Island45

Planning a month long trip to Europe and am trying to put together an Itinerary and hoping all of you very savvy travelers can guide me. We will be flying in and out of Amsterdam and that part is not changeable. Will be gone from April 3 2016-May 3 2016.
Our main focus is on WWII history, flower fields in Netherlands, Swiss Alps, Bayeux, France and Bruges, Belgium. We are not opposed to renting a car but would like to stick to train or air if it makes sense.
So here goes with what I have tentatively planned
Amsterdam 4 nights
Berlin 3 nights
Prague 2 nights
Vienna 2 nights
Budapest 2 nights
Munich, Switzerland and Innsbruck areas 7 nights
Bayeux France area 5 nights
Bruges 2 0r 3 nights
Amsterdam 1 night and fly home next day.
I am wondering if maybe it is possible to Stay in Prague and train to Vienna and Budapest for day trips...eliminates loosing a day or two of travel days
Same thinking for Munich, Switzerland and Innsbruck. Is it possible to stay Munich and train from there.
So there ya go...feel free to pick apart or add too or tell me I am one crazy person....
FYI....not going to Italy as we did that for a month couple of years ago and have already been to Paris. Thanks you in advance for all your valuable information.

PalenQ

Vienna and Prague are not practical day trips - too far and just spending a half day in either is kind of worthless - may as well look at pictures of them online - perhaps they are farther apart than you think.

for the train planning and yes for large tourist cities mainly cars are useless (but in Bayeux you may want to rent a car and go to Mont-Saint-Michel and in-depth WW2 Invasion sites) - anyway some superb sources for planning a rail trip:

www.budgeteuropetravel.com - sweet European Planning & Rail Guide online - www.ricksteves.com - lots of useful practical info like on railpasses or not; www.seat61.com - a wealth of info withthe emphasis on discounted tickets you must book weeks/months in advance to guarantee availability and then are typically non-changeable non-refundable - and if you go to half the places you mention by train some kind of Eurailpass is a no-brainer IMO.

If you go the car route allow for much more time between cities than the high-speed rail network with trains going up to about 200 mph in several countries. and be sure to return the car in the same country you bought it in to avoid typically steep drop-off charges for not doing so.

why Bayeux France for 5 days???? And Vienna or Buda and Pest for a few days - Vienna has some wonderful day trips like to the Wachau Valley by train to Melk to see the famous abbey and then hop on a boat that floats down the darn prettiest stretch of the whole Danube River IME - get off a cute wine villages like Durnstein and take the bus/train easily back to Vienna.

https://www.google.com/search?q=wach...FYiAkgod-48LLw

Your itinerary is mainly famous tourist cities - take in some of the lovely countryside as well as day trips from the tourist meccas and experience a whole different Europe.

Edward2005

April in the Alps will still have a lot of snow, so you may not get to see many flowers - at least not in the higher altitudes. Plus, there's still a real chance for snow!

suze

Well I for one don't like 2 day stops, just too hectic, but I don't think that means you are necessarily crazy.

nytraveler

Agree that 2 days stops don;t really don;t work.

And no you can't day trip from Prague to Vienna or Budapest - although all 3 are definite must sees.

From Munich you can visit Innsbruck - which isn;t that large and one day is plenty.

But for Switz - and it may still be snowy or else very muddy when you are there - you really need to stay there. Trekking to and fro the Swiss Alps won't work - although you could head to the German Alps as a day trip, esp the Zugspitze.

kja

I must admit that this trip sounds unpleasantly rushed to me. And I say that as a rare Fodorite who doesn't mind relocating even as often as every night or so -- but I only do that when I can see what I want to see in the time that leaves me for exploration. Only 3 nights in Berlin? Only 2 in Prague, Vienna, or Budapest? WAY too rushed for MY tastes! That said, it really depends on what YOU want to see and experience.

I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (always a worthy investment, IME, or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see in each location and check their opening/closing times. Note the time you will need for transportation (and do a little homework there -- it isn't hard to learn how long it takes to travel between these cities), add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.). Then see how things fit together.

Also check closing days, sunset / sunrise times, and general climate information. As already noted, your travel times are not ideal for Switzerland.

Good luck!

Island45

Thank you all so much for your replys..it is so appreciated, I do not like the two night stays either but was trying to fit it all in. We are meeting friends who will have a car in France so will be doing some touring with them hence the 5 days with them. I have just downloaded Triposo onto my tablet and phone...Has anyone used it? It is like a digital guidebook that does not require an internet connection once it is downloaded. I am curious how accurate it is. I am aware that Switzerland may not be the optimal time to visit however that can't be helped and we are used to snow and cold. I may have to rethink the itinerary a bit but two days are better than none right??

kja

"two days are better than none right??"

Not necessarily! I'd rather skip a place entirely than spend so much time getting from place to place that I really don't have time to see the places that I do rush through. YMMV.

Aramis

>>>>>why Bayeux France for 5 days????

OP explicitly stated that WWII history was a primary focus - even listed if first. Interested in correcting her because this wouldn't be your choice?

I would suggest one change to your itinerary order; travel Prague-Budapest-Vienna instead of Prague-VIenna-Budapest.

It takes about an hour less, if driving - I didn't check the best train connections - but, most important, it has no leg longer than about 5 hours (Prague-Budapest) vs your original plan which has a very long 6:30 - 7:00 hour trip from Budapest to Munich in it.

Island45

Thanks Aramis...good call...I thought I had read that there was a boat cruise you could take from Vienna to Budapest but could do that Budapest to Vienna instead...I am still torn with the two day stops and if I had to drop one from the itinerary should I drop Budapest or Prague?? Or maybe Vienna...Maybe go Salzburg instead of Vienna...decisions decisions....is why I so appreciate all the help given here.

Aramis

If I was going to drop one, it would be Budapest. Dropping it improves your logistics immensely since it is the outlier and I find it far less appealing than Prague, and somewhat less appealing than Vienna. The 2 days could be added to Prague and Vienna, giving you 3 night stays.

Have you thought more about where in the Munich/Innsbruck/Switzerland area you want to stay? You could base yourself in Munich and see Salzburg on a day-trip (or do it on the way from Vienna) and also do some other areas in the Bavarian Alps by day trips. That might whet your appetite for mountain scenery enough that you could proceed more directly to Bayeux and even add another stop. Like 4/5 nights in Munich and 2/3 nights somewhere between Munich and Bayeux. I suggest this because Switzerland is terribly expensive and working your way down to the Interlaken area, which is probably what you have in mind, and back out to head to Bayeux, does take some time.

Munich - Interlaken - Bayeux takes about 14 hours driving, with the Interlaken - Bayeux portion almost 9 hours. Munich to Bayeux is about 10 hours, so if you could get part way there from Munich, for a couple days somewhere, like Strasbourg, you give yourself much shorter legs to travel on your moving days. Again, all that is based on driving time estimates, but I think the differences in train times would be fairly similar.

PalenQ

OP explicitly stated that WWII history was a primary focus - even listed if first. Interested in correcting her because this wouldn't be your choice?> 5 days is still questionable - are they going to look under every rock? It is a relatively small area - anyway start at the Caen Memorial museum as it lays out on a large relief map the whole area and operations.

There are WW2 sites galore in Berlin but they have but 3 days there - Sachenhausen camp is a short train ride away - the Battle of the Bulge area in Belgium - Remagen Bridge - Arnhem bridge, etc. WW@ was fought many places besides Bayeux area.

But yes I did not notice that but still I'd slice a few days off and do some other WW2 sites - like Nurnberg's most complete relics of the Third Reich just south of town - Hitler's Parade Grounds with stadium balcony still there where he famously reviewed goose-stepping troops.

Near Munich - Dachau and Hitler's Eagle's Nest and many more - new museum in Munich documenting the events there leading up to WW2.

PalenQ

http://www.keukenhof.nl/en/

The famous Keukenhof Gardens are smack in the middle of some huge pulchritudinous flower fields - and the gardens themselves showcase all kind of flowers produced by Holland's flower industry - take a walk just to the north of the gardens and you'll be tiptoeing thru the tulips and miles of other undulating blooms.

Trake trains to Leiden then shuttle buses from the station right to the gardens - open daily at that time. Not sure when they start however - Apr 3 may be a tad early so check the official site above.

Aramis

>>>>5 days is still questionable - are they going to look under every rock? It is a >>>>relatively small area - anyway start at the Caen Memorial museum as it lays out >>>>on a large relief map the whole area and operations.

>>>>There are WW2 sites galore in Berlin but they have but 3 days there - >>>>Sachenhausen camp is a short train ride away - the Battle of the Bulge area in >>>>Belgium - Remagen Bridge - Arnhem bridge, etc. WW@ was fought many >>>>places besides Bayeux area.

>>>>But yes I did not notice that but still I'd slice a few days off and do some other >>>>WW2 sites - like Nurnberg's most complete relics of the Third Reich just south >>>>of town - Hitler's Parade Grounds with stadium balcony still there where he >>>>famously reviewed goose-stepping troops.

>>>>Near Munich - Dachau and Hitler's Eagle's Nest and many more - new museum >>>>in Munich documenting the events there leading up to WW2.

5 days may be questionable to you but the OP never asked if 5 days in Bayeux was the right amount of time. I am pretty sure that the OP is well aware that Europe is replete with historical WWII sites outside of Normandy. You are overlooking the additional information from the OP indicating that they are meeting friends, with a car, in Bayeux and will do some additional touring of the area with them. I'm even going to go out on a limb here and presume that the OP has personal interest in visiting Normandy. If one's forbears landed and fought, or died, in Normandy, it probably holds much more interest than iconic sites of Nazi power.