mdciti

Thank you in advance. Your advice and ideas have been invaluable in our previous trips to Europe , Italy 2x's, England 2x', Belgium.

Our arrival & departure city is Paris, we fly from Vienna to Paris on Monday morning September 17th to catch our flight home on Tuesday the 18th.

Travelling early September for 15 nights arriving and departing from Paris. Searching for the right, if there is such a thing, mix of time in each. We enjoy living and watching the culture as much as we can and yet we are tourist. We tend to swing wide on our first stops and return to our favorite We toured Italy for three weeks and then returned nine months later and spent 2 full weeks in Cefalu, Sicily - off the charts.

Love the nieghborhoods, plaza's, B&B's (although would not mind a hotel once in our stay), prefer train to visit the outlying towns/villages and would stay outside of large cities if best, mid range in price points. .

Our thoughts this morning are:

- Arrive Paris - morning Tuesday September 3rd - 4 nights
- day trip to Normandy?
- Fly to Berlin- arrive morning Friday September 7th - 3 nights
- day trip to Potsdam
- Drive/train to Prague - Arrive Tuesday September 11th - 3 nights. Thought we would train/drive to Dresden, an alternate here is welcomed. -stopping and stay overnight along the way. Then train to Prague from Dresden or another point.

- Prague to Cesky Krumlov one day/night leaving on Saturday September 15th to Vienna
- Vienna 2 nights
- Fly to Paris - Monday the September 17
- Depart Paris to Chicago - Tuesday September 18th

Now that I saw what I wrote, I see why I'm writing for help!!

Above is based on advice from friends and what I've managed to pick up reading the forums so far.

Thoughts? Advice? If you suggest more/reduce time somewhere.

Again, thank you in advance

Michael

4 nights in Paris represents three days. Between Paris itself and perhaps an outing to Versailles, you will not have time for Normandy.

With even less time in Berlin, you will not have the time for Potsdam. You might want to try to find this book: Peter Fritzsche and Karen Hewitt,<u> Berlinwalks</u>, 1994 which divides Berlin into 5 different walks in different neighborhoods.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7623174831107/

Dresden's Green Vault is definitely worth a visit.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57623230920764 and the next four pictures in the set.

nytraveler

Too many places in too few days.

You can avoid wasting a whole day i fyuo fyl into Paris and fly home from Vienna and it shuldn;t cost any more.

You have so few days in each place that I don;t think you have any time for day trips. In fact, I would reduce it to 3 stops verus 4 in so few days.

Naturally it's your choice - but IMHO you will be doing so much rushing from one place to another that the whole trip will be a blur.

Ingo

Agree with nytraveler, too many places. And second the idea of an open-jaw flight.

Driving to Dresden makes no sense. Train or bus is the way to travel. www.bahn.de or www.berlinlinienbus.de (the latter is a bit cheaper.)

I'd highly recommend an overnight in Dresden (if you can straighten out your itinerary, see above recommendations.) Yes, the Green Vault is amazing (actually, both the Historic and the New Green Vaults.) and there is more - Zwinger, opera house, Frauenkirche, a paddle steamer trip ... and so on.

Michael

In defense of the OP's original itinerary, it appears to be an exploratory trip for eventual longer stays in some of the original locations.

mdciti

Thanks you to each who replied. You echoed what I felt, but did not want to admit.!!

True explore and come back for more at another time, but reality a bit much.
Re open jaws- Flights are set with return from Vienna to Paris, so my ground flexibility is between Paris and Vienna. Berlin could be the place reduced to a drive by or another trip.

Assume so, how many days would you reco in Paris, Prague and Vienna, now with four days added to each to destination

danon

Paris. 6 days 7 nights
Prague 3 days- 4 nights
Vienna 4 days - 5 nights

Something like that...

Michael

You can't do Berlin as a drive by, anymore than you could do any other major city that way.

Jean

I don't understand the concept of "exploratory" trips. You barely see a place and then determine that, yes, you need/want more time there on the next trip.

Since your main flights are already set, why not split your time between France and Austria and see some of the countryside and small towns beyond Paris and Vienna? Leave Czech Rep. and Germany for another trip.

Michael

<i>I don't understand the concept of "exploratory" trips.</i>

I would hope that anyone taking a three week highlights of Europe tour--which at best scratches only the surface of any location--would note which locations appealed the most and where one would want to return. To make such a survey trip without joining a tour is just as valid.

danon

How can one" sample" a whole country.....Berlin is very different than Munich, Barcelona and Madrid
are not at all similar, and Paris and Nice are world apart.
For many travelers from North America going back to Europe number of time to explore further is not an option.
Some travelers like seeing small towns and countryside in addition to big cities. Others don't.
Depends on one' S interest.
'

mdciti

Thanks for all your insight.
We have trimmed down to include, Paris, Prague and Vienna.
This way we can take comfortable day trips or not without the tick of the clock in our heads. Will save Berlin and Germany for another time.

Any recommendations on B&B's outside of those found on Fodor's list?

Jean

You don't say what your budget is, but I can recommend the Hotel Savic in Prague and the Hotel Austria in Vienna.

mdciti

Hi Jean

Using Fodors budget guide - $$$

Jean

Sorry, but I have no idea what $$$ means in actual numbers.

mdciti

Hi jean

up to 150 Euros

Jean

Unfortunately, I don't think either of my recommendations are within your budget, but do check for the dates you'll be there.

Good luck and have a great trip.

annhig

another vote for the Hotel Austria in Vienna here. if you can get it for €150/night or less, I wouldn't hesitate.

annhig

oops - in Paris we stayed here:

http://www.hoteleurope.net/ it's just off boulevard st. Michel in the 5th so very convenient for the centre of Paris and the metro/RER but still quite quiet.

by booking 6 months in advance we got a deluxe room [mainly deluxe because it was bigger than normal, but still] for €117/night, and breakfast was [for a hotel] a reasonable €12 if you wanted it. [we ate it once on our last morning and it kept us going all day, more or less].

if you can get the hotel britannique [across the river in the 1st] for €150/night or less, again, jump at it, for all the above reasons plus plus. http://www.hotel-britannique.fr/

mdciti

Hi Jean

just looked at Hotel Savic, looks like a great place we are booking.. thanks for tip.

Looks like for the level of B&B's I would like to stay I need to raise my bar to 220 euros.

Any tips for Berlin?