VIsiting Europe help: form Amsterdam to Paris to Italy.
 

Hello,
We are planning a trip for four in Europe. We could start anyway but prefer from AMS first. We will fly back from Italy or Paris. I prefer Venice . Not sure where to start or what to do as far as lodging or train vs flight. Please help.

How long for your trip, when, and what is your lodging budget? Is Venice the only place in Italy you want to visit?

Impossible to help without more information from you?

When is the trip?

How many days?

What sorts of things do you want to see/do?

What is your budget?

and more . . .

Check the big pictures first.

You can quickly find out if you actually have that many flight options by plugging in 6 possible open-jaw itineraries: into AMS back from VCE and back from CDG. Fly into CDG, back from AMS, back from VCE. And finally fly into VCE, back from CDG and back from AMS.

For many people traveling from the US not from the major hubs, the Venice departure is troublesome due to early departures combined with time consuming logistics to get to the airport from Venice.

After looking at cost, scheduled departure and arrival times, layover risks(weather, extremely tight connections at problem airports), avoiding cities with accommodation issues due to major events, I usually don't have that many acceptable flight options left to split my hairs.

I don't know when you are traveling, but for example, the accommodation situation in Amsterdam for the weekend of September 27 is low availabilities with high prices if you could find something, yet availabilities and prices are much better a week before or after. So I crossed out flights that put me in Amsterdam on that weekend.

Switzerland is right between Amsterdam and Venice - hit a place like the Interlaken area for the Jungfruajoch Massif all draped lovingly in ice and glaciers - easy to get to by rail. Cantake an overnight train from Amsterdamn to Zurich then a short train ride to Interlaken which overflows in youth hotels, youth hostels that are great meeting places for younger folk from all over the world - like the ifamous Balmer's Auberge in Interlaken.

If going by train check out these IMO fantastic sites - www.budgeturopetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.

Overnight train saves day travel time and also saves on the cost of an overnight in a hotel/hostel - 4 people could book their own private quad room on the night train - CNL night train run by German Railways and amongst the finest over nighgt trains in Europe IME.

http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/pr...t-travel.shtml

German Railways site talking about the CityNigjhtLiner (CNL) trains you could take between Amsterdam and Zurich (or Munich).

From Amsterdam (Centraal) take the 08:19 THALYS train and you’re in Paris (Gare du Nord) at 11:35. Book soon.

From Paris (Gare de Lyon) take the 19:59 night train and you’re in Venice at 09:30 the next morning. Book your sleeping accommodation as soon as possible - more info at www.seat61.com

Fly home from Venice but realize that flights can be at impossibly early times, hard to get to the airport that early, although a group sharing a taxi wouldn’t be too bad.

1) Amsterdam to Paris starts at €35 at www.thalys.com. It takes just 3h09 by high-speed Thalys train.

2) Paris-Venice by Thello overnight train starts at €35 in 6-berth couchettes, €55 in 4-berth couchettes, or from €145 in a 2-bed sleeper, all per person. Thello isn't the best-quality sleeper train in the world, but take a bottle of wine and a picnic, have fun - see video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfjiaO2lyOw. Book online at http://www.thello.com

3) Or take the daytime train. Paris-Milan from €29 by TGV, with 3 daily departures at 07:49, 10:49, 14:41, book at http://www.loco2.com or http://www.voyages-sncf.com or http://www.capitainetrain.com. It's quite a scenic trip, see video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B09t_WJz_mM

Allow an hour in Milan to change trains and stations (€6 10-min taxi ride to the magnificent Milan Centrale station, a Milan landmark in its own right) then book Milan-Venice from €19 at www.trenitalia.com.

Oh and to get all those discounted fares you often must book as soon as they come on the system- like up to 3 months before and then lock yourself into concrete as they are non-changeable non-refundable and you may not get on every segment so on some long segments may have to pay full price - ouch - a pass makes sense for anyone taking trains all over Europe who does not want to select their trains up to three months in advance.

Cheap prices sound great but their conditions of use have severe restrictions.

Sorry, Just got back from vacation.For the Europe trip, we are planning for end of May or early June for maybe 10 -12 days. Never been to Europe, not sure what to expect or what to do. Should we get a car in any of the place we plan to visit? Change of plan. I think Ams, Paris, and Rome is the choice. Thanks for info on the night train. May consider that option. Please provide any info on restaurant, lodging, things to do . Greatly appreciate.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ite-things.cfm

For 'things to do' in Amsterdam here is a thread I have been working on with lots of inputs from other veteran A'dam travelers.

10-12 days for Amsterdam Paris and Rome? OK if you fly or take an overnight train from Paris to Rome - then you could have 3 full days in Amsterdam - 4 days in Paris and 4 days in Rome - those would be minimums in each IMO.

www.thello.com official site of Paris to Rome overnight trains

Cars are worse than useless in larger european cities. We have done tons of road trips - but that makes sense only if you are touring the countryside and/or visiting several small towns.

Within cities you use public transit and feet and between large cities you use train (or plane if the distance is great enough - IMHO more than 6 or 7 hours on the train to make sense).

In the time you have seeing those 3 cities - with the possibility of a day trip or 2 by train will more than fill your time.

I echo nytraveler's admonition about cars being worse than useless in many European cities - wide swaths of city centres are off-limits to private vehicles - parking can be scarce and cost a ton if found - many city centre hotels do not offer parking on site, etc.

Take Italy for example - Florence in particular - they have signs up indicating the no-go zone for individual vejhicle with cameras there to nab miscreants - many folks report on Fodor's that once they were back home they got expensive tickets in the mail for penetrating, un-kowingly, the no-go zone - the car rental giving the client's address I guess.

Thanks for everyone's help. I don't even want to drive. Probably for first time Europe, I just want to see main attractions. No countryside visits. Am thinking of flying into Rome. Then fly Rome to Paris or a night train. Then train or fly from CDG to AMS.

Then train or fly from CDG to AMS>

thalys trains now do that route in about 3.5 hours all told - recently bought a ticket for 39 euros (www.thalys.com) - cheaper and quicker than flying - flying you have to schlepp out to the airport - wait for boarding, then bags on other end, back into city - very few folks fly Paris to Amsterdam anymore - Thalys tickets for deep discounts however have to booked far in advance and are non-refundable non-changeable so be sure of your time and dates.