Visiting amsterdam, paris, Switzerland and Germany in one week
Apr 26th, 2014, 06:28 AM
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Visiting amsterdam, paris, Switzerland and Germany in one week
Hi - I am planning a trip for my husband and Myself to visit amsterdam, paris, Switzerland and germay in one week. I know it may sound like a lot to do in a short period of time but its all the time we have and we really want to see all those places. We arrive in amsterdam on a Friday afternoon. The places we want to spend the most time are paris and Switzerland. Does anyone have suggestions on how to work this trip into an order that makes sense, and will allow us to see as much as possible? In paris we want to see all the main tourist attractions, but realize we may have to sacrifice things that take up a lot of time (like the louvre). In Switzerland, we want to see the lakes and mountains and the picturesque countryside. I am thinking of Lucerne. In Germany, we would like to see Munich. My thoughts right now are one day in amsterdam, train to paris, two days there, train to Switzerland, two days there, train to Munich. Any suggestions on itineraries, train ideas, switching the order to maximize our time in each country, etc would be great.
Apr 26th, 2014, 07:14 AM
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Where are you coming from? Is jet lag likely to be a problem?
Arriving Amsterdam on a Friday afternoon - how late?
A day in Amsterdam presumably means leaving on Saturday afternoon for Paris. As ImDonehere says look at the travelling times between your chosen destinations, adding on getting to and from hotels. Make a list of what is really important to you, and then slim your wish list somewhat. If you have already booked flights that affects what you can miss, but you could for instance just get straight on a train to Paris, and skip Amsterdam.
All those places will still be here in years to come, and you will enjoy them all more for giving them a little more time, over a couple of visits.
Arriving Amsterdam on a Friday afternoon - how late?
A day in Amsterdam presumably means leaving on Saturday afternoon for Paris. As ImDonehere says look at the travelling times between your chosen destinations, adding on getting to and from hotels. Make a list of what is really important to you, and then slim your wish list somewhat. If you have already booked flights that affects what you can miss, but you could for instance just get straight on a train to Paris, and skip Amsterdam.
All those places will still be here in years to come, and you will enjoy them all more for giving them a little more time, over a couple of visits.
Apr 26th, 2014, 07:20 AM
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If you actually want to see anything in any of those places, you need to stop and choose a maximum of two places. The trip you have outlined would mean spending much of your time in transit from one place to another and not much time in any place to get to see/do/experience. As hetismij2 says, all of these places will still be there next year, and you can choose one or two more places to visit then.
Apr 26th, 2014, 08:10 AM
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Do you actually want to see those places or do you only want to be able to say you've been there? A lot of time will be wasted going from one city to the next. Sure, you can do it, but it will not be fun.
One day in Amsterdam? Seeing what? Anne Frank's House or Rijksmuseum or something else? A quick boat tour on the canals, maybe? You certainly won't have time for anything more.
You want to see "all the main tourist attractions" in Paris, but that would take at least three days, even if you skip the Louvre. Of course, if you only want to see the outside and not go inside places like Notre Dame or go up in the Eiffel Tower, you could rush by those sites in a single day.
I've never been to Lucerne (at least not that I can remember)so I can't comment on it. Switzerland does have a lot of really beautiful mountains, but it's an expensive country.
Why Munich? What is there to see in Munich?
One day in Amsterdam? Seeing what? Anne Frank's House or Rijksmuseum or something else? A quick boat tour on the canals, maybe? You certainly won't have time for anything more.
You want to see "all the main tourist attractions" in Paris, but that would take at least three days, even if you skip the Louvre. Of course, if you only want to see the outside and not go inside places like Notre Dame or go up in the Eiffel Tower, you could rush by those sites in a single day.
I've never been to Lucerne (at least not that I can remember)so I can't comment on it. Switzerland does have a lot of really beautiful mountains, but it's an expensive country.
Why Munich? What is there to see in Munich?
Apr 26th, 2014, 08:19 AM
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If I had only 1 week, I would never waste half of it in hotel receptions (check in/check out), airport terminals, planes, railway stations, trains, and taxis resp citybuses between hotels and airports/railway stations.
The remaining 4 days might just be sufficient for a somewhat decent visit of Paris.
If you can sleeep in overnight trains, you could go by sleeping car from Amsterdam to Zurich, by evening TGV from Basel dp 18.34 to Paris and finally by sleeping car from Paris to Munich.
The remaining 4 days might just be sufficient for a somewhat decent visit of Paris.
If you can sleeep in overnight trains, you could go by sleeping car from Amsterdam to Zurich, by evening TGV from Basel dp 18.34 to Paris and finally by sleeping car from Paris to Munich.
Apr 26th, 2014, 08:26 AM
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Switching the order depends on what city you're flying home from. If you haven't booked your flights then you're open to any order. Looking at a map, a loop makes sense.
If this were my trip, here's how I would handle it.
Friday - arrive Amsterdam.
Saturday - Amsterdam - Take a night train to Munich, depart 20:31, arrive 7:10.
Sunday - Munich
Monday - Munich morning - afternoon take a train to Lucerne. There's a 12:33 connecting in Zurich, arriving at 17:49.
Tuesday - Lucerne
Wednesday morning - take a train to Paris
Thursday - Paris
Friday - Paris
Saturday - fly home
You won't be able to see all the main tourist attractions in Paris in the time you have. Choose which ones you want to visit.
I hope you don't return home disappointed that you spent so much time getting to all these places to spend very little time any place.
If this were my trip, here's how I would handle it.
Friday - arrive Amsterdam.
Saturday - Amsterdam - Take a night train to Munich, depart 20:31, arrive 7:10.
Sunday - Munich
Monday - Munich morning - afternoon take a train to Lucerne. There's a 12:33 connecting in Zurich, arriving at 17:49.
Tuesday - Lucerne
Wednesday morning - take a train to Paris
Thursday - Paris
Friday - Paris
Saturday - fly home
You won't be able to see all the main tourist attractions in Paris in the time you have. Choose which ones you want to visit.
I hope you don't return home disappointed that you spent so much time getting to all these places to spend very little time any place.
Apr 26th, 2014, 08:27 AM
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Any suggestions on itineraries, train ideas, switching the order to maximize our time in each country, etc would be great>
Well agreeing that it is an overly ambitious plan - I like to travel fast myself but those places are too far removed from each other to do all in one week - but you ask for train info so check out these superb IMO sites: www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.
neckervd's idea of night trains is about the only way you could do all those - and if you can't sleep on night trains as some can't well...
Well agreeing that it is an overly ambitious plan - I like to travel fast myself but those places are too far removed from each other to do all in one week - but you ask for train info so check out these superb IMO sites: www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.
neckervd's idea of night trains is about the only way you could do all those - and if you can't sleep on night trains as some can't well...
Apr 26th, 2014, 08:40 AM
#10
>>Does anyone have suggestions on how to work this trip into an order that makes sense, and will allow us to see as much as possible? <<
You will see almost nothing but train stations and local transport from the stations to your hotels.
Do you really mean a wee . . . as in 7 days? Then you really have less than 5 days "on the ground. And at least one of those might be a jet lagged fog. Or do you mean 9 days total -- that would give you <u>almost</u> a week to see do things.
A silly waste of a LOT of money to see almost nothing. In 1.5 days in Paris (all you have time for) you will see maybe 10% of the major sites.
You will see almost nothing but train stations and local transport from the stations to your hotels.
Do you really mean a wee . . . as in 7 days? Then you really have less than 5 days "on the ground. And at least one of those might be a jet lagged fog. Or do you mean 9 days total -- that would give you <u>almost</u> a week to see do things.
A silly waste of a LOT of money to see almost nothing. In 1.5 days in Paris (all you have time for) you will see maybe 10% of the major sites.
)
Apr 26th, 2014, 02:32 PM
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yup I agree with janis and others - an impossible itinerary and I understand how first-time folks may think Europe is so small, etc. - but cities like Paris and Amsterdam and Munich you need at least a couple of whole days at a minimum to get more than a quick look over. Cut it down to two places - Amsterdam and Paris or Paris and Switzerland or Amsterdam and Munich, etc. - Anymore is impossible though some organized group tours, which often move at a hectic 'if it's Tuesday it's Belgium' pace so you may want to look into the guided tour where you spend hours on a bus and stop off for a half-day or so here and there.
Apr 26th, 2014, 05:43 PM
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Suggest you lay our days out one by one and then go to bahn.de to look at the train schedules. Figur out time for packing and checking out of hotel, getting to train station, taking train, finding way to new hotel, checking in, unpacking, figuring out where you are.
Then make a list of what sights you want to see in each place. For an idea of how long it takes to see each sight consult a Michelin green guide - which rates sights by stars and tells you how long it will take to see each one (1 hour? 3 hours?) although honestly with your schedule it will be mostly drive-bys and not actual visits inside.
(Just so you understand it would take the entire time you have just to see the major sights of Paris alone.)
Once you lay this out with actual times (not forgetting to check which sights are open which days and hours) I think you will see why this much more resembles the Bataan Death March than a vacation.
Then make a list of what sights you want to see in each place. For an idea of how long it takes to see each sight consult a Michelin green guide - which rates sights by stars and tells you how long it will take to see each one (1 hour? 3 hours?) although honestly with your schedule it will be mostly drive-bys and not actual visits inside.
(Just so you understand it would take the entire time you have just to see the major sights of Paris alone.)
Once you lay this out with actual times (not forgetting to check which sights are open which days and hours) I think you will see why this much more resembles the Bataan Death March than a vacation.
Apr 26th, 2014, 05:59 PM
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If you skip Lucerne you could take the City Line night train from Munich to Paris and trade another day of travel for an additional day in one of the other 3 cities- suggest Fri and Sat night in Amsterdam, Sun overnight train to Munich, Monday and Tuesday night in Munich (you might like a day trip to Garmisch & the Zugsptitz, or Berchtesgaden and the Konigsee plus Eagles Nest, or Fussen and Nueschwanstein), Wednesday overnight train to Paris, stay in Paris until returning home... just a thought. If you take the overnight trains I hope you are not a light sleeper! Have a good trip!!!
Apr 27th, 2014, 09:25 AM
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that's CityNightLIner train or CNL on schedules - a very comfy train and if you go to www.bahn.de/en - the German Railways web site you can score some nifty discounts - and also save on the cost of a night in a hotel to boot!
Apr 27th, 2014, 02:09 PM
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Apr 28th, 2014, 06:10 AM
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If you take the overnight trains I hope you are not a light sleeper! Have a good trip!!!>
I will echo the advice if you are a light sleeper avoid night trains - even this the most modern of them as there is inevitably some noise - at times loud speakers in stations the train stops in at what seems indeterminable amounts of time and of course the noise called friction when the steel wheels go over tracks or screech to halts in stations.
I will echo the advice if you are a light sleeper avoid night trains - even this the most modern of them as there is inevitably some noise - at times loud speakers in stations the train stops in at what seems indeterminable amounts of time and of course the noise called friction when the steel wheels go over tracks or screech to halts in stations.
Apr 28th, 2014, 06:53 AM
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Take Munich and Amsterdam out of the equation. Paris and Switzerland.
It is totally unrealistic, and possibly even impossible as you have outlined it.
You can probably find a tour company that will sell it to you however.
It is totally unrealistic, and possibly even impossible as you have outlined it.
You can probably find a tour company that will sell it to you however.
Apr 28th, 2014, 07:39 AM
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You won't see "as much as possible". You will see very little for the money and time spent.
Since Paris is a major interest, combine it with one of the other places, with a 4/3 split of nights, giving 3/2 days.
If you already have tickets for Amsterdam, then the choice has been made. You will combine Amsterdam with your second city. You could fly from Amsterdam to Munich or Lucerne, or take the train to Paris.
Land in Amsterdam
Amsterdam, spend 3 nights (2 days)
Take the train to Paris (allow at least a half day for train and getting to/ from hotel)
Paris, spend 4 nights (3 days)
I do not see how it would be possible, but if you found you had all you wanted of Amsterdam at the end of the first day, you could do a day trip the second day - lots of nearby options.
Same in Paris. You could do a day trip to Versailles.
If you do not already have tickets, then it could be Paris and Munich, Paris and Lucerne or Munich and Lucerne, depending on flights available. Otherwise, you could spend a lovely week in Germany or Switzerland. You can have anything you want, but not everything.
Since Paris is a major interest, combine it with one of the other places, with a 4/3 split of nights, giving 3/2 days.
If you already have tickets for Amsterdam, then the choice has been made. You will combine Amsterdam with your second city. You could fly from Amsterdam to Munich or Lucerne, or take the train to Paris.
Land in Amsterdam
Amsterdam, spend 3 nights (2 days)
Take the train to Paris (allow at least a half day for train and getting to/ from hotel)
Paris, spend 4 nights (3 days)
I do not see how it would be possible, but if you found you had all you wanted of Amsterdam at the end of the first day, you could do a day trip the second day - lots of nearby options.
Same in Paris. You could do a day trip to Versailles.
If you do not already have tickets, then it could be Paris and Munich, Paris and Lucerne or Munich and Lucerne, depending on flights available. Otherwise, you could spend a lovely week in Germany or Switzerland. You can have anything you want, but not everything.
