Jess and Marty '09

This looks like a great trip! Your budget seems a LITTLE low, but otherwise everything looks good. Looks like you’ve got plenty of places with good number of days for each.
Since you are leaving so soon I would probably go ahead and book some places to stay, at least in London because you want to be able to get off the plane and go directly somewhere, not have to search around for somewhere to stay. Also, maybe booking some of the bigger cities that you are going in late June-July might be a good idea because that is peak season and those places are bound to be packed full of travelers. You don’t want to get stuck at a hostel that only has rooms left because it’s nasty and full of bugs!

Would agree with Kayling, Try and increase your budget if possible.

My budget has actually increased by a lot.
It’s about 5070$CAN now!

That’s great, have some fantastic place’s there. Because it’s a longer trip leave it quite open to changes on the road. You will have more fun being slightly flexible.

please tell me how this trip worked out!!!!
This is basically excatly what i want my trip to be like… i have about the same bugdet too (5000) !!

Our trip is going amazing!
The itinerary posted here is absolutely nothing like what we actually did though.
Due to either trains not having room, hostels not having room, or just sheer impulse, this is what our trip has been so far (or at least what I can remember)
London 3 —-> I didn’t enjoy myself in London at all, but that’s just my personal opinion.
Paris 4 —-> I loved this city. St. Christopher’s Inns was very nice, it’s a brand new hostel and has everything you need. Kind of far from the city but whatever. I don’t have much advice to give about Paris because there is so much to do. Do what interests you and just make sure you eat a crepe and drink wine.
Barcelona 3 —-> Barcelona Dream Hostel was great. The best kitchen we’ve had in a hostel so far. It’s only a 10 minute walk from the beach, but kind of far from the city. Going to see the Sagrada Familia was one of the best things I’ve seen on this trip so far. GO SEE IT. Everything is closed here on Sundays, so try to work around that. A bunch of things were closed on the Monday too. Wake up early in this city and sleep during Siesta.
Nice 3 —-> Three nights is too much for someone who isn’t a beach person. All there is to do here is sit on the beach. The Contemporary Art museum was alright. Wake up really early one morning and rent mopeds and drive them to other cities on the Cote D’Azur.
Geneva 2 —-> Geneva was boring to me, so I don’t feel like writing about it.
Interlaken 2 —-> My second favorite place next to Bled, only because it was more expensive. THIS CITY IS BEAUTIFUL. I just wish it wasn’t so expensive to do everything exciting. Backpacker’s Villa Sonnenhof was one of the best hostels we’ve stayed in thus far. Free laundry, free breakfast (with coffee!!), free internet. They have a whole bunch of different hikes you can go on and will tell you how to go about doing them. However, money is very restricting here. We couldn’t do anything too extreme. I wish going up the Jungfrau was 100+euros.
Gimmelwald 1 —-> GO HERE. Do not get it confused with Grindelwald. Stay at the Mountain Hostel for two nights (I regret only staying one.) Only if you enjoy hiking.
Cinque Terre 3 —-> Wish we only stayed two. DO NOT STAY AT CINQUE TERRE HOLIDAYS.
Rome 4 —-> Make sure you get the audio guide when you go to Palatine Hill, or else it all just looks like a pile of old rocks. The Coliseum is not overrated, it was amazing. Do not take pictures with the guys dressed as Spartans unless you’re willing to pay 5euros for it. Eat pizza and gelato all the time.
Florence 4 —-> If you don’t like art you can do it in 3 days. Going to see David is overpriced, but worth it. Don’t settle for the replica. Mercato Centrale and the street market in front of it are fun. I spent too much money there. We stayed at Plus Florence Hostel and it was really nice.
Bologna 2 —-> I wish we had stayed longer. It was an awesome little college town with cool people. Not very much to see but just a great vibe and a great city to relax in. We stayed at Hotel Fiera, which was outside of Bologna, but only 15euro a night per person for a double ensuite, and it was a three star hotel, with the most delicious breakfast I’ve had in two months, and a shower that was sent by the gods. Stay here if you’re stopping in Bologna.
Ferrara 1 —-> I was bored here. There’s only one hostel in this city and the staff didn’t speak english, which was frustrating.
Venice 2 —-> Stay outside of Venice, it’s much cheaper. Do not bring a map to Venice. It won’t help you, and you shouldn’t use it. Just get lost and sit by the canals and enjoy yourself. Signs are all over the city walls pointing you in the direction of main landmarks (like St. Marco Square and Piazza Roma), and those will help you more than a map.
Munich 2 —-> I also wish we stayed longer here. The company that offers free tours and maps everywhere offers a tour of Dachau Concentration Camp for 15euros (student price), I recommend you do this, even if you aren’t Jewish it was very interesting. If you are interested in going to beer halls, we went to the famous one, Augustiner Keller. This one was more expensive, and had a less homey feel than Augustiner Brau, which we enjoyed much more, for way less money, and better beer (in my opinion).
Bled 2 —-> GO HERE. This has been my favorite place so far. You have to go. GO HERE. Stay at Traveller’s Haven. It was cheap and you will not find a nicer hostel owner your whole trip.
Ljubljana 1 —-> Once you’re in Bled, go to Slovenia’s capital. Stay more than one night. We tried something here called Buckwheat Cake. We got it from the street market there. I couldn’t even tell you what was in it, but it was SO DELICIOUS.
Vienna 2 —-> I loved this city too. Tons to do here, I wish we stayed longer.
Budapest 2 —-> Go here. Stay more than 2 nights, I wish we stayed four. Rent a bike. Best architecture.
Prague 2 —-> Prague wasn’t all it’s hyped up to be (in my opinion), it was nice, but two days was definitely enough to explore it. Make sure you go to the astronomical clock on the hour to see it do some cool thing. Also, try to book a hostel with a kitchen, it was hard finding cheap food.
Berlin 3 —-> Where I am now. Love it here. The beer I’m drinking is the most delicious thing… ever.

I am very much under budget. We rarely eat in restaurants and usually stop at grocery stores. As long as you’re aware of how much money you’re spending, and how much you have left you shouldn’t have any problems. I’ve noticed that hostel have been getting more expensive those because it’s high season, so maybe it’ll be harder for you. I still wouldn’t worry about your budget.
When are you leaving??

If you have any other questions please email me! I know how nervous I was before my trip and how many questions I had.

wow thank you so much!
It’s so nice to hear the opinions’ of someone who has been to all these places.. recently!
I’m glad your trip is going amazing, and its comforting to see that someone with an initiative somewhat like mine is working out so well!

I plan on leaving either next April/may or august/September.. but I haven’t yet decided which time would be more appropriate.
Do you suggest going the time of year you did? is it very hot in Europe?

did you book any hostels before you started your trip? if not do you recommend so?

also i am a female and i’m thinking about possibly having to take most of the trip solo.. which makes me nervous…

Thanks so much!

Glad to hear it’s all going well, have fun for the rest of the trip.

Thanks for the update! Sounds like your having a brilliant time!!!