lifesolyrical

1 Amsterdam
2 Amsterdam -> Haarlem Haarlem
3 Amsterdam
4 Amsterdam -> Hague ->Amsterdam
5 Amsterdam -> Rotterdam
6 Rotterdam -> Brussels
7 Brussels (bike to Damme)
8 Brussels -> Bruges
9 Bruges -> Gent -> Antwerpen
10 Antwerpen -> Cologne
11 Cologne -> Cochem
12 Cochem -> Burg Eltz -> Heidelberg (Moselkern)
13 Heidelberg -> BadenBaden
14 BadenBaden -> Freiburg
15 Freiburg ->Strasbourg
16 Strasbourg -> Frankfurt
17 Frankfurt
18 Frankfurt

this is my itinerary for August.

What do you guys think? Should I replace some of the cities or spend more time on some?

I am not much of a museum guy unless it rains.
I take lots of photos and into architecture and landscape (gothic modern etc.)

For the train ticket, what kind of Europass should I get?

Any suggestions would be nice

Cowboy1968

I think you don't have to change places and hotels that often.

For example:

If you want to see The Hague and Rotterdam while in Holland, you can spend 2 nights in Rotterdam and do Den Haag as a much quicker day trip from there. The cities are very close to eachother and you can even squeeze in an afternoon in Delft.

To explore the Western Black Forest and Alsace, also one of the cities you mentioned could be your "hub". You will save lots of time packing/ unpacking and dragging around all your belongings for something which would just be a quick day trip.

menachem

You can stay in Amsterdam for all your Dutch destinations. The Hague is 45 minutes by train from Amsterdam, Rotterdam is about 40 minutes by Fyra. (a small surcharge applies for that train). There isn't much of an IC train service to Brussels nowadays, so if you book now, get a cheap Thalys ticket between Amsterdam (or Rotterdam) and Brussels. Take the Thalys from Brussels to Cologne. Antwerp to Cologne is more complicated. Antwerpen - Brussels is an hour by train, so use Brussels as your base in Belgium, then take the train to Cologne from there by Thalys (again, you're early enough to buy cheaper train tickets on Thalys, don't wait too long)

Tulips

I think you mean bike from Brugge to Damme - not Brussels.

mokka4

I personally would skip BadenBaden (and even Heidelberg). I would add a stop (?daytrip?) before Cologne at Trier, if you haven't been there before (Roman amphitheatre ruins and Port Nigra-"Black Gate" -another ancient Roman artifact).

More time on the Mosel might be nice--vineyards, boat trips.
Of course, Cochem has its own castle above town as does Moselkern (Burg Eltz).

An extra day at Freiburg might do it for me--20-30 minutes beyond is the small town of Staufen and unassuming castle ruins above town.

All depends on what you want to sightsee/take photos of....

Woyzeck

This section is really much too tight:
----------------------------
10 Antwerpen -> Cologne
11 Cologne -> Cochem
12 Cochem -> Burg Eltz -> Heidelberg (Moselkern)
13 Heidelberg -> BadenBaden
14 BadenBaden -> Freiburg
15 Freiburg ->Strasbourg
16 Strasbourg -> Frankfurt
----------------------------

I don't know how you start the day in Cochem, get to Burg Eltz, and then train to Heidelberg - all in one day, only to leave Heidelberg the next day for Baden Baden. And then on to Freiburg, then to Strasbourg, then to Frankfurt...

I think you're better off approaching it like you do in the first days, when you base in Amsterdam for 5 days. Why not stay somewhere in SW Germany you like and enjoy the day trips to Heidelberg, Baden Baden, Strasbourg, Frankfurt

bilboburgler

I agree with much above you need to get in touch with your inner public transport genie and move habitation but visit local areas by train etc.

I like the bike idea, you need to get a local map to take best advantage of the amazing bike paths. Or look at http://www.fietsroute.org/indexuk.php

lifesolyrical

Thanks for the reply. This is still work in progress
but i cut down alot.. especially the whole black forest area will leave that for my later trips.

1 Amsterdam
2 Amsterdam
3 Amsterdam -> Haarlem (Day trip)
4 Amsterdam -> Delft (Day trip)
5 Amsterdam -> Kinderdijk (Day trip)
6 Amsterdam -> Brussels
7 Brussels -> Bruges
8 Brugges -> Gent (Day trip)
9 Brugges -> Cologne
10 Cologne
11 Cologne -> Cochem
12 Cochem
13 Cochem -> Burg Eltz -> Koblenz
14 Koblenz -> boat to Mainz -> train to Frankfurt
15 Frankfurt
16 Frankfurt -> Rothenberg (Day trip)
17 Frankfurt

leuk2

I'd consider 5-7 days in Berlin.

Woyzeck

I think your adjustments make a lot of sense. In Germany, you get a nice focus on the Rhein and Mosel, plus the days at the end of the trip in Frankfurt with the excursion to Rothenburg. I really enjoyed our day trip to Cochem and Burg Eltz and wish we had spent more time there.

If you are able and willing, indulge in the hike up to Burg Eltz from Moselkern (a short train ride from Cochem).