First Trip To Europe

I dont understand your return flight taking 18 hours. Even from Los Angeles, I can get home from most European cities in 11 or 12 hours- thats without a tail wind. How many stops are you taking? Also London to Normandy, can be done without going via Paris. See other postings on this site. Not really enough time in any of the Cities, but I understand your reasoning. Much as I usually endorse it, on such a tight schedule, I would only spend one day and one night in Lucerne, unless you have some day trip in mind. (Add the time to Paris).

I'd go in May. I'd spend lots more time in London and Paris and maybe one other destination near those great cities. I might add a day to Normandy, but that's really the only part of your trip you've allocated enough time for. And I'd save the rest for another trip.

Hi Matt. I agree with Adam in terms of time allotted for each place. Two or two-and-a-half days in each city isn't enough and every time you travel to a new location, you lose time and money. I would cut your destinations in half and spend your 2 weeks in London, Normandy, and Paris. Save Switzerland and Italy for another trip.

Just so I understand, are you concerned we won't have enough time or is it a money issue? We don't have to see everything and will be happy with just the highlights. This is likely to be our only shot at Europe.

I know how it can feel with this being your "only shot." That being the case- and if your are bent on adding Italy, I would cut out Lucerne. Add a day to Paris and Rome (you could do a day trip out of the cities if you want to see more of the area). That will keep you from being exhausted and let you see more of the cities- while not depleting your desire to see a lot of Europe. Consider flying between Paris/ Rome, it can be cheaper than a train.

Matt, if this is to be your only shot at Europe then go for it. On reading your itinery through I originally thought that's doable. Only after contemplation did I think perhaps ditch|Lucerne. I have seen far more unrealistic itineries - nothing to do with cost but with how much time you are going to spend travelling. I don't think it is unrealistic, and overnight trains sound quite romantic if you're doing private berths. You're effectively giving yourself only one full day in each city however.

" This is likely to be our only shot at Europe." Drop this motto. You CAN get back to Europe several ( or many ) times over the next 50 years. Once you get there and see what is still unseen, make travel a family priority. Regarding your trip- considering your timeframe and desire to see a lot of the Normandy area, I would forgo Lucerne for THIS trip- catch it during your NEXT trip. Have a great time!

Matt: When you say 5 to 6 K is your budget, I assume that does not include airfare. If it does include airfare, then this might be rather difficult to do even staying in hostels. Still, with the resources provided by guidebooks and the web, you should have a clear idea of what it will cost before you go. As far as railpasses go, you need to check the prices vs buying point to point tickets. You would appear to need a Eurostar one-way, a rt Paris to Normandy, and a one-way Paris to Rome. You may very well find that buying advance purchase non-refundable p-to-p tickets is much cheaper than passes. (there have been extensive discussions of this issue on this website..check them out).
As for your itinerary, I would suggest a somewhat different plan. On Day 5, London to Paris, stay that night in Paris. Day 6 Paris to Bayeux. Day 7, battlefield tour (either by rental car or formal organized tour...these aren't cheap), return evening to Paris. Paris Days 8 and 9. Day 10 Take the TGV Paris to Milan. Overnight in Milan. Day 11 Train to Venice, overnight Venice. Day 12 Take the train to Rome. Days 13, 14 Rome. Day 15 lv Rome, Day 16 arr St Louis. That, by the way, looks like a fairly hellish return trip.

I too vote to ditch Lucerne. Switzerland is great if you can get up into the moutains. But for your purposes I am afraid the Lucerne just isn't quite worth the added time and effort. when you go again...and you willl - combine Switzerland with a southern Germany tour. It will fit nicely there. So if you ditch Lucerne you can buffer a few of your other stops and make a mighty fine trip. I have heard (but not seen) the Churchill War Rooms in London are amazing. Do not miss Napoleans Tomb while in Paris becuase there is a great WWII museum included....plus that tomb is just mind boggeling. And 5-6K is good as long as that doesn't include airfare. As stated above, if it does than you are on a tight budget that will need to include hostel stays and picnics.

I'm going to "ditto" what the others have said. I'm also hoping that your budget doesn't include airfare. If it does, realize that you've picked the most expensive cities in Europe to visit. If you still want to keep those in your itinerary, then prepare for hostels and picnics. Otherwise, you can pick other places to go. I'm hoping you'll be like the rest of us and get bitten by the European travel bug. And as far as going there with kids, with the exception of the airfare, we've found it's cheaper to travel in Europe with them than it is to travel in the US.

"This is likely to be our only shot at Europe." On the day you expire, let me know if that statement was true. I'm betting against it - strongly. You'll see... "We're really not that into art or architecture, but we have a passing appreciation for it." Uh-oh. Here comes my standard lecture:
-In a nutshell, you haven't seen European art, nor architecture! I'll spare you what I haven't spared others in previous posts (LOL!) and just say that you will become intoxicated. This is where you will find basically the best of the best in art and architecture, so PLEASE take the time to at least check it out. You may not like carrots, but they're good for you and won't kill you - you have to try them to see if you like them! Go to the Louvre in Paris, at the very least. Lecture over! I'm with Sarah - I'd leave off Switzerland and Italy if you can't take another entire week. It's painful to cut cities, but you have to. Otherwise, you'll be exhausted and stressed and then you really WON'T ever go back! Your bad experiences will color your memories...It's sooo exhausting having to pack up and leave for the next town - pack up, check-out, find the train station (metro/taxi/bus/walk), buy tickets, find train, pile on train, transfer trains, find taxi/bus/metro/walk to new hotel, check-in, get settled, etc. Plus the actual time of travel...You'll be too tired for those museums ;-)...... (I have a friend, Betsy, who became ill after eating pepperoni pizza - 35 YEARS AGO! - still won't eat it) Don't Be A Betsy.

Brian, Rome to Sacramento is 24 hours (ouch) on my major airline of choice. American (and others) used to fly directly into many European cities, but that number has dwindled to 4...and I'm talking about flights from D/FW - their main hub. So unless you're flying from one of the 5+ gateway cities in the USA, it's gotten ugly for the rest of us over the last few years. If it's up to me, I'll fly direct then take a train once I'm there. (granted, I could fly out of San Francisco...that involves extra in hotels, parking, etc. and time for travel to and from home, but my last few flights have involved meeting my in-laws in D/FW, so I've been a bit constrained...)

Your itinerary is doable. Yes, you will be seeing a lot from a train window. Actually, I did a similar tour with Cosmos and Lucerne was a delightful change from the big cities. You could take the train from Lucerne to the town of Engelberg and from there take the gondola up to Mt. Titlis where you can walk on the glacier and through the ice caves. Instead of rail passes, I would consider point-to-point rail tickets. For overnight trains, make your reservations at least one month in advance. Also, please be aware you might not get a good night's rest on the train. You need to take this into consideration for the next day's sightseeing activities. Have fun on your trip!