Europe 21-Day June 18th!

Not on your tour, but I have read enough trip reports over the years to know that everyone reports this as a very special trip. I am so glad you are going!

You can check the trip reports category for previous trip reports and checkout the archives of the scrapbook contest entries to get more ideas about what people have done at various locations.
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/scrapbooks/tour-alum-scrapbooks

We did this tour a few years ago. Know that the tour itinerary can change due to weather and other unexpected circumstances. So, booking a lot of “on your own extras” might involve missing out on some group activity/s. Sometimes group meals could interfere with your reservations. I suggest you don’t book a lot of extra sites. This is an active tour.

We loved every second.

Well you are in for a fantastic trip. We went in May last year. My biggest tip would be to buy tickets to climb the dome in Florence. It is a good idea to buy these tickets in advance. The ticket is a timed entry ticket for the dome, and you also get entry to the bell tower, baptistery, museum (lots of original items in here), and the Santa Reparata (this is under the church, not a tremendous amount to see here but will allow you to skip the long line at the front of the church to enter and see the inside of the church). The climb is 463 steps with a couple spots to stop and catch your breath. The view from the top is awesome.

One other tip for Florence is take time to check out Piazzale Michelangelo. You can walk up, take a cab, or bus. Great view of the city.

Have a incredible trip.

I’m glad you chose to do this tour!! I’d linked my very old Trip Report for this wonderful tour in your other thread.

• I’d recommend you have waterproof rain jackets with a hood.

• Make sure right now you’ve got adequate shoes for long days of walking and if not get them in the next few weeks so you can put some miles in.

• Start on your packing lists. I strongly suggest you go with nothing bigger than a 22” suitcase as you’ll have to manage them yourselves. There is room in the bus storage area for a larger bag, it’s just difficult to manage a bigger bag in some of the locations. If you are not used to packing light just ask…you’ll get more advice than you can believe, lol.

• Plan to take a personal item on the plane to use for a “bus bag” for your rain jacket, water, snacks, guide book, kindle, entertainment, power bank, etc. You can also use this for just 2 days worth of clothing when you go into Venice so you don’t have to get your case on and off the vaporetto and up over the bridges between the vaporetto dock and your hotel. The bridges are actually steps not ramps. It helped me to think about what I would take into Venice ahead of time and make some notes for myself. I put on clean clothes the day we left Reutte (I wear my clothes more than one day) so just took in a spare shirt, clean unders, pjs and toiletries. Your choice of course if you want to being your whole suitcase.

• I use packing cubes to keep me organized as there are a lot of hotel changes on this tour. If you decide to use them and haven’t tried them before, I recommend some trial packs well before your actual packing for the tour!

Where is your last hotel in Paris? The group might have suggestions although I understand the Pullman has awesome views of the Eiffel Tower!

Thank you everyone for your replies!

We are staying at the Pullman in Paris, mainly for the view!

This is our hotel in Amsterdam - https://www.haarlem-hotelsuites.nl/en/suites/hotelsuite-lange-veer-ii/

Another thing I am trying to decide is if I should bring my computer, or if I should purchase a Kindle or Ipad for certain pictures.

When in Switzerland, what was the best path to take on the hiking days? We are two very fit guys so the walk does not bother us at all. I know that we want to do the Shlithorn morning excursion to the top of the mountain for brunch. Did anyone do that?

Thanks for the help!

Nate

To me a computer or regular iPad sounds bulky but I'm just an iPhone photo kind of person. I do have an iPad Mini but I just use it for reading or online stuff, not pictures. I want something that will fit into my purse easily.

I think I had a Kindle when I did this trip but of course just used it to read. When it died the kind enablers here talked me into an iPad Mini which I love as I'm now on my 2nd one!

In Switzerland our guide had an optional excursion where he took us up to the top of the Schilthorn (we each paid) leaving on the early gondola as it was a little cheaper. The bus met us later in the day to take us to Lauterbrunnen so we could go more or less as a group up to Mannlichen to walk to Kleine Scheidegg, then back down to Lauterbrunnen. The Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg hike is flat and pretty easy (I say this as an easy to moderate hiker) so you might want something that is more challenging BUT the views were jaw-dropping.

On a later trip (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) where we were in Switzerland for 3 nights/2 full days some people walked down from the Brig gondola station to Muerren. I think it's also possible to hike down from the Schilthorn station to Muerren. That was way steeper looking that I am skilled at, lol.

Not all guides do an optional excursion but your guide will let you know what they plan and also help you figure out what hikes would be appropriate for your skill level. You don't need to book these things ahead of time.