Any advice for backpacking around Europe
- Thread starter Fractals
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I backpacked through Europe for 6 months, but that was 15 years ago, if you have specific question, just asked. When I decided to go, they had some book called "Lets go Europe" it answered a lot of question I had, and has a list an address of all the hostels and which ones were good and bad, cheap restruants with good food, and all the sites to see when you were in the cities you visit. I have one trick I learned, I had a europass and did all my travelling at night by train, it gave me a place to sleep that was free.
Best advise in the thread so far, besides buying the Europass rail pass.
If you get to the UK as a starting point check out Ryan Air. Incredibly cheap air tickets anywhere in the EU.
My advice would be not to try to pack in too many countries/cities. I understand that once you are there, you want to make the most of it. But honestly, I think my 5 week trip to Europe sounded a lot more fun than the trips that I have heard about from my friends.
A lot of people I know have spent 2-3 days in a city and then run off to another city, and do this for several weeks straight. I know there are some cities that only need a day or two, but sometimes it's a really good idea to spend 5-7 days somewhere and really get a feel for the place.
I have been to Venice twice. The first time for 4 nights, and the second time for 5 nights. I always regret not spending a full week.
I went to Europe for 5 weeks in 2008 and I went to only 4 countries. I had 4 days in England, 8 days in Ireland, 7 days in the Netherlands, and 14 days in Italy.
Obviously I would have liked to see France, Spain, Turkey, and a bunch of other places, but my trip was so incredible and I wouldn't change how I did it. I think a large reason for that is because I was able to really get a feel for a place before moving on to the next place.
Another piece of advice is to figure out what you want to see/do the most. Then focus your trip around that. Are you interested in music, art, food, a particular historical period? Figure out what you're interested in, and then go to places that will be the most rewarding for that interest.
A lot of people I know have spent 2-3 days in a city and then run off to another city, and do this for several weeks straight. I know there are some cities that only need a day or two, but sometimes it's a really good idea to spend 5-7 days somewhere and really get a feel for the place.
I have been to Venice twice. The first time for 4 nights, and the second time for 5 nights. I always regret not spending a full week.
I went to Europe for 5 weeks in 2008 and I went to only 4 countries. I had 4 days in England, 8 days in Ireland, 7 days in the Netherlands, and 14 days in Italy.
Obviously I would have liked to see France, Spain, Turkey, and a bunch of other places, but my trip was so incredible and I wouldn't change how I did it. I think a large reason for that is because I was able to really get a feel for a place before moving on to the next place.
Another piece of advice is to figure out what you want to see/do the most. Then focus your trip around that. Are you interested in music, art, food, a particular historical period? Figure out what you're interested in, and then go to places that will be the most rewarding for that interest.
Excellent advice Holly. I have been to Europe many times and the most memorable have been trips where I have truly got to know a city by spending some time there. London is extremely expensive but you can make the $'s go farther in Paris, Amsterdam or the eastern European countries. The best way to travel from city to city is by rail. The larger centres all have very good transit systems so you will not need a car unless you want to explore the countryside. If you are younger (18-28) the youth hostels are a great way to go. Some are great, some are dumps but when you get there you will start to meet fellow travellers and can get the lowdown on places to avoid. Have fun!
As Emmy pointed out, it is important to know your approximate age because there will be different approaches depending on your age range...
If you are young and willing, the best places to stay are at youth hostels. They usually have a lot of information about the place and quite a few people to hang out with. If in Amsterdam, try the bulldog for example.
My last advice if you are young... DON'T BOOK anything except your flight back and the first days in the city you are arriving and go to a youth hostel... You will have a lot more fun, if you don't have everything planned out, except for those countries where you need a visa like Russia or Romania.
If you are not, then definitely go for the B & B and plan everything ahead.
For how long do you plan to stay there?
If you are going for just a few weeks, don't spend your money in an Eurorail pass. Fly, it is way cheaper and faster... Even with big airlines...
If you are going for a longer period of time, yes... get the Eurorail and definitely try to sleep there.
If you are young and willing, the best places to stay are at youth hostels. They usually have a lot of information about the place and quite a few people to hang out with. If in Amsterdam, try the bulldog for example.
My last advice if you are young... DON'T BOOK anything except your flight back and the first days in the city you are arriving and go to a youth hostel... You will have a lot more fun, if you don't have everything planned out, except for those countries where you need a visa like Russia or Romania.
If you are not, then definitely go for the B & B and plan everything ahead.
For how long do you plan to stay there?
If you are going for just a few weeks, don't spend your money in an Eurorail pass. Fly, it is way cheaper and faster... Even with big airlines...
If you are going for a longer period of time, yes... get the Eurorail and definitely try to sleep there.
Well I am too old to backpack, and never had enough cash when I was younger to fly over.
Tell us more about you.......are you going for chicks, or to explore?
Your age, budget, how long you plan to go for, have you been to Europe before, are you going alone???
I go to Europe at least every 18 months now. Still the best times in Amsterdam, London, and Barcelona, in that order.
But yeah trainpass for sure. They have a website, figure out what works best for you.
They have all kinds of options, one country passes, regional passes, all Europe passes. If you plan ahead you can save money.
Tell us more about you.......are you going for chicks, or to explore?
Your age, budget, how long you plan to go for, have you been to Europe before, are you going alone???
I go to Europe at least every 18 months now. Still the best times in Amsterdam, London, and Barcelona, in that order.
But yeah trainpass for sure. They have a website, figure out what works best for you.
They have all kinds of options, one country passes, regional passes, all Europe passes. If you plan ahead you can save money.
A buddy and I travelled on a railpass in Oct. 2010, backpacking. We went for the "Global" (21 countries/15 days), worked well for us as we had no real itinerary or reservations. Check Rick Steve's website, tons of helpful info. Had his Best of Europe 2010 book which helped a lot. Pass was about 600 cdn. (or $$$$$$ in perbspeak), has to be purchased here. England doesn't participate in railpass, they have their own so we flew to London cheap, then Ryanair to Madrid to activate the pass.
Fantastic way to travel in Europe. Stations are usually right in the centre of town, most have luggage lockers so drop your pack, take a day bag and explore.
The trip from Gibralter to Barcelona along the Mediterranean was unbelievable. Only problem was the French rail system was on strike so we had to get another cheap flight to Milan from Barca to continue by train. no biggie.
Pack LIGHT... buy clothes there, 1 pair of versatile shoes etc.
Find the market, eat what the locals eat (cheaper than restaurants and more interesting) and don't spend more than about 3 Euros for a great bottle of red wine.
P.M. me for info or questions if you like, Fractals, I'll try to help you out, here are some useful links;
[URL="http://www.ricksteves.com/home.htm"]http://www.ricksteves.com/home.htmhttp://fahrplan.oebb.at/bin/query.exe/en[/URL]
Fantastic way to travel in Europe. Stations are usually right in the centre of town, most have luggage lockers so drop your pack, take a day bag and explore.
The trip from Gibralter to Barcelona along the Mediterranean was unbelievable. Only problem was the French rail system was on strike so we had to get another cheap flight to Milan from Barca to continue by train. no biggie.
Pack LIGHT... buy clothes there, 1 pair of versatile shoes etc.
Find the market, eat what the locals eat (cheaper than restaurants and more interesting) and don't spend more than about 3 Euros for a great bottle of red wine.
P.M. me for info or questions if you like, Fractals, I'll try to help you out, here are some useful links;
[URL="http://www.ricksteves.com/home.htm"]http://www.ricksteves.com/home.htmhttp://fahrplan.oebb.at/bin/query.exe/en[/URL]
I went for 2 months in the summer, I set my itinerary based on the availablity of people I found on global freeloaders.com. This takes some time screening pople,planning and coordinating but well worth it. I was able to stay for free in a lot of places, and was lucky to have great experiences with all the hosts i stayed with. It was great, the first one even picked us up from the airport and gave us keys to his brothers apartment for 4 days in germany, then another in pamplona where I ran with the Bulls gave us a place for the whole week and took us shopping. In Milan our host took us to the "best" places to eat...not the touristy places...it was so nice to have personal tour guides in many cities...for free no less. There were many others, but with out detailing the whole trip I thought I would just stop in and give my 2 cents and plug a website that I found amazing. Have fun..
This is the only website you need
http://www.backpackeurope.com/
The forum even has reviews of hostels and hotels. Have fun! Don't fall for the little girl lost/older man steal your passport/wallet scam. (especially in Italy)
http://www.backpackeurope.com/
The forum even has reviews of hostels and hotels. Have fun! Don't fall for the little girl lost/older man steal your passport/wallet scam. (especially in Italy)
Excellent advice everyone. Thanks for all the tips and the links you shared, greatly appreciated!
I have 30 days, which I can stretch to 45 days (max) if need be, for this trip. I am still undecided on whether I should take a shot gun approach to this trip, which is to see as much of Europe as my time frame will permit and then perhaps identify key cities I might wish to come back to later for a more Zen-like experience. Or, as Holly suggested, target specific cities to spend some time in activities I enjoy doing. I like music (opera, symphony, British pop/rock bands), museums and art galleries. Basically, I like places with tons of history.
I have been to Europe (Barcelona, Frankfurt and London) in three separate occasions within the last 10 years and because my trips were work-related (5-day meetings at the most), I did not have the time to enjoy the places I visited. I've been contemplating on doing this trip for the past few years but it's only now that I am forcing myself to do it. I told myself that if I don't do it now, I'll procrastinate again and again and end up doing it about 25 to 30 years from now, upon my retirement. I'd be alone on this trip, although I have a friend who might later decide to join.
Hostels, B&B and Europass (and travelling at night) are probably the ones I'd look into for now. The freeloader/servas/couchsurfing thing is attractive too. I like the idea of interacting with friendly people who are interested in hosting someone from other countries; plus, the perks of being able to save money. I understand that some time and preparation is required to ensure pleasant experience with these arrangements.
Speaking of hostels, are Slovakian hostels as bad as they are portrayed in the movie "Hostel"?
One thing I did not get from any of you was how you handled your money. I know you have to bring lots of it but can anyone tell me how you kept your money safe. Do you have loads of CAD or USD tucked in your socks or underwear? Where did you buy your pounds and Euros? I have USD and CAD credit and debit cards. Will these be safe to use in Europe or am I better off paying cash all the time? Did you feel safe walking the streets of Milan or Rome with cash and passport in your wallet?
I have 30 days, which I can stretch to 45 days (max) if need be, for this trip. I am still undecided on whether I should take a shot gun approach to this trip, which is to see as much of Europe as my time frame will permit and then perhaps identify key cities I might wish to come back to later for a more Zen-like experience. Or, as Holly suggested, target specific cities to spend some time in activities I enjoy doing. I like music (opera, symphony, British pop/rock bands), museums and art galleries. Basically, I like places with tons of history.
I have been to Europe (Barcelona, Frankfurt and London) in three separate occasions within the last 10 years and because my trips were work-related (5-day meetings at the most), I did not have the time to enjoy the places I visited. I've been contemplating on doing this trip for the past few years but it's only now that I am forcing myself to do it. I told myself that if I don't do it now, I'll procrastinate again and again and end up doing it about 25 to 30 years from now, upon my retirement. I'd be alone on this trip, although I have a friend who might later decide to join.
Hostels, B&B and Europass (and travelling at night) are probably the ones I'd look into for now. The freeloader/servas/couchsurfing thing is attractive too. I like the idea of interacting with friendly people who are interested in hosting someone from other countries; plus, the perks of being able to save money. I understand that some time and preparation is required to ensure pleasant experience with these arrangements.
Speaking of hostels, are Slovakian hostels as bad as they are portrayed in the movie "Hostel"?
One thing I did not get from any of you was how you handled your money. I know you have to bring lots of it but can anyone tell me how you kept your money safe. Do you have loads of CAD or USD tucked in your socks or underwear? Where did you buy your pounds and Euros? I have USD and CAD credit and debit cards. Will these be safe to use in Europe or am I better off paying cash all the time? Did you feel safe walking the streets of Milan or Rome with cash and passport in your wallet?
I had a money belt under my shirt, and kept cash and passport in there.
I got a few hundred Euros from the bank here in Canada before I left, and brought it with me. Then when I was in Europe, I paid using my cash and credit card. When I ran out of cash, I withdrew Euros there using my credit card.
I felt pretty safe doing this. One time I had difficulty withdrawing money from an ATM in Italy, but luckily it was business hours and an employee helped me out.
I would suggest that you never put your credit card into an ATM during non-business hours. If something goes wrong, you don't want to be stuck waiting for the establishment to open.
I got a few hundred Euros from the bank here in Canada before I left, and brought it with me. Then when I was in Europe, I paid using my cash and credit card. When I ran out of cash, I withdrew Euros there using my credit card.
I felt pretty safe doing this. One time I had difficulty withdrawing money from an ATM in Italy, but luckily it was business hours and an employee helped me out.
I would suggest that you never put your credit card into an ATM during non-business hours. If something goes wrong, you don't want to be stuck waiting for the establishment to open.
Thanks Holly. I better get a money belt. I've always felt safer hiding my reserve cash in my socks when I'm in a foreign land. Money belt is probably best, to keep cash and passport.
I'm guessing you speak Italian. Or, perhaps the Italian bank staff knows English.
Do you think most toursits can get by with just an English-Italian/French/German dictionary?
I'm guessing you speak Italian. Or, perhaps the Italian bank staff knows English.
Do you think most toursits can get by with just an English-Italian/French/German dictionary?
Thanks Al for the tip. I think I'll get the money belt that hangs from the belt inside the pants. I'd probably end up using my USD credit card most of the time for the same reason you mentioned.
Too bad I remember very little of what I've learned from my Spanish and German courses back in college.
What a shame that you had such a bad experience. I adore Italy and wish I could go every year. I spent 2 weeks there in 2008 and 3 weeks there in 2009.
I think that in order to get the most out of Italy, you need to go to the places that take a little research (in other words, not the big name places that all the American tourists go), and you need to stick to the coast so that you can always take a dip in the beautiful ocean.
I highly recommend the Cinque Terre, for example.
Buy a pair of these??
http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-wtf-dirty-underwear-is-for-hiding-your-valuables/
Ha ha, but seriously. I have spent about 3 years in Europe (short & long trips) and I have only ever been robbed once (Paris)
HOWEVER, I’ve had quite a few attempted robberies / non-sexual assaults pulled on me in Eastern and Central Europe. When it comes to that area, my best advice is to avoid Gypsies. I know it might be strange to go against our Canadian pluralism / friendliness / political correctness / whatever, but seriously: Gypsies = trouble. I should clarify that I’m talking about the Romani people, not Pikeys/Tinkers. And don’t think the children are any less capable of robbing you – they will surprise you with their skill!
The only other bad thing that has ever happened to me in Europe was getting a really bad parasite from eating unpasteurized sheep’s cheese (daily, for a month or so)
Moneywise, on short trips, I usually do what Holly mentioned: pay up your CC in advance, then use it as a cash card at ATMs (as long as you have the newer, PIN-type card)
So yeah. Cheese and Gypsies = bad news. The rest of Europe = effin’ awesome.
http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-wtf-dirty-underwear-is-for-hiding-your-valuables/
Ha ha, but seriously. I have spent about 3 years in Europe (short & long trips) and I have only ever been robbed once (Paris)
HOWEVER, I’ve had quite a few attempted robberies / non-sexual assaults pulled on me in Eastern and Central Europe. When it comes to that area, my best advice is to avoid Gypsies. I know it might be strange to go against our Canadian pluralism / friendliness / political correctness / whatever, but seriously: Gypsies = trouble. I should clarify that I’m talking about the Romani people, not Pikeys/Tinkers. And don’t think the children are any less capable of robbing you – they will surprise you with their skill!
The only other bad thing that has ever happened to me in Europe was getting a really bad parasite from eating unpasteurized sheep’s cheese (daily, for a month or so)
Moneywise, on short trips, I usually do what Holly mentioned: pay up your CC in advance, then use it as a cash card at ATMs (as long as you have the newer, PIN-type card)
So yeah. Cheese and Gypsies = bad news. The rest of Europe = effin’ awesome.
