best camping places france image
Sarah Welc
I wanted to travel around Italy for a couple of weeks at the end of my school year and now I'm thinking of adding on France but I'm not sure what the cheapest way to do it is. I was looking at the Eurorail but it is a bit expensive and seems limiting since there is a set amount of times you can use it within two months. Would it be easier to just fly to Italy or France and then take buses from one city to the next? Does anyone have any suggestions on what cities or regions I should see in these two countries if I only have a month or less to see them both. I am a college student so traveling cheaply is an important piece. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Answer
The trains are an excellent way to get around. It's not necessarily cheaper to get a rail pass than to purchase individual tickets; individual tickets are almost always cheaper in Italy. If you buy tickets early enough to get the "smart" fare on night train from any of several stations in Italy to Paris, you can travel through the nioght for as low as 35 euro for a berth in a 6 bed cuchette or 55 euro in a 4 bed cuchette. Much of the travel time is time you'd be sleeping anyway and you do not need to pay for a hotel/hostel for that night. See: http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsâ¦
Prices depend on exactly where you start from, where you fly into, the kind of places you stay and what you see/do/eat. People who backpack generally can get by for $100 per day staying in cheap hostels and carefully watching their budget (not including airfare). However, if you stay in hotels, it will cost you more. I usually spend 100 to 150 euro a night for a hotel just for myself, but there are cheaper places.
Here are some resources that can help you plan and check options and current prices for your trip (expect prices in the future to rise):
http://www.kayak.com/ - airfares & hotels; the explore function is useful for finding the less expensive places to fly into from your starting point.
http://www.skyscanner.it/ - particularly good for budget flights within Europe, but you can also use everywhere as a destination to do something like the explore option on Kayak. You may not need the airfares, but you can compare to the cost of the trains to get around. this one may be more useful for you.
http://www.seat61.com/ - a great train site with details about railpasses. It can be cheaper to buy individual tickets than passes. This site will tell you how to determine whether you're better off with a railpass or individual tickets or some combination for your trip. It also details how to use the pass and what to avoid to get the best use out of a pass. Most high speed, international and night trains require reservations and will require you to pay a supplement when you use a railpass. You need to be aware that a railpass is almost always more expensive for trains here in some places like Italy and Spain.
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.js⦠- Italian train schedules & prices. You can find links to the various national train sites on the Man in Seat 61 site above.
http://www.venere.com/ - hotels/B&Bs - prices for the same hotel can vary hugely depending on the season and what local events are going on.
http://www.hostelbookers.com/ - hostels.
http://www.monasterystays.com/ - monasteries & convents that offer accommodations
You can also look into camping or couch surfing as cheaper alternatives for accommodations.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.ht⦠- festivals, exhibitions and events
http://www.backpackeurope.com/ - information & advice
For sightseeing prices: check the websites for entrance fees for the museums & galleries you're interested in. I spend anywhere between nothing and 40 euro a day depending on exactly what I go to see when out exploring. For food, I spend around 25 to 50 euro for a meal, but you can eat for less. A pizza is 8 to 13 euro and a panino or wrap is around 3 to 6.50 euro in many places. You can often get food at festivals at a relatively low price. You can also shop in the markets and put some meals together for yourselves.When I travel, I like to try the local specialties and the good restaurants.
The trains are an excellent way to get around. It's not necessarily cheaper to get a rail pass than to purchase individual tickets; individual tickets are almost always cheaper in Italy. If you buy tickets early enough to get the "smart" fare on night train from any of several stations in Italy to Paris, you can travel through the nioght for as low as 35 euro for a berth in a 6 bed cuchette or 55 euro in a 4 bed cuchette. Much of the travel time is time you'd be sleeping anyway and you do not need to pay for a hotel/hostel for that night. See: http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsâ¦
Prices depend on exactly where you start from, where you fly into, the kind of places you stay and what you see/do/eat. People who backpack generally can get by for $100 per day staying in cheap hostels and carefully watching their budget (not including airfare). However, if you stay in hotels, it will cost you more. I usually spend 100 to 150 euro a night for a hotel just for myself, but there are cheaper places.
Here are some resources that can help you plan and check options and current prices for your trip (expect prices in the future to rise):
http://www.kayak.com/ - airfares & hotels; the explore function is useful for finding the less expensive places to fly into from your starting point.
http://www.skyscanner.it/ - particularly good for budget flights within Europe, but you can also use everywhere as a destination to do something like the explore option on Kayak. You may not need the airfares, but you can compare to the cost of the trains to get around. this one may be more useful for you.
http://www.seat61.com/ - a great train site with details about railpasses. It can be cheaper to buy individual tickets than passes. This site will tell you how to determine whether you're better off with a railpass or individual tickets or some combination for your trip. It also details how to use the pass and what to avoid to get the best use out of a pass. Most high speed, international and night trains require reservations and will require you to pay a supplement when you use a railpass. You need to be aware that a railpass is almost always more expensive for trains here in some places like Italy and Spain.
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.js⦠- Italian train schedules & prices. You can find links to the various national train sites on the Man in Seat 61 site above.
http://www.venere.com/ - hotels/B&Bs - prices for the same hotel can vary hugely depending on the season and what local events are going on.
http://www.hostelbookers.com/ - hostels.
http://www.monasterystays.com/ - monasteries & convents that offer accommodations
You can also look into camping or couch surfing as cheaper alternatives for accommodations.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.ht⦠- festivals, exhibitions and events
http://www.backpackeurope.com/ - information & advice
For sightseeing prices: check the websites for entrance fees for the museums & galleries you're interested in. I spend anywhere between nothing and 40 euro a day depending on exactly what I go to see when out exploring. For food, I spend around 25 to 50 euro for a meal, but you can eat for less. A pizza is 8 to 13 euro and a panino or wrap is around 3 to 6.50 euro in many places. You can often get food at festivals at a relatively low price. You can also shop in the markets and put some meals together for yourselves.When I travel, I like to try the local specialties and the good restaurants.
Where is the best place to visit in Europe for a naturist holiday?
noggin
My wife and I are thinking of going to Croatia or Bulgaria for a change (as opposed to France or Spain). Any other ideas are welcome.
Answer
I'm not sure everyone so far has understood your question. By naturist, do you mean you want to go to nudist beaches or that you just want to spend a lot of time in nature, like, camping, hiking etc?
Croatia has a lot of gorgeous natural resorts where you can hike and camp but you have to be careful not to thread into uncharted territory, as there are still minefields in many places.
If we're talking nudism, every slightly larger tourist resort has a secluded nudist beach, it's considered a part of the standard tourist offer here.
I'm not sure everyone so far has understood your question. By naturist, do you mean you want to go to nudist beaches or that you just want to spend a lot of time in nature, like, camping, hiking etc?
Croatia has a lot of gorgeous natural resorts where you can hike and camp but you have to be careful not to thread into uncharted territory, as there are still minefields in many places.
If we're talking nudism, every slightly larger tourist resort has a secluded nudist beach, it's considered a part of the standard tourist offer here.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No comments:
Post a Comment