Hi all,

I'm planning a trip to europe in September and wanted to bounce this itinerary off other people for possible tips, suggestions, or tweaks. We will have roughly 2 weeks (it looks like 15 nights probably). So far the plan is:

4 nights Paris
2 nights Bruges
4 nights Amsterdam
4 nights Berlin

I'm curious what people think of this timeline. If we are spending too much time in one place and not enough in another. I have been to Paris but everything else is going to be totally new to me. My girlfriend and I enjoy art and history so we will likely want to visit some museums and tour some historic sites. We also just like "hanging" out in new places, and eating and drinking of course, but we are by no means party people. Anyway, all thoughts, comments, and suggestions welcome.

It looks not bad to me. I'd be inclined to take a day from Amsterdam and add it to Paris to give you 4 full days there. I think you'll be glad to have 1 more. I 'd also be inclined to reverse the order, saving the big bang, Paris, for the end.

One more thought, take 1 of the Bruges nights and add it to Paris also, giving you 5 full days in Paris. Yes, that sounds more like it.

Looks great - yes one night in Bruges would be enough for most- add to Berlin or Paris. Trains are best for your trip -check www.bahn.de for train schedules and for early booking of tickets that can give you a nifty discount - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

I would probably add one night to Paris (you could take the one night from ANY of the other stops).

Main reason being -- not just that there is so much to see/do in Paris -- but you will likely be jet lagged on arrival so I'd build in an extra day/night for rest/recovery.

And fly open jaw, into Paris out of Berlin or vice versa. Click multi-city on airline web sites. This should cost about the same as round trip and save you time and money backtracking.

Thanks for the replies.

We just booked tickets and turns out we are going to have 16 nights. I think I might add both of these to Paris, for all of the above reasons, giving us 6 nights/5 days there.

With all that time in Paris can anyone recommend a day trip? I've been to Versailles before so I'd prefer to see something different. How about Fontainbleau? Or maybe a day trip to Chartres or Reims?

The primary reason we were going to stay 2 nights in Bruges is because I thought we would visit Brussels briefly on the way in, so we will really only have 1 full there. If even that's too much I thought we might head to Ghent.

I think we'll definitely hit Potsdam for a day trip.

Chartres is easy by train and a great day trip IMO.

Or perhaps to Giverney

Re Bruges: Many people posting on here really dismiss Bruges and say it is only worth a day and not overnight. But I really enjoyed Bruges - it is a totally different place after the day trippers leave in the mid afternoon. (My 2 nights turned into 3 nights because of a country-wide rail strike and NOTHING was moving)

Hey. When we go strike we are efficient.
Definitely spend a few hours in BRUXELLES. Go to BRUXELLES central and go on foot to the grand place + visit sablon and maybe a bit more around. (Galeries du roi et de la reine et l'îlot sacré).
2-3 hours suffice for a quick visit.
Bruges is great in the evening. I slept there only once but loved it.

Thanks for all the feedback.

We're definitely going to spend 5 nights in Paris, possibly 6.

I'm wondering if we should spend 3 nights in Belgium now (staying in Ghent), and visit Bruges for the day.

It looks like the train ride from Paris is going to take 3 hours, so our first day will really be like a 1/2 day. That would leave 1 full day for Bruges... or possibly 1/2 day in Bruges and 1/2 day in Ghent. Alternatively... we could spend 3 nights in Ghent or Bruges and have 2 full days (and spend 1 in each city).

Anyway... I know it's ridiculous on one level... hard to go wrong either way.

"Anyway... I know it's ridiculous on one level... hard to go wrong either way."


I love it when people says things that are smart.

Stay in Gent, go to Brugge for the day. Or even, stay in Antwerp and go to Brugge for the day. And instead of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and commute to Amsterdam, plus visits cities like Delft and The Hague (possibly Leiden or Dordrecht and the windmill array in Kinderdijk)

Does anyone know how late the trains go from Bruges to Ghent? It seems quite a few people recommend seeing Bruges in the evening. Just wondering if it's possible to have dinner there and head back to Ghent around 10 PM?

Assuming there are places to eat in Bruges in the evening! It doesn't close down like Disney World does it, hee hee?

http://www.belgianrail.be/en

For the English version of the Belgian rail site.

It doesn't close down in the evening.