Help w/ Itin - Amsterdam, Belgium, Prague, Where else - 2 weeks
Jan 16th, 2009, 06:58 AM
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Help w/ Itin - Amsterdam, Belgium, Prague, Where else - 2 weeks
Traveling with a friend to Europe in May. We want to see Amsterdam, Belgium, Prague, Vienna, Switzerland, anywhere else that is close? Where else should we go? Is all of this possible in two weeks? Can anyone suggest a sample itinerary which includes how much time to spend in each city. Suggestions welcome, we'd like to see as much as possible during this time. Planned to fly into Amsterdam but this is also flexible. Thanks!
Jan 16th, 2009, 07:48 AM
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<i>We want to see Amsterdam, Belgium, Prague, Vienna, Switzerland, anywhere else that is close? Where else should we go? Is all of this possible in two weeks? </i>
NO.
You want to visit 5 countries in 14 days, which gives you 2.5 days per country. All you'll end up doing on your trip is:
Pack
Check-out
Go to train station
check-in
Unpack
and repeat.
Everytime you move, it takes at least 1/2 to get from one city to another, plus the more you move around, the more expensive your trip will be.
with 2 weeks, either you visit:
Amsterdam + Belgium
OR
Prague + Vienna
OR
Switzerland
NOT all of the above.
NO.
You want to visit 5 countries in 14 days, which gives you 2.5 days per country. All you'll end up doing on your trip is:
Pack
Check-out
Go to train station
check-in
Unpack
and repeat.
Everytime you move, it takes at least 1/2 to get from one city to another, plus the more you move around, the more expensive your trip will be.
with 2 weeks, either you visit:
Amsterdam + Belgium
OR
Prague + Vienna
OR
Switzerland
NOT all of the above.
Jan 16th, 2009, 08:25 AM
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I think that may be a little too agressive of an itinerary, maybe you could switch it up a little bit? Lots of people on this board like to spend a lot of time in one place...I personally like to move around a bit- but we are in our early 30's and figure we have time to come back to the places we love.
If you would consider a different itinerary, I would suggest one similar to what we did in May 2005. We flew into Budapest, Hungary: (I'm pretty sure this is how we spent our time)
Budapest- 3 nights
Train to Bratislava, Slovakia- 1 night
Train to Vienna, Austria- 1 night
Train to Cesky Krumlov, Czech Rep- 2 nights
Train to Prague- 4 nights (fly home from here)
With two weeks, you could add a day on to Bratislava and Vienna (we didn't have the time, but wanted to check them out. Both are beautiful cities). Cesky Krumlov is like a storybook town- it is gorgeous and a nice contrast to all of the big cities. Bratislava still feels very authentic- our cab driver said that he had never driven americans before!
In addition, these cities were a lot cheaper than traditional Western european cities (not sure how that is now). Out of all of our trips, this was one of my favorites- the people were amazingly friendly and we felt like we spent enough time in each place (except Vienna/Bratislava) to see what we wanted to see, and just enjoy the cities.
Best of luck, let us know what you decide! And definitely do an open jaw ticket (fly in one city, out of another) so that you don't have to backtrack.
If you would consider a different itinerary, I would suggest one similar to what we did in May 2005. We flew into Budapest, Hungary: (I'm pretty sure this is how we spent our time)
Budapest- 3 nights
Train to Bratislava, Slovakia- 1 night
Train to Vienna, Austria- 1 night
Train to Cesky Krumlov, Czech Rep- 2 nights
Train to Prague- 4 nights (fly home from here)
With two weeks, you could add a day on to Bratislava and Vienna (we didn't have the time, but wanted to check them out. Both are beautiful cities). Cesky Krumlov is like a storybook town- it is gorgeous and a nice contrast to all of the big cities. Bratislava still feels very authentic- our cab driver said that he had never driven americans before!
In addition, these cities were a lot cheaper than traditional Western european cities (not sure how that is now). Out of all of our trips, this was one of my favorites- the people were amazingly friendly and we felt like we spent enough time in each place (except Vienna/Bratislava) to see what we wanted to see, and just enjoy the cities.
Best of luck, let us know what you decide! And definitely do an open jaw ticket (fly in one city, out of another) so that you don't have to backtrack.
Jan 16th, 2009, 08:37 AM
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We spent two weeks in London, Paris and Amsterdam. Transit was easy between them, via train. Those three cities made a nice contrast for us. We'd never been to any of them. I know you did not mention London or Paris, but this itinerary made a great trip.
By the way, we loved Amsterdam. Here's my trip report of our 5 nights there (hope it's not too much info):
We LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Amsterdam! You always hear of the Red Light district and the coffee shops and the laissez-faire attitude, but you don’t hear how open and friendly the people are, how lovely the canals and side streets, how wonderfully trendy the restaurants and cafes, how people are out strolling at all hours of the night and you feel safe everywhere. I think I’d expected it to be quaint and charming (which it is), but in a dark wood-paneled cliché way, not in the young and contemporary way it is.
The standard reply we were given in Amsterdam, when we asked for anything, was always “Of course!” How refreshing.
We stayed in a fabulous location, at The Hotel Residence le Coin, which was directly across a small street from the Hotel de l’Europe, down the street from the Hotel Doelan, on Nieuwe Doelenstraat (sp?). A great neighborhood in the heart of old Amsterdam.
The hotel has a lift and A/C, also free use of the hotel’s washing machine and clothes dryer in the basement (which was welcome as we’d been traveling over a week when we arrived there). Each room has a little kitchenette, a nice-sized bath, large rooms with wooden floors and a sitting area. It’s fairly new, so everything sparkles. Very friendly front desk, too.
Two cafes on the same block as the hotel were wonderful: Café Katoen for a university atmosphere, and Café le Jarden, for great table seating on the canal.
Amazing dinners at two restaurants in particular:
“Stout!”, at Haarlemmerstraat 73 (www.restaurantstout.nl). Fabulous ‘foamy asparagus’ soup with shrimp, chateaubriande, fresh fish, dessert course, wine list. Very trendy lighting. Great service. We’d gone to the neighborhood in search of a restaurant called “Lof” which we’d seen written up. We didn’t like its atmosphere, but were lucky that Stout! was just across the street.
Also at “Restaurant Dining Eleven” we had a great dinner. It’s at Reestraat 11. Also trendy and contempory, well-presented and beautifully-served meal.
Another nice dinner at “frenzi”, at Swanenburgwal 232. Very simple and contemporary. We arrived shortly after 10:00p.m., when most restaurants close in Amsterdam, and persuaded the owner to sell us any left-overs they had in the kitchen! They put together a nice Caesar salad with cooked-in-the-shell shrimp and mango. Very nice.
Also a good brunch at a place across the street from frenzi—called “Puccini”. Creative salads and sandwiches. Very nice also.
We took a canal cruise one evening. Toured the Anne Frank Huis and the Van Gogh Museum. Visited the Nieuwe Kerk (sp?) Our teens went to a concert at the Paradiso and loved it.
One afternoon we did the 2:30 “Best of Holland” excursion to Volendam and Marken, with a stop to see wooden clogs made, Gouda cheese created, and to visit windmills. It was by bus, with a boat from Volendam to Marken. A lot of fun. Even our two teens liked it.
Our teens also liked shopping at one street in particular, between our hotel and the museum district. Also a Zara shop there, and many others like it. They thought the selection and prices were better in Amsterdam than what they’d seen in London and Paris even.
A detail about Amsterdam if you go there-- carry enough Euros in cash, because many places won't accept a credit card for a 'small' purchase (i.e. under 25 EU).
By the way, we loved Amsterdam. Here's my trip report of our 5 nights there (hope it's not too much info):
We LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Amsterdam! You always hear of the Red Light district and the coffee shops and the laissez-faire attitude, but you don’t hear how open and friendly the people are, how lovely the canals and side streets, how wonderfully trendy the restaurants and cafes, how people are out strolling at all hours of the night and you feel safe everywhere. I think I’d expected it to be quaint and charming (which it is), but in a dark wood-paneled cliché way, not in the young and contemporary way it is.
The standard reply we were given in Amsterdam, when we asked for anything, was always “Of course!” How refreshing.
We stayed in a fabulous location, at The Hotel Residence le Coin, which was directly across a small street from the Hotel de l’Europe, down the street from the Hotel Doelan, on Nieuwe Doelenstraat (sp?). A great neighborhood in the heart of old Amsterdam.
The hotel has a lift and A/C, also free use of the hotel’s washing machine and clothes dryer in the basement (which was welcome as we’d been traveling over a week when we arrived there). Each room has a little kitchenette, a nice-sized bath, large rooms with wooden floors and a sitting area. It’s fairly new, so everything sparkles. Very friendly front desk, too.
Two cafes on the same block as the hotel were wonderful: Café Katoen for a university atmosphere, and Café le Jarden, for great table seating on the canal.
Amazing dinners at two restaurants in particular:
“Stout!”, at Haarlemmerstraat 73 (www.restaurantstout.nl). Fabulous ‘foamy asparagus’ soup with shrimp, chateaubriande, fresh fish, dessert course, wine list. Very trendy lighting. Great service. We’d gone to the neighborhood in search of a restaurant called “Lof” which we’d seen written up. We didn’t like its atmosphere, but were lucky that Stout! was just across the street.
Also at “Restaurant Dining Eleven” we had a great dinner. It’s at Reestraat 11. Also trendy and contempory, well-presented and beautifully-served meal.
Another nice dinner at “frenzi”, at Swanenburgwal 232. Very simple and contemporary. We arrived shortly after 10:00p.m., when most restaurants close in Amsterdam, and persuaded the owner to sell us any left-overs they had in the kitchen! They put together a nice Caesar salad with cooked-in-the-shell shrimp and mango. Very nice.
Also a good brunch at a place across the street from frenzi—called “Puccini”. Creative salads and sandwiches. Very nice also.
We took a canal cruise one evening. Toured the Anne Frank Huis and the Van Gogh Museum. Visited the Nieuwe Kerk (sp?) Our teens went to a concert at the Paradiso and loved it.
One afternoon we did the 2:30 “Best of Holland” excursion to Volendam and Marken, with a stop to see wooden clogs made, Gouda cheese created, and to visit windmills. It was by bus, with a boat from Volendam to Marken. A lot of fun. Even our two teens liked it.
Our teens also liked shopping at one street in particular, between our hotel and the museum district. Also a Zara shop there, and many others like it. They thought the selection and prices were better in Amsterdam than what they’d seen in London and Paris even.
A detail about Amsterdam if you go there-- carry enough Euros in cash, because many places won't accept a credit card for a 'small' purchase (i.e. under 25 EU).
Jan 16th, 2009, 08:37 AM
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I agree that it's a little too aggressive, but I also think something like "Prague & Vienna" would be the extreme opposite (too under-aggressive for me). We did one trip where we flew into Amsterdam and spent 3 days, flew to Prague and spent 4 days, trained to Berlin and spent 3 days, flew to the Cote d'Azur and spent 6 days (on the Cote d'Azur, we stayed the whole time in Juans les Pins and drove to the different towns each day). It was a great trip.
Will you actually have two weeks IN Europe, or does that include traveling to and from, plus a day to recover from jet lag?
Will you actually have two weeks IN Europe, or does that include traveling to and from, plus a day to recover from jet lag?
Jan 16th, 2009, 08:48 AM
#6
Hi bostonallison,
IMHO you have two, possibly three trips here, that you are trying to shoe-horn into the time of one.
what are you priorities?
you have 3 cities, and two countries. big difference! what do you want to see in Belgium? in Switzerland?
do you want to transfer between places by car, train, bus, plane?
you also say that you'd like to see as much as possible in the time - but there is seeing and seeing. the more you travel, the less you may see. and every time you move, you lose at least half a day!
have you already booked your flights? if not, you should look at open jaw - into one place out of another, which cuts out having back-track.
drawing all this together, you could do London, Amsterdam, Paris, or Amsterdam, Bruges, antwerp, Brussels, Prague [a flight needed there, I think], or go the other way and do Prague, B'pest, Vienna.
there's a lot of scope, but you really, really need to think what you really really want to see.
remember - less can be more!
regards, ann
IMHO you have two, possibly three trips here, that you are trying to shoe-horn into the time of one.
what are you priorities?
you have 3 cities, and two countries. big difference! what do you want to see in Belgium? in Switzerland?
do you want to transfer between places by car, train, bus, plane?
you also say that you'd like to see as much as possible in the time - but there is seeing and seeing. the more you travel, the less you may see. and every time you move, you lose at least half a day!
have you already booked your flights? if not, you should look at open jaw - into one place out of another, which cuts out having back-track.
drawing all this together, you could do London, Amsterdam, Paris, or Amsterdam, Bruges, antwerp, Brussels, Prague [a flight needed there, I think], or go the other way and do Prague, B'pest, Vienna.
there's a lot of scope, but you really, really need to think what you really really want to see.
remember - less can be more!
regards, ann
Jan 16th, 2009, 09:21 AM
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Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I think my itinerary was way too aggresive. We really want to see Amsterdam and it sounds like Belgium is within train distance from Amsterdam. I have already been to Paris and am not interested in London in this trip. Any suggestions on a third country/city to visit? Is it just a short plane ride to Prague?
Jan 16th, 2009, 09:28 AM
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What are your interests? Although Belgium is a small country, there are still plenty to see/do there.
I have visited Belgium 3 times in the last 4 years... Visiting Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent can easily take up an entire week.
Your other week can be in Amsterdam with daytrips in Netherlands. 4 days for Amsterdam and 3 daytrips (Den Haag, Haarlem, Delft, Rotterdam etc) would be perfect.
You can fly into Amsterdam and out of Brussels, or vice versa. Both are major airports with plenty of flights to the US.
I have visited Belgium 3 times in the last 4 years... Visiting Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent can easily take up an entire week.
Your other week can be in Amsterdam with daytrips in Netherlands. 4 days for Amsterdam and 3 daytrips (Den Haag, Haarlem, Delft, Rotterdam etc) would be perfect.
You can fly into Amsterdam and out of Brussels, or vice versa. Both are major airports with plenty of flights to the US.
Jan 16th, 2009, 09:46 AM
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You seem to be going by rail? If so for novice rail travelers trying to get a fix on what European trains are like i always refer some great sites that are packed with objective info and don't just sell railpasses like many seem to only do: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - the latter lets you download their free European Planning & Rail Guide that is a nice primer for planning such a rail trip - it gives many sample itineraries like you were looking for.
And i would strongly look at a Eurail Select Saverpass - you select between 3 and 5 countries to train in - a Saverpass is two names on one pass and is about 20% cheaper p.p. over having individual passes - good if you will always travel together and not want to split up. In two weeks i would not do more than five countries so the Global Eurailpass, good in over 20 countries now, would be a waste of money. The select pass gives the same benefits as the Global Pass but the geographic area is much smaller - and the pass is correspondingly much cheaper than the Global pass. With a Select pass you use the pas for long trips between cities and then you stay in say Paris 3 days not using the pass and then use the pass to move on to Switzerland perhaps, etc. And with the many overnight trains you can leave Paris say at night and wake up in many other cities the next morning - saving a hotel night's cost as well (though even with a pass you must pay for the sleeping accommodations on the overnight train but these are much less than even non fancy hotels).
And i would strongly look at a Eurail Select Saverpass - you select between 3 and 5 countries to train in - a Saverpass is two names on one pass and is about 20% cheaper p.p. over having individual passes - good if you will always travel together and not want to split up. In two weeks i would not do more than five countries so the Global Eurailpass, good in over 20 countries now, would be a waste of money. The select pass gives the same benefits as the Global Pass but the geographic area is much smaller - and the pass is correspondingly much cheaper than the Global pass. With a Select pass you use the pas for long trips between cities and then you stay in say Paris 3 days not using the pass and then use the pass to move on to Switzerland perhaps, etc. And with the many overnight trains you can leave Paris say at night and wake up in many other cities the next morning - saving a hotel night's cost as well (though even with a pass you must pay for the sleeping accommodations on the overnight train but these are much less than even non fancy hotels).
Jan 16th, 2009, 10:14 AM
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Slightly off topic, but I am curious. You are not the only culprit Bostonallison btw, so don't take it personally please.
Why do you say Amsterdam -the city, but Belgium the country, Prague and Vienna the cities, Switzerland the country?
So many people here want to visit Amsterdam and Belgium. Why not The Netherlands and Belgium, or Amsterdam and Brussels/Brugge?
If you want to visit Amsterdam in May you need to get yourself organised - the first half of the month is bulb time and busy!
With two weeks I would say either Amsterdam/more of the Netherlands and Brugge/more of Belgium, with maybe a trip to the Mosel if you must have a third destination, or Prague/Vienna/Budapest or something along those lines.
Why do you say Amsterdam -the city, but Belgium the country, Prague and Vienna the cities, Switzerland the country?
So many people here want to visit Amsterdam and Belgium. Why not The Netherlands and Belgium, or Amsterdam and Brussels/Brugge?
If you want to visit Amsterdam in May you need to get yourself organised - the first half of the month is bulb time and busy!
With two weeks I would say either Amsterdam/more of the Netherlands and Brugge/more of Belgium, with maybe a trip to the Mosel if you must have a third destination, or Prague/Vienna/Budapest or something along those lines.
