Wekiva

TDS...as was just stated the term you are looking for on airline websites is Multi city. on Delta's web site you'll see ROUND-TRIP | ONE-WAY | MULTI-CITY...that's what you want. It may cost more but on a trip with tight time frame it's a great way to see more in less time.

I don't mean to sound like a broken record...but if you want to see a lot and feel up to a busy schedule and long days (as several of your previous posts seem to indicate) then give it a shot. I think your first trip is the best trip to pack full of cities to see. You've got other trips to slow down.

I don't mean any disrespect to all the knowledgeable people on this web site but most of you have been to Europe MANY times (some in the hundreds of trips it seems). I can certainly understand that for an experienced traveler who has been to most if not all of the big European cities that a slow pace is great. But for someone who has NEVER been...I just don't think being in a city for 4 days is the best choice. Just my opinion and I can understand if you disagree.

Wekiva

On the Multi City issue...I checked next May/June for two trips:
Orlando - London - Rome - Orlando is $1,238
Orlando - Paris - Orlando is $1,548

....wow...that's not the point I was trying to make.
OK...Orlando - Rome - Orlando is $1,482.

Well never mind...I was going to tell you it was worth paying a bit more for multi city...but apparently it's REALLY worth it since it's cheaper. Ah...the fun times of trying to understand airline pricing.

Andrew

I don't think the fact that I've been to Europe a few times has much to do with my recommendation to slow things down for tds0212. My first real trip to Europe was 10 days to London and Paris. I did about half my time in each city with some day trips. I really enjoyed London, but I fell in love with Paris and if anything felt an extra day or two there would have been great. But I'm not the type who feels ready to move on from a city once I've ticked off the list of things I want to see; I want to become a bit familiar with the place (especially places I like). I've never liked feeling rushed on a trip - and it's been that way since my first trip. Everyone has a different travel style.

chadnycity

understand your point Wekiva, but I think most people agree, either before or unfortunately after their trip, that picking up and moving four times across hundreds of miles (or more) in 11 days is too much. It's nice to be able to keep your stuff in a hotel room for a couple of nights so you can go out at night and not have to pack and not have to wake up early to rush to a train, or worse arrive hours in advance at the airport.

This trip can be the start of many trips to Europe on just about any budget. To rush through the capitals of every major European country would be exhausting and stressful for even the most experienced traveler.

screen_name_taken

I agree with Wekiva - for those who have never been to Europe, it's not unheard of to take a multi-city tour for ex, 6, even 7 cities in 2 weeks. The point is to get a "feel" for all of it, especially when you are young, and then return in a more leisurely fashion: on a return trip you can pick the place you liked best, or felt you did not see enough of, or has you thinking of it again and again. Then yes, spend a week in a rental apt, "living the life of XXXX".

[a few years ago, my aunt, 60+ at the time, booked a tour such as that and can only thank her lucky stars she did - she has not been able to get back to Europe, but she knows what Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, London, Viena, Madrid and Barcelona look like, how the food tastes, how the language spoken by "natives" sounds, how people dress and go about, etc, etc, etc.]

Andrew is also giving you great advice: book through the airline. I'm saying this because 2 days ago, my husband was a bit too excited about booking a trip to Tuscany, but chose Rome as the R/T airport. After much thought, today we cancelled the already purchased tickets, but were able to cancel ONLY because he had booked through delta.com

(and yes, next to one way/round trip/ you find "multi city". Click that, enter your airport codes and there you go - open jaw. Which btw, was actually cheaper than R/T from JFK to Rome.)

One last comment - don't let any of us talk you out of what your dream european experience is. Take the advice that makes sense to you, but really ... trust your gut and have a fabulous trip.

Kristinelaine

I think the biggest problem with seeing lots of cities in a little time is that it takes TIME to get from one place to the next. Each move takes TIME -- time to pack up, get to a train station or airport, the trip itself, time to get from the airport to your new hotel, etc. That would be my biggest reason to recommend fewer rather than more cities in a short time period.

tds0212

Thanks for the sites on airline tix....I agree that the open jaw is the best way! Although round trip from Atl to London is only $902 p/person, spending the extra $$ will give us more time at our last stop and also keep us from backtracking!! When I was looking at round trip I was having a difficult time figuring out how we were going to get BACK to London in time for a flight home w/o losing another day traveling. Thanks for all the input. This site is very helpful in planning our trip. So glad I got involved. More questions to come as the planning continues im sure!

tds0212

I like the idea Michel_Paris had about flying into Amsterdam, then to Paris, then to London. Giving us a 3-4-4 stay. I have been reading a little about Amsterdam. A lot of ppl say that it is a good starting place because it is not as "hectic" as Paris or London. Not to say it is not as beautiful, fun, or exciting as the other two...but the pace is a little different(so they say). Obviously I have no idea, but it sounded like a great place to begin...See the attractions/museums, take some walks, hit up some cafes/coffeeshops, river cruise, people watch...I have some ideas in my head, but I think this will be the place that will get our trip going and give us time to get over jetlag and get in gear! Let me know how you think this sounds...i may be totally off.

Andrew

Some people loooooove Amsterdam. I am not one of them. Compared to Paris and London, I found it a bit dreary and dirty (since I am not a pot smoker, I found the whiff of pot smoke coming from the hash bars on so many back streets and even in the Marriott(!) a bit off-putting). The canals were somehow not quite what I was expecting. It wasn't awful (some people would say Paris is dirty, too) but it I don't put it in the same class with Paris especially. You may like it better than I did - I hope you do! You can't like everywhere you visit equally well.

FYI, the trains are terrific in Europe; if you meant that you would fly to Paris and to London, do consider taking the train instead. You can train from Amsterdam to Paris in just over three hours by high speed train, from city center to city center. Far less hassle than dealing with airport security, etc. and less stressful! Same with taking the Eurostar train from Paris to London.

London might actually be a better place to start, actually, for several reasons: there's the obvious one (no language barrier when you first arrive in Europe for your first trip there) plus I believe it's easier to arrive at London airports than to depart from them; familiarize yourself with the most recent carry-on rules for example - I think they are more stringent than from Amsterdam. Just a personal preference. (To be fair, there's not much of a language barrier in Amsterdam - most people speak some English if not a lot.)

I'd probably base my decision (start in London or Amsterdam?) in part on the times of the arriving and departing flights as well. Surely Delta has direct flights between both cities and ATL so you are lucky in that sense!

ankhboy

Alternative Suggestion: I am guessing you are American, so why not skip London? It is the least exotic of your choices. Also, strongly agree with "Agree that overnights can be useful, though would recommend against more than 1 in a trip, particularly if you've got more than 1 smallish sized suitcase per person." If you are late 20's, pack light and be happier. Amsterdam, Paris, and Rome will be plenty, believe me!!

tds0212

Ankhboy...Amsterdam, Paris, Rome...something to think about. Picking the place has been the hardest decision by far!!!

Andrew...you think I should skip Amsterdam?? I would hate to be dissapointed

tds0212

Also...i forgot to add...Has anyone heard of Unique Paris? I found it on a website. It says for 60 EUR they will be avail to you 24 hrs a day for the duration of your trip. You can call for cab rides, recommendations for restaurants, they will plan your entire stay out for you and book your tours (for additional cost of museum/tour fees) if you want them to. Kind of like a "go-to" for things to do/see places to go...did't know if something like this would be worth it. I have emailed back and forth a few times w them. It sounds amazing, but I don't want to get involved in something that will be a rip off. They told me they could do private tours for me and my husband, cooking classes, book all our tours...blah blah blah. Anyway, let me know if anyone has heard of this or thinks it's worth it!

Michel_Paris

tds,
You get us for free

tds0212

Very True...

jamikins

I wouldnt skip amswerdam if it intersts you - I loved it and found it very charming. The canals beat my expectations, as did the food! We didnt frequent any 'cafes' so cant comment on that but the smell didnt get to me at all!!

Choose where you are interested in going and have an opened mind and you wont be disappointed!

Mimar

I'd stick to your latest plan. Flying into Amsterdam, training to Paris and again via the Eurostar to London. Be sure and buy tickets for the Eurostar as soon as you can (approximately 3 months before the date of your train trip). It can make a big difference pricewise.

You're going to find people who like and people who dislike Amsterdam, people who love London and people who hate it. People who say you must go to Venice, it's fabulous. Or Istanbul. Or Provence.

Just go where you want to go and decide for yourself.

Regarding Unique Paris, it sounds good, but I don't think you're going to be in Paris long enough to take full advantage of their services. All of which will cost extra, I bet, extra over their usual cost so as to reimburse UP. And the concierge at your hotel can do a lot of that for you. (I don't recommend an apartment for first-timers. It's better to have a hotel where you can ask questions and get help.)

PalenQ

Yes about the Eurostar - buy as early as possible - just show up and you can pay literally $100 more than the cheap tickets, sold in limited numbers - but as the cheaper tickets are not refundable nor changeable be sure of your date and time. For the best chances of the cheaper fares try to chose a mid-week day as around weekends when demand is at a peak cheaper tickets are hard to get. Go to www.eurostar.com for prices in Euros from Paris and i also always advise checking on prices in dollars from RailEurope in the U.S. - usually eurostar.com is cheaper but not always as there seems little rhyme or reason between their fares for the same trains - and for any RailEurope product i always advise calling the helpful folks at www.budgeteuropetravel.com, whom i have bought railpasses from for years and attest to their personal service. But check both sources and if you find a cheap fare hop on it. Folks report no problem using www.eurostar.com to print out their e-tickets.

tds0212

When I buy tickets from eurostar/raileurope will that cover transportation while in amsterdam/paris/london or is that just travel to paris and to london? I probably should know this but havent really studied up on the rail passes yet. Just wondering if there is something else i will need to purchase to hop on a train here and there to get around each city i am visiting. I've seen a lot of posts where ppl are talking about taking a train to get here and a train to get there...just thinking that is a lot of train tickets!!

rs899

No, eurostar/raileurope covers travel on the national railroads. You will have to deal with the local transport authorities in the cities (RATP for Paris, London Transport for London , and ? for AMS - I forgot and I was just there...)

Michel_Paris

For London public transit, I used the Oyster card and loaded it up with the amount I figured I needed (there are other options). For Paris, I bought a carnet of tickets to use on the Metro (again, there are other options).

Will depend on how much you will use transit and where yopu want to go.