rllbucks1

never been to Europe but planning a trip for April 2016 , there will be three of us, me and my daughter and granddaughter, all adults. Is it doable to have a nice trip to Amsterdam and Scotland ( maybe one or two days in London?) for 12000 dollars? Flying from Kentucky to wherever best to fly from!

janisj

Yes you could do a couple of days in Amsterdam and a week in Scotland. But trying to squeeze Amsterdam, London and Scotland into 10 days would be a huge rush. Especially if you mean 10 days total including the 2.5 days it eats up traveling to/from Europe. Then you lose half a day between A'dam and say Edinburgh. So you are down to 7 usable days on the ground.

So w/ just 10 days you have several options. Just A'dam and London. OR just Scotland. OR A'dam, Edinburgh and maybe one other place in Scotland. OR London and Edinburgh. Or some other combo.

Scotland is a big place so even your whole 10 days would only let you see a small part. Mainly you have to decide what are your "musts"

$12,000 ($4000 each) is doable

BigRuss

Watch your mouth.

It's Amsterdam. No n on the end. Thought you Kentuckians were more genteel than that.

Distances in Scotland are larger than they appear - you're not dealing with Interstate-quality (or -sized) roads so travel is slower than you'd expect from place to place once you leave the twin axes of Glasgow and Edinburgh. You're not going 200 miles in 2.5 hours by car.

And do NOT underestimate the size and scope of London. Other than NYC, London is twice the size of any city in the US or Canada. It makes Chicago a large town and Louisville a hamlet.

PalenQ

London may be huge but its main sights are mainly in a compact area which in two days if need be can whet your appetite for a return but try to add a few more days to your trip if including London or as janis says chose Amsterdam or London and Scotland and that still is not much time but Amsterdam is a lot smaller city though still large and its main sights are in a very compact area. You could take a ferry from northern England I believe - Newcastle to Amsterdam (or to its closest North Sea port then by bus or train)

BigRuss

<<London may be huge but its main sights are mainly in a compact area>>

Huh?

From the Tower to the Palace to the Brit Museum to the various National Galleries to the disparate Tates (which aren't close together) to Westminster is not a compact area.

PalenQ

depends how you define compact area - I can walk to all of those from say Trafalgar and FYI London has a good tube and bus system. Yes the London metropolis is huge but central London is no less compact in its tourist sights than any city IME - a non-factor - google London Tube and see how long it takes to connect those far-flung sites!

Your area above described is actually only a few square miles tower to Westminster maybe 2 miles of lovely walking along the South Bank - yes all those sights are in a really compact area compared to the huge huge London you make it out to be. Really!

sheila

You could easily do a week in Scotland, two days in Amsterdam. Or three days each city (I, personally wouldn't, but you could)

janisj

The central part of London is enormous w/ more sites and interesting bits than just about any city anywhere. 2 days will let one visit at most 4 or 5 of the major sites and leave no time for the VAST number of other important sites or any little 'interesting, off the beaten path things' To say otherwise is just a disservice to anyone looking for advice.

<B> rllbucks1: </B> What you can/should do mainly depends on your personal wish lists and <i>why</i> you picked those specific places.

For instance -- 'Scotland' - What dd you have in mind? Edinburgh? Or Glasgow, Or the Highlands? Or searching for ancestors? or Or any number of other reasons for visiting Scotland. If, on the other hand you don't have specific reasons/places -- then the first thing you need to do is check out some guide books.