jadestanley

Hi Fodorites! Planning spur of the moment trip to Europe (hubby has business in Germany 1 1/2 hr from Amsterdam at the tail of spring break and have decided to take advantage of his ticket
I need your help, we have 10 days from 17-27 April. Ultimately ending in Amsterdam where he will ditch the "hitchhikers" and send us home. So...Initial Itinerary was London-Brussels-Cologne-Amstedam. After looking at flights it is cheaper from Orlando to fly to Paris so now thinking: Paris-London-Brussels-Cologne-Amsterdam. fly back to Orlando. We are a family of four with 2 boys 11 & 12. I am concerned we are moving too much (valid) I could cut out Cologne but would love kids to see Germany because I lived there in my 20's over 20 years ago. Hubby and I have been to Paris (and extensive Italy) but kids while savvy travelers, never and he only Paris.. We are planning skimming the best sights, packing light and being flexible. Are we doing too much? How many days in each? Should I pack 5 hour energy or cut a city? oh..budget.... Not afraid to spend a few bucks but not break the bank (Am considering most hotel nights at least $200 night or more, and my kids haven't eaten off the kids menu in years...to my delight and chagrin Thank you for any suggestions!!! ps...may want to fit some Easter in on Sunday.

rosemaryoz

I honestly think you are trying to fit too much into one 10 day trip. I would cut out London and Cologne this time, and stick to Paris, Brussels (maybe with a train ride to Brugges for example) and then finish in Amsterdam. Otherwise you will spend much of your time in transit.

spaarne

<i>
Itinerary Help 10 days in Europe over Easter Week
Posted by: jadestanley on Mar 6, 14 at 12:18am
Hi Fodorites! Planning spur of the moment trip to Europe (hubby has business in Germany 1 1/2 hr from Amsterdam at the tail of spring break and have decided to take advantage of his ticket I need your help, we have 10 days from 17-27 April. Ultimately ending in Amsterdam where he will ditch the "hitchhikers" and send us home.</i>

You will be in Amsterdam in prime time. Saturday April 26 is King's Day in Holland this year. Amsterdam has one of the planet's greatest street parties on this day, the successor to Queen's Day. Here is my photolog of the celebration six years ago, http://tinyurl.com/55px5p. And make a trip to Keukenhof also. See http://tinyurl.com/5nwqzp.

Pray for sunny days. The weather is very variable.

spaarne

BTW, it would be to your benefit to cancel your duplicate post. Hit the yellow triangle and ask Fodor's to take it down because your kitten walked over the keyboard. If you leave it up it will cause confusion here.

janisj

in case you do have the other thread deleted . . .

Here is what I posted on the original thread:

>>Not realistic to hit 5 cities (or even 4) in 10 days - w/4 people - over Easter no less.

And $200 is doable in some of those cities -- but you'll need either quad rooms (pretty rare) or two hotel rooms. You are only talking about €140/£115 which will get you one room but not two.

W/ just 10 days (remember, you lose 1/2 to 1 whole days every time you move from city to city) you'll do better to stick to two cities -- or 3 if one is for just a day or two.

Plus if you are in cities a bit longer you can rent apartments and your money will go farther.<<

annw

I would drop Brussels, even though it is convenient.

Second choice, would go Paris, Brugges OR Cologne, Amsterdam.

With youngsters (we traveled with ours at 10 and 11 and it was the best trip we had with them--IMO perfect age.

I think there's more for everyone in London and Paris, so if I were planning it I would do those two (Chunnel train?) for sure.

Melnq8

spaarne -

Your Keukenhof photos are fabulous!

jadestanley

Thanks everyone! I have requested the second post removed..duh I think you all have confirmed what I suspected..cut a city. Kids are dead set on London so may start trip from there, then to: Paris-Amsterdam or Brussels/Bruges-Amsterdam. Realize can't even scratch surface of Paris in a short time but fully intend on a more thorough trip there in a few years when they are older (god willing and the creeks and all) I think the high speed train is great but Ryan has some decent prices on flights too. janisj: do they not have typical double rooms (2 queen beds) like we are used to in States? My boys are fine sleeping in one bed so I thought of one room..looks like I need to up the budget, what do you think is adequate for decent (my first time around was backpacks and hostels/camping so was looking for a little nicer accommodations. spaarne, wow great pics..the Kings birthday sounds fun but do you think we will get the essence of Amstedam during all the festivities? Should I consider some tours to keep us focused? Thank you again for all your help!! This is a great forum!

annhig

London -eurostar train to Paris [book asap] - Amsterdam.

more than enough.

no, most european hotels do not have 2 queen beds. most rooms are doubles [a queen bed if you're lucky] which means you get a standard double bed 4'6" wide, or twins - two 3' beds.

you may find rooms for 4 [quads] - try booking.com to see what you can find for your dates.

PalenQ

Paris-London-Brussels-Cologne-Amsterdam.>

I agree with annhig - a perfect triangle would be London - Eurostar train to London and then Amsterdam - fly out of Amsterdam and into London - even that is a bit rushed - since you have nostalgia for Germany consider dropping Amsterdam and ending up in Germany and flying home from Frankfurt.

For such a trip trains make the most sense - for a lot of good info on European trains I always spotlight these IMO superb sites - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. Booking online through train operators sites can save a ton of money but as discounted tickets are sold in limited numbers you must book weeks or months in advance in the case of Eurostar London- Paris and you can save a ton of money but those ducats are non-changeable and non-refundaable so be very certain of your times and dates.

www.eurostar.com for the London to Paris trains.

PalenQ

If doing Paris to Amsterdam www.thalys.com has similar deep discounted tickets - save a bundle over just showing up but again non-changeable non-refundable.

If going Paris to Germany check www.voyages-sncf.com or www.capitainetrain.com for similar discounted locked in stone tickets.

Inside Germany check www.bahn.de/en - the German Railways site for similar deals.

rosemaryoz

London-Paris-Amsterdam sounds do-able, but I also suggest you take trains as much as possible. Even a 'short flight' on Ryanair chews up heaps of time getting to and from airports, check-in & security lines, customs etc etc.

PalenQ

If going to Germany soon or even now Eurostar trains will roll direct between London and Germany - no changing in Brussels.

nytraveler

In europe a double room is one double bed for 2 people. What you are talking about is a double double - or family - room - with 2 double beds. Most hotels have a couple but not many and they are distinctly more expensive than a standard room (for 2 people). IMHO your hotel budget is way too low for even modest places. To get all 4 of you in rooms in a 3* hotel will be more than that almost anywhere.

And figure food is about 1/3 more expensive than in the US - and soft drinks probably double (they come in minute sizes with little or no ice).

PalenQ

Even a 'short flight' on Ryanair chews up heaps of time getting to and from airports, check-in & security lines, customs etc etc.>

yes yes yes - 2 hours center of London to center of Paris and if you score deep discounted tickets cheaper all in all than flying often. Plus RyanAir and similar airlines have all kinds of extra charges - baggage - the Ryan Air chairman even wanted to install pay toilets but that didn't fly!

Paris to Amsterdam by Thalys train about 3.5 hours - again score deep discounted tickets as low as 39 euros - city center to city center.

StCirq

I wouldn't ever consider using Ryanair. The horror stories are legion.

And I agree about your hotel budget. You'll need two double rooms or a quad, and either is likely to be way more than you are budgeting. If you weren't flitting about so much I'd suggest Airbnb or an apartment, but most folks want to rent for longer than you're staying anywhere.