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-   -   Please help me plan this European vacation (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/please-help-me-plan-this-european-vacation-405698/)

timecop Aug 1st, 2008 09:39 AM

Please help me plan this European vacation
 
My husband and I are planning a trip to Europe in June/July of 2009 for three weeks. We are visiting his sisters in Breda and Paris. My question is what is the best way to plan this travel? While in The Netherlands we would also like to visit Amsterdam.

So the plan is to visit Amsterdam, Breda, Brussels and Paris. Is flying or taking the train the best way to go? We did London, Paris and Vienna back in 2006 and flew to each destination. Someone said that it would have been easier and cheaper if we had taken the train.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.


Christina Aug 1st, 2008 10:06 AM

London, Paris and Vienna are all a decent distance apart, the route between Amsterdam and Paris is not and it's only about four hours total in train trip between the far points. I admit I don't know where Breda is, but gather it is in the Netherlands, which isn't a big country, anyway. So you should definitely do it by train. Brussels is only 1.5 hours from Paris by train, for example.

zeppole Aug 1st, 2008 10:11 AM

Apart from the Grand Place and some museums of special interest, Brussels is an unattractive city and can be done as a day trip from more enchanting places, with the same good food. My favorites are Antwerpen and Gent, but the Belgian tourist board has an informative website with other choices.


timecop Aug 1st, 2008 11:21 AM

Thank you both for your responses. I will probably change Brussels to Ghent.

hetismij Aug 1st, 2008 12:42 PM

Breda is about two hours from Amsterdam by train, less by car, so you could base yourselves in Breda and visit Amsterdam from there. The train will be cheaper than an Amsterdam hotel room, if your sister-in-law can put you up for a while.
Breda is also close to Antwerp, Gent and Brugge. You can also easily visit Den Bosch from there for instance.
Take the train to Paris also.

nytraveler Aug 1st, 2008 04:32 PM

I would do either train or car. (We do lots of road trips.)

It would be easy to land in Amsterdam, see that, pick up a car and head to Breda, see a few smaller place sin Netherlands and then Bruges, Ghent - then drive to Paris and dump the car.

Flying makes no sense at all - the wait in the airport would be longer than the train or car ride.


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