Divs

Hi everyone.

My husband and I ( Age-30) are planning to visit Amsterdam and Austria in first or second week of August (though we have not been able to get much time to research about these destinations and that is why want to take suggestions from you experts)
We will be flying from Delhi, India

This will be our second time in Europe, last year we went to Paris and Switzerland in June for 11 nights and fell in love with both the places, specially Switzerland..what beauty it is! Last time we were not on a strict budget but this time we are
I need your assistance in planning this trip well. Could you please advise:

1. A recommended itinerary to cover the must visit places

2. Best ways to travel within the places

3. If it makes sense to take a group tour or to be on our own.

4. If Zica is a concern in any of these countries?

Also we are open to explore any other country in Europe too. We love well connected places, where we can easily get vegetarian food.
Good weather, warm people and a nice experience is what we are looking for.
A friend suggested to do Austria- Prague and Budapest..but somehow Prague and Budapest have not convinced me much.

Thank you very much.

sparkchaser

Zika is not a concern.

Suggestion: fly into Amsterdam and out of Vienna.

If the 8 days do not include arrival/departure:

Day 0: arrival
Day 1-2: Amsterdam
Day 3: train to Munich
Day 4-5: Munich
Day 6 train to Vienna
Day 6.5-8 Vienna
Day 9: departure

If the 8 days are inclusive of arrival/departure:

Day 1-2: arrival and Amsterdam
Day 3: train to Munich
Day 4: Munich
Day 5: train to Vienna
Day 5.5-7 Vienna
Day 8: departure

sparkchaser

You didn't mention what your budget was and that will come into play when selecting accommodations and transportation.

Divs

Thanks Sparkchaser. Our budget is around 3000 Euros per couple including flights and accommodation. We also want to have an experience of staying in a hostel at any of one place.

Also we are open to go for completely different set of countries.. so if you have suggestions related to that?

sparkchaser

You can add more countries (if you noticed I added Germany) but it would add probably a day of travel total and so you'd lose at least two days. Plus, keep in mind that more places mean higher costs because of transportation there. Personally, I wouldn't try to add any more stopping points.

Looking at plane tickets, I see a DEL-AMS-VIE-DEL ticket for around 650€ each. Deutsche Bahn has a 50€ per person saver fare Amsterdam to Munich and a 40€ per person saver fare Munich to Vienna. That leaves about 200€ per day per couple which is definitely doable.

MFitz85

Hi, why not buy a Eurail ticket? I mean, if you have made up your mind about what countries you'd like to visit you can get select a railpass and have flexibility of stay. It's much cheaper than flying, plus you get to see all of the beautiful views. Especially in Austria.

Southam

Please do some research before buying any rail pass. Many people on travel forums think most passes require a great deal of travel to beat the cost of point-to-point tickets, which can be found on the various national rail systems' websites. The place to start is here: http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-E...-point-tickets
To compare one-way airline tickets: www.skyscanner.com
In Amsterdam a hostel is the only accommodation that could be considered budget. Hotels are even costlier than in the two big cities on your previous trip.

Divs

Well Sparkchaser the thing is I have yet not decided on Amsterdam and Austria as well and I also want to do either one or max 2 countries but could you please tell me if in this budget I can do anything else if I forget about Amsterdam and/or Austria or may be if I could just do Ireland.
Also if Vienna is better or Salzburg and is Austria well connected( the cities) like Switzerland?

sparkchaser

I don't see anything wrong with Amsterdam-(Munich)-Vienna. All three will have plenty for you to see and do. Was there a reason you are reconsidering?

Divs

MFitz85 thanks will look in to that once I decide on the places to visit.

Southampton Thanks yes if we choose Amsterdam we plan to stay in hostel only.

Divs

What is there to see in Vienna? And what would be better to combine Amsterdam with any place else or
Auatria- Prague - Budapest..?

Sorry for asking you all again and again,I have not been able to make up my mind. My friends have been suggesting to go Prague and Budapest if I go to Austria but I am not sure..Can you convince me if Budapest and Prague are that good and different places to see..
Also if I should consider my dates according to any fest going around in any city?

sparkchaser

Here's a crazy thought: instead of asking us what there is to see or do, read for yourself then come back with your questions:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Amsterdam
http://wikitravel.org/en/Vienna

StCirq

1. - I would not listen to MFitz. It is usually less expensive to buy point-to-point tickets than to purchase an overpriced railpass. There are some exceptions, Switzerland usually being the only one, but railpasses are often THE most expensive way to travel. You actually have to do some research to know how to get the cheapest tickets, though.

2. No one here prepares itineraries. That is something you need to engage a travel agent for, and pay for. You need to do your own homework by reading guidebooks, studying maps, and researching websites. For example, the official website for any city in any country in the world will explain what festivals and other activites are going on, and when. You obviously have the internet, so use it. When you actually know what there is to see and do in your proffered destinations and what appeals to you in those places, and have at least the outline of a plan, people here will be happy to help you refine it.

Divs

Sparkchaser and StCirq thanks for your inputs.
I also went through few websites regarding these places and I was confused so that's why I thought of taking suggestions from people who have been there. I also don't want to bother you all to make itinerary for me and I would surely pay a good travel agent to do that but for that I wanted to be sure of a country to visit.
For example I asked about Prague and Budapest coz I have been reading and listening to people saying good things about it, but what in reality I would like to know is how different it is from Paris, is it better or not or Is there no comparison between the 2 cities? I could not find answers to such personalised questions by reading any guidebooks or website.

And also I was not asking here if what festival is going around in which place but my question was if one should plan during those days or not as in if it would impact my cost of accommodation.

I am sorry again that I didn't come out with outlined plan.

As of now I am confused coz one thing I want is a relaxed holiday, so I would also change my choice for a country depending on the connectivity between the cities.

Thanks everyone..well I hope to come to a decision next time.

janisj

Divs: >>MFitz85 thanks will look in to that once I decide on the places to visit.<<

Please ignore that advice. You will not need any sort of pass and depending on where you finally decide to visit, either point-to-point train tickets or budget airlines will be cheaper.

No one here can decide among your various options. It sounds like you are all over the place and don't have any definite ideas. None of those choices are 'wrong' and all are great places to visit. But you need to decide - anything we post to convince you one city is better than another would just be subjective opinions.

sparkchaser

<i>As of now I am confused coz one thing I want is a relaxed holiday, so I would also change my choice for a country depending on the connectivity between the cities. </i>

If you want a relaxed holiday, then do not try to visit more than two cities. In fact, perhaps you should pick just one city to be based out of then make day trips to the nearby areas. Ideal cities for this would be London (but expensive, even if staying in hostels), Munich (or Nuremberg), or Brussels. If you based in Vienna, you can do excursions to relatively nearby Bratislava, Brno, and Budapest.

In the end, it's really up to what you and your group wants to do. After all, you can relax anywhere.

StCirq

Every major city in Europe is different from every other one, for the obvious reason - the history that led it up to today's world. So architecture is different, language is different, customs are different, food is different, ethnic populations are different, geography is different, religion is different, art and music are different, etc., etc., etc.

A big festival in a big city will always mean higher prices. Of course.

I guess the only thing I can say to help you is that Austria and Amsterdam are both expensive, and you are looking for a "budget-friendly" trip, so neither of those places would fit that description.

sparkchaser

That's a fair point, StCirq.

A better approach on where to go instead of listing a bunch of cities is to say what kinds of things you want to see/do.

If OP and his companions are drinkers, then I suggest a relaxing holiday in Flanders or Bavaria.