Korean Job Discussion Forums

[MattHart09]

The wife and I are planning on backpacking around Europe once our contract is up in February, 2010. We are looking to see four or five cities and plan on the trip being about 3 weeks

We are preferably looking to go to Rome, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and London. Would buying a train pass be the cheapest way to do this? We looked and it was about 1050 USD for a 21 day Eurorail pass. Any suggestions from anyone who had done this before would be awesome. Thanks

[soviet_man]

If I had 5 European choices mine would be:

Spain (including Gibraltar and a side trip by ferry to Morocco - all 3 close together and you can do them all in one go).

Russia (hostelling in Moscow has really taken off in the past two years, and it is a great place to either start or finish a trip to Europe).

Positano Italy (google it and tell me it is not the most perfect place in the world for a vacation).

Turkey Istanbul (represents pretty good value for money at the moment and is outside the Euro zone).

Amsterdam (like you I would keep on the list, safe choice, good entertainment options, pleasant enough)


CLOSE RUNNER UP:

Santorini Greece (I am sucker for magnificent white-washed architecture on cliffsides overlooking the sea)

[waynehead]

I did this after my 2nd contract, we hit London, Rome, Barcelona, Paris, and Dublin.

The train pass was definitely not worth it at the time (June 0, we used ryanair and easyjet to get around, was usually about 50 euro from city to city.

Had a blast, but spent a boatload of money, way more than I'd intended. Europe is not cheap compared to Asia, bear that in mind, but it is worth it.

[Morgen]

Although soviet man's suggestions are all worthwhile places, 3 weeks is not enough time to visit the far corners of Europe, even flying. Maybe if you just wanted to get the stamp in your passport and some shots of each other in front of the main sights. The itinerary you mentioned will already be cutting it pretty fine, but that wasn't your question.

Ryanair or probably one of the other bargain European airlines will probably be your best bet from a cost perspective, particularly given your time constraints, IF and only if you have VERY little baggage, or can store it somewhere (shipping it home, unless you were going to do that anyway, cancels out the savings). I hate to fly and I haaaate dealing with airports and immigration and transport to/from them, so personally I would visit fewer places and go by rail. I also like to watch the countryside go by and not feel like I was just sucked out of one country and dropped into another.

A railpass really only makes sense, though, for longer trips when you'll be on the road more often. I would estimate that buying the cheapest possible economy tickets for the kind of trip you mentioned would cost at least 700-800USD, with the trip from Rome really being your main time and money drain. These cities are all about 4-6 hours apart by rail (except Paris and London of course), but Rome is easily 16 hours and several hundred dollars from Berlin.

If, however, you were willing to cut Rome from the trip you can scale back the cost of your rail tickets dramatically. Why not visit Prague instead? It's beautiful, drastically cheaper than Italy and next door to Berlin, and I bet you could put together a Prague -> Berlin -> Amsterdam -> Paris -> London ticket that would run around $500, traveling on weekdays. Italy can easily fill an entire trip by itself, so if it were me I'd save it for another time.

Oh, also bear in mind that crossing international borders inflates transport costs quite a bit. So if you can visit two or more cities in the same country that will lower your costs as well, and a country pass might be a better choice. For example, the Anywhere Anytime France pass costs about $159 (I can't remember for sure) for the first trip and then you can buy additional tickets for $50.

Sorry, I get carried away.

[Dude Ranch]

[qwerty]

10-day Eurail Global Pass Saver Flexi will be enough for 3weeks.(u choose 10days in 2months)
http://www.eurail.com/eurail-global-pass?currency=usd 699usd per person.
or buy at somewhat big travel agency for 518 euro. same price everywhere in korea.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

[Beeyee]

Tallin my friend. It's like something from a Disney movie. At least it was in the winter when I went.

[Morgen]

Talinn is lovely, and an easy ferry from Helsinki. It's also almost as far away as Rome from Berlin, and not as well connected by train or bus. February is a pretty good time to visit though, aside from the short days.

[Zach with a Z]

Lived in Amsterdam for a year, a nice city... but honestly if your doing only 5 cities in Europe.. Amsterdam shouldn't be on the list. Unless you really want to smoke pot or watch people hump on stage. Those are the stereotypes but its what makes the place "fun." Otherwise you'll be going to a place with some of the lamest late night action I have ever seen and really expensive everything.

Also, if you really like drunk Brits and Scotts, Amsterdam might be your place.

Honestly, its a nice place, but not a top 5.

[Zach with a Z]

Again... its a nice place but not a top five if you've never been to Europe...

London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Budapest, Prague, Dublin, Warsaw

all beat it.

[wawawawonder]

[hugekebab]

[poppamidnight]

For me, the best way around was a 21-day contiki tour (18-35 year olds), for $1,300 CAD - Transport, Sites, Accommodation + some food...
..But you might be out of that option (realistically it's 12-28 year olds), so here's my advice:

-Cheap Airlines - Yes, their cheap and often more logical than Eurail BUT (and it's a big but) - It's not really good if you have alot of luggage (which you might have doing this trip on your way back). They ding you big on the excess weight. It really only makes sense for weekend-travelers or backpackers.

As far as cities, I'm speaking as a 23 year old whose been to Europe twice now: Top 5 (in no order)

-Barcelona
-Amsterdam
-Munich
-Paris
-Rome

But if you like a more class/pricey experience, Nice, Monaco, Vienna would be up there
If you like a more grungy + cheaper experience (although still amazing) hit up eastern Europe: Budapest, Prauge, Bucharest (or Bran/Transylvania area)

[heyhatty]

For your trip I would start in Rome, then Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris and London. I would fly from Rome to Berlin then have a 14 day Eurail pass for the last 4 cities. Rome to Berlin is a long train ride. If you want to stop in Venice, Vienna, and Munich, I would get the Eurail pass for the whole trip.