First time to Europe. Want to road trip... Don't know how or where to start.?

Question

Hey, I live in America and i'm going to FRANCE for one month vacations. I would love to get out of there for 5 days and get to know some nearby countries such as Holland and Switzerland. I'm planning on doing so with a friend by car on a ROAD TRIP. The problem is I don't know where to start, what to do, what am I facing... Anything you could tell me will be helpful !!! oh.. I don't plan to spend a lot of money. Thnx

Answer 1

Travels-

http://phodie.com/

Answer 2

Which parts of France will you be in? You don't want to waste too much time travelling around, so if you're in the north and east I'd recommend Holland or Germany.

Europe has a great rail system, so your best bet is to get the train -- it's cheaper and faster than a car, and you can sleep on it if you get a late train.

Amsterdam is supposed to be a really charming city, and I love Germany, so you can't go wrong with either of those two places! You can book a cheap hostel on http://www.hostelworld.com/ -- many hostels are great in Europe (the ones I've been in in the US haven't been great so don't let them put you off!).

Answer 3

France is really a wonderful place, nice people, lots of culture, fine cuisine...I could go on all night XD You should make sure you do go and visit some of the nearby countries:

Holland is just under a 5 hour drive but if you stop in Belgium en route it would break it up quite nicely, the gps takes you via Gent in Belgium, I suggest going just a little bit off route to Brugge (Bruges) as that is probably the best city in Belgium in my opinion, there you could stay for 1 or 2 nights.

If you're going anywhere near Strasbourg in France you should definatley make a quick stop in Germany while you're there. Strasbourg to Stuttgart (Germany) is only 1h45, while Strasbourg to Nürnberg is just under 3 and a half hours.

But if you can't go to any of the other places I mentioned, definatley go to Switzerland! It's friendy, clean, helpful, on time and most of all safe! Paris to Zurich is 6 hours, Strasbourg to Zurich is just over 2 hours. Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, Luzern and Bern are also nice cities in Switzerland. The closest mountain to Zurich and even London is the Flumserberg, with its great pistes for skiing, snowboarding and sledging its definatley a 10/10 ski resort if you're into that type of thing. And if it's still summer, there are plenty of walking tracks to go and explore around the country as well, the Uetliberg is the closest to Zurich, only a quick train ride (20min max.).

For saving a few Euros, don't fill up your car/van on the side of the highway, always take an exit, drive to the next town or village and fill up there, trust me, it's a lot cheaper! Road tax in France is quite expensive as well, so be aware when chosing your route.

But anyway, all the best, and HAVE FUN IN EUROPE!!!

Answer 4

I live in Lithuania, its cheap for Dollar money, but i dont know if you will like it or no, But if i want go like you i will choose Italy and/or Spain, but i think all Europe are nice, so its up to you my friend, have a nice trip..