travelphotog

I need some advice from some seasoned European travellers. I will be travelling on a very tight time schedule, and and would love some input on how to make the most of it. I will fly into London (have been there many times), then take the Eurail to Paris (probably only one or two days there). I would like to travel to another European city (in Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, etc) and can take advantage of Eurail or intereuropean flights. I will only have about 10 days. I haven't found any sites that talk about travel times between cities on Eurail. There is no chance of getting any additional time, and I want to make the most of seeing as many different cultures/cities as possible. Again, any input or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

wes fowler

With only ten days in which to travel and a desire to expose yourself to varied cultures, I'd suggest you consider Belgium and the Netherlands in addition to your Paris stay. Both countries have extensive rail networks. (Belgium's was the first in continental Europe.) Visiting both will expose you to varied cultures, cuisines, scenery and history. Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Dinant are fascinating cities as are Amsterdam, Haarlem and Delft. All are easily accessible by day trips from any one city. Each will afford the opportunity for diverse travel photography.<BR><BR>Because of short distances involved in both Belgium and the Netherlands, you might want to consider renting a car rather than depending upon train travel. Doing so offers much more flexibility in that you're not tied to train schedules. An auto also offers the opportunity to more easily explore rural areas and such scenic delights as the Netherlands' Kinderdyjk, Geithoorn or Staphorst.

Tim

First, to get train trip time, go to<BR><BR>http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/detect.exe/bin/query.exe/d<BR><BR>click English if need, plug in destinations and you get travel times.<BR><BR>I will offer another view on car vs rail. I have done both ways and for me each has pros and cons. Since the countries you mentioned at not far away by either train or car, except for Italy, e.g. Switzerland is about 5 hrs by TGV from Paris, just few more by car, you probably want to decide on different merit.<BR><BR>Now I know many friends who believe it aint a trip unless you drive yourself, including in London! There are also experienced folks who know exactly what they are looking for and know they cannot be reached without a car. I have nothing against these, these are valid merits for their purpose. But I want to offer another view that car trip does not always save time nor give more opportunities to explore unless you know what you are doing.<BR><BR>Regarding getting lost is half the fun of trip, I agree if I have the time, and don't agree if I don't. I have lost so many opportunities to visit gardens and museums because I got hopelessly lost and got to the city at night, instead of early afternoon. And I did not get lost in lovely towns, either. Many times, I could have gotten hours before if I had taken a train instead. Also if the destination was a large city, finding a place to park, even knowing where you are supposed to park was time consuming. So many times it had taken me an hour to get my car parked, but the same route took only 10 minutes in a taxi, if I had taken all correct turns, very frustrating. I would rather have visited few more neat stores than following those one ways signs that always seem to point to the wrong directions.<BR><BR>It also did not help that my travel partner didn't know how to read the map, so I had to find a place to pull over to see the map myself.

jenviolin

How about taking an EasyJet (EasyJet.com) flight from Paris or London one-way to one of their destinations (limited list, but ultra-cheap flights), then fly to another city, then to Paris by train? You can fly from London to Barcelona for only about US$45. How about Athens? Geneva? If you want to Eurail it, choose cities that are closer together. Amsterdam is 4+ hours from Paris by fast train (the Thalys).

belinda

Another option is to take an overnight train (recommend reserving sleeper compartment). If you leave Paris at 7:30 pm you will arrive Florence early morning the following day. Train time between Florence and Rome is about 2.5 hours.

Karen

With only 10 days, why don't you save them up until next year when you will have 20 days!! Then you'll have time to enjoy. I went for 2.5 months and barely saw the minimum!! Or only go to one region this time to whet your appetite. Too expensive for a flying pass thru many places!!

elvira

To get the most sightseeing done, spend 3 days in London, take the Eurostar to Paris (first train or last train so you aren't using sightseeing time for traveling) for 3 days, then do a train trip through Belgium and Netherlands - a day in Brussels, a day in Brugge, two days in Amsterdam; fly home from Amsterdam. <BR><BR>To get a culture shock of a trip, London for 3 days, same train schedule to Paris for 3 days, then fly to Lisbon or Madrid or Athens for 3 days; fly home from the third city. <BR><BR>Brain-damage end of the culture shock spectrum: London for 2 days; same Eurostar schedule to Paris for 2 days; overnight train to Venice for 2 days; fly to Madrid for 2 days; fly to Marrakech for 2 days; fly home from Marrakech. Check into a sanitarium.

jenviolin

I promise go docile as a lamb to the sanitorium if I get to go to Marrakech first!

trying

B/c you have been to London a number of times, go to Paris a day or 2 after arrival. Spend a good 3 days in Paris. Then, as suggested, make your way to A'dam. The trip through Belgium is a good idea, but you can also train from Paris to Germany, perhaps stopping in Lux., make your way along the Mosel and the Rhine to A'dam. I have done the reverse and enjoyed it, but it does involve a lot of train travel. I'm not sure what your Eurail entitles you to, but for the short time you have you will want to take the quickest transportation, such as TGV, Eurostar, etc. (IMHO), which may not be covered by your pass.