[Hashem]

Hello,

Me and my friends are hoping to go interrailing this easter break (March 20-April 20) our plan is is for 26/27 days and is as follows -

Madrid > Granada > Barcelona > Milan > Venice > Rome > Munich > Vienna > Budapest > Prague > Berlin > Amsterdam > Paris > Chamonix > Monaco

and typically, I have a few questions to ask

1 - do you think the timing is bad? or can we manage? summer can be a bit tight for us for a few reasons

2 - do you think spending around 2/3 nights in big cities and 1 night in smaller location is a good strategy?

3 - would you say that barging in hostels on the spot would be a safe way to go (maybe less pressure on them because its not summer?)

4 - carrying the passport. is it a good strategy to put it always in your backpack and have you backpack always locked and secure, or always wear it around you on a money belt? obviously you cant have both

5 - do you think a gps device is good aid?

6 - could it be that perhaps you can take a wheeled backpack with you so that you don't always have to carry it

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!

Yours truly,
HM

[letsdothetimewarpagain]

If there is a lot of you going may be a good idea to ring some that you may go to and let them you will be going incase they aren't big enough but other than that it should be ok.

That sounds like a good plan timing wise but as it is loose don't loose track. Also remember you are goign right over good friday etc

What harm will it do to take a wheeled back-pack - you may aswell.

GPS unless you already own one probably won't be necessary (Take a multilanguage basic phrase book with you though just in case)

personally I would keep my passport in a money belt as I hopeless with loosing things and more chance of loosing my bag than the belt. Do you trust yourself not to loose your bag?

Have fun (Barcelona you should go to the cathedral if you like that sort of thing)

[easy_lemon]

Originally Posted by Hashem

Hello,

Me and my friends are hoping to go interrailing this easter break (March 20-April 20) our plan is is for 26/27 days and is as follows -

Madrid > Granada > Barcelona > Milan > Venice > Rome > Munich > Vienna > Budapest > Prague > Berlin > Amsterdam > Paris > Chamonix > Monaco

and typically, I have a few questions to ask

1 - do you think the timing is bad? or can we manage? summer can be a bit tight for us for a few reasons

2 - do you think spending around 2/3 nights in big cities and 1 night in smaller location is a good strategy?

3 - would you say that barging in hostels on the spot would be a safe way to go (maybe less pressure on them because its not summer?)

4 - carrying the passport. is it a good strategy to put it always in your backpack and have you backpack always locked and secure, or always wear it around you on a money belt? obviously you cant have both

5 - do you think a gps device is good aid?

6 - could it be that perhaps you can take a wheeled backpack with you so that you don't always have to carry it

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!

Yours truly,
HM

Timing is good, I did the same a year or so ago and 3 nights in big city's is plenty providing ur not really going on a holiday lol (you will get pretty exhausted after a while!)

I would have a real look at hostels before you go, they usually require a 10% deposit before you go so you could quite easily be safe and have it all booked for a tiny price. In the larger touristy cities I would recommend researching well ahead because there are always so many people there that places could well be full (also, for budapest I would recommend really researching places to stay -you will most likely end up in the main part of the city and see Moscow Ter, Andressi Ut, The Castle District so when I went I stayed in a small hotel in Buda which gave me the opportunity to see both sides of the city which most tourist don't -some hotels are crap tho but I can recommend the Normafa Hotel which often has 3 nights for the price of 2 promotions) Trust me, have about 2 hotels booked throughout your trip, some hostels can be great but after a week or so without a decent shower or mattress you will end up wanting to kill your travelling buddies lol. A little luxury can work wonders and its usually not much more expensive!)

I kept my passport in a small satchel which I kept on the front of me, but a backpack would be fine as long as it is secure. As long as you dont look too much like a tourist you should be ok.

GPS is a waste of time (unless u already have one lol) local maps are far better as they show more detail and the locals are pretty good at guiding you where to go.

A wheeled one would be fine, as long as you can lift it up onto the train (some steps are HIGH lol) then its cool.

Also, if you are doing a long journey overnight then definitely book a sleeper with a bed. A friend and I just thought we could lie across the seats and sleep if we wanted to but it didnt happen. It was freezing and uncomfortable lol, spend a little more to make your arrival pleasant.

Have a good trip!

[ukebert]

Originally Posted by Hashem

Hello,

Me and my friends are hoping to go interrailing this easter break (March 20-April 20) our plan is is for 26/27 days and is as follows -

Madrid > Granada > Barcelona > Milan > Venice > Rome > Munich > Vienna > Budapest > Prague > Berlin > Amsterdam > Paris > Chamonix > Monaco

and typically, I have a few questions to ask

1 - do you think the timing is bad? or can we manage? summer can be a bit tight for us for a few reasons

2 - do you think spending around 2/3 nights in big cities and 1 night in smaller location is a good strategy?

3 - would you say that barging in hostels on the spot would be a safe way to go (maybe less pressure on them because its not summer?)

4 - carrying the passport. is it a good strategy to put it always in your backpack and have you backpack always locked and secure, or always wear it around you on a money belt? obviously you cant have both

5 - do you think a gps device is good aid?

6 - could it be that perhaps you can take a wheeled backpack with you so that you don't always have to carry it

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!

Yours truly,
HM

1. Yes, you could manage that. Just. I'd seriously contemplate taking out one or two of the farther away destinations.

2. It'dd work for most places certainly, although there will be some cities where you want to stay longer, and some smaller locations that will surprise you. Key is to be flexible with what you want to do and be familiar enough with the railway timetable that you can change all your plans at the drop of a hat.

3. Difficult one this one. If you book online then you have to pay a deposit, which you might not get back. If you email then it'll take a day or two to get confirmed. If you phone then you eat up credit/cash. There will probably be a number of hostels around in the places that you want to go to, but be aware that in the more popular cities it may be that they will be all booked up. I took a tent with me, which was very useful. That isn't up everyone's street though

4. Money belt every time. Underneath the clothing, with a secure enough fastening such that it won't fall off. Basic idea is to have everything that you consider essential about your person and everything else in your backpack. When I lost my luggage for a few hours half way through my trip I wasn't that worried, because I knew that I could carry on, albeit smellier at the end than I would otherwise have wanted.

5. No. Waste of money 99.9% of the time. Get a decent railway map and a guide book with minimaps of city centres and you'll be fine. Even if you're hiking, a decent 1:25000 map will be more convenient than a GPS.

6. The problem with wheeled backpacks is that they tend to be more expensive and less comfortable to carry. If you find one that you like then go for it, but be aware that you will be carrying it most of the time. Trundling a suitcase through a crowded city is very very annoying. It might be worth buying a cheap daypack (in the region of £20 from Millets), having food and sweatshirt etc. in it, wearing it on your front, or on your back when leaving your rucksack in the hostel/campsite (only when the door locks or when you have a locker or when it is really really remote. Again you shouldn't leave anything valuable in it at all).

EDIT: Nearly forgot, try the Marco Polo hostel in Budapest.

[Hashem]

thaaaaaaank yoou all very much for your answers! sorry couldnt reply earlier as my connection isnt all that great

anyways, I am really happy I learned a few things here, most comforting of which is the idea that it wont be bad timing (ie not summer)

also you really saved me from the gps device! the main use for that was that I would use it to locate hostels faster but since reading this im reconsidering

Im also very relieved that 3 days in a big city is not little.

OH and I REALLY wanted to share this amazing place, of course didn't visit yet but recommending > Rothenburg ob der Tauber, this place is amazing just look at this video on youtube > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty2nNmn4NqU

anyhow very nice to hear your replies
and thank you all again!

[ukebert]

You are quite welcome

[Ars Ludicra]

I've never been interrailing and so can't really answer most of your questions, but I wanted to warn you against being in Madrid (or really anywhere in Spain) around Easter, particularly Easter Sunday. There's a huge parade which is quite interesting, but everything else tends to close. I don't know if most places in Italy will be similar, but it's just something to bear in mind.

Hope you have a great time. :^_^:

[djk_99]

1) Timing should be fine- we went during the summer hols and found it quite busy, but not overwhelming in any means.

2) Depends on what you're looking for- we only did 7 places in 3 1/2 weeks and that was exhausting enough! We also wanted to spend a little more time in some of the bigger cities we visited and really see them, rather than rush around the tourist attractions in just one/two days. I woudl suggest cutting out a few places, because by halfway through that you will be seriously tired and just looking for a day to chill out and sleep.

3) I would say look at availability on the internet (we used hostelworld.com) and book if its busy. It's easy enough to book and means you can just go straight to a hostel when you get to the city (you can also copy down directions from the website) rather than having to traipse around hostels and find them etc. Almost all hostels have internet, so you could book for the next place you are going the day before you get there quite easily. Would probably save you a lot of time once you got to your destination.

4) Money belt! Though in hot countries these can get annoying, but keep it on you and keep it safe.

5) No- waste of money. You can pick up maps for free from the tourist info (often at train stations) in any city.

6) That may be nice- lugging my heavy backpack around in the heat got annoying. And in the end, when I got sunburn on my back, it was agony!


Budapest- stay in the Homeplus Hostel- its a bit of a cheaper hostel as its quite small, but its really nice and the owner is absolutely awesome!! Good location too. Definitely go to one of the baths to relax, so worth the money!

Berlin- we stayed in the Circus Hostel, which was all shiny and new and clean, but didnt have a kitchen so we ate out all the time, which got to be a bit expensive! Nice atmosphere, though no lounge to hang out.

[becca2389]

The Alessandro Palace Hostel in Rome is very nice if a bit expensive (by far the most expensive place we went to...about 35euro for a night in a 4 bed room) and it's a bit cold at night. You should be able to get a room without prebooking. Google it. Venice didn't seem to have much in the way of cheap hostels when we went. I'm sure there are some but they didn't seem obvious. Good general advice is to look up a few hostels for each city and keep the addresses handy - check for reviews online. Booking a few places ahead when you know for definite you'll be there is a good idea...tis nice to have a break from wandering round looking for places.

I always kept my passport on me at all times (usually in a bag...quite naughty, I know) because it came in handy when going to museums etc.