history, but I prefer Hamburg or Berlin....even Bremen if you're looking for a quieter break along your otherwise extremely touristy itinerary |
Quoting sw733 (Reply 8): Zurich: If you're flying out of here, fine...otherwise, it's a bit boring. Bern, however, is great. Even Basel, Geneva or Lausanne, in my book, are better. |
Quoting Lufthansa411 (Reply 17): The only thing with it is once you have seen the main sites (Charles Bridge, the Castle, Old Town Square) you really need to head to a less touristy area to get a feel for what Czech culture is really like. |
Quoting chachu201 (Reply 11): Does anyone think it would be worth popping in to see Venice or another city, or worth its own trip to explore Italy more? |
Quoting signol (Reply 19): Quoting mdavies06 (Reply 16): ATH to Italy Relatively easy, take a train Athens to Patras, (changing at Kiato where the track gauge changes)) then an overnight ferry. There's a really nice cafe at Patras station. Interesting to see the waves of illegal immigrants trying to climb the port fence to get on ferries, constantly being chased away by security guards. |
Quoting signol (Reply 19): Quoting mdavies06 (Reply 16): Athens to Istanbul I did it in reverse - overnight train Istanbul to Thessaloniki. This took about 14 hours, including nearly 2h at the border. Thessaloniki to Athens was 5 hours, through amazing scenery, including right past Mount Olympus. |
Quoting scrubbsywg (Reply 18): my experience is you pretty much need 2.5 days or so in the big cities that have a lot to see. |
Quoting chachu201 (Thread starter): Paris - Amsterdam - Cologne - Prague - Vienna - Budapest - Belgrade - Istanbul - Athens - Italy - Zurich |
Quoting mdavies06 (Reply 16): |
Quoting Lufthansa411 (Reply 17): I would say Prague is one of my favourite cities in Europe, way ahead of BUD. |
Quoting Lufthansa411 (Reply 17): Berlin is cheap by western European standards and a good change of pace, as the history and sites are mostly from the Cold War Era. The clubs are some of the best in Europe, as long as you are prepared for "typical Berlin". |
Quoting idealstandard (Reply 20): Cologne is more interesting than you make out, loads of bars even if they insist on serving the revolting Kolsch beer - and I much prefer Cologne, Hanover etc to Berlin. |
Quoting Lufthansa411 (Reply 17): I am not sure about Belgrade, but Ljubljana was one of the most beautiful areas I have ever been to. The mountains and valleys were breathtaking. |
Quoting idealstandard (Reply 20): Agreed. Zurich is very boring. And expensive. |
Quoting Kappel (Reply 21): I personally really liked Rome, but Milan not so much (but that's not on your list anyway). My parents visited Tuscany twice (both times for a few weeks and driven around) and they absolutely loved it. Cities like Florence and Siena are a must see I understand. Pisa not so much though. |
Quoting mdavies06 (Reply 22): I would swap Italy and Switzerland into the middle of the trip and do Istanbul and Athens last. The current routing seems to incur backtracking from central Europe (Cologne) back to itself (Zurich). Looking at the city choices, IMO you can consider another German city in place of Cologne, such as Munich and Berlin in line with some other comments. For the Balkans, I have been to Sarajevo, Dubrovnik and Belgrade and IMO Belgrade is worth visiting if you're just visiting one city in that area, but I'd say that there are a lot more to see in that region outside Belgrade due to the cultural diversity of that region. |
Quoting chachu201 (Reply 23): Am also investigating Ljubljana now - do you think its one of the best Balkan cities to visit? |
Quoting chachu201 (Reply 23): Therefore I think just a visit to Prague would be great, and cut out Budapest. |
Quoting chachu201 (Reply 23): I've cut it out, and am possibly considering replacing it with Berne |
Quoting chachu201 (Reply 23): This seems to be the consensus. I've cut it out, and am possibly considering replacing it with Berne. However, I'm doubting whether Switzerland will be viable at all (in preference to other places) given the expense. |