Me and my girlfriend are planning a 3 week trip to Europe from late September to mid October. We are college students so are budget is pretty low. We were thinking of booking an open-jaw flight into Amsterdam and then out of Paris. We don’t want to travel around too much, as this is our first time in Europe and we don’t want to be fixed to a complicated itinerary. Right now the plan is to spend our first week in Amsterdam, and our last week in Paris, but we are open to changing things around.
What we aren’t sure about is what to do during the week in-between these two cities. We are considering Bruges and Frankfurt as possible stops, but we would love some suggestions for some smaller, less-touristy towns to visit that wouldn't be too out of the way. We would like this week to be a break from the big cities, so scenic/rural destinations would be very nice. We do not want to rent a car, but would consider it as an option for this week.
Posted by
pittsburgh
162 posts
A stopover in Colonge, Germany to see the cathedral would be well worth your time.
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
The Belgian Ardennes region, nicely between Amsterdam and Paris, will give you a complete change of scenery. Base yourself in one of their smaller towns, such as Dinant, for some hikes, using their excellent train and bus system.
Don't forget it's easy to escape from Amsterdam to visit the rural surroundings. Take a 20-minute train from Amsterdam Centraal to Abcoude and you're already in the countryside. It's similar with Paris: take the suburban train to Fontainebleau and you're in the area which inspired a generation of French painters.
Posted by
Green Bay
20022 posts
I am going to suggest the Mosel Valley of Germany. There will still be some wine festivals in the region first weekend in October (Oct 5-7). They are really fun, and there will be a lot of people from Holland there who know how to find a good party. You can make a scheduled stopover in Cologne on the way to see the Cathedral and other sights. Leave at 8 am, stop in Cologne for 4 hours and be in Cochem by 4:40 pm. Lots of nice biking along the river and through the vineyards, quaint villages, Burg Eltz, and inexpensive lodging.
Pretty easy trip to Paris from there. Train to Saarbrucken and get the ICE to Paris, a 4 hour ride.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4037 posts
Rotterdam is an easy train ride from Amsterdam. You can take a cruise of the harbour, the busiest on Europe. That vital facility was the target of so much bombing in WW2 that most of the city was flattened. The rebuilding has been very experimental, like a workshop for architects' fantasies and unlike anywhere else. The old church where the Pilgrims supposedly set sail is still standing, though, with a very tasty microbrew pub next door. Two nights would be fine, then by train to Paris.
Posted by
Sioux Falls, SD, USA
3044 posts
I suggest avoiding Germany and going from Amsterdam to the Normandy area of France or possibly Bretagne and then to Paris. You seem wise to consider longer stays - this is often the first mistake that first-timers make. One advantage of staying in the country is that it can be much cheaper, and you might be able to make acquaintance of French/Dutch persons of your own age. Definitely consider staying in hostels. Staying in the bunk area trades privacy for cost - often a bunkhouse stay can be under 20E per night. They also have rooms which cost more but give privacy. If you are interested in history, there is the d-day landing and WWII battles to look for in France. I am reading "D-Day" by Antony Beevor - of course, there are ton of others. There are fun small walled towns like Dinan in Bretagne. Someone else suggested visiting a church/cathedral - if that is your interest, there is Notre Dame du Chartres near Paris, Notre Dame du Reims in the Champagne district.