Hi folks, I'm flying into Amsterdam on a Tuesday and want to arrive in Barcelona on the Saturday, so want to spend a few days travelling, mostly by train. Thinking of going into the west of Germany and then travel to the South of France, spending a few nights here and there, looking for ideas of where to stopover on the main rail routes, but would prefer smaller towns than the big cities, to get a real feel for the countries, any suggestions would be appreciated...
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16894 posts
Will you stay in Amsterdam for a few days at the start? Note that these trains can be expensive, so I'd want to make the travel "count" by spending quality time at places of interest to you. Lay the following timings down on a calendar and check how much time it allows you to see each destination.
As an example, you can travel from Amsterdam via Germany to Colmar, France in 7.25 hours with 2 or 3 connections, and reservations not necessarily required. (Thalys and TGV trains via Paris are only sold with reservations, as are the remainder of your trains through France.) Since that train route takes all day, you'd have to spend at least 2 nights in Colmar to see the highlights of the town. On another day you could travel from Colmar to Nimes in 5 hours, and another day from Nimes to Barcelona in 3.5 hours; other parts of the south of France could take longer.
How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it. FYI, you can fly from Amsterdam to Barcelona for about $50; see www.skyscanner.com.