2 weeks in Europe- Where should we go??

I'm not sure why you want to see four countries, just for the sake of being able to say so. If you want to see London, then it's an easy place to start a trip. If you don't want to see London, don't think you have to - fly into Amsterdam or Paris and start there. If you are a country collector (some are), you can do your London-Paris-Amsterdam trip and add Belgium easily, or Luxembourg or Germany with a bit more trouble. Again, I wouldn't do this unless you had a place you actually wanted to see. Belgium is in between Amsterdam and Paris, so you will be passing through anyway. You needn't spend "an entire trip on an airplane" to take one flight - just allow most of a day for this, with packing and checking out, getting to your departure airport in time, flying, getting out of the airport and into town, and checking in and unpacking. While you wouldn't want to do this more than once, a single flight can work well to connect far-flung destinations. If you really want to see Amsterdam and Italy, don't discount the idea of flying between them. Your Madrid to Rome trip is a lot of moving around for 2 weeks. It is doable, however, if you don't mind spending 1 or 2 nights, but not more, in every single place, and taking trains (some short, some lengthy with several changes), every 1-2 days. I'd want to slow down for at least some of those places, but again, if you think you will enjoy an on-the-go trip, go for it. Unfortunately, no one can plan your trip for you, as we all have our favorites, which may not match your taste. Furthermore, you won't know for sure what you like until you see it for yourself. Start by looking at Rick Steves videos on Hulu, and getting guidebooks from the library, to see what interests you.

If you want to see four countries, can you consider renting a car, flying into Paris and then head east towards Luxemburg, Germany, Austria etc? Might be cheaper and less time consuming time spent in airports. We did just that on our first trip of ten days and worked well for us, we did a circle starting and ending in Paris.

Thank you everyone. Considering all of your input, I think we have narrowed it down even more. We are thinking of starting in Amsterdam, spending 3 or 4 days and taking the train over to Paris. From Paris, we will take the overnight train to Venice, and then a train from Venice to Rome. These are really the places we want to see most. Does this itinerary sound too packed for two weeks? I have heard of people regretting trying to fit too much in, however I don't know when I will get another opportunity to go again so I want to get the most out of my time there. How are the overnight trains? Would it be better to fly from Paris to Venice?

I personally think London, Amsterdam, Paris - in any order would be an ideal first trip to Europe.
Whatever you decide, I recommend you do it soon, and start booking flights and hotels. Get the Rick Steves guidebooks for your destinations. All the information you need is there.

Agree with other post. Suggest you fly into London, spend a few days, then over to Paris for a few days and then on to Amsterdam and home from there. If you say two weeks, you need to take out a day for getting there and a day for coming home so that would really be only 12 days, with travel between places this would allow about 3 and half days for each place. Always remember you will go back again.

Thank you for the input. Here is my next question. I don't really have much of a desire to see London, I don't know why. Is there somewhere else that we could add to Paris and Amsterdam that is easy to travel to that we would enjoy instead of London? I would like to see four different countries if possible. Any suggestions?

Jamie, To begin with, I would NOT recommend visiting London this August, as the Olympics will be taking place. Rooms have increased in price, and they're hard to find. My suggestion would be to save London for another trip. With only a VERY short two weeks, it would be a good idea to reduce the number of places you'll be visiting. Keep in mind that you'll arrive in Europe the day AFTER you depart and the last day will be spent on the flight home. Using your first Itinerary as an example, that would allow an average of 2.4 days per stop, with NO allowance for travel times, which in some cases will be substantial. Another point to add to the equation is that August is peak travel season, so it's going to be hot and crowded. Getting around may take longer than you anticipated. As this is your first trip to Europe, I would highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door ASAP. When you've finalized your destinations, use the country-specific Guidebooks to plan sightseeing, hotels, etc. One solution that might work for you would be something like this: Flight to Barcelona (1 day) > Barcelona (3 days) Train to Madrid > Madrid (2 days) Flight to Venice (EasyJet offers flights from MAD to VCE - trip will take the better part 1 day - BOOK EARLY to get the best prices!) > Venice (3 days) Train to Rome (~4 hours) > Rome (4 days) Flight home from FCO Be sure that both of you are wearing Money Belts, as there WILL be pickpockets at work and they're VERY good! When you've decided where you'll be going, the group here will be able to offer more specific advice on train trips, etc. For travel in August, I would suggest getting accommodations booked SOON. Happy travels!

Your new itinerary is much better; you will have 3-4 nights in each city, and actually get to see something, rather than just checking off a list of "must dos." Do be sure to fly into Amsterdam and out of Rome; don't be tempted to use different airports because they're "cheaper." By the time you spend the time and money getting to where you really want to be, it won't be a bargain (particularly on a short trip like yours). The issue of overnight trains is quite divisive. Some love them, as they save sightseeing time and hotel fees. Others hate them, as they can't sleep on a night train, and arrive tired, unshowered, and cranky. You won't know which type you are until you try it. I'd look for the prices and routes of the overnight trains, and compare them with the prices of flights. For flights, be aware of which airports you are using. For Paris, Orly is closer than CDG, but either can work fine; Beauvais is very far from Paris. Similarly, Venice airport (VCE) is close to the city, but Treviso is an hour away. You have to figure in the time and money it takes to get to and from the airports into your calculations. I haven't been keeping up with changes in the night trains, but do be sure you look up the latest, as this is a volatile situation. With more fast day trains, night trains are being eliminated. And monopolies are ending, and new companies are springing up with night routes between some cities. I forget if there even is a night train from Paris to Venice, or only from Paris to Milan, with a day connection to Venice (easy to do if that's the case, but again, you have to buy this separately, so more money).

Since you've whittled it down remember the following: 1.) 14 days is realistically 12. 2.) Jet Lag from LAX can be tough. Be prepared to hit the ground running. 3.) 3 to 4 days in Amsterdam is a 1/3 of your trip. 4.) Whichever itinerary you settle on fly open jaw, into one city out the other. When searching flights use the multiple cities designation. Don't book 2 one way flights. 5.) Visiting Venice in August can disappoint. Crowds will be HUGE! Cruise ships line the harbor. It's also a month of travel for the Venetians. so places can be shuttered. Can also be unbearably hot and occasionally smelly. 6.) If you must visit FLY from Paris to Venice and reserve an accommodation away from St. Marco's plaza. 7.) Unless you reserve tickets in advance for something like the Eiffel Tower you WILL be waiting in line. August is a MAJOR travel month so get used to crowds. 8.) Budget airlines like EasyJet and Ryan Air are absolute on check in times, baggage weight and fly into airports farther from the city centers. Factor that into to you travel times. 9.) As Ken advised get the RS Europe Thru the Backdoor travel guide. VERY useful in helping you formulate an itinerary. 10.) Better act soon on purchasing your tickets. Doubt airfare prices for August are going down. Airlines know it's a month of travel and capitalize on it. "Greed is good."

Claudia has good advice, and you've done hour homework by setting priorities. Great destinations and a very interesting trip. However, your final itinerary, with 4 destinations in 12 days, is awfully cramped, as you suppose. You may regret trying to see too much. Personally I should like another 2 days for your itinerary at least--or one less destination, probably Venice. (I'd go for more time.) Good luck and have fun.

So 14 days to see Amsterdam, Paris, Venice and Rome is not enough? Would 16 days be better? I feel like with the over night train from Paris to Venice would be a time saver as well as a money saver since we won't have to pay for a hotel that night.

Jamie, I missed seeing your Itinerary change when I posted my previous suggestions. Here's a revision based on the last places you mentioned. To answer the question in your last post, YES 16 days would be better. That would give you a full 14 days of touring. > Day 1 - Flight to Amsterdam > Day 2 - Arrive AMS / Schipol (you'll be jet lagged, so probably won't get much touring done). > Day 3 - Amsterdam > Day 4 - Amsterdam > Day 5 - Amsterdam (morning); train to Paris (afternoon). You might consider reducing your time in Amsterdam by one day and add to Paris, as there's SO MUCH more to see and do there. > Day 6 - Paris (I'd suggest a Paris Museum Pass if you plan on seeing any of the main Museums or Galleries, as at the least it will minimize queues) > Day 7 - Paris > Day 8 - Paris > Day 9 - Flight to Venice (I doubt that you'll save much on Hotel bills by taking an overnight train, as you'll still have to pay reservations and Couchette/Sleeper charges. It's also important to make sure there are no changes in the "wee hours" of the morning, or you won't be getting much sleep. IMHO a flight would be a better option. EasyJet offers flights from both CDG and ORY). > Day 10 - Venice > Day 11 - Venice > Day 12 - Venice (morning); train to Rome (afternoon) > Day 13 - Rome > Day 14 - Rome (possible day trip to Orvieto or Ostia Antica) > Day 15 - Rome > Day 16 - Flight back to U.S. from FCO There are many ways this could be arranged, so this is just one suggestion. For travel in August, it would be a good idea to start getting tickets and accommodations booked SOON! Cheers!

I second the comments to fly from Paris to Venice.

Hello Jamie. Do you plan to be away from your home for a total of 14 days ? Or will you be at Europe a total of 14 days ? If you will be away from your home a total of 14 days, I think Ken's plan for your trip is good for you. But, I would eliminate Venice from the itinerary. In August, huge crowds of people are at Venice, you would wait, in the heat, for a ride on a boat bus on the Grand canal. In August, unpleasant odors are emitted from the canals. Instead of going to Venice, I recommend staying at Paris more days, before flying from Paris to Rome. You could go on day trips in France from Paris. I recommend : be at Amsterdam two nights. Be at Paris 6 nights. Be at Rome 4 nights.