European Tours Thread 4

[shegie_285]

Sis Claire de Lune for food maybe start with €10 per meal (it can be cheaper like if you go to a supermarket and buy sandwiches there pwede siguro mga €5 or less.) But i said €10 as an average and help you budget. Plus you might be buying coffee and water, mabilis maubos ang pera. Paris is expensive than italy and i assume greece. Pag sa restaurant you probably will spend €20 per person. For accommodation check airbnb or hostels.com there's a range of accommodation. For flights - im not sure if sa pinas may mga travel agent na you can book flights and pay deposit then hulugan na lang ang rest. This is good cashflow wise and you can buy your ticket way in advance. Hindi ko alam kung kelan ka pwede makapag-apply ng visa but mas mura ticket kapag purchased a lot earlier. Ang risk lang is you might lose your deposit. But then baka mas okay kaysa tumaas price ng flights. My family before they applied for visa two months before,  3 weeks ang processing so a month before saka sila nagbook ng flight - $1500 per person ticket nila (that was May 2012 feeling ko if they just planned it properly mas mura). Choose off-peak season din nga. July-august are peak because its summer here and i find flights expensive.  Europeans travel din within europe although mga french (parisians) normally they go to south of France lang.  I haven't been to Paris in August but i know most of them take August off ( i have clients from Paris). So puro tourists/foreigners siguro ang Paris.

Just on flights - i went home august 2011 and i paid €1100 for flights (two stop over pa ito). This year im going home in November i paid €650 lang and its etihad and one stopover lang. now baligtad round trip ko sa iyo but just to give you an idea. You can use skyscanner.com for flights. December - its like August prices.

hope this helps.

[mameejhy]

Hello everyone, first time ko sa thread...

I am on researching stage for our family vacation. We are 2 adults + 3 kids. Do you think below draft itinerary is feasible for a 6 week vacation?

ITALY - less than 2 weeks?
- Naples + Amalfi Coast + Pompei
- Rome
- Florence

*airplane to Paris?

FRANCE - less than 3 weeks?
- Paris + Disneyland + day trips
- Marseilles

*train to Barcelona?

SPAIN - less than 2 weeks?
- Barcelona
- Madrid

Thanks in advance!

[vhanya]

^italy dapat yung less than 3 weeks. Yung paris doable in less than 2 weeks

[mameejhy]

^Target ko kasi sa France embassy mag apply ng visa. 

O dapat yata Spain ang less than 3 weeks then France less than 2 weeks? 

[vhanya]

Well sa visa application itinerary you can do that but as soon as approved visa, you can change your itinerary naman

[shegie_285]

I think kung barcelona and madrid tama na less than 2 weeks unless magday-trip ka to some places from madrid. i feel there's more to see in Paris than Barcelona or Madrid. But agree with the places you mentioned less than 3 weeks sa italy and then less than two weeks in France.

[mameejhy]

Well sa visa application itinerary you can do that but as soon as approved visa, you can change your itinerary naman

Hmm, oo nga ano? Naive eh Sis, diba sa visa hihingi ng confirmed air tickets so example dates are July 15 - Aug 25 (ito talaga dates namin hehe), so hindi na lang muna ako bibili ng train tickets (Italy-France/ France-Spain)? Feeling ko kasi kailangan ng paid air tickets para magka travel insurance. Tama ba intindi ko? 

I want to bump this reply of mama squeak to cassie, this is a good reminder -

^You're welcome, sis! Just a suggestion if you will be visiting big cities/towns with lots of interesting/must-see tourist attractions try to stay a minimum of 3 nights or 4 whole days. Medyo bitin pa yan but if that's the only time you can spare at least you will be able to take in most of the top tourist attractions.

If ever, ganito na sya -

ITALY - 12 days
- Naples + Amalfi Coast + Pompei
- Rome
- Florence + Pisa?

*airplane to Paris?

FRANCE - 16 days
- Paris + Disneyland (2 nights?)+ day trips
- Marseilles

*train to Barcelona?

SPAIN - 14 days
- Barcelona
- Madrid

I think kung barcelona and madrid tama na less than 2 weeks unless magday-trip ka to some places from madrid. i feel there's more to see in Paris than Barcelona or Madrid. But agree with the places you mentioned less than 3 weeks sa italy and then less than two weeks in France.

Hmm, sabagay kasi Rome pa lang dapat yata 1 week na!

Madugo pala kapag European Tour. First time namin ang ganito, recent trip namin is Istanbul, Turkey. Para din Amazing Race kasi we did at least 2-3 sites in 1 day eh may 3 kids kaming bitbit haha!

[Clair de Lune]

Do you think 12 days is doable for the cities I have mentioned?

Paris - 3 days
Santorini - 3 days
Venice - 2 days
Pisa - 1 day
Rome - 3 days

How much do you think I can budget per person for a DIY trip? Including airfare?

[vhanya]

mameejhy

The plane ticket kahit hindi confirmed booking. You can get a ticket reservation naman ok na yun =) Like what happened to us, we got a plane reservation via Cathay Pacific for the visa application but we actually took Singapore Airlines to Italy.

Ganito na lang sis, since you are applying via French Embassy, that itinerary will work. Once you get approved, balik ka dito and then isa isahin natin yang itinerary mo =)

Regarding bookings, you only need hotel bookings and plane reservation. No need for train bookings.  You can use booking.com for your hotel reservations. You can easily cancel your booking naman once your visa get approved and then you can book the correct dates for your travel.

Btw, why not  Italian Embassy?

[mama squeak!]

^Bad experiences with the Italian embassy as per kwento ng ibang members. Ako rin am having second thoughts applying there. Ito pa at na-spoiled ako sa French embassy sa tagal ng validity na binibigay sa akin. Haha!

@Claire de Lune, sis malabo 12 days mo since you also have to factor in your travel time between cities. As what the other ladies here suggested, figure out muna your budget. Then prioritize the places you want to visit. Back read ka sa earlier threads I have a cost breakdown of our Paris visit in 2010. That will give you an idea more or less of what to expect.

@mameejhy, will you be using the trains extensively to get from one place to the other? If you are probably you can look at the Eurail pass option. They have different plans there if you'll be traveling as a family. Take note though you will need seat reservations for long haul trips (additional fee).

Re visa application, you can make dummy bookings (make it credible lang) if you plan to apply at the French embassy. Then you have to make your IT to match the bookings you made. Ito talagang tinitingnan ng embassy especially the addresses in France where you plan to stay. I can share my earlier ITs with you if you want pero pag dating ko na sa Manila.

Re travel insurance, you don't need paid tickets. As long as you know where you are going and the inclusive travel dates you can buy na your insurance. My recent trips including the one I am in right now I use Malayan. I purchase through their Facebook page. Very easy and convenient.

Re Amazing Race trip, hehe hindi ko kaya yan tapos meron ka pang bitbit na mga bata. I guess if that's your style, go lang! But if ako I prefer to linger and try to get a feel of the place. Feeling local daw! Haha!

[mameejhy]

Hello mga sis, I am soo excited na haha! Alam ko matagal pa, saka mag Hongkong-Philippines trip pa muna kami sa Dec/Jan pero excited talaga ako haha Btw, we are OFWs/ Pinoy expats based in Qatar and yes nandito rin ang kids Anyway...

Re Bakit hindi sa Italian Embassy?

Kasi France talaga ang primary destination namin, supposedly France + Spain lang eh si hubby pala may cousin/ family sa Naples, Italy so yun dadaan na rin dun eh sayang naman kung hindi makakasakay sa gondola sa Venice at hindi makakadaan sa Vatican/Rome nyahaha Nag fb pm na nga sa akin kagabi, sabi ko "ate, eh sa July pa naman magprepare muna for the visa" lol

Saka, Italian embassy requires paid/ confirmed tickets eh; sa France parang reservation lang

Re dummy ticket

Do they check with the airline?

Re Train bookings

Ok, that's good if they do not check kasi talagang maloloka ako magprovide ng detailed trip schedules :/

We plan to travel by train from Naples-Rome-Florence-Venice-Lyon-Paris- Marseilles-Barcelona-Madrid. Doable ba yun?

Re hotel bookings

Siguro since dummy booking, Rome (entry), Paris, Madrid (exit) lang sasabihin ko para 1 accommodation kada bansa lang... Hindi ko na sasabihin mag Naples, Marseilles, Barcelona etc. Ok ba itong plan ko?

Re travel insurance

Libre kasi travel insurance namin IF credit card ni hubby ang gagamitin sa pagbili ng tickets. Eh required nila yun paid tickets to issue the travel insurance.

Re Amazing Race

Grabe, we would usually leave the apartment at around lunch (brunch sa apartment) to start our "family adventures" then reach the apartment just before 1am haha! My daughters (6yo & 8yo) are game naman but the son (3yo) would be carried na by hubby hahaha Yun mga magkakalapit lang naman ang ginagawa namin na 2-3 sites pero kapag malayo 1 location lang like Princes Island, kapag medyo kaya ng train eh 2 sites. Nun nag Istanbul kami, dun naisp ni hubby na maganda pala talaga sa Europe hehe During our last night in Istanbul, sabi nya - "Check mo nga kung Paris, dun naman tayo next year"

@Clair de Lune - Sis, siguro yun 12 days sakto lang for two cities/ countries like Paris + Rome/ Venice...

[shygirlme]

Hi mga sis may 5 hours akong stop over sa Amsterdam. pwede ba ko mamili ng perfume don na more than 5 hindi ba ko magkaka problema? also plan ko din bumili ng longchamp mga 3. hindi naman ba ko mahihirapan? baka kasi maharang ako sa immigration sa Pinas or sa Schipol mismo? by the way yung tax refund ba nila pano?

[mama squeak!]

^Re perfumes, if you'll be buying at the airport duty free and your items will be more than 1 liter the shop will place your items in a sealed plastic bag since you won't have access to your luggage. Hindi mo sya pwedeng buksan before boarding the plane or if you will be transiting in another airport. Otherwise, confiscated yan sa security, so don't open the sealed bag.

Re LCs, kung tatlo lang naman bibilhin mo it shouldn't be a problem sa customs dito sa atin. FYI ang sumisita sa mga imported goods ay mga customs officials hindi immigrations. 

Wala ka nang tax refund if you buy at the duty free shops in AMS.

[extremadura]

Hi mga sis.  I'm wondering if anyone has toured Switzerland yet.  Let's say mga 10 days and excluding airfare, how much would be an appropriate budget?

[Chili1113]

^ sis medyo matagal anf 10 days for switzerland since its such a small country. Unless you have plans of doing many outdoor activities in the alps =) Im not sure how much you will need but definitely Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe.

[mama squeak!]

^^Depends on your style of travel. You can get by at EUR50 a day backpacker style or if moderate budget ka EUR100-150/day naman.

Again depending on your interest, 10 days in Switzerland can be enough or can be bitin din naman. Depende din naman kasi ano ang gusto mong bisitahin. Me personally, I would allot 3-4 whole days (the longer the better!) in the big cities like Lausanne, Lucerne, Geneva or Zurich. For the small towns/cities like Chur, St. Gallen, Schaffhasen or Stein Am Rhein okay na ang 1-2 full days (once again the longer the better). I like to linger kasi in every place that I visit. Pinaka ayaw ko yung tipong picture-picture lang mala-Amazing Race at masabi lang na napuntahan yung isang lugar. 

[extremadura]

Thanks for your replies   EUR 50 per day is actually not that bad; I thought it'd be much more.  Yeah, I love the mountains so as much as possible gusto ko magbabad sa Alps.  Jungfrau, Zermatt and Bern are definitely on my list.  What is there to see in Zurich? My impression of the city is parang all-business lang so I was thinking of skipping it. 

[mama squeak!]

^Yup, you can get hostels during off season for as low as EUR20/person. Backpacker/dorm style talaga ito.

Yes, Zurich is more of a business city but can be a good base for day trips out in the Alps (nature tripping) or to nearby lake towns like Schaffhausen and Stein Am Rhein (if you're into medieval towns).

[little_princess]

If I buy something in the airport duty free, is it taxable when I get back to Manila? Like designer bags.

[mama squeak!]

^Yes if customs sees it. Better try to conceal/hide the bags as well as you can.