Ooops!... it's the Netherlands and not Poland.

1. Rotterdam-Brussels: train (www.ns.nl), Brussels-Berlin: easyjet, Berlin-Prague: train (bahn.com)

2. Can't comment on Prague. Otherwise it depends. Rotterdam looked pretty safe to me. Most bars and clubs are along Witte de Witt straat - pretty much central and just good fun in cafes, pubs, bars.
Clubs are not necessarily always in the same area but can be scattered all over town or in the outskirts. Some places in Berlin open just for parties or a weekend and can be in the middle of nowhere in a defunct warehouse. Others are more like bars with a permanent domicile. Simply ask your hotel staff if they would go there. In 95% of all cases, the answer will be yes.

3. No clue. But I bet that you can rent right in the station or in the immediate surroundings.

Have fun!

Thanks much Cowboy1968.

I checked bahn.de and never thought to look out for an equivalent site in English!

I'll run your tips by my friends and we can work the train bits into our schedule.

Cheers.

Antwerpen is a great place to go clubbing. If that's what you like, you should stay there, not Brussels.

You can find the information about renting a bike in Amsterdam from any guidebook or on the internet. But be careful in the city of the trams. People on bikes move very fast in the bike lanes. If it is raining, it is nice to take a canal tour instead of being on a bicycle.

stracciatella is spot on re. Antwerpen vs. Brussels.

If you want nightime entertainment in addition to an attractive town to visit you should stay in Antwerpen. Not only for clubs, but also for bars and pubs.
You can do Brussels as a quick and cheap day trip by rail from Antwerpen anyway. 3 or more trains an hour, and you don't need to buy tickets in advance. They will cost the same at the station.
You will also have a direct trains from there to Brussels airport.
In addition you can often save quite some money as Brussels' hotels can be pretty expensive.

Hmm..... Antwerp(en) is beginning to sound more and more interesting by the second.

Thanks much much Stracciatella and Cowboy1968, I am the only one of our trio that is quite eager to compare the night-time social scene in every city I visit.

Also, we've already booked our accommodation and kind of didn't take my thirst for dancing into consideration.

Now, I wish I had stopped by here before rushing around to make arrangements for our trip.

Cheers, all the same.

Hi there, good people of Fodors.

Has any one encountered this booking issue on ICE International's site:

I entered my journey details (Brussels to Berlin), and this little pop-up has been loading up with the message
'One moment please. Your request is being processed'?

That message hass been on the <Plan and book> screen since last night.

So, is it possible to book a train journey with ICE on-line then?

I still need tips on the Berlin to Prague leg of our trip also.

Somebody, anybody, everybody.... please help. The D-Day is less than 3 weeks away.

Cheers.
Efehi a.k.a fobee

I was in night club in Berlin, booked a table there through Comfortway.com (there is a rating of night-clubs) and think it's rather safe!

If taking the train and riding more than a few times then look at some railpasses like the Germany-Benelux Pass, good on trains in Belgium, Netherlands and Luxsembourg as a unit and Germany - train fares to the Czech Republic from German border is very little and buses from Nurnberg are about the fastest connection now to Prague. Or if wanting first-class travel then the Eurail Select Saver (3 names on one pass - cheaper than three solo passes) for 3 countries - Benelux, Germany and Czech Republic may be the ticket to ride - if you want flexibility to hop any train any time in those countries (with very few exceptions that you do not have to take) then either pass will be cheaper than full fares perhaps just in a few long trips.

Anyways tremendous sites IMO about European trains, passes, online discounts, etc I always spotlight www.ricksteves.com; http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com - the latter a font of info on online discount tickets which do lock you in weeks in advance (sold in limited numbers and not on all trains I think and which may sell out weeks in advance) and are non-changeable nor refundable - so flexibility to just show up at station and hop any train is a key part of a railpass IMO.

Thank you for the link efemerid.
I can't wait to start poring over the options.

Hopefully, I might find a salsa social scene in Berlin too.

Cheers

PalenQ, thank you for your breakdown of travel options. I have tried seat61 and ricksteves and at the moment there's not much there.

The Eurail Select Saver certainly looks like an option worth exploring.

Ok, it's back to the drawing board for us.

I do appreciate all the helpful comments from you Fodor-ites.

Off to sleep now, and hope you all get a good night's rest too.

p.s. - The search continue tomorrow...

missing an 's' somewhere. Zut! Am I tired!!

Zut alors!

So, is it possible to book a train journey with ICE on-line then?

I still need tips on the Berlin to Prague leg of our trip also.>

seems to be easy enough for most here so try again. But if it is a full fare ticket then I'd just wait to Germany to buy it - so so many trains going everywhere - never really sell out because there are no mandatory seat requirements (if booking online you can pay extra I believe for a seat reservation on full fare tickets - if it is a discounted ticket then it will be train-specific but still without a seat reservation I believe - point is with full fare no reason IMO to buy ahead of time - never know when plans will change, etc - only book ahead if you are saving money and know that those tickets are not refundable nor changeable I believe.

I have lived in Berlin for 12 years, but I still would not know one club where you would pre-book a "table" via a website. A nightclub is not a club. A club is more like a disco.

The toughest (club) door in Berlin has the Berghain. I would not know if I would want to waste time to get in (and other than you three I would seriously waste my time at the door LOL)... it is now too "in" and too popular to be really hip.

There are four or five decent salsa clubs in Berlin.
The best known is also said to be the best, including live acts from the big ones of the scene:
Havanna, Hauptstr. 30, in the Schöneberg district. (the name of the district is important as Hauptstr. means Main St. , and there are several in Berlin)
But don't expect anything to go on before 10pm. Better to wait till midnight to go there. The crowd is pretty mixed Germans/ Latin Americans/ tourists.. so don't worry about the language.

Right PalenQ, so it makes more sense to wait a bit before getting my train ticket on the ICE hispeed trains then?

My friends have pointed out that there's a bus option for Brussels to Antwerp too. We are comparing that with the trains at the mo'.

Cowboy1968, I am so excited that the salsa scene is alive and well in Berlin. Might just stick with going all salsa then - and I'll be sure to avoid that Berghain place unless I am issued with an engraved invitation. (smiles)

"I have lived in Berlin for 12 years, but I still would not know one club where you would pre-book a "table" via a website. A nightclub is not a club. A club is more like a disco."

Me neither.
ICE International is the Belgian hispeed train service, and it's website has been giving me a bit of a head ache.


Thanks for all the input you all have given, we are well on our way to exceeding our semi-tight budget as we have added a night each in Antwerp(en) and Hamburg to our itinerary... but WTH, you only live once!

Have a rad' weekend!

Aaaargh! I meant a bus option for Brussels/Antwerp to Berlin, PalenQ

ICE International is the Belgian hispeed train service, and it's website has been giving me a bit of a head ache.>

Well ICE is actually part of the German Railways system that happens to run a few trains into Brussels.

How long would a bus take to Berlin as opposed to trains that often speed along at nearly 200 mph in Germany - I always find buses uncomfortable compared to trains where you can easily get up, wander around, go to the bar/snack bar car for a drink or snack, etc. And so so many trains - you could easily get off for a few-hour break in some interesting city en route - put your bags in a station locker, etc. - Cologne would be a classic one - visit the famous mammoth Cologne Cathedral right next door to the train station - see one of the world's largest Gothic cathedrals and most famous ones and re-board one of the frequent trains to Berlin.

Just one thought for you budget-wise-- when planning current trip--I'm in Brussels now and wish I were in Antwerp-- when I was pricing lodging, Brussels was very pricey during the week and cheap on weekends (logical); Brugge was the opposite. We were glad we spent 3 nights in Brugge vs Brussels for one night. Planning again I'd opt for a day trip to Brussels (main market square area definitely a sight to see) and go to Antwerp or Ghent for overnight.

Also in Brussels be wary around the train station(and elsewhere for that matter) I was robbed (neck chain/pendant grabbed and run off with) -- usually am a tough traveler but how gritty this part of Brussels was slightly surprised me.

Ah, so ICE is German? Wonder why I thought it was a part of the Belgian rail network?

@PalenQ: Since there is the option of hopping on and off the train connections en route to Berlin, I'd best take your advice and ditch the bus option (for now)... and we've got friends in Koln - so that makes it quite ideal.


@annw: Yeah, I actually didn't give it a thought when looking up accommodation options - we were so set on Brussels for some reason, which escapes me now. We've got the nights of the 10th-12th in Brussels, and the 13th in Antwerp.

Luckily, I am not one for bling-y stuff, but we'll be sure to keep any valuables out of plain sight - and save having to use our rusty martial arts skills on would-be purse snatchers at the train station!
Thanks for the heads up though, we will be extra extra careful in all the cities we visit.

I have been to many places in Europe except Belgium and Berlin (going there in October) but Prague is amazing and worth many days there! We stayed 3 nights but could definitely stay longer. The food and sights are awesome!!

Has anyone an idea about cycling round Amsterdam, and how to go about renting bicycles and the like?>

I have done this umpteen times - there are many bike rental places including the often great reviewd MacBikes (I think that's how it is spelt) at the main (Centraal) train station.

I would advise a novice to be cautioned about riding in Amsterdam itself - so hectic on the often very crowded bike paths with aggressive local bikers not always having the patience for those who putz, etc. And things like tram tracks can always trip you up.

Yet if you get to the outskirts of the city yes then wonderful biking paths and venues - like the one going along the Amstel River south southeast of the city towards Utrecht - lovely bike paths right along the main canal the Amstel morphs into - head to Abcoude or some other nice smaller town - have lunch putz back, etc.

to me one of the finest experiences for novice bikers in Holland goes thru the famed Flower Fields lying between Haarlem and Leiden - and I have biked thru that many times - totally flat of course and at any time of warm weather there are likely to be miles and miles of blooms undulation right along the side roads and bike paths lacing this area.

Rent a bike in Haarlem at the train station and head thru the town center (walking your bike I suggest to start) - pedestrian zones are u sually off limits to cyclists - and head to the VVV or Tourist Office of Haarlem on the edge of the pedestrian zone and pick up detailed maps of the whole route and suggestions from staffers

this will put you on an about 15-20 mile bike ride, ending in Leiden if going all the way or turning around say at the famed Keukenhof Gardens (could be open at times in summer apart from usual spring kaleidoscopic flower extravaganzas staged here - and return to Haarlem.

Or buy a Fiets ticket to take you bike on trains and rail back to Haarlem direct from Leiden to return your bike (and perhaps explore a bit more of that dreamy IMO romantic old historic Dutch town!

Great! After a bit of negotiating, we've swapped Brussels for Antwerp as our main Belgian destination and saved a chunk on hotel rates too (hotels in Antwerp are a real bargain comparatively - almost less than half the going rates for their Brussels counterparts)!


Hi Enlehman, can you please let me know of some of the interesting places you visited in Prague? Did you get to mingle with the locals and pick up a few interesting facts about their way of life? Do tell

@PalenQ, 'putz-ers'? that would definitely describe me - I haven't ridden a bike since I was 13! I want to give it a go as my group is all for it. Anyway where better to ride confidently than the 'city of hard-core cyclists'?
What's a MacBike, by the way?

Feeling a lot better now I've rubbed minds with you all. Danke

Flower gardens... historic and romantic all in one place. Haarlem-Leiden begins to grow some good prospects - worth trying it out.

My itinerary is still hazy in some places, especially with the city-to-city connections.
We've tidied up the hotel reservations bit (I hope), so I guess we would work out the travel details as the time draws nearer.

Talk to you all later. (gleeful palm-rub!)

So, it's less than 2 weeks away, and there are a couple of new things I learnt while preparing for our crash euro-tour:

1. Airmiles (Avios points - or whatever else they are called), do come in handy when you need them the most.

2. Schiphol's free (for 1 hour) wi-fi connection could be a godsend when you are in a rush to connect with friends on arrival.
http://www.schiphol.nl/Travellers/AtSchiphol/AirportFacilities/InternetTelephone/FreeWiFiAtSchiphol.htm

3. And 'zut' is incomplete without adding 'alors!'