European Tours Thread 4

[Chili1113]

^Sis 3 nights in Venice is a bit long, unless you plan to visit the museums there or go outlet shopping. 2 Nights is enough I think while 3 Nights (2 whole days) in Paris might not be enough if you will do day trip to Versailles, or visit the Louvre or Orsay, but its possible naman to see major Paris highlights in 3 nights. 10k USD is enough for 2 weeks sis, including na airfares, museums, and food as long as not naman super fine dining always hehe You can even stretch that budget a bit more, but since it is your honeymoon you might want to splurge a bit on the hotels. Nevertheless, the 10k is really enough =) enjoy planning sis!

[shegie_285]

mama squeak sorry late reply. I was on holidays so not on internet the whole time. Yes we drive on the left here in Ireland.  Super mura ng deal na yan..

[bzbee]

thanks sis chili!! maybe we can spend 4 nights in paris and 2 nights in venice then. im having so much fun with the planning. good thing fiance agreed to diy this trip

[mama squeak!]

Thanks shegie_285! I know the deal's so good, ang bilis naubos! We'll make abang na lang the next time Groupon gives another getaway deal like this.

@bzbee, it's really fun planning a DIY trip.    Your IT looks good although its a bit bitin. I would stay in Venice longer if given a chance. Our 3-night stay there was so bitin because there were still a lot of things to see and do and I'm not just talking about San Marco. But if you're only after the highlights, a 2-night stay would be better than nothing.

For Paris first-timers, a 4 to 5 night stay is the ideal visit para naman you're not rushing from one attraction to the other. You also have to account kasi the time spent in queue if you will be visiting popular tourist sights. You can check out my blog for tips on how to get around Paris.

@cream_puff11, I'm glad you had a great time in Europe. I know what you're saying about Paris.  They do love their dogs! Wala na yung dance studio at the 9th that sells Repettos? I have to discover another outlet shop then.

Nice in Burano and Murano 'no? Wished we could have stayed longer and really discover more of the islands there. Did you do a side trip to Bruges or Brussels lang kayo? Waiting for more of your kwento.

 

[caterpillar-girl]

bzbee, double check your UK visa. Sometimes the visa is good for single entry only, meaning once you leave, that's it, no more going back. I think they give multiple entry also, but double check to be sure.

Also, for my husband and me, ok na sa amin ang 2 nights in Venice. It really depends on your preferences, I guess. We were able to visit other islands apart from San Marco and 2 nights was enough. Save Florence and the Swiss Alps nalang for some other time.

[charm0220]

Here's our diy itinerary for our honeymoon on May.
5 days in Paris
3 days in Venice
3 days in Florence (daytrip Chianti, San Gimignano and Siena)
2 days in Cinque Terre
4 days in Rome

We will have our postnup shoot sa Paris and excited to watch Moulin Rouge din.
We are planning to attend Papal Mass din sa Rome.

[mama squeak!]

^Looks good! My only comment, if you can still manage it I would add at least one more day in Florence since you plan to do some day trips outside of the city.

[bzbee]

@mama squeak we're not exactly sure what to do in venice really. we just want to see the city and ride a gondola. ill checkout your blog about paris! thank you!

caterpillar-girl thank you! i didn't realize we're going to have a problem with UK visa. we'll just probably tour London first and fly out from Italy. wala nga lang direct flight to Manila. we might let go of swiss alps and florence nga kesa mabitin sa other cities.

thanks for your inputs!

[mama squeak!]

^Yan ang hindi namin nagawa, to ride the gondola. We kept putting it off since we see something new that we'd like to check out hanggang we realized we ran out of time na. Lol! I also have a blog post about our Venice trip.

Re your routing, it does make sense to do an open-jaw routing so you won't be back tracking. Plus caterpillar-girl made a good point about the UK visa entries. With an open-jaw routing you also get to maximize your time touring the city instead of allotting it for your travel time.

Enjoy your trip! 

[Chili1113]

Heheh Ive been to Venice 3x yet I never got to ride a gondola. Im super kuripot kasi and its not sulit to hire a gondola for just 2 people. But if I were on my honeymoon I'll definitely ride it! My favorite thing to do in Venice is to climb the tower of the St. Mark's Campanille. The view is awesome!! I also I also love going to Murano and Burano as it is much quieter. There is a really good resto in Burano also, I'll try to remember the name.

If you are coming in by train to Venice I strongly suggest you stay at a hotel within walking distance to the train station. Choose one on the same side as the station so you dont need to cross any bridges. It is very difficult to drag suitcases around Venice!! There are hundreds of bridges you will have to cross. Otherwise, you will have to spend money on a private water taxi to take you directly to your hotel with your luggage.

There are many good hotels near that train station that is situated right in front of the  grand canal. I find this location to be the most convenient.

[bzbee]

^ thanks for the tips sis! ill take note of this when we start looking for hotels. i was actually wondering how we'll manage to drag our luggage from one city to the other. guess we have to pack really, really light.

mama squeak, i can't stop reading your blog! 

[mama squeak!]

^^Oo nga! Isa pa yun ang mahal. Probably why we did not prioritize the ride but of course iba pa rin siguro just to experience it. Our next trip there maybe we will.

Re bridges, the ones we took coming from the train station going to our hotel all had ramps on one side so we didn't have a difficult time lugging our bags. Our first hotel was overlooking the Bridge of Sighs while our second one was located in Giudecca, the island right across St. Mark's square.

^Aww! Thanks for checking out my blog. It's my way of giving back in return for all the tips and help I was able to get here and from other blogs too. 

[Chili1113]

^I love reading your blog too Mama Squeak! =) especially your posts about Bagan and your Orient Express experience.

[clueless_bride]

I need help mga sis... mag one week break lang kami ni hubby sa june and we're planning to go to Barcelona. due to time constraints, max 2 countries/cities lang pwede naming puntahan. plus I will be on my 5th month na by the time we travel so ayoko din ng masyadong nakakapagod na trip.

At first. plan namin is to just explore Barcelona. then maybe day trip na lang sa Madrid kasi 2 hrs away lang naman by train. But hubby is thinking of going to Paris pero nalalayuan ako. parang pakiramdam ko matatagtag ako sa biyahe.

Any suggestions na places we can go to after Barcelona? Gusto ko sa Spain lang kasi one week lang naman kami. Anyone here have been to Granada, Toledo, Segovia? Worth it ba puntahan tong mga to?
how about if we fly from Barcelona to Lisbon? but we need to be back sa Barcelona kasi dun galling ang return flight namin.

[Chili1113]

^There are quite a number of day trip options from Barcelona. It is possible to do a day trip to Valencia via fast train from Barcelona if you do it 1st thing in the morning and dont mind getting back late at night. We were scheduled to do this day tip in 2013. However, we didnt hear the alarm clock go off and missed our train hay!! We didnt bother pushing through as the fares were much more expensive if not purchased months ahead. Valencia is a must see for Calatrava fans.

There are many other day trips from Barcelona like Montserrat or Figueres if youre a Salvador Dali fan =) I enjoyed Montserrat it is very easy to go to.

Or sis you can half your time between Barcelona and Madrid. The day trips from Madrid are way more interesting than from Barcelona. I am currently researching our options too as we are going to Madrid this Oct.

[clueless_bride]

Thanks sis chili.... ilang hours ang Valencia from Barcelona?

[Chili1113]

^sis you can check all the train schedules and fares around spain using this website: http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/

[clueless_bride]

^thanks sis... will check that out 

[bibsibs]

Can you guys tell me a travel agency that offers the cheapest Euro Tour Package?

My grandma and I are planning on going this May or June.
She wants to visit Paris, London, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Italy and Spain.
I saw a Euro Tour Package for 4288 USD excluding airfare tax and this tour does not include Holland and Spain.
Is that an ok price or too much for a 2-week tour?

[shegie_285]

^^ there's a Spain thread. I've been to Toledo and Segovia (both day trip from Madrid) nasa Spain thread ang kwento. oh na-miss ko food sa Segovia.