EXPLORE EUROPE ~ 5 COUNTRIES IN 11 DAYS ~ PARIS, FRANCE (P-1)
Today a friend PMed me and enquired regarding my 2008 Greece Trip. He was asking for a few tips how to organize and process, from Visa to arranging best rate hotel and airticket bookings. Actually he's not the first one who has come and asked, there were few already had asked me. I realized I should create this blog for them. So there…
But before I begin sharing my travel experience, let me first point out a few things. First, I am no travel expert, whatever recommendations and tips that will be shared here are purely based on my personal experiences. I may share a few do’s and don’ts, it is your prerogative to agree and disagree, but let me just say it again that whatever I write here and whatever I judge to be right and true is based on my personal experiences. If you have other opinions and POVs (point of view) you are free to comment and share, but no bashing, please? Thanks.
OK. First make sure to plan your travel. Have enough time to plan and organize preferably couple of months, but if budget is not a problem a month of planning and organizing is okay, but case to case. If you have a certain budget set, then you are bound to schedule your trip on off-peak season. For travelers like me who always has a certain budget set for doing this stuff, a month or so is needed to properly plan. My recent trip was to Europe – 5 countries in 11 days for approximately Dhs 11,800.00 details below:
The following was the step by step process/planning I did with the assistance of my cyber guide GOOGLE :)
1. Determine where you want to go.
Google map Europe.
In my case, as I have a budget set, at first I tried to check and see what are the countries/cities close to each other, I mean travelling by train or air will not take long and will not cost much. My options were: (1) Germany-France-Switzerland, (2) France-Switzerland-Italy, (3) Italy-Germany-France, (4) France-Switzerland-Italy-Czech Rep-Austria, (5) Germany-France-Switzerland-Italy-Austria.
2. Check Roundtrip Air ticket Cost
Google Search – cheapest air ticket from and to
After getting the flight schedules suitable for my budget and 13days allotted travel, the best option for me that time was option (4) France-Switzerland-Italy-CzechRep-Austria.
Tips:
In some countries, there are a couple of international Airports. Best choice is to select the one near the spots where you would like to see. If you’re not sure what’s the must see places in the country you plan to visit, google 10 top best places (like for instance) France.
Select the flight that will not make you lose half day of your trip. It’s not a problem if you get to the hotel early or before the check in time, every hotel has a luggage facility where you leave your things and then you go and start exploring the city. But make sure to lock your luggage and not leave very important/valuable things.
What I had was a 1AM flight from Dubai Int’l Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport with 1hour layover at Zurich International Airport. I got in Paris 9Am, 15mins taxi ride from the airport to the Hotel. 15 minutes sorting out my hotel booking and luggage, then off to start my Paris adventure, details to be shared at the later part of this blog, with visuals.
Return flight to Dubai is from Prague with 1 night layover in Vienna, this is how Vienna has become part of my Explore Europe Trip.
3. Determine how many days you want to spend in each country for hotel and train/air tickets.
What I did, first I checked what are the available schedules and the cheapest rate of air and train tickets from Paris-Zurich-Rome-Prague-Vienna. As mentioned on (2) I had 1 day layover in Vienna, so I would only need to check tickets from paris - zurich – rome – prague. Suitable to my schedule and within my budget were train from paris-zurich-rome then airplane rome-prague.
Then I started checking for cheap but decent hotels, there’s a few actually if you just know how to fully utilize the google search engine tool.
This is what I had come up with:
3 nights in France, as there are so much to see in Paris
Actually it was 2 nights in Zurich, the second night was spent on the train from Zurich to Rome.
2 nights in Prague, Just enough time to explore the city.
1 night in Vienna, for me this is enough if you are just to explore Vienna alone. But there are so many places to see in Austria, the country side, which I would visit hopefully someday. Next time definitely I will make sure to spend more than 1 night in Austria.
Tip: Book in a hotel which is accessible or near to everything, like grocery, airport, trains/metro stations.
4 . Make a list of places you would like to visit, so when you get in the city you know where to go, and what to do, you will not waste your time wondering where to go.
5. If you are going to visit museums, make sure to check if you need tickets, check the dos and don’ts so you will not be disappointed like when they say you can’t go inside because shorts and slippers are not allowed, stuffs like that.
6. Make sure to read rules and regulations or laws of the country you are going to visit. This is a must.
My 11 Days Journey in 5 European Countrie - France, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Rep & Austria
First Stop: PARIS, FRANCE
1:35 AM was my flight from Dubai to Paris with a 1 hour layover in Zurich.
9:00 AM I arrived in Paris, around 11:00 AM I was all set to explore Paris City, but before that, i had my lunch first at Mc Donalds opposite Gare du Nurd Train Station.
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After 30mins lunch, I went around the vicinity of Basilique du Sacre-Coeur. I took the train from Barbes Rochechouart down to Pigalle, if you're up to walking, it will take maybe 10-15 mins walk from Barbes Rochechourt to the next station which is Anvers. I didn't know that at first. So I took the train, but later on coming back to the hotel, i walked and discovered a few shortcuts along the way with the guidance of my map. Before I continue with my Sacre-Coeur tour, let me just share what I have witnessed on my first day in Paris, but let me clear that I have no intention of creating a bad image of Paris, rather this is just to remind travelers to be extra cautious with your bags and personal things. It goes to show that there's no such thing as a safe place. Wherever we go we have to be careful and pray for guidance, safety and protection. Here is what had happened, when I got to the station, the ticket counter was closed and ticket machines were out of service. There was a group of young boys hanging at the station entrance selling tickets, a couple who are maybe at their late 60's came and wanted to buy train tickets, and those guys started to hover around the couple, as the negotiation of buying and selling tickets were going on the couple were oblivious that one of the guys started to unzipped the old man's bag, there I saw the guy (not sure if local) took the old man's phone and something else. It was not a nice thing to experience on my first day in Paris, I was scared, I was caught between screaming and telling at the old man that someone has robbed him, but then the thought of what if I do that then all of the other boys beat me after? I would not take the risk. I bought the ticket from one of the guys then rushed inside the train station with the intention of running after the couple to inform them of what had happened, but they were going to the other side of the platform, we were headed to opposite direction.
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Let me continue with Basilica de Sacre Coure visit and and exploration of the Paris City. Words could not describe how I felt and what I saw, so let me just share it with my photos.
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| Basilica Sacre Couer |
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| View of Paris City from Basilica Sacre Coeur |
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| Seine River |
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| The Notre Dame Cathedral |
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| Facade of Notre Dame Cathedral |
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| Inside Notre Dame Cathedral |
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| Tourists outside the Notre Dame Cathedral |
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| at the Moulin Rouge |
Since I am already in France, I would not miss the chance to see Chateu de Versailles. I took the train from Paris to Versailles.
There's a few agency selling entrance tickets to the Chateu. I would advise it's better you buy the tickets from them rather than wait for the long que at the main gate. There is a couple of euro difference in price, but you would not mind that, as I have said, the que at the main gate for entrance tickets is long. The Chateu is 10-15 minutes walk from the train station.
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| que at the gate of Chateu De Versialles |
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| miniature model of Chateu De Versailles |
It is said that the Palace has 700 rooms and 2000 windows.
Restoration cost of ceiling alone is equivalent to the price of a commercial plane, said by the tour guide, just could not remeber if she said brand new or secondhand plane lol.
Restoration cost of ceiling alone is equivalent to the price of a commercial plane, said by the tour guide, just could not remeber if she said brand new or secondhand plane lol.
One day is not enough to explore the palace and the gargen, and by foot, you have to take the coaster (photo below)
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| The Big BallRoom |
As per the tourguide, in the big ballroom was where the big events and party were held. The ballroom is long and wide. I have learned that it was a protocol, if you want to leave the room and the King was present, you cannot leave with your back to the King, you have to leave backwards facing the King.
Our palace tourguide was a pretty and funny french girl, who's obviously anti-monarchy. She tells story about the royal family with a twist of humor so as not make us bored.
My Versailles tour was all worthy. Very informative. I have learned that the King has 2 rooms, Private and Public. He would rest/sleep at his Private Room, wake up, then transfer to Public Room, then pretend to wake up again, funny right?
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It was said that the garden was made as a gift to Marie Antoinette, who is Austrian by origin.
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Never did I think I would be able to experience to see these beautiful places, but I did dream and dreams really do come true.
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