[evan]

Here's the Itinerary:

• May 27: Houston to Barcelona
• Barcelona: May 28 - June 1
• Rome: June 2 - June 6
• Florence: June 6 - June 8
• Venice: June 8 - June 10
• Varenna, Lake Como: June 10 - June 13
• Pontresina: June 13 - June 14
• Zurich: June 14
• Vienna: June 15 - June 18
• Prague: June 18 - June 22
• Berlin: June 22 - June 25
• Amsterdam: June 26 - June 29
• Copenhagen: June 30 - July 2
• Amsterdam again: July 3
• July 4: Flying back to Houston!

We have a bunch of stuff we want to do in each city, but I'm always looking for more feedback, and you're a trustworthy bunch If any of you have any must-sees or must-avoids, let me know! I'll be blogging the whole trip, posting pictures and stories and tips as I come across them at http://blog.evanwdavis.com. If you're interested of course So yeah... hanging out at the airport now waiting to take off!!

[kieran]

Sounds like the trip I should have taken while I had the chance.

Have fun.

[curiousuburb]

Plan for contingencies in case the Grimsvötn volcano keeps doing the Icelandic shuffle and borks flights like Eyjafjallajökull did last year.

[Ryan]

In Prague there’s a free walking tour that leaves from near the astronomical clock, pretty good way to get a quick overview of the city. Are you staying in hostels? If so, Czech Inn in Prague is *the* way to go. “New Prague Tours” or something like that, your hostel will have a brochure. Lonely Planet has a good PDF itinerary for two days in that city, some interesting stuff there.

Berlin: Brewer’s walking tours. Eight euros IIRC for an all-day walking tour, very knowledgeable guides.

I don’t mean it to sound like I spent all my time in Europe on walking tours, but they’re a good cheap way to get a quick look at the city and decide where you want to explore further.

Can’t offer any advice on the other cities you’re planning on. Though I made it to Italy I only did the standard tourist path in Florence and Rome, not enough time for anything else.

If you’re looking for a break on your journey from Zurich to Vienna, the Langenfeld Valley, about an hour west of Innsbruck by train, is beautiful, though I don’t know how wintery it’d be during that time of year.

For your airfare: I’d advise looking at Houston-Frankfurt on Continental and then Frankfurt-Barcelona on Lufthansa. I know it seems like you’re backtracking, but transiting in the EU will probably be easier than JFK or EWR. Do not try to transit LHR, it’s a nightmare. Same for CDG. AMS and FRA are the only other European airports with nonstops from IAH (well, and Moscow ), so you’ll either do KLM on both legs through AMS or CO/LH via FRA. That said, US often is a touch cheaper on transatlantics from IAH, but you’ll need a double connection in RDU and PHL to get the cheapest price.

[Hassan i Sabbah]

Lordy! That is an itinerary. Your poor feet and brain!

Well, I guess you're in Barcelona right now.

As you now know, this is perhaps the best day you could possibly have chosen to go to Barcelona all year.

Barcelona are playing Manchester United tonight in the final of the Champions League, which is basically the biggest trophy in club football. If Barca win, the whole city will be BATSHIT CRAZY-GO-NUTS all night. You will not sleep for the noise. What a day to choose!

Awesome city.

I used to live in Copenhagen. Hire bikes. Swim in the harbour. There's free wi-fi in every cafe, even on the bus, so don't pay for it in your hostel. Go to Lagerkaghuset and get the best Danish pastry you have ever eaten (seriously, this is something else.)

Actually, here's a tip: stock up on food in Italy with your spare euros before you hit Switzerland so you don't need to change euros to Swiss Francs and then spare Francs back to euros. Basics in Switzerland are expensive.

You're going to die, but I salute you.

[evan]

quick check-in, first of all thanks for all the tips! Keep 'em coming!

Definitely excited for the game tonight (and ideally postgame celebrating), walking tours sound great, and I know it'll be crazy but might as well do it while I'm young

[adamb]

Just a pity everyone is going to be sad when Barcelona lose though

[Hassan i Sabbah]

Originally Posted by evan quick check-in, first of all thanks for all the tips! Keep 'em coming! Definitely excited for the game tonight (and ideally postgame celebrating), walking tours sound great, and I know it'll be crazy but might as well do it while I'm young

No, it'll be great! Not always relaxing, but fuck it, you can come back next year and scratch the itch that's still itching.

The good thing is that you're travelling by train, so you'll have plenty of time to catch your breath. The journey north from Venice into Switzerland will be really special, right through those mountains. Trains are great. So much fun.

You're seeing more of the great European cities in a month than most Europeans see in twenty years, and it'll be really something to remember... and you're hitting Copenhagen right when you're going to be bursting to chill, which is perfect, because that city is so, so laid back... I miss København actually....

Next time... France! Got to do it.

[Hassan i Sabbah]

Originally Posted by adamb Just a pity everyone is going to be sad when Barcelona lose though

Heh. I don't think any team in the world, apart from the Spanish national side, would have any chance of beating them.

Oh. Seven or eight of the Spanish national side are in the starting eleven. And they also have Lionel Messi.

Poor Manchester United.

[AWR]

Get to Munich if you can. I just spent two days there (for work but with some free time) and was overwhelmed by its awesomeness. God Germany works in many ways, and Munich shows it best I think. Great food, people, art, buzz, beer, parks, history, fuck. Awesome. Next to the Alps and your other destinations. Check out the surfers on the river at the Englischer Garten (English Park). Plenty of fun in this town. Best for your trip+

Forca Barca!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hassan i Sabbah]

If you go to Munich, have white sausages and beer from a bierkeller.

They come in a porcelain pot, steaming with water, and you slice them on their length and put some relish on and you eat them with cold beer.

Do this for breakfast. In Munich.

[Hassan i Sabbah]

Hey are you in Copenhagen?

[joveblue]

Did you make it to the Roskilde Festival (near Copenhagen) at all? I wish I'd seen this earlier to tell you to go... just finished a couple of days ago.

[evan]

Just got back to Houston yesterday, and it was an amazing month. Kinda just in veg mode right now but if you want pictures / stories head to the blog (blog.evanwdavis.com). We were pretty bad about updating it so it only covers about the first half of the trip so far - working on getting at least pictures up for the remainder though.

If anyone wants to know anything particular about any of the cities I'd be happy to answer questions though writing everything out would take awhile (if you see the blog you'll see how long my posts are haha)

I knew about the Roskilde Festival but the only night I was really interested in was Saturday (TV on the Radio, The Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, Deadmau5), and unfortunately that's when we left Awesome city though, if a little expensive. Luckily we were staying with family friends so that took the bite off of it

[Windswept]

If you don't mind my asking, did you have a budget for this trip and have a pretty good idea how much the whole trip would cost, or did you just charge everything to your credit card and plan to pay the cost off over the next year or so?

Just wondering.

And how much do hostels cost per night these days? In Varenna, did you stay at a hostel or a hotel? For most hostels, could you call a day or two in advance of your arrival to see if they had room you could book? Could you reserve a place in most hostels, or is it just "show up and see what's available?"

Thanks for any replies.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by Windswept If you don't mind my asking, did you have a budget for this trip and have a pretty good idea how much the whole trip would cost, or did you just charge everything to your credit card and plan to pay the cost off over the next year or so? Just wondering. And how much do hostels cost per night these days? In Varenna, did you stay at a hostel or a hotel? For most hostels, could you call a day or two in advance of your arrival to see if they had room you could book? Could you reserve a place in most hostels, or is it just "show up and see what's available?" Thanks for any replies.

I'm not evan, but I'll answer the second question. The hostels I stayed at were anywhere from €15-30. Highest I paid was £42 in London, booked two weeks out. As far as continental Europe, I think the highest was Paris at €29. Prague was cheapest, worked out to $15 and was the best of all the hostels I stayed in during my time there.

Unless it's a major travel period or there's a major event, you can show up the day of and find something. I did that in both Prague and Munich, both worked out fine. Biggest advantage to booking ahead is being able to know how to reach it from the train station in advance.

Also, the vast majority of hostels, at least in western Europe, are bookable on the major sites, hostels.com, hostelbookers.com, etc. Their biggest plus is the vast number of reviews posted though. Most trustworthy than Lonely Planet listings, IME.

[billybobsky]

Hostels also tend to be age specific -- so it is easier for younger travelers than, well, fully actualized adults.