European Vacation Itinerary
 

My wife and I are planning an European vacation and we wanted to get people's reaction to it. We would like to know if it is too ambitious. We are in our late 50's and have been to Europe before. We want to fly into London and stay in London for 5 days. Then we would take a train to the Bath area in which we would tour Salisbury, Stonehenge and Bath for 2 days. We would then head to Paris by train where we would be for 6 days. We have been to Paris before, but of course there is never enough time to see. Paris. We would take a day trip to Mont St. Michel while we are in Paris. Then we will take a train to the Brussels/Bruges area where we will be for 3 days and then train it to Amsterdam where we will be for 4 days. Finally, we will take a train to Munich where we will be for 5 days and then fly back to the US. We will appreciate any advice.

"<i>Bath for 2 days. We would then head to Paris by train where we would be for 6 days.</i>"

Most of your itinerary sounds great. But the UK bit is sort of back to front. To take a train from Bath to Paris would require a train to Paddington, cross all of central London to St Pancras, then the Eurostar to Paris.

So IMO either 1) flip the order. Take the express coach from LHR to Bath and spend the first 2or 3 days there. Then train to London and after your 5 days there - Eurostar to Paris

OR

2) Leave it London first, followed by Bath - but fly to Paris from Bristol (or even LHR)

#1 would be my clear choice

A day trip to MSM is really not very feasible. The transportation time alone will eat up most of the day. Check out the times listed. You will have to transfer to a bus in Rennes.
http://www.destination-montsaintmich...%20UK%20V2.pdf

Personally, I'd shorten Munich by a day, and add it on to another destination. Having spent multiple weeks in both Munich and Amsterdam, I prefer Amsterdam as a destination.

Just a crazy idea, but after Bath you could take the ferry to St Malo (Poole, Plymouth, Portsmouth or Weymouth) http://www.cheapferry.co.uk/cheap_ferry_to_st_malo.htm
then drive to Mont SM and finally drop the car off say at Rouen. Or you could take the fast ferry Poole to Cherbourg and drive down the Cotentin to Mont SM.

For lots of great info on trains check out these IMO fantastic sites- www.sea61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. You may want to look at the London Plus railpass for British trains and the France-Benelux railpass too - valid on trains in France, Belgium and Netherlands (and Luxembourg as well!).

. Then we would take a train to the Bath area in which we would tour Salisbury, Stonehenge and Bath for 2 days>

I think you would do better perhaps using London as a base and doing day trips from there to Bath, Salisbury and Stonehenge - and then like janis says be in London and make the day to Paris much easier.

I definitely would not do Bath/Salisbury/Stonehenge as a day trip(s) from London. I recommend staying IN Bath as you originally planned. Just not visit Bath <i>between</i> London and Paris.

Eurostar to Paris>

In case an American poster does not know that this means Chunnel train, as Americans are want to call it.

"as Americans are want to call it."

Surely you mean "as an American is wont to call it"?

<<We would take a day trip to Mont St. Michel while we are in Paris>>

How? It's 3+ hours each way and there are no fast trains to the area.

I see PalQ is still trying to tell everyone that Americans call the Eurostar the Chunnel train, even though we don't . . .

Have never heard any American say "Chunnel" - it's a figment. Or perhaps left over from the year it was built.

You can do Mt St Michel as a day trip from Paris by bus - but it's a very long day and I have no idea what you get to see. (We did as part of a road trip and overnighted in the area.)

You can do Mt St Michel as a day trip from Paris by bus - but it's a very long day and I have no idea what you get to see.>

On your own you can take a TGV train from Paris-Montparmasse station to Rennes then special buses that meet morning trains that whisk you right to Mont-Saint-Michel - very very easy - score deep discounted TGV tickets at www.voyages-sncf.com - bus is a flat fee payable at Rennes - just book Paris-Rennes return TGV ticket.

There is no direct public buses but excursion tour buses if you want that type of guided experience but buses would take much longer than TGV trains that blast along at nearly 3200 mph at many places.

<I>TGV trains that blast along at nearly 3200 mph at many places.</i>

Wow! Now that's fast! :)

PQ is in the paint again . . .

i think he's in more than the paint, jj.

Thank you all for your input. After having read your ideas, I have revamped our intinerary. I would appreciate thoughts on this itinerary:
Fly into Amsterdam --5 days; 2 days in Bruges; 3 days in Ambroise, France; 2 days in San Malo includng a trip to Mont St. Michel; take the San Malo Ferry to Weymouth and then the train to Bath; 3 days in Bath seeing Bath, Salisbury and Stonehenge; 3 days in the Cotswold area; 2 days in Oxford; 7 days in London and fly home. Our major means of transportation will be by train.

Looks very nice.

The train isn't that useful in the Cotswolds specifically, but you can get to places like Charlbury or Moreton in Marsh and take local buses from there.

Thanks, JanisJ.

Any suggestions for B and B's or hotels that are comfortable, clean and friendly and not too terribly expensive in these areas would be appreciated. Also, suggestions for resturants and/or eating establishments in these areas in which the locals would eat would be great.

Hi Mark,

your outlier on that itinerary is Amboise - it's a long way there from Bruges down to the Loire and then back up to Saint-Malo. you would do better I think to look at staying in the Bayeux area - it's en route and there are lots of nice things to see in that area.