We will be in Austria this summer for two weeks with friends and then plan to travel two more weeks in Europe. Our plans are to drive from western Austria to Switzerland for 3 days. Then we will take a train from Interlaken to Paris and stay there 2 days. Train again to Bruge for a day then to Koblenz for 2 days and a Rhine River cruise. Once more a train to Copenhagen for 3 days, then a flight to London for the final leg and a flight home. Is this a realistic itinerary? Are the train plans possible? Any advice would be most welcome.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
You won't see much of anything; and what you do see will be a hazy blur a week after you get home. It can all probably be done by train, but that will be your vacation -- riding trains.
For starters: dump Bruge (since it's a zig-zag) and dump Copenhagen as well (since it's way the heck and gone).
The Rhine cruise; is this a week-long cruise, or just riding the hop on/off boats in the gorge?
How did London pop up? Are you going to spend time in the UK, or is this just a place to catch a plane. Regardless, a train from Paris, Brussels, or A'dam would probably be as fast as a plane.
You need to look at transit times between places and then see if you have any time left over to see what's actually in the spots.
Posted by
OP
Twin Lakes, WI, USA
2 posts
Thank you. This is the kind of feedback that we were looking for. My wife's family is from Denmark so that is a must. So is London because our niece resides there and we'd like to visit her. We will cut out the Rhine River and Bruge. This means traveling to Paris from Switzerland and from Paris to Copenhagen, then London. Comments on the best way to do this would be welcome. If this is still too much, please tell us. We appreciate the help and advice of experienced travelers that are part of this website. We look forward to more comments!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Steve: CPE? Was that supposed to be CPH (IATA) or EKCH (ICAO)?
Roberto: Not sure what exactly you have in mind now, but it sounds like you're thinking about doubling back through Paris, which is probably not a good idea.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5843 posts
If you are trying to connect Switzerland, Paris, London, and Copenhagen then I would suggest the following:
1) Switzerland to Paris (train)
2) Paris to London (train)
3) London to Copenhagen (fly)
4) Fly home from Copenhagen
The train from Paris to Copenhagen will take more than 12 hours. Given the limited time that you have, you are better off flying.
If you already have tickets home from London, then fly from Paris to Copenhagen and then fly from Copenhagen to London.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32349 posts
Roberto,
If you haven't travelled in Europe before, my first suggestion would be to have a look at the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door, especially the chapter on "Rail Skills".
The Itinerary that Laura suggested would work well. However, for the segment from western Austria to Switzerland I'd also recommend travel by train as it will be much faster. Even by "fast train" that trip will take at least 7.5 hours (basically a full day). When checking the route, I used Salzburg as the departure point since I didn't know where you would be starting from in "western Austria". One other thing to keep in mind is that often there's a very steep charge for dropping a rental car in a different country than it was rented.
For the trip from London to Copenhagen, have a look at flights from either LGW or STN using EasyJet, Air Berlin or GermanWings. The flight is about 3 hours and the prices vary (somewhat widely) depending on which flight is selected. EasyJet had some flights listed as low as £28.99 (but as with all "budget airines" be sure to pack light or you'll PAY!).
Be sure to include adequate and realistic travel times between cities into your Itinerary.
Happy travels!