Hi! I’m planning a tour of Europe after my study abroad trip in 2012. I have at least one girl that is interested in going with me. First, I should ask: is it safe for a girl to travel Europe, especially Eastern Europe? (I’m asking because there is always the possibility of the girl deciding not to go.) I speak German and French, which can get me through some of the counties, but once I get into Eastern Europe, I won’t have an idea what anyone is saying.
Second, I have an itinerary planned. Well, three. The first is for the summer, the other two for two breaks I’ll have during my study abroad trip. I was wondering if you could offer advice on:
1) Is this a safe place to go as a girl(s)
2) Is it worth going to
3) Is it logical to go there
4) Am I going there for too long, or too short a time
I’m really confused, actually, on how long you are supposed to stay places to get a good taste of it. Ideally, I’d like to have my ideas, but go about them loosely. The one night towns are more “we are passing through” towns, in which hopefully we’ll arrive during the night, stay a night, and leave the next day/night on a train. (If I want to stay an extra night somewhere, I can.) I’d like to keep my stay between a month- a month and a half. Ideally, a month would be perfect, but I wouldn’t be able to see nearly as much as I wanted to.
I’d be very, very grateful. Thanks everyone!
Paris, France- 5 nights
(go to Milan 6th night) (Sunday, June 12th)
Milan, Italy- 2 nights
(go to Venice 3rd night) (Wednesday, June 15th)
Venice, Italy- 2 nights
(go to Rome 3rd night) (Saturday, June 18th)
Rome, Italy- 5 nights
(Take overnight ferry to Greece, 5th night) (Friday, June 24th)
Athens, Greece- 5 nights
(go to Sofia 6th night) (Thursday, June 30th)
Sofia, Bulgaria- 1 night
(go to Macedonia 2nd night) (Sunday, July 3rd)
Skopje, Macedonia- 1 night
(go to Bacau 2n d night) (Tuesday, July 5th)
Bacau, Romania- 2 nights
(go to Moldova 3rd night) (Friday, July 8th)
Chisinau, Moldova- 1 night
(go to Kyiv 2nd night) (Sunday, July 10th)
Kyiv, Ukraine- 5 nights
(go to Budapest 6th night) (Saturday, July 16th)
Budapest, Hungary- 1 night
(go to Prague 2nd night) (Monday, July 18th)
Prague, Czech Republic- 3 nights
(go to Vienna 2nd night) (Friday, July 22nd)
Vienna- 4 nights
(5th night, return to Paris, to London) (Wednesday, July 27th)
*Kyiv is the entire reason I am going on the trip… I MUST see Babi Yar, so it has to stay there, as awkward as it is. All three trips are loosely Holocaust themed.
So, if I wanted to break it down, what would you suggest? What is the least important of these cities? What do you think is obsolete?
Also (I’m certainly going to buy a book on this, this is going to happen in 2012, so it isn’t a terribly rush now), I’m assuming that travel times are subtracted from the night you are in the city? So, if it took me a day to get to Greece, I’d really only be there four nights? Do I need to factor in a night between each place?
The other two:
December 18th: Take super train to Paris, from Paris to Buren
Buren- That day (December 18th-19th) -1 full day
(December 20th, travel to Mikołajki)
Mikołajki , that day (December 20rd and 21st)- 1 full day
December 22, travel to Warsaw
Warsaw, that day (22th-25th) – 3 full days
(December 26th, travel to Lodz)
Lodz- that day, (December 26th-29th)- 3 full days
December 30th, travel to Krakow
Krakow, that day (December 30th- January 4th)- 4 full days
January 5th, return to Paris, high tail it home.
2)
April 2nd, travel to Paris, catch a ride to Berlin
Berlin (April 3rd-8th)- 6full days
April 9th, catch train to Nuremberg
Nuremberg (April 9th-13th) -3 full days
April 13th, catch a train to Munich
Munich (13th-16th)- 3 full days
April 17th, catch a train to Braunau- Am Inn
Braunau- Am Inn (April 17st-18th)- 1 day
April 19th, catch a train to Strasbourg.
Strasbourg- (April 19th-20th)- 1 day
April 21th, return to Paris, home.
So, if someone is very kind, would you like to edit my schedule to something that you see more fit? I’m totally open to your guidance.
FYL: What I can live without missing anything, expect for not being able to say I’ve been there:
Sofia, Bulgaria
Skopje, Macedonia
Budapest, Hungary
I could live without Milan, too, although I’m a little bit interested in it.
Also, if any of you foresee Greece a grave problem, please tell me. But I have to get to Romania somehow.
