Going on an 11 day trip..need help..
 

First time poster..long time lurker :)

So..My boyfriend and I finally got our tickets to go to Europe Feb 14 - Feb 25. (Roundtrip LAX-Amsterdam)
Originally..my itinerary went like this..
Fly out from LA on the 14th..
Amsterdam 2/15-17 rail it to...
France 2/17-20 fly to..
Rome 2/20-22 fly to..
Venice 2/23-24
Fly back out on the 24th to Amsterdam..and fly back to LA on the 25..

Writing it down seems like this trip is going to be bananas :) hahha..

I was thinking...
maybe cut out Venice all together..
and concentrate on Amsterdam, Paris, Rome..
It would ultimately save us a lot more money, i'm thinking...and..alot more time..since we wont be goin to the airport every couple days...

Opinions?

Thanks *lost

I'll be the first to say..no way. Way too many cities, way too much travelling. In 11 days I'd do two places..say Amsterdam and Paris, that's it.

To amplify, first day, you will probably have jet lag, plus you need to get to hotel and check in, etc. Last day going home, check-out, get to airport early,so you lose part of that day. When you are on a train, you are seeing countryside and spending hours getting to what you had planned on seeing, the city at the other end. Each time you get to new city, find hotel, check-in, get oriented...and when leaving...I think you get my point. Also, look at a rail schedule to see how many hours it takes to get from place to place. Plus....you have to get BACK to Amsterdam

Two cities...Amsterdam and...

Hi, lostgirl -

> I was thinking...
maybe cut out Venice all together..

I agree. Venice is wonderful, but save it for another trip.

> and concentrate on Amsterdam, Paris, Rome..

Here I agree with Michel_Paris: Give serious consideration to deferring Rome for another trip. While it depends on what you want to do and see, Amsterdam and Paris would make a lovely pairing for your time frame.

Hope that helps!

When I first went to Amsterdam, I found 3-4 days enough for me. Then TGV to Paris and spend rest of time there. Alternatively, if you want countryside, you could rent a car and hit the roads.

Realize you lose a 1/2 day or more each time you change cities (i.e., check out of hotel, transportation to train station or airport, wait for train or flight, make journey, transportation to next hotel, possibly wait on hotel room, check in). Doing that 5 times in 11 days is a HUGE time waster imo.

My suggestion is - fly to Paris immediately when you land Amsterdam don't even leave the airport (to avoid 2 hotel stays in the same city, beginning and end). After 5 days in Paris fly or take an overnight train in a private sleeper cabin to Venice. 3 days Venice. Fly back to Amsterdam and have 3 full days at the end of your trip.

Skip Rome.

totally agree - you just don't have enough time for the Italy bits.

Spend maybe 3 days in A'dam. Then go to Paris on the 18th or 19th. Stay in Paris until the 24th and then back to A'dam for the evening of the 24th before flying home.

Lostgirl,

With the time you have - pick 2 cities. No more.

It will help you understand why we recommend cutting down if you plot out your travel time vs. actually BEING in the cities.

Find the train travel times, then add hotel checking in/out time, getting to the train station time.

For flights, take the actual flight time and add all the hours required for getting to the airport, security, delays, etc., etc.

You will find that your already short trip is now cut in half.

You will get more for your money (and have a much better time) if you pick 2 cities. Don't worry, you will return!

Buon viaggio!

I hope you will consider my suggestion of continuing to the next place directly from the Amsterdam airport. There's no reason to split Amsterdam into 2 separate visits (unless your plane lands very late in the evening).

I did a 9 day Paris/Amsterdam trip a few years ago with my family. My husband and I had both been to Paris before so it wasn't our first time there. We spent 6 nts Paris and 3 AMsterdam. We could have easily spent more time in both places.

I agree with the others. Moving aruond 5 times in 11 days is wasting to much time between travel time (fligts, to and from airports) and just settling in hotel rooms.

Italy will have to wait this time. Enjoy Paris and Amsterdam. They are both great cities.

suze has a good point re immediately continuing on to Paris and not splitting up your A'dam stay.

The main reason I suggested doing it the other way is overnight flights really wipe out some travelers. The thought of getting on a train or another plane right away may be just too much for you. If you are easy travelers and don't get terribly jet-lagged, I'd also head straight to Paris.

But if long flights exhaust you, getting to A'dam and checking into a comfy hotel for a while before moving on to Paris would also be a good option.

Hi LG,

Since you have RT tickets from AMS,
I suggest 2 nights in Amsterdam, train to Paris for 6 nights, train back to A for 2 nights. Fly home.

Leave Italy for another time.

Train schedules and tickets are at www.voyages-sncf.com

Look for reduced fare tickets 90 days out.

Alternatively, check fares for Amsterdam to Brussels and Brussels to Paris.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

Even though you might limit yourselves to two 'main' cities (Amsterdam, Paris) you can add a couple of smaller towns or cities as daytrips from each main city. The atmosphere is often different between a large city and a smaller one (you'll want to visit the 'old center').

Examples:
Stay in Amsterdam Feb 15-18, and take the local train to Delft (less than 2 hours each way) one of your days. Haarlem is even closer, only 15 minutes or so by train.

Stay in Paris Feb 19-23, and take a local train to Chartres or Provins, or train+bus to Fontainebleau...

The train between Amsterdam & Paris is about a 4-hour ride. Round-trip tickets can be bought online at a discount within 90 days of your travel. The discounted fare is 38E each way, so 76E per person, r/t.
I use www.sncf.com but you can also use www.thalys.com

http://www.delfttoerisme.nl/eng/index.shtml

http://www.haarlem.nl/smartsite9.htm

http://www.chartres-tourisme.com/pages/en/index.php

http://www.provins.net/anglais/default.htm

http://www.uk.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/

http://en.parisinfo.com/
BROCHURE for Paris:
http://en.parisinfo.com/press-and-tr...-publications/

http://www.amsterdamtourist.nl/
http://www.iamsterdam.com/

Going with he crowd here and suggeset drop Italy. The days will be cold and short so you need to think what to do. Public transport in Amsterdam and Paris very good so getting around is easy and airport transfers good.

No idea of language skills but Holland will be English ( though try a few words) while Paris try harder but it is international city.

One option is also to fit in Bruges as you can pass by via a train but ONLY if you like old stuff a lot and want to waste a day of a short trip that way

YOU GUYS FREAKIN ROCK!!!!!
thanks for all the great input and links! =)

I've nixed Venice..!

ok, so you'll have 2-1/2 days each in Amsterdam, Paris, and Rome. Not counting your 1st and last day and 1/2 days to change countries. I guess that's a slight improvement
;-)

You can do Amsterdam, Paris, and Brugge too (or maybe one day in Brussels if you really want to see a 3rd major city)... but Rome? No way.

Another vote for skipping Italy all together. Amsterdam & Paris will have so much for you to see & do. Save Italy for a trip on it's own.

I agree that Amsterdam Paris and Rome in one trip is too much, but it sounds like you really don't want to give up Italy.

Perhaps you should skip Paris and do Amsterdam and Rome (with a day trip to either Umbria, Tuscany, or Bologna?).

Or give up Amsterdam, if you booked that only because of convenient flights or ticket prices.

For instance, I go thru Heathrow each trip, but have yet to go into London.

OK - better -- bust still not good. Yos say we ROCK! Well you are right there :)

That's why you should listen to us. We aren't trying to rain on your trip. We are really, REALLY trying to help. You have 10 days on the ground - not counting Feb 25 which is a travel day. 10 days is not long enough for Amsterdam, Rome and Paris. You will end up w/ approx 2.5 days free to see each city. That isn't nearly enough.

what janisj said
:-)

if you'd asked us sooner I would have suggested getting your plane tickets into Amsterdam but out of Paris, Venice or Rome, to save time and money avoiding backtracking those last couple days.

Europe is like a buffet...these is much good stuff there you just want to sample everything...but by the time you get to the dessert table (e.g. Paris) you're starting to not appreciate each delicacy or want any more...and when you get home you don't feel like you really enjoyed the experience.

So..samplers, not overindulgence :)

I agree - fly into Ams. - connect to Paris right away .
5-6 days, train to Ams. another 3-4 days. Many experienced travelers will tell you ( have told you!)that you miss half a day every time you move from city to city)

suze: what I said - but maybe w/o all the typos :)

hahahahhaha thanks again for all your insights! I'll def let you guys know what pans out :)

We did London-Paris-Amsterdam, but we had 11 nights. You are on the right track, dropping Italy.

Amsterdam is a wonderful city, and we were not bored in our 5 nights there. But we were there in June, and our weather was warmish and dry.

You could take the train to Paris, then hop over to London via EuroStar for a night.

I wrote a detailed trip report about Amsterdam, with lots of recommendations for restaurants and cafes. We liked the Hotel Residence le Coin there.
:)>-

If you like to party, and I know you do. I would fly in to Amsterdam; spend no more than three nights. Take the train to Belgium and spend a few days there going to all the different pubs. Then from Belgium take the train to France. The Euro rail will take you from Belgium to France. It would be really easy. I would skip Italy altogether. Do Italy on another trip.

Did we lose lostgirl?

IMO do not cut out Venice--it;s the most unique city in the world . NO CARS, all boats. Need I say more<

I''d sooner cut out France, or maybe rome because it's geographically the southernmost place on your itinerary.


In fact if you weren't flying into Amsterdam I'd cut out that city.

have fun!

i'm still here suze! :)

honestly...i must must must go to amsterdam...
kind of like a mecca in my circle of friends...i being the 4th one to make that trek there..
..i was planning on just staying in france afterwards....and wandering around..and soaking in all the goodstuff...

sidenote: just got my passport!! it only took 2 weeks!

HOLY CRAP! TOMORROW'S THE DAY!!
THANK YOU FODORS FOR BEING MY ADDICTION FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS...

Hope you have a great time in Amsterdam and wandering about France (glad to hear you dropped Italy).

Amsterdam is my favorite city, and I can understand the need to make the trek there. Enjoy yourself.

Have a wonderful journey, and please be sure to come back and post a trip report.

Robyn :)>-

I think lostgirl wants to find herself in the coffee shops in Amsterdam. After all it is Mecca to her friends. Don't skip Amsterdam. Don't listen to the prudes!