Hello!

My wife & I is planning a trip to Europe for the first time for our honeymoon starting mid September. Our travel plan is as follows:

Day 1 : Arrive in London @ 7:30pm
Day 2 : London
Day 3 : London
Day 4 : London (Local tour to Stonehenge & Bath)
Day 5 : London
Day 6 : By flight, arrive Amsterdam @ 10:30am
Day 7 : Amsterdam
Day 8 : Amsterdam (Day trip to Haarlem)
Day 9 : Amsterdam
Day 10 : Afternoon Train to Brussels
Day 11 : Brussels
Day 12 : Afternoon train to Paris
Day 13 : Disneyland Paris (Disneyland Park)
Day 14 : Disneyland Paris (Walt Disney Studios Park)
Day 15 : Paris (or maybe disneyland again)
Day 16 : Paris
Day 17 : Paris, plan to take overnight train to Venice @ night, but i've not fully understood the booking website yet. If not workable maybe will book a flight on 18th day morning.
Day 18 : Venice
Day 19 : Venice
Day 20 : Venice
Day 21 : Afternoon train to Florence
Day 22 : Florence
Day 23 : Afternoon train to Pisa, arrive Rome in evening
Day 24 : Rome
Day 25 : Rome
Day 26 : Rome
Day 27 : Rome
Day 28 : Barcelona
Day 29 : Barcelona
Day 30 : Barcelona
Day 31 : Barcelona, night flight to London, sleep in hotel near airport
Day 32 : 11:30am flight back home

Actually I have 1 extra day to slot in between, thinking of slotting it into either Brussels or Amsterdam.

I know Barcelona is wayyy out of the way but I will kill myself if I don't visit Spain in the course of my trip.

So please kindly let me know what you think about my plan... I really appreciate any suggestions, comments or criticisms.

Thanks!!

How many children do you have with you on the trip and what are their ages?

Bluemocha - I gather you like cities?

Seems like you have it all planned already. Personally I would skip Barcelona....it is too far. Allocate those days to Paris and Venice. It will be more relaxing than trying to complete your bucket list of places to see. Go back and do Spain on a different trip!. Congrats on your wedding, honeymoon!

are you flying between Rome and Barcelona as it seems you are but don't say? If so i would recommend a look at the France-Italy Eurailpass but if not it may not be the ticket for you.

But if you were going say Amsterdam to Bruges then Bruges to Paris and not doing Brussels (many consider Bruges far better for the average tourist than Brussels, a huge city that disappoints many) then i would again look a a 3-country Eurail Select Pass good in Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg as one country for this pass purposes) as it can be used to go from Amsterdam to Bruges and Bruges to Paris with everything 100% covered except a 3 euro mandatory seat reservation fee Bruges (via Lille) to Paris.

But if you go Brussels to Paris direct then to take the Thalys trains that only serve this route then even with a pass you'd have to pay $35 or so on top of using the pass. Ditto for Amsterdam to Brussels if you take the Thalys- though on that route you could hop regular IC trains that are a tad slower only with the pass.

But most folks would say go to Bruges rather than Brussels if you have to chose - and Bruges is a relatively small town -unlike all the other places you are visiting so a chance to savour a smaller, quieter place that IMO is the dreamiest town all in all in Europe north of the Alps.

But even if doing the Thalys Brussels to Paris then i would still strongly look at the Eurail 3-Country Select Saverpass (Saver pass means two or more names on one pass - about 20% cheaper p.p. than buying two solo passes) - note that the Eurail Select Pass, if over 25 years old, comes only in first class and IME of decades of European rail travel first class is infinitely more relaxes than 2nd class - so when deciding on a pass keep in mind it affords first class travel - say if you are comparing to 2nd class regular tickets. Apples and Oranges really.

Anyway for loads of great info on planning a European rail trip and learning about trains i always highlight these fab sites - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com - for schedules for all European trains i find the German Rail web site the easiest to use - www.bahn.de and it does have schedules for all of Europe.

Yes, why all big cities?

Bluemocha,

You won't kill yourself if you don't go to Spain ON THIS PARTICULAR trip. I assure you you will be hooked and will be mentally planning your next trip to Europe (may 2 weeks in Spain?) before your honeymoon is over.

I suggest you divide you Barcelona time between London, Paris (worthy of 10 days alone even without Disney), and Rome.

Also, do you already have plane tickets? There is no good reason to fly home from London. It makes much more sense to fly into London, tour Europe, and then fly home from Rome.

I love the major cities of Europe. I think it sounds like a fantastic trip. Personally I wouldn't change a thing! (and I rarely say that on this forum)

Unless you have children, I would skip Disneyland. Once you see Paris, you will want to spend more time there.

We just returned from Barcelona. Best to go there without your wife. There is a lot to look at.

Is this Sept 2010 or 2011? I'll take it is 2011....(better be!)?

You have 8 big cities in 32 days; doable, but maybe not enjoyable...specially if you are dragging children along
So let's dissect this:

1. It is your first time in Europe and boy, you are going for Europe overload! I would pick max of 5 cities and day trip from there. Suggest London, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Barcelona.

2. Fly into London/depart from Barcelona.

3. The flow ought to be more like London to Amsterdam to Paris to Rome to Barcelona.

4. Rent an apartment on each city.

5. Did I read this right?.....first time in Paris and all you plan to do is go to Euro Disney for 4 out of 5 days? I'll be blunt: this is borderline bizarre. Please get a guidebook of Paris pronto!

6. Make Day 20 Florence versus Venice.

7. On the extra day in Florence go by train to Pisa (RT).

8. Day trip to Brussels from Paris (if you must...).

9. Cut one day from Rome and one day from Barcelona if you MUST make it to Venice. If so, do it after Florence and before Rome.

10. Consider a MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE and this is why....too many cities and logistics. A cruise is a good way to get your feet wet in Europe but still not get overwhelmed by the choices and logistics. You unpack once. Is it the best way to see Europe? Not a chance. It is one of the best ways for a first timer dragging family in tow to be introduced to Europe? Absolutely.

I would also skip Barcelona on such a trip and maybe fit in some other cities in a logical geographic line along your route.

Wow, thanks everyone for your comments!

Paul1950: Sorry for not making things clear, we're both in our late 20's and have not had any kids yet

Coldupthere: Yes, you're absolutely right! The both of us love to just walk around cities, markets and just absorb the local culture & experience the local's way of life.

So we are the type of people who enjoy looking at buildings, going to the market, looking at street performers and just relaxing in cafes' more than visiting castles, mountains, windmills, etc...

Pauljagman: I know exactly what you mean and I've considered briefly to cancel our trip to Barcelona.

But we have many Spanish friends and every one of them are very warm & nice people! They've fed us with stories of beautiful Spain & their warm people many many times so we just have to see Spain for ourselves

PalenQ:

Thank you so much for your very detailed explanation!! Wow that is really very very good information, I've not considered Bruges before so I will definitely look into this

To save a bit of time, we may take a morning flight from Rome to Barcelona.

May I also ask if I have the Europass, will it be workable for overnight train from Paris to Venice? I tried to make dummy bookings through their website but it only says first or second class and didn't mention anything about sleepers. I'm worried I may end up having to sit for the whole night.

Once again, thanks everyone for your comments!!!

I am amazed that you are going to Paris for what seems to be just Disneyland. Supposedly THE city for romance. O_o

A flight form Rome to Barcelona makes MUCH more sense if you are determined to include it.

Also, check to see how much it would cost to fly back to the States from Barcelona. This could save an extra day.

BTW, we have spent considerable time in Spain and Barcelona and even though Barcelona is one of our favorite cities it is only partially refelcts Spain. They are Catalans first and speak a language that is based in Provencale even though everyone speaks Spanish and many speak English.

It is truly worth a detour, there is sense of style and joie de vivre that is uniquely Catalan.

Agree w/Sam. IMO, the Disneyland visit is the only thing I see wrong with this itinerary. Granted, you may be huge Disney fans, but you will get enough of that kind of thing after you have kids. It seems a most unromantic thing to do in Paris on your honeymoon.

Also, Paris-Venice overnight train is much better IMO than a flight. What site are you looking at?

"So we are the type of people who enjoy looking at buildings, going to the market, looking at street performers and just relaxing in cafes' more than visiting castles, mountains, windmills, etc... "

In that case you might want to do a day trip to Chartres from paris (rather than one of the Disneyland days) or to the countryside in Tuscany.

I like it. I would keep Barcelona. You may be Disney fans, but could you possibly skip it and spend more time in Paris? Or maybe spend a little time in the French countryside? Maybe a drive through Tuscany?

Sheez, a Disney visit is NOT "wrong", it's a matter of personal preference and taste. This person obviously has an interest or they would not have included 2-3 days there.

who are we to say a drive in the countryside or more time in Paris is a "better" thing to do? What's BEST is what YOU want to do no your vacation.

<i>"What's BEST is what YOU want to do on your vacation."</i>

Amen.