coreyazwolf

Would like to go to the Netherlands, and then to Denmark and Sweden ...any suggestions for a logical efficient Itinerary? I understand that Germany is in between and would like to enjoy the North East portion too!

PalenQ

How long do you have? When are you going? Are you going by train, car or plane or a mix of those?

a basic itinerary by train:

Amsterdam 4 days inc one day trip to a real Dutch town like Delft or Haarlem;

Take train to say Hamburg, Germany one of the most underrated cities in Europe IMO - more bridges they say than Venice!

Take train to Copenhagen - 4 days or so and again lots of nice day trips.

Take train to Stockholm.

That would be a basic itinerary feasible in a short time frame - add in places as you have time. Fly into Amsterdam and out of Stockholm.

For lots on European trains I always spotlight these IMO susperb sites: www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter's free online European Planning & Rail Guide for lots of suggested itineraries in each country.

nytraveler

Do you have any budget restrictions? Scan countries are VERY expensive - wonderful and fascinating in many places - but costs are probably double those in the US.

Also - how much time do you have?

And what are your major interests - that will help with suggestions for an itinerary? (Indoor, outdoor, history, architecture, museums, royal palaces, hiking, boating or????).

Dukey1

The North East portion of WHAT?????

janisj

>>The North East portion of WHAT?????<<

I assume of <i>Germany</i>. That is what the sentence says.

>>...any suggestions for a logical efficient Itinerary? <<

Impossible to answer w/o knowing how many days, and to a certain extent, the time of year.

PalenQ

Yes corey - do you come back to read the answers to your query? If so how many days do you have - how are you traveling - car, train, plane, mixture of all???

any places you want to hit in particular or just pass through those four countries?

coreyazwolf

Well, we don't have any plans not knowing much about these countries other than the tulips of Netherlands, Germany Hamburg-budget is flexible of course we want to get the most value of our travel dollar.
Another alternative would be Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg around three to 4 weeks.

janisj

>>about these countries other than the tulips of Netherlands,<<

When is your trip? Tulip season is not very long.

>>Would like to go to the Netherlands, and then to Denmark and Sweden ...any suggestions for a logical efficient Itinerary? I understand that Germany is in between <<

>>Another alternative would be Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg <<

It sounds like you are all over the place -- throwing 6 countries against the wall to see what sticks. Do you have any guidebooks?

PalenQ

>Another alternative would be Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg <<

It sounds like you are all over the place -- throwing 6 countries against the wall to see what sticks. Do you have any guidebooks?>

jan I think OP is talking about either or and not and - two bgroups of 3 countries and chosing one not all of them?

janisj

>>jan I think OP is talking about either or and not and - two bgroups of 3 countries and chosing one not all of them?<<

yes - I realize that . . .

He is all over the board. i.e. has no idea where he wants to go. I never implied he wanted to visit all those places in one trip. They were two different quotes.

It is quite obvious he is seeking advice re <i>which</i> places to visit. That is why I said he needs some guide books . . . so he can narrow things down.

PalenQ

>Another alternative would be Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg <<>

Well spending 4 weeks in this tiny area would have most folks pulling their hair out - now combine it with Germany - say the Mosel and Rhine river valleys, Munich, Heidelberg, etc and you could have a real nice 4-week trip.

Maybe something like this:

Amsterdam
Antwerp
Bruges (to many the absolute highlight of Belgium)
Brussels
Luxembourg City
Trier Germany
Mosel Valley
Rhine Gorge
Heidelberg
Rothenburg
Munich
day trip to Fussen for Mad Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle.

Now that could be a neat 4-week trip and if doing a lot look at the Germany-Benelux Railpass valid on trains in all 4 countries and cheaper than a regular Eurailpass.

PalenQ

Or instead of Germany head to France or Switzerland or a wee bit of both!

IMDonehere

To the OP

Buy a map.
Buy a guide book.

PalenQ

I think OP has many folks asking similar questions just are not looking for the advice "to buy a guidebook" but are asking veteran travelers in these areas for some explicit recommendations.

janisj

>>I think OP has many folks asking similar questions just are not looking for the advice "to buy a guidebook" but are asking veteran travelers in these areas for some explicit recommendations.<<

How can we give any sort of useful 'explicit' recommendations when the OP doesn't know where he wants to go. He really <i>does</i> need to get a guide book or two and make some preliminary decisions and THEN we can help him refine things.

or . . . PQ can plan the trip for him.

PalenQ

Oh common janis - OP is just looking for recommendations from those in the know like you - a first time trip - looking for some tried and true options not naysaying 'go get a guidebook - duh OP maybe even has a guidebook but still wants recommendations from veteran travelers in those areas. Good grief is that so hard to wrap your head around? A general first-time itinerary hitting consensus highlights!

janisj

I stand by what I said -- either <i>they</i> can do some of the work and at least check out a couple of guidebooks . . . or you can do it for them.

We have no idea what would possibly interest them -- except they've heard of tulips and want value for money.

PalenQ

Oh common janis get off your high horse - if someone asked you "I've never been to the U K before and am looking for suggested itineraries fox X number of days and wishing to see 'the best' of the UK in that time frame you could or should outline a nice general itinerary like"

London-York-Edinburgh=Lake District-Bath-Sa;lisbury-London - hitting the consensus best of Britain in many ways.

I do not think the OP is so thick that they can't think of getting a buidebook without your snippy IMO remarks upbraiding them - you can give them some general plans and then they can do more research of what perks their interest.

anyway just posting to tell them to get a guidebook is a waste of time and IMO sounds offensive (even though I know you would not realize that). Once a Fodorgarch always a Fodorgarch!

hetismij2

Why stick to the same old same old? With 4 weeks Corey could easily explore the countries he wants to visit. He could even consider a visit places off the tourist radar.
No need for it to be yet another standard Benelux Germany tour.
Why only Amsterdam in the Netherlands but Antwerp, Brugge and Brussels in Belgium Pal?

PalenQ

right hetismij2 - use Amsterdam as a base and do day trips to like Delft or Haarlem or Marken/Volendam or the Alkmaar Friday monring Cheese Market - did not mean to shortchange Holland (err The Netherlands) - OP is just looking for ideas and comments like yours help them broaden their vision.