Advise need to backpack/F&E honeymoon to Europe for begineer

bellebelle

New Member
andromeda,

It actually depends on your comfort level and how much money you intend to spend. I spent $7.5k for a 17days F&E trip to Switzerland and Italy. Well you can't beat that price if you're taking up package. But you must be prepared to go for cheap accomodations, walk a lot ...a lot... ( I have blisters on my feet) as there are so many interest places to see along the way and may missed if taking transports. You must also be prepared to have your food on the go, no fancy resturants.
 


andromeda

New Member
R the inns in venice std abt the same thru out italy? cos i cheked out the venicehotels.com website and saw that their 4 star inns are really tastefully decorated very victorian style.and it cos euro 120 per nite per rm (For 2 pax)is this ex? my AD is on 14 Dec, not sure if HM wan to go on 19dec or later when the winter is over. scared the weather not good cos my main aim is to go take lots n lots of nice photos.
 

bellebelle

New Member
accomodations in Venice are expensive. THe one I got was only euro 75 of course not as nicely furnished. Like I say, it all depends on your budget
 

andromeda

New Member
oh ok.another thing. i heard that in venice it stinks like shit cos of the water. is it true? or has they cleared the river so it's not not smelly anymore?
 

makino

New Member
I agree with blushblush. It doesn't stink, but be careful of your head. If a pigeon poo-ed on your head, you'd better wash your hair and scalp IMMEDIATELY! I've heard that you can got a bald patch if you get poo-ed.
 

schnauzie

New Member
it doesn't stink.
mm, i fed pigeons there too...once u start feedin all will swarm to u..but i din get any poo poo though..;p guess i was lucky
 

bellebelle

New Member
yah... pigoens are everywhere, especially at San Marco where you can buy the feed to feed them. I din dare to remove my cap
 

gazalla

New Member
hellooo,

guess if you guys watch the movie,Under the Tuscan Sun, you will know that its good luck in tuscany to get pigeon pood on...hehehe

Just saw on planet traveller earlier in the day about north west france...my kinda place...very scenic and breathtaking..

Anyone been around there before...me and my bf planning our wedding late next year and we're doing the budgeting now...any advices?
 

schnauzie

New Member
yes, if the back of ur atm card has the 'plus' logo but i think each transaction of withdrawal u do is charged $5 admin fee.

i just stick to credit card
 

seanranger

New Member
But i read from rick steve and frommer's travel book. They mentioned italy must be a 4 digit pin number. I had chk with both banks. UOB issue 5 digit pin. DBS issue 6 digit pin. Any problem ?
 

trina_wys

New Member
hi gals,

i'm interested to go to europe for my honeymoon, but i was wondering whether late jan-feb would be a good time to go there? whats the weather like during this 2 months?

happy.gif
 

germangirl

New Member
Hi Petrina,

which region of Europe are you interested in?

January/February are very cold months for most of Europe. But while Spain and Portugal just have mild weather, you won´t even see the sun in Scandinavia at all!

In central Europe days are still rather short, but not as short as in december...

Whether it´s a good time for you to go depends on what you want to see, which kind of activities you like and which countries you want to go to...
 

happydonut

New Member
Hey germangirl!
--not entirely true about not seeing the sun in Scandinavia! you have to be located above the artic circle (and that's pretty far up north=) before you get to experience the dark periods withouth the sun in Scandi! most other parts of Scandi get the short days, like the rest of Europe! Winter can be exciting as well, some people come up to enjoy the storms, and loads of Japanese people come up to try and catch a glimspe of the Northern Lights! I am a Singaporean living in Northern Norway!
 

trina_wys

New Member
hi germangirl,

to be very honest.. i only know that i want to go to rome and venice.. but i have no clue as to which countries are suitable for easy travelling over a period of 14 days..
sad.gif


i've scrolled up the thread and realise that there are some of u who put rome, florence and venice together.. however.. i'm also quite keen on going to the greek islands..

FH and myself want to go there for rich arhitecture and sceneries.. and we are planning to F&E so that we'll be able to spend more time at a specific place..

which countries would u recommend me to go visit? would appreciate all the help i can get..
happy.gif


thanks!!

hi happy donut,

oh! the northern lights.. i saw it before on travel and adventure channel.. very breath taking!! and u are right about the jap tourist going there to take a look at them.. however.. FH is very afraid of the cold so i guess we wouldn't be able to go there..
sad.gif
 

happydonut

New Member
Hey Petrina!
There is a Norwegian saying that goes something like this, 'there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes!' (trust me that it sounds better in Norwegian ) he he I have seen the northern lights about 4 or 5 times last year, a very magical experience! The dark period is Dec to Jan. In 'compensation' we get 2 months of complete daylight in summer, (only above the artic circle) it is a special experience! you feel like you have loads of energy, you go by with little sleep, and it is a glorious time to travel around! I played host to a couple I corresponded with (through this website) on their honeymoon last June, conincidently, they planned to visit where I live, (to experience the midnight sun!) and I brought them around for a day (far too short!). Norway is very, very pretty for its natural scenery.
 

bellebelle

New Member
cheery_gal,

my nick Blush Blush has been blocked so this is my new nick.

I can't give you my itinery as my old PC crashed so all my docs are wiped out incl. my itinery. Anyway, I went to Switzerland-Zurich, Lucern, Bern, Interlaken, Zermatt, Italy-Milan, Venice, Florence/Pisa, Rome. I spent about 2 days at each stop and travel around the region. My itinery is based on an SIA Europe package to Switzerland and Italy.
 

trina_wys

New Member
hi happy donut!!

wah!!! u're so lucky!! i'm so full of envy!! u got to see the northern lights so many times!!!

if i go in late jan-feb period.. it'll be short daylight days?
 

germangirl

New Member
Hi Petrina,

if you don´t want to be cold in January and february, you definetly have to stick with the southern countries of Europe: Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, south of France.

You will find lots of interesting architecture and lots of historical places in any european country. Very famous places are Barcelona for the Gaudi buildings and Gaudi cathedral, the Greek Islands of course for the unique greek style of white and blue houses and also their churches, and of course the classic remains of ancient Greece.

Rome and Florence are also great for that! And a big plus is, that those places will not be as crowded as in summer.

I absolutely love Prague! Architecture wise it is also wonderful, but it will be very cold during winter!


I just heard in the news, right now, the cold air from Russia is moving in. We are expecting temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius on Monday and Tuesday. That is unusual, but can happen any time during winter in northern and central Europe.

In some winters they even get snow in the southern countries...

So it´s always best to bring clothes which you can wear in layers! Just in case.
 

germangirl

New Member
Hi Happy Donut,

sorry, yes, I was exaggerating a bit. But sometimes it even seems to me that we get very little light in Germany during winter. Right now I go to work in the dark and I return home in the dark...

And the farther you go up north, the darker it gets, so for someone coming straight from sunny singapore, it must seem like there´s no daylight at all...
 

happydonut

New Member
germangirl - some people also experience that phenomenon in Singapore, go to work in the dark and return home in the dark! it all depends what time you go home eh
happy.gif
We have had some good days (albeit the few hours of light) and it only started snowing yesterday, we have had no snow since it melted on New Year's. I live by the coast, so compared to the in-land, we have relatively milder winters, thanks to the gulf stream. But the weather has been freaky all over Europe, lots of snow chaos in other parts of Norway.
Petrina – it is wise to follow germangirl's advice on countries to visit in Feb, especially if you want to keep away from the cold . Are you set on visiting Europe? What about Australia or NZ instead, better choice this time of year?!
 

trina_wys

New Member
hi german girl,

thank u so much for the tips and countries to visit.. YES! i wanted to visit rome and greece so i'm delighted to receive ur reply..
happy.gif


usually whats the average temp in jan - feb for these countries?

hi happy donut,

i'm pretty keen on visiting europe because i feel that australia and NZ can be visited anytime because they are nearer to singapore..
happy.gif
 

germangirl

New Member
Hi Petrina,

right now we got temperatures of about 7/8 degrees in Rome and 3-6 degrees in Greece. Bu as I said, it is unusually cold. We hit the -20 today, got thick layers of ice on the streets...


But I also heard about people visiting Rome in January and finding temperatures of 15-20 degrees...

Greece is very big and with so many islands spread out, you will find a lot of different temperatures. As a rule of thumb: the farther south you go, the warmer it gets. I wouldn´t neccessarily go to the mountainous part in tthe north, but stick to do a bit of "island hopping".
 

makino

New Member
Hi, we're planning to go F&E for about 2-3 days before joining a tour group in Zurich. Any good suggestions on how to spend the 2-3 days? We will need to meet the tour group at Zurich Airport early in the morning, and so most likely will have to stay overnight at the Zurich airport hotel, unless there is an overnight train to take us there just in time. Looking at Nice/Monte Carlo at the moment, as Prague is quite out of way from Zurich...

Any suggestions welcomed.
happy.gif
 

blueroti

New Member
Hi

anyone been to southern france? provence? would like to know where i should go and recommended accomodation. thanks!
 

piggersorous

New Member
hi all

m planning a trip to europe, targeting venice,rome,paris and switz... is april a gd time to go? isit gona b a peak period??
 

prettibride

New Member
Any couples planning to visit Europe in late Dec? I m booking the Contiki Winter Wanderer tour (maybe) in Dec for my honeymoon. Will b good if there is fellow Singaporeans couples interested too so that we can have company. If we have 5 couples, can even get group discount! For details, checkout www.contiki.com.
 

macadamia

New Member
hi all, been reading the threads.. sounds like if we wanna free and easy in europe we gotta be prepared to stay in hostels and walk a lot! are the hostels really v cham and run down? dun think so right.. but compared to hotels sure much cheaper.

ha i was asking my fiance maybe we shd bring a foldable bike there! then dun need to walk so much.. wondering if it's possible for those who have went before? if we're going europe we'll want to visit places like france, italy..
 

oxypanda

New Member
Hi all,
We planning for honeymoon europe in july period for 3 weeks. Any nice countries to recommend as we do not want the weather to be too hot or too cold and short days? Thanks!!
 

pretty78

Member
Hi Macadamia,
not all hostels are really that run down. Some are and some are not, all depends on your luck and whether you have booked the highly recommended good and nice hostels ...
happy.gif


Frankly, you will have alot of walkings to do... depending on whether you would want to walk all the way (which is quite impossible) or you wanna take the trains there though... Cos they have train services such as mrt like in singapore.

Even though you are going to bring a foldable bike, you have to bear in mind that it is easy to get on and off the trains. Cos the train (which is called 'Metro' in Paris) is considered quite small...
happy.gif
 

lyons

New Member
<font color="119911">hi there! we're planning to F&amp;E to ITALY for our honeymoon but dunno where to start! Can anyone help?
- should we limit ourselves to just 3 cities (rome, florence, venice) or should be do more cities?
- will the logistics be horrendous? We don't want to backpack. So we'll have luggages and dunno if the trains are "luggage-friendly".
- what other considerations must i have for F&amp;E?</font>
 

hislove

New Member
Hi bride,
the trains are really gd in Italy. Altho' in comparison to German &amp; French trains, they look abit more old-fashioned, their services are very gd. I remember their train conductor coming in to assist in storing my luggage. hehe.. Very friendly, I think it's jus in the iTalians lah.
Yes. Luggage friendly as Italian trains generally bigger cabins then the other continental trains. You may want to take their sleeper train options, 3 or 4 persons sharing.

Don't need to limit to less than 3 cities coz like Florence can easily sightsee finish within a day, but oso depends on what u're exploring. Stay longer in Rome, alot of things to see, historical sights etc.

When it's F&amp;E, do plan ur itinerary early. But allow urself room to explore other places not stated in ur itinerary, coz u do meet wif other travellers or locals who will suggest interesting places which not on the usual tourist circuit.
I suggest u invest in a gd guidebook like lonely planet coz their maps r rather updated.

Oh yah! get a gd map! Don't settle for those free kind at the train stations coz when i was in Rome, the maps r not updated n a couple of times I got lost.
 

hislove

New Member
Hi macadamia,
Not all the hostels r rundown. Select those hostels on Hostelling International network. They have to maintain certain standards. E.g. in S'pore Hangout hotel at Mt emily is part of the HI network.
U can be a HI member and enjoy discounts at the hostels.
But the only not gd thing is that the popular hostels within the city or near it r usually booked very early and u may have to settle for those suburban kinds which can be hard to find.

U don't have to walk alot carrying ur backpacks as u can always store ur bags in lockers in the hostels or at the cities major central train stations. But oso depending on the cities and hostels u're in. Trust ur instincts.
 

lyons

New Member
<font color="119911">hi jess, thanks for the comments! I think we'll go for a short 9-day tour with cosmos to rome, florence and venice. Then we'll extend the trip for 3D2N in cinque terre and another 3D2N in either a homestay in florence or rome itself.</font>
 

midas

New Member
hi bride,

i've stayed in a castle (self-catering) in florence/tuscany during my honeymoon last yr...if u r interested, can PM me for details
happy.gif
 

lyons

New Member
<font color="119911">thanks raymond! Will do that!

Hi midas, send you a PM
happy.gif


Yup jess! where did you go for your honeymoon?</font>
 

hislove

New Member
Hi bride,
My FH &amp; I haven't decided where to go for our honeymoon..
I would love to go Greece tis time round. hehe. but oso want to go back Italy again after a wonderful backpacking trip (my comments were based on that trip)
But we may jus have a short getaway trip to nearby resorts right after our wedding tis Oct, then maybe sometime early next yr, we'll travel further 4 our "official" honeymoon. hehe..
 

lyons

New Member
<font color="119911">hi jess, greece is gorgeous! I'd go back there again and again! There's just something so mystical about that place. I went there some years back and it was so nice.

If you want to go somewhere nearby, go maldives. Do nothing but relax in each other's arms, stare into the open ocean
happy.gif
Oh ya, can go snorkelling if you want too
happy.gif


hi midas, I'd love for you to send me the local tour agent websites! Thanks!</font>
 

hislove

New Member
Hi bride,
Thanks 4 ur suggestion!!!
Ya. A couple of my frens oso suggested Maldives. The only prob is that it doesn't seemed as value for $ compare to Bali or Phuket. hehe..
But I'm waiting for the NATAs Travel fair to check some packages out..
Jus like wat u say, do nothing and must have SPA is my idea of holiday.. hehe..
 



Top