TDudette

Depending upon what you wish to visit, be aware of afternoon closures. As noted above, early travel is great, but be prepared not to be getting into your hotel room until the afternoon. Most hotels will store your luggage but you won't be able to shower or change clothes. Please report back after your trip!

AhnunHahe

Does anyone know a website where you can view train schedules?

menachem

Deutsche Bahn: https://www.dbauskunft.com/de/

MIACHARLIE

What is the best option for train travel? Should i buy a eurail pass or buy tickets individually from each place?

janisj

There is no straightforward answer to that. In general buying point to point tickets can be a lot cheaper --- but to get the best fares you are often locked into a specific train. Whereas with many passes they cost more but give you more flexibility. You'll learn just about everything you could ever want to know from this site https://www.seat61.com

MIACHARLIE

I've been talking with my sister and she's quite worried about me going off on my own to eastern Europe while she spends time in Switzerland. While I'll be on a tour, there is some worry about my safety in the countries i've chosen, and i will have days by myself where i might not have the protection of being in a group. I'm thinking of cutting those plans out and saving them for a future trip, as much as it pains me. Is this something i need to think about?

MIACHARLIE

Revised Itinerary:
3 nights Paris
3 nights Lyon
3 nights Avignon
3 nights Nice
3 nights Florence
3 nights Venice
3-5 nights Lauterbrunnen or Interlaken
3 nights Munich
3 nights Cologne
3 nights Amsterdam
2 nights Paris, then fly out

Travel times are taken into account, most will be half days with some full day trips. I think we'll also go in September instead of October.

janisj

Not trying to be mean -- honest. But sorry -- that really isn't an itinerary. It is a list You've just laid out 10 cities (11 since you have Paris twice) and allocated 3 nights to each one. That really doesn't make sense -- unless you think every city in Europe warrants the same 3 night stop.

I also think you should lump all the Paris time together either all at the front end or all at the end.

mjs

Completely agree with Janisj

MIACHARLIE

I don't think you're being mean, don't worry I have a more detailed itinerary with travel times, prospective hotels and day trips from each destination saved somewhere. I know what i want to see and where i want to go and i feel like 3 nights in most places will give us time to allocate to trips, photo ops and a little rest. Perhaps some places will need more or less time. As for Paris, at the moment flights in and out of there seem to be the best option from where i am, but i will continue looking. i don't intend to book anything for a few months yet so i have time to adjust my plans.

shelemm

I'm not fond of Avignon or Munich. Nice is ok, but far from a favorite. Have not been to Lyon or Cologne. I don't get your hesitancy about "Eastern Europe." Some of the places you are choosing are just ok. This is a big trip, you will spend a lot of money, and you have time to go to more than just a string of big cities.

But if this is what you are comfortable with, then go ahead.

janisj

Reality check -- with 3 nights in most of those cities you won't have much time for day trips anywhere. 3 nights nets two full days -- so with a day trip that leaves you one day for the actual destination. So you'll have no time at all for a 'little rest'. And as has been mentioned up thread . . . Even IF you do have to fly in and out of Paris . . . you'd still want to lump all the Paris nights together in one stay. Preferably at the end so you are in Paris before your flight home. So for example - if Lyon is your first stop, fly into CDG and immediately take a train to Lyon -- a train takes about 2 hours with no changes. So maybe 2.5 or 3 hours after clearing immigration you would be settling into your hotel in Lyon. It isn't actually adding much time to your arrival day because it would take about an hour to get into central Paris, maybe 15 or 20 more minutes to you specific hotel -- where your room likely wouldn't be ready yet. So . . . get a big chunk of your travel out of the way and head to Lyon. That way you'll have 5 full nights in Paris at the end and you'd eliminate and unnecessary check in / check out and net more free time IN Paris.

MIACHARLIE

You're probably right. I'll look into changing some things around to see if it works better for us.

millie2112

Are you by any chance flying from Australia?? You mention 24 hour flight. I get why you want to fit it all in. Travelling from the other side of the world is really hard. We have to do over 24 hours... Most on the forum are either from the US or UK. so it is easy to do a flight into Europe. For us not so much.

Looking at your itinerary, there are a few things that stand out... first of all - are you under 40. and If you are, then there are better places for you.
I would not do 3 nights in Lyon or Avignon. Nice is OK, and you may enjoy the time there, and do a day trip to Monaco.
I do not think you should skip Bologna. It is a great city. And from here you can do some good day trips.
Munich - not sure what you want to do there, but I would not stay there for any length of time. 3 nights in Cologne is also too much.
Do you have your ticket yet??? And what do you want to buy in Paris that you will be lugging around.

I would do (and not in any order)
5 nights in Paris
3 nights in Amsterdam.
2 nights in Lyon,
3 nights in Bologna. It is a university town, and has pretty cool bars.
3 nights in Florence
3 nights in Venice
3-5 nights Lauterbrunnen or Interlaken (again not sure what you want to do here for so long)

you could add Cologne, but I would only do 2 nights max.

bilboburgler

Not being difficult but none of your previous trip was in Eastern Europe though much was in Central Europe. Europe goes all the way to the Urals.

mjs

Just out of curiosity for your first trip to Europe, why no London or Rome?

MIACHARLIE

Prague, Budapest, Krakow ect isn't Eastern Europe?

MIACHARLIE

I wanted to make a mostly circular trip and this felt like the most practical itinerary considering i wanted to fly in and out of Paris. Both London and Rome feel like they would be too out of the way for the route I'm trying to take. I intend to include Rome in a future trip that will take me more south.

MIACHARLIE

Yep, 25 yr old Aussie here, but i'm not that interested in bars and such. I'm into architecture and fun and quirky things like a perfume factory tour in Cologne, among other things. My sister would like to see some little mid France villages, hence Lyon where we will do day trips from, and some of the Provence region, hence Avignon for the same reason. I might be able to visit Bolgna from Florence or on the way to Venice between the two. My sister has been to Munich before and enjoyed it and wants to show me around. Same deal with Switzerland. I have not booked anything yet, so everything is subject to change.

Sassafrass

You are obviously trying to make a reasonable plan and are concerned about costs and logistics, but your approach still seems strangely focused on a plan of direction, not focused on a real itinerary. You are stuck on going in a circle as though that offers some valuable frame to your trip. As an element of design, it certainly has merit, but is not the best basis for a trip plan. Seriously, you are limiting your trip by setting a parameter that forces you to choose places based on their fitting into a circle when other places might be more interesting and exciting.

Why not choose the four or five places that really excite you, places you have dreamed of seeing, have studied or read about and figure how to put them together logistically? Add in other things that would also enhance that basic itinerary.

Of course, never always, but often, a linear travel plan is more efficient and cheaper. Sometimes even a zig zag or small wheel and spoke plan is best. It is really based on what travelers want to see and do, not an arbitrarily chosen shape.