dwdvagamundo

To rephrase my original advice: you don't have much time on this trip. If you want to see the Mediterranean, fly into and out of a Mediterranean city, not into Paris and out of Amsterdam. You're ticketed for a northern Europe vacation, so make the most of it: Paris, northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, possible some of northern Germany. You could also train to London and southern England. But as most people above say, in twelve days you only have time to see two or at most three cities, with a couple of day trips.

This will mean lots less moving around and much more seeing some of the most interesting and beautiful parts of Europe.

Unfortunately, you'll be there in the winter so you risk some snow, ice, etc. and also closures for Christmas and New Years. But my spouse has always wanted to go to northern Europe when all the Christmas decorations are up.

Are your train tickets specific for the days you arrive and depart? Are they non-exchangeable? You might be able to revise them to let you stay in Paris/northern France for a few days and then train to Brussels, and then train from Brussels to Amsterdam when you're ready to go there instead of when the flight leaves. Otherwise, having them makes no sense and you should take it up with your travel agent.

Sassafrass

"Having them makes no sense and you should take it up with your travel agent." Great advice!

Travel "Agent" indicates some knowedge. LOL. These "sales" people should be forced to do some of the itineraries they design for their clients.

For the OP. Sometimes overall costs are more when you do not land or depart from cities you want to see. Using up hours and hours just getting from your arrival point to another place and more hours getting to the departure city is costing money by eating up vacation time.

Also, I hope your "travel agent" was booking multi-destination or multi-city, not one-way flights.

It looks like Rome, Venice and Paris were most important to you. Your agent should have booked you into Venice, train to Rome, flight to Paris, home from Paris. If you get bored in three days, you could do day trips.

Peter_S_Aus

To the OP, just do it. My opinion is that it a bit of a horrible trip. You say that after three days you are "bored" with a city, so clearly travel for you is all about getting from place A to place B, not in the reality of being there.

Trains, planes, automobiles, not in being somewhere.

So just go for it, and perhaps include Berlin and London.

PalenQ

And for me too traveling is also fun - cities like Paris are great but fatiguing - seeing the Europe in between mega tourist cities is great too.

More can be less
and Less can be more

but for others more can be more - I'm like you -like to move around and find that as exciting as say staying in a Paris for a week- always something you 'have' to see. Not for everyone for sure but if it feels good do it.

Sarnia

Be very careful about skipping the train ride if they are part of your itinerary. From what I understand about those "air train tickets", they are treated as plane tickets, they will be checked at CDG (there is a separate control area for them) and if you do not take the train you may be considered as a no-show and the rest of your tickets could be canceled (particularly your flight back home). Hopefully you have a different kind of ticket, but be very sure that there is no consequences of not taking the train.
Train to Brussels or not, I would never do your trip, but then I'm not you. As previously advised, remember that to have one day in a city you need 2 nights, and moving from one city to the next will take at least half a day. Night train can be a fun experience, but to my own experience, you don't sleep much, so maybe do one for convenience, but I would not do more than one if you plan to be awake during the very short time you have in each place.

Sassafrass

I told the OP earlier that the train tickets were useless if they were not visiting Brussels. I also said I hoped that not using the train tickets did not negate the plane tickets since they are a package.

Sarnia, you seem to know more about that, so glad you added your knowledge. I thought it might be a possibility, but did not know it was actually likely. Yikes! The OP needs to make absolutely certain about that, and change the tickets if they can or revise their itinerary to include Belgium. If they have to use those train tickets, then the other itinerary goes out the window.

Scootoir

To the OP, as you are planning your itinerary please keep in mind that much will be closed on Christmas and New Years and possibly on the days before or after them. Folks on this board should be able to help you with what will be available to visit.

I have attended some beautiful music programs in churches in December in Paris, London, Basel and Rothenburg. Research before you go as some require tickets.

Sarnia

Sorry Sassafrass I went through all the discussion to see if that had been mentioned and I missed your message. I have seen such train tickets that are considered just as airline tickets in a package. So the OP really need to enquire from his TA whether he risks anything (or not, which would indeed be good news) by not taking the train. If the train ride to Brussels has to happen, then I agree the whole plan needs to be rethought.

angel1

Dear Sarnia, Thank you so much! You are an angel. I enquired with the airline and I will have to do those train journeys. If I don't do, the itinerary change will be costly! This ticket was booked directly with the Airline and not through any agent. I wanted to get to any city in Europe with lowest fare, then plan the rest of the itinerary, and got this one at a cheap rate. I really wonder how can they offer two more legs of journey with 40% lower cost than normal.
So my travel itinerary needs to be re-worked out.
23 morning: Arrive Brussels. Travel same day or next day to Paris.
24,25,26 in Paris
26th Overnight train (Thello) to Venice (Train passes through Switzerland, but if I don't need swiss visa then only I can take train)
27th Morning arrive in Venice. 28 in Venice.
29th morning take train to Rome. Arrive in Rome.
30th, 31st in Rome.
1st/2nd Fly to Brussels.
3rd One day bus tour to Koeln/Amsterdam.
4th Morning, depart to Mumbai via Amsterdam.
I have also enquired about Schengen Visa and I will have to apply to Belgian Embassy. If anybody has more information about visa also, please!

menachem

make sure you sort out the visa stuff with priority. and if you know where you'll be 25th/26th, AND 31st and 1st, make sure that you book restaurants etc, because those may be fully booked where you are. also research beforehand, what will be closed and what open in terms of museums, sights etc.

attending night mass on christmas eve might be an experience you enjoy very much

PalenQ

attending night mass on christmas eve might be an experience you enjoy very much>

In Paris so special- Notre-Dame is the obvious mecca but I wonder how many people they can accommodate and do they ever turn folks away?

Christmas Eve at midnight is the magical time for French Christmas - after mass many go to family meals - on Christmas Day they just kind of lay around or go for walks - no special meals usually.

I was in Paris one Christmas Day and it was packed with folks out - even some museums were open.

angel1

Food is not a problem. We can manage. But we want to cover all the important must-see-experience in Paris during these days. Surely we will attend midnight mass. We have booked a hotel not far away from Notre Dame. We will go up on Eiffel tower, will do a boat trip. One day at Louvre and rest just walking around on the streets. I don't know how the weather will be and whether there will be snow.

StCirq

<<But we want to cover all the important must-see-experience in Paris during these days.>>

But you cannot, in part because there are dozens and dozens of important Paris sites that a lot of people would consider must-sees, and in part because you are going to be there over the Christmas holidays. The Louvre, for example, is closed Christmas Day. City museums will be closed on Mondays. Have you checked to see whether your preferred river cruise will be operating? They often have to cancel cruises if the weather is really inclement.

angel1

Will arrive in Paris on 23rd Dec.evening. 24th at the Louvre and Sein boat trip in the evening. 25th Morning on Eiffel tower. Please suggest plan for 26th.

Whathello

Norte dam. Sainte chapelle. Sacre couer. And dinner at sainte Germaine.

angel1

So now itinerary is:
22nd Arrive in Brussels in the morning.
22 and 23 in Brussels. Visit to Grand Palace and Automium.
23rd Eve By train to Paris.
23,24,25, 26 Paris.
27 Early morning flight from Orly Airport to Venice.
27, 28, 29 Venice.
30th Morning : By train to Rome via short stop in Florence and if possible, Pisa.
30th Eve arrive in Rome. 31,1 in Rome.
2nd Fly to Brussels.
3rd Jan.-Day Trip to Amsterdam/Koeln or other.
4th Morning Train to Amsterdam+flight back to Mumbai.
Your suggestions in inland sight seeing please.

Whathello

22 - 23.
Grand place. And galleries de La reine et du roi.
Le grand sablon. Take a stroll in 'les Marilee's' a popular district.
Atomium : take a train tram or taxi. It is at outskirts of Bruxelles. Close by you have minieurope. Nice esp with kids.
You can squeeze Versailles whilst in Paris.
I recommend Amsterdam above koeln.
Namaste.

Sassafrass

On Jan 3, do not try to do a day trip to Amsterdam. That is completely nuts when you are the next day taking the train back to Amsterdam for the flight home.

Very near Brussels is the picture perfect little city of Bruges. Go there by train for a day, or go to Ghent for 1/2 day and Bruges for 1/2 day. They are very, very short distances apart, and at the pace you go, you could do both. That would be a lovely day for you!

menachem

why not go to Amsterdam one day early? That accomplishes the day trip and makes flying back more relaxed, as you're close to the airport and not dependent on the train service to get there (in winter trains may not be reliable/ late etc)

Sassafrass

It seems the OP booked a flight/rail combo that all must be used in sequence or her flight home would be cancelled.

Her schedule is:
Flight to Paris, train directly to Brussels, and at the end, train from Brussels to Amsterdam, flight home from Amsterdam. To see Paris, she is taking the train back from Brussels to Paris, so, that is, unfortunately, wasted RT train trip.

It was suggested that she use the train ticket from Brussels to go a day early to Amsterdam, so she booked the flight from Rome to Brussels with that plan in mind. It now appears she must use the train ticket on the day originally booked.

She has to plan something now for the days she is back in Brussels, since she has to go there. She needs something nice without using up more time in train stations.
Bruges or Bruges and Ghent. Lovely.