Hi...

I am planning on visiting Europe next year. I will be in England and Scotland which I have well planned. However, from there I was planning on visiting the continent.

I was planning on starting my journey from Amsterdam and wanted to work my way down towards Greece.

My current itinerary takes me from Luxembourg, to Leipzig, to Prague, to Brno, to Budapest, and then flying to Greece.

I have been to France and Spain and Italy before, and so this time I thought I would like to see something I have not. I had a great time last time I was in Europe and have been saving money for some time in order to return. I am interested in art and history and all that Europe has to offer.

My questions are a few and they deal with the logistics of taking this trip.

My real questions start after Amsterdam. I wanted to go to Luxembourg to see the castles such as the Vianden Castle and the Bourscheid Castle. I also wanted to see the WWII museum in Ettelbruck and if possible Bastogne. I am based out of Luxembourg City for three nights. I feel this would give me a day to see the city, a day to see one of the castles, and another to for the museum and maybe Bastogne. I have not seen any tours from Luxembourg City and was wondering if this was doable? Is Luxembourg City worth seeing? It looks pretty cool. Or, is it a mistake to start from there? Would Brussels be easier to see these sites? I have been to Brussels before and really liked it (I would go back), but I felt I did see it and so this is why I chose Luxembourg City this time.

One of the big questions that I have is travelling from Luxembourg to Leipzig. I am travelling to Leipzig in order to see a part of Germany, but also to go to the battlefield at Jena-Auerstedt where I have read that one can rent bikes to tour the field. Is it unrealistic to travel from Luxembourg to Leipzig? I would prefer travelling by train. I am flying into Amsterdam and want to reduce my exposure to airports if possible.

When travelling from Luxembourg City, should I stop for the night somewhere along the way? Do you know of a location that would be quaint and good to see? Or, am I better off travelling from Amsterdam to Leipzig? Is it quicker from Amsterdam to Leipzig? Is there a stop through Berlin and should I stop there? I did not choose Berlin, because I felt I would be swallowed up by the big city, and read that it is more for partying than anything else, although seeing Checkpoint Charlie would be cool. Leipzig has that too, however, with the Battle of the Five Armies as well as the KGB headquarters. Do you know of any one who offers tours of Leipzig and the area (including Jena) in English (who will also not break the budget). For example, one person wanted 300 Euros to go to Bastogne for a day from Ettelbruck which I thought was a little too expensive. Whereas, there is a person who offers tours of Austerlitz from Brno for 90 Euros - this is definitely on the itinerary.

Anyway, by train from Leipzig I believe it is relatively easy to get to the following destinations I have listed without much trouble, but I am not sure. How long does it take for each destination? Is the move from Leipzig to Prague easy? Is Prague to Brno easy? More importantly can one get to Budapest from Brno by train without much hassle?

My last major question deals with Greece. I am planning on flying to Athens from Budapest (one reason why I do not want to fly from Luxembourg or Amsterdam earlier on). I was considering going on to an outer island and then returning to Athens for my final 3 days in Europe. I was considering 4-5 days in Crete. My question is, what is the best way to get back to Athens? Should I spend three of four days on Crete and then travel to another island which is closer to Athens for another night? Would I be better off flying from Crete to Athens? Is there a fast boat from Souda to Piraeus or is this a waste of money and time? Which idea is more cost effective? I plan on staying in Chania. Of course, I want to see Knossos, but I also want to relax on a beach for a few days such as see Elafonissi and maybe Sfinari (where I heard there were good water sports)? Can one access these locations by bus or is a car rental necessary. Also, is it possible to spend the night in one of these places? I think it is. Thus, I guess my question for you is what type of itinerary should I develop in order to see Greece properly within my allotted time? My longest stay on this list is Greece, with Czechoslovakia second. I am less into staying up really late and partying and more into making the most of my day and seeing the beauty of everything.

Well, if you read this far - Thank you! Your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

I quite liked Luxembourg City, but it doesn't have any major sites. The countryside is quite scenic and the castles are worth seeing, but you will probably need to rent a car.

For timetables for all European trains use bahn.de

For information on European trains and buying tickets for them, see seat61.com

I used a night ferry to get from Piraeus to Chania, there is probably one in the other direction but I doubt the schedules for next year are available. You might check greecetravel.com. You certainly want to be back in Athens at least the day before your flight out.

Apologies if I missed it, but I couldn't find anywhere in your post where you mentioned the month of the year you are travelling. Where the Greek Islands are concerned, that is very important.

Regarding ferries to Crete, of course they go both ways! The overnight ferries to Crete return to Piraeus the next morning. Conventional ferries run all year round, but there are no fast ferries on that route. Your plan, though, is to travel from Crete to another island closer to Athens. There are fast ferries from Heraklion, Crete to Santorini from April to October.

You also wrote: "Should I spend three of four days on Crete and then travel to another island which is closer to Athens for another night? Would I be better off flying from Crete to Athens?"

It would be technically possible to take a fast ferry from Heraklion to Santorini in the morning, spend a day and night there, then fly back to Athens the next day. I don't think that would be worth it, as you would spend too much time in transfers, and not have enough time left for Crete itself. My recommendation would be to fly directly back to Athens.

Your best guide to train travel overall is bahn.de. Although you can buy only tickets for trains to/fro or within Germany it has info on major train through the continent (does not include small local trains or train/trams up mountains).

Times may vary slightly from now until you leave - but the time elapsed will be the train - and new schedules are usually issues twice a year but this depends on info from each national rail line.

When you go to the site you can click on each train to see each place you will have to make a connection. To see details on going to in-between places you can just input the local stations you want.

I would definitely include Berlin on your trip. While it does have a lot of nightlife it's a wonderful city with several fantastic museums and a lot of historic sights and there is no way I would miss it. Berlin is also one of the most budget friendly places in western europe.

Luxembourg or Amsterdam to Leipzig is about the same - 8 hours. To get to Berlin Amsterdam is faster - 6 hours or so - than from Luxembourg - again, 8/9 hours. From Berlin to Leipzig is only about an hour.

"Regarding ferries to Crete, of course they go both ways!"

Apparently my meaning was unclear. I meant that I didn't know whether there was a NIGHT boat from Chania to Piraeus. Obviously I didn't think the boats piled up at Chania.

Crete is a large island and you need to have a detailed plan on what to see/do there and how to achieve it in order to make a 4-5 days' stay worthwhile. You may want to spend some time browsing here to get an idea on travel logistics within the island using public transport:

http://bus-service-crete.com/

Often there are overnight ferries from Chania to Piraeus. Your best friend researching ferry schedules within Greece is http://www.gtp.gr/RoutesForm.asp but they are usually officialy announced about 2-3 months before the actual dates of travel.

As Heimdall said, when you plan this trip for makes a difference. Not only due to travel logistics but due to day light hours and sites' timetables and so on...

Looking at sailings from last summer, the majority of ferries from both Chania and Heraklion back to Piraeus seem to be overnight, departing Crete around 9-10 pm. There aren't as many morning sailings from Crete as I originally thought.

Those overnight ferries would give you nearly a full last day on Crete, then arrive back at Piraeus around 6:30 the next morning. So instead of checking into a hotel you could sleep as you travel. You could take an overnight ferry from Piraeus to Chania, then after a few days or so in that area move on to Heraklion to see Knossos, then another overnight ferry from Heraklion back to Piraeus.

Thanks for your replies.

I will be in Greece during late June. What are the overnight ferries like? Are they shared rooms? Does one have to worry about theft?

Would going to Crete for four days then to another island closer to Athens by boat for a day and then to Athens by boat be easier?

Any cities between Luxembourg City and Leipzig that you would recommend? Or is getting around Luxembourg too difficult to do by public transport that I would be better off going to Berlin?