Comments on: European Backpacking Adventure Part 2: Paris

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By: Euphoria

Euphoria — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:28:30 +0000

It's really a good idea to book them ahead, just for peace of mind. However, March isn't really high season for tourists, so I doubt that you'd need to book too far in advance.

By: neutya

neutya — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:29:27 +0000

I would take these trains:
Leave Paris-Bercy station at 18:59 on the night train to Florenze/Firenze Campo di Marte, arrive at 7:16 next a.m.,
then change to a regional train direction "Prato" at 7:49 to Firenze Rifredi at 7:58, (just another station in Florence)
then change to the train to Viareggio at 8:15, which arrives in Lucca at 9:30.

From Lucca to Pisa, there are trains every 30 minutes which take from 28 to 30 minutes. No problem.

From Pisa to Paris:
Leave Pisa Centrale at 19:09 on the Regional train to
Milano Centrale, arrive at 23:15 then change to
EN 220 EuroNight Stendhal to: Paris-Bercy, departs Milano at 23:35, and arrives the next morning at 08:47

The overnight trains will require a reservation.
the regional trains from Lucca to Pisa and Pisa to Milano don't.

You can buy tickets online at http://www.raileurope.com
but they might not be as cheap as on the French rail website (which is complicated to use) http://www.sncf.com

Since the train from Paris to Florence goes through switzerland, you might want to get a Eurail selectpass with 3 countries (FR,IT,SW). You'll still have to pay a supplement for a couchette, but the trains that go through Switz. are expensive.
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/eurail_selectpass.htm
You could take a night train from Paris to Ventimiglia, then go down the coast of Italy through Genova, and Pisa, but you'd leave Paris at 9:17 pm, get to Ventimiglia at 8:59 am, then not get to Lucca til after 5 pm. That would be cheaper than going through Switz. but as you see takes a lot longer.

By: Gorilla (The One & Only)

Gorilla (The One & Only) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:39:43 +0000

The simple fact is that there are hundreds and hundreds of astonishingly good, inexpensive restaurants in Paris, and it's not difficult to find truly great meals. Frommers lists the following:
Breakfast in America American 5th Arrondissement (Latin Quarter)
Bar des Théâtres French 8th Arrondissement (Champs-Elysées/Madeleine)

Chartier French 9th Arrondissement (Opéra Garnier/Pigalle)

Le Caveau François Villon French 1st Arrondissement (Musée Du Louvre/Les Halles)

Aux Charpentiers French 6th Arrondissement (St-Germain/Luxembourg)

Crémerie-Restaurant Polidor French 6th Arrondissement (St-Germain/Luxembourg)

Au Pied de Fouet French 7th Arrondissement (Eiffel Tower/Musée D'orsay)

Chez l'Ami Jean French 7th Arrondissement (Eiffel Tower/Musée D'orsay)

Le Rouquet Cafe 7th Arrondissement (Eiffel Tower/Musée D'orsay)

Café Constant French 7th Arrondissement (Eiffel Tower/Musée D'orsay)

Chez Janou French 3rd Arrondissement (Le Marais)

La Fermette du Sud-Ouest French 1st Arrondissement (Musée Du Louvre/Les Halles)

La Petite Hostellerie French 5th Arrondissement (Latin Quarter)

Le Marais Vegetarian 4th Arrondissement (Ile De La Cité/Ile St-Louis & Beaubourg)

L'Ambassade d'Auvergne French 3rd Arrondissement (Le Marais)

L'Ebauchoir French 11th & 12th Arrondissements (Opéra Bastille/Bois De Vincennes)

Café de l'Industrie Cafe 11th & 12th Arrondissements (Opéra Bastille/Bois De Vincennes)

Kambodjia Asian/Pac Rim 16th Arrondissement (Trocadéro/Bois De Boulogne)

Le Manguier African 11th & 12th Arrondissements (Opéra Bastille/Bois De Vincennes)

Coco de Mer Caribbean 5th Arrondissement (Latin Quarter)

Jenny French 3rd Arrondissement (Le Marais)

Chez Savy French 8th Arrondissement (Champs-Elysées/Madeleine)

Le Grain de Folie Vegetarian 18th Arrondissement (Montmartre)

Café des Deux Moulins Cafe 18th Arrondissement (Montmartre)

Au Bascou French 3rd Arrondissement (Le Marais)

La Bastide Odéon French 6th Arrondissement (St-Germain/Luxembourg)

Angélina Tea 1st Arrondissement (Musée Du Louvre/Les Halles)

Chez Henri French 6th Arrondissement (St-Germain/Luxembourg)

Le Canton Asian/Pac Rim 6th Arrondissement (St-Germain/Luxembourg)

By: Nóra Ní F

Nóra Ní F — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:09:53 +0000

Try Athens!

By: wreck_xo

wreck_xo — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:55:01 +0000

€2000/month (about €65/day, convert at http://xe.com ) plus intercity travel costs is a decent estimate for a budget trip in western Europe. If you plan on going out to clubs or eating in nicer restaurants, you'll need more per day.

- €25 for a hostel bunk
- €25 for food bought from grocery stores and cheap cafés
- €15 for attractions and local transportation

I personally would exchange Dublin for Edinburgh, which would likely save you a bit of money on travel and living costs. For your fifth city, you could go to somewhere like Copenhagen, Berlin, Madrid or Prague.

Check budget airlines for cheap intercity travel (Ryanair, Easyjet, Flybe, etc). Or use a flight comparison site like http://skyscanner.net if your dates are flexible. Your other option is to go by train: http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml

I use couchsurfing regularly, both travelling and as a host. I've never had a bad experience, and think it's a safe alternative. It will also save you a lot of money and allow you to get inside knowledge about a city. Make sure to always contact a backup host, in case your first arrangement falls through.

Whether or not it's safe for a girl to travel alone depends on you. If you are sensible and mature, there shouldn't be a problem. I've been travelling alone since my late teens and have never run into trouble. Just research tips online for women travelling alone.

By: tigasista

tigasista — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:09:21 +0000

I would like to recommend a tour around Lake Balaton in Hungary. Most of the tourists are gone by now, and quite frankly life slows down a bit. But the lake itself is wonderful! It is 77km long and it is surrounded by hills on the Northern side, where you can sample local wines. A little North from Lake Balaton is a 'mountain' called Bakony, where you can enjoy the autumn in its full swing.
If you want to can pop into a termal bath in Heviz, but generally anywhere you go on the Hungarian countryside is good!

By: henberg

henberg — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:19:44 +0000

Hi!
How exciting!
First I want to give Prague a little plug; I was there for six weeks and it's fantastic. Krakow's great, too. Oh, and when in Germany, how can you leave out Berlin?
Think very carefully about the clothes you will bring! Make sure they're versatile–you need things to wear casually, for touring, or when going to dinner or a club. Make sure they're lightweight and dry easily.
Be friendly; talk to the people at your hostels–by meeting people and making friends you'll have a wonderful experience, and they may have some good travel suggestions for you.
Try to find restaurants and pubs off the tourist path. They'll be cheaper, more interesting, and give you a better sense of the culture.
Honestly, I'd recommend a bus over a train. The busses are not that comfortable, but neither are the trains (unless you really splurge for first class, which is fun but too expensive), and busses are cheaper.
If you get a eurail pass, however, this is not an issue. You may want to look into the eurail pass. Then you can take trains.
You're really going to want to play it by ear, though–depends on what is going where and when.
Hostelworld.com never failed us in terms of getting places to stay.
And have fun! It'll be an amazing experience!

By: Billy W

Billy W — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:57:32 +0000

Absolute Paris is pretty good, you can a double room with your own bathroom for about 30Euro per person or dorms for cheaper. We found it really easy to get around paris from there, there is a metro just next door pretty much, a supermarket up the road plus you can walk to all of Paris big attractions, was a real winner for us when we were there in March

By: Graciela B

Graciela B — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:21:08 +0000

Stores that sell sporting goods and outdoor equipment.