I’ve been on the forum before and have always played with ideas for a European trip using a week off of work. I have recently expanded that thinking to the possibility of a 2 week trip. I don’t get much time off of work and I only get to travel once every 3-4 years maybe, so I obviously want to see as much as I can when I can. Here is the idea for the itinerary:
Day 1: Catch a red eye flight to Amsterdam from the United States
Day 2: Arrive early. Get from airport to hotel and get checked in. At some point in the day figure out how to find the IAmsterdam statue for a quick photo. Maybe catch a coffee shop at some point in the day, depending how much time I got after going through customs and getting into the city.
Day 3: This is basically the busy day. In the morning, I’ll go to the Anne Frank house as early as possible and then check out the Jordaan area. In the afternoon, I’ll check out the Rijksmuseum. I can also use this time to see a coffee shop if I didn’t see one the day before, though having more time for lunch and the museum seems more appealing. That night, take a walk through the historic red light district, eat some dinner, and get ready for my flight the next morning.
Day 4: Fly to Munich and get checked into my hotel. Explore and wander Munich the rest of the day.
Day 5: Full day in Munich to see everything I didn’t see the day before. Goal is basically to catch the Viktualienmarkt, Hofbräuhaus, Marienplatz, and St. Peter’s Church. I think the holy relics and interior of the church itself are both incredible looking. Any other suggestions for these first two days?
Day 6: Day trip to Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau castles. I know the interior of the first one isn’t at incredible as the exterior but it’s too memorable of a castle not to see at least once. Definitely want to see it from the famous vantage point.
Day 7: Day trip to Rothenburg. I would love to check out the medieval German town and enjoy the Bavarian setting. I think there are tours that take you here and a few other places from Munich in a day?
Day 8: Day trip to Nuremberg. Basically for the same reason as Rothenburg, I really want to see and experience some fun German/Bavarian stuff while based in Munich and I feel like visiting historical Nuremberg and Rothenburg can both offer that.
Day 9: Take the train(s) and basically spend the day going from Munich to the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland. I will be staying in Wengen.
Day 10-11: Spend two full days hiking and exploring the town of Lauterbrunnen. Maybe I’ll do that train ride to “the top of Europe.” It seems pretty pricy. Is it worth it for the experience?
Day 12: Take the train from Wengen to Lucerne. Arrive early and explore the town. I definitely want to check out the bridge and the lion statue.
Day 13-14: Depending on how long it will take to fly home, I may just take two days. Some of the flights I looked at seem to take 18-21 hours to fly home. With work and rest in mind, I’ll probably just spend 2 days and not rush the process of getting back home and then preparing for work.
Ok well if you read all of that, thank you so much! That was my 2 week idea through Europe. Does it seem realistic? Should I spend some of the days differently? I would like to see the 3 countries but would it be better to limit it to two for the two weeks? Any thoughts or recommendations would be super appreciated :)
It is also worth noting these 2 weeks can happen anytime of the year. Preferably when crowds are fewer, prices are lower, and the weather is more pleasant.