3 Weeks Europe Inquiry

I'm so glad for you that you found a way to do this trip with a travel company that will customize the itinerary and provide the assistance you need!

It is a very ambitious itinerary, but I don't see any city on your list that doesn't have at least one bold item, and you may not have another opportunity to see all of this. So stick with it as it is, and as for the non-bold items, play it by ear based on your energy level and enthusiasm level each day.

The only change I would recommend would mean giving up something in bold, but I think if you're in Munich, you should take a side trip to Dachau. I think it is more worthwhile to see that than the castle of Mad King Ludwig.

Have a wonderful trip!

WOW! I say go for it. Yes, ambitious but I think doable. You have certainly done your homework, planned to hit highlights and left yourself wiggle room by prioritizing must sees/dos. I was in just Hamley's last week with my youngest granddaughter. I wish I had known about the exclusive Playmobile set! And, by the way, I love the name you are using to post!

Which sights/sites are a priority and which can be skipped depends on your interests and desires. What appeals to you most about the places and cities that you have on your itinerary? Art, history, culture? Cafe people-watching? Outdoors activities? But generally, it seems like an ambitious list. But as was already pointed out, if you focus on the bolded items, and then decide that day on the others things on your list, that should be good.

Some specific comments:
- You might want at least a couple of hours at the British Museum. Also, for your first, jet-lagged day, spending time walking around outdoors will be better for helping to set your internal clock. So consider maybe visiting the Tower of London that day.
- You have listed some major art museums. Is art something your'e interested in? If so, consider the National Gallery and/or the Portrait Gallery in London (added attraction of being free).
- To our surprise, we ended up spending hours at Les Invalides. If you like military or WWII history, you may too, in which you might be pressed for time for that in Paris, depending on what time you get to Paris (and remember, you'll need to check in to your hotel too)
- Versailles takes a while to get to and from, plus the time you spend there. I would be surprised if you also had time for Sacre Coeur / Montmartre that day. Also, beware Versailles on Tuesdays - extra crowded that day. Not many places to eat there - take a picnic lunch.
- Seine river cruise. Take it at night; Paris is even more beautiful then.
- Consider visiting Musee d'Orsay if you like the Impressionists. In Amsterdam, consider visiting the Van Gogh museum if you like the Impressionists.
- Salzburg - you have a lot planned for Day 14; the Sound of Music sites will take some time. We were not impressed or interested by the salt mines, but so many other people seem to love it.
- Busy day in Venice. I would drop the Accademia unless you really want to see the art; same thing for San Rocco. Plan lots of time for wandering around Venice; the city is the best thing about the city!
- Rome. Trevi Fountain is currently having work done, so not much to see. The Pantheon, you will walk by if you are also visiting Piazza Navona and the Trevi fountain, so you may just visit it whenever you are in the area. Look up info on the Borghese Museum; I love it, particularly the sculptures. I love art, and would pick a visit here over a city tour or the Spanish steps.

I assume your tour agency is arranging tickets to all of the museums that you have on your must-see lists? Otherwise, you will have to factor in lots of time standing in line unless you purchase your tickets ahead of time online.

Enjoy! It looks like a wonderful trip!

There are two Kathe Wolfhart Christmas stores, right across from each other. Both sell basically the same items, one larger then the other and set up differently. My mother enjoyed going through both stores. While in Salzburg, if you get a chance and the restaurant you are eating at has the Salzburg Meringue dessert (Salzburger Nackerl), you may want to try it. Freshly made for each order, meringue over warm, fresh raspberries. You usually need to order it before finishing your meal, can take up to 20 minutes for it to be prepared.
Enjoy.

Thank you to all who have responded thus far - much appreciated!

I did consider Dachau - but ultimately crossed it off the list (again, for timing/budget reasons).

My concern is that it's still "busy" (initial itinerary was even busier - this is take 3). Trying to see if my traveling companions can add a day or two to lessen the go-go nature of the itinerary. (An additional half day here and there might help?)

Good call on the jet lag factor - we did consider putting Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens on the arrival day, but worried that we would not have at least 3 hours at the British Museum - any better way of rearranging the London portion? (I could easily spend two weeks in London.... being a booknerd myself. (Which is why Harry Potter, Peter Pan, and Mary Poppins locations show up on the list - three of my favorite books).

I have a list going of food items to tray - will most certainly add the Austrian dessert!

I did consider doing two separate trips - one to London/Paris/Amsterdam in one trip; then Germany/Austria/Italy in another trip. What kept me from doing it were budget considerations and flight costs. (If someone can figure out a way to do that cheaper and more time, please feel free to tell me how!)

(I could do crowdfunding.... but it's a sticky situation).

Debating on dropping Amsterdam since it's a bit out of the way; but still want to go there.

(My father did a crazy busy itinerary back in the 1970s that took him to 15 cities in a month.... crazy, indeed!)

The Playmobil exclusive to Hamley's can be ordered online with but crazy shipping costs - here is the link: http://www.hamleys.com/playmobil-royal-guard-4577.ir

The Rijksmuseum also has two Playmobil exclusives - one of Vermeer's The Milk Maid and Rembrandt's The Night Watch (can be ordered online too, again crazy shipping costs but more reasonable than Hamley's):
Milk Maid: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/webwinkel/new%C2%A0/Deze-maand/'The-Milkmaid'-Playmobil-?id=14490&lang=en
Night Watch: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/webwinkel/Kids/%E2%80%98The-Night-Watch%E2%80%99-Playmobil?id=14642&lang=en

I had similar concerns about grouping Versailles up with Sacre Coeur/Montmartre (the tour guy suggested that, not me). Will bring that up again during the next discussion.

I wasn't sure about Les Invalides - yes or nay? So far, I'm saying yes.

Seine River cruise at night sounds lovely.

Salzburg - will take another look at that one.

Maybe as suggested, swap out British Museum for Tower of London/Tower Bridge... will look into that too.

Not that you need MORE places to visit, but as you mentioned you're a bit of a booknerd (as am I, and as is my son; I'm also a lawyer). On our last trip to Paris and London, we made sure to see the Code of Hammurabi at the Louvre, revisited the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum, then the Magna Carta at the British Library. I was kind of surprised at how moved I was at seeing those so-important "documents" all in one trip.

Les Invalides - again, depends on your interests. It took us about 10 trips to Paris before we visited, but our daughter really likes Napoleon, and I've become more interested in WWII and the liberation of Paris / France, so Les Invalides (and Napoleon's tomb) filled the bill for both of us.

Versailles and Montmartre on the same day, I guess it kind of depends on how you will get from one place to another. Will you be on a guided tour at that point, with buses from place to place? If so, probably easier. And honestly, if you have to choose between them...I would pick Montmartre. Husband and I first visited Versailles years ago, on separate trips. We visited a couple of years ago, again after numerous other trips to Paris, because the kids (then 14 and 18) had never been, daughter was interested in the site of the Treaty of Versailles. I remembered why I hadn't been back - the palace was mobbed by huge tour groups, inconsiderately pushing aside those of us who were touring on our own; every room was packed. Our son had a panic attack and we just left the building. Obviously, not everyone's experience.

Days 21 and 22. Those have the right amount of things, IMHO. You probably will have had your fill of history / art before the day is over, so will have time to sit at cafes with a glass of wine, or just wander around.

One item you haven't mentioned is lodging. Are your hotels centrally located, so it's easy to get from place to place (or from cafe to cafe?)

I agree about just walking around Venice, as it's a work of art in itself. Unless you really like Medieval art, I would go to the Guggenheim museum there instead of the Academia, though they are both pretty close to each other if you have the time.
I too think doing Versailles and Montmartre in same day is not realistic. With limited time in Paris, I'd drop Versailles.

Congratulations for taking a 'no holds barred' attitude and overcoming any obstacles to forge ahead with your plans. For me, given the time you have, Paris and Amsterdam are a little light on, with Munich and Salzburg a little heavy. However, I guess that just reflects your interests.

4 nts London
3 nts Paris
1 nts Amsterdam
1 night train
3 nts Munich
3 nts Salzburg
2 nts Venice
2 nts Florence
3 nts Rome

I too, suggest the British Museum on your arrival day may be a little too much with possible jet lag.
With the Louvre, Rijksmuseum and Uffizi scheduled, I would also encourage inclusion of The National Gallery in London.

In Paris -- Monet waterlily murals at the Orangerie, painted while his vision was failing. Lines not too bad, very restful to sit on the benches and soak in the colors.

As per suggestions, I swapped out British Museum for Tower of London/Tower Bridge.

I can skip Heilbrunn Palace and Gardens (or just do the gardens) to lighten up the load in Salzburg - not an issue. Mirabell Gardens most likely will be part of the Sound of Music tour (part of the "Do-Re-Mi" segue) so there's some overlap there.

Edit: Heilbrunn Palace's gardens is also featured on the SOM tour - and Mirabell is the starting point. So... I think we might be okay on that front :)

Versailles is a toss-up. (Some in group want to go there, others could care less). I could do for more time in Paris and come back to Versailles on (hopefully) a future visit. Will discuss with group.

Yes, the tour agency is handling the hotel and transportation. (Included: hotel, transportation, admission fees, breakfasts, some dinners, etc).

I compared it to RS's BOE 21, and it seems manageable (9 hotels compared to 11 for RS's). Looking at where I can add an extra half day for two locations - which ones would be recommended? Munich (to do Dachau as recommended above)? Venice? Or is it doable to do Dachau en route between Rothenburg and Munich (and catch a later train to Salzburg)? Then take a later train from Salzburg to Venice and have an extra whole day in Venice?

Salzburg: Is the fortress and the funicular worth the ride (and view)?

Ditched the official Sound of Music tour to do it on our own (expensive and not enough time at each location). (Many of the sites overlap in the Old town tour, plus can go up to the fortress and visit Nonnberg on the way down, and take the bus for the Lake District - but I'm okay with missing out the houses and the lake since Mirabell and Heilbrunn are priorities and both are already included).

If we move the Pantheon to Day 20 (for local proximity), is it worth it to see the Circus Maximus? (I took Latin in high school and was fascinated with the whole Roman history aspect of the course... which is why I'm far more interested in Rome and its history than the Greeks and theirs).

Thank you all again for taking the time to reply to those inquiries.

Circus Maximum is not much to see, and it is pretty much out of the way. But it is historic. Look up images on Google, and see what you think. I would put it on a list of "take a look at if you have time."

The Tower of London is such a big part of English history, I hate to hear that you've now taken it off your list. But if you're big on art, it may/must be worth it to you to be able to visit the National Gallery instead. But actually, ask your tour people. If your city tour is by bus, then that may include a drive past the Circus Maximum - which will probably fullfil your desire to see it.

I don't think you need to add any destinations. If you have 9 already, think of you (and the rest of your group) packing and unpacking 9 times in 23 days. That gets to be tiring and boring real soon.

No worries - Tower of London is still on the list :) (Only swapped that with British Museum in favor of more time at the museum now that we've dropped Shakespeare's Globe).

Will keep Circus on the side - if we have time and energy. Not a biggie if we don't stop there.

I consulted RS's recommended itinerary time for those cities and they seem to be right in line so I think we are OK on that aspect. (I agree that Paris still a bit hectic - the general consensus was to keep Versailles and still go up the hill at Montmartre just for the view - besides the biggies at Versailles, at least for me, are the Hall of Mirrors and the gardens. If we only do those, that's fine with me). If we drop the cruise - or go at night on another day, that's fine with me as well.

One question - some of my family members are concerned about Italy, and safety. Understandable, as right now I have tunnel vision (won't see people coming from the side) as well as night vision issues at dusk (I do better at twilight than at dusk). What would be the trouble spots for me to watch out (hardy har har) for in Italy, and especially Rome? (I've heard about the mopeds and traffic "guidelines"....). One suggested that I bring the collapsible cane (lighter than the regular cane) that indicates that I'm both Deaf and blind/low vision - but that's another item to carry and I've never used it since. What are your thoughts on this?

Do you have a companion with you on the trip, either human or animal? I'd worry about doing Rome without one and or a cane.

Not for the blindsiding vespas as much as the incessant cobblestones and Roman paving stones. They are on the pavements as well as on the roads, and no two are level. I wouldn't want you to go head over heels.

My experience with friends with collapsible canes (you'll want a white one with a red band, I expect) is two fold - people really do respect them and they can be pretty light - hollow aluminum.

Good luck with everything and I am sure you will remember what you experience for many years.

Companion - yes plus I will be traveling with a group of 10-16 individuals of whom half are already aware of my issues.

Cane - I do have the travel version that Nigel mentions - white with a red band - and might bring it even if I don't use it. (Better to bring it and not use it than regret not bringing it, right?)

Made some modifications to the schedule with Option A and B for the Germany section, depending on rail travel (i.e. if they cancel the CNL trip between Amsterdam and Munich).

Thoughts?

Day 0: Departure (overnight flight to London from the US)
Day 1: Arrival; Tower of London/London Bridge
Day 2: Harry Potter Studio Tour (Evening Optional: West End)
Day 3: Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens (Peter Pan statue); Buckingham Palace (just for the Changing of Guard), London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben (nighttime photo). Optional: Harrod's
Day 4: St Paul Cathedral, British Museum (stop at Hamleys)
Day 5: Morning: Eurostar to Paris (stop at King's Cross Station for photo op at Platform 9 3/4 before St Pancras); Afternoon: Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, Seine River Cruise
Day 6: Versailles, Sacre Coeur/Montmartre
Day 7: Notre Dame, Luxembourg Gardens (picnic lunch), Louvre (open til 9ish on W and F)
Day 8: Morning: Les Invalides Afternoon Departure to Amsterdam.
Day 9: City tour, Canal boat ride, Anne Frank House,
Day 10: Rijksmuseum, Transfer

Two Options for Day 10-14 (depending on CNL still being around or not)

Option A: Overnight train to Munich
Day 11: Munich (Marienplatz, Glockenspiel, Victuallienmarkt, Hofbrauhaus)
Day 12: day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau Castle
Day 13: Munich (or day trip to Nuremberg? Another town?)
Day 14: Morning in Munich (suggestions?) Afternoon transfer to Salzburg

Option B: Evening train to Braubach (thanks, Russ, for the suggestion!)
Day 11: KD cruise, Marksburg castle, transfer to Munich in evening
Day 12: Munich
Day 13: day trip to N'stein and H'gau castles
Day 14: Munich, afternoon/evening transfer to Salzburg

Back to regular scheduled programming:

Day 15: Salzburg: city tour including Sound of Music sites, Old Market, Mirabell Gardens, walk up to fortress?
Day 16: Salzbergwerk salt mines, Heilbrunn Palace/Gardens
Day 17: Train to Venice; vaporetto ride through Grand Canal
Day 18: Doges Palace/Bridge of Sighs, Rialto Bridge, St Marks bell tower, and St Marks basilica (Extras: Galleria d'Accademia, Scuola Grande di San Rocco)
Day 19: Depart to Florence; Giotto's bell tower, Duomo, Bapistery, Academia
Day 20: Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Uffizi, Basilica di Santa Croce
Day 21: Depart to Rome, city tour including Spanish steps, Trevi fountain, Piazza Navona, Pantheon
Day 22: Coliseum, Forum, (Circus Maximus if we have time/energy)
Day 23: Vatican City, St Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums
Day 24: Depart for the US

For Paris, which day should I put a Look-See of the Arc de Triomphe? (Don't need to go up as we are already going up Eiffel).
Would love an extra day or two - if I can manage, where should those "extra time" go? (Existing cities only, please! :)

Future Trips:
Prague, Vienna, Budapest
Switzerland
More of London
Fjords of Norway (cruise?)

Great. I'm coming with you !!