Europe July'11 Itinerary help

If Switzerland and Italy are your must-sees, then consider only visiting those two places - there is plenty to do in three weeks, especially in terms of history, art, architecture, etc. in Italy. But if you want to include another set of cities, then between Netherlands/Belgium and Austria/Czech Republic, it depends on whether you want more gorgeous scenery and some beautiful/cute cities (Austria/Czech Republic), or more culture and history and art (Netherlands/Belgium, assuming your destinations there are Amsterdam, Brussels, maybe Bruges?). Austria is cheaper than Switzerland, especially the food. And while I don't really like Germanic food (which is what you'll find in both places), I like Austrian food better than Swiss. In terms of being gorgeous scenery, I think Austria and Switzerland are equally beautiful. Caveat: We had a rental car in both places, and were able to explore mountain valleys and small towns. I can't speak to places like Lucerne or Interlaken.

But if I have to choose 3-4 days between Austria/Czech R. and Belgium/Netherland? I would choose Austria/Czech R., it is closer to Italy and Switzerland. Austria is cheaper than Italy and especially Switzerland and Czech R. is cheaper than Austria.

You list 7 countries and you have 14 days- assume you visit only 1 city in each country you are probably going to waste 3-4 days travelling between cities, and two days travel to and fom India- that leaves 8 days to see 7 countries. Not realistic. if you really want to see that much, the practical way is to sign up for a 14 day coach tour. Rick has tours as do a number of other companies. As this is a Rick Steves site, why dont you look at his tours and see if there is one that interests you. otherwise cut your plans down to three countries/Cities at the most. which three would they be?

Your question is a bit confusing, as you list a bunch of big/cosmopolitan cities (I would put in that category Paris, Lucern, Rome, Florence, Venice and Vienna), then say that you would like to skip big/cosmopolitan cities. A lot of the art/architecture is located in big/cosmopolitan cities, so if that's a biggie for you, reconsider visiting big cities. When you say backpacking like travel, do you mean that you want to travel light, with a backpack? Do you plan to rent a car? Visiting more rural locations is easier with a car. If you want to skip the big cities, then focus your time on Switzerland and Austria. They of course has big cities, but you could spend your time in places such as Zermatt and Grindelwald (Switzerland) and Salzburg, Hallstat, St. Wolfgang, etc. There you would be able to enjoy scenic places, but not so much art/architecture and history. You could add Prague to that, for some time in a smaller but very beautiful city. You could go to rural Italy, though it would be a bit difficult to do without spending some time in the big/cosmopolitan cities (Rome, Florence, Venice).

Hi Ash. You should do a lot more research before you plan an itinerary. The way your itinerary is now, you have about a day and a half in each city (or country), not including travel time. Since you have 3 weeks, I would recommend concentrating on just one area - the Netherlands, Belgium, and Paris; Switzerland and Italy; or Austria and the Czech Republic.

With the itinerary you show, you won't see much of anything in any city. I realize that you are traveling a very long way and that you want to see so much. But, these kinds of trips are what I call "blink and run for the train" trips. You will see a great deal of the countryside from the many trains that you will be on. You will miss most of the great sights in these great cities. You will barely be unpacked before you need to pack again and head for the train station. Note that in some hotels, B&Bs, etc. they require a minimum 2-night sttay. If you are happy with one day here and one day there, then you have your itinerary. I don't think that posters on this site can help much with this extensive of an itinerary. However, if you are looking for the thoughts of travelers on this board, I would suggest cutting out Netherlands/Belgium and Austria/Czech Republic. That leaves Paris, Switzerland and Italy. You can find way more than enough to fit into 16 days. Plus, you will pay a lot less in train fares. Returning for future vists must always be an option. There's no such thing as a trip of a lifetime.

I've excluded travel days..the above mentioned 14 days are for visiting the cities only. Lexma, fair point, i don't want to skip all the big cities, just trying to balance it somehow, since ,my husband likes scenic places(that's why Switzerland and Austria) & I like hostoric places (thereby Rome & Florence & Paris) .I know it looks like quite a mess that's why i posted it here and your suggestions are more than welcome! All the cities you mention stay in the itinerary. By backpacking i mean travel light and move quickly between cities. I've done 5 cities in 12 days before (Australia/NZ) quite comformatably. Since this is my first visit, and I'm not sure when i would be visiting next, I'd like to cover most of the places rather than sticking to one of the areas. thanks for the suggestion Sarah! We won't be taking cars as I've read parking is quite a hassle. we'd be taking trains around mostly. Rural Italy may not be possible in this trip unfortunately :( Switzerland & Italy are must-see in the visit. James/Larry, I've been thinking of eliminating either Netherlands/Belgium and/or Austria/Czech Republic. But if at all I have to choose between 3-4 days in Netherlands/Belgium or in Austria/Czech, which one should I choose? Also, I've heard that Austria is less touristy and less expensive than Switzerland. Do you recommend I visit both countries or one of them would be fine (being similar in terrain/topography)? Looking forward to your suggestions!

Austria can be less expensive than Switzerland, but having fought plenty of tourist crowds in Innsbruck, Salzburg and Vienna I'm not sure about not as touristy. Do you want to see the Bollywood locations (not jumping to conclusions) because if so Interlaken and the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland is the place. Have a look at Deutsche Bahn and Swiss Rail for travel times by train.

ash, Your proposed Itinerary is very ambitious, but I'm not sure realistic for the time you have available. You've indicated that your time frame is 16-days (excluding travel days), but the stops you listed total 18-days. There's no mention of the travel times between locations, which will often be half a day but sometimes longer. Even for a "blink & run" Itinerary, I'm not sure this is going to be possible? Regarding suggestions for which places to drop, that's really difficult to say as that's a matter of opinion. I'm sure my preferences (and those of others here) will vary from yours. Could you indicate which locations are most important to you? I've included one Itinerary suggestion in the following two replies. Cheers!

ash, Would something like this work for you..... > Day 1 - Arrive Amsterdam - deal with jet lag, minimal touring > Day 2 - Amsterdam touring - afternoon train to Brussels / Bruges > Day 3 - Brussels / Bruges, touring > Day 4 (morning) - train to Paris, touring (you might consider a 2-day Paris Museum Pass) > Day 5 (morning) - train to Interlaken (the trip will be a minimum of 5H:33M with one change) - you might consider staying in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, rather than the city of Interlaken - MUCH more scenic! > Day 6 - Berner Oberland, touring > Day 7 (10:04 departure) - train to Lucerne (the trip will be ~2 hours if you choose a direct train) - Lucerne, touring > Day 8 - Lucerne, touring > Day 9 - (morning) - train to Salzburg (the trip will be a minimum of 6H:23M with one change) - touring. I really don't think you have time for Zermatt, as it's a bit "off the beaten track". > Day 10 - you'll need to make a choice of touring more of Salzburg or taking a day trip to Hallstatt - you might consider This Firm as it will be quicker than visiting by train and still allow time in the evening to look around Salzburg. > Day 11 - (morning) - train to Florence (the trip will be a minimum of 8H:09M with 2-changes - if you use the 09:06 departure, you'll arrive late afternoon - an option might be a budget flight to Venice, but I didn't check). I believe you'll have to make a choice between Venice or Florence, as I'm not sure you'll have time to see both? continued.....

Part 2..... > Day 12 - Florence, touring (if you're planning to visit the Uffizi or Accademia, reservations would be a good idea!) > Day 13 - Florence, touring (perhaps a day trip to Siena or other location? > Day 14 (mid-afternoon) - train to Rome (trip is only 1H:35M via EuroStar Italia / Alta Velocita) > Day 15 - Rome, touring > Day 16 - Rome, touring > Day 17 - flight home? This is only one suggestion, and there are numerous ways to arrange an Itinerary using the places you listed. This is still somewhat ambitious, with several very short stops. Rail schedules are approximate and of course subject to change. As Rick frequently says, assume you will return. Anything you miss on this visit you can see on the next one. Good luck and happy travels!

will keep in mind the suggestions for Switzerland.. very helpful, thanks! about eliminating cities, general opinion is to visit Austria/Czech as it is less expensive and closer to Switzerland thereby reduced travel time. Ken, thanks for the itinerary.. quite interesting, but i was thinking of starting with Paris ( 2 days) , then 4 days in Switzerland, as you suggested, followed by 2 days in Austria (Salzburg/Halastatt) and ending with 6 days in the Italian Cities (Venice,Florence & Rome)
Will add travel days whenever I'm travelling inter-country, all this adds up to 17 days tentatively. This might change considering which flight options work..

I would assume Paris Museum pass covers some museums in Paris. Loire is many miles distant (in fact they probably dont even acknowledge being in the same country as "those parisians"). The Loire chateaux are special and well worth the price of admission, And the nearby towns and villages are very enjoyable

Hey All, After having thought over all the suggestions and doing more research i've zeroed down to the following - France Paris - 2 days Loire Valley - 3 days - (Versailles, Amboise, Tours, Blois, Chambord, Noyers) Switzerland Berner Oberland - 5 days - based out of Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen Valley Italy Venice - 1 day Florence - 2 days Rome - 3 days I've read its best to hire a car for visiting the Loire Valley and trains work just fine inside Switzerland.
Should I be buying a Swiss Pass? Also, would a Paris museum pass work in the Loire region? Look forward to your suggestions!!