First European trip

"Any suggestions as to must visit places that aren't on the regular touristy lists?" Come up with some idea of an itinerary, and I'll give you some tips.

Evan, As this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend pre-reading Europe Through The Back Door before you get too far in your planning. The "Best way to get around" is generally by train. It sounds like the time frame of your trip is about two weeks or a bit better. It would be a good idea to minimize car use as it's a much slower and less efficient way to get around. I wouldn't recommend driving in London or Paris!!! In spending "3-4 days per location", you'll also have to factor travel times into that. Rather than use an overnight train to Rome, you might consider a budget flight on that route, as it would save some time. You could (for example): > Inbound flight to Brussels (don't forget to allow for the day you'll lose at the beginning - you'll arrive in Europe the day after you depart. Visit with your parents. > Train to Paris - touring (I'd suggest leaving the bulk of your luggage with your parents and take only a smaller carry-on size bag if you're considering budget flights) > EuroStar to London > Budget flight to Rome (flight time about 2.5 hours - there are lots of choices on flights from a variety of London airports, but try to avoid Heathrow). > Budget flight back to Brussels ( Vueling has low cost flights from Rome to Brussels via Barcelona. As you haven't used Euro budget airlines before, be sure to read the Terms & Conditions carefully - tickets are usually non-changeable and non-refundable once purchased, and ONE carry-on item ONLY is allowed). I'd suggest looking at Guidebooks (preferably Rick's books) for ideas on sights that might interest you as well as Hotel and restaurant ideas. There's LOTS of information available. Happy travels!

Hi, I would consider NOT taking the overnight train to Rome, is is often not the cheaper way, there are so many budget airlines in Europe, I flew one way Paris to Rome a few years ago for 80 euros on Vueling, the same trip by train I was getting quoted over 250 euros,, this was high season, but still, yikes. Book stuff ahead, the Eurostar sells cheapest tickets first usually, so look at rates starting about 120 days out .
Hotel rates in Paris are lowest between mid July and through August, they rise in Sept often, not sure if this happens in other places, so plan accordingly.

Ken's plan is so complete and well-thought out that all I can do is to endorse it and urge you to consider it very very carefully. As for hotels, the ones listed in RS guidebooks are reliable choices. If you are visiting in the fall, you will probably have no difficulty finding vacancies. I can personally vouch for the Hotel Castex in Paris and the Hotel Indigo in London, and other posters will have good ideas as well.

Evan, lots of good advice so far. I'd emphasize that a car would only be an expensive headache for trips to London, Paris and Rome - or any other big city. You say "My parents are living there so it's not an option to not see them at the start and end of the trip." but does that really mean you need to visit them both at the beginning and end of your trip? Doing so would cause you to lose a day or two that you could otherwise spend enjoying London or Rome. If you spend the time with them at either the beginning or end of the trip (not both), it would allow you to fly open-jaws (say, in to Brussels and out of Rome). Just something to consider. Also, be honest with your numbers (many first time travelers fudge them when planning): don't count the day you arrive or fly home, and don't count the time you're spending in Brussels with your family. What's left is how many days you really have to spend elsewhere - does that really add up to 3-4 days per place? Don't forget to factor in actual travel time, plus time for "checking in/out" and getting oriented - I figure you lose half a day every time you move from one place to another. Hope that helps - have a great trip.

Rome is the outlier on this trip so like the previous respondees, I would suggest that you fly to and from Rome rather than take an overnight train. I'd also suggest that you try different options to see where you can get the least expensive and most direct flights to Rome. London always has a number of cheap one-way flight options. There are many ways to organize this, but here is one suggestion: 1) Brussels 2) Eurostar to London 3) Fly to Rome 4) Fly to Paris
5) Train to Brussels When you check flights from London, use LON as the airport code which will include all of the airports in the vicinity of London. Similarly, use PAR for Paris and ROM for Rome. However, take into account the cost and time of getting to some of the outlying airports (e.g. Gatwick is easier to get to than Luton). Buy your Eurostar ticket 120 days in advance to get the lowest price.