planning a 2 week vac starting in amsterdam and eurailing thru europe
 

any suggestion on places to stay, how long to stay etc. was thinking 2 nights in amsterdam, them eurorail to ea destination. countries i want to see austria, germany lots of switerland and possibly fly bk home out of italy any places you know to stay or any itnerary would be sooo helpful i will be traveling alone (female) thanks

This is a really open-ended question, so hard to give much detailed advice. So much depends on your interests, how much time you have, budget, etc.

Some basic advice though:

More than 2 nights in Amsterdam. It is a wonderful city with a lot to see. Two nights will only allow you to barely scratch the surface. Slow it down (in general) and you will have a better trip, I think.

Speaking of slowing things down - I know the first inclination is to see as many places as possible, but I think that less is more in this case. Pick some places that you really want to see and give yourself some flexibility. Remember that everytime you move, you will loose time - generally at least half a day, maybe more depending on distances/time involved in the move. So if you go to fewer places, you will actually have more time for sightseeing, hanging out, etc. Also, moving costs money - transportation costs, maybe more expensive food on the train, etc.

For train travel - each country has its own rail service, so "eurorail" is really a misnomer. You can get a eurail pass, which is probably what you are talking about. Being young (under 26?) you can get discount passes, which may make it worth the money for the pass, esspecially with the flexibility it allows. Once you have a basic itinerary though, you can price out point-to-point tickets and decide if the pass makes sense or not.

For Switzerland the Interlaken/Jungfrau Region to me is the highpoint of Switzerland - the Alpine Valhalla etched in our minds' eyes - spent 3 days or so there and from there it is a short enough shot to Italy - try to arrange open-jaw air - fly into Amsterdam and out of Rome, etc.

Anyway for loads of great info on European trains I always spotlight these IMo fantastic info-laden sites - www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter's free and excellent IMo European Planning & Rail Guide (http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/si...s/rg011210.pdf) for lots of sample rail itineraries in countries you indicate an interest in.

Hopping overnight trains can relocated you quickly and save also on the cost of a hotel night.

I applaud your iea of seing lots of Switzerland - but you should know that is' probably the most expensive country ineurope. (For instance - on the Micey D meter - the $8 MacMeal in the US is no about $19 in Switzerland - with everything else price equivalently).

You haen;t said what your budget if - but going to Switz - and moving to a lot of differnt countries - is likely to take a big chunck out of it.

AND, in 2 weeks you will have trouble seeing a lot of Switz, never mind anyplace else.

Amsterdam - 3 nights
overnight train to Munich
Munich 3 nights - including one day trip to Salzburg, austria (1.5 hr each way)
Switzerland - Interlaken area 4 nights
train to Venice - 3 nights, fly out of Venice.

A not unreasonable itinerary for one who understandably wants to see as much as possible. And a Eurail Select Saverpass could be a good deal - first class travel in Netherlands, Germany, Austria and to Venice - just hop on any train anytime (except Italian portion and overnight trains which must be booked ahead and with a pass I always have esily done as I go along.