Bisco

Hi there! Trying to plan a two week European vacation. Already have plane tickets into London and out of Amsterdam in mid-March. Wondering what type of information is available regarding train travel between these two cities? We would like to leave London on Wed 3/15 and arrive in Amsterdam on Fri 3/17. Is it reasonable to spend one night each in Brussels and Paris?

Any suggestions on train travel would be much appreciated! In particular, I'm wondering... HOW to purchase tickets; the best time to buy these tickets for March travel; the best time of day to travel; is it a reasonable journey between cities for only a one night stay each; would a Eurostar ticket cover all legs of this trip?

Also, we would need to book hotels in Brussels and Paris... preferably clean, safe areas near cafes/bars/etc. Any ideas for such a short stay?

Where2Travel

Another option to get from London to Amsterdam is a one-way flight on one of the cheapy airlines. I've used Easyjet (www.easyjet.com) on this route and paid next to nothing for the flight. If you did this, you'd cut out your stop in Paris or Brussels though. I wouldn't do both on your itinerary so if you really only have two nights between London and Amsterdam, I'd spend them in the same place.

Have you been to Paris before? If not, I'd say a one-night stay would not be worth going out of your way for. Would you not want to split your time more evenly between London, Paris and Amsterdam. For example, if you had 14 nights a good split could be London 5, Paris 5 and Amsterdam 4.

MaureenB

Last June we travelled London-Paris-Amsterdam on a two-week vacation. You can click on my name above and find my trip report, with details. We were in each city four nights, except five in Amsterdam. One nighters aren't our preference.
We chose to take the EuroStar from London to Paris, then the Thalys from Paris to Amsterdam, which makes a quick stop in Brussels (but no train change if you're going on). I suggest budgeteurope.com for help with train fares and itineraries. You can call an 800 number, speak with a helpful rep., and have tickets in hand before you go for a small S&H fee.
Enjoy your trip, and your trip planning.

suze

I don't consider 1 night anywhere a reasonable option. By the time you get to the city, get from airport or train station to hotel, check in... and the reverse the very next day, well that doesn't really give you any time for much of anything.

Since you say you have two weeks, I'd allocate time differently. If you truly need to stick to the 3/15, 3/17 you mention for London to Amsterdam I would definitely skip Paris.

AAFrequentFlyer

or instead of splitting just do 2 nights in either Paris or Brussels.

janisj

OK - you have left a lot of info out.

You say 2 weeks but only have 2 free days. How long in London? How long in A'dam? Are Mar. 15 - 17 set in stone as your only free days?

W/ just the info you gave us it seems MUCH more realistic to spend the 2 days in Paris and skip Brussels.

If I had 2 weeks I'd probably do 5-7 days in London, 5-7 days in Paris and the rest (2 to 4 days) in Amsterdam.

Normally, the earlier you book Eurostar the cheaper the tix. You can't combine London/Paris/Brussels all on the same Eurostar ticket.

I'd do ES London > Paris, and Thalys Paris > Amsterdam.

Bisco

Thank you for the suggestions. I will read more of your posts tonight MaureenB! I look forward to hearing of your experiences.

Our time in London and Amsterdam is set. I agree with those of you suggesting two nights in either Brussels or Paris, instead of one each. I had the same concerns about limited time to enjoy the cities, but Brussels has always been on my list of destinations and my boyfriend has his heart set on Paris. So I thought a day in each would make us both happy. Plus, one of our favorite bands (Umphrey's McGee) will be playing a show in Paris on one of those nights. So why not see them in Paris, enjoy what we can of the city... and still spend a night in Brussels to savor the beers?!? So my questions are more specifically about HOW to travel between cities, not when and for how long. Thanks a bunch!