I want to backpack Europe. Can I get some advice?

Question

Basically I want to hear people's experiences, what cities they were in, what hostels they stayed at and the cost. I know the cost varies for specific matters (where you stay, how much you eat, how long you're there) but I was thinking of saving about 6,000 dollars. I was thinking of traveling for a month. Does that sound reasonable??

Answer 1

$6000 should do it, but you will to be careful with your money.
Traveling gets more expensive when you travel north and west, but less expensive going east, but southern countries are not all cheap.

Stay in hostels, both to cut the cost and to meet others. If you say at a hostel that you want to go a place, often there are several others who want to go there too.
Some people join up for weeks, others just for a few hours.

Use a good guidebook, I like the lonely planet series, and research the places you want to go.

With one month you can do all capital cities of Europe, but you will not remember anything.
I think it is better to select three or four countries and combine them, visiting the main towns in between.
Like if you select Scotland, Swiss, Slovakia and Sweden, you can plan to spend about four days in each, and when you travel by train, you may travel through London, Paris and Berlin, giving you two days in each town.
But it will be easier to select one region, say Swiss, Austria, Slovakia and Czech republic, and save on the long distance travels.
That will give you a week for each country, still giving you some more expensive and less expensive countries.

Best make your first selection on what sounds familiar, like where your family roots are, where some of your friends have been, or which town you just HAVE to see.
Trains are great, but not the cheapest options. In the travel with Scotland, Swiss, Slovakia and Sweden, cheap air travel (maybe a train between Swiss and Slovakia) is the thing. For some routes bus is the cheapest option.

Answer 2

I think that on 6000 dollars, you'll be abel to travel for longer than a month. You'll probably be using the train a lot for longer stretches (DON'T hitchhike), there are also cheap international busses, and even some budget airline tickets iof you book long enough ahead.

Youth hostels are a good bet. Hostelling International is an association with member hostels all over the place. If you become a member for a year (small fee), you get discounts wherever you spend the night.

Some good hostels that I've stayed at

Finland:

Rider's Inn Rouvesi, http://www.hihostels.com/dba/hostel019131.en.htm

Eurohostel Helsinki http://www.eurohostel.fi/

Estonia:

http://www.oldhouse.ee/eng_index.php (make sure you get a hostel, there's also the b&b of the same name)

Scotland

Castle Rock Hostel/Edinburgh

http://www.scotlandstophostels.com/edinburgh_cr.html

Oban

http://www.oban.org.uk/cgi-local/accomdb/hostelmember.pl?jinglis

Isle of Skye

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/SkyewalkerHostel-IsleofSkye-21222

Rua Reidh Lighthouse (gorgeous!)

http://www.ruareidh.co.uk/

Answer 3

Lucky!!!
I could stay for 2 months in Europe on $6000. I'd get a train pass, or a couple of them. check on raileurope.com and
look at the options. If you're under 26 you can get a youth pass.
Pack very light!! Make sure you have some waterproof, comfortable shoes, like Black cross-training shoes with Gore-tex or similar waterproof/breathable liner. Wet feet are miserable and Europe can be rainy.
I'd recommend this itinerary:
Amsterdam, Prague, Berlin, Paris, Switzerland, like Lausanne, Zurich, Luzern, or Interlaken.
Then Italy. Check out Milano, Venezia, Firenze, Siena, Bologna, Roma, Napoli, Amalfi Coast, then on to Greece or the South of France, the coasts of Spain, Madrid, Lisbon, then fly to edinburgh, then London, then fly home.
Check out Greek Islands, and if you want to go all the way, throw in Transylvania, Romania, Budapest, Croatian Coast and Islands, Krakow, Poland; Stockholm, Copenhagen, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, Hamburg, Koln, Brussels, Brugge, and Ghent.