Trip to Europe: HELP!

Parent Cafe
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<p>Hi parents! I’m planning a trip to Europe with 4-6 friends. We’ll be 18. We want to go to England for a week and Paris for a week. (2 weeks in July) We’re considering visiting scotland for a night or two during our london week. We’re still debating hotels vs hostels and what airline to take. Also we’re considering eurorail, britrail, eurostar, etc. </p>

<p>We want to see big ben, globe theater, westminster abbey, oxford, stonehenge, windsor castle, eiffel tower, arc de triumphe,louvre, notre dame, vineyards/wine tasting, versailles?, disneyland?, edinburgh, lockness monster and notanic gardens. Any info on these places, hotels, hostels, trains, air fare,etc would be greatly appreciated! We’re thinking a budget of $2000-3500. </p>

<p>I’m so stressed with college apps now so trip planning is a great way to get my mind off of it all! </p>

<p>Thanks,
E</p>

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<p>I visited Europe for the first time when I was in my early twenties. While planning the trip I learned that England is approximately the size of Arkansas, and, accordingly, I decided to try and see that country, Scotland, and Ireland in three weeks. I’m here to tell you it wasn’t possible. In a week it’s reasonable to spend two or three days in London then make a couple of side trips out of the city. Same kind of thing in Paris and the rest of France. </p>

<p>Don’t read all the travel books because they will just make you manic to try and see everything. Tell yourself you WILL return some day, and take the time to relax and enjoy your surroundings each day. Good luck!</p>

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<p>I agree with SuNa</p>

<p>Less is more and definitely don’t waste precious time on Disney stuff. </p>

<p>In London, a great day trip is to Warwick castle. You can take a train there and it is a wonderfully restored castle from the time of William the Conquerer, with wax figures from different historical eras, minstrels, a rose garden with peacocks, etc. It was an incredible experience (though we went there 10 years ago; I guess you should check if it’s still as great). We loved the town of Warwick too.</p>

<p>We went to Bath and Stonehenge too; we took a sort of expensive bus tour. You might be able to do it cheaper by public transportation.</p>

<p>If you like theater, it’s fun to get the half-price tickets the day of the performance in London.</p>

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<p>July is not the most opportune time to take a budget trip to Europe - it’s high season and everything will be more expensive. </p>

<p>Having said that, there are plenty of ways to travel for less. You should make yourself familiar with Sherman’s Travel and Travelzoo: they both have weekly “good deal” lists that occasionally offer cut fares to Europe. Sherman’s Travel also offers an airfare watcher. </p>

<p>My family flew to Paris for less than $200 per round trip ticket from LaGuardia Airport in NY, on American Airlines (well, with all the taxes and fees it was $218/per RT ticket). That was in February, when it’s freaking freezing in Paris, which is why we got the good deal. Icelandic Air also occasionally has some good deals to Paris, with a layover in Iceland. </p>

<p>Hotels will probably be way too expensive, so you should definitely make yourself familiar with hostels. There are a couple of hostel review sites on the web. </p>

<p>For what you are planning, I would scrap Scotland. It’s a long way from London, and deserves more time than just one or two nights. </p>

<p>London is a tremendously expensive city. We went there a few years ago, and we stayed at the Travel Inn County Hall, which is around the corner from the London Eye and a block from Big Ben and the halls of Westminster. It was shortly after 9/11, so everything travel related was less expensive, and we paid less about $78/night - I’m sure it’s a lot more expensive than that now. However, most of the museums are free, which is great. Food…you’re generally better off hitting the market and buying it yourself, it’s so expensive. If your travel companions are all around your age, you won’t be able to rent a car, so you would have to take a bus daytrip to Stonehenge. </p>

<p>Stonehenge is in the middle of fields of sheep, and if you see it in the bright sunlight, not as interesting as you’d imagine, but it was fun for our family, although pricey. I didn’t see Oxford, so I have no input on that. We didn’t go to Windsor Castle, we went to Leeds Castle instead - the tour guides there were hilarious. If you check out Rick Steves guide to London, you can find some interesting things to do - you can send away for free passes to a special evening tour of the Tower of London, for example. Just remember: expensive!!! You can also take a day trip from London to Bath, which is lovely, although fairly touristy. </p>

<p>Paris is one of my very favorite places in the world. If you are planning to stay for a week, think about renting an apartment - look for vacation rentals online, we found an apartment that we rented for about $380 for the week, cheaper then even the sleaziest hostels (again, it was way off-season). You can try to find one that is close to the Metro, that makes for easy travel to various parts of Paris, but my recommendation would be to find someplace in the vicinity of Rue Mouffetard in the Latin Quarter. It’s not as hot a travel spot as Montmartre, so prices should be a bit lower. </p>

<p>Versailles in July should be lovely - we didn’t go because the Hall of Mirrors was being renovated, and since it was February, no gardens to look at. Tour Eiffel - you can save some money by climbing steps to the second level (not free, but I think it was 3 euro), but you have to buy elevator tickets to go all the way to the top. Very touristy and very crowded, even in winter. Even lovelier and totally free - the view of Paris from Sacre Coeur, which, if you’ve seen the movie Amelie, would be instantly recognizable. Montmartre is undeniably charming. Definitely spend a day at the Louvre, it’s well worth it, you might want to familiarize yourself with the exhibits you are most interested in so you can make the most of your time. Notre Dame…I can’t remember if we had to pay a fee to enter, but it’s kind of cool to go out there anyway. Arc de Triomphe, yes, I would go to that, Champs Elyesee is a fun walk. </p>

<p>Rue Mouffetard is a pedestrian road with every imaginable shop and restaurant. While food can be expensive in Paris, there are also bargains to be had, so look around. Despite the bad reputations Parisians have for being rude, we found most people really lovely and helpful. In fact, the first person we met in Paris had a daughter who went to UCONN, which is 15 minutes from our house! </p>

<p>You can get Visite Paris Metro tickets, or for a little less money but a little more chutzpah, you can attempt to get the kind of pass that most Parisians use, the name of which is escaping me at the moment. </p>

<p>You may have to revise your budget or scale down your travels, but I hope you and your friends can go and have the time of your lives.</p>

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<p>Couple thots - First, if you can find a good hostel in/near London, go for it. Hotels are extremely expensive. In fact, everything is expensive. Is the $2000-3500 per person? (I hope.) </p>

<p>We went to London in June. Flew in on Sunday (from Germany), flew out on Saturday. We stayed with friends who lived in Cambridge, and took the train every day into London. We= my husband, son (20), daugter (17) and me. The train pass included underground throughout London, which saved a lot of time. </p>

<p>We spent five full days in London, and still didn’t see everything. I do recommend looking through a tour book so you can prioritize what you want, then go on line, see what’s open and when. You won’t have time for 4-6 kids standing around saying, “I don’t know, what do YOU want to do?”</p>

<p>There is so much to do. I know we didn’t do a lot of things that are “usual” – we didn’t ride the big ferris wheel for example (a 30 minute slow ride which gives a great view of London. Lines are long, and it’s pretty expensive. Wasn’t worth it to us. You can get a great view from Tower Bridge and other places, too. We also skipped Madame Toussand’s - long lines and expensive.) We chose things important to us – we went to the Royal College of Music to see Dennis Brain’s French Horn. (free!) Wandered through Harrods Department Store (free!) Saw the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum (free!) The art museum was also free, and wonderful. We were mad at ourselves for paying money earlier to see the Queen Mother’s art collection - when this public one was so much bigger and better. </p>

<p>We also went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum (on Baker Street.) Churchill’s Underground Bunkers and museum. Handel’s home. Charles Dicken’s home. </p>

<p>Westminster Abbey was totally worth it. Take the tour - it costs a bit more, but you get to go places others don’t get to go, and learn a lot more, too.</p>

<p>Tower of London (deceptive name - it’s a castle) was also enjoyable. </p>

<p>And I had checked online before we left, so I knew when the Tower Bridge drawbridge was scheduled to go up. We made sure we were along the river to see it. (That part was free!)</p>

<p>England isn’t known for it’s food. Definitely try a pub or two for the experience, but if you’re on a budget, duck into one of the grocery stores and buy a pre-packaged sandwich. It’s about as good as anything. We liked to buy them and then go eat in Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens. Gorgeous places.</p>

<p>Our splurge - totally worth it - was seeing Les Miserables live in the theater district. We bought our tickets before we left home, but there are plenty of places to buy them - Just make sure you buy from a legitimate place.</p>

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<p>I don’t usually post, but I got so excited about your trip that I have to give my opinion!</p>

<p>Buy Rick Steves (note that’s the correct spelling of his last name) travel guides about Europe. I love those books! Great info about the sights as well as good insights about the cultures that help you get along with the natives.</p>

<p>I know that you want to see EVERYTHING, but I’d suggest seeing parts of only one country because jet lag/culture shock/the amazing number of sights there are to see can leave you exhausted and barely able to take in the sights if you’re just running from place to place.</p>

<p>When I went on my honeymoon, I went to London for about 10 days, spending a little time there before heading to Edinburgh, Inverlochy and departing from Glassgow. This was a very nice way to see 2 countries, and is, I think, a reasonable itinerary for 2 weeks.</p>

<p>Three of about the last 5 years, I have spent virtually the entire summer living in Paris, where my husband was working. There is absolutely so much to do there that even spending the whole summer there, I never ran out of things to do.</p>

<p>If you go in July, you could be there for the Bastille Day (July14th parade), and you also could be there for Paris Plague – Beach Paris – when sand is trucked onto the banks of about a mile of the Seine and there are riverside cafes, concerts, roller blading, sunbathing and various other things going on. This is what the city does so that the residents can have fun who can’t get away during a month that’s popular for residents to take long vacations. </p>

<p>The summer sales of clothing also go on for about 6 weeks starting in mid June. The sale dates are determined by the government, so if you go in July, you’ll be assured of finding sales. </p>

<p>There also are free outdoor film festivals that are held. Rick Steves books, I believe, give this info as well as some wonderful tips about how to get along with the French. When I put those tips into action (a main one is always say “Bonjour, Madame” or “Bonjour, monsieur” before any transaction, and when entering a store. Also at the end of a transaction, say “merci,” and “au revoir.” Most Americans don’t do this, even by saying those things in English (which would be OK, too), and the French end up being rude to us because to them we are the rude ones for not displaying what they think are common courtesies.</p>

<p>One can go to Versaille as an easy day trip by train. One also can go to Rouen (Joan of Arc was burned there) and to Giverny (Monet’s picturesque home) by easy day trips. I’m sure that there are many more, but I fell so in love with Paris that I never wanted to leave. It’s such a gorgeous, sensual city!</p>

<p>Anyway, my advice would be to choose England/Scotland or choose France so you get an opportunity to fully enjoy and appreciate your trip without driving yourself crazy.</p>

<p>Whatever you decide to do, sounds like a wonderful chance to build memories for a lifetime!</p>

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<p>I traveled to Europe in my early 20’s with a backpack and friends for 10 weeks…entire trip cost just about $2K (this was in 1980’s money LOL!). We stayed in hostels, tiny cheapie pensions, saved $$ by sleeping on trains whenever we had a longer trip. We often bought food in a market, rather than eat in restaurants (nothing like bread and cheese…fresh!). </p>

<p>I still think about what a great trip that was. Have a terrific time! I don’t know if the “Let’s go Europe” book is still around, or even helpful now, but it was our bible during that trip.</p>

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<p>last year I took my D (14 and 16) to rome and paris…we flew ryan air to rome, train to paris, and back to Ireland</p>

<p>one thing to remember, on cheap flights, like ryan air, luggage is minimum, and if its overweight, there is a steap charge, but what we did was alot of shopping in rome, taking train to paris, and then paid the extra to fly our new clothers back to ireland</p>

<p>Youth hostel was great, just bring locks…</p>

<p>I highly recommend youth hostels, they aren’t the most pristine places, but they are cheap, and convienent, there are some great books out about hostels- the quiet ones, the party ones, the family ones, etc</p>

<p>have a great time!!</p>

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<p>Great advice above. I’ll just comment on the Scotland leg – you can’t do it in a day from London. It’s about 400 miles from London to Edinburgh (about the same as from Los Angeles to San Francisco), and even on the train it will take the better part of a travel day.</p>

<p>I think the Scotland is well worth it, but it’s not going to be the same experience as the big cities. I’d visit Edinburgh, the Great Glen and Loch Ness, and the Highlands. Of course, if you drive to Edinburgh you can visit York on the way, which is the heart of Viking England, and a great old walled city. Up to Edinburgh for a day, then along the Glen and Loch Ness, and up to Inverness. Then over to Skye and a visit to the Clan Donald Center for some real highland information (and lamb pie that tasted better on Skye than, well, anywhere). You can then go south to Loch Lomond (you take the high road, etc.), down to the Lake District for a quick visit to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. This would be a great time to visit Stratford-Upon-Avon, Bath and Stonehenge, or even a jaunt into Wales for Cardiff Castle. You can then head back to London after the grand loop of Great Britian. Of course, this would take most of a week, but it would cover Bath and Stonehenge, too. </p>

<p>Hmm. It looks like with two weeks, you either get to do just the two big cities, or you can spend two weeks in either Britain or France. I’m unusual, but I found the Scots the nicest people I ran into in Europe, and wouldn’t miss it. YMMV.</p>

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<p>eeemillee:</p>

<p>Windsor castle is worth seeing but remember that it’s out close to Heathrow airport rather than in the center of London so visit it on the way in or out - especially if you stay at an airport hotel on the last night (not a bad idea). When in London, try to visit the Tower of London. It’s in the center of town and has the crown jewels, suits of armor, torture implements, and all kinds of cool stuff. I’ve seen Stonehenge a couple of times. It’s worth seeing but I wouldn’t pay a huge amount to do it. I drove to it after renting a car (I’m not recommending this to you) so it wasn’t costly for me. I saw Bath but was very disappointed - it was a dirty city with a lot of druggies/bums hanging around. The roman baths themselves were cool though.</p>

<p>For airlines, I recommend taking a nonstop if possible since it’s quicker, cheaper, and easier. My D went to London/Scotland on an exchange last year and ended up on United from LAX-London. It’s cheaper from the major USA hubs. Several of the airlines were close to the same price but she used my frequent flyer miles for her trip. </p>

<p>In London, check into the possibility of staying on a university campus in the dorms. Several of the Universities offer this and it may be cheaper for you. It might also be a fun experience. My D stayed in the dorms of Cambridge during the study abroad amd really liked them. Here’s one link that may help but there are other places as well - </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.kcl.ac.uk/about/structure/admin/facser/conbro/rates/individual.html[/url]”>http://www.kcl.ac.uk/about/structure/admin/facser/conbro/rates/individual.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I took the Eurostar through the chunnel but only from London to Calais where I rented another car (apparently the only person who ever does this judging from how empty it was). It’s a slick way to travel but may be more expensive than the cheap flights Europe currently has. The actual tunnel part is fairly short and uneventful.</p>

<p>I haven’t been to Euro-Disney but have spoken with many who have. They have the same attractions as Disneyland/Disneyworld here. Unless you’re really into seeing Euro-Disney, I’d skip it and take in something the USA doesn’t have. Go find another castle, cathedral, or just wander in a smaller town. Allow time to see the sights you’re not even thinking about right now. Eat fish&chips in some old pubs, have baggettes at some sidewalk cafe’s, etc.</p>

<p>I think you’ll have a blast regardless. Accept Europe for what it is and don’t expect it to be completely like the USA. Enjoy the differences and you’ll have even more fun. Good luck and bon voyage.</p>

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<p>Rick:</p>

<p>Believe it or not, an English colleague of mine also finds the Scots to be very friendly even though he’s English (there’s a bit of rivalry between the two groups from what I’ve heard). My D who did a study abroad program in Scotland found the locals very friendly and really wants to go back. She especially enjoyed the smaller towns.</p>

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<p>If you’re a Georgette Heyer or Jane Austen fan Bath is a must. I loved it - both the Roman baths and the 18th century crescents. Another great day trip from London is Oxford. Or make it two days and see Blenheim as well. In London my favorite quirky museum is the Sir John Sloan museum - he was an architect (ca. 1800) who made the most amazing use of light and organizing small spaces.</p>

<p>In Paris - try to see Versailles when the fountains are turned on. (Certain Sundays in my day.) I also think St. Chapelle is a must see - and eat ice cream at Berthillon’s on the Isle St. Louis. Just look for the line on the main street! <a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthillon[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthillon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I love, love Scotland, but save it for a trip of it’s own. I spent two week there a couple of years ago and it wasn’t enough.</p>

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<p>oh wow, i wasn’t sure if anyone would post back! I have to read all your advice over more carefully, but thank you so much!</p>

<p>E</p>

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<p>A good use of your time would be to fly into one city (say London), stay a week, catch the chunnel or a cheap flight to Paris & after spending a week there flying out of Paris & back to the US. This would save you time of backtracking. I also found Rick Steve’s suggestions & guides to be invaluable. We LOVED Paris & London but also agree with everyone that it’s MUCH better to see a few things & enjoy them instead of rushing about & not savoring what you find. There are great shops where you can get food inexpensively & pubs & ethnic restaurants are relatively inexpensive for lunches. We did a lot of picnicing, which saved our budget.</p>

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<p>London to Oxford costs only £9 return for students (don’t forget to bring student id for discounts). Its the bright red “Oxford Tube” bus at Hyde Park corner or Buckingham Palace road by Victoria rail station. Return ticket is good for 24 hours, any bus (every 15 mins, all night, all year) . Just turn up and get on. However, if you book in advance and choose specific bus it costs only £1.50 each. way. See link below (megabus are old uncomfy buses though.)
<a href=“megabus.com | Low cost bus tickets”>www.megabus.com/uk</a></p>

<p>Versailles will be very busy at the height of summer. Expect to queue for at least 2 hours. bring your own food. If you are all palaced-out by this time, consider just seeing the gardens. They are beautiful, cheap, take all day and there is no line.</p>

<p>Speaking of summer, on 21st June there is a summer solstice druid festival at Stonehenge. People go down to camp and watch the sun rise over the heel stone.</p>

<p>It might be difficult to go wine tasting without a car. Is this just because you’ll be over the legal drinking age? I recommend going to Reims, the capital of Champagne country. About 1hr train ride from Paris. You can do champagne house tours here which involve many free samples. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.ville-reims.com/[/url]”>http://www.ville-reims.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If you’re going to Bath, that is the centre of cider growing country. The farmers market is 80% “scrumpy” (cider) stalls, with free tasting.</p>

<p>Driving from London to Edinburgh would take something insane like 9 hours. Train about 4 hours if you choose minimum stops (GNER railways from Kings Cross. One that stops Peterborough, York, Newcastle only). Very expensive if you don’t have a railcard and book in advance. Cheaper to fly. Also Loch Ness is not 5 mins away. It’s quite far. A day trip in itself. </p>

<p>If you have ever been to Disneyland California, Euro-Disney is exactly the same without the good weather.</p>

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<p>Consider using Ryan Air for flights within Europe. There is a fee for checked luggage (7 euros a piece) with a weight limit (15 kilos, I think). You can carry on without a fee but since you sound like you will be moving from place to place with all your stuff you will need to check luggage when flying. You can check into flight information at ryanair.com</p>

<p>We’ve been to London several times, flying from Germany. We love the city but find it very, very, very expensive. Accommodations and food are outrageously expensive so plan accordingly. </p>

<p>Have a wonderful time!</p>

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<p>Use slowtrav.com for some very good travel advice for Europe. The Fodors.com forum is OK, but slowtrav is better for Europe.</p>

<p>A couple of very good, really cheap hotels in Paris in great locations:</p>

<p>Hotel du College de France
<a href=“https://secure.internet-agency.net/hotel-collegedefrance.com/accueil-us.html[/url]”>https://secure.internet-agency.net/hotel-collegedefrance.com/accueil-us.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Hotel de Nesle
<a href=“http://www.hoteldenesleparis.com/pages/infos.html[/url]”>http://www.hoteldenesleparis.com/pages/infos.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Use tripadvisor.com for hotel reviews.</p>

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<p>Listing for hostels worldwide:
<a href=“worldhostels.com”>worldhostels.com;

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<p>My S’s favorite hostel from his trip last year (London, Paris, Rome and a study abroad program in Spain) was the MIJE group in Paris. Great location, very clean and quiet enough to get sleep at night. The only negative might be the 1AM curfew.
<a href=“http://www.mije.com/index_individuels_uk.html[/url]”>http://www.mije.com/index_individuels_uk.html&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>In London he stayed at the Generator which was recommended by a few posters on CC. He said it was alot of fun with a good location, but very noisy.
<a href=“http://www.generatorhostels.com/[/url]”>http://www.generatorhostels.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The “Let’s Go” series of travel books contain lots of great info for the budget minded student traveler. Keep in mind that for much of the rail travel, youth fares go up to age 26. S took the Eurostar from London to Paris for 40 euros. Have a great time.</p>

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<p>Make sure you bring your student ID or consider getting an international student ID (google it). Europe has some great discounts for students.</p>