Itinerary help - London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Rome

Okay, so you've both flown to Europe before. How did you feel on your first day? Do you think you'll be able to hit the ground running after a long-haul red-eye flight? And since you've both been there before, you must have already seen some of the "main sights." So what you want to see and do there? Return to places you've been? See some of the sights you didn't get to before?

Same for Paris. It's going to take about 1/2 day to get from your London hotel to your Paris hotel. Again, since you've both been there before, you should have some idea of what to do there.

Then it's another 1/2 day to get from Paris to Amsterdam. I think there's plenty to see and do to fill up 2 full days there and more. It's been my experience in Amsterdam that all the museums close around 5 p.m. so evenings are harder to fill - canal ride, maybe a self-guided walking tour.

I assume you're flying from Amsterdam to Rome. That will take more than 1/2 day from hotel to hotel, since you have to add time to get to the airport, check in, security etc., then wait for luggage at the other end and get from the airport to the city. Then you're going to need 4-5 hours from your hotel to your flight home.

I don't think 2 full days (without jetlag and lack of sleep) is enough for any one of your locations, but I don't enjoy fast-paced travel. Perhaps you do.

Ana,

Life sucks when you have to make a decision.

you can spend all 12 days in any one place and not see everything, it will depend on what YOU and YOUR family wants to do. Why not get some input from the others?

To me, Rome is out of the way for you whereas the other 3 are sort of in a nice little travel circle.

you can skip Rome and add those days to the other places. again it will depend on what you want to do/see.

just an fyi, i spent 4 full days each in Paris & London and was able to see ALL that i had PLANNED to do/see. and those 4 full days were just in the city, no day trips either!

happy trails.

With the option you present, you are allowing yourself one full day in London, two full days in Paris, two full days in Amsterdam and three full days in Rome. Of course it will take time to travel between those places. Don't confuse how many nights you have with how many days you have. Four nights in Rome is 3 days, not 4.

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Since you already know you will be arriving in London and departing from Rome, those places can't be changed. I guess since you've already been to London you can maybe see things you haven't seen before or revisit some place you particularly like. It's a lot of moving in a short time, but I think your plan is okay for the time you have.

I have been to all the cities you want to visit. But I think you are doing too much and I agree with the other posts, you are not taking into consideration travel time, check into hotels, resting, jet lag. I understand you want to see these important cities, but you will see them as a blur and not really enjoy them. I would cut out Amsterdam and save that for another time. I would take a look at the week long tours of all three cities RS offers and look at what they do every day. Each city has tons of things to see and do. Walking the streets of Rome, visiting the Spanish Steps, the churches, you could spend a full day at the Vatican. The museums, Borghese Galley, sitting and have lunch outside, you could spend the whole week in Rome. Paris is filled with wonderful museums, streets and bridges to walk, the Seine cruise, cafes to sit and relax, Monet's house outside of Paris, parks to walk around, the Maris district. Again you could spend the whole time just there. London has the Tower of London which you could spend the whole afternoon visiting, the National Gallery, the pubs, a play, a boat ride up the Thames River, Covent garden, again you could spend the whole time there. You need to get the RS guide books and read them to determine what you want to visit and see. You can also go on the RS scapbooks and see what others have seen and thought. You can go on YouTube and watch videos of RS and others for free to see each city to see what you want to see. I know you have been there before but it seems like there is a ton more for you to see. Have a great time!

I agree with the other posters, with regard to their opinions that this may be too much for a 12-day trip. Since you and your friend have been to Paris and London, why not spend 2 nights in London to get over jet lag, then go to Amsterdam for 4 nights and then Rome for 5? You may want to spend extra time in Amsterdam since you haven't been there, and I'd suggest adding another day to Rome because there's so much to do and your friend hasn't been there yet. There's plenty to do in Amsterdam for 3 full days, and if on the off chance you get bored, you can take a day trip.