There are a variety of ways to get from London to Paris. You could fly.
I’ve never done the Eurostar, but would like to. If you want to do the Eurostar, you might look into it fairly soon. Flying might be cheaper, but it might not be as convenient—it depends on where you fly out of and in to.
Budget is tricky, but I’d say you should think about a minimum average of $75 a day, others may offer different opinions. I have found it very easy to meet people, either in hostels or even on the train/plane, I’ve traveled alone several times and if I can muddle through safely, I think anyone can.

Thanks so much for your reply!!! I am serisously super excited about this trip
One thing I am still debating is if I should visit Bern instead of Amsterdam..

$75 sounds reasonable.
I guess that would include food as well? I heard dining in Europe is super expensive. I hope there are still cheap good food there. I seriously cannot wait!!!

I would definitely try to take Eurostar from London to Paris — it now takes just over 2 hours as opposed to the 5 hours (with getting to/from airports, check in, etc.) it will take to fly. Look for leisure fares and other specials at www.Eurostar.com

“Dining” is super expensive. On $75 per day you will not see anything that even resembles “dining.” You’ll be eating from markets, street vendors and perhaps the occasional tavern/cafe/pub. I think $75 per day (not counting airfare and city to city transportation) is pretty minimal for these expensive cities, but it’s certainly doable.

I would suggest you visit Amsterdam instead of Bern. Amsterdam is a much bigger city with both a lively night life as well as great architecture and museums. The Rijkmuseum and the Van Gogh museum have great collections. You could visit the Anne Frank huis if you are interested. The myriad grachts and the unique architecture makes it a very interesting city to visit. Bern is much smaller compared to Amsterdam. While it has some interesting points of attraction such as the Einstein museum and the Zytglogge, It is more like a pit stop on your way to the Bernese Oberland. Since you are going to spend 2-3 days in each city, I guess it doesn’t make sense spending a lot of time travelling from one to the other. Bern is somewhat out of the way in the itinerary that you have planned.

Why did you add Berne, staying with friends?
It is nice but Interlaken is much better if you want to see Switzerland and the Swiss Alps!
Read over all the money and safety tips on this site and read guide books like Let’s Go and Rick Steve’s for travel advice in each city you will visit and you will be ok. Pack as light as possible but bring a rain jackets for wind, rain and cool nights.

Have you broken down each day with train times to see how much time you will have in each city?

Yes I have a friend there so I was debating between Amsterdam and Bern. BUT after hearing all you guys’s expertise, I have decided to go to Amsterdam as planned.

I dont know anything about Europe and its history/attractions etc.
I better start reading some travel books to begin planning more specifically about the trip.

Since I am travelling in late May, I feel like I still have a lot of time.

One more question.

Is it essential to book the hostels before I go? Do hostels get fully booked during May?
While backpacking, does that mean literally taking one backpack? or do I take a laugage and a backpack?

I know some of these questions might sound stupid, but since it is my first ever backpacking trip, I know you guys will understand

THanks soooooo much for all your advices!

Your questions are fine, just start researching today because your departure date will be here before you know it.
Most travelers will bring an internal frame backpack (if your back is strong) and a daypack for personal & valuable items that will be used as your carry-on bag. Backpacks, if fitted properly will be very comfortable (note bags are different for men and women based on your size). Your hands are free to read a map, take pictures and eat while walking to your hostel.
Others will bring a small suitcase on wheels along with a daypack for personal & valuable items that will be used as your carry-on bag. Most people will have this bag at home so you will save money. Note you will have to be able to carry your own suitcase up and down the staircases in the subways and train stations. You don’t have many stairs for your short trip. When in crowded public areas, on trains and busses, wear your daypack on your chest so that you do not bump others around you and so you don’t get pick pocketed.

Most backpacks or suitcases should NOT be larger than 24” tall by 16” wide and 9” deep. This maximum size will fit down the train aisles and in the overhead racks on the train.
Since you are only travelling for 12 – 13 days, pack as light as possible and you can take 2 hours out of one day to do laundry if needed.

Copy and paste the free checklist under the sticky on the Packing forum and add and delete items for your own private checklist.

Hostels should not fill up in May, but book your first and last hostels so you are booked and you won’t panic if hostel is full esp. on the weekend. If you have a set schedule, book all your hostels and print out maps and directions so you will no how to find it upon arrival.

I would definitely book hostels in places you will be during the weekend, but during the week I wouldn’t worry too much about it in May. If you were going in July, I’d say yes, book ahead, but May is still springtime in Europe, people still in school, etc. Not as many tourists as summer.

To me, nothing screams tourist more than wearing a backpack across your chest. But a regular backpack with like, a tote or messenger bag, is fine, you would blend in more as maybe a european student then. Keep in mind the Europeans don’t really believe in elevators, so you will be walking up ALOT of stairs and you will have to carry all of your stuff. All bags should be lockable and zip up all the way!

There should be plenty of little kiosks, local food places, bakeries, etc. wherever you go. I know in Paris and Amsterdam, (the two places on your list I’ve been) there are cheap food places everywhere. You can get a huge baguette in Paris for like, 1.50 euros, and it will last you all day and then some (share it, because after a day it’ll start getting hard) and you could buy a small jar of nutella to eat with it, also cheap. There are also little stands where you can get sugar crepes for a couple euros or ham and cheese sandwiches for about 3-4 euros.
In Amsterdam, Indonesian food is cheap and everywhere and YUMMY, and you MUST have a dutch waffle somewhere. There is a stand in the park next to the Van Gogh museum, for one.

Also, keep in mind if you are going from Paris to Amsterdam, the quickest way is the Thalys, but it is also sort of expensive, even with a railpass (requires, still, a ~25 euro seat reservation just in 2nd class!).

Wow you guys are really awesome.
People are me have been saying that I am crazy for travelling to europe alone but I really think this will be the way to really experience “travelling” by meeting random people and seeing the world.

I am not too worried about food since I am sure anywhere in the world there are cheap food. Even in New York dining could be expensive but there are a lot of cheap but good food here too.

So. For travelling within Europe, is the eurail the best way to do it?
For example from Paris to Amsterdam to Berlin. And usually how log are the train rides? I heard something about overnight trains and that could save hostel money if I sleep on the train.

I was researching online and found that US citizens dont need visa to travel if I plan to stay less than six months. Is that true?

Thanks guys for all your help!

nope, no visa needed!
Lots of people travel to Europe (and other places!) alone and are perfectly fine. I met some people traveling alone last summer when I was there studying.

I don’t know that for you Eurail is the best option, since you are only traveling to basically 4 big destinations. Also, Eurail is not valid in Britain. A 5 day in 2 month 3 country pass is $285. (assuming you are under age 26)
You could take the Thalys between Paris and Amsterdam, and the Eurostar between London and Paris. The Thalys takes 4 hours and the Eurostar a little over 2 hours.

Here are some ticket prices for London-Paris, Paris-Amsterdam, and Amsterdam-Berlin. I used the dates you provided in your eurotrip for this, btw, and assumed you were a youth.

Judging from the DB website, there don’t seem to be any direct overnight trains between Amsterdam and Berlin (and the trains that are overnight look really inconvenient for times), but a day train is about 6 to 6.5 hours, and you could get there by about 1pm if you left on the 7am train. DB is also running some specials right now where you can get these tickets for only 39 euros (as opposed to about 100-140 euros normally) so I’d jump on this while you can! http://reiseauskunft…

Thalys is also running promotions for Paris-Amsterdam on thalys.com (select France-English since that’s where you’ll be getting the tix at), for about 52 euros per ticket.
Eurostar tickets (eurostar.com) range from $65 US to $129 depending on when you leave London (the earliest train is the cheapest).

All of these cheap tickets add up to be about $187 which is obviously much less than the rail pass (AND it includes travel from london). You can also pick all of these tickets up in Europe at the major train station you’ll be leaving from, just have to have the credit card you paid with the retrieve it.

Sorry this is so long, I am procrastinating finishing my paper so I thought I would do some research! lol have fun!

Traveling solo is the best way. Since you are comfortable with New York and their subways, you will be fine in Europe. Just do your homework so you know where you are going, what train stations do you arrive at and depart from, where you will be staying, how to get there, what you will be doing, what museums, monuments and sites are a “MUST SEE” on your checklist. NOTE: when you plan your schedule, many cities have limited shops & markets open on Sunday. Many museums are closed on Mondays. By listing every place you MUST SEE with hours, prices & discounts for those under 26, you can better plan your days. For example, you don’t show up at Louvre and find out that it is closed or hike all the way up the steep hill to the Neuschwanstein Castle to find out that you have to buy tickets at the bottom of the hill to go inside. That would suck! And you must know to hike another 5 minutes uphill to the bridge for a great view of the river and the castle. You only have 13 days to enjoy Europe. The more you read and get familiar with each city, the more you will enjoy your visit. I tell everyone to take a notebook to the giant bookstores or library and write down these tips from Let’s Go and Rick Steves so you don’t make any mistakes and you save time. Look up the outdoor markets to smell and look at the different foods, buy fruit and snacks for your train rides and picnics.

Yes.

One more Question!! hehe

Which city should I spend the weekends? Paris vs Amsterdam
Amsterdam sounds like a place to be for the twety something people.

I just went to barnes and nobles and bought travel books for the cities I am visiting.
I have to start doing lots of readings and researching!

Thanks guys!!!

ANOTHE BIG BIG QUESTION GUYS!!

What time is the check in & Check out times for hostels?
Are they the same as hotels?

check-in/out time vary but are usually 10-11am for check out and 2-4pm for check in, at least from all the ones I’ve seen.

Amsterdam is fun, but so is Paris. I spent a weekend in Amsterdam while I was studying in Paris last year but I personally like Paris better. It rains ALOT in Amsterdam, and can get kinda chilly no matter what time of year (I was there in July and it was only about 65F!).

Amsterdam is all party all the time no matter if you are there during a weekend or not. Paris’s sights are probably more easily accessed (less crowds, etc) during the week though, so between the two, I’d go Amsterdam on the weekend.

I would second Kayling05. Summer weekends in Paris are extremely busy times to visit places such as museums. Weekdays are comparatively better. And yes, it does rain a lot in Amsterdam! All the three times that I visited the city, it was raining

Talking about hostels, one of the good things is that you can easily leave your luggage for the day. So, even if you check out early you can go around the city for the day and return to collect your luggage in the evening.