Itinerary Review and Feedback Please

Sorry, I think you are trying to squeeze too much into your time. Remember that 2 nights somewhere is only one day there. You are going to lose at least half a day every time you move locations. You are going to be spending a lot of time in transit when it will be very hot.

You need at least 3 full days for Rome. Venice needs at least 3 full days as it will be busy and there will be queues. Amsterdam isn't worth going so far out of your way visit just for 1 full day, but is a great, compact city that deserves longer. Unless you can extend your time, I suggest that if you include Paris, that you only include 2 other destinations for maximum enjoyment.

STA is a well known student travel website. I would always book direct with the relevant airlines, so if you have a problem, it's easy to resolve. All airlines offer online booking and check in. Then you aren't paying an agent a fee too.

If you do travel Paris to Amsterdam, you can go by train. As with all European flights, the most options and cheapest tickets are booked at least 6 months in advance and 3 months for train tickets.

You will make the most of your time if you fly open jaw and don't back track to Spain.

Hi, I really appreciate your thoughts.
I am not sure what you mean by flying open jaw...maybe that I should just fly directly home from our last stop and
my daughter goes back to Madrid, then on to Cuenca?

Also, I am trying to put this trip together for my daughter and she really wants to go to Rome, Paris and Amsterdam.
I had added in Florence and Venice for ME since we are so close, and that is why I cut off a day in Rome.
I read about taking a night tour of Rome and thought we might do that the first night and then have two full days after that.
I will consider adding another day to Rome...do you think I should subtract a day from Paris?
I REALLY hate not to get to see any of Spain, except Cuenca, since I will flying into Madrid, but can't figure out how
to add anything else in.
I have the feeling that we are jumping around too much too.
Do you think 3 full days in Paris is enough? And you think we should add another day in Rome?
We have 14 days (plus two rest days after we get back to Cuenca) so we could do 3 days in Florence and add a day in Amsterdam (if we subtract one off of Paris)
So....Rome 3 days, Take the train to Florence...get off and see Michaelangelo's David, the Uffizi (sp?) and the Accademia (sp), then get back on the train if the schedule permits and head to Venice...for 2.5 days, then to Paris for either 3 nights and two full days, or 4 nights and 3 full days. That leaves us about a day and a half in Amsterdam and two evenings.
I wanted to go back to Cuenca to help my daughter get settled in before coming home.

I guess I have no clue how long it will take for traveling in between these places. I know the train travels times between Rome and Florence are 1.5 and Florence to Venice is 2 hours but not sure how long for the flying days.
I am really worn out with all of my researching. Please continue to give feedback!

Also, I am trying to get the dates and itinerary set so as to go ahead and book
the tickets. I think we are a little behind in this. It got here quicker than I realized!

You can check bahn.de for all train schedules, but to buy tickets you will need to go to the country's train systems, or capitaintrain.com (sp).

Then you can decide whether to cut something or adjust your plan. Note that cheap tickets come with restrictions (you have to take the train you bought the ticket for, for the lowest fares).

For hotel rooms that can be cancelled I use Booking.com. Read carefully, sometimes the cheapest rooms have a "no cancellation" notice. Even if you want to stay lots of places, I think three nights would be the ideal for each place. For flying, budget about half a day, at least. From packing and leaving one hotel, getting to the airport with two hours to spare, flight time usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours, then often an hour to arrive at the new hotel. It adds up to 5-6 hours. If the train will take less time than that, take the train.

Amsterdam is the city I would save for another time. And, considering all the places you want to see, skip Paris this time. Paris deserves a week of its own! You did say you would be back in Europe, didn't you?

Pack light. Your back and legs will appreciate it. On trains you will have to deal with your own luggage, which can involve hoisting it up several steps boarding the train, then stowing it somewhere until you get off. For me, 20# is my limit. I like to stay in hotels close to train stations so I spend a minimal amount of time hauling my luggage around.

Tuscany is best seen by rental car, as trains don't always service the great hilltowns and bus schedules are difficult to navigate. Without a car, staying at an agriturismo would be very, very difficult.
We found driving thru Tuscany to be very easy with well paved and well marked main roads. The back roads are meander through the countryside, however they too are well paved.
Without a car, you'd do better to stay in Florence and take organized tours into the countryside.

I hope you have correctly calculated the amount of time it will take to find your daughter an apartment and handle all the paperwork (which will be different than in the US) because you say you're taking off on this trip immediately afterwards.

I agree with the others that you should cut out Paris and Amsterdam this trip and concentrate on Italy, if you can stand the heat that time of year. If not, I'd go to Amsterdam and Paris, and save Italy for a return trip. You are trying to go way too fast.

The way you talk about jumping off a train in Florence, seeing the well-known monument, and jumping back on a train to move on doesn't really give you an idea of the country. You could be in Las Vegas looking at the copies. Slow down and absorb the country. You don't have to see everything the first time out. Just count on coming back more experienced and eager to absorb more.

You guys are great! Thanks for your input.
What about this itinerary?
Travel day from Madrid to Rome and 3 Days in Rome
Fly to Amsterdam and 2 Days in Amsterdam---1.5 to see Amsterdam and 1 day to do a bus tour to see windmills, etc
Train to Paris- 1 day travel and 3 Day there
Fly to Barcelona (yea, this is getting greedy so just thinking about it) instead of Madrid and get in two nights here.
Train to Cuenca. Rest 2-3 days (depending on if we stay 2 or 3 nights in Barcelona) and Fly home from Madrid.

I hate not to see any of Spain while there, except Cuenca. From Barcelona, you go to Valencia and then to Cuenca.

I left out Florence and Venice in order to put in Amsterdam since my daughter wants to go there and we will be 3 hours from
there by train. This itinerary gives us 2.5 days there.

Should we take an extra day in Amsterdam and go straight back to Cuenca via plane through Madrid OR
take the day away from Amsterdam and fly to Barcelona vs. Madrid and travel back to Cuenca via train?

Does this itinerary sound better?

Much better.

It is better to count "nights" not days. It gets very confusing if you say you plan on 3 days. Are you planning 4 nights with 3 full days or 3 nights with 2 full days? Take a calendar and write in where you are sleeping each night. It will give you a clearer picture of your time.

I am thinking that we should leave Rome out all together.
My daughter wants Rome, Amsterdam and Paris.
Amsterdam and Paris are close together and that makes sense.
I want to see some places in Spain but don't want to get too side tracked.
I am now thinking Amsterdam, Paris (which place first would depend on flight prices,
right?) and then go to Barcelona. That gives her two out her 3 choices and gives me
a choice too. But would you choose Barcelona OVER Rome?

Or a little travel in Spain? Valencia? Valencia is not far from Cuenca.
Valencia vs Barcelona?

I haven't been to Spain, but since you want to see some of it, I would do it over Rome - or any other place in Italy.
Example, fly into Amsterdam, train to Paris, fly to Madrid and bus or train to other cities there. Fly home from Spain.
These are all fabulous destinations, and you both get to see some things you want.
Save Italy for another time.

I am not sure if this is the case with your daughter, but when my son spent a semester in Berlin (he was a junior in college), there were lots of opportunities for travel on weekends. His classes allowed 3 day weekends every weekend and with the cheap flights, he traveled to Stockholm, Budapest, Prague with classmates among other places. And a week in Munich as a class. If this is the case with your daughter, she may have opportunities to travel places that may not fit into your present schedule. Just a thought. And when we visited him in Berlin, we traveled throughout Germany and other places that he wasn't going while in school.

LATEST ITINERARY

Leave Madrid for Paris...spend 4 nights and have 3 full days
Take the train to Amsterdam...spend 4 nights and have 3 full days
Fly to Barcelona....spend 3 nights and have 2 full days
Take the train to Valencia (3 hours) and spend 3 nights and have 2 full days
Train to Cuenca where my daughter will be living for Fall Semester
We will have the rest of the day plus two full days before I leave the next day
to take the train to Madrid and fly back home.

I was thinking we might spend the last night together in Madrid so I would
already be there for my plane departure but I guess that depends on what time
my plane leaves. I get stressed before flying, worrying about getting there on time.

Thanks again for all of your help with this.

Yes, my daughter told me she will not have classes on Fridays and she is planning on doing
lots of weekend trips.
She was fine with leaving off Rome and I feel more relaxed about the trip now.

This looks very good. Yes, good idea to spend the night in Madrid before the flight.

I am thinking your daughter will have opportunites to explore Spain during her study semester.
Hence, I think your plan including Italy remains more appealing for you.

Fly from Madrid to Paris - 4 nights
Train to Amsterdam - 3 nights
Fly to Venice - 2 nights
Train to Florence - 2 nights
Train to Rome - 3 nights
Fly back to Madrid

Hi Everyone, Thank you all for your input.
Our final itinerary is this:
Fly from US to Madrid and go to Cuenca, Spain (study abroad university for my daughter),
From there, we will go back to Madrid and fly to Paris (4 nights)
Train to Amsterdam (4 nights)
Fly to Barcelona (4 nights)
Train to Valencia (1 night)....we have to pass through here on the way back to Cuenca
Train back to Cuenca
We have a couple of days in Cuenca before we go to Madrid for our last night before
my flight the next day.

I just found out the the train from Madrid to Cuenca is NOT the fast train, so we will have to
go back to Madrid the night before we fly to Paris as well, unless we figure out another way.
The information I found out about the train said it was 1.5 hours, fast train. However, that is
not correct.
Anyway, we will make it work.

Also, online tickets for the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam are sold out through October
at this time, so still hoping we can get some when we get there.

You came up with a very good plan that I'm sure you will be happy with. You will have enough time to really this trip together.

Have a great time!

Thank you! I am excited but had no idea how much work would
go into the planning.
I could become a travel agent ....almost! :-)