European Travel

Karen, As this is your first trip to Europe, my first suggestion would be to read Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip. That has a LOT of good information on "how" to travel in Europe. Read the "Rail Skills" chapter carefully. Have you already booked flights? It would be a good idea to use "open jaw" flights for best efficiency. With the list of places you want to visit, it would be easier to start in London and then work to the continent. Regarding "places to visit and places to stay", you'll find a lot of good information in the country-specific Guidebooks. Click the "Books" tab at the top of the page for information. You should be able to find copies of these at your local Library. When will this trip be taking place? Good luck with your planning!

In addition to Ken's excellent advice, I do think that you have too much for 21 days, especially for a first trip in which you are getting the lay of the land. Actually I think that five different destinations are feasible in that time, but to see the ones you mentioned by rail would entail a lot of doubling back and time spent in transit. A more efficient way would be to start on London, fly to Geneva, then travel Nice > Bordeaux > Paris, though I still would not want to do that. Finally, though I would take with a grain of salt, I note that two of your destinations are specifically mentioned by Rick Steves as examples of places in Europe that are boring. Not everyplace gets such a mention form such an authority! I don't know about that, but Bordeaux and Geneva are not generally in the same league as your other destinations, and your itinerary becomes much simpler if you leave them out and add others. Maybe visit the countryside, perhaps?

I am a wine nut, but would not recommend Bordeaux town (or area) for a tourist. just not that interesting.
there are many more interesting/scenic areas in France.

Karen, It's great that you're getting the details sorted. Starting in London will be a much more efficient route. The Olympics will be finished by then, so hopefully the crowds won't be as thick and Hotel prices will have returned to normal. Regarding the trip via EuroStar from London to Paris, it's a good idea to buy the tickets well in advance for the best price. Check This Website for LOTS of good information on booking tickets. Regarding cities in Switzerland, are you able to use your Hotel points in Lucerne? That's one city I would definitely recommend! You may enjoy watching This Short Video. It's an easy trip to the Zurich airport from Lucerne. September is a great time to travel in Europe! Good luck with your planning!

Thanks for the input. You are all very helpful. Perhaps I should take Bordeaux out of the mix and pick another Switzerland destination. Suggestions?

Ken asked when you are planning to go because the time of year can make a difference in whether a place is a good choice or not. It will also help to know your interests. Why do you want to go to Geneva, which is not usually on a first trip itinerary?

Switzerland: Depending on the time of year, you might choose the Berner Oberland, in which case you could travel by rail as follows: London > Paris > Nice > BO > fly home from Zurich. Note that Nice > BO is a long trip, some might say prohibitively so. It's a spectacular destination but only you can decide if it's worth it. (Or you might fly Nice > Zurich and take the train to the BO, but I don't know what sort of flights might be available.) There are French alpine destinations that are closer, if you are really interested in mountains rather than countries. It sounds to me as though this itinerary is a good first cut, but your questions make me think that you would benefit from reading a few guidebooks for ideas and refining this itinerary from there. I also think folks here can make good suggestions if you can share what you want a little more specifically. For instance if you say, "I have this fantasy of climbing a mountain/visiting a ruined castle/eating in a cafe" we might have some intelligent suggestions for you.

Hi, I can think of a place a bit more interesting than Bordeaux in that direction. Take the TGV Paris-Bordeaux, change there to Toulouse. Toulouse would be worth your time more than Bordeaux.

You all are very helpful. I have already altered my itinerary. I am going to Fly into London as a beginning destination. I plan to arrive in London in the beginning of September, spend 4 days there and then rail to Paris. I love the mountains, so I picked Switzerland as a last destination. I am using hotel points for free hotel stays, hence the reason why I picked Geneva.