Need Advice! - First time to Europe - London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome.
Jan 22nd, 2012, 07:45 AM
#21
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ooh just seen you may want to stick to northern europe.
If it were me, i would still do 4 places, maybe london/paris/brugges/Amsterdam. They are all not too far apart
London 4
Brugges 3
Amsterdam 3
Paris 4
Have fun!!!
If it were me, i would still do 4 places, maybe london/paris/brugges/Amsterdam. They are all not too far apart
London 4
Brugges 3
Amsterdam 3
Paris 4
Have fun!!!
Jan 22nd, 2012, 08:58 AM
#22
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I would stick with your 3 choices - London, Paris and Amsterdam. You will get 3 varied experiences and they are easy to travel between. Dublin, in my opinion, falls way below the other 3 and taking time away from them to see it is definitely not worth it.
If you want to save time and travel cheaply you could start in London, then take an overnight ferry to Amsterdam using the trains and ferry (see link below for info and I will include our trip report in a second). Its very easy and quite a fun adventure! Plus it also saves you a nights hotel! From there you can train to Paris and fly home directly from there! Of course you can reverse the order as well.
http://www.seat61.com/Netherlands.htm#train+ferry
If you want to save time and travel cheaply you could start in London, then take an overnight ferry to Amsterdam using the trains and ferry (see link below for info and I will include our trip report in a second). Its very easy and quite a fun adventure! Plus it also saves you a nights hotel! From there you can train to Paris and fly home directly from there! Of course you can reverse the order as well.
http://www.seat61.com/Netherlands.htm#train+ferry
Jan 22nd, 2012, 09:00 AM
#23
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Here is our detailed trip report so you can see how it all works:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-adventure.cfm
Also, by choosing only 3 places (allocate more time to Paris and London) you can also take a day trip from London and Paris. From Paris - Versaille, Giverny, Dijon, Strasbourg etc for London check out the explorer days on www.walks.com you can see Oxford, Stongehenge/Salisbury, Canterbury etc...
Have fun!
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-adventure.cfm
Also, by choosing only 3 places (allocate more time to Paris and London) you can also take a day trip from London and Paris. From Paris - Versaille, Giverny, Dijon, Strasbourg etc for London check out the explorer days on www.walks.com you can see Oxford, Stongehenge/Salisbury, Canterbury etc...
Have fun!
Jan 22nd, 2012, 10:52 AM
#24
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I'm so happy, MHolloway, that you reduced it to three cities with so many convenient travel options in your two weeks. You are going to have SUCH a great time because you can now create a very full itinerary with about a 75% flexibility. Isn't that the travel ideal?
Right now, your travels options are just stupendous. You can fly into London, chunnel over to Paris by train or car, and zip up to Amsterdam by train and then fly out of there OR you can fly into Paris, train up to Amsterdam, ferry or fly over to London, and then fly home. The permutations are so many--I really could list at least seven variations--but no matter what, you will have not wasted precious "living" time on laborious connections.
Just as a sidenote: as suburanites who also have to drive kids to distant colleges, we personally resent all the time we must spend in a car in the US. When we get to Europe, we use every possible form of public transportation available because it is AMAZING.
Please don't worry that by not including more cities, you will have "wasted" your trip. There are little daytrips from London (e.g.,Windsor Castle) that can eat up your time anyway, so it's not as though you'll be at a standstill. Amsterdam and Paris have sensible daytrips, too: e.g.; I am a huge fan of Delft/Den Hague from Amsterdam; Versailles or Giverny work well for Paris. Everyone here has favorite daytrips; your problem will be to decide where you'd like to explore.
No matter what, here's the really nice thing: where you are going, you don't have to make a single daytrip decision before you leave, and you still have choices you can make on the fly.
For example, if you train between Amsterdam and Paris, Brussels is an easy stop. Get out, take the Metro to Grand Place, walk around there a bit, get back to the train, and you will have had a lovely day that does not waste any travel time.
The only actual touring reservation right now that I know you should make is if you want to tour the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam. I would make reservations with the musuem website once you have nailed down your plans (http://www.annefrank.org/). Since I like to be flexible, I did not reserve our first time, figuring our going at an odd hour would take care of things. NOT. Anyway, when we went back with different family members, I made reservations.
We did not have to reserve the Van Gogh Museum our first time, and we had no problems getting in. Our second time there was a huge exhibit, and we were required to reserve.
So enjoy! So excited for your trip for you.
AZ
Right now, your travels options are just stupendous. You can fly into London, chunnel over to Paris by train or car, and zip up to Amsterdam by train and then fly out of there OR you can fly into Paris, train up to Amsterdam, ferry or fly over to London, and then fly home. The permutations are so many--I really could list at least seven variations--but no matter what, you will have not wasted precious "living" time on laborious connections.
Just as a sidenote: as suburanites who also have to drive kids to distant colleges, we personally resent all the time we must spend in a car in the US. When we get to Europe, we use every possible form of public transportation available because it is AMAZING.
Please don't worry that by not including more cities, you will have "wasted" your trip. There are little daytrips from London (e.g.,Windsor Castle) that can eat up your time anyway, so it's not as though you'll be at a standstill. Amsterdam and Paris have sensible daytrips, too: e.g.; I am a huge fan of Delft/Den Hague from Amsterdam; Versailles or Giverny work well for Paris. Everyone here has favorite daytrips; your problem will be to decide where you'd like to explore.
No matter what, here's the really nice thing: where you are going, you don't have to make a single daytrip decision before you leave, and you still have choices you can make on the fly.
For example, if you train between Amsterdam and Paris, Brussels is an easy stop. Get out, take the Metro to Grand Place, walk around there a bit, get back to the train, and you will have had a lovely day that does not waste any travel time.
The only actual touring reservation right now that I know you should make is if you want to tour the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam. I would make reservations with the musuem website once you have nailed down your plans (http://www.annefrank.org/). Since I like to be flexible, I did not reserve our first time, figuring our going at an odd hour would take care of things. NOT. Anyway, when we went back with different family members, I made reservations.
We did not have to reserve the Van Gogh Museum our first time, and we had no problems getting in. Our second time there was a huge exhibit, and we were required to reserve.
So enjoy! So excited for your trip for you.
AZ
Jan 23rd, 2012, 08:09 AM
#25
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Prefer to spend time in one country and see it all. First choice for first time in Europe would be England. We stayed at Victoria Plaza across from Victoria Station where you have connections to all transportation plus inexpensive eateries and supermarket to munch in room after busy day. Arrive, check in and just relax plan nothing to accomodate jet lag. First full day, do hop on off bus tour stopping to linger at sites of major interest. Make reservations NOW for any theater tickets plus London walking tours (e.g. Jack the Ripper, pub crawls) for nightly entertainment and day tours e.g. Roman London, Legal London, St. James Palace, Christopher Wren etc. Ditto for tour of Greenwich which I heard is very interesting, and London Eye. Go early (less expensive) for dinner at RULES, oldest restaurant, near theater district,get you out in time for play. The roof of St. Paul's was open when we were there...climb ladder. Do HUGE London flea market on Sat. or Sunday. Go out to Hampton Court for a day and Stratford-on-Avon for another. Check out and take train across street up to Scotland and explore Edinburgh which some like better than London. Return to London day before departing for States.
Check to see what festivals are being held in and around London and Edinburgh.
Check to see what festivals are being held in and around London and Edinburgh.
Jan 23rd, 2012, 08:24 AM
#26
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Those 4 would make a great 2 week trip for us. As you will see some here can't stand the thought of less than a week between changing hotels...while I would go insane sitting in one city that long. Heck...we've done 6 destinations in 2 weeks and still had a blast. Both millie2112 and iris1745 gave workable itineraries to start your planning.
It is true you'll be seeing the inside of airports or train stations more than some would prefer. As has probably been mentioned before (gave up half way thru the posts) do a very thorough itinerary so you truly understand what you're getting into and then you decide depending on how you like to travel. At the start of a trip I start with an excel spreadsheet with day 1, 2, 3 down the left side. I then start with the names of the cities I'll see on each day. I then use two web sites to get an overall idea of travel (train or car) http://www.raileurope.com/index.html and http://www.viamichelin.com/ and then I start figuring out exactly how much time I'll lose by traveling between places. I'll then carve out the hours, half day or full day from the itinerary and show that it's in a train, car or plane. Just keep making passes thru your spreadsheet to get clear picture of what you'll be doing and how long it takes.
For us the train rides were part of the incredible European experience. When buying the passes from the US there wasn't that much of an upcharge to go first class...and man was that nice. I can't afford to fly first class so it's the only time I'll ever be in a seat that big. Plus between London, Paris and Amsterdam you're talking half of a long day to change hotels...which still leaves half of a long day to sight see (just get an EARLY start then sleep on the train). I would see you losing a half day, half day and most of a full day for 2 train trips and 1 flight.
Have fun...for me this planning part is half the fun!
It is true you'll be seeing the inside of airports or train stations more than some would prefer. As has probably been mentioned before (gave up half way thru the posts) do a very thorough itinerary so you truly understand what you're getting into and then you decide depending on how you like to travel. At the start of a trip I start with an excel spreadsheet with day 1, 2, 3 down the left side. I then start with the names of the cities I'll see on each day. I then use two web sites to get an overall idea of travel (train or car) http://www.raileurope.com/index.html and http://www.viamichelin.com/ and then I start figuring out exactly how much time I'll lose by traveling between places. I'll then carve out the hours, half day or full day from the itinerary and show that it's in a train, car or plane. Just keep making passes thru your spreadsheet to get clear picture of what you'll be doing and how long it takes.
For us the train rides were part of the incredible European experience. When buying the passes from the US there wasn't that much of an upcharge to go first class...and man was that nice. I can't afford to fly first class so it's the only time I'll ever be in a seat that big. Plus between London, Paris and Amsterdam you're talking half of a long day to change hotels...which still leaves half of a long day to sight see (just get an EARLY start then sleep on the train). I would see you losing a half day, half day and most of a full day for 2 train trips and 1 flight.
Have fun...for me this planning part is half the fun!
