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Five weeks in Europe, needing itinerary advice

Posted by (Austin, Texas, USA) on

This is our first time traveling to Europe! We want to make the most of our five weeks in Europe, and planning an efficient and fun itinerary will help with this goal. Thus far, our itinerary is as follow:

  • Arrive in London (we have a good friend that moved back to London from the States, and it would be a shame not to see him), two nights
  • Leave London, fly to Berlin (our only intra-European flight), in Berlin for four nights
  • Prauge, four nights
  • Krakow, four nights
  • Budapest, four nights
  • Ljubijana, three nights
  • Vienna, three nights
  • Salzburg, two nights
  • Munich, three nights
  • Belgium, three to five nights
  • Amsterdam, two nights
  • Fly out of Amsterdam

This is our best thought to an East-West, clockwise travel plan. We will be taking the train everywhere in Europe (minus London to Berlin). I feel this gives us enough time to enjoy these cities/towns without feeling too rushed.

The end of our trip is still in the planning stages. We want to see more of Germany, but we aren't sure what do to with our given time. Also, Belgium is a must, yet we are flexible as to how much time we want to spend there. I hear Bruges is amazing, as is Brussles. We are big fans of beer, so we might just follow the breweries.

Any and all feedback is appreciated!

Posted by
16894 posts

The route is logical but I would want some smaller towns in the mix, which might lead to cutting one or two of these destinations (unless you have more time). Krakow is the "outlier" that adds the most travel time in both directions. That doesn't mean you shouldn't go, but you might identify more places that interest you without traveling that far. Rick’s Train Travel Time & cost Map gives you an overview of faster train travel times in hours, as well as regular (full-price) 2nd-class fares. His Explore Europe country listings give you an overview of other favorite destinations in the countries you're visiting.

What month will the trip be? If travel from Berlin starts within 6 months, you could consider the current extra-day offer (purchase before March 30) on the Eurail Global pass, for instance to get 24 continuous days for the price of 21 ($730 per adult in 1st class). Or the flexipass for your 10 longest travel days within 2 months is cheaper (currently $667 per person regular price, not on sale). It will be easier to make your price comparisons when the route is more firm, so continue to work out those details, first.

Posted by
14042 posts

I am guessing you are not really interested in London and going there just to meet up with your friend? I would still add a day or 2 to London. Day 1 you may have be feeling the effects of jet lag, depending on where you fly from, so you may not get much quality sightseeing in. Day 2, or part of it, I am guessing you will spend with the friend?

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