7 countries in 15 days, is it possible?

Light the blue touch-paper and stand well clear.

Open the popcorn, sit back and wait for the hundreds of replies

A Eurail Pass (if it still exists) may be the best bet. But it might not apply to Hungary or the Czech Republic. As for the vest itinerary, take a map and start connecting the dots.

If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium.

Go online and buy postcards from each. You won't see much more of the cities than that.

Actually, I'll revise that. Because you plan to sleep on trains, you may have to criss-cross the continent. A train ride between Vienna and Salzburg would hardly be long enough for a catnap.

Doable, but why?
Pick 5 from your list and enjoy your trip.
I would do Vienna, Salzburg, Venice, Florence and Rome.

Of course it's possible to visit 7 places in 15 days but why would you want to do something like this? You will have about 1 day per town for sightseeing. The remainder of the time will be spent getting to and from train stations and hotels, packing and unpacking, and trying to acclimate yourselves to the town.

The towns you've chosen are rich in history, museums, cafe life, shopping, churches, walking tours, theatre, concerts. Most of this will be outside your reach as you won't have time for it. You'll be packing your suitcase and on your way to the next place.

Choose a reasonable itinerary such as Budapest, Prague, and Vienna or Rome, Florence, and Venice or Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Munich and enjoy your trip. There's more to Europe than trains and train stations.

Bob has it right. Silly to try to do all that--drive by touring. I would even leave Rome off.

It's possible - i have done, when younger, many such train zombie trips and loved it - so to each their own travel tune - but you still in 15 days should hone it down a bit and come up with some kind of straight line with a few zigzags north-south travel- like eliminating Frankfurt and Cologne (cities that many find not so romantic) and Budapest and Prague - then you still have lots of trains to take. I love overnight trains and still do a zillion but it's not for everyone - i have little problem with the inevitable track noise, etc. but some can't sleep. Anyway for tons of info on planning a European train trip for novices i always recommend: www.budgeteuropetravel.com (download their free and superb European Planning & Rail Guide that contains lots of sample itineraries); www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com for starters. And yes some kind of railpass is in order for any such wide-ranging train trip.

Oh goodness. That is a LOT.

OK. Think about the time needed to get to the train station, take a train, find your hotel/hostel and check in every day (because with this itinerary, you'd be doing that just about daily. If you want to actually see anything in these cities, you REALLY need to cut your list down to about five or less. (Even five would be moving pretty quickly, but doable.) Do some research into what you would actually want to see in each city, and prioritize. Then take a realistic look at train schedules and a map. For example, Paris is somewhat removed from everything else on your list. Do you want to go there badly enough to justify the time it would take? Think in terms of cities, not countries.

Definitely get open-jaw plane tickets - for example, fly into Frankfurt and out of Rome, or something along those lines depending on your final itinerary.

I'd skip Cologne, to start. It's nice enough but for a trip where you're already trying to cram in Paris and half of Italy (not to mention most of Austria), I wouldn't.

When will you be going? That could make a big difference.

Why don't you apply for that TV show where crabby people compete aginst blonde women.

Yes, a ride through is possible, but will you remember much more then the rides?

Why don't you apply for that TV show where crabby people compete aginst blonde women.>

get off your high horse and lose the attitude IMO - over and over again a first-time poster poses a question and is met by such boorish comments - yes the OP has posted an impossible, practically, itinerary and it's fine to say that but all too often first-time posters are met with such snide remarks they simply shrink away - afraid to post further questions in fear of such IMO totally asinine comments. IMO you owe the OP an apology!

Just think--that is less than 2 nights per place. Most people recommend at least 3 full days per place. That means choose 5 from your list.

I love overnight trains, but when you need this many they don't save the budget much.

I suggest you prioritize your list, research train routes, and start over. good luck!

As everybody else suggested, skip half of your destinations and enjoy the remaining ones better.

BTW, overnight trains are a torture.

For train routes throughout Europe, use this site:

http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml

If you are travelling a long way and especially if you think that it may be your only visit to Europe, it must be tempting to try to fit in as much as possible.
I'm with bobthenavigator on this one. Visit Salzburg and then concentrate on Italy, visiting Florence and Venice and finishing in Rome.
If you fall madly in love with one city, then stay there longer and enjoy it.

It is possible to get to all of those countries in 15 days. It will not be possible to see anything. You will have a tour of the train stations of europe.

In 15 days you should stay in no more than 4 places at most if you actually want to see anything and not spend all of your time looking out of a train window. The largest cities need at least 3 or 4 days (4 or 5 nights to see much of anyting). And night trains won;t work for many of those cities, since they aren't far enough apart and trains either don;t run at night, will have stops/changes in the middle ot the night - or will have you arriving someplace at 4 am.

You really need tolook at a map adn at the bahn.de website (best for trains thrughout europe).

One of these posts again, whenever I read these posts I am convinced that the op has done no research and often has little geographical knowledge of Europe. Which is why they post a ridiculous itineray.

Is it doable? yes, if this the type of trip you want:-
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7CpkzJU9kA

Palenque
Maybe the OP has a sense of humor.

PQ aside (must be back on the paint) - this is really not doable.

You have 15 days and want to visit Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Paris, Lausanne, Milan, Verona, Venice, Florence, Rome and back to Vienna again.

That is 15 destinations. Even if you take out the two "and/or" cities it still leaves 13 cities. 13 cities inn 15 days leaves LESS than one full day in each place. Even w/ some overnight trains (and more than one or two sleepers will probably be too much for comfort) you still have less than 1 full day per city. Packing, checking out, checking in, unpacking, and traveling to/from train stations will eat up almost as much time as some of the rail journeys.

Remember - one night in a place does not usually equal one full day there. Even w/ an overnight train - you arrive in the AM, have to get to your accommodations, check in and get acclimated. So mid morning is the earliest you could be out and about. Then you'd leave the next morning for the next city (or even worse - leave that night on another sleeper train). Just to get a bit over one full day in a place, you really have to stay 2 nights.

No one wants to rain on your parade - but unless you enjoy trains more than places this is just not workable - because you'd spend more time on trains and in stations than seeing anything.

Aside from agreeing with the comments above regarding have 15 places you want to see in 15 days....I would suugest picking 3-5 places that are relatively close together (or at least neighbouring countries). For example: Vienna, Prage, Budapest - Vienna - barring the overnight train idea - you would lose a day for travel for each one. This would give you 4 days on the ground at each place plus 3 travels days between. Each are large cities with lots to do...and you can venture out of the city for a daytrip if you wanted. Then you could really say that you've been to a country as opposed to just one city.

Many of your locals are far apart but not necessarily far enough appart that you would get much sleep (if you were able to sleep anyway). Hostels can be a very inexpensive option but with two of you spliting the cost, don't rule out bed and breakfast and guesthouses. If you group your destinations closer together you will save money on transporation.

Other potential groupings on your list could be
Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck
or Frankfurt, Munich, Prague, Vienna
or Milan, Verona, Venice, Florence + maybe Rome

Of course lots of variety is possible if you utilized cheap within-Europe flights by Ryanair or Easyjet to hop say from Paris to Milan or Venice..then down to Florence etc (we have done a trip similar to that in fact Paris, Lake Como, Florence, Venice accomplished in 3 weeks plus two international flight days).

I recommend picking up some guide books and really narrowing your focus, learning about what else besides major capitals is around to see in any given country, then begin to carve an itinerary.

Best of Luck,
Naxos

Aduchamp - hopefully = IF she/he returns we may know

I understand the onus is on me.

On a more serious note, we travel with the idea that it is better to one country well than several poorly.

Unless circumstances dictate that you will never return to Europe, choose at most two countries and enjoy and appreciate them.

Siri, how old are you? I ask because if you're young and have a ton of energy, you can probably do it.

My sister and I once visited London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Figueres, Barcelona, Pamplona, San Sebastien and Bilbao in the time you're talking about. We spent four days in Edinburgh (it was Hogmanay and we went on a bus tour of the highlands)... otherwise, we spent no more than 2 days in any place. And we had a BLAST.

Here were the differences: we rented a car in Spain so we wouldn't be beholden to train schedules. It was actually cheaper for us and pretty fun. Also, we slept in hotels. Unless you're really good at sleeping in chairs, night trains can become really expensive. Also, like an earlier poster said, a lot of your train trips are only a few hours long (e.g. Italy trips). Just do them in the morning and either pre-book cheap hotels/hostels to save time or go straight to the info booths at each train station to find someplace to stay.

Good luck!

I would certainly not try to see this many places in 15 days. Assume that you are going to return some day.

I thought I'd add my whirlwind-tour experience just to give you an idea of how we did a similar sort of trip, ten years ago with Eurail passes. If I had it to plan over again I'd go different places, but it might give you an idea of how our trip was structured, at least. We started from London, at the end of a study abroad semester; you'd just fly into or close to your first city.

Took Eurostar to Brussels, then train to:
Koln - 2 nights/1 full day (as I said... skip it)
Heidelberg - 2 nights/1.5 days (I'd skip this too on a first trip - we had free lodging)
Munich - 1 night (just a stop en route; didn't do much sightseeing)
Lucerne - 2 nights/2 full days
overnight train to Florence
Florence - 2 nights/2 full days (saw Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, market one day; trip to Pisa and Uffizi second day)
Rome - 2 nights/1.5 days (Colisseum/Forum first day; Vatican/Pantheon second day)

Flew home from Rome.

As I said, I'd go very different places if I were planning the trip today. But I thought the trip was a pretty good pace for a 19-year-old's quickly paced European blitz. We saw enough of each place to get a good taste for it, but still accomplished our goal of visiting a lot of places. And we did things in an order that made sense geographically. (We were fortunate in that we'd already taken a trip to Paris during the semester.)

I would also suggest you get "open jaw" plane tickets to avoid having to backtrack. Look at a map, and chart a course that would perhaps start in Rome, lead north to Florence, Venice, etc., and fly home from your last stop, say Paris. Open jaw tickets may cost no more than round trip from a single city, and might save you a lot of money on train fares.

jent - i just cannot fathom you having such a great time with that too fast itinerary but i did too at that age - i guess age makes a difference and also whether or not it's a once-in-a-lifetime trip or not.

I would also suggest point to point 2nd class tickets rather than a Eurailpass. And the person who said overnight trains are a pain was correct. AND a lot of the distances proposed aren't that long. A 2* hotel is better than a train compartment shared with two unknowns any day!!

Palenque - it's definitely not a trip I'd plan now, ten years later! But everyone (including me) is getting the impression that the OP is pretty young, staying in hostels, all that, and that's what that trip was for me. It was fast, but it gave me a taste of what I did/didn't like, and we really did have a great time.

I'm not sure why people keep telling the OP that they have to factor in a Vienna return and that they should consider open jaw tix... the OP said twice that they're flying into Vienna and out of Rome.

I have a theory that our attention spans change as we age.

When I was 15, two hours in the same place felt like weeks. When I was in my 20s, I liked seeing a new city every day... I think I would've been bored if I'd had to come back to the same hotel night after night. That's changed now that I'm in my 30s... now I prefer at least 3 nights in a hotel. And I'm sure someday I'll want a 2-week base. But when I was (what I assume is) the OP's age, change was good.

As long as their plan isn't physically impossible (and I agree... shaving one or two cities off wouldn't hurt), why is it such a problem?

Out of Rome and back to Vienna to catch the flight home is the way I read the OP's itineray.

I have had family members take trips like this around Europe in a short amount of time..one just did this summer with the band he plays in. They had so much fun and being young and energetic they survived just fine.

slangevar - I think this is the sentence that's giving that impression: "We will start our journey from Vienna and fly back home from Rome (or actually Vienna since we fly Austrian Airline)."

I agree, though - a quick pace isn't always a horrible thing. With some tweaking they could have a good trip. I just hope they haven't been scared off.

slangevar: We are assuming the OP is flying out of Vienna -- because that is what the OP wrote . . . .

. . fly back home from Rome (or actually Vienna since we fly Austrian Airline).

It appears they are flying RT to/from Vienna, and flying from Rome to Vienna to catch their return flight.

PQ: Not to put words in her mouth, but the reason jent103's itinerary was even close to doable is because they spent 2 nights most places. They hit six destinations in 12 nights. That is fast - but not insane (meant in the nicest possible way)

That is entirely different from the OP's plan for 15 destinations in 15 days.

I would rather be the only woman on a freighter than take this trip.

Sorry - assumed OP was doing something like I am in the winter... US to Amsterdam / Madrid to US (via Amsterdam). Looks like Austrian Airlines does that (US to Vienna / Rome to US (via Vienna).

To janisj - my sister and I did eight cities in 14 days and didn't feel hurried at all. If we'd been 19, I imagine we could've done up to 11. I know, it's still not 14 cities in 15 days, but someone adventurous, young and energetic could do it.

Many thanks for all your valuable input. Most of you were wrong.. I am at the age of 52 but still love challenging. Due to time contraint and the fact that there are so many places in another part of the world that I would want to visit, that's why I started it this way. With your various insights, now I got the idea leaving with Vienna / Budapest / Prague / Salzburg / Innsbruck / Milan / Verona / Venice / Florence / Rome. Sound better, right?

Anyone would like to help me drawing itinerary (with type of transportation, recommended # of day(s) spent in each city and even its places to visit, you are most welcome. Night train is no longer preferred.

Again, thank you for your comment and input.

Well you still have *10* cities in 15 days. Since it usually takes approx. 1/2 a day when you change locations (whether by train or plane) that leaves you exactly 1 day = 24 hours in each place you are visiting. so I guess it can be done, but that's hardly time to see much of anything, and a LOT of time & money spent moving around.

I'm not against an overnight train a couple times, if it makes sense, just not every night.

Yeah, I did it "at that age," too. Don't remember a thing about it, really. What a waste of time and money.

Wow - talk about jumping to conclusions. I think 80% of us thought you were 18 or 19 years old

Not that 52 is old -- not at all. But w/ the new info, I would cut your itinerary even more. Every city change doesn't take 1/2 a day -- but most do.

So w/ 10 cities count on about 4 or more days lost to just travel time.

If one wants to just say "I've been to Florence" (or any city) but not actually SEE anything, your plan is doable. But realize that just getting inside some of the major attractions/sites could take an hour or two standing in line.

If it was me -- I'd pick 6 cites (absolute max). This would still be VERY rushed, but at least you'd have time to catch your breath now and then. Or have a leisurely meal in a cafe. Or anything.

More moving around doesn't let you see MORE, it means you see LESS because you spend so much time just moving from place to place . . . .

now I got the idea leaving with Vienna / Budapest / Prague / Salzburg / Innsbruck / Milan / Verona / Venice / Florence / Rome. Sound better, right?

IMO, even if you want to skim the surface, I'd at least spend:

Vienna, Budapest, Prague = 3 days each
Salzburg, Innsbruck, Milan, Verona = okay to rush thru each in 1 day
Venice, Florence = 2 days each
Rome = 3 days

You'd need 20 days.

Of those you listed, I'd cut out Innsbruck, Milan & Verona. But you still need to cut out one more city, IMO.

Holy cow! I'm guilty, too!

Well, I'm now with everyone else... unless you have the stamina of a 19-year-old (I sure don't and I'm in my 30s!), I think that janisj and yk have presented good options.

Maybe a good option to consider would be an escorted bus tour?

If you knew what you wanted to see in each city then you would how long to stay.

Wow - sorry for the assumption; I've just rarely heard anyone over the age of 25 start with an itinerary like that! I agree that it still needs some paring down. It wouldn't be worth it to me (regardless of my age) to spend SO much time in transit between places. I mean, that is a LOT of time on the train.

Do you know what you want to see in all of those cities?

Hi Siri,

I did a similar trip a few years ago (not so many towns and cities) and I am in my 50's. I think you have too many places and would agree about omitting Milan, Innsbruck and Verona. I would also choose between Prague and Budapest. I loved both but the train journey from Budapest to Prague is long as is the one from Prague to Salzburg.

I used this German site to arrange my trains and found it excellent.
www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml

This is how I would do it

Day 1 Vienna
Day 2 Vienna
Day 3 Vienna
Either
Day 4 train to Budapest (depart 08.25 arrive 11.34)
Day 5 Budapest
Day 6 Train to Salzburg (depart 09.30 arrive 14.29)
Day 7 Salzburg night train to Venice (Depart 01.34)
Day 8 Venice arrive 08.34
Or
Day 4 train to Prague (depart 09.58 arrive 14.29)
Day 5 Prague
Day 6 Prague to Salzburg (depart 07.14 arrive 13.47)
Day 7 and 8 As above
Day 9 Venice
Day 10 Venice
Day 11 Train to Florence (Depart 08.43 arrive 11.23)
Day 12 Florence
Day 13 Train to Rome (depart 09.18 arrive 10.58)
Day 14 Rome
Day 15 Rome

I would skip Milan, Innsbruck and Budapest and Verona and Florence.

1-3: Vienna
4-6: Prague
6-8: Salzburg
9-12: Venice (with one day to Verona)
12-15: Rome

You do realise don't you that many Europeans visit the US on just such a schedule. the only difference is they are driving, not going by train, and are often covering huge distances per day. Often all they see is the view from the Interstate. If you don't believe me have a look at some of the trips on offer in Europe with prebooked hotels. Scary!

If the OP is young then let them try it. I would leave the and/ors and Paris out of the mix, but if they have had enough, and provided they haven't booked everything in advance, they can slow down, give up, whatever.

Run your train times first--like Prague to Salzburg---takes a long time. Drop Innsbruck and Milan for sure.

Night train is no longer preferred.>

I would re-think that - many people do not have problems with overnight trains like those above. I have taken hundreds without few horror stories some above report - do not throw the baby out with the bath water - night trains can save on hotel costs and more importantly relocated you overnight so you can expand your itinerary - taking a night train from Rome back to Vienna for example could be very utilitarian IMO - and if you get a private compartment you will probably enjoy them like i do.

"... now I got the idea leaving with Vienna / Budapest / Prague / Salzburg / Innsbruck / Milan / Verona / Venice / Florence / Rome. Sound better, right?"
No, it does not sound better at all. I don't think you are really listening to the advice people are taking time to type.

we just got back from Holland and France.
My 6th trip to Europe.

Holland 7 nights on board boat..
then Paris 4 nights, then back to Amsterdam for 4 nights.

I have decided that from now on, any big city.. Paris...for example deserves at least 5-7 nights. Otherwise you REALLY dont see or enjoy much.

LESS IS ALWAYS MORE...

Regardless of your age (and take note I did not make any assumtions on the subject) your plan A is just silly. Plan B is no better, you still need to omit some destinations for your trip to be a sucess. Unless this is the type of trip you want:- www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7CpkzJU9kA

You really need to read a guide book and determine what YOU want to see.

I've been to all the places you list, except Prague and Budapest. I can tell you what I like and dislike, but it's not my trip, this is YOUR trip and you need to deceide how you want to spend your 15 days. I am surprised that some people are telling you how long to spend in each destination without knowing you, your travel style or your interests.

Do you just want to go from A to B, just for the sake of getting to these places, but not being able to see the places? Or, in 15 days do you want to see some of these places properly?

I think you should go for your original plan. You definitely deserve a vacation like that. Jeez, do some homework!

Palenque

I guess I am off the hook and my comment is mild compared to others with whom I agree.

Everyone has a different idea of how to spend their holiday. My idea of hell would be two weeks on a beach somewhere, or possibly even worse, two weeks in a big city somewhere. If this sort of holiday appeals to the OP then let them do it - it is their holiday. Having tried it once they will know whether or not it is for them. I do suggest they remain flexible and don't book everything in advance so that should they find it too exhausting or they decide they really want to explore one of these cities they can do so without losing a lot of money on prebooked nights elsewhere.

You new plan is still possible - but ridiculous.

Get a map of europe. Go to the bahn.de website to see how long the train rides between cities take.

Make a ist of what you want to see in each city and howlong it will take. (You can look AT the Eifel Tower in 5 minutes. To go to the top and view Paris will take a couple of hours. The same with other sights - unless all you want is a photo of the outside you can probalby do 3 sights a day (if you start early, end late and trot in between).

I have been to europe more than 70 times - and to all of those cities at least once. There are one or two that you an get a feel for in one day (Innsbruck, perhaps). For Paris or Rome anything less than 3 days (4 nights) is simply a waste of time.

It's you life and you get to do qhatyou want, but IMHO the trip you have planned is a complete waste f time and (a LOT) of money.

Vienna / Budapest / Prague / Salzburg / Innsbruck / Milan / Verona / Venice / Florence / Rome

Are you all thinking what I am thinking? A beer stein in each city?

hetismij: "You do realise don't you that many Europeans visit the US on just such a schedule. the only difference is they are driving, not going by train, and are often covering huge distances per day. Often all they see is the view from the Interstate. If you don't believe me have a look at some of the trips on offer in Europe with prebooked hotels. Scary!"

yes - I totally realize that happens. That's why I spend half my time over on the United States forum trying to help poor travelers who want to see all of California (SD, LA, the coast, SF, Napa - WHY always NAPA???, Tahoe, Yosemite) Las vegas and the Grand Canyon in 10 days. That is just as difficult as this plan.

"If the OP is young then let them try it"

The OP said she is 52 - I'll leave it to you to decide if that is young or not.

Ooh - I like Cambe's plan.

If you do decide to go to Florence, be careful about choosing a hotel. I've been twice and had both visits ruined by cheap hotels/pensiones.

IMO, I'd go for someplace away from the center of Florence (which can sound and feel like a dirt bike rally), and find a nice, quieter respite somewhere on the fringes or in a better neighborhood away from the train station and duomo.

Siri,

I like Suheler's recommendation but I would change Prague for Budapest because the train journey is less.

Having said that Justshootme's response got me thinking as we really don’t know what you want to do or see in Europe. If you can come back to us with things that you want to do and see in Europe we will be able to help you in a more constructive way.

Jetsetj, I find that 2 -3 days in a city is about all I can master, after that everything becomes a blur but everyone is different.

Siri, ignore the negative posts here as the majority of people want to help you.

Again, thanks for your time, input and resources given plus your feedback which always is a gift.. no matter they are the good, the bad or the ugly!

Big thanks to Schuler and cambe for your constructive comments and ideas. Taking Schuler and cambe's advice, I will start planing my itinerary. Cheers!

Hello Siri, excellent! That's the travelong spirit!

Put together an itinerary and then, if you're still up to it, come back and ask any questions that needed to be answered.

The OP said she is 52 - I'll leave it to you to decide if that is young or not.>

It's all relative ain't it jan - young to me, how about you?

If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium.

If it's Brussels then half a Tuesday be more than enough - on to Cologne and the cathedral

Or you can do as my son once did on a whirlwind trip thru Rome - i asked if he saw the Colosseum or Vatican and he said no but that they did see postcards of each in the train station.

Siri -
I have a lot to say on this topic, as I am planning my own trip right now to Europe. I travelled in Europe 10 years ago, and I did what you are trying to do! I visited 5 countries in 3 weeks, and it was NOT ENOUGH TIME! My journey went something like this:

I was already in Israel, so I flew from there to Athens, Greece. Spent a few days there (the ferry to Santorini is 13 hours, so that killed almost a day), and then flew to Rome. In Italy, we were able to spend a few days in Rome and a couple days in Florence. I regret not seeing Venice, Milan, and a few other places. From Rome, we took a train up to Warsaw, Poland (20 hours on the Eurail). Spent 2 days in Poland and then took a 24 train ride to Paris. We had a few quick days in Paris and then took the Chunnel to London, and then it was back home to California. It was a wonderful trip, and I have great memories, but it was a whirlwind! It was not well planned (it was a kind of spur of the moment thing - if that's possible). I am actually starting now, in October, to plan a trip for next summer. My intention is to take 2 months (June-August) and see about 12 countries (including going back to Israel, which complicates things!

Because travel is quite expensive, I suggest exhausting all your resources for research before you make any definite plans! Everyone on here has suggestions about places you SHOULD see, but you need to plan your trip according to where you want to go and what you want to see.

I definitely recommend, like everyone else, looking at the travel times on the bahn.de website. Definitely get a Eurail pass (eurail.com or raileurope.com). The Czech Republic is one of the countries they travel to. Multi-city flights are a good idea - if you fly into Rome, you can travel your way North and West and fly out of one of the German cities. It's important to remember in most cases that flying out of major cities is much cheaper than flying out of obscure or smaller cities.

Anyway, I hope that helps!
Bon Voyage!

Holy Cow Julesua!! You took a 20 hour trian from Rome to Warsaw to stay for only 2 days?-lol! We recently went from Ljuljana to Salzburg (5hrs) for only 2 nights and thought even that was too far for such a short a stay. It will be interesting to see how you lay out your time for your upcoming trip 10 years later - I hope you'll post your itinerary.

Siri - If you really want to span great distances don't rule out short FLIGHTS instead of trains - saves time and really, with all the super cheap flights within Europe its sometimes cheaper than the train. Paris to Milan $50 last time.

Naxos

I don't necessarily think getting a rail pass is a good idea.
Most of the time I just go to the train station (or buy online) and buy point to point tickets. Especially with an itinerary like yours, if you're only staying in a country for 1-2 days...it's a waste of money to buy a rail pass.

I would also fly point to point as an option.

I would definitely NOT buy a rail pass just because it goes to CZ, because train tix in CZ are cheaper if you just buy it at the train stations or online. https://eshop.cd.cz/default.aspx?lang=E

A multi-country rail pass may be worth it for the convenience.

multi-country rail pass $$$...

Flying might be cheaper (and faster)...

For a lot of travelers (probably most) a rail pass costs MUCH more than point to point tix. But for some a pass makes sense/saves money. But you'll never know until you work out the actual cost of the various options.

For most - a combination of point to point train trips and budget airlines work out best.

Flying is cheaper, but it can be such a pain. Once you factor in transportation to/from the airport (which is usually much farther out of the city than the train station), the time commitment (1-2 hrs early), luggage size/weight/number/contents restrictions, security checks and those crazy additional fees that regional airlines are tacking on, I'd rather take a train if I can.

I've been a lurker on these posts for quite some time and your post has moved me to actually comment. I think to get the most of your trip, you and your friend must first decide what it is you really want to see and/or do THE Most and then plan the rest of the itenary around that. Always take into consideration the time of year you will be traveling and then make sure of hours of operation are again for the things you want to see/do most.(i.e. one of my first trips to Paris, one of the two museums I wanted to see most was closed the first two days we were in the city or had different hours than the rest of the days. Considering we were only in Paris that time for three and a half days, this was a huge faux pas on my part in pre-planning. It all worked out of course, but you can bet that on the Next trip I planned my days in Paris completely differently.)
I'm an experienced and adventerous traveler (and I too am in my 50s) but I do think a different city each day is rather gruelling - mostly because of the time spent trying to see any of the sights. Lines, lines, lines exist everywhere and must be planned around.
Especially if you are also having to worry about getting to the train and in the process locate your luggage from a storage locker ahead of time...precious minutes lost. I haven't driven in Italy, but I have driven all over most of the rest of Europe and my personal preference is to drive myself. (well, except while In Paris - there the car was parked in a garage to the tune of 30 euro a day and not moved until we were on our way to Switzerland). Having a car always provided a place to stow the luggage, grab a quick nap, ability to change the route when the weather or the mood changed the day's itenary.
Of course, if you are just wanting to travel TO each country and/or particular city and not necessarily do the musuems etc, you might want to consider a cruise instead. http://gate1travel.com/ This is what a few of my friends and I are planning on for 2011. Just a thought. I haven't done this before but my friends did one of the Mediterrean cruises one year and traveled to several countries in 10 days. They loved it.
Anyway ...whatever you decide, please have fun and let us know how it all turned out!

Have you seen the show "The Amazing Race"? This is it.

If one does do 7 countries in 15 days then a 15-consecutive-day Global Eurailpass is a no brainer IMO - currently $650 a day for first-class travel or about $45 or 30 euros a day - even if you travel on half the days 60 euros for long train trips in first class as envisioned is a bargain. Folks who say point to point are cheaper than passes usually are really compare apples to oranges - a first class pass to second class ticketes and after 40 years of European rail travel i can attest that there is a big difference between first and second class - cheapest is not always the best IMO

Yes, cheapest is not always the best.
Whatever minimizes travel time and maximizes comfort will usually come at a cost; this is up to the traveler.
Yes there is a difference between first and second class. Difference is mostly in space to store luggage and the number of seats. Oh, and the small meal and table wine that comes with the high-speed trains. And the free wifi. Gotta love that!

"Folks who say point to point are cheaper than passes usually are really compare apples to oranges - a first class pass to second class ticketes and after 40 years of European rail travel i can attest that there is a big difference between first and second class - cheapest is not always the best IMO"

I agree with you! I read that comment on here quite often about point to point being the better option but I do not agree with that blanket statement. we chose to travel with 1st class passes when we visit Europe, often Flexipasses or SelectPasses.

It is very convenient, we are comfortable in the first class coaches and wifi helps pass the time. 1st class is generally less crowded as well.

You can buy discounted first-class point to point tickets also, if you plan in advance, so if you know you want first class, I'd suggest doing the price comparison that way. For example, last year I bought 59-Euro train tickets from Paris to Frankfurt (just missed out on the 39-Euro ones). But I could have gotten first-class tickets for 69 Euros, and arguably that would have been a better deal (although I was entirely comfortable in second class on an ICE train).

For a lot of travelers (probably most) a rail pass costs MUCH more than point to point tix.>

yes indeedy one wonders on what comments like this based - 'probably most' i do wonder how the poster comes to this conclusion to emphatically claim that - well if just a few train trips of course but for a train trip of save a few weeks or more i would really question - the 'most' aspect - to me just more regurgitation of Fodor mantra - railpasses are always a bad deal - say something enough folks will believe it.

But I could have gotten first-class tickets for 69 Euros, and arguably that would have been a better deal>

a tad more than $100 - and a Eurail Select pass for 3 countries - say Germany, France and Switzerland or Austria costs $411 for 5 days of unlimited travel over a 2-month period or about $82 a day and with the 69 euro 'discounted' first class ticket above i suppose that is train specific - can't be changed or refunded and must be booked far enough in advance to get

the railpass can be used on any train any time and the cost of unrestricted first class tickets means that just a few of those can make the pass pay off. Plus after you get to Frankfurt you could use the pass the rest of the day on the S-Bahn trains that run right thru the heart of town.

We always buy passes and for us, it is worth it.

We traveled with friends last year who ended up throwing away two discounted first class tickets as we decided to leave Vienna earlier than planned. We have the flexibility to do so and they did not.

Horses for courses.

i agree with kfusto that flexibility and spontaneity is a key aspect of a pass and that pass efficacy should not be strictly dollars and cents but dollars and sense.

Hi Siri, you are on the right track to achieving your whirlwind Europe tour - starting a tentative itinerary, asking questions, reshuffling, and then researching all the details. Go for it! Don't be disheartened by negative comments - holiday success and enjoyment are truly unique to each individual.

I've just returned from a fabulous, enriching 7 night, 4 guesthouse, 3 islands & 2 countries adventure and I'm older than you. Never felt stressed, enjoyed many siestas, travelled by plane, bus, hire car, taxi, ferry and shanks-pony - and loved every minute of it.

My tip is let the internet do your fine detail work ... booking and printing tickets, timetables, booking hotels/guesthouses, info on sites you want to see, so you end up with a minutely detailed plan with as much hassle removed by diligent pre-trip planning.

My second tip is travel light, ultra light if possible - a backpack/bag you can comfortably wear on your back is ideal, mine was just over 7kg which included winter/summer clothes and all camera/computer gear. Plus a smaller handbag with your document essentials/money/c.cards/tickets that you can hang over your shoulder and tuck under one arm for safety and easy access. And a small but extensive first-aid kit, so you can 'repair yourself' without necessarily hunting up a pharmacist or doctor.

Above all, wear comfortable shoes ,)

Good luck with your adventure!

Gosh! Cut your list at least by a half! You will be exhausted and won't see anything! All those cities are really worth to see more than just a couple of hours.
If you want really to enjoy - reduce the amount of your destinations.

ttt

Siri; I am in a similar situation as I am planning my first trip to Europe next year. However, I am going to restrict my number of cities / countries to about four or five over a three week interval. This way I can take time to enjoy myself.
I will likely fly into Heathrow or Paris, with the intent to spend a two or three days in one small village in France. Then, I will take a WizzAir flight to Kyiv, Ukraine where I will spend a few days there visiting a friend. The remainder of the time I will spend "training" back through Budapest, Prague and Kracow with my friend before I head to Munich from which I will fly home. Why fly into Heathrow or Paris and back from Munich. These are the cheapest locations for me to arrange my flights to/from my home in Canada.
Heck, I might even drop the Paris/France part of my itinerary and just fly return through Munich.

You are just plain lucky to get a plethora of some valuable information , even the snide ones have a message. I did what you plan, but that was to merely tell people at home that you went on a jaunt. i was 30 years old then , and doable.

However, I wish to add to the humungous inputs; (done the eurail 4 times; but each occassion they have newer offers;point to point is cheaper ; see the add ons for night travel, but travel thru Alps do it day journey to enjoy the beauty of them.

Down load Google Earth and feed in the places one at a time, see the places in relation to the inter distance.Europe is small. but seein each place requires time.

Go to each location site, key in e.g 'rome in a day", so places of interest will come up doable in a day. Tour operators are there or helpful info is there, the best places to see in a city, jot down,as mentioned earlier each place of interest requires afew hours, to reach, stand in line, see, exit, travel to next place.

After you have selected the 5-6 places, the goto climate of each place and select the month to travel, places have rain, or it is too hot or too cold.

Age is a factor, after a series of night travels, one does require a night of good sleep in a proper bed.

Some tips by Flurrytiles are worth their weight in gold!!
European airlines chep, if booked early , 2mnths ahead,the net gives schedules; visit cheap airlines europe. select country/s of operation. some of these close down as soon as they open be careful.

Austrian does open jaw ticketting;so you do not have to go back to vienna at your cost to fly back.Move from one end of the map i.e. Vienna to the other in a single direction, then fly back from Rome to Vienna at their cost.


see Vienna - 2 nights- (jet lag , one night rest),

goto Innsbruck -day ride enjoy alps scenic , enroute get down at Watten - Swaroski Museum (4 hrs), carry onto Innsbruck,for night halt. Next morning take Cable car,( 4hours).

Luzern , Interlaken 3 nights- ; enjoy the lakes and heights of Alps. Only if you are medically cleared? or else just stick to base level.See Eurail concession for europe, gives you an idea what else is available at discount.

Travel thru to Milan on the scenic train, onto Venice. See Murano (5 hours),See the glass museums, locate addresses. check out the cost of gondola? night train to Florence 3 hours.

Florence, you need to arrive the night before to be in line early morning for the Uffizi museum. Pisa (maybe since you are there 3hours + 2 hours one way) , only if u want to help straighten it!! . Tuscany wine country ( a day trip, conducted tour)

Rome one day, 7 hours trip to 7 sites Must see,( bus hop on hop off" from out side train station) . These days Italian tourism board has set up offices in many places, try them too for guidance.

Add travel time by visiting eurail site. Calculate time and fare.

Stay - search places next to train station,
Have a great time, plannng .

Siri: You have had so many replies,not sure if you'll get to mine.
But......we did a 10 day trip in 2000.Just to Italy.
We went to Venice, Florence and Rome.
Between traveling and settling in to our hotels.
We truly only spent 1 full day in each city.
I agree with every one else you will only get to see the inside of the train station.I'm not sure where you are flying from but I always need one full day to recoup from jet lag.So that eats in to your time,also.
Slow down and enjoy Europe,because I can guarantee you will be back.

Siri,

My first trip to Europe (nearly 30 years ago) was 6 cities/towns in 17 days and I loved it. My mom and I planned it as though it would be our only trip to Europe and decided what we would most like to see. The itinerary came out of that list. We managed at least 2 nights in each location because we thought we would get better rest and make the most of our time. Even so I remember dinner in Florence near the end of our trip where I thought I could put my head on the plate and sleep. Sleeper train between Paris and Switzerland would have saved us one long travel day.

I think Subiindia has provided some great advice. I hope you will post a trip report and let us know how it goes.

Many thanks for all your input/comment/insight especially the recent posts.

I have come up with itinerary as below with some questions to ask.

Should I travel with either one of these or combine?
- Point to Point Tickets?
- Select Pass?
- Seperated One Country Pass?

Day 1 - Prague
Day 2 - Prague
Day 3 - Prague to Vienna (morning train)
Day 4 - Vienna
Day 5 - Day trip to Melk
Day 6 - Vienna to Salzburg (morning train)
Day 7 - Salzburg to Innsbruck (night train)
Day 8 - Innsbruck
Day 9 - Innsbruck to Verona (Sleeper Train)
Day 10 - Verona to Venice (morning train)
Day 11 - Venice to Florence (night train)
Day 12 - Florence
Day 13 - Florence to Rome (morning train)
Day 14 - Rome

Many thanks,

It's certainly much better than your original plan! If you know that those are the cities you want to prioritize and the speed at which you want to travel, it does make sense geographically. Personally I'd take Salzburg and/or Innsbruck and add it to Rome. I assume by "night train" you mean "train in the evening" and not "overnight train."

I can't definitively answer your question about the pass vs. point to point, other than to suggest you price out both options and see if there's a major difference in cost. A benefit of the pass is that if you decide (for example) that you love Venice and want to stay there an extra day rather than going to Florence, you have more flexibility to do that. (I'm still not sure *when* you trip is, though; if it's during high season, you may not be able to be very flexible due to accommodations not being as easily available.)

Agree with PP about skipping Salzburg and Innsbruck and adding to Rome.

Yes, what I mean for night train is a train leaving in the evening. I will make use of sleeper train (overnight in a train) just for a long trip between Innsbruck and Verona.

Having been to all three I suggest going to Salzburg and eliminating Innsbruck then apply that time to Rome. If it will work with your planned sleeper train that is. I've not been to Verona but I would consider giving that up to spend more time in Venice--a magical place.

What month do you think you will travel? It was very cold one September in Austria and oh so warm in Italy. You might need to pack a little more for the different climates.

Agree with Scootoir. Eliminate Innsbruck and you've got a great and enjoyable itinerary.

i too agree that you should eliminate Innsbruck and/or Salzburg and give Venice or Rome more time... for 14 days I wouldnt have more than 4 stops..

Have you begun to investigate all there is to do in each of your destinations? Trimming your itinerary to Prague, Vienna, Florence and Rome (with easy day trips from each) in 15 days would give you much to see and do. You would have time to really soak up the atmosphere and not just see the "must sees". You need to take into account how much time will be spent getting to/from your lodging sight (not just the train time but also the bus, taxi or walk to your hotel), packing/unpacking and familiarizing yourself with an area.

Read the following thread and you will see that most memories have nothing to do with places but the people encountered. http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/your-one-fondest-memory-rome-florence-venice.cfm I think you have a better chance of having such experiences with a trip that includes less travel and unpacking time.

You will contend with jetlag a couple of days on the front end and your last day will include packing which also detracts from the amount of quality time you have available.

i have learned that many dont want to soak up atmosphere or really experience a place,
they only want to say " I have been to..."

Siri,

Innsbruck has been on your itinerary since the beginning - do you have a specific reason for visiting Innsbruck? If not I would agree with the others to drop this and travel on the sleeper train from Salzburg to Venice. The timing for this train is not very good (depart 01.34) but it would give you 2 full days in Venice and if you think this is too long (I don't but that is my opinion) you have the option of taking a day trip to Verona.

Would you also consider taking the sleeper train from Prague to Vienna which would give you a longer in Vienna especially as you want to visit Melk (the Abbey is lovely and worth a visit but only if you have time as there is a lot to see in Vienna).

If you could drop Innsbruck it will give you a lot more time in Rome. I honestly think when you divide Rome into Classical and Ancient you really don't have time there to see anything.

If Innsbruck cannot be dropped I would seriously consider dropping Florence or somewhere else and adding those days to Rome.

I can't comment on travel cards as I have always used point to point tickets but if you go to Man in Seat 61 and check out point to point verses rail pass you should be able to decide which is better for YOU.

www.seat61.com/Railpass.htm#Where do I start

There is an awful lot to see in the major cities you have chosen and I really do think something has to go.

Good luck with your planning

We decided to buy Eurail Select Saverpass - 3 countries - 5 days as to flex our intinerary as we move on. Though we love to try sleeper train but the price compares to hotel special room rate we are granted as a hotelier, is more than double!

Why we want to visit Innsbruck/Salzburg? I would simply said that we live in a very busy city so we just want to escape ourselves in a complete different environment. I consider my this time traveling as a jouney.... a collection of experiences!

Once again, thanks evryone for your sharing.. and that Life is better when shared

P.S. my journey is between Nov 14-27, another 2 weeks from now!

Hello Siri,

I have to say Innsbruck struck me as very busy but we didn't have time to go outside of town when I visited. And we were there in mid-September so perhaps November will have fewer travelers and big tour buses.

I loved the sleeper trains although we waited in a lonely train station until midnight somewhere in Germany in order to reach Paris in the morning. It was worth it. I hope you will share your travels when you return.