Robespierre

London to Amsterdam: www.dutchflyer.co.uk

Finding a hotel: you can do it beforehand on line, or at the Tourist Information stand at the rail station when you arrive. Almost the same time consumed, and the latter is much more flexible (I think I'll stay another day - I didn't get to see all of [blank]&quot.

HovsWorld

Thanks, all this great info is really helping me build my trip... please keep it coming!

Any suggestions on hotels or areas for each city (London, Amsterdam, and Paris)?

I normally don't like over-commercial hotels. I prefer the boutique ones but more important, something near all the action, lower-to-medium end. After all I only plan to sleep there.

My pals have made a few suggestions...
London= Hyde Park/Knightsbridge/Chelsea?
Amsterdam= ???
Paris= Latin Quarter?

Thanks again to all!

Hov

janisj

You need to tell us your budget

&quot;<i>boutique ones but more important, something near all the action, lower-to-medium end</i>&quot; Isn't a big help. Boutique would indicate high end, but then you say lower end. There are several good districts in al 3 cities and hundreds of possible hotels - so tell us how much you want to spend. Most any city center hotel will be close to the &quot;action&quot; since there is wonderful public transport in all three places.

(Knightsbridge is a generally very high end area - the Latin Qtr has everything from hostels to very high end)

HovsWorld

OK ... $75-150 US per night. I know that some cities will be more than others.

suze

Hotel Kap, Amsterdam
Hotel Monge, Paris

suze

Hovs~ Might as well start thinking in local currency, so that's only:
55-111 euro/night
38-76 GBP/night
...that you're allowing for hotel rooms

PalenQ

For novice travelers considering taking the fabulous European rail system - i always refer you to two excellent sources that will fill you in on everything about railpasses and rail travel: www.ricksteves.com who also lists cheap flights you may say want to substitute for long train journeys and www.budgeteuropetravel.com where you can request their free European Planning &amp; Rail Guide that is a great primer on European trains and railpasses, with travel times, rail maps for each country, etc.

The only railpass you would consider would be a Eurail Select Pass good for France, Italy and Switzerland

At times online advance specials can beat the cost of a train pass and several Fodorites such as TimS and Morgan B (France) are experts on these and will glady help you.

I prefer railpasses because of their flexibility - with the discounted specials you are locked into a non-changeable and non-refundable ticket usually - railpass can be used anytime on any train. But if you itinerary is set in stone then the discount online may be the way to go - but note that these often seem to cause folks great frustration as many posts have shown.

suze

Oops, sorry I gave the wrong monies since on this particular thread I see you're going to Switzerland (CHF) plus Venice/Paris (euro). Or you've changed your mind and are going to London?

janisj

Suze - the OP's current plan is London/Paris/A'dam - so your #s are correct.

HovsWorld: $75-$150 isn't going to get you &quot;boutique&quot; in any of those cities ($75 will barely get you anything in London but is doable in Paris)

suze

With that low of a hotel budget &amp; photography being your goal &amp; only having such a short amount of time... I make a pitch for Paris and Amsterdam only (skip London you can't afford it).

lovisa

For London, look for a hotel in Bloomsbury. It's very central - you can walk to the West End theatre district, Covent Garden or Soho
The Arosfa Hotel is in your price range, but there are many other choices as well:
http://www.arosfalondon.com/

Robespierre

For London, look for a hotel on priceline.com after studying the craft at biddingfortravel.com

$75 will go a lot further if you don't have a need to control where you wind up.

Leely

Just got back yesterday from France. I'm your age and live in SF. In Paris we stayed at Hotel de la Place des Vosges. It's well-located both for traditional sightseeing/photography and walking distance to interesting, lower-priced restaurants, things to do at night, etc.

At the beginning of the trip we stayed in the 6th which was absolutely lovely, but had a slightly older vibe than that end of the 4th nearer to Bastille.

Downside of the Hotel Place des Vosges: it's pretty worn. If you can deal with that, the staff is very friendly (cute girls and the guy working at night is awfully easy on the eyes as well) and the location is great. It will be at the top end of your budget.

http://hotelplacedesvosges.com/

HovsWorld

Again thanks to you all! I guess Boutique means different things in different states and countries!

Also I am taking this vacation as more of a sampler tour, yet I like to see that path less traveled for quaint and uniqie places as well!

I am 36, athletic, single, hetro, require 4-6 hrs of sleep, willing to travel light, be on the go, roll with the moment, and DON'T want to be committed to any hotels and cities per pre-booking if I can help it.

At this point I shall book each a hotel for each city for the first 1-2 night (per city). At tis point I am thinking LONDON (fly into) for 3 days, Amsterdam for 3 days, Paris (fly out of) for 5 days.

OK let me change my budget...you asked how much I wanted to spend... I should have answered $1 because thats all anyone wants to spend, but I answered $75-150... but I guess thats not realistic (i'm so naive I guess) let me change that to $75-$250 per night...there, does that change the demographic? I hope so.

Now I am open to WHERE, WHAT hotels to stay and what areas?

Thanks for all the advice so far! This forum has been really cool, helpful and amazing! I also learned that we all have different traveling styles and we must communicate there as best as possible!

HovsEye

PalenQ

ttt

suze

ok then www.hotelkap.nl in amsterdam

I still don't get the reasoning to book a hotel for only 1 night, when you are staying in a city 3 nights... but whatever.

Also are you still asking us &quot;WHERE&quot; as in which cities to go to? Or do you mean where to go within London, Venice, Geneva, and Paris?

If you plan to figure out hotels upon arrival, I think you need to equip yourself with a good city map and do at least preliminary research to have some vague idea which way to head when you walk out of the train station in a strange city. And I do think the $150 end of your budget is perfectly reasonable (just perhaps not the low end of $75, though possible).

Robespierre

&quot;I still don't get the reasoning to book a hotel for only 1 night, when you are staying in a city 3 nights...&quot;

Flexibility. Suppose he's seen enough in two days and wants to move on - or some other town catches his eye and he'd rather stay there. The possibilities are endless.

HovsWorld

THANK YOU Robespierre!!! You get it! Cool! Again I am flying into LONDON April 21 -then going to AMSTERDAM-Then PARIS..and flying out of Paris My 4th.

I have 10-11 days and I will break it up according to how I see fit... interest, availability, flexibility...etc etc.

The point of booking for the first night for each city that I will visit is that I am assured to have a place to sleep when I arrive, then I can either stay, go, extend, etc etc ....FLEXIBILITY.

Now from what I read, this IS feasible in April-May yet many posters on here have advised me not too? So are travelers in here conservative and non adventurous or would I be making a huge mistake?

HELP! thats why I am here.

HovsWorld

janisj

Of course you can wing it. I do it all the time. But NOT in major cities like London and Paris. Would you show up in New York City w/o a firm hotel booking for your full stay?? I'd assume not. When you end up paying full rack rate for a last minute, walk-up booking - or maybe sleeping on a park bench w/ your expensive camera equipment chained to your side, you'll know which advice was better.

Now the park bench scenario is a stretch - but it does happen. Just one look at the long queues at the tourist offices will tell you how hard it can be find rooms on arrival.

If you don't book ahead you have NO control over how much you will have to pay for a room.

PalenQ

i heartily agree with jainisj - you've save tons of bucks and tons of time by pre-booking your hostels or hotels in peak season at least. And make your travels much easier.

And you can take overnight trains and for about 25 euros get a berth in a couchette and save on hotels and travel time as well.