Backpacking in Europe? Any suggestions?

[AubreyJ]

So I am thinking about taking a 6 week long trip backpacking through Europe. My sister recently moved to London, and I have a plane ticket booked to visit her at the beginning of October and I am debating on extending my week long vacation into a 6 week long trip. Things are somewhat slow with my business (It's the calm before the storm, as things are going to start getting busy in the next 3 months), so I think that this will be my last chance for a long time to take a trip like this- but I am not positive yet since my business is my top priority and I need to make sure that it will be progressing even while I am overseas.

I have a Eurorail pass picked out so I can go to 24 different countries within a 6 week long period. and I was wondering if anyone here had any tips, or suggestions of places I should go visit? Keep in mind, I am a 20 year old female who will be traveling alone- a small portion of the trip will be traveled with my sister, but since she has a job she will only be joining me on the weekends.

Any suggestions or tips are appreciated! Aside from my plane ticket to and from London, nothing has been purchased and I am still in the planning phase- so i am open to suggestions! Thanks everyone!

 

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[SarahSH]

I visited cinque terre when I was only a little older than you. You can take the train to la spezia. Manarola has a nice, clean youth hostel. You can drink good wine, eat very fresh seafood, hike by foot between the 5 towns, and visit the beach all in one day. One of my favorite trips!

 

[SarahSH]

I visited cinque terre when I was only a little older than you. You can take the train to la spezia. Manarola has a nice, clean youth hostel. You can drink good wine, eat very fresh seafood, hike by foot between the 5 towns, and visit the beach all in one day. One of my favorite trips!

Also check out Mallorca!

 

[Hope]

Stay out of the "inner city" areas, I've known people that for some reason think that Europe has no crime...

Also, there are a few cool landmarks to see in some of the more "tourist" areas, but I'd say to try to limit your time in these places if possible, everything will be much more expensive, crowded, and generally less pleasant then going at your own pace and seeing what kind of cool things you can find.

And don't be afraid of going to some of the less known countries, like Hungary, Czech republic, Montenegro, etc.

And most importantly....

Have fun!

 

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[Jam Wheel]

Croatia looks gorgeous too, and my aunt and uncle had a good time in Budapest - much more interesting than Vienna.

You may want to stick to a more southerly route that time of year. France, Germany, UK etc don't get that cold, but it will be quite damp. And the Nordics will certainly be getting cold and dark quite quickly (not to mention they are extremely expensive and, in IMHO, not really as amazing as what you can see/experience in say Italy/Spain/Central Europe).

I am a big fan of the Baltics, but they are best visited in the summer.

You should also look into sleeper trains to save on hotel accommodations, but only if you feel safe doing so as a single female traveler.

Do you have any interests in music or hobbies you could maybe experience in Europe? For example, hit up a music show/festival for some band/genre you like or try something new like river rafting or a cooking class in Italy for a week, etc? Six weeks on the road could grind after a while, if you had a place to set up shop for a week that could be a nice break.

 

[MayaMagpie]

I would probably agree with Jam about the Southern route... October and November can be quite wet in West Europe. Italy is great to visit and you may catch some sunny days. I went to Malta in mid October once and it was pretty hot!
Careful of pickpockets in tourist areas and in hostels - Always use a safe if you stay in dorms.
As for sleeper trains, those are great if you have your own little compartment. If not, hide your valuables.

 

[Tiago]

If you go to Germany, definitely Berlin. Such an important city, had a huge impact in the world, and you can really sense that there.

 

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[Eos]

I recently spent a month around Europe taking in 12 cities in 9 countries using the Eurorail and did this on budget.


Some of this might sound obvious but I'll cover a lot of bases anyway just in case:

- Plan your route somewhat so you're not wasting too long on the trains. For example, if you decided that Paris and Amsterdam are on your MUST see's

Consider taking in some other places enroute e.g. for example from Paris it's a short train to Bruges (Belgium) which might be a nice stop for a few nights and then its just a short train to Amsterdam.


- Download the following Apps:

Hostelworld - The most popular hostel booking app/site for budget accommodation. You can book your hostels on the fly, you only have to pay a small booking fee and the balance upon arrival. 100’s of reviews and rated hostels in each city.

Good hostel chains include St Christophers and Wombats but look at reviews to check the scene: relaxed / party hostel etc.


Booking.com – Fantastically easy to use app for hotels, hostels and apartments.

You can sometimes grab a great deal. We got a lovely 4* hotel room in Vienna for $15 dollars cheaper than a basic shared hostel room would have been after we booked it late in the day following a problem with the hostel booking.


Rail planner app – Provided by the Eurorail/Interrail company. This app has timetables for all the trains and will tell you whether you need to make a reservation or not.

In Spain it can be a pain to get a reservation, involving going to the station collecting a ticket and regularly having to waiting over an hour to be served (no joke)
Whereas in Belgium and Holland you simply jump on the train with your pass.


Skyscanner – This pulls in flights from all of the major airlines and travel companies. Good if you need the occasional cheap flight. Flights are best booked in advance to save money though.


A currency app (I chose XE currency) – Useful for converting the local currency back into dollars for checking prices in dollars. A must if you visit non Euro countries which use obscure currencies ie. In Hungary 1$ = 237 Hungarian Forint. It can go over your head quickly sometimes…


Google maps - You can use maps offline btw, not everyone knows this. Just look up how to do this if you’re interested.


I would also advise getting a top up currency card. This way you won’t get charged a currency conversion fee from dollars to Euros for example after your initial load.

Safer than carrying cash, good for budgeting and with many you can top up online and withdraw the balance back to your main account if the card is lost/stolen.


As for cities some must see cities in my opinion are:
Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Venice and Rome.

I don’t know what you’re looking for but all of them offer history, monuments, and great nightlife.


Hope this helps!

 

[Tony I]

just got back from doing 2 months in europe.

my top choices:

1. barcelona (awesome beaches, city)
2. rome
3. greece- you can take a ferry from athens to the greek islands- some of the best views in the world. (Santornini, Mykonos)

always stay at the top rated hostels on hostelworld.com. meet tons of great people, they help you get around, etc

be cautious of pickpockets, but don't be overly paranoid. only bring the amount of cash you need for the day.

to get the best exchange rate, use either a debit or credit card. do NOT use the exchange places at the airport.

good luck.

 

[AubreyJ]

Thank you everyone for the input, I appreciate all the information! I still have a lot to plan, and so I will keep all this in mind while I plan the trip! Thanks again!

 

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[Bearcorp]

I just spent 7 weeks driving a camper car around Europe, all the advise here is spot on, I'd also say if your interested in history, arts, etc do research before you go to the places. So many cities have some very significant places to visit which aren't very common, but are outstanding. Everyone knows the Effiel Tower and The Colisseum (was actually my favourite due to study in the 8th grade) but all of Europe has so much to offer. We had a Lonely Planet book, "Europe on a shoestring"
Covered all the countries, gives a great brief on the country, and then the cities too, you don't wanna a visit somewhere, say Berlin, without knowing ALL the major sites, and also knowing the full background on it, not just that you have to see it! Prague, Budapest, Istanbul, Spain and Portugal, are great places to party and well priced.

Most of all take it all in and enjoy the experience!

 

[tafy]

You can get a cheap flight to Istanbul wwith Easyjet for like 50 dollars, then use the train to travel all the way back through europe