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Does anyone know any music schools in Rome, Italy, Paris, France, and Vienna, Austria?

What issues do you see arising with this European Backpacking plan?

  • Hey everyone, I'm planning on traveling to Europe this fall after graduating from grad school. I'm a 23 year old guy that doesn't mind roughing it, but I would definitely like to have enough cash to see some local sights and have some fun. I'm planning on buying a 3 month Eurorail ticket and staying at local hostels. Attached below is my tentative schedule and budget. What I'm hoping you might be able to do is offer suggestions or point out any problems with the travel plans. Maybe I'm not spending enough time in a certain place, or there are train issues from one place to another, or I'm missing something from my budget, not budgeting enough, etc. I'm an American citizen planning on only spending 90 days in the Shengen countries, so I don't think i'll have any Visa issues. Also, if you have any ideas for things to do in these locations or anything like that, please feel free to offer suggestions. I also want to hit up some gay nightclubs on weekend nights, so if anyone has any info for the gay traveler, I would love that as well. Really, I'm grateful for whatever info you can provide. Here are my tentative plans... [27 Aug 2009 - 01 Sep 2009] Dublin, Ireland [01 Sep 2009 - 04 Sep 2009] Liverpool, United Kingdom [04 Sep 2009 - 07 Sep 2009] Manchester, United Kingdom [07 Sep 2009 - 10 Sep 2009] Cardiff, United Kingdom [10 Sep 2009 - 17 Sep 2009] London, United Kingdom [17 Sep 2009 - 24 Sep 2009] Paris, France [24 Sep 2009 - 27 Sep 2009] Brussels, Belgium [27 Sep 2009 - 04 Oct 2009] Amsterdam, Netherlands [04 Oct 2009 - 09 Oct 2009] Berlin, Germany [09 Oct 2009 - 15 Oct 2009] Prague, Czech Republic [15 Oct 2009 - 20 Oct 2009] Vienna, Austria [20 Oct 2009 - 25 Oct 2009] Budapest, Hungary [25 Oct 2009 - 27 Oct 2009] Zagreb, Croatia [27 Oct 2009 - 29 Oct 2009] Ljubljana, Slovenia [29 Oct 2009 - 03 Nov 2009] Munich, Germany [03 Nov 2009 - 07 Nov 2009] Venice, Italy [07 Nov 2009 - 12 Nov 2009] Rome, Italy [12 Nov 2009 - 16 Nov 2009] Athens, Greece [16 Nov 2009 - 20 Nov 2009] Mýkonos, Greece [20 Nov 2009 - 23 Nov 2009] Athens, Greece [23 Nov 2009 - 25 Nov 2009] Rome, Italy [25 Nov 2009 - 29 Nov 2009] Milan, Italy [29 Nov 2009 - 01 Dec 2009] Monte-Carlo, Monaco [01 Dec 2009 - 03 Dec 2009] Marseille, France [03 Dec 2009 - 07 Dec 2009] Barcelona, Spain [07 Dec 2009 - 10 Dec 2009] Valencia, Spain [10 Dec 2009 - 14 Dec 2009] Madrid, Spain [14 Dec 2009 - 17 Dec 2009] Lisbon, Portugal and my projected budget... 1050 - Airfare (Denver to Dublin, Lisbon to Denver) 1250 - 3 Month Eurorail Ticket 1650 - 110 days at $15 a day for food 300 - 30 days at $10 a day for drinks/cover 3000 - 100 days at $30 youth hostel, 10 days on Eurorail 3000 - 100 days at $30 a day exploring, 10 days chilling 1000 - 100 days at $10 a day travel in towns 350 - Flights from Rome to Athens and back 300 - Ferry from Dublin to UK 250 - Ferries to and from Mykonos 200 - Ride through chunnel out of England 300 - Train pass for England 350 - 4 months Storage (saving rent by packing current apartment) Total: 13,000 for 3.5 Months Thanks Again!

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    Everyone is giving out great advices, and here are a little more information that I hope will be useful. 1) While most the countries above are in Schengen zone, UK, Ireland and Croatia are not. There is no additional visa requirement for US citizens, but you should be aware that these countries are where border controls will be implemented. 2) $15 per day for food is not a lot, especially in western european cities. I'm sure you also wouldn't want to miss some of the local food. Personally I would up food allowance to about $25 per day. 3) In UK/Ireland, drinks are expensive and one good tip for night out would be to go earlier because they start charging covers at the door. Some places do that after 10pm, some after 11pm etc. 4) You could fly cheaply from Dublin to UK using Ryanair, although be aware that they have checked-in luggage charges (10euro for one bag, max 15kg), desk check-in service (5euro per flight per person), credit card charges (5euro per flight per person). One single hand luggage of maximum 10kg weight is also allowed. E.g. flights next month Dublin-Liverpool for 10euro + charges 20euro (as listed above) = 30euro total. 5) Eurostar train is the best way to travel between London and Paris, and you can buy the ticket up to 3 months prior to travel. It takes only 2 1/2 hours, and ticket can be as low as 40 GBP or so for one way, 2nd class. The earlier you buy the ticket the cheaper it'll be. 6) Like the other answerers, I'm not sure if a rail pass is worth it. Many of faster trains would require a supplementary payment, and same goes with overnight train. For some of the longer distance journeys, consider taking night trains as this will save you some money in terms of accommodation costs. E.g. Amsterdam-Berlin night train costs about 40euro on promotional online advance booking rate, including reservation charges. 7) Since you're visiting Rome for quite a number of days after arriving in from Venice, why not after your return from Athens go to Florence for that 2-3 days? Don't get me wrong - I love Rome and I love Italy - but this is a good opportunity to see another Italian city too. 8) Consider certain tourist passes. E.g. Paris Museum Pass is worth buying. 6 days ticket costs just over 60euro, and they cover so many sights in Paris (notable exception, the Eiffel Tower) and in Ile de France. This means your daily cost will be just over 10euro (see, much cheaper than your allocated $30 per day for exploring). On the other hand, do NOT get Paris Visite card, which is a transportation pass. Instead you'll be better off getting a carnet of 10 tickets and use those as you go along. 9) Get a guidebook, like Europe on a shoestring by Lonely Planet. It is comprehensive for a guide that's covering a lot of countries and gives tips on where to find things at cheaper prices. You could also check Wikitravel for tips from other travellers. Those that I've seen so far are quite helpful. 10) Travel time wise, your itinerary is sensible and not crazily rushed from one place to another. And since they are major cities, if you find yourself unexpectedly at loose ends, you could take day trips out of the cities using the local slow trains. They normally don't require reservations and the tickets are cheap too. You could also consider reducing the time in Amsterdam and add the time to Madrid. That's what I can think of for now. I live in Dublin, I have a GBF living in London but from Rome, and I'm quite familiar with Paris in general although not quite the gay scene there. If you have any other specific questions that I may be able to help, feel free to send me a message. Have a great European holiday!

aaronrow... at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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Your schedule seems fine, and you should have time to travel to smaller places with that kind of schedule as well. 3 days in Cardiff is a lot, for example, but if you took a day trip to Swansea or the Gower Peninsula, it might not be so bad. Make sure you research nearby sites, not just the ones in the major cities. You're missing Edinburgh though, which is my favorite UK city. I think your budget is a bit off though. -Airfare is correct (using http://momondo.com) -Pre-booking train tickets on a local level (using the internet) is often a lot cheaper than a Eurail pass, but it's also more constricting since you need to know exact dates of travel ahead of time to get good prices. -There's no way you can eat on $15 per day in most of those cities, unless you are only eating student-budget food you cook yourself where you're staying. Even then it's unlikely in the more expensive places. To eat street food and in cheap restaurants, you need $30-40/day in western Europe. -Just a cover charge is $5+ in some places. Drinks differ a lot from country to country, but are $6+ each in places like Paris and Amsterdam. Use http://www.pintprice.com/ -Hostel prices are about right, will be cheaper in some countries. -Sightseeing depends on what you want to do, budget seems okay. -Travel could be less or more, depending on how much you're willing to walk. -Rome/Athens return is ~$200 on Momondo. -Dublin-UK ferry is under $40 for a foot passenger: http://www.irishferries.com/fares-offers-ireland-from-britain.asp -Mykonos ferry is much cheaper: http://www.athensguide.com/ferries.html -Chunnel ticket should be under $100 -It's generally a lot cheaper to fly budget within the UK than take trains. Use Momondo, or check budget airline sites for Ryanair, Easyjet and Bmi. As for gay travel, about.com usually has good recommendations: http://goeurope.about.com/od/gaylesbian/Gay_and_Lesbian_European_Travel.htm I could help with Scandinavia or Scotland, but they're not on the itinerary.

Elizabeth

I would skip the following... [07 Sep 2009 - 10 Sep 2009] Cardiff, United Kingdom [04 Sep 2009 - 07 Sep 2009] Manchester, United Kingdom Only spend a maximum of 2 days in ... [27 Aug 2009 - 01 Sep 2009] Dublin, Ireland [01 Sep 2009 - 04 Sep 2009] Liverpool, United Kingdom Spend less time in... [27 Sep 2009 - 04 Oct 2009] Amsterdam, Netherlands [04 Oct 2009 - 09 Oct 2009] Berlin, Germany Spend more time in ... [09 Oct 2009 - 15 Oct 2009] Prague, Czech Republic Travel to Cesky Krumlov in the south of the Czech Republic, it's on route to Austria anyway. (Excellent place for backpackers). http://tenthmedieval.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/cesky_krumlov_let.jpg And more time in ... [03 Dec 2009 - 07 Dec 2009] Barcelona, Spain ---------------- As you are heading to Berlin, why not visit Krakow in Poland on route to Prague. It's a nice city. Best of luck.

The other two answers are great. I would add, however, that you might not want to spend three days in Monte Carlo. You could go down the coast a bit and be in Nice, France. I really liked it, and I think it's worth a visit. I also don't like the fact that you're buying a Eurail Pass. I don't think you'll get your money's worth. You could hook up with local trains for less, and there are going to be times when you're going to find that buses will be a better way to go. I also think your schedule is a tad bit tight. You should 'go with the flow' (sorry) a bit. It tends to make for a better vacation if you let things come to you sometimes. One of the biggest hassles I found about backpacking was getting my laundry done. What I finally came up with was a scheme where I brought lots of underwear (I'm partial to one type), and I bought clothes as I needed them. Finally, since you are interested in the gay scene, please be advised that in many countries in Europe, especially the further East you get, the less tolerant you're going to find people. I am not gay, but I've met many along the way, and that seems to be the one universal truism about Europe.

tartu2222

Your travel plans seem well worked out, having enough time to really see all the cities you mention. What I do miss are the small towns and villages, Europe is much more than its famous cities. And I think that when traveling for so long a period, you will not want to be stuck to a schedule. Make reservations for your first few nights and further go on advice from other travelers. In the time you want to travel, september to December you do not need reservations made months in advance, you might want to phone in the night before if you think a town might be a little harder. You ask about travel info for gay travelers, I do not, but I often see that the Lonely Planet series have a section for that. Once you have met other travelers with the same mindset, (not just/even also gay, but with the same kind of interests in sightseeing and going out) share travel info, mention the things you liked and disliked and go to the places they liked. You will have a much better travel for that, even when you might miss some of the places you now think you want to go to. I also think that while your overal budgeting is right, you might have the prices of the things wrong. I think you might find eating and drinking way more expensive, but sightseeing less, specially when you do get to the smaller towns.

Willeke

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