Rail tickets
 

Should I buy a weekly, monthly ticket of buy trips separately for each leg of our trip? I will be traveling from London to Amsterdam and then several other cities. It will be 1 adult and 1 teenager. We could also use suggestions of where to go and where to stay as well as what web sites to use to book travel. Also, if you think it is worth it to pay extra for higher class of service on the trains. thanks so much!

That's a tall order. I'll start with the easy one, the last question -- yes I do if it is a long trip of maybe 3 hours or more, assuming the difference isn't that great, which it usually isn't on the trains I book. It isn't remotely necessary, so it's completely up to you and how you value that extra money and what types of things you prefer to spend on. I like comfort in travel, but don't care at all about expensive food, for example. Other people don't mind spending 100 euro on a dinner but will spend 1-2 hours taking various subway/metro lines instead of spending 20 euro more on a taxi. Just do whatever you want with your money as there isn't any "logical" answer, of course, second class is perfectly decent in any train in Europe, you aren't thrown in with the chickens or anything, and you have a seat.

There are websites with info where you can plug in your trips and see if a railpass makes sense, from what you said, I seriously doubt it as you aren't even traveling that far, and it sounds like the only major trip is London to Amsterdam. Unless those several other cities are not just minor details or day trips, but you mean going to Rome or Madrid by train. Which I wouldn't recommend.

What kind of rail ticket are you even talking about, I've never heard of a weekly one for anything except within a city.

AS for websites, I usually use an airline or hotel's own website to book travel. I use www.itasoftware.com and www.kayak.com to figure out the flights I might want. I use the internet (eg, Tripadvisor, a city's tourism website, www.booking.com), guidebooks, etc. to review hotels. Some websites with a broad array of hotels in all countries are www.booking.com and www.venere.com. And of course Expedia, but I think they make you prepay. www.hotels.com is similar to Expedia, it seems to me.

>> . . . and then several other cities.<<

>>We could also use suggestions of where to go and where to stay as well as what web sites to use to book travel<<

OK - you REALLY need to give more info. What are you asking -- where to stay/what to see anywhere in Europe??? That is impossible to answer. or are you just asking about London and Amsterdam?

>>what web sites to use to book travel.<<

What sorts of travel - Hotels? Airfares? Trains? Sightseeing?

Tell us something (anything) like how long is the trip? When is the trip? What sorts of things do you want to do?

As it is, it isn't at all clear what info you need.

Yes indeedy where are you going by train or public transportation I gather?

Makes a difference whether any kind of Pass or whatever comes into play. To get started understanding the fantastic European rail system I always spotlight these fine sites to begin with: www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com.

We will be in London July 3-5, then taking the train and ferry to Amsterdam July 5. From there we haven't planned what we will do. I've never been to Amsterdam or other cities in Europe except for Ireland and England, so I'm flying by the seat of my pants here. I have suggestions from several friends, but am looking for advice from others. My friends and family members haven't been to Europe in over a decade, so their info is out of date I would think.

I will be traveling with my 15 year old son, so we definitely need separate beds in hotels. That has sometimes been difficult to find as many web sites assume that 2 guests = married couple in the same bed rather that mother and son needing 2 separate beds.

I would appreciate any advice regarding transportation, hotels, things to do, etc. I have travelled a lot to other places, so I'm not a total neophyte, but this area is new to me. Also, I don't like places that are noisy or too crowded. I don't mind big cities, but wouldn't enjoy a day at Disneylad where there are long lines and big crowds, for example.

We will return to London July 21 , so between July 5-July 21 is open. We will definitely go to Amsterdam. Other than that, I haven't decided.

Any good ides will be appreciated greatly!