Okay to HalfCamel I hope the following info is helpful. Mind you I spoke to a friend of mine who went backpacking to Europe for almost 4 months. Lucky bastard...I love you David!
So here goes:
Spain -
Barcelona is a must! It's a beautiful city with museums, and all the tourists stuff that people go do.
Ibiza - It's expensive there, but it's a place where you can go to have fun. You may always catch a ferry from Barcelona to Ibiza that's what most people do.
Italy - It all depends on the kind of person you are. I'll explain why I said this.
Florence is party central! That should say it all!
Venice is more lay back. So like I said it depends on the kind of person you are.
Rome is a must hands down! Aside from partying, there is so much to do there. You won't want to leave. Museums, the vatican and all that good stuff is there.
France -
Paris hands down! Like Rome it's a place that has so much to see and do. You won't want to leave from there. It's really expensive there too so be prepared.
Germany -
Berlin is a nice city as well. There is a lot there for you to do too. It's almost like a picture painting. So you should like it there.
Switzerland -
Zurich is a cool city. My friend didn't say much about it cos he didn't stay there long.
It all comes down to what you want to do and how long you plan on staying in each country. There are a couple of things that he recommended so please note the following:
-Make sure you take a
credit card, debit card, and cash with you. At least $500 on you. There are times when your debit or credit card may not work so it's good to have cash on you.
-Always carry a map and pen with you. Sometimes you may not understand what a person is saying, but they may help you out by writing something down for you and pointing it out on the map.
-Buy a
Eurail Pass. Depending on the pass this can last you for a couple of weeks. You'll be able to travel by train throughout Europe and not have to pay every time. This will save you money.
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Pack the most neccessary items you need only. For sure take a sleeping bag cos if you can't get into a hostel you may have to sleep in a park or something. I know that's crazy, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Like I said limit your packing cos trust me you will be buying stuff. You want to have room to bring back stuff. If it gets to be too much you may always ship your items from where your at back home. Although this can be very expensive, but if you buy too much stuff you may have to do that.
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Hostels you may look up on
hostelworld.com. It's a great site that allows you to see the rankings and get all of the info you need for hostels. It varies with each place. Some let you do whatever you want and have no curfews. Others may be more stricter and have curfews. So it all depends. There is also a site called
couchsurfing.org. It is what it sounds like. For travelers who are on a budget or running low on funds this can be helpful. You basically crash in a strangers house stay there and eat. People are open to do this for others. You may set up a meeting with the person and take it from there. This can sound unsafe, but from what my friend told me that 90% of people who did this had a pleasant experience. So that may be an option too.
-Go to Barnes and Nobles or wherever to buy
Europe on a Shoestring. This is a very informative and helpful book that is great to have with you when you travel.
I think that covers it for now. If there is any other infromation I can help you or anyone else with please don't hesitate to ask.
Jenny B
