Naina

Hi Need help with planning this trip-
we are 3 friends. we've been waiting to make this trip. We are set with the starting plan- that is flying from Copenhagen to Eindhoven on June 27th. We reach Eindhoven by 10.30 a.m.
and am flying back to New York on July 5th 7.30 pm flight. I am making this short trip from the U.S, just to have a good time with my childhood friend (girl) whose on a short term project in Copenhagen.

So, Need your help with a short and sweet plan between June 27th and July 5th.
Amsterdam will be the first stop (for the night life
next we are confused between Brughes, Brussel, ghent, and Cologne. Also tempted for Berlin.

Definitely not possible to visit all of these, so please suggest us few out of these places. Also we would prefer public transport and not driving.

PalenQ

How about Paris - spend say 4-5 days in Amsterdam and take the high-speed Thalys train to Paris in about 3.5 hours - and Paris 4-5 days - fly home from there. You could hit Bruges in between for a day or so but I'd concentrate on two places in that limited time frame - Berlin is a long poke by train so you'd have to spend most of a day getting there or fly which also takes about a half a day.

Cologne and Brussels do not excite many people that much it seems. Berlin is a multi-faceted city with tons of stuff to do and an energetic nightlife - so I'd suggest Paris or Brussels (or even London just about 4 hours from Amsterdam by train thru the Channel Tunnel).

anyway to learn about European trains check these superb info-laden sites: www.seat61.com - great info on discounted train tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. If taking the Thalys train to Paris www.thalys.com has some discounted tickets probably even at this late date (discounted tickets often sell out early - so book that if that is in the books ASAP. Ditto for trains to Cologne (www.bahn.de/en).

PalenQ

If you want to go to Berlin there is an overnight train link from Amsterdam - you take a regular train to Oberhaufen, Germany and change to a CNL City Night Liner hotel train to Berlin - save daytime time and money in a night's hotel costs and experience Europe's iconic overnight trains - get a private triple compartment and bring whatever food or drink you want oboard and just chill.

menachem

Instead of Amsterdam, do Maastricht, after that there's a good connection to Paris from Liege (Thalys). Or do Maastricht - Brussel - Amsterdam, with a sidetrip to Brugge or Gent from Brussel. Antwerp is also nice and it's en route to Amsterdam

Where are you flying back from? Eindhoven?

Or you could do

Eindhoven - Venlo - Cologne
Cologne - Amsterdam by ICE
Amsterdam - Eindhoven.

Point is, from Eindhoven you're centrally placed for destination in Belgium and Germany. So why not use that to your advantage first and end up in Amsterdam?

PalenQ

Gent is also a student town so has probably nice nightlife.

PalenQ

Naina - what do you think?