AnnPA

Hi,

I"m going to London, Paris and Brussels for 2 weeks in late April. Any advice on how to plan for the 3 cities within the 2 week time frame. I'm still in the early stage, excited and nervous!

Thanks!

suze

Sounds like a great trip! Some people love to plan every detail in advance. For myself I just like to go.

Make sure you have good city maps. Some people use the internet, some hard copy guidebooks, or know you can usually find information at tourist information booths and train stations once you arrive.

Pack light (really important especially when traveling solo, since you've no one to watch your bag in airports, train stations).

Make sure you have your passport and sources of money in order (again more important when you don't have a travel companion to fall back on).

Have FUN!

Kathie

Plan to fly into one city and out of another. London-Paris is so easy on the Eurostar, it makes sense to do it as (fly into) London-Paris-Brussels (fly out of). Or, you could do the reverse. And trains between destinations make the most sense. If you know your schedule, you can buy tickets in advance and save money.

I know of people who plan out each day - I much prefer to have a list of things I want to do and to cluster them by area. I always have many more ideas of places to visit than there is time, but having lots of things on my list means I can be flexible - it it rains today, do museums, then when the sun comes out, visit gardens. Paris and London will need more time than Brussels. How many nights do you have in Europe?

AnnPA

Thank you, Suze! I'm not a big planner, so your reply is comforting...

suze

I've only been to Europe 5 times, but every trip was a great success. You only need to plan ahead or in great detail if there's things that would ruin the trip for you if you missed out on seeing them. I have nothing like that, I just go.

AnnPA

Thank you, Kathie! I have a total of 15 days including flying time. Trying to book flight to London this week. Your suggestion of flying out from Brussels is a great ideal! I will check it out.

AnnPA

Suze, your 5 trips were solo too?

suze

Yes and no. I have a dear friend who lives in Switzerland so each trip I visit with her for part of my time, then continue to another city or two on my own. I have been solo in Amsterdam and Venice. And traveled with a friend another trip for Venice and Paris (although we split up so sometimes was solo for a day because of different interests).

AnnPA

That sounds great, a combination of solo and with company!

suze

Yes I'm lucky very with those connections.

But I would go to Europe alone again in a heartbeat, given the time and opportunity. I LOVE to travel solo (my most recent trips in the past couple years have been two weeks at a time, solo in Puerto Vallarta Mexico).

AnnPA

Sounds inspiring!

suze

I know you want to do some specific trip planning, but that's the great thing about going solo. You can do whatever YOU want to do!

skiobx

Hey there, I was just in London with some girlfriends for a quick three days….One of the best thing was hire a guide Glen, from Gren Tours www.grentours.co.uk -- who was excellent. We told him in advance what we wanted him to show us and what we were going to see on our own. He gave us great tips for our own touring and he was excellent when he took us out. He is extremely knowledgable and funny - we learned so much and would not have appreciated half of what we saw, had we not had him. Hope this helps.

kja

I'm another woman who travels solo and loves it! (16 international trips to date, averaging about 3.5 weeks each, to Europe and Asia and elsewhere.)

The best advice I can provide is to get at least one really good guidebook (I'm partial to the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet series) -- you'll learn things you never even knew to ask!

AnnPA

Thanks skiobx! That's a great idea. I just checked the web site. Should I contact him from the web site?

AnnPA

Thanks kja. I'm googling for Rough Guide and Lonely Planet series now... And 16 trips! Very encouraging!

kja

There are Fodorites with MUCH more travel behind them than I! It can be addicting. ;-)

nytraveler

With that itinerary you will be taking the eurostar and it's important to buy tickets as soon as possible. If you wait until the last minute the price can be double or triple.

I agree when I travel alone (usually vacation days tacked onto a business trip) I like to avoid committing to more than flights and hotels in advance,

One thing I always do is stay at a full service hotel so I can dine or have a drink there if I feel like it (especially tiring day or bad weather). It often costs more but for me definitely worth it.

Definitely look at the web sites of each country/city to identify special events you may want to see - and don;t let being alone stop you from doing day trips or dining in nice places.

annw

I've traveled solo many times like a lot of Fodorites and it can make for a great trip!

Agree with getting flights, hotels, etc. booked ahead.

I read multiple reviews on hotels/lodging.

Open jaw air tix work great, though your destinations are pretty close and therefore it's less of an issue.

Eurostar is perfect for your travels!

One thought is to start in the least culturally "challenging" place and work up to the more "foreign" place, which for US folks often means starting in London and going from there.

Absolutely agree with the "pack light" mantra; IMO one carry on and one tote would be ideal. It's not just the plane; it's the trains etc.

Do you want itinerary suggestions or just general thoughts?

AnnPA

Hello all!

I just booked the flight! Flying to London and back from Amsterdam - thanks for the open jaw air suggestion~

Thank you all for your great ideas and now I need to work on the next steps... So I'm thinking London, Paris, stop over in Brussels for a day or two, and finally Amsterdam.

Any itinerary suggestions are welcome!