Is this possible in 16 days?
 

Hello fellow travelers!

My sister and I are planning a trip for UK & Europe for this upcoming year to celebrate college graduation. We will be flying in and out of London and would like to visit a few places in between. We have 16 days and about 6 of them, we would like to spend in England. We would also like to visit family again in Switzerland and Germany. Paris is also another side trip we would love to visit (last year, we just did Paris as a day trip from London so is it possible to stop there on the way to or from Germany)?

As you can see, this is a rough draft of a schedule and we ae trying to figure out logistics on whether or not this is a plausible plan to visit England, France, Germany, and Switzerland in the course of 16 days.

Any suggestions?

Thanks so much!

Chloe

Is it possible? Sure, it's possible. Is it advisable? That depends on a few more factors. I would think that London + Paris + one place in either Switzerland or Germany is your most feasible scenario.

With 16 days, and 6 you already want to give to England (presumably London and maybe a day trip) you can comfortably give 4 days to Paris, since you've only ever daytripped there and there's a ton to see/experience that will appeal to a range of interests. I'd use a minimum of 4 days here. That gives you 6 more days to work with.

Where are your family located in Switzerland and Germany? I ask because it may be possible to visit both sets of families, say if they are in/near Zurich and Munich, with relatively short distances and easy train connections. It'd be more moving around and little time seeing small bits of two countries, but if it meant visiting all your family it may be worth it for you. If however the two families are farther apart, say Geneva and Berlin, I'd probably recommend choosing either your family in Switzerland or your family in Germany, since the logistics will be more time consuming. And hey with ample notice, perhaps the other set of family members will visit you in Paris.

Using the last 6 days to visit family is probably a good amount of time to balance seeing family and exploring the town/city and surrounding areas. You could give more days to Paris and less to the family visit - I had only three days in Paris my first visit, and I could have used at least a week! But you and your sister will need to figure out where to prioritize your time.

Sounds like a lovely trip!

Well - not and really see much of anything.

First do not fly into and out of London - look at open jaw or multi-destination flights - to avoid wasting a day getting back to London.

Second how many days do you really have on the ground - not counting the day you arrive or the day you depart?

If it were me I would do either London OR Paris plus the time with family. And where they are will make a difference - are the places they live near major cities/transit centers - or at the end of hell and gone - taking days out of your trip just getting there?

Do you have 16 days total (home to home)?

Let's break that down:

1.5 days flying overnight getting to London.
.5 day mostly vegging to recover from jetlag
5 more days in England (making 5.5 total)
3 days minimum in Paris (which nets you 2.5 days)
.5 day spent getting to Switzerland.
1.5 days there
.5 day getting to Germany
1.5 days there
1 day returning to London (you need to return the day before flying out)
1 day flying home.

That is 16 days -- and you have next to no time in either Switzerland or Germany.

So cut a place or two and start over. And definitely fly open jaw in to London and hime from whichever place you visit last -- that will save you a full day in transit.

Where in Germany and Switzerland is your family? That will seriously impact plans and options.
Have you already booked tickets?
If not, look at "multi-city" into one city, out of another. It may cost a bit more, but will save hours of travel time and cost of returning to arrival airport.

<<We will be flying in and out of London and would like to visit a few places in between>>

Why? Fly into your furthest destination and fly home from London. Choose the multi-city option when booking tickets.

Paris is smack on the way to Switzerland and Germany - take the Eurostar trains under the Channel to Paris.

Stay there 3 nights

Next train to Switzerland - stay there 4 nights (not sure where you want to go)

Take train to nearby Germany - 3 nights.

Very possible if you want to go to just one place in each country as a base or to see family

Fly back to London from Germany.

Trains are the way to go on a quick trip like that - for lots of gret advice on the European train system check www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets you can get if you buy months early and don't want flexibility - train-specific and usually can't be changed but way cheaper than walk up fares; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Eurostar tickets London to Paris have several tiers of pricing - deep discounts vs full fare but buy as early as possible as they are sold in limited numbers - www.eurostar.com is the official site. Depending where you go in Germany - like Cologna area you can take a train to Brussels and take the Eurostar from there to London - about 5 hours all told from Cologne.

Thank you so much everyone :) Each of you really helped and I am glad to have your insight! Thank you!