15 days trip to Europe
Jul 29th, 2016, 10:08 PM
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15 days trip to Europe
Hi everyone, I need a urgent advice. We plan to hav a trip to Europe for 15 days. We plan to do Paris, Amsterdam, Switzerland and Italy. How should we plan a trip. What should be our iternary. Thnxs
Jul 29th, 2016, 10:13 PM
#2
>>What should be our iternary.<<
You want to do two major cities and two whole countries . . . in 15 days.
That is next to impossible. Now 4 or 5 cities would be doable -- but rushed. No one here can plan your itinerary for you. Get a couple of guide books and work out a plan of your own and we can maybe then help you refine/improve it.
You want to do two major cities and two whole countries . . . in 15 days.
That is next to impossible. Now 4 or 5 cities would be doable -- but rushed. No one here can plan your itinerary for you. Get a couple of guide books and work out a plan of your own and we can maybe then help you refine/improve it.
Jul 29th, 2016, 10:47 PM
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Switzerland, although tiny by American standards, is hugely rich in destinations. What has caught your eye, what have you read about? Ditto for Italy, and even more so. You need to cherry-pick just a few locations for each, then see how you can get from one to the other while still spending enough time in each chosen location to make the trip worthwhile. 15 days won't allow for much of that! So start narrowing it down, and allow time to get from one to the other.
Jul 30th, 2016, 03:09 AM
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No, this does not work well. You have paid no attention to the time it will take to get TO the cities, check in and out of hotels and travel between. So for 4 possible destinations you lose a day arriving and departing and then the amount of travel between. Your trip is now about 11 days to spend in 4 "areas".
Jul 30th, 2016, 04:20 AM
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If you skip Interlaken, you can have roughly 3,5 days each for Paris and Rome, and 2,5 days each for Amsterdam and Venice. The remaining time is for travelling (half a day per movement). Trains between Paris and Amsterdam (Thalys) and between Venice and Rome (Trenitalia or Italo). Flying in and out depends on available flights from your place (timings, cost). Also flying between Paris/Amsterdam and Venice/Rome.
Jul 30th, 2016, 04:22 AM
#7
Bit lost by 4 days Rome and Venice. One is not really a day trip from the other. Also you have to factor in what part of Venice you want to do. For me the early morning and evening is best when the boats have sucked back their customers to the all-you-can-eat buffet.
Logically if you were doing this thing you'd
Paris - Amsterdam by Train
Amsterdam - Venice by plane
Venice - Rome by train
I don't mind rushing but for most people they want a minimum of 2 nights in each place and want to spend more time in the capital cites so if you write out lthe trip by nights
4 Paris (1 for jet lag)
3 Amsterdam =7
2 Venice = 9
3 Rome = 12
Not sure where to stick Lucerne it would depend on flights and train, if you use rome2rio it might give you some advice
I'd also think about culture shock, of these cities Amsterdam may be most helpful from a North American point of view, just about everyone speaks English and have a more Northern point of view. As you go further south you need to factor in the need for more courtesy and a little local language.
Switzerlands main issues are, the land is pretty well folded so what look likes a close city may be hours away, plus their prices are pretty high for most things even for someone carrying $s. The good news is they have great public transport so once you are on board you will get there on time and clean. Don't do the newbie's mistake and hire a car there.
Logically if you were doing this thing you'd
Paris - Amsterdam by Train
Amsterdam - Venice by plane
Venice - Rome by train
I don't mind rushing but for most people they want a minimum of 2 nights in each place and want to spend more time in the capital cites so if you write out lthe trip by nights
4 Paris (1 for jet lag)
3 Amsterdam =7
2 Venice = 9
3 Rome = 12
Not sure where to stick Lucerne it would depend on flights and train, if you use rome2rio it might give you some advice
I'd also think about culture shock, of these cities Amsterdam may be most helpful from a North American point of view, just about everyone speaks English and have a more Northern point of view. As you go further south you need to factor in the need for more courtesy and a little local language.
Switzerlands main issues are, the land is pretty well folded so what look likes a close city may be hours away, plus their prices are pretty high for most things even for someone carrying $s. The good news is they have great public transport so once you are on board you will get there on time and clean. Don't do the newbie's mistake and hire a car there.
Jul 30th, 2016, 04:44 AM
#8
>>3 days Paris. 3 days Amsterdam. 4 days interlaken/ lucerin and 4 nights Rome/ vience. Does it wrk well<<
Not really. You gave yourselves 14 days --- so is this a 16 day trip in all? It takes one full day/night travel to Europe and one full day home. Your 14 days is probably really 13.5 because your arrival day will involve the airport formalities, and getting to your hotel/checking in.
Then it will take half a day or more every time you move. So this is really 2.5 days (and jet lag) in Paris, 2.5 days in Amsterdam, About 3 days in Interlaken, 1.5 days in Rome and 1.5 days in Venice (or less if you are counting your departure day)
Not really. You gave yourselves 14 days --- so is this a 16 day trip in all? It takes one full day/night travel to Europe and one full day home. Your 14 days is probably really 13.5 because your arrival day will involve the airport formalities, and getting to your hotel/checking in.
Then it will take half a day or more every time you move. So this is really 2.5 days (and jet lag) in Paris, 2.5 days in Amsterdam, About 3 days in Interlaken, 1.5 days in Rome and 1.5 days in Venice (or less if you are counting your departure day)
Jul 30th, 2016, 05:30 AM
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Sorry - way too many places in too little time.
If you have 15 days total that is really 13.5 days on the ground (arrival days is 1/2 and jet lagged and departure day does not count). You then need to allow 1/2 day in transit between each pair of cities - so that brings you down to 11.5 times. So you have 2 days in each place. And this assumes you will travel either very early in the day - 7am trains - or late - 8pm or after - to avoid wasting a whole day in transit versus only 1/2 day between each 2 cities.
Can you really see all you want in each place in 2 days? Can you cope with a new language, a new culture, a new transit system, new dining hours and comps every 2 days?
IMHO while physically possible what you will have is just a very exhausting and expensive blur. And that assumes you have an open jaws flights into Paris and home from Venice.
I would do some work with guide books to determine what you want to see in each place and how long it will take. And check out specific train and plane schedules so you minimize your time in transit.
If you have 15 days total that is really 13.5 days on the ground (arrival days is 1/2 and jet lagged and departure day does not count). You then need to allow 1/2 day in transit between each pair of cities - so that brings you down to 11.5 times. So you have 2 days in each place. And this assumes you will travel either very early in the day - 7am trains - or late - 8pm or after - to avoid wasting a whole day in transit versus only 1/2 day between each 2 cities.
Can you really see all you want in each place in 2 days? Can you cope with a new language, a new culture, a new transit system, new dining hours and comps every 2 days?
IMHO while physically possible what you will have is just a very exhausting and expensive blur. And that assumes you have an open jaws flights into Paris and home from Venice.
I would do some work with guide books to determine what you want to see in each place and how long it will take. And check out specific train and plane schedules so you minimize your time in transit.
Jul 30th, 2016, 02:01 PM
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Something will have to give, but if quick and intense visits are your intent, and if you're planning the transfers wisely, much of what you're hoping for is not impossible.
Just to help you with planning:
Leave Paris late in the day - take the 19:25 departure from Paris (Gare du Nord) that gets into Amsterdam (Centraal) at 22:42. Book a hotel near the Centraal station (that's also a good hub for ground transportation) and you'll be in bed by midnight.
From Amsterdam to Lucerne it's quite a haul Do it through the night, sleeping on the train: The CNL (CityNightLine) train 40419 "Pegasus" leaves Amsterdam (Centraal) at 20:28, arrives in Basel (SBB) at06:19. Time for breakfast at the station restaurant, at 07:04 you take the train that gets to Lucerne by 08:05.
Lucerne to Venice is awkward - the night connections give you no sleep, with several stops and changes of trains throughout the night.
I suggest: Leave Lucerne on the 08:46, arrive in Milan at 12:50. Interrupt your journey, take a later train to Venice, maybe the Eurostar Italia 9739 lvg Milano (Centrale) 17:35 arr Venezia (S. Lucia) 20:10 (book the ticket accordingly since trains in Italy require mandatory seat reservation)
On arrival in Milan, leave the bags with the Deposito Bagagli service and walk to the Duomo, have a nice lunch along the way, and go up on the Duomo's roof (!!!) - see www.duomomilano.it; visit the nearby Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II (look it up), pass by the La Scala opera house and hum an aria, walk back to the station along a different route - you won't forget that afternoon!
Skip Rome this time around - too big, too far, too unwieldy for your schedule.
I gave Lucerne preference over Interlaken. Interlaken itself is not all that desirable, it's mostly a practical town as a departure point in many directions in the region - you can get there from Lucerne along a rather scenic route.
Break that journey in Brienz and go up on the Brienzer Rothorn with the little train that leaves not far from the train station - see www.brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch/en/welcome.html
From Interlaken get back to Lucerne via Bern - a city with a worthwhile inner "Altstadt" historic center adjacent to the train station, you can walk it comfortably in a few hours.
Anyhow, maximise your transfer times, pick hotels near stations, read up on which targets you want to hit while there - it will be a matter of cherry-picking. And pack light - you want to be mobile with all those many moves!
Just to help you with planning:
Leave Paris late in the day - take the 19:25 departure from Paris (Gare du Nord) that gets into Amsterdam (Centraal) at 22:42. Book a hotel near the Centraal station (that's also a good hub for ground transportation) and you'll be in bed by midnight.
From Amsterdam to Lucerne it's quite a haul Do it through the night, sleeping on the train: The CNL (CityNightLine) train 40419 "Pegasus" leaves Amsterdam (Centraal) at 20:28, arrives in Basel (SBB) at06:19. Time for breakfast at the station restaurant, at 07:04 you take the train that gets to Lucerne by 08:05.
Lucerne to Venice is awkward - the night connections give you no sleep, with several stops and changes of trains throughout the night.
I suggest: Leave Lucerne on the 08:46, arrive in Milan at 12:50. Interrupt your journey, take a later train to Venice, maybe the Eurostar Italia 9739 lvg Milano (Centrale) 17:35 arr Venezia (S. Lucia) 20:10 (book the ticket accordingly since trains in Italy require mandatory seat reservation)
On arrival in Milan, leave the bags with the Deposito Bagagli service and walk to the Duomo, have a nice lunch along the way, and go up on the Duomo's roof (!!!) - see www.duomomilano.it; visit the nearby Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II (look it up), pass by the La Scala opera house and hum an aria, walk back to the station along a different route - you won't forget that afternoon!
Skip Rome this time around - too big, too far, too unwieldy for your schedule.
I gave Lucerne preference over Interlaken. Interlaken itself is not all that desirable, it's mostly a practical town as a departure point in many directions in the region - you can get there from Lucerne along a rather scenic route.
Break that journey in Brienz and go up on the Brienzer Rothorn with the little train that leaves not far from the train station - see www.brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch/en/welcome.html
From Interlaken get back to Lucerne via Bern - a city with a worthwhile inner "Altstadt" historic center adjacent to the train station, you can walk it comfortably in a few hours.
Anyhow, maximise your transfer times, pick hotels near stations, read up on which targets you want to hit while there - it will be a matter of cherry-picking. And pack light - you want to be mobile with all those many moves!
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