So me and some friends are trying to plan a trip to Europe in December 08 for two weeks. As of right now everything is kind of up in the air. We want to save as much money as possible. We are debating either landing in Dublin, Ireland or Munich, Germany. If we were to land in Dublin we were going to focus on Ireland, Scotland and Britain. If we were to land in Munich we were going to focus on France, Germany, And try for Britain. Does anybody have some advice on where we should go? what we should see, anything would help. The first thing we need to do is figure out where were going to fly in and what countries were going to focus on. Where do you think we would have a better time? Dublin or Munich. I actually know a guy in Britain that said there isn’t much to do in Ireland but i guess that all depends on what you like because i would love to see the beauty of Ireland.
Any information would be helpful
Thanks,
The anxious traveler
We are building up the new world, Do not sit idly by, Do not remain neutral, Do not rely on this broadcast alone, We are only as strong as our signal. There is a war going on for your mind. If you are thinking, You are winning, Resistance is Victory, Defeat is impossible. Your weapons are already in hand, Reach within you and find the means in which to gain your freedom. Fight with tools, Your fate and everyone you know depend on it. We are the insurgents. – flobots
So basically you have to first buy your ticket, then decide what you’re doing? Does it have to be Dublin or Munich?
Perhaps you could land in Glasgow and see the UK. You could figure out a clockwise loop.
However, many cheaper flights seem to land in Frankfurt. You could see a few German cities and maybe get over to the Alsace for a taste of France.
But I would not try to do or see too much in those two weeks.
we had narrowed it down to Dublin and Munich because they are on opposite ends of Europe to keep the possibilities open and they are also the cheapest to fly into.
We are building up the new world, Do not sit idly by, Do not remain neutral, Do not rely on this broadcast alone, We are only as strong as our signal. There is a war going on for your mind. If you are thinking, You are winning, Resistance is Victory, Defeat is impossible. Your weapons are already in hand, Reach within you and find the means in which to gain your freedom. Fight with tools, Your fate and everyone you know depend on it. We are the insurgents. – flobots
we had narrowed it down to Dublin and Munich because they are on opposite ends of Europe to keep the possibilities open and they are also the cheapest to fly into.
We are building up the new world, Do not sit idly by, Do not remain neutral, Do not rely on this broadcast alone, We are only as strong as our signal. There is a war going on for your mind. If you are thinking, You are winning, Resistance is Victory, Defeat is impossible. Your weapons are already in hand, Reach within you and find the means in which to gain your freedom. Fight with tools, Your fate and everyone you know depend on it. We are the insurgents. – flobots
At that time of year, I’d be tempted to go with Munich. The Xmas markets will be in full force, not just in Germany but also in nearby Austria, France and Czech Republic and if you’re lucky you’ll get some dry, crisp weather or even a sprinkling of snow. It’s possible to get to the UK from Munich (it’s about 11 hrs on the train) but if I were you I’d stick to central Europe. There’s lots to see in nearby cities and the countryside is also quite stunning. Also, two weeks isn’t such a long time, so why waste a whole day to get to the UK and another to get back?
Another alternative (if you really really wanted to see London, let’s say) would be to fly to Munich and back from London, or to do London as a side trip, taking a cheap flight from Munich to London (or somewhere in the UK) but even for that you’ll need to set aside 2-3 days to even see the basics.
If you fly to Frankfurt, you could easily include Belgium and Luxemburg (maybe even Amsterdam) to your itinerary.
Tough call… If money is an issue, I would think you will spend a bit less flying-in to Munchen or Frankfurt, then taking the train to & from Paris, Prague, etc. in Central Europe. Then you could do 2 days in London toward then end of the trip. Generally, Frankfurt(FRA) is less expensive to fly-in to from most places in N. America than Munchen(MUC) or Dublin(DUB), etc.
That being said, if you heart leads you to Ireland & the U.K. – price flights into both Dublin & Shannon(SNN) airports. Galway is on the other side of the Irish Isle, but supposed to be absolutely gorgeous.
Mike@havebeerwilltravel.com
Para, your $ will go a good bit farther in Germany than in the British Isles. If you fly into Munich, you and your friends (up to 5 of you anyway) can do daytrips from Munich or travel all around Bavaria by train for 27 Euros/day on a “Bayern Ticket” – a daypass for Bavaria. That’s 27 Euros total for the group. From Munich you can head to Garmisch, Salzburg, Nuremberg, Würzburg, Rothenburg, or any other Bavarian cities for this price. All these cities have hostels. Germany has around 600 official HI hostels, and they shouldn’t be impacted by school groups during the Christmas holidays, as they often are doing the school year, so it should be easy to get a bed without a bunch of pre-teen kids getting on your nerves.
I can tell you Dublin will be a lot more expensive at that time of year and it wouldn’t be my choice. It’s not the greatest for value and you might be better advised to try coming to Shannon or Cork, which will lead you to Connemara or Kerry if you want to see scenery etc. although, Ireland is pretty dreary in December. The best time to come is between April and June, or September. (You are off the ‘shoulder’ period and the weather is usually good at that time). Earlier or later tends to be wetter and darker because they take an hour off the clock at the end of October and they don’t put it on again until end of March or so. Dublin is heavily populated and difficult enough to get around. I think you should look to Amsterdam or Munich. I can tell you the Dutch rail transport system is fantastic and there’s lots to see and do over there. Cities like Utrecht, The Hague and Den Bosch are really worth a look and I suspect that the rail system in Germany is pretty good too although I must confess I haven’t tried it yet. Bruges in Belgium is a nice trip. You may have guessed from the above that I am in Ireland and not in Dublin! You might be right!! The advice is the best I can do and is given in good faith without wishing to sound biased but with a little ‘inside’ knowledge. I hope this is of some help to you.
Hi.
I would also go to Munich, because of all the “Christkindlmärkte”, there really pretty and that’s definitely something you should go and see. From Munich you also have a greater opportunity of travelling to other countries than the UK and Ireland. Amsterdam is always worth a visit! I don’t quite remember how long you wanted to stay But maybe you could go from Munich to Berlin to Amsterdam, maybe Bruxelles and last but not least France. That would be a real roadtrip! And drom Callais it’s only a ferry and 2 hours on the mainland until you’re in London.