jossegur

My wife and I are planning a Europe Trip In April of 2018, April 19th - May 5th to be exact. We will be arriving in Paris on the 20th and flying back out of Paris on May 5th. A little background about us; She will be 28 and I will be 26. I have not been to Europe but she studied abroad and traveled through Spain, France, and Italy. We know it will be fast pasted but we have another trip in June to the Caribbean that will be just for relaxation.

Our questions are, is this itinerary possible? Would it be best to take a train from city to city or would a plane be better? We will be flying from Amsterdam to Munich and from Rome back to Paris, as those are further distances. We wanted to take a train from Munich to Venice to ride through the Alps too, just not sure if it'd be worth the time.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

April 19th - Fly Out
April 20th - Arrive in Paris (7 am)
April 21st - Paris
April 22nd - Paris to London
April 23rd - London
April 24th - London to Amsterdam
April 25th - Amsterdam
April 26th - Amsterdam to Munich
April 27th - Munich
April 28th - Munich to Venice
April 29th - Venice
April 30th - Venice
May 1st - Venice to Rome
May 2nd - Rome
May 3rd - Rome
May 4th - Rome to Paris
May 5th - Paris to US

PalenQ

Why not fly into London so you only need to cross the Channel once.

London-Paris-Amsterdam-Munich

Trains are great for most of your cities- Amsterdam to Munich is a long haul- break up say in the Rhine around Koblenz or fly- probably 7 or so hours straight thru by train.

For lots on trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Except for London thing itinerary looks great- there is an overnight train Munich to Venice.

jossegur

Wife booked the trip as a wedding gift and did not get the insurance so we are stuck with flying in and out of Paris.

But you think trains would be a better option than flying to each city? I know they take a little longer, but with checking into each airport not sure if it would save much time on the shorter distances.

I'll definitely be looking at the links you provided!

Kathie

Will you feel happy/satisfied with one or two days in these major cities? Would you feel happy with one day in New York or Washington DC? Think about that, look at some guidebooks and decide what the must see/do things are for you in each place. How much time will it take to see/do the things you want? One caution, you get to Paris at 7 am, but you will be jet-lagged, so take that into consideration in your planning. If you decide it isn't enough time in each city, then cut one or two cities. You're young - you'll be back to Europe. I have to admit that if it was me, I'd cut Munich and add a day or two to Paris.

PalenQ

Except for London thing itinerary looks great- there is an overnight train Munich to Venice.>

I agree with kathie - I said itinerary looks great from a logistical standpoint of getting from A to B not noticing only a couple of days for Paris and London - rest looks enough time in each - add a day or so to each!

janisj

insane pace -- sorry but a huge waste of time and money and more time in transit that you will be in some of those cities.

You have April 20-May 4 free - a total of 14.5 days. And you want to hit <B>7 major cities</B> (Paris twice). You will spend approx 3 full days on Intra Europe travel. Down to 11.5 days for 7 cities. About 1.5 days per city . . . Nuts.

London - the largest city in Western Europe and you are giving it a grand total of 1.5 days.

I would cut <i>at least</i> 2 destinations . . .

BigRuss

I think your trip is a mess. Cities are not equal to each other. They also cannot substitute for each other. Paris and London have their reputations because of what they offer visitors. You can't take advantage of either with your trip plan.

London has so much to do and see that 1.5 days is a waste.

massimop

The chances of Venice being overrun with crowds is very high around May 1. If you decide to stick with your fast pace, consider this order

Paris
London
Rome
Venice
Munich
Amsterdam
Paris

If you are going to Amsterdam to see tulips, I think the first week in May is still good but double check if it is important to you.

PalenQ

Yup - too many cities to far removed -cut Munich and Amsterdam and you have still an ambitious trip but much more relaxed.

ToujoursVoyager

You are only focusing on cities. Small cities/villages/countryside destinations in Europe are simply amazing and completely different of what you would find in the US. And I don't mean relaxing in the european countryside (although that is wonderful as well). You can hike, bicycle, swim, explore the streets labyrinths, rent a boat, paraglide...

jossegur

Looks like we have lots to think about. Maybe leave off Amsterdam and add a day in both Paris and London. My wife really wants to go to Munich (Dachau concentration camp) so she rather we not leave it out. I will also be looking into how much it would cost to leave a day earlier as well.

I would love to visit the small villages! However this being my first time to Europe I would like to hit the Major cities first.

One thing I would like to know, Would it be best to fly from city to city or hop on a train? I think most train rides would be around 3-4 hours (from what I seen) and on a plane would be around an hour to an hour and a half. With checking into airports, would a train be the way to go? The longer distances we will be flying (Rome to Paris/ London to Munich), given we stay with the same itinerary.

PalenQ

Yes 3-4 hours by train beats any plane and you see the countryside to boot.

massimop

Once you drop Amsterdam, only train trips between cities left on your list that are under 4 hours are between Rome & Venice, and between London & Paris (and you will need to do that one twice).

I think I would order the trip this way:

Paris
Munich
Venice
Rome
London
Paris

One reason I would do it that way is because there is next to no chance that bad weather could hinder you from getting back to Paris from London, whereas is might from Rome (since flights always have a greater chance of being cancelled).

Is there anything else you want to do around Munich other than visit Dachau? Because if not, suggest taking the train from Paris to Dachau, spending the night, seeing the site, and then moving on to Venice.

massimop

(Even if you decide to fly to Munich, it might make sense to go directly from the airport to Dachau if you have no other sightseeing agenda for the area)

danlev

I suggest something like this:

April 19th - Fly Out
April 20th - Arrive in Paris (7 am)
April 21st - Paris
April 22nd - Paris
April 23rd - Paris
April 24th - Paris to London by Eurostar
April 25th - London
April 26th - London
April 27th - London to Munich (fly)
April 28th - Dachau, then Munich to Venice (NightJet night train)
April 29th - Venice
April 30th - Venice
May 1st - Venice to Rome (train)
May 2nd - Rome
May 3rd - Rome
May 4th - Rome to Paris (fly)
May 5th - Paris to US

Remember, you need to get over jet lag... and Paris is not so bad a place to be! I would save Amsterdam for your next trip, and consider Munich only the portal to Dachau.

massimop

Still would worry that if the flight from Rome to Paris is cancelled you could miss your Paris to Home flight. Less chance of that happening if you put London or some other city with a train connection to Paris last.

StCirq

May 1 is a huge holiday, so depending on where you are that day, don't plan on being able to do much.