London - Paris - Belgium - Amsterdam (Where to put Rome!?) Itinerary Advice
 

Hi,
My partner and I are planning a Europe trip next November for our Honeymoon. I know in November it will be cold and probably raining but we're from Australia so it'll be a nice change, plus we're not keen on big crowds so low season will work for us :)
This will be our first time in Europe, so I wanted to make sure we had a good amount of time in each place we're staying, any feed back on the amount of time per place would be great, also an ideas on the order of travel. We're open to suggestion.

We've got 3-4 weeks to play with and at this stage our plans are as thus;

London - 6 nights (train to paris)

Paris - 6 nights (train to brussels)

Brussels - 1 night? thinking maybe this could just be a day trip? (Train to Ghent)

Ghent - 3 nights (train to Brugge)

Brugge - 2 nights (train to Amsterdam)

Amsterdam - 2/3 nights (fly home)....or Fly to Rome?


Thats about 3 weeks there so we can add more days if necessary, I would be happy to go to Rome in place of Amsterdam but my partner is keen to go to Amsterdam, we would really like to add Rome to our itinerary but I'm just not sure where to put it, or if it's feasible. I figure we'd want 3/4 nights in Rome. We could possibly swap time in Amsterdam for time in Rome if he HAVE to choose one or the other.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Personally, I'd take the time from Belgium and give it to Rome. While the cities you mention are lovely, they certainly don't hold the grandeur of London, Paris, or Rome. Maybe just do 1 night in Brugges on your way from Paris to Amsterdam. That gives you 5 additional nights for Rome.

I would definitely find a way to go to Rome, probably as your first stop. I don't think you need more than a day in Brugge. We were there last year, and though it's a quaint town, a day trip was more than enough time. We did it as a side trip from Brussels. So maybe one day Brussels, one day Brugge, then next day on to Amsterdam. I agree with your partner about going to Amstedam, it's a great city with tons to see and do. You shouldn't miss it as long as you're so close!

I wouldn't call Bruges "quaint." It's pretty, yes, but totally overrun with tourists at least in high season, and has been for at least 25 years. A daytrip or an overnight there would probably be nice, but add time to Rome, which can never be underestimated.

The last time I was in Rome, it too was overrun with tourists, and hard to get from place to place (very spread out). I swore I would never return there. November should be a good time to go, however; I was there in July - miserably hot and crowded.

I'm trying to make a similar decision about length of stay in Bruges (in favor of more time in Paris). To be honest, everyone on this forum has his/her own preferences. Read all advice, look at photos, and go with your intuition. It's usually never wrong.

We really enjoyed Rome and would suggest adding that if possible.

Your Belgium sites are quite close. If you leave those in, I'd combine into a single stay (or at most 2).

A couple of trip reports:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...log-photos.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-with-kids.cfm

My husband and I, also from Australia (Sydney) did a similar trip last November - broken down as follows. We flew with Singapore Airlines.

London 9 nights - train to Paris
Paris 7 nights - train to Brugge
Brugge 3 nights - from here we did a day trip to Ghent - train to Brussels
Brussels 3 nights - from here we did a day trip to Antwerp - train to Amsterdam
Amsterdam 4 nights

In hindsight we would have taken time out of Brussels and added it to Amsterdam.

I suppose before making a final decision on whether to fly from Amsterdam to Rome I'd have a look at travel times between the two. I don't know what the budget airlines offer but a quick look on Expedia.com.au lists the quickest travel time as 5hr 50min with one stop in Copenhagen at a cost of AU$293pp. Is Rome a definite or would there some other place closer to Amsterdam, perhaps in Germany that would be of interest.

Whatever you decide I'm sure you will have a fantastic time. Happy travels and enjoy your planning - it's half the fun!

Hi DW,

>I would be happy to go to Rome in place of Amsterdam

So would I.

>but my partner is keen to go to Amsterdam,....<

Can we know why? Perhaps there are good reasons.... or maybe not.

((I))

Just wanted to add - when booking your flights be sure to book open jaw into London and out of Rome to avoid wasting time and money backtracking.

If you are sticking to Amsterdam then take take from Belgium and add to your Amsterdam stay. All you Belgian sites are close together and can be done as day trips from one location.

Brugge is over run with tourists no matter what time of year you go there in my experience.

This obsession with Brugges I have noticed on these forums baffles me. OK, it is pretty, yes, but so are so many other places. A day is certainly enough.

Amsterdam is fabulous for so so so many reasons. But so is Rome. Skip Brugges and maybe even Ghent (ducks) and add to Amsterdam and include Rome. Not been to Brussels but have heard great reports, surprisingly.

Right now you have 6 nights in Belgium, in three locations. I'd cut it to three nights and one location. They are at most an hour apart on the train, frequent easy train trips between them. Personally I liked Antwerp a lot. Brugge definitely worth seeing but agree with the others that you don't need that much time.

I'd do at least three or four nights Amsterdam and do some days trips there also - Delft, Leiden, etc.

But oh yes, definitely add Rome. You say you can add some days, but I would do it even if it means taking a day or two from each of your other locations. Three or four days minimum. You can fly easyjet from Amsterdam to Rome for about 50€.

I think Isabel offers good advice. I should add again I was in Rome in high season, which I do not recommend. If you've never been there, you should go.

Thanks guys for all the great suggestions! It's given us a lot to think about :)

Hey,

How was your Honeymoon ? Im planning a Europa Trip in May with the same itinerary, and i really want suggestions about this trip.

Can you help me? :)

Thks

jmunizassumpcao: The OP posted twice on Fodors but has never returned> He asked about an <u>entirely</u> different plan after this one so who knows which route they took or even IF they went.

If you want advice for your own trip, you'll do better to start a new thread of your own.