Guidance on countries to visit in Europe
 

Hi all,

Me and my wife want to visit Europe in June 2016. However we are still not sure of which countries do we visit.

I am of the opinion that we should visit Austria, Czech, Slovakia or Switzerland, Austria, Czech.
My wife is of the opinion that we should visit, Netherlands, Belgium and some other country.
If I am to go with my wife's advice then what 3rd country should we include.

Can someone pls guide me as to which countries do we visit considering the fact that we would want to cover places with a mixture of history and scenic places.

Also would be grateful if someone can guide us on the itinery and places that need to be covered in our trip.

Thank you.

All countries have different sorts of history and scenic places. This is a case of reading a lot of guidebooks to work out what interests and attracts you both.

A quick overview

Austria, Czech, Slovakia or Switzerland, of these the cities with the most to do area Vienna and Prague, the country side is very pleasant and Switzerland is very expensive, a good trip can be had with no problems, if anything I'd add Hungary and take out Slovakia as Hungary is just so much more interesting.

Netherlands, Belgium and some other country. Well first of all there are already more interesting cities in the first 2 than in the higher list and fewer mountains. Good public transport everywhere so that a car would probably not be required.

An extra country, well the two obvious are France and Germany. France offers goo opportunities locally such as Paris, Strasbourg, Rheims etc while Germany offers the Mosel valley, the Rhine area and all the way up to Hamburg again you win a lot with the density of public transport.

History and scenery. Both have both, I think the second list offers easier access to more things, but if you want mountains then Austria has to win over the Belgium and the Netherlands whose area is famously flattish. On the other hand flattish means canals and wide open waterways, which to my mind are lovely.

How long do you plan on being in Europe?

Germany, or France, or would the logical third country for your wife's preference. But we can't give advice on what to see, or anything like an itinerary without knowing at the every least the time available.

Nothing NEEDS to be covered - it is up to you to decide where you want to visit Every country in Europe, and the world, has a mixture of history and scenic places, so that does nothing to narrow down the selection.

You need to get hold of and delve into guidebooks, maps, and videos of the countries that interest you and make your own decision.

June is coming fast. Reservations need to be made for accommodations, train and airfare travel, etc. You need to start working on this asap. No one here can help you until you have done your own homework.

Agree that we need to know:

How man weeks you have for this trip

What you major interests are (all of europe is stuffed with history and most cities are reasonably near areas with scenic beauty) - architecture, castles, cathedrals, museums, fine dining, hiking, biking, adventure sports?

Can you give us a few specific things you rally want to do see? Can you not beat to miss the Anne Frank house or Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam?

Do you have to ascend the highest Alps in Switz?

Sorry - but there are dozens of answers to your question - you need to give us some clues if we are to help.

Budget: The Switz (vrey expensive) and Czech/Hungary trip (fairly low costs for europe) is a mixed bag. (Agree Hungary is a much better choice than Slovakia unless you have a very specific reason to go to the latter.) A trip of Benelux and France or Germany is more all moderate. Is this a big issue for you. (Do NOT head to Switz unless you are prepared to spend big $ - it's a very expensive country.)

So you really need to get busy with some guidebooks - or some thinking - and provide info for us to help you.

Consider splitting the difference between the two; fly into Amsterdam, select 2-3 places to visit in the Netherlands and Belgium, and then take a train to Zurich to see a few picturesque/historical locations in Switzerland and Austria. As mentioned, Switzerland is expensive, so you may end up with less time in the mountains than "up north." There is no right or wrong trip, just wonderful experiences waiting for the two of you.

All wrong answers.

The question is not how many days you have, but how many years you want to stay married.

'My wife is of the opinion that we should visit, Netherlands, Belgium and some other country'

So you go to Netherlands and Belgium + ?

Then relevant info above about France and Germany.
London is also a good possibility and would put you for some days in a country where English is spoken, if you don't speak fluently Flemish/Netherlands and French.

Which would suprise me, since about everybody I know speaks these languages. :-)

Sorry - but English, at least basic english, is VERY widely spoken in all of the countries under consideration. There is no reason you have to speak any other language than english (except the basic polite phrases) in any of these countries - nor has there been for the past 40 years at least.

I'm not saying that speaking some of the local language won't make things more interesting - but it is NOT necessary.

(I have been to europe more than 100 times in those years and never had a serious issue with not finding someone who can speak/understand english.)

Without knowing why you each picked the specific countries you mentioned, it's impossible to know what to recommend. What is it about those that interest you most?

Thank you for all for your comments.

@bilboburgler you have really hit the bulls eye by commenting exactly what we wanted.
Have discussed this with my wife and as everyone suggested i had to go with what wife says. So we are visiting belgium, Netherlands and Germany.

However coz of cheap airfare we fly in to Brussels and fly out of Amsterdam which means we will have to visit Belgium, Germany and Netherlands in order as mentioned.

Now can you pls help me out with the places that we need to visit in these countries.

I guess choosing places in Germany will be tricky coz of the size of the country. Belgium and Netherlands will be relatively easy though.

Thanks in advance.

Good, you've got the framework of a plan now.

But again, you don't NEED to visit anywhere in particular. What you need to do is delve into some guidebooks, surf the web, and make your own choices. We have zero idea whether you are looking for mountainscapes, museums, high-end food, seashores, markets, big cities, small villages, or whatever....You don't want to take one of OUR trips, you want to take your own, and for that you have to do your own homework. Once you have places selected, by all means run them by people here.

Again you don't tell us how long you have for your trip.

You need to see Waterloo.
All the rest is optional.

Ny, was in Czechoslovakia in 1989, didn't find anybody speaking anything but some German.

But of course in civilzed countries such as Belgium, English is widely spoken since the times of Julius Cesar.

that we should visit, Netherlands, Belgium and some other country.>

going by car or train - helps with recommending an itinerary - if by car return it in the country you pick it up in to avoid a very possible predatorily steep drop-off fee for returning it in a country other than in which you picked it up. These countries make a wondrous driving tour - like in Germany the Rhine and Mosel rivers are both very scenic and great - if going by train you can also get just about anywhere you want to go but it would be faster in between stops - if visiting mainly cities take the train - if looking for cool countryside like the Mosel Valley or Harz Mountains and few cities go for the car. For lots of info on trains check www.ricksteves.com; wwwseat61.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - check the latter's free online European Rail & Planning Guide for lots of suggested itineraries (which can also be done by car( - if traveling on several trains check out the Benelux-Germany railpass which lets you hop on any train anytime with few exceptions in Belgium, Luxembourg or Germany.

Going Amsterdam to Belgium =- Bruges is a real gem - you could then go by train or car via Luxembourg - a gorgeous city as it is bisected by a deep gorge and lovely pastoral countryside in the Grand Duchy - then head via Trier - Gerany's oldest city and one with some stellar Roman relics - down the Mosel Valley to the Rhine Valley and over to Heidelberg to Rothenburg and end up in Munich. If going by train fly into Amsterdam and out of Munich.

Whathello -

Was in Prague 2 years later and had no trouble finding people who could understand/speak English - although German was more widely spoken, esp by older people. Naturally most could - but would not - speak some Russian. And there were signs everywhere of people offering english lessons to locals for next to nothing.

Agree that it's not like Netherlands or Scandinavia where most everyone speaks good english - but even then it was not a problem - and that was 25 years ago. And when I returned 10 years later the city was transformed and I heard english everywhere.

Hi All again,

Well here is an update.
Our trip will be for around 2.5 weeks. We are planning to fly from Mumbai on 1st June and fly back from Amsterdam on 18th June.

Also have managed to do some preliminary research on Germany.

We would like to visit Neushwanstein Castle for sure. Again I am still researching on different websites of what all places to go around in Germany.

Also contemplating if a Eurail pass would be convenient as compared to car rental. If i compare the prices then Car rental is cheaper.

German castles, the one you have chosen is just one of a thousand or so, it is just the model for Disney and is a fake castle. I'd listen to what Pal is saying, there are some nice castles on the Mosel that are the real-deal and easy to access rather than that monstrosity.

Waterloo...... Much as this battle field is an important one (shaped Europe) there is very little there.

You have some very high density visiting opportunities all along the German/French/Belgian/Dutch borders. So Strasbourg, Rheims, Mosel (Trier and Luxembourg), Brugges, Amsterdam and finally Paris each is pretty and worth time in. Even Stuttgart to the south where the cars come from (you can tour the factories and visit the car museums)

I'd plan around them and start looking for other things to do when you 2.5 weeks still has time in it. I'd keep planning bu nights and where you sleep it helps make sense.

Some people from India like to try and see everything and some like to move more slowly. I recommend the first but it is up to you.

Do you drink alcohol? Loads of places to taste and view production

Thank bilboburgler. That was indeed helpful.

The duration of the trip has now reduced to 2 weeks. We have booked the tickets yesterday.
We are arriving on 4th June afternoon and departing on 28th June morning. This leaves with almost 13.5 days to explore 3 countries.

Yes i do drink alcohol. Beer is my favorite. What would be a good place to explore beer in germany.

Well Belgium is by far the most interesting beer nation but Germany is more famous for it.

There are those who like the beer around Munich.....

For me you need some where that offer lager beer, wheat beer and smoked beer rauchbier (best from Bamberg) and you should be able to get all of these in a wide belt from Hamburg to the Mosel. In truth you should be able to get all these beers all over the country as local breweries fill in any gaps very well.

Then there is the wine...

I hope he checks his arrival and departure time 'cause to me that says 24 days. Maybe it was a typo and it is 14th

"Some other country" and never having been to Europe would be Paris and France. Easy to get to from Belgium, etc.

It would be interesting to know what India and airlines have done to make it cheapest to fly into Belgium. Have seen similar about Venice. ;o)

Hi again,

I have now prepared a brief itinerary. Upon exploring more details, we have come to conclusion that we shall visit Western and Southern part of Germany. This will cover places like Stuttgart, Black Forest, Dusseldorf etc.
Hence for the whole trip we will visit Netherlands, Germany (as stated above) and Belgium.

Below mentioned is a brief itinerary for the trip. Pls provide your suggestions.

P.S.: I have managed to find out more details on Netherlands.
We are planning to stay in Amsterdam for 3 nights and explore Amsterdam city and a day trip to Hague, Delft and Rotterdam.
Is that enough to explore Netherlands?? Have I missed out on any town??

I am unclear as to which towns shall i visit in Black Forest. Would be glad if someone can throw light on it.
Kindly comment if I have missed out a particular place as a part of the trip. Happy to modify it since no bookings have been done yet.

4/6/2015 Arrive at airport and proceed to Amsterdam City
5/6/2015 Explore Amsterdam
6/6/2015 Explore Amsterdam
7/6/2015 AMS-Hague-Delft-Rotterdam-AMS. Explore Hague (madurodam) and Delft and back to AMS -
8/6/2015 Ams to Stuttgart
9/6/2015 Explore Stuttgart
10/6/2015 Travel to Black Forest
11/6/2015 Black Forest
12/6/2015 FrankFurt
13/6/2015 FrankFurt
14/6/2015 Dusseldorf
15/6/2015 Brugges
16/6/2015 Ghent
17/6/2015 Brussels
18/6/2015 Brussels

Once the itinerary gets final the next step will be to explore the means of transport.
Confused as to which Rail Pass will work best for us. Eurail, Rail Europe, De Bahn, Netherlands Railways??? Have checked seat61 website but it does not answer my question though. I will need a pass which will provide me coverage for tickets for the entire of 3 countries.
I have check the Benelux with Germany pass, but it does not cover certain areas of Germany where I am visiting.

Ok, like the bit up to Stuttgart. The Black forest is really about wandering in the woods. I think you need a focus here.

Frankfurt, no idea what you are going to do here while Dusseldorf is not my idea of a holiday town. then Belgium makes sense.

My concern is you seem to be jumping about too much and are traveling for a lot of time.

Have you considered an open jaw trip, out from Amsterdam, back from Zurich say?

It would make more sense to work your way down from Ams into Belgium and then into Germany.

You are zig-zagging all over the place. Settle down.

And you do NOT need or want a rail pass unless you want to throw money out the window and limit your choices of seats on particular days. Familiarize yourself with the national railroads of the countries you're visiting and their policies regarding buying cheap point-to-point tickets (usually cheapest at 90-120 days out from dates of travel), and buy them online.

Open-jaw ticket is the way to go. No need for the hassle and expense of backtracking.

I too would omit Frankfurt and Dusseldorf. Take a look at Trier and Aachen, both very historic cities in western Germany on your way to (or from) Belgium. For example, Trier is a an old Roman city and has a Roman gate as well as palace of Constantine, while Aachen has a chapel built by Charlemagne.

You might also consider Strasbourg, which is in France, but is a very Germany city just west of the Rhine.

ok guys thanks for the responses.
1) I have booked the flight tickets. Flying into AMS and flying out of Brussels. I got good deal on air tickets for this sector. Hence booked it.
This means that i cannot chalk out a route starting Netherlands - Belgium - Germany. I have to stick to Netherlands - Germany - Belgium.

2) Yes, Ill have to do some more research on places to visit in Black forest.

3) Considering Strasbourg is a good suggestion. Will definitely think over it.

Does it make sense to consider a self drive option as compared to train.
Transport part will clear once the itinerary is in place.

If you rent a car in Country A and drop it off in Country B, you will pay an enormous extra fee. But Brussels and Amsterdam aren't that far apart, so you could rent in the Netherlands, drive all over, and drop the car somewhere a short train ride away from Brussels.

and drop the car somewhere a short train ride away from Brussels.>

Like Antwerp or Mechelen.

Oops - need to drop in Holland - I errored in giving Belgian stations close to Brussels - Dordrecht would be the best last Dutch city to return the car and then hop direct IC trains to Brussels. Dordrecht's train station is easy to drive to IME of biking by there umpteen times. But really any place in The Netherlands is a short train ride from Brussels or Bruges, etc.

Hello ppl,

Can you pls comment on the following itinerary.

03 Nights Amsterdam
01 Night Aachen
03 Nights Frankfurt
02 Night Munich
01 Night Heidelberg
01 Night Luxembourg
03 Nights Brussels

Fine if you are happy with:

2 days in Amsterdam
About half a day in Aachen
2 days in Frankfurt
1 day in Munich
About half a day in Heidelberg
half a day in Luxembourg
2.5 days in Brussels

I lived in Frankfurt for a few years and there are many more interesting places to visit. Coming such a long way, I would certainly choose something else.

I realize you feel you must make decisions right away, but you booked flights without giving as much thought to your itinerary as was really needed. I strongly suggest you do not rush the itinerary choice as well.

I suggest you take just another week to do some hard research to pick some great sights and bases.

Also, before choosing bases, look closely at what is reasonable to see on day trips. Check travel times between places.

Strasbourg would be one possibility.

Consider staying in Bruges or Ghent and visiting the other and Brussels as daytrips.
They are close and easy by train.

Some of your choices seem random. What are you planning to see in the places you have chosen? What are your major interests? Knowing that would help people make suggestions for an itinerary that might be more interesting for you.

I totally agree -- Not only are parts of the itinerary very rushed, the places do see a bit random.

<7/6/2015 AMS-Hague-Delft-Rotterdam-AMS. Explore Hague (madurodam) and Delft and back to AMS - >

Even if distances in NL are short, this is a very, very full day. The Hague-Delft is easy by train (or tram, lovely ride!)

I'd cross Madurodam off the list. The Hague is a beautiful and intriguing city, Madurodam is always a little disappointing. Instead I counsel you to have tea at the Des Indes hotel. At least. The Esscher museum almost next door is interesting (also because it is Queen Emma's former palace). And Hofvijver and Voorhout, where you'll roughly be are beautiful parts of the city. Do visit Binnenhof, where our parliament is.

A way to do this would be to head out to The Hague in the morning, Explore The Hague, have lunch there (Des Indes!), then move to Delft to the afternoon, move to Rotterdam in the late afternoon, have dinner there (it's now the focus of an exciting food scene!) and get back to Amsterdam on the Intercity Direct (takes about 40 minutes to Amsterdam CS)

Renting a car for the Dutch part of your trip is not really necessary: parking in city centers is a pain. (an expensive)

PS. June gives you long evenings. It won't get really dark before 11 PM.

Hi again,

Thanks for all the comments again.

many of you have commented that I am travelling a lot. Well, I do not mind travelling and thats the reason I believe a Rail Pass would be beneficial.

Menachem's comment on sightseeing in NL is helpful one. Thank you for that.

I am now fairly clear on the places in NL and Germany.

Request if you guys can help me out with places in Belgium.

The suggestions on Bruges and Ghent from Sassafras above are a good start in Belgium. If you were not flying from Brussels. I'd say to stay in Ghent and take day trips to Bruges and Brussels. Get to Bruges at a leisurely pace and stay late--given the time of year, this would be better than getting up early. Purpose is to miss the crowds.

If your flight out of Brussels is not in the AM, you could take the train from Ghent and probably get to the airport on time.

There's much else to see, including Waterloo on the outskirts of Brussels, but those three will fill the time you have.

Bon voyage

03 Nights Amsterdam
01 Night Aachen
03 Nights Frankfurt
02 Night Munich
01 Night Heidelberg
01 Night Luxembourg
03 Nights Brussels>

If doing all that by train yes check out the Germany-Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg and all of Germany) Railpass may be a great deal - consider first class if hopping on trains as seats are much easier to find - empty seats that is.

I really do not understand why anyone should avoid Slovakia...as
bilboburgler on Jan 12, 16 at 1:15pm mentioned ????!!!!
And as to your question..it depends on what kind of travellers you are, what is your budget etc., if you want to explore new destination...I would recommend Central Europe

old thread
And I didn't write avoid Slovakia. I did say Hungary is more interesting. Even my Slovakian friends think it is more interesting. Even the Tokjai is better. :-)