HELP! Where to go..and do I have enough time?

Amsterdam and Munich can work together reasonably well, but once you start adding other large cities that are in opposite directions....I'd say you could add Rome OR London (not both) if you really wanted to....but to be honest, I'd suggest you save Italy for another trip, and I'd be tempted to skip London, too, unless you really have your heart set on it.

Belgium (Brussels and Bruges) and/or the Rhine (castles, fairy tale towns) would make a more reasonable add-on if you really want to do Amsterdam and Munich. That way you avoid wasting time crossing large distances while you zoom right by great stuff that's much closer to where you are.

A suggestion: spend some time with a map of Europe, and think about the most interesting places that appear within the same regions (or at least are not very distant from other places you want to go).

Hope that helps.

Hi Katie,

Itinerary planning is part of the fun of travel!

It's best to do some research using a variety of guidebooks--a good start would be Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2010. Another good resource is his Europe Through the Back Door since it's your first trip--it provides lots of good information.

After you research the destinations you're mentioned decide if it's feasible to get from city to city based on the time that you have. You can get from city to city by train in some cases and in others, you might want to consider flying on one of the discount European airlines. Group your choices by what is most practical.

You have lots of options and will get lots of good advice here--for this first trip focus on 2-3 destinations that are a reasonable distance for efficient travel.

Best wishes and happy planning!

I agree- skip Rome this time. London could be added as a beginning or ending city (with a cheap flight to or from Amsterdam), but I'd suggesst adding Salzburg, Innsbruck or Vienna instead. That way you get a taste of 3 countries without the long distance travel.

My family and I are taking a trip in about a month. We're planning on 3 days in Munich (including sidetrips for Neuschwanstein and Dachau) and 6 days in Rome (with a day trip to Naples/Pompeii). I think that's the shortest amount of time you can stay in those places and be able to see everything that's worth seeing.

Sarah

Katie,

As this is your first trip, reading Europe Through The Back Door would be a good idea to begin with. It provides a lot of information, including Itinerary planning.

Regarding "where to go", it would help to know what you're most interested in seeing? What prompted the interest in taking this trip?

I'd suggest getting as much time as possible, so making the trip 14-days would be better (any possibility of getting extra time?). Keep in mind you'll lose the first day in flight times and time zone changes and the last day is usually used in travel home, so you'll really have only 12-days. In addition, it takes many people a day or two to recover from jet lag and get up to full "touring speed".

Using open jaw flights would be the best idea, as it will save the time and cost of returning to your starting point.

I'd suggest keeping Italy on the list, but which places to visit will depend on your answers to the questions in the second paragraph above.

Cheers!

Hello Katie. I recommend : go to only two countries. Travelling in the Netherlands and Germany can be a good trip. The train ride from Amsterdam to Koblenz in Germany can be done in 3.5 hours. Ride in a train from Koblenz to St. Goar at the Rhine river. Stay at a hotel at St. Goar for three nights. (Read about that part of the Rhine River in the book "Rick Steves' GERMANY". Ride in trains from St. Goar to Fussen (via Mainz) in Bavaria to visit Neuschwanstein, and end at Munich. A visit to Salzburg in Austria is possible (and recommended). Fly from Munich to the U.S.A.