First Time Intinery
 

My husband and I are planning our first Eupropean trip in October and are planning 4 nights in London, 5 in Paris, 2 in Brussels and 2 in Amsterdam. Are we trying to fit too much in 2 weeks

You will get different opinions, in all likelihood. In my view, you have a wonderful and realistic itinerary. Happy Trails! :o)

I would keep it to 3 cities maximum. You dont want all of your time spend packing/unpacking, checking in and out of hotels, driving or at airports. You could easily spend one week in London, one in Paris - with time to see the outlying areas. Try and go to Normandy - it is lovely!

I agree with the previous post. I wouldn't try to do more than 3 cities. Traveling that much in two weeks consumes too much time and energy. Add in day trips to Oxford when you are in London and Loire when you are in Paris. My husband and I truly loved our day trips to these places when we were there.

I think your intinerary sounds good. Not everyone enjoys the same things about travel. One of the nice things about going from city to city, if you take trains, is that you see part of the country that you don't see in the cities......farmhouses, small towns, churches, forests, the countryside; that percentage of the population (not insignificant) that don't live in the city! You probably will find some things that you want to see more of when you come next time.

I think you have a good game plan going. <BR>You want to see what each city has to offer, and you can scout out the territory for your next trip. <BR> <BR>The first time I went to London, I spent about 4 days there and got a good introduction. The second time there I spent 7 days and got a better introduction. I am not sure what I will do on my third trip. But as my basketball coach used to say, "Hold 'em even. I'll think of something." And he always did. <BR> <BR>I returned to Paris after an absence of many years and stayed 5 nights. I got a good renewal of an old acquaintenance. I have returned since then, and have decided three things about both cities: 1. I will never see it ALL. 2. Both cities are fascinating. 3. Take both cities in stride. Paris in particular seems to need time to unfold before your eyes. <BR>We have found amusing and interesting events and places in Paris just by looking as we walked. <BR>I think you will find Brussels and Amsterdam to fall in the same general mode. Each is different; each has its own personality. You may wish you had spent more time in one place than in another, but I don't think there is any way to know until you sample it for yourself. Once you get to know each city, you may decide that you have a preference. <BR> <BR>To add a little bit to the looking and walking aspects of Paris, one of the funniest events of my last trip took place when we were wandering along the Champs de Mars after the Rodin Museum had closed for the day. <BR>A young hotshot on a skateboard banged into a lady of advanced middle age. <BR>He did not injure her, but he did jostle her. She turned and gave him a Gallic blast that sounded like it was of hair curling intensity. Then, at the climax of her comments, she kicked his skateboard down the steps. <BR>I did not understand a word she said, but I knew exactly what she meant. <BR>I think the skater was fortunate that the Seine was not within range, or he would have been going for a swim to recover his board. I trust the kicker did not injure her foot because she gave the skate board a forceful whack. <BR>Not quite NFL quality, but close. <BR> <BR>

Your itinerary is certainly doable; train travel between each city is 3-4 hours. If you have your hotels reserved, you'll save time hunting for a place to stay. You can buy a Selectpass for France/Benelux (includes a discount on the Eurostar) or individual train tickets before you leave (fees involved); you can buy all your tickets (but not the pass) from any station (I'm not sure about buying them in London, I've only ever done it on the Continent) and save the fees. Get a good guidebook with opening times for the sights so you can plan your itinerary accordingly (no point going to the Louvre on Tuesday, it's closed). <BR> <BR>And don't worry about the best laid plans...if you miss something, like the Rijksmuseum, because you come upon a streetfair that gets you involved, that's part of the trip and the memories. Don't fret over missing the Tower of London or the Brewery Museum in Brussels (oh wait, DO fret about that); enjoy what you see and be spontaneous. And you know something? If you get to Brussels and are having such a great time you hate to leave? Well, cancel the hotel in Amsterdam, return the train ticket, and stay in Brussels - no one will tell the Trip Police....

Thanks for all the advice so far. I am trying to make hotel reservations and I was wondering if anyone has stayed at the Hotel Bourgogne et Montana in Paris or The Basil Street Hotel in London. They have come highly recommended from friends.

Hi Linda: <BR>I say keep it to 3 cities. My choices are London as it is a good city for <BR>first time Europe travellers but not my favorite. Paris definitely which is my <BR>all time favorite and another good city <BR>Amsterdam which is easy to get around and people are friendly and helpful. <BR>I reccomend the Morgan Hotel at Bloomsbury near all the London sights <BR>especially close to the British Museum. <BR>The hotel is small and includes a nice full breakfast and reasonably priced and was reccomended to me also. I would say stay in each place atleast 3-4 days. <BR>The weather will be a little rainy and chilly so bring some rain gear. September would be a warmer month but these places are fun at all times. <BR>Brussels is ok but not as much to see. <BR>I would save it for another time. <BR>I also stayed in a small hotel not far from Dam Square that was close to things <BR>and a friend of mine stayed in the Jordain section Old area that was nic in Amsterdam. I don not remember the names of the accomadations but the areas <BR>are good places to stay. Have Fun. <BR> Ellen

I don't know if this is your scene but on our first trip to London two years ago we bought a 24 hour double decker bus tour ticket each. The buses leave from Trafalgar square. There are four different routes and there are certain stops where you can hop off one bus and jump onto another route. There is a great live commentry and you can hop on and off and on the bus again as you like. There is also a river short river cruise and several guided walks to choose from. My suggestion is to start at 12 noon one day, get up early the next morning and continue with the bussing until 12 noon. Otherwise you can wear yourself out. It is a very good way of getting a bird's eye view of the city, noting where the highlights are and what you want to go back to for another look. If you want more detail, feel free to email me and I will give you price, bus company etc. I don't have the details with me now. Paris has similar tourist bus schemes too but the commentry is with head phones. Not as exciting as having it live! Enjoy!!

Great itinerary. They are all great cities, though London may be the least exotic. Others on this board will scoff at me, suggesting your should spend 39 years straight on one street corner. i disagree. We really enjoyed visiting multiple areea during our first E-trip. Just make sure you pack lightly (w/convertable backpacks and/or roller luggage). That said, make time for smaller towns, etc. For example, Brugges near Brussels, a day trip out of London, a day and 1/2 out of Paris, etc. Personally, on a first trip, 5 nights may be too many in Paris and 4 may be too long in London UNLESS you break them up. If you don't break up those visits to Paris/London you will likely be less creative in your sightseeing and will start to tread the same ground, IMHO.

Rereading my post (and cringing at the typos), I think I sounded a little critical or sarcastic regarding those people who like to spend a lot of time in one spot. There is something said for that, too. Perhaps because I don't have the vacation time, or I have travel-related ADD (I want to see everything NOW), I enjoy moving around (within reason) during my travels. So take my input with a grain of salt; there is nothing wrong with either approach, it depends on the person.