[21stcenturyphantom]

Hello thar! I've never travelled before but I've posted two topics before in this forum asking for advice so I thought I'd run my itinerary past those who might perhaps be more knowledgeable than I.

Starting off with 4 nights in London. Take the Eurostar to Paris. 3 nights in Paris. 2 nights each in Lyon, Toulouse, Madrid, Cordova, Seville, Barcelona, 1 night in Marseille, then 2 nights each in Milan, Venice and Vienna.

Is this possible? At the beginning I was thinking of just winging it and not booking Hostels, but I've come to realise that this may be too risky, especially as my budget is not massive and I don't want to book a hotel that is over my budget out of sheer desperation. So I will book hostels in advice, especially for somewhere that is going to be completely full of tourists such as Venice.

I was thinking of purchasing the InterRail pass, but I am torn between the 10 days in 22 pass (as I won't be using any travel days until I leave Paris) or the every day within 22 days pass.

So, advice, thoughts; opinions? Thank you!

[jonnythemoose]

1 night is probably enough in Córdoba - have you considered going to Granada en route to Barcelona?

[Joe911]

Seems doable
If you're on a tight schedule, you can check train times on here to give you an idea of when you'll arrive and leave each city.
http://www.raileurope.co.uk/Default....id=1362&src=39

[standreams]

This is incredibly city-focused....if that's your aim then fine, but I recommend visiting smaller towns and the countryside.

Venice arguably has far more of interest than Milan and Toulouse but you have allocated equal amounts of time for these cities.

[21stcenturyphantom]

(Original post by standreams)
This is incredibly city-focused....if that's your aim then fine, but I recommend visiting smaller towns and the countryside.

Venice arguably has far more of interest than Milan and Toulouse but you have allocated equal amounts of time for these cities.

Hello.

Well it is only a preliminary itinerary as, currently, I have only booked as far as Paris. Yes I know it concentrates on cities. I only have 30 days, a small budget, and I have limited knowledge of both French and Spanish. I haven't travelled before and I know practically nothing about any of the countries I am visiting. Cities offer the most flexibility with regards to travel and getting around; albeit at a price but I have an InterRail pass then this saves me a lot of money if I am going to be mainly using trains for journeying.

What would you do differently? Where would you go within my time frame? Where can you recommend to me? I have to finish my trip in Austria for personal reasons.

[standreams]

(Original post by 21stcenturyphantom)
Hello.

Well it is only a preliminary itinerary as, currently, I have only booked as far as Paris. Yes I know it concentrates on cities. I only have 30 days, a small budget, and I have limited knowledge of both French and Spanish. I haven't travelled before and I know practically nothing about any of the countries I am visiting. Cities offer the most flexibility with regards to travel and getting around; albeit at a price but I have an InterRail pass then this saves me a lot of money if I am going to be mainly using trains for journeying.

What would you do differently? Where would you go within my time frame? Where can you recommend to me? I have to finish my trip in Austria for personal reasons.

It is understandable that cities might be a focus of your trip, but there are plenty of nice smaller towns and natural areas which are accessible on the train network.

I think the thing which strikes me about your itinerary is that you are spending a lot of time in cities which, while nice, are hardly known as outstanding places to visit. Just my opinion but you tend to get a better feel for the culture of a place outside the large urban areas (with some exceptions). I also think you are trying to cover too much ground- a lot of your time is going to spent travelling on trains. When you factor in the time taken to find a hostel, find your way from the train station etc. a lot of your quality time is eaten up. I'd visit fewer places, spend longer in each one, and go on day trips to other places.

If you really must travel as far as Andalucia, it would be a crime not to visit Granada (if you have a choice of one Andalucian city then this should be it IMHO). Personally I'd skip southern Spain on this trip, wonderful though it is, as it's completely out of your direction. Travel through France, dip into Catalonia, back into France, see the great sights of Northern Italy, dip into Slovenia and then up into Austria to finish.

Something along the lines of Paris (overnight train to) Barcelona, Girona, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Cinque Terre, Tuscany (Pisa, Lucca, Florence), Verona, Venice, Ljubljana, Bled/Bohinj, Vienna would give you plenty of time to see the sights and relax a bit as well.

[21stcenturyphantom]

(Original post by standreams)
It is understandable that cities might be a focus of your trip, but there are plenty of nice smaller towns and natural areas which are accessible on the train network.

I think the thing which strikes me about your itinerary is that you are spending a lot of time in cities which, while nice, are hardly known as outstanding places to visit. Just my opinion but you tend to get a better feel for the culture of a place outside the large urban areas (with some exceptions). I also think you are trying to cover too much ground- a lot of your time is going to spent travelling on trains. When you factor in the time taken to find a hostel, find your way from the train station etc. a lot of your quality time is eaten up. I'd visit fewer places, spend longer in each one, and go on day trips to other places.

If you really must travel as far as Andalucia, it would be a crime not to visit Granada (if you have a choice of one Andalucian city then this should be it IMHO). Personally I'd skip southern Spain on this trip, wonderful though it is, as it's completely out of your direction. Travel through France, dip into Catalonia, back into France, see the great sights of Northern Italy, dip into Slovenia and then up into Austria to finish.

Something along the lines of Paris (overnight train to) Barcelona, Girona, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Cinque Terre, Tuscany (Pisa, Lucca, Florence), Verona, Venice, Ljubljana, Bled/Bohinj, Vienna would give you plenty of time to see the sights and relax a bit as well.

Fantastic advice, thank you so much for taking the time to write that. I really appreciate it.

I think you might be right, I am trying to cover too much ground. I have seen a few youtube documentaries of travellers journeying around in this fashion, and even though I want the buzz of the city, I don't think doing it continually every day would be the best use of my time. I have been to Andalucia before, as far South as Mojacar, but not for several years and I wanted to return. France is primarily my main visit, Italy only sort of occurred to me over the last few days. I think I will take your advice and look into the places you mentioned. Thank you again.

[standreams]

(Original post by 21stcenturyphantom)
Fantastic advice, thank you so much for taking the time to write that. I really appreciate it.

I think you might be right, I am trying to cover too much ground. I have seen a few youtube documentaries of travellers journeying around in this fashion, and even though I want the buzz of the city, I don't think doing it continually every day would be the best use of my time. I have been to Andalucia before, as far South as Mojacar, but not for several years and I wanted to return. France is primarily my main visit, Italy only sort of occurred to me over the last few days. I think I will take your advice and look into the places you mentioned. Thank you again.

You're welcome. What you suggested is possible in 30 days, but will be rushed...and you'll be spending a lot of time on trains and in train stations. If you want to do Andalucia, then rejuggle it so that you spend more time there and less time in say Italy. Or get a cheap flight from Malaga to Vienna, or Northern Italy.

[21stcenturyphantom]

I think I'll save Spain for a future trip.

However, I'm really struggling to find Hostels in Bordeaux, Orleans and places where I definitely thought there might be cheap accommodation. Both hostelbookers and hostelworld just keep bringing back search results for hotels with private rooms which cost circa. £30-40 a night; and I can't afford that. Where are all the youth hostels I expected, am I just searching for the wrong thing or looking in the wrong places?

[Great Lord Xenu]

Just sleep on the train like a boss.

[21stcenturyphantom]

Derp. I completely forgot to look up Hostelling International.

(Original post by Great Lord Xenu)
Just sleep on the train like a boss.

Possibly. Got to be wary of thieves though, otherwise I won't be feeling much of a 'boss' when my rucksack and passport have mysteriously disappeared.

[Great Lord Xenu]

(Original post by 21stcenturyphantom)
Derp. I completely forgot to look up Hostelling International.



Possibly. Got to be wary of thieves though, otherwise I won't be feeling much of a 'boss' when my rucksack and passport have mysteriously disappeared.

Sleep on the train like a boss, holding your rucksack. Problem solved.

[21stcenturyphantom]

(Original post by Great Lord Xenu)
Sleep on the train like a boss, holding your rucksack. Problem solved.

[ANARCHY__]

(Original post by 21stcenturyphantom)

Also, CouchSurfing and WWOOF.

[standreams]

(Original post by 21stcenturyphantom)
I think I'll save Spain for a future trip.

However, I'm really struggling to find Hostels in Bordeaux, Orleans and places where I definitely thought there might be cheap accommodation. Both hostelbookers and hostelworld just keep bringing back search results for hotels with private rooms which cost circa. £30-40 a night; and I can't afford that. Where are all the youth hostels I expected, am I just searching for the wrong thing or looking in the wrong places?

There will be hostels there- but not many as these aren't really tourist/backpacker destinations but more cities where people go on business- think along similar lines to Manchester/Leeds/Birmingham etc (although with more to see). So there won't be as much choice of cheap accommodation there.

Of course, in bigger tourist centres a lot of the accommodation gets booked up...which is another problem. But you should find something in most places.

In summer universities might offer cheap student accommodation in halls.

Have you considered Couchsurfing? Might sound a bit daunting but I am/was a Couchsurfing host, have hosted about 12 backpackers, and never had a bad experience.

[frenchgeek]

Hey! You could try Hotel du Faisan in Bordeaux. Opposite the station , basic but good rooms and easy to get into town

[21stcenturyphantom]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions!

Hostelling International turned out to be great. Okay how's the intinerary looking now?

London 4 nights, Paris 3 nights, Beaugency sur Loire 2 nights, Tours 2 nights, down to Toulouse - 2 nights, Carcassonne 2 nights, Marseille 2 nights. I've yet to book the rest. I can visit Orleans from Paris on my way to Beaugency, and also surrounding villages and take some time to explore, as you suggested.

[lelikins]

Venice is beautiful and well worth a visit, as is burano, one of the islands off Venice, however murano isn't that good, unless you're into glass or those bead things that go on pandora bracelets!

[IanDangerously]

(Original post by 21stcenturyphantom)
Possibly. Got to be wary of thieves though, otherwise I won't be feeling much of a 'boss' when my rucksack and passport have mysteriously disappeared.

The key is to sleep in a position where anyone trying to steal your stuff would have to wake you up first. If you've got a rucksack throw it under your head, use it as a pillow and crash stretched out across two seats.

I normally use my bag as a pillow when I'm sleeping on trains/coaches/stations or stick my legs through the handles if theres someone next to me and I have to sleep sitting up. Then if someone tries to grab it, I'll feel it and kick them in the face.

[jamesfly]

It is easy to understand that locations might be a concentrate of your journey,but there are a lot of good places and cities to travel.