Some trip advice in Europe

Mazeroth

My company is sending me to Germany at the end of March for a week to do some training over there and I'm going to take an additional week or so for leisure time since my flight is free. My wife will be coming with me for the 2 weeks so we will have 8-9 days of our own time to do whatever we want, paying out of pocket for those days. We will be in Frankfurt, Germany for the first part and are undecided what to do for the remainder. Since our dollar isn't worth jack over there I'm reluctant to spend a fortune but might have to in order to make our extra week worthwhile. I don't have much experience with great places to visit over there so I figured I'd ask here to see what you guys can suggest.

We were thinking of renting a car and driving it south through the Swiss Alps and possibly skiing for a day, then heading south to Italy and visiting Venice and Rome and possibly Naples (where my great grandparents are from). Then we'd have about a 13 hour drive back north to Frankfurt, Germany and we could hit up a few other places along the way. I calculate the distance to be 3200 km or roughly 2000 miles in 8 days to go from Frankfurt to Venice then Rome then Naples and back. If gas is $7 US/gallon the trip would run us roughly $450 plus the cost of the car which should be another $350. Figure another $800 for hotels and food (hotels are remarkably inexpensive over there) and we're at $1500. I'd like to keep it under $2k but we'll see.

Just seeing if you guys have any input!

BaggedLancer

Make sure you factor in a trip on the autobahn as fast as you can drive......

bassaholic

Went to Europe in 2002 so things are probably way more expensive. My friends and I rented a van form a company called Eurocar. If you've never been there or driven....be prepared. Lots of crazy but good drivers and interpreting road signs is amusing. The pay off....some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere. The mountains are spectacular. As for driving on the autobahn. Watch out...there are posted speed limits in certain areas and they use a lot of traffic cameras( to take pictures of license plates) I found out the hard way. About 6 months after our return I got a letter from the Swiss embassy and after deciphering it. I owed them $237.00 for speeding.
The hotel chain we usually stayed at was called the Hotel Ibis. Very nice and affordable rooms. Most rooms in Europe are considerably smaller than in USA.
While in Germany, you might take a drive to Stutgart and tour the Porsche factory. I wish I woulda.

tryrrthg

I wouldn't plan a lot of time in Venice. While it's a cool place to see, I had been there long enough after just one day. You are crammed into the little streets and it is crowded with tourists who annoyed the hell out of me (Watch where the F you are going please!). But other than that it is a cool place to see. I should mention that we didn't venture off the main island because of lack of time, as we only had less than 2 days there.

I would hit up Florence while you're at it. Some cool things to see there. The David, the Duomo, etc.

you could also look into taking trains from city to city. That is what we did, but it was part of our trip package that we bought, so I have no idea how the cost was.

Here is my thread

bernardo

I've used autoeurope in the past. They usually have great pre-paid deals guaranteed in dollars which can avoid you surprises... (The way they work you can end with a car from any number of car rental companies, but of course you know which ahead of time) If you can get a diesel car (I got one once) it would be so much cheaper. If you go with them, you might want to call after you check the website I had obtained on ocasion a better deal on the telephone...

To each its own, but I think you are trying to do too much distance/places for what amount basically to a week, you could spend a week in Rome alone and still need to go back! There are so many things to see in Germany alone... Then you have Switzerland and/or Austria before you get to north Italy where there are a million things to do/see...
I understand you desire to get all the way to Naples, though. You might be better off not doing the detour to Venice.

You seem to want to go to Italy more so than stay in Germany, so with that in mind:
If you are with a car in Florence, there are day trips you could do to very nice places like Lucca, San Gimignano, Siena, and Pisa is not that far away either. If you are in Venice, you might also want to visit not so far away Verona...

You need to sit down with a couple of maps and guides, and enjoy the planning phase too!


Good luck and enjoy!

bernardo

bassaholic wrote: »

While in Germany, you might take a drive to Stutgart and tour the Porsche factory. I wish I woulda.

The Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart was really nice.

wizzy

I would suggest packing a shirt with a big US flag on it and swinging through Belgrade for a day. Maybe have big words on the back that say "I'm a US citizen"

Sami

$350 for 8 days of car rental? Sound a bit cheap. Manual transmission ok for you? That's what most rentals are. If not, make sure before you go that automatic is available.

Driving through the Alps (whether its Swiss, Austrian or German side) is very worth it. Been there a few times, and will be again in June (Munchen).

shack

My daughter was in Italy last summer and loved it. Her favorites in order were Rome, Venice, Florence/Pisa. She then went on to Paris (hated it) then London (her overall favorite) and Oslo, Norway (Rained the whole time). She was in Poland for two weeks as well (studying and touring). She bought a Euro rail pass and said a car would have been too much hassle. The rail pass was pretty cheap and got them close to everywhere they wanted to go.

nms

Driving in Italy was confusing when we went. Taking the trains was much more enjoyable, because you had more space, you're not stressed about getting lost, and on the sleeper coach, you got moved while you slept - good deal!

bernardo

shack wrote: »

My daughter was in Italy last summer and loved it. Her favorites in order were Rome, Venice, Florence/Pisa. She then went on to Paris (hated it) then London (her overall favorite) and Oslo, Norway (Rained the whole time). She was in Poland for two weeks as well (studying and touring). She bought a Euro rail pass and said a car would have been too much hassle. The rail pass was pretty cheap and got them close to everywhere they wanted to go.

That goes to show that one needs to take other's travel advise with a grain of salt Paris must be one of my favorite places, period. It would be interesting to know what made her hate Paris.

As for the train/car choice, I've done both and IMHO it just depends on what kind of travel one intents to do. For example, in France, I've stayed in homes say 15 minutes outside cities that rent out 1 or 2 rooms, you get to talk to local people and get a wonderful breakfast (instead of dealing with hotel employees). Or in the UK, staying in B&B also just outside the cities... It would have been difficult to do by train.

I did not find Spain, Germany and Italy as good in the above respect. And in particular in Germany, trains seem to get you almost anywhere you want, much more so than the other countries mentioned above. It might not be the case, but that is the impression I had when I was over there.

jakelm

you know what they say.....

..."when in Rome"

shack

bernardo wrote:

That goes to show that one needs to take other's travel advise with a grain of salt Paris must be one of my favorite places, period. It would be interesting to know what made her hate Paris.

According to her, Paris has become nothing but another overpriced tourist trap. It was dirty and for the most part people were rude and too many people were trying to scam her. She could have gotten that in NYC and never left the country. She really liked Le Louvre and Versailles but the rest was overated IHO.

obieone

Since your going WITH your wife, DON'T go to Spain. WHOLE country is rife with BEAUTIFUL women. Seriously. You go there w/ your wife, you gonna get BUSTED looking.

jakelm

shack wrote: »

According to her, Paris has become nothing but another overpriced tourist trap. It was dirty and for the most part people were rude and too many people were trying to scam her. She could have gotten that in NYC and never left the country. .

New York City??????:eek:



no way:rolleyes:

Mazeroth

Just finished my taxes and if I hit the sack now I'll get 6 hours of sleep so needless to say, this is going to be short. I spoke with two guys I work with that have been over there for business and then travel and both highly recommend the European train pass. Sounds like a great plan. We do plan on touring Germany on the days I work as I should be done by 2-3 and possibly for another day. I think we're going to take the train down to Rome and either drive to Naples or take the train there, if it makes the stop.

Thanks again for all the input. I'll keep you guys posted.

trubluluc

Spend less time going, and more time being.

Italy should probably be a whole other vacation.
March could still be quite cold, so indoor attractions might be good.
Castles, art museums etc. If that's not your bag, skiing could be great.
Check the dollar/euro rate. If the dollar is still dropping, best to make the change early.
My dollars were worth less every day of a 3 week trip. I wish I'd changed them early in the trip.

-Luc

Mazeroth wrote: »

My company is sending me to Germany at the end of March for a week to do some training over there and I'm going to take an additional week or so for leisure time since my flight is free. My wife will be coming with me for the 2 weeks so we will have 8-9 days of our own time to do whatever we want, paying out of pocket for those days. We will be in Frankfurt, Germany for the first part and are undecided what to do for the remainder. Since our dollar isn't worth jack over there I'm reluctant to spend a fortune but might have to in order to make our extra week worthwhile. I don't have much experience with great places to visit over there so I figured I'd ask here to see what you guys can suggest.

We were thinking of renting a car and driving it south through the Swiss Alps and possibly skiing for a day, then heading south to Italy and visiting Venice and Rome and possibly Naples (where my great grandparents are from). Then we'd have about a 13 hour drive back north to Frankfurt, Germany and we could hit up a few other places along the way. I calculate the distance to be 3200 km or roughly 2000 miles in 8 days to go from Frankfurt to Venice then Rome then Naples and back. If gas is $7 US/gallon the trip would run us roughly $450 plus the cost of the car which should be another $350. Figure another $800 for hotels and food (hotels are remarkably inexpensive over there) and we're at $1500. I'd like to keep it under $2k but we'll see.

Just seeing if you guys have any input!

bernardo

trubluluc wrote: »

Spend less time going, and more time being.

Italy should probably be a whole other vacation.

Nice way of putting it. This is exactly what I was trying to say above:)

trubluluc wrote: »

If the dollar is still dropping, best to make the change early.
My dollars were worth less every day of a 3 week trip. I wish I'd changed them early in the trip.

Sometimes I take it for granted, but it is usually better to withdraw from ATMs over there, you'll get better exchange rates (interbank type) than walking in with dollars to an exchange agency. It also helps if you have an account that does not charge you fees to use ATM overseas. If you don't you can always open one now...

bernardo

shack wrote: »

According to her, Paris has become nothing but another overpriced tourist trap. It was dirty and for the most part people were rude and too many people were trying to scam her. She could have gotten that in NYC and never left the country. She really liked Le Louvre and Versailles but the rest was overated IHO.

:):)
Big tourist attractions usually have people that try to take advantage of people who are clearly out of place :mad:
In Italy for example is very common that prices sitting down are much more than at the counter it is posted somewhere not very visible;) then you walk to the counter, ask for an espresso and they will politely ask you if you want to sit down... if you do and didn't know about the price difference you'll be shocked!
Now, please don't get me wrong: I like Italy and don't have anything against Italians. But unfortunately that just happens...

As for rude people... well, Paris has a reputation. Although I have to say that never happened to me. Maybe that's why I like Paris

Mazeroth

I see what you guys are saying about making Italy another trip but I really don't have a huge desire to travel around Germany so if I can get a train ticket to Rome and back inexpensively I'd like to go that route. A friend I work with said when he went over the train tickets were somewhere between $100 - $150, however, I can't seem to find one under $300. My thinking is that if my wife and I can get to Rome and back for under $300 it would be a lot cheaper than trying to fly back over in a few years.

Does anyone know how to find deals on the trains over there?

Thanks.

Sami

Germany has its attractions as well, and don't forget the neighboring countries. If you want a scenic drive, I would consider Frankfurt-Munich-Vienna-Budapest-Prague-Frankfurt.

Here's an extended driving directions, take out destinations based on your timeline: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=frankfurt,+germany&daddr=munich,+germany+to:vienna,+austria+to:budapest+to:krakow+to:warsaw+to:%C5%BBelazowa+Wola+to:prague+to:Frankfurt+am+Main,+Germany&mra=pi&mrcr=7&sll=46.800059,23.994141&sspn=16.276757,39.155273&ie=UTF8&z=5

bernardo

Mazeroth wrote: »

Does anyone know how to find deals on the trains over there?

Thanks.

Have looked into the rail pass at all? I have not done it in a while but they use to have flexible passes; e.g., you can travel 3 days in a weeks time, or the more expensive ones where you can travel any day for a week (or longer than a week). If you plan your train trips that could be one way to go.

Trains are not always cheap over there unfortunately...