Could someone help me with suggested itineraries around Europe for 1 month,on tight budget & travelling alone?

Answer 1

Hi,

one month isn't long... and it really depends on what your interested in ... is it the beaches and clubs of Spain and Greece that get you all fired up, or is the art and culture of Italy's Renaissance cities that inspires you?

I'd suggest a two or three country trip - like Spain and Italy, 10 days each, and maybe France in between.

To save money, first, book a budget flight with SkyScanner.Net, secondly, travel between places by bus or overnight train, and thirdly, stay in hostels - they only cost about £10 a night and these days they're clean, safe, and comforatble, plus you will meet loads of other travellers to see the sight and have fun with.

Whatever you do, unless you really want to be on your own in a hotel miles away from the sights and the city centers, don't stay on your own in hotels the entire trip - you won't get the most out of travelling.

For going from place to place, either get budget flights, or an interrailing ticket is a good option - you can travel overnight on your long trips and save a night in a hostel!

Alternatively, try Bus-About or Euro-lines to save money.

As for your itinerary, I'd suggest you start in Madrid, head south to Andalucia, visit Cordoba, Sevilla, Rhonda, and Granada before finishing Spain in Barcelona ... then go to Southern France for a week or so (Nice, Carcasonne, Montpelier, maybe a quick trip to Paris) then on into Italy.

In Italy, spend time gazing at the stunning renaissance art and culture of Florence and Siena before heading south to Rome and finish in Sorrento on the Almafi coast for some downtime at the end of your journey.

To find hostels, look on Hostelworld.com (plus I can recommend several that I've stayed at that were clean, safe, comfortable and good for meeting other like-minded travellers - email me thru my profile!)

Another very good website for asking advice about independant and backpacker travel is the Lonely Planet Thorntree. It's the worlds largest travellers forum, and you'll find lot's of advice and help there.

Hope that helps, links below

Philip

Answer 2

Yes a month is tight and you need to plan well ahead. The further east and south you go the cheaper. There are some cheap air fares you can pcik up at the right time that may save you time (eg ryanair.com, easyjet.com, but also try skyscanner.net to compare other companies and figure out which days of a month are cheaper to travel on).
You can replace some countries with others that are cheaper eg prague is a fanstastic city and even places like croatia (which is kind of like greece) and slovenia (kind of like switzerland/austria) are options too.
There are must places tho eg London, paris and rome, which are more expensive but worth it in the long run. If you have limited time you can do quantity not quality travel. Get a list of things you HAVE to see and do those. Getting buses that do circuits in the towns are great ways to get an overview and get around.
I travelled around by myself and it gets expensive accommodation wise, but using hostels can help (but I didn't want to share rooms etc). This was my most expensive bit really. there are lots of websites for accommodation (cheapish) and its best to book ahead. I got stuck once in particular with a conference in bologna when prices went through the roof!!!! I paid 110euro for 1 night!
Cheaper places tho tend to be further from the centre and sometimes it can work out worse as you take time to travel in and out and the travel costs can get expensive too.
Maybe choose places you HAVE to see, and work a way and order. It can take time, but its better having a plan sometimes (altohugh you can get "stuck" and be a day too long or too short in a place.)
Good luck...it should be fun

Answer 3

On a tight budget, and alone, I'm going to steer you, generally, toward the south and the east. If you're female, then I'm going to steer you to Austria, Hungary, and Czech Republic. It gets hot in southern Europe in summer, so I much prefer the coolness of the Alps and mountain sports and sightseeing. Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Vienna, then a trip up to Prague and Budapest, would do well for me. Try to avoid Switzerland if on a tight budget--it's very dear (so are the UK, Scandinavia, and the major tourist capitals; google "Big Mac Index" for relative cost comparisons). Rail Passes can be outrageously overpriced--especially if you buy them in the US. Purchasing tickets at the stations, as needed, is usually cheaper--and sometimes much cheaper. A source such as http://www.eurotrip.com might be helpful, especially their traveller forums covering flights, trains, busses, hostels, packing, costs, etc.

Answer 4

Hey Tara, it depends on which country ure interested in, different countries offer different things.U wud need to google up the countries.If u want a lil of scandivania ( land of vikings ) head to either Denmark, here..Sweden,Norway or even Finland.But once u chose a country that u wanna go ( ur 1st country ) then try googling the neighbourin countries so its easier to "country hop".if u start off lets say North europe,London or Denmark, u can head across to Germany, Prague..or head south, Netherlands(famous coffee shops wid a twist),France ( the Louvre Museum,Notre Dame,Eiffel Tower )..Spain..beautiful beaches or even the greek islands.Its all upto what u wanna see/do.U need to google up everything bout d countries , so u'll have an idea on wer to go.I'll list budget flights & accomodations for u to look at.Hope it helps.Oh also, u might wanna head to Prague,a must not miss city..trust me :)Since u dont have much time to cover a lot of grounds, best u book budget flights,saves u time & gives u more time to explore the country ure in. Good Luck in ur search. Cheers! :)

Answer 5

First, you need to get your schedules fixed and finalized with very little or no changes. That way, you can book train and air tickets in advance at dirt cheap rates as well as avail of advance booking offes on hotels. But in such cases, there can be no change of dates because budget carriers dont refund fares or rebook tickets sold at heavily discounted rates.

Depending on where you want to land first in Europe. I would suggest you arrive in Amsterdam since the Schiphol airport is well connected to the rest of Europe and the world. Spend a couple of days in the Dutch capital..its wonderful. Next, you can fly to Lisbon, Portugal, on their budget carrier, Transavia. From Lisbon ( 2 days) , travel on Vueling Air to Barcelona ( 2 days), Spain. From Barcelona, you can visit one of the tiniest countries in the world- Andorra ( 2 days). You do not require any special visas to enter Andorra and journey is by bus, which is not expensive.

Back to Barcelona, you can fly to Rome (Vueling) for another 3 days, with one day reserved for Vatican City- also one of the smallest countries in the world. Italy will also offer you the opportunity to explore San Marino- another small republic, which can be accessed from the city of Rimini- reached from Rome by train or air.

From Rimini, you can take a train that will get you into Switzerland or alternatively, France. If you opt for Switzerland, you can also pay a quick visit to Lichtenstein- another small country acessible by road and rail. From Switzerland, fly or train it down to Paris, France to stay 2 days. From Paris to Brussels, Belgium ( 2 days), by train. Belgium to Germany (Frankfurt or Cologne) for 2 days. From Cologne/ Frankfurt to Amsterdam. If you have more days left and the energy- add one more country- Luxemburg- easily reached from these German cities. Amsterdam to back home.

If you opt for Paris after Switzerland, dont miss the chance to visit Monaco- another small and independent country on the French riviera. Its a bit far from Paris but the train ride is oooomph lovely.

For budget hotels, check www.accorhotels.com. They have 3 very budget brands- Etap, Formule-1 and Ibis. Also, www.hotels.com has some seasonal and good offers for advance booking. The Accor group is good for such a trip since you can book your hotel just before departure from any hotel of that group.

European railway networks such as Thalys of France, Deutsche Bahn, Germany have tie-ups with hotels at destinations and offer good discounts if bought with the ticket. Train tickets booked on the Internet in Europe can be collected at the station of departure and all you'll need is a valid ID such as a passport. Budget carriers- almost all European ones- also offer discounted hotel bookings on their websites.

Eurostar pass...I found it pricey and with lots of fine print making travel very boring.

You may also wish to check the website www.whichbudget.com....it has a goldmine of information on budget carriers in Europe with links to book tickets from the airline directly. You'll need a credit card.

Check visa regulations for your nationality at www.delta.com. Go to Site Map and click on International Travel Info. They have a interactive page where you can indicate your citizenship and where you wish to travel. It shows the latest visa regulation in place for your citizenship.