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#1
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An Australian driving through Europe (long post)
Hi,
My wife and I (aged in our mid 20's) are planning to do a quick tour of Europe in May/June next year for about a month (as well as probably a week in the UK and Ireland). This will be both of our first times overseas. We were initially planning on doing about a 25 day bus tour such as Contiki or Cosmos as we want to see as much of Europe as possible in the time we have available. But the thought of being on a bus with about 50 others herded from sight to sight did not appeal too much. We also wanted to stay a bit longer in some places where an organised tour would just keep moving. We considered a hop-on hop-off type service such as Bus-about but their route and schedule were fairly inflexible meaning we would have to possibly stay longer in some places than we would really want to. We have looked at the rail system but it seems that it will be a quite expensive option for the number of days and the amount of travelling we are intending to do. We now are planning to hire a car and go it alone as the car hire seems reasonable and offers the most flexibility. Both of us tend to prefer interesting scenery, history, architecture etc to the hustle and bustle of the big cities, however we can go to Europe without seeing the major sights.. An outline of our itinerary is as follows: Day 1 London to Paris Day 2 Rent a car in Paris and go to Bruges, Belgium Day 3 Bruges to Amsterdam Day 4 Amsterdam to Frankfurt Day 5 Frankfurt to Munich via Würzburg and Romantic Road Day 7 Munich to Vienna Day 10 Vienna to Venice Day 12 Venice to Rome Day 15 Rome to Naples (Not sure about the Naples leg, we may opt for some day trips around the Italian countryside) Day 16 Naples to Florence Day 18 Florence to Nice via Pisa Day 20 Nice to Barcelona Day 22 Barcelona to San Sebastian (Possibly add a couple of days to go to Madrid) Day 23 San Sebastian to Bordeaux Day 24 Bordeaux to Paris Day 27 Paris to London I know this is going to be a bit of a whirl wind tour but we want to see as much of the sights as possible as we probably won't be getting back to Europe for quite a while. I don't mind long distance driving, but we are aiming to only do about 4-5 hours driving per day so we can still see some sights along the way and take the trip at a more leisurely pace than the bus tours would. I have a few questions though: I have never driven on the right side of the road before, is everything basically reversed e.g. go around roundabouts anti-clockwise, give way to the left at intersections etc? Where is the best place to find out about country specific road rules? How does traffic/driver courtesy differ from typical Brisbane/Sydney style driving? How easy is it to cover long distances quickly generally in Europe? (I know here I can cover 7-800km per day fairly comfortably) Is English spoken along the main tourist routes where I have mentioned above (we both had a sheltered Australian education where you only study German for 2 years in high school (and I can't seem to remember much of that -) )? I would appreciate any suggestions of interesting points to see between the cities we are intending to visit, and also any comments on the pace of our itinerary (i.e. time in each location, travel time). I know it will be fairly fast paced and we will be no means be able to savour the European way of life, but what we really want is a taste of the best that Europe has to offer. Thanks. Andrew. |
#2
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An Australian driving through Europe (long post)
Day 1 London to Paris
Day 2 Rent a car in Paris and go to Bruges, Belgium Day 3 Bruges to Amsterdam Day 4 Amsterdam to Frankfurt Day 5 Frankfurt to Munich via Würzburg and Romantic Road Day 7 Munich to Vienna Day 10 Vienna to Venice Day 12 Venice to Rome Day 15 Rome to Naples (Not sure about the Naples leg, we may opt for some day trips around the Italian countryside) Day 16 Naples to Florence Day 18 Florence to Nice via Pisa Day 20 Nice to Barcelona Day 22 Barcelona to San Sebastian (Possibly add a couple of days to go to Madrid) Day 23 San Sebastian to Bordeaux Day 24 Bordeaux to Paris Day 27 Paris to London Jesus Christ on a bike, slow down a bit. I know this is going to be a bit of a whirl wind tour but we want to see as much of the sights as possible as we probably won't be getting back to Europe for quite a while. I don't mind long distance driving, but we are aiming to only do about 4-5 hours driving per day so we can still see some sights along the way and take the trip at a more leisurely pace than the bus tours would. Chance to see sights... lol, you need to trim your itinery a little I have never driven on the right side of the road before, is everything basically reversed e.g. go around roundabouts anti-clockwise, give way to the left at intersections etc? Basically yes. Where is the best place to find out about country specific road rules? Try a google search for specific countries driving liscencing agencies. How does traffic/driver courtesy differ from typical Brisbane/Sydney style driving? You will have a lot of fun in Italy hahahahahaha.. How easy is it to cover long distances quickly generally in Europe? (I know here I can cover 7-800km per day fairly comfortably) Outside of peak times, and keeping the journey leasuly, bank on about 400km per day max. Is English spoken along the main tourist routes where I have mentioned above (we both had a sheltered Australian education where you only study German for 2 years in high school (and I can't seem to remember much of that As long as you dont seem arrogant, you will find most folks will speak a few words of English. A tip is to get a phrase book, learn a few words of the local language (doesn't matter how bad your pronounciation) and you will find a lot more help. I would appreciate any suggestions of interesting points to see between the cities we are intending to visit, and also any comments on the pace of our itinerary (i.e. time in each location, travel time). I know it will be fairly fast paced and we will be no means be able to savour the European way of life, but what we really want is a taste of the best that Europe has to offer. Thanks. Andrew. |
#3
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An Australian driving through Europe (long post)
I am from the US and have driven in your country. I can tell you that the
change from left to right side driving (or the other way) is not nearly as simple as switch to "the other side". A lot of your driving habits are very difficult to break. I have also driven in Europe and find that it's relatively easy, except in Rome. Learn the word for unleaded gasoline in French, German, and Italian. Your itenary looks very imposing. Cut in down please. You are trying to do way too much. "PandA" wrote in message ... Hi, My wife and I (aged in our mid 20's) are planning to do a quick tour of Europe in May/June next year for about a month (as well as probably a week in the UK and Ireland). This will be both of our first times overseas. We were initially planning on doing about a 25 day bus tour such as Contiki or Cosmos as we want to see as much of Europe as possible in the time we have available. But the thought of being on a bus with about 50 others herded from sight to sight did not appeal too much. We also wanted to stay a bit longer in some places where an organised tour would just keep moving. We considered a hop-on hop-off type service such as Bus-about but their route and schedule were fairly inflexible meaning we would have to possibly stay longer in some places than we would really want to. We have looked at the rail system but it seems that it will be a quite expensive option for the number of days and the amount of travelling we are intending to do. We now are planning to hire a car and go it alone as the car hire seems reasonable and offers the most flexibility. Both of us tend to prefer interesting scenery, history, architecture etc to the hustle and bustle of the big cities, however we can go to Europe without seeing the major sights.. An outline of our itinerary is as follows: Day 1 London to Paris Day 2 Rent a car in Paris and go to Bruges, Belgium Day 3 Bruges to Amsterdam Day 4 Amsterdam to Frankfurt Day 5 Frankfurt to Munich via Würzburg and Romantic Road Day 7 Munich to Vienna Day 10 Vienna to Venice Day 12 Venice to Rome Day 15 Rome to Naples (Not sure about the Naples leg, we may opt for some day trips around the Italian countryside) Day 16 Naples to Florence Day 18 Florence to Nice via Pisa Day 20 Nice to Barcelona Day 22 Barcelona to San Sebastian (Possibly add a couple of days to go to Madrid) Day 23 San Sebastian to Bordeaux Day 24 Bordeaux to Paris Day 27 Paris to London I know this is going to be a bit of a whirl wind tour but we want to see as much of the sights as possible as we probably won't be getting back to Europe for quite a while. I don't mind long distance driving, but we are aiming to only do about 4-5 hours driving per day so we can still see some sights along the way and take the trip at a more leisurely pace than the bus tours would. I have a few questions though: I have never driven on the right side of the road before, is everything basically reversed e.g. go around roundabouts anti-clockwise, give way to the left at intersections etc? Where is the best place to find out about country specific road rules? How does traffic/driver courtesy differ from typical Brisbane/Sydney style driving? How easy is it to cover long distances quickly generally in Europe? (I know here I can cover 7-800km per day fairly comfortably) Is English spoken along the main tourist routes where I have mentioned above (we both had a sheltered Australian education where you only study German for 2 years in high school (and I can't seem to remember much of that -) )? I would appreciate any suggestions of interesting points to see between the cities we are intending to visit, and also any comments on the pace of our itinerary (i.e. time in each location, travel time). I know it will be fairly fast paced and we will be no means be able to savour the European way of life, but what we really want is a taste of the best that Europe has to offer. Thanks. Andrew. |
#4
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An Australian driving through Europe (long post)
Peter L wrote:
I am from the US and have driven in your country. Oh. I'm getting déja-vu all over again... David -- David Horne- www.davidhorne.co.uk davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk |
#5
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An Australian driving through Europe (long post)
Thanks for the tips!
I know it is going to be very hectic as I have noted. How would you guys suggest making it better? Spend longer at some places? Cut down on the stops? I was thinking we may cut out Amsterdam, Naples, possibly cut out San Sebastian and get back to Paris more directly from Barcelona, Madrid was only a pie in the sky idea if we managed to get that far. I suppose as this is our first trip (and also the last big trip we'll probably have before having kids) we want to see as much as possible, as we don't know when we will be getting back to Europe again. I have heard lots of comments about driving in Italy... Is there an easy way of getting into (close to) Rome and then just leaving the car at the hotel/motel for the duration of our stay? Andrew. "Peter L" wrote in message ... I am from the US and have driven in your country. I can tell you that the change from left to right side driving (or the other way) is not nearly as simple as switch to "the other side". A lot of your driving habits are very difficult to break. I have also driven in Europe and find that it's relatively easy, except in Rome. Learn the word for unleaded gasoline in French, German, and Italian. Your itenary looks very imposing. Cut in down please. You are trying to do way too much. "PandA" wrote in message ... Hi, My wife and I (aged in our mid 20's) are planning to do a quick tour of Europe in May/June next year for about a month (as well as probably a week in the UK and Ireland). This will be both of our first times overseas. We were initially planning on doing about a 25 day bus tour such as Contiki or Cosmos as we want to see as much of Europe as possible in the time we have available. But the thought of being on a bus with about 50 others herded from sight to sight did not appeal too much. We also wanted to stay a bit longer in some places where an organised tour would just keep moving. We considered a hop-on hop-off type service such as Bus-about but their route and schedule were fairly inflexible meaning we would have to possibly stay longer in some places than we would really want to. We have looked at the rail system but it seems that it will be a quite expensive option for the number of days and the amount of travelling we are intending to do. We now are planning to hire a car and go it alone as the car hire seems reasonable and offers the most flexibility. Both of us tend to prefer interesting scenery, history, architecture etc to the hustle and bustle of the big cities, however we can go to Europe without seeing the major sights.. An outline of our itinerary is as follows: Day 1 London to Paris Day 2 Rent a car in Paris and go to Bruges, Belgium Day 3 Bruges to Amsterdam Day 4 Amsterdam to Frankfurt Day 5 Frankfurt to Munich via Würzburg and Romantic Road Day 7 Munich to Vienna Day 10 Vienna to Venice Day 12 Venice to Rome Day 15 Rome to Naples (Not sure about the Naples leg, we may opt for some day trips around the Italian countryside) Day 16 Naples to Florence Day 18 Florence to Nice via Pisa Day 20 Nice to Barcelona Day 22 Barcelona to San Sebastian (Possibly add a couple of days to go to Madrid) Day 23 San Sebastian to Bordeaux Day 24 Bordeaux to Paris Day 27 Paris to London I know this is going to be a bit of a whirl wind tour but we want to see as much of the sights as possible as we probably won't be getting back to Europe for quite a while. I don't mind long distance driving, but we are aiming to only do about 4-5 hours driving per day so we can still see some sights along the way and take the trip at a more leisurely pace than the bus tours would. I have a few questions though: I have never driven on the right side of the road before, is everything basically reversed e.g. go around roundabouts anti-clockwise, give way to the left at intersections etc? Where is the best place to find out about country specific road rules? How does traffic/driver courtesy differ from typical Brisbane/Sydney style driving? How easy is it to cover long distances quickly generally in Europe? (I know here I can cover 7-800km per day fairly comfortably) Is English spoken along the main tourist routes where I have mentioned above (we both had a sheltered Australian education where you only study German for 2 years in high school (and I can't seem to remember much of that -) )? I would appreciate any suggestions of interesting points to see between the cities we are intending to visit, and also any comments on the pace of our itinerary (i.e. time in each location, travel time). I know it will be fairly fast paced and we will be no means be able to savour the European way of life, but what we really want is a taste of the best that Europe has to offer. Thanks. Andrew. |
#6
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An Australian driving through Europe (long post)
PandA wrote:
I know it is going to be very hectic as I have noted. How would you guys suggest making it better? Spend longer at some places? Cut down on the stops? Both - cut some places out in order to spend a little longer in the more interesting spots. Imagine packing and unpacking everything every single day for two weeks. You'll go crazy. After 8 or 10 days You'll wake up in the morning not wanting to face the day. Doesn't sound like much of a holiday to me. I suppose as this is our first trip (and also the last big trip we'll probably have before having kids) we want to see as much as possible, as we don't know when we will be getting back to Europe again. I question whether this plan gets you what you think it does. Rather than greater diversity of experience, you get an endless repetition of the unpleasant experience of last-mile auto navigation in search of a hotel, dragging your bags in and out of cars, and so on. As a rule, I'd say the second and third days in a place are a whole lot better than the first. That's when you know your way around well enough to start finding the interesting stuff. miguel -- See the world from your web browser: http://travel.u.nu/ |
#7
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An Australian driving through Europe (long post)
"PandA" schreef in bericht ... Hi, My wife and I (aged in our mid 20's) are planning to do a quick tour of Europe in May/June next year for about a month (as well as probably a week in the UK and Ireland). This will be both of our first times overseas. We were initially planning on doing about a 25 day bus tour such as Contiki or Cosmos as we want to see as much of Europe as possible in the time we have available. But the thought of being on a bus with about 50 others herded from sight to sight did not appeal too much. We also wanted to stay a bit longer in some places where an organised tour would just keep moving. We considered a hop-on hop-off type service such as Bus-about but their route and schedule were fairly inflexible meaning we would have to possibly stay longer in some places than we would really want to. We have looked at the rail system but it seems that it will be a quite expensive option for the number of days and the amount of travelling we are intending to do. We now are planning to hire a car and go it alone as the car hire seems reasonable and offers the most flexibility. Both of us tend to prefer interesting scenery, history, architecture etc to the hustle and bustle of the big cities, however we can go to Europe without seeing the major sights.. An outline of our itinerary is as follows: Day 1 London to Paris Day 2 Rent a car in Paris and go to Bruges, Belgium Day 3 Bruges to Amsterdam Day 4 Amsterdam to Frankfurt Day 5 Frankfurt to Munich via Würzburg and Romantic Road Day 7 Munich to Vienna Day 10 Vienna to Venice Day 12 Venice to Rome Day 15 Rome to Naples (Not sure about the Naples leg, we may opt for some day trips around the Italian countryside) Day 16 Naples to Florence Day 18 Florence to Nice via Pisa Day 20 Nice to Barcelona Day 22 Barcelona to San Sebastian (Possibly add a couple of days to go to Madrid) Day 23 San Sebastian to Bordeaux Day 24 Bordeaux to Paris Day 27 Paris to London You seem to be interested in big cities mainly. Expect traffic jams going in and out of these cities, problems finding your hotel and finding a place to park. I once spent 4 hours driving from Amsterdam to Paris, and another 3 hours driving around Paris first to find the address I needed to be, and secondly to find a place to park. All very stressful and not my idea of a holiday. Honestly, I'd be surprised if after this trip you are still married to your wife! You are trying to do *way* too much. In 27 days, you can see three large cities (say: London, Paris and Rome) for 5 days each, and a couple of smaller ones. Also, don't "do' too many cities, instead take more time to discover the countryside. (for instance spend a week in Tuscany or Dordogne area or Loire area) So fly or train between the big cities and rent a car only to do the countryside bit. Sjoerd |
#8
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An Australian driving through Europe (long post)
Thanks for the tips Sjoerd,
Hadn't really thought of getting the train to the major places then hiring a car from them. Just wanted to let the group know, we're not planning on including London in the itinerary below, we will be doing UK for about 8-9 days and the Republic of Ireland for 4-5 days either before or after the Europe trip. Unfortunately we only have 6 weeks holidays :-( But I will certainly look at upping the duration in Paris and Rome. Andrew. "Sjoerd" wrote in message ... "PandA" schreef in bericht ... Hi, My wife and I (aged in our mid 20's) are planning to do a quick tour of Europe in May/June next year for about a month (as well as probably a week in the UK and Ireland). This will be both of our first times overseas. We were initially planning on doing about a 25 day bus tour such as Contiki or Cosmos as we want to see as much of Europe as possible in the time we have available. But the thought of being on a bus with about 50 others herded from sight to sight did not appeal too much. We also wanted to stay a bit longer in some places where an organised tour would just keep moving. We considered a hop-on hop-off type service such as Bus-about but their route and schedule were fairly inflexible meaning we would have to possibly stay longer in some places than we would really want to. We have looked at the rail system but it seems that it will be a quite expensive option for the number of days and the amount of travelling we are intending to do. We now are planning to hire a car and go it alone as the car hire seems reasonable and offers the most flexibility. Both of us tend to prefer interesting scenery, history, architecture etc to the hustle and bustle of the big cities, however we can go to Europe without seeing the major sights.. An outline of our itinerary is as follows: Day 1 London to Paris Day 2 Rent a car in Paris and go to Bruges, Belgium Day 3 Bruges to Amsterdam Day 4 Amsterdam to Frankfurt Day 5 Frankfurt to Munich via Würzburg and Romantic Road Day 7 Munich to Vienna Day 10 Vienna to Venice Day 12 Venice to Rome Day 15 Rome to Naples (Not sure about the Naples leg, we may opt for some day trips around the Italian countryside) Day 16 Naples to Florence Day 18 Florence to Nice via Pisa Day 20 Nice to Barcelona Day 22 Barcelona to San Sebastian (Possibly add a couple of days to go to Madrid) Day 23 San Sebastian to Bordeaux Day 24 Bordeaux to Paris Day 27 Paris to London You seem to be interested in big cities mainly. Expect traffic jams going in and out of these cities, problems finding your hotel and finding a place to park. I once spent 4 hours driving from Amsterdam to Paris, and another 3 hours driving around Paris first to find the address I needed to be, and secondly to find a place to park. All very stressful and not my idea of a holiday. Honestly, I'd be surprised if after this trip you are still married to your wife! You are trying to do *way* too much. In 27 days, you can see three large cities (say: London, Paris and Rome) for 5 days each, and a couple of smaller ones. Also, don't "do' too many cities, instead take more time to discover the countryside. (for instance spend a week in Tuscany or Dordogne area or Loire area) So fly or train between the big cities and rent a car only to do the countryside bit. Sjoerd |
#9
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An Australian driving through Europe (long post)
On Mon, 03 Nov 2003, "PandA" wrote:
We have looked at the rail system but it seems that it will be a quite expensive option for the number of days and the amount of travelling we are intending to do. As everybody else said, cut down your list. And reconsider your decision not to use the train; consider a Eurail pass. -- Yves Bellefeuille , Ottawa, Canada Francais / English / Esperanto Esperanto FAQ: http://www.esperanto.net/veb/faq.html Rec.travel.europe FAQ: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/travel/europe/faq |
#10
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An Australian driving through Europe (long post)
Andrew,
I was going to suggest for you to rethink the train idea like Sjoerd wrote. Gasoline is very expensive in Europe. As I recall 1 litre is about US$2.00 that was two years ago. Plus, all the chaos of driving and navigating. I feel that the only way to travel in Europe, if it's available, is by train. I'm biased. I like planning my new adventure, jornaling my old adventures, taking in the scenery, chatting with new friends, etc and not having to worry; I'll just get there. Also, most train stations are the center of the town which makes an advantage for sightseeing or other transportation. Lastly, I would spend a least three days in the cities of your choice because it give you the time to settle into the room, become familiar with your surroundings, and to do 3-4 things on the must do list. Just my $.02 Millie |
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