14 Days in Europe with my son - Need itenerary guidance

Kristy:
You may be underestimating the distances between the cities in Western Europe. Your first and last days in Europe will be wasted getting settled and getting to the airport. Every day you move will be an unproductive day.
You could fly into Paris, but it's a minimum 4 day destination.
The fast train will get you into Amsterdam--another 4 day destination.
You could fly inexpensively on EasyJet from Schipol Airport to Venice for 2 days.
Then take a train up to Munich for the rest of your time. Munich is a great large city with much to see, including Dachau, Imperial Palaces, great museums and parks.

Munich is also a great place to fly home from.
Sorry but that's about all the time you'll have to properly see these great cities.

David's flight suggestion is pretty clever; I like that solution, even though it skips Switzerland. Unless you can add a week to the trip, I agree that you have to cut something.

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. How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it.

Car rentals booked in advance often cost the same for 1, 2, or 3 days. You'd have to shop around to find a good price for just one day, or hope for a last-minute deal on an "unsold" car.

kristy Autobahn is German for highway. Driving the autobahn is like driving the interstate anywhere in the US. It is not wide open devil-may-care speedway. There are only a few stretches with unlimited speed, and even then, its hard to say that its worth the time out of your too short trip. You don't have enough time to visit 7 major destinations in one trip and see more than rail stations and hotel rooms. Maybe time for lunch. Think of it as if you were visiting the US and your itinerary was NYC, Boston, Washington DC, Cincinnati, the Smoky Mountains, Miami and back to Cincinnati.

If your son is particularly interested in the Third Reich, I would suggest staying in Nuremberg. As well as a very in-depth exhibition on the Trials, there's also a large exhibition on Nazi history in general in one building of the old Nazi assembly grounds, which is well worth visiting.

In general, I'd say there's enough in Bavaria to fill two weeks, with one week staying in Munich and one in Nuremberg. Leave the rest of Europe for other potential trips.

For me Amsterdam is 2 days and Paris 3 days (minimums to make the effort worth while). Then after Nuremberg ( you realize it's almost a total reconstruction don't you?) I might be inclined to head east to Krakow then Budapest. Actually I would replace Amsterdam with Prague, it's a better night life town these days and very relevant to the subject.

If you are still looking for suggestions, I agree with Phillip, stay in Germany the whole time. In Munich you could tour the BMW factory and museum. Consider taking one of the bike tours in RS' book on your first day. Great history lesson and you get ideas on what to explore more.

If you feel you really need to add another country, maybe consider flying into Zurich and train down to Gimmelwald / Interlaken for a few days. Then train to Germany for the rest of the trip. Frankfurt also easy to fly out of with several US non-stop destinations.

Have Fun!

Scott

Kristy,

You may want to check the age of rental drivers in Europe...don't think he's old enough.

If your sun also wants to find a bit of night life, then go to Berlin after Nuremberg. You can combine fascinating info on WWII and a great city. There is plenty there for both of you. You could from there go to Amsterdam. You can get a lovely taste of Amsterdam in a long weekend. Also, you should travel with the idea that both of you will go back at sometime--maybe not together--but you'll be back. :)

Pam

I'd also add that locals have posted here that speeding on the autobahn is simply no longer possible because of the proliferation of cars in recent years. If you want spectaculare natural scenery, head for the Rockies (Canadian or American), the Colorado Plateau, really anywhere west of the cornbelt. Europe is picturesque - focus on that which the U.S. does not have.

I like the suggestions to eliminate Paris (and maybe Amsterdam) and add Prague. Terezin is well worth a visit and an easy day trip.

If you or your son is at all interested in the Third Reich, check out a site known as thirdreichruins.com. It has then and now photos of many of the places you go. TC

I'd also add that locals have posted here that speeding on the autobahn is simply no longer possible because of the proliferation of cars in recent years.

As a local: that's simply not true, but many people on this board only visit the most busy parts of Germany (Munich, Frankfurt, Rhine region, Stuttgart), where speeding is indeed almost impossible. See other parts of the country and you can drive flat out.