Europe in 10 days - feedback please
 

Hi I am looking to go to the following places in 10 days but want to spend as much time seeing things rather than travelling, I am not sure whether this is too much.

Fly London to Amsterdam
Inter-rail Amsterdam - Berlin
Inter-rail Berlin - Vienna
Inter-rail Vienna - Venice
Inter-rail Venice - Florence
Inter-rail Florence - Rome
Fly Rome - London

This should leave me about 2 days in each with 1 day in Vienna, do you think this is enough in each place or worth cutting one out? which one would you cut out?

I'd cut that in half. When you say that you have two days in each you ignore the travelling time, checking in and out etc. getting to stations. You'll actually end up with a very short time in each place.

I'd maybe do the tourist triangle of Rome, Florence and Venice, flying into Rome and back from Venice (or vice-versa).

Hi D,

I once did a similar whirlwind tour,

All I remember is sitting against a wall in a railway station with a group of people around me wondering if I was sick, drunk or stoned.

I was exhausted.

Bring several people who can take turns recording your adventure for you.

You have enough time to visit Italy.

((I))

Count AT LEAST (for somewhat decent visits)
2 full days for Amsterdam
3 full days for Berlin
3 full days for Vienna
2 full days for Venice
2 full days for Florence
3 full days for Rome
(always without the often very interesting surroundings)
5 days for travel (2-3 days if you take all possible overnight trains).
I suppose you know that there are tons of gems BETWEEN the places you mention. like
Dredsen
Prague
Wachau (Danube Valley)
Austrian Alps
Umbria

nNo, it won't work at all. you will see nothing but railroad stations.

As Gretchen says, you will see nothing but railroad stations. And you will miss Paris. Choose 3 stops -London, Paris, Rome; Venice, Florence, Rome; Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna, etc. Fly into your first city and home from your last. Even then it will be very rushed but your current plan is impossible!

I'll go farther... with just 10 days and losing the first and last to travel I'd go with just 2 cities. Paris-Amsterdam, Rome-Venice or Berlin-Vienna.

if you are going to inter-rail [no idea if that's a good idea for 10 days, but I doubt it] why decide in advance how long you are going to want to stay in each place? if you are travelling alone, you should have no problem finding a bed in a hostel or B&B.

I would probably just buy point to point tickets when i was ready to get on the train.

<i>I am looking to go to the following places in 10 days but want to spend as much time seeing things rather than travelling.</i>

Based on that requirement, your itinerary is a complete failure.

<i>This should leave me about 2 days in each with 1 day in Vienna, do you think this is enough in each place or worth cutting one out?</i>

Seriously?

Rethink this. You seem young enough that this isn't a once in a lifetime retirement trip. And if you live in London, you have decent access to each city on your itinerary with a short flight.

I concur with Rubicund and Ira, but I think you have time to see only part of Italy--either Venice/Florence or Rome/Florence. Day trip out of each to see some of the smaller cities, like Siena or Padua.

Or Vienna and Berlin with perhaps a day in Prague.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I only have 10 days so won't be able to spend anymore time or visit any of the places in between.

I had intended to take the night trains from Amsterdam to Berlin, Berlin to Vienna and Vienna to Venice which would leave 2 full days in each with one full day in Vienna, but it seems like all of you think this is a terrible idea!

Depsite me still not understanding why, I shall take your advice and re-plan tonight, will post a revised schedule soonish.

What would you do with 10 days?

Damian

<i>What would you do with 10 days?</i>

Less is more: fewer destinations, more time per.

Picking destinations is on you - your interests, your reasons to visit, your budget, your timeline.

Why? Because you lose a lot of time when you change locations...it's not just the time on the train. You have to check out, get to the station, wait for the train, travel,figure out where your next hotel is, check in etc before you can even see anything. The day you arrive you need to get to your hotel from the airport, and the last day you need to get to the airport with all your luggage. This is all wasted time when you could be using your time seeing more of fewer locations.

With 10 days, including travel time, I would pick two locations...3 max...and choose places that are easy to transit between to make your logistics easier.

Have you checked on overnight trains? You can;t assume there are night trains - without changes - between any two cities.

Also - you may or may not be able to sleep on a night train - some people can't.

And the cost of a berth - never mind sharing a room with strangers and securing your belongings are other matters to consider.

Damian - go buy a map and hang it on your wall. Take a look at the distances you will cover.

London - Amsterdam flight 1.5 hours
Amsterdam to Berlin 6 hours
Berlin to Vienna 10 - 12 hours
Vienna - Venice 8 - 10 hours
Venice - Florence 2 hours
Florence - Rome 2 hours
Rome - London flight 2.5 hours

That is just the time you spend in the train or plane. Allow 2 hours for each flight for airport security, and for each journey, roughly 2 hours to pack/unpack, checkout of hotel, travel to airport or train station, etc...

Unless you are a big fan of public transportation, I would totally scrap this plan and start over. Pick either Germany/Austria or Italy. That way, you'll have enough time to actually see something. I'm assuming you are from London; what would you say to someone spending just 2 days to see London?

<I had intended to take the night trains from Amsterdam to Berlin, Berlin to Vienna and Vienna to Venice>

Have you ever taken an overnight train before? I ask only because I can't sleep very well on them. So for me would mean losing 3 days sleep on a 10 day trip... disaster!

If I had 10 days, I'd pick just 2-3 places:
Paris/Venice
Venice/Florence/Rome
London/Amsterdam

Your original itinerary simply does not work.

Damien, my rule of thumb is: never attempt to match, let alone exceed, the pace of budget bus tours. Here is Trafalgar's "London to Rome Highlights."

http://www.trafalgar.com/can/london-...ighlights-2013

London - 2 nights
Paris- 2
Lucerne - 1
Venice - 1
Florence - 1
Rome - 2
Day to fly home - 1
Total: 9 nights + day to fly home = 10

Okay, so you're starting by flying out of London, so you save those 2 nights to add to the other places, say, bump up Rome to 3 nights, and Venice to 2 nights. But it would still be insane. The problem is, you don't have the 'back up' of a tour to support you. You may face train delays, etc. that would destroy a tight schedule. Once in town, you have to get bags to your hotel; organize all your local in-city transportation, get bags to hotel, etc. Independent travel is great, but you simply need more time, when doing things on your own.

And take a look at the tour itinerary. "Views of x y z" "glimpse of" "see" mean exactly that - a view, often from the bus window. Maybe you'd be content with that, but then again, you might not even get that, given all the time you would have to devote to getting in and out of places.

I have been in Europe earlier but would like to visit again and see some beautiful places there. My visit to Barcelona was quite memorable and i visited some famous attraction over there.