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6-8 weeks thru Europe

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I'm trying to plan a train/driving tour (6-8 weeks) thru parts of Europe including the Amalfi Coast, Budapest, Prague, Vienna, Germany, Switzerland and France. I know it's a large area but this may be my last opportunity. I will probably train thru most areas but drive the Swiss/French portion. Any thoughts on how to approach this from a planning perspective would be appreciated. VRBO's/B&B's will probably be used. At least 5-7 days on the Amalfi Coast and 3-4 days in major cities on the other areas. We've been to Zurich, Lucerne but still want to drive thru parts of Switzerland.

Thanks

If I could ad d

If I could add to this - am I trying to do too much? The Amalfi Coast and France are key areas(looking for my ancestral home). After that Budapest and Prague. Any thoughts?

Posted by
27112 posts

Where do you want to go in France, Germany and Switzerland?

Posted by
16893 posts

From a planning perspective, circle all the possible destinations on a map to find a logical route. You'll usually save time and train tickets by flying into one city and out from another, perhaps the two furthest points, on a "multi-city" flight plan. See related tips at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/itinerary-tips.

All of these destinations can be connected by train (except from Naples to Amalfi). If you could add a smaller-town stop on the way or a daytrip from each big city, you'd get a better feel for each country. Looking Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the Deutsche Bahn train schedule link and tips for using it. Rick’s Train Travel Time & cost Map gives you an overview of faster train travel times in hours, as well as regular (full-price) 2nd-class fares.

Flying is often cheaper for the longer hops, like from Naples to anywhere, unless you have other Italian destinations in mind. www.skyscanner.com can help find the budget airlines.

There can be high fees to pick up and drop off rental cars in different countries, so you may want to drop near a border and continue by train. Geneva airport and Basel/Mulhouse airport each have a designated French side and Swiss side to them.

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