So me and my girlfriend are planning a mini Euro trip.

We are going in May, Our first stop is Athens Greece we already bought the tickets. From there we were planning on flying to Italy then from there take trains to France, Amsterdam, etc but really no concrete plans. The only thing we have booked as of now is the flight to Athens. Any other country that you recommend with that is a must do?

So any tips will be appreciated for those who have took these trips before. I don't have any family or friends there is will be staying at hotels. I had a few people tell me about sleeper trains is that a good idea? And can that be a replacement for a hotel night?

I Stick to countries that border each other. Train travel is efficient and cheap. It's also less physically taxing.

I recommend using airbnb whenever possible. Better value. For social activity, look up free walking tours to become familiar with the city and check events on meetup.com. Meetup is a great way to meet English-speaking locals and expats rather than just being with other tourists as conversations between tourists can be awfully boring.

To stay fresh, I like to spend one day a week just chilling. Being on the run from place to place every day gets tiring quickly. Don't worry about sightseeing checklists. Chill and enjoy the experience ☺

Definately consider a stop in one of the Balkan Countries if you are also up for something else than just the cramped postcard tourist stops. These are on the Route from Greece to Italy anyway . And they are way less touristy , maybe with an exception for croatia. In terms of history and nature theres a ****ton of things to explore. On top of that the food is outstanding and of superb value and accomodation is also way cheaper than anywhere else in europe.

If you like nightlife you should probably try Berlin as it has the reputation of being europes party capital. You can travel through Germany pretty easy and cheaply with trains and especially buses since the "Deutsche Bahn" lost their transportation monopoly recently and theres huge competition.

Regarding transport you should take into account that europe has tons of lowcost carrier airlines like easyjet, ryanair, wizzair, germanwings and so on and depending on your flexibility you should be able to find really cheap flights. Since you only have 20days that would also enable you to see a bit more of europe. Faster trains in europe are pretty expensive btw.

Former Yugoslavia def cheaper but has weaker infrastructure and is less tourist friendly. Could be hard to deal with if you're traveling through Europe for the first time.

That said, Bosnia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia were great places. Croatia is overrated imo and Macedonia was just ****.

I have come across a rare instance or two where a flight between two places directly connected by train has been only marginally more expensive than a train (this is including extra costs such as luggage not just the fare)

That can be offset by interrail or eurail especially if you're young since they offer discounts. I think one only for eu citizens though. The other is not.

Rail coverage from Greece through the Balkans is near nonexistent. I would consider flying to Ljubljana from Athens and getting the bus to Bled, one of my fave places in Europe. From there you can get the train from nearby Bled train station (get a cab there) to Venice. I'm not a big fan of Italy but Venice is worth visiting, I liked Cinque Terre as well. Besides Bled my other big recommendation would be Interlaken, Switzerland. I'm assuming you guys are relatively young here, btw. Stay in hostels and get private rooms.

Chris, interrail and eurail are only for EU countries anyway. Most of the former Yugoslavia wouldn't apply.

I traveled via bus when I was in the Balkans. I was referring to rail travel in general though.

I actually skipped Bled and went to Bohinj instead. Way less people (Bled was absolutely packed with tourists) and bigger. Only real difference is water temperature (Bled is warmer) and that there's some tiny island on Lake Bled that has a church on it.

OP, I use Rome2Rio.com for finding the best intercity travel options.

Yeah I have been to Bohinj also. I like Bled partly as a base for checking out the Julian Alps, there are other places to stay but Bled is most convenient. It will probably not be packed out as early as May. It gets heavy numbers through in summer but rapidly tails off either side of that.

Hey thanks for the recommendations, How would you recommend getting from Venice to Interlaken? I know I can catch the train from Milan to Interlaken but it seems expensive and so are flights, compared to other parts of Europe. What do you think about renting a car?

Thanks

http://www.rome2rio.com/s/Venice/Interlaken-Switzerland

As for renting cars, some countries won't recognize your license as a valid driver's license (I know Spain doesn't) unless you get an IDP (International Driving Permit). Plus, you need to learn the road rules for each country you drive in so you don't ruin your trip by getting in an accident.

To be honest, I don't recommend renting as the road conditions and driving quality vary greatly from country to country. For example, there are no multi-road lanes in the former Yugoslavia. At max, you get one lane going each way which leads to madness since drivers there don't give a **** about what's in front of them when overtaking a car around a sharp bend at 100 km/hour. You should see what crossing the border between those countries is like. I guarantee that you'll appreciate riding a bus then since they skip every car in the line.

On top of that, I feel you get to enjoy a country more when you walk or cycle through it. With driving in a city by car, you're only focusing on going from one place to another. For example, Amsterdam has more bicycles than people (over a million bikes for 800,000 people). Nearly half of the city commutes to work by bike. It's extremely bike friendly. There are also a lot of pedestrian-only areas that cars simply can't access. Add on the nightmare that is parking in a busy European city and you'll either need to pay out the ass to park at a parking garage or miracle your way to a spot on the street.

The main benefit of car rental comes when traveling to remote areas that are either inaccessible or poorly accessible by public transport. Aside from some parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans, that's a non-issue. Any area regularly visited by tourists has the public transport necessary to accommodate it. The only other benefit is if you need to travel in the middle of the night as most cities do not have around the clock public transport like NYC does. So if it is necessary for you to travel at 2 or 3 AM and prefer not to use a taxi, then a car is useful.

It's a matter of personal choice. I choose not to use cars and I don't feel restricted with public transport, cycling, or walking.

Dont plan ahead. The more you plan, the more you make time a factor, and that ruins your direct experience.
When you reach night-time, find a nearby hostel. Buy a simple tent for a few days when in Italy.
Move along side-roads, "get lost".

I always like road tripping, depends how you feel about it. I wouldn't go direct from Venice to Interlaken, there's plenty on the way (Florence, Cinque Terre, Munich, Milan etc depending what you want to do). With 20 days I would aim to spend 3 nights in each place, less in Venice which is easily seen in a day or two.

Some info about what you like would be helpful. Outdoors? Food? Nightlife? etc.

That's fine with a car, not so much otherwise.

Re road conditions, Slovenia was fine in my experience. I drove over from Venice to Bled and then down to Postojna and Piran and back through Trieste to Venice. The roads were all fine. Can't speak for the rest of the Balkans.

Depends on your personality and when you travel. If OP goes during high season, I recommend planning in advance. If a person is picky about housing, plan in advance.

Really, the only things I plan far in advance for are housing and plane tickets.

Thanks for all the advice guys, SO far we booked Greece and will be staying there 2.5 days, we booked an Airbnb then have a flight out to Rome, with no other plans. We don't really care so much about the night life, Both of us are in our mid/late 20's. We would prefer not to stay in a hostel unless we can get a private room. We were thinking of going from Rome-Florence-Venice- Monaco by train. We looked into Interlaken but I think that price wise it's far more expensive to go train ride and flight and hotels are all pretty expensive there. We are still thinking about Bled, Because it seems like it would be easier to get there from Venice.

seat61 is invaluable for planning re: trains

What is the best way to buy train tickets? Is it better to do it online? or in advance? Also If I have a student ID would it better to buy at the train station?

This assuming you are both not 35+, not sure why you would waste money staying in hotels. Hostels will give you a good chance to meet other travellers and to have people to go out partying with.

As far as central Europe is concerned always buy it online and best well in advance. You can apply the student discount, if there is any, online too. At the train station best case scenario you get the same price but often it will be more expensive. Not sure about south Europe but I'm guessing it is the same.

Yeah best to buy in advance if you can. It will never be cheaper on the day. There's something to be said for flexibility as well though.

If you consider 80 bucks per ticket all the way from Milano to Interlaken too expensive maybe you should avoid the country entirely... Wouldn't want you to suffer a heart attack in a bar when you realise that money buys you about 4 drinks.

-Greetings from Switzerland