Hello all! My brother (21) and I (22) are planning on travelling to Europe this June. We will be on a tight budget, staying in hostels, travelling via train, etc. We basically want to see some sights,
My brother (21) and I (22) are planning on travelling to Europe this June. We will be on a tight budget, staying in hostels, travelling via train, etc. We basically want to see some sights, hike, swim, bike, and do lots of outdoorsy activities! We love the outdoors. Some partying will of course be in order but is not the main goal of our trip. We really want to be outside doing things! Also, we are big into the tourist towns. We would prefer "off the beaten path" towns, if possible via trains and buses. For instance, this January I staying in Rome. I visited Nemi and Tivoli, both of which I enjoyed more thoroughly than Rome. They were easily accessible with a bus after taking the train to Rome.
We are novice travellers and have a few questions.
Based on our goals, would you suggest we go to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria OR Ireland?
Which towns would you also suggest for that country or countries?
Switzerland is the best of those countries and can easily be combined with Austria & southern Germany (Bavaria). In Switzerland, Interlaken is well worth a visit and from here you can take the mountain railway to the "Roof of Europe" at Jungfraujoch. (This is not exactly cheap, google Swiss Tourist Board to get more info. You should be able to get a young persons rail pass. See www.seat61.com about rail passes). Luzern is also worth visiting but hey, so is pracically all of Switzerland.
Ireland would be at the bottom of such a list in my view.
I've visited all of those countries, but with varying degrees of experience of them. It's pretty clear to me that you'd be better off with Germany/Switizerland/Austria. It would be a much more diverse trip, offering towns and cities with many more and better museums, very varied landscape, and some cities, like Berlin, with extensive night life, especially for younger people. Those countries also have better public transportation than Ireland, especially Switzerland. Switzerland is expensive, though. You might want to substitute France for Switzerland, since then you would have a more diverse set of countries, and not have to spend as much money.
In all those countries, as long as you are where there are a lot of tourists, most of the locals you have to deal with will speak some English. Once you get off the beaten track, less English is spoken -- probably in descending order of English speakers would be Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France. But people are still used to seeing foreign travelers everywhere in those countries, and you can get by ok with a phrase book, preferably one you've studied with recordings beforehand.
I actually don't know the price differential between Ireland vs. the 3 Alpine countries grouped, but if the Alpine countries begin to look unaffordable, you might consider the Picos de Europa of Spain, or the Pyrenees, both Spanish and French. There are enough buses and trains and cheap accommodations to keep you going, and if you love off-the-beaten track, the Picos di Europa especially would be a great choice. Not only can you go hiking in spectacular places, but you can the next day go surfing or swimming along the north Spanish coast, and the food and wine and beer is fantastic.
and here is information on the Pyrennes. Again, you can combine hiking with beach activities, either on the bay of Biscay in Spain and France, or down in Catalonia, near the Mediterranean, along the Costa Brava (but that is HOT in summer).
We aren't too worried about speaking the language. I know very little Italian, but I thoroughly enjoyed talking to the locals in small towns like Nemi and Tivoli.
Mushroom, thanks for the advice on Picos de Europa and the Pyrennes. My brother really likes to surf, so I'm going to shoot that idea off of him and see what he thinks. Looks like Ireland is out of the question at this point.
The west coast of France is likely to offer better surfing than the north coast of Spain. However, the scenery behind the French coast tends to be flat whilst that in northern Spain is rugged/mountainous. Towns in the Alpine countries are more attractive than those in northern Spain.
If you are in the UK, the main surfing beaches tend to be on the NW facing coast of Cornwall around Newquay.
I suggest you use Google Earth to explore the possible places that you would like to vist on your trip. That is what I do and it helps me to eliminate some places.
