One month first time Europe itinerary

It sounds rushed in the extreme. I think you need to pick two countries, max.

We did 35 day and 7,800km in a rental during a circle tour from Paris, visiting Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland before heading back to France. Busy, but interesting and lots of time traveling so your trip will spend a lot of time in a car or on trains etc.

If you wish to see anything in depth, you will find it challenging. Enjoy your trip.

You don't allow for any travel time so you need to cut down BIG TIME to make something work for 30 days.
Cutting out Nice and Greece, Lake Como and Amalfi Coast, even this is extremely fast paced...

London - 3 nights
Brussels (for Bruges) - 2 nights
Paris - 4 nights
Switzerland - 6 nights - Laussane(1) > Lauterbrunnen(3) > Luzern(2)
Italy - 10 nights - Milan(1) > Cinque Terre(2) > Rome(3) > Florence(2) > Venice(2)
Salzburg - 2 nights
Munich - 3 nights

Note that 3 nights = 2 full days at your destination.
You should not include travel days.

As you so correctly said, this is way too much stuff to try to do and see in the time you have, even if you could be teleported "beam me up Scotty" style from place to place. You need to do some serious prioritization, thinking about what are the absolute most important things you want to see and do. You talk of days, but you should really be thinking of nights. For example, considering checking out of and into lodgings and travel between locations, to have 2 full days in one location, you need to spend 3 nights. The more you move around, the more time you spend on the mechanics of moving from place to place and the less time you have to do or see anything at your destination.

Having been to all the locations and almost all the sights you list, my first cut would be Greece. It's the outlier, hard to get to and get back from.

Unless you can allow much more time, I'd cut London. Even without going inside any museums, you have way too many things on your list for 2 days. That would also eliminate having to function in a currency other than euros.

So that would leave you with a Continental trip. I'd cut Austria. I'd cut Switzerland due to high prices and having to use a yet another different currency. That would leave France, Belgium, Germany and Italy to fight for your attention.

You have not allowed enough time to get to, see and get back from any of the things you list for any of those countries either. You also have no time for resting or doing laundry or just easing out and observing the world you will be in.

I find trip planning to be an iterative process where priorities may change as the the practicalities of time and money affect what is truly possible to do.

As already recommended, but with one exception, I'd spend that month in France (+ a little Belgium because of your grandfather, that's the exception) and Italy. Fly multi-city into Paris and home from Rome or Milan. Roughly 2 weeks in France and in Italy would be just about enough time to do and see what you have on your list. The time you have guessed at is not nearly enough.

Even though I lived in Nuremberg for 3 years, I'm not that fond of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but...if you find that area the most appealing, you could easily spend a month visiting that general area, seeing and learning about that part of the world. It would be lovely in September and there is Oktoberfest. You could also center around the alps and spend some time on the south side, working in Venice and Lake Como and maybe Annecy and the French Alps.

Others will make other suggestions, so you should get some good options to consider. Have fun with the planning, and remember, you will go back.

Ashleayale,
I agree with the others, you have way too many destinations & you're not giving yourselves enough time to truly explore & enjoy said destinations.

You don't say where you are traveling from, but if you are coming from the US, you will lose one day traveling to your first location in Europe.

Don't underestimate the effects of jet-lag... Which may take you a couple of days to feel "normal" again.

Keep in mind that each time you relocate from one place to the next, it takes time and you may lose at least half of that travel day.

Some travelers like to take whirlwind type of trips, but I tend to enjoy spending more time in each destination & visiting less destinations.

I would skip Greece on this trip & plan for it on another trip so you can enjoy visiting some of the other islands as well as Athens.

If you decide to visit Italy, I hope you will spend more time in Venice.
The Cinque Terre are beautiful but it takes much longer to travel there due to lack of direct trains, so will need to transfer 1-2 times depending where you are coming from.

My suggestion is to limit you destinations to 1-3 countries.

I know it seems somewhat reasonable to you to make a plan like this, but when you try you will find that you will fall short of seeing what you hope. It really takes a lot of time to just get around a city to see the sites. Just reading about the places you want to see in London wore me out. I was in London for a week last summer and found it exhausting just trying to get from point a to b, accomplishing much less than I had hope. Also, the logistics of moving from place to place takes time. You need to add in the getting lost factor too! I'd stay no less than 3 nights at any given place and not less than 4 nights for cities. If you move too fast you won't even remember what you saw. You might have seen it, but never got the time to experience it.

Europe is meant to be savored like a fine wine, not chugged like a Miller Lite.

Honestly, you lost me when you said you would skip the Tower of London, by far the most fascinating sight in the city. You lost me again when you listed Lover's Bridge as a top attraction in Paris. Then your list just went crazy. Sorry if I sound harsh, but this is your first trip and you need a dose of reality.

Pick two countries and do them well. I'd choose France and Italy.

Daytrip to lake Como from where? Venezia, where you only have one day? It's about four hour one way by fast train.

Go immediately to rome2rio.com and see how long it will take to get from place to place by various modes of transportation. Then rethink your itinerary.

Lots of cities have "Lovers' Bridges", the last I heard Paris was thinking about taking the locks away.

You need to add at least 1/2 day to get from town to town (door-to-door). So if you have 6 towns in 6 days, add another 3-4 to go from one to the next. Even stopping for a day en route, you have to allow time to check your luggage and get to/from the train station. You haven't put any travel time into your itinerary.

4 days in Paris to see . . . and Saint Michael. Plans to take a half day to check out Versailles and a whole day at Normandy.

I don't know what Saint Michael is. If you mean Mont Saint Michel, it will take at least 1/2 day to get there from Paris. By car you could see that and a bit of the Normandy WWII sites in a day - if you stay 2 nights in the area. It's about 2 hours drive between them. It's over 4 hours drive from Paris to Mont Saint Michel. Public transportation will take longer, and that is not door-to-door, it's driving or riding time only.

Not counting your arriving and departing flights here is where your memories will be created from:
A minimum of 104 hours traveling between the destinations you listed.
A minimum of 70 hours in walking/metro transit to get from one point to the next once you have reached your destinations.
A minimum of 30 hours waiting in lines to enter the places once you have reached your specific destination point.
Having done our first tour of Europe as a 30 day trip, long ago, I offer the consideration of:
- planning some "alone time" in order to minimize the urge to kill your spouse
- each change in destination raises the level of travel stress, especially for "newbies" (re-read the line about "urge to kill")
- regardless of anyone's travel experience, "travel glitches" shall occur (re-read the line about "urge to kill")
- you are making a huge investment in time and money, resist the urge to "get the most for your money" and greatly reduce the number of travel destinations.
- BTW, avoid being a luggage mule by carrying far less suitcases, backpacks, etc. Everything you "must have" can be purchased in Europe.
- Make an investment in your TIME by creating the best opportunity to CREATE wonderful memories of where you STAY
- In other words, "slow down you move too fast, you got to make the moment last, now take a pause and invest by recognizing this trip to Europe will not be your last!"

Hmmmmmm...... why do some people ask for advice and then do not bother responding??

Steve, I think it is because the advice us not to their liking. It is the equivalent of covering your ears and yelling "la la la la" so as not to hear what is being said..

Lnbsig- 2 countries? On Rick Steves' 2 month itinerary, he chooses at least 10 countries. I understand our time is half of that, but we should be able to see more than 2 countries..Several people had the same recommendations, but I think we will try to see more than 2 since we will have to spend so much just to get there.

Bob and djp_syd, Priscilla, and Susan, Zoe and Chani- Thank you for your thoughts/suggestions.

Lo- Your suggestions were the most helpful to me. I think we will probably cut London and Greece to save time/money. I appreciate your feedback.

Emily-I am totally ok with a dose of reality, but our opinions on interesting things differ, and I think that's ok!

Ron-Currently reading it! Thanks for the tip!

Marbleskies-I appreciate you putting your math skills to work on my itinerary! We didn't like what we saw, so we are taking the advice we asked for and cutting it. I plan to post our new rough itinerary soon :)

Steve and Norma- I was unaware that replying to each comment was required to use the forum. I hope you will be pleased with my response. However, from now on unless you are posting advice related to my trip, please refrain from commenting, as it takes more time for me to reply to address bullying comments than it does to reply to people who are attempting to offer constructive tips.

On Rick Steves' 2 month itinerary, he chooses at least 10 countries. Most of find his suggested intineraries a little too rushed. They're probably fine on an organized trip where all the logistics are arranged for you, but not very enjoyable if you have to do all the leg work yourself.

@ashleayale, weeding out destinations may be easier if you think of the process as "postponing" your visit to Greece rather than "eliminating" it. We postponed Prague and the Rhine Valley last year, but they are on track for this spring; London is still waiting.

You will find that most of the folks here will discourage "busy itineraries."

Like you, I start planning based somewhat along what Rick's tours suggest can be accomplished. However, like others (more experienced European travelers than me) have suggested, once you start working through the logistics and attempt to connect the destinations, you'll quickly see that your original plan is probably not feasible.

That said, you're reading Rick's book, and that's the first step to "enlightenment."

Enjoy the journey.

I think the hardest part of planning a trip is setting up the itinerary. There is a lot to consider. I start by pulling out a map of Europe and seeing where the places are located that I'm interested in. Then, I look for a straight route or a circle to make my entrance and exit at major airports. Then I see how long my travel days will be and try to limit them so I'm not going all over the place. Are you willing to spend a full day getting from A-B, or 4 hours or 2 hours, etc. If you have never been to Europe you will be amazed at how long it takes to move about: packing up, checking out, walking to the train, waiting for the train, travel, getting off and finding your next hotel, etc. Think in terms of nights, rather than days, it will make more sense. When you say you want to spend 3 days in Rome, if that is 3 full days, then it will be 4 nights.

I love to mix it up and see different countries, different landscapes, city and countryside. My hubby always lists places he wants to see and then says, "why can't we see them?" and I always say they are too far apart. I don't want to spend my time in transit, but if you chose carefully, you can see a lot and have it be meaningful. We find that if spend 3 nights at most places it is about enough to get a good feel, and at least 4 nights for bigger cities.

In one month we will often see 4 countries. We chose countries that are next to each other. That is a little over two places in each country! Not much!

A friend of mine did a Europe trip for one month and spent 1-2 nights in each place. Yes, she was young! When I talked to her about after she came back she coudn't really tell me anything about it. I said, "did you go to ------?" and she would always answer, "I think so"!! You want memories, you want to remember all the details and have a chance to really "feel" Europe!

Take your time coming up with a plan that makes sense. It can be overwhelming when there is so much you want to see, but think about how you want your trip to turn out.

Happy travels!

If you do end up with this aggressive itinerary, I'd love to hear how it worked out for you.

The so-called Lovers Bridge showed no love, nor respect, for Paris. All those essentially anonymous locks became ugly and eventually a danger to the structure. In other words, not love but urban vandalism. They're gone, salut! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_des_Arts

I think it is only natural that you will try and cram in as much as possible when you are young and its your first big trip - I know I did. Most people on this Forum who are experienced travellers and, dare I say, been around a while, probably did the same thing. It's just a matter of striking a balance that suits you. I'm glad that you have decided to cut out a few destinations as what you originally proposed would have been a complete blur for you. Enjoy the planning.

I have an updated itinerary, although i am STILL WORKING ON IT.
We have decided to cut London and Greece, as they are outliers and would take a good week to explore. We will group them in future trips.

Here is what I am thinking now:
Day 1: Fly into Paris and hop the first train for Mont St Michel (Roughly 4 hours?) Explore there and spend the night in that area. Planning to check luggage when we arrive so we can explore baggage free.
Day 2: Train to Normandy/Omaha beach (1 hr 45 min train time). Not sure about where to put luggage while we explore? I read most French train stations do not offer luggage storage. After dark, train to Paris (2 hours) to stay the night.
Day 3: Bags at lodging. Explore in Paris. Quick outside views of the Louvre, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees/Arc de Triomphe, hopefully a few hours around the Eiffel Tower.
Day 4: Bags at lodging. Day trip to Versailles. Afternoon seeing Montmartre.
Day 5: Travel to Bastogne (5.5 hours) to see WW2 Memorial/museum and Ardennes Forest/Battle of the Bulge sites. Luggage places? Arrive early afternoon? Take night train to Munich (9.5-10.5 hours) When I looked up trains, they had several switching trains. How do night trains work so we can sleep during this time without needing to wake up and swap trains? Or is that just part of it?
Day 6: See about early check in to room in Munich to store bags. Travel to Nuremburg (1 hr train ride) to see WW2 historical sites. Travel back to Munich at the end of the day.
Day 7: Bags in lodging. Day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle (2 hrs from Munich)
Day 8: Munich to Dachau (15 min) and then on to Berchtesgaden to see Hitler's Nest (3.5 hr train ride). From there, head to Salzburg (1.5 hrs) to lodge. Where to store backpacks?
Day 9: Explore in Salzburg. Bags at lodging.
Day 10: Travel to Hallstatt for the day (2 hrs 45 min). Bag storage? Night train from Hallstatt to Interlaken (11 hrs)
Day 11: Interlaken. Early check in for bags?
Day 12: Day trip to Grindelwald. Bags in lodging.
Day 13: Day trip to Gimmelwald. Bags in lodging. Travel to Zermatt in evening (3 hours).
Day 14: Planning to ski! Spend the night there. Bags in lodging.
Day 15: Travel to Lake Como (6 hours from Zermatt), Spend the night there. Bags in lodging.
Day 16: Travel to Nice (7 hours from Como). Check in to lodging.
Day 17: Relax in Nice. Bags in lodging. Evening train to Provence (2-3 hours)
Day 18: Kayak Verdon Gorge in Provence. Stay there. Early check in for bags?
Day 19: Provence/Nice. Evening train to Vernazza/Cinque Terra (6 hours). Check in.
Day 20: Cinque Terra. Bags in lodging.
Day 21: Cinque Terra. Bags in lodging. Evening train to Venice (6 hours). Check in.
Day 22: Venice. Bags in lodging. Evening train to Rome (3 hrs 45 min)
Day 23: Rome. Bags in lodging.
Day 24: Rome. Bags in lodging.
Day 25: Rome. Evening train to Sorrento. Check in.
Day 26: Explore Almafi Coast.
Day 27: Head back to Rome/Naples/wherever flight leaves from.
Day 28:
Day 29:

I have a day or two I can adjust with, based on recommendations. I had thought about seeing the island of Capri, but am not sure if it is too much different from Cinque Terra based on its feel. Canoeing the blue grotto would be neat, but I'm not sure its worth the trip.

Need help obviously on night trains and where to put backpacks while we explore the city.

I know this is still alot to see, but we are young and more fast paced at this point in our lives. This has us staying in 13 places, not including night trains. I tried to base us out of a central point to make day trips, but sometimes I felt it might be more convenient to stay in a new place rather than backtrack.

I am also still unsure about Eurail passes. I keep reading that so many arent covered anymore, or you need to pay additional fees. Wondering for some good advice based on our specific itinerary.

Please keep in mind this is still a work in progress, but I would love to hear your constructive thoughts!

Have you considered taking one of Rick Steves tours? I know when we were planning our first trip to Italy we really wanted to see it all! We decided to take his My Way Italy trip. We loved it because it got us to all of the places we wanted to go and gave us the ability to plan our daytime activity. He has a Europe in 21 days and 14 days but he also offers the My way Europe. I loved combining the tour with a pre-tour and post-tour days. We spent an extra two days in Venice before the tour. After the tour we spent 5 days on the Amalfi coast and 3 more days in Rome.

If I can offer any advice it would be to try to stay longer at each location and take day trips. Also, remember this is only a plan and your activities can be changed at anytime on your trip. I always have a long list of things I want to see, most of the time I get to maybe 60 - 70% of that list. Remember there is always next trip!
I see you plan to stay in Interlaken. I suggest you stay in Lauterbrunnen. Most people on here love Murren and if we return we will definite will make it our home base. We loved Lauterbrunnen I'm ready to go back!

pfresh- We haven't really considered a Rick tour because we have so many custom ideas of what would/wouldnt be fun/a priority. I am trying to maintain the mentality of a next trip! What would you advise cutting to add days to another place?

This is still too much for the allotted time. I say this because you will miss a TON of great stuff in the places you visit because you're blowing through town. It's like visiting a great restaurant and staying only for the appetizer before you leave for another restaurant.

Specifically, you have 29 days for 13 locations, so that gives you a little more than 2 days per stop. Every time you relocate it costs you about a half-day. So you really will have only about a day and a half to visit each town. Seriously, what do you thing you're going to get out of Paris or Venice in such little time? You should cut Germany/Austria or Normandy/Bastogne/southern France. Better yet, do Rick Steves' 21-day itinerary but add more days to each stop instead of cramming in more stops.

I see when you arrive in Paris you plan to go straight to Mont St Michel. I think I would go straight to Bayeux and spent 2 -3 nights there. Remember you'll be tired from jet lag. You can do Mont St Michel as a day trip from Bayeux. I know RS recommends staying the night there however. I would add a few more days to Paris.
Have you considered flying to Munich from Paris. I don't think I'd rest well on a night train, but that's me.

My only other suggestion is either do the south of France or Italy not both. I would cut the Nice/ Provence days. You can add those days to Venice, CT, or Amalfi Coast.
Good Luck with planning. It's going to be a wonderful trip!

Day 1: Fly into Paris and hop the first train for Mont St Michel (Roughly 4 hours?) Explore there and spend the night in that area. Planning to check luggage when we arrive so we can explore baggage free.
Day 2: Train to Normandy/Omaha beach (1 hr 45 min train time). Not sure about where to put luggage while we explore? I read most French train stations do not offer luggage storage. After dark, train to Paris (2 hours) to stay the night.
Day 3: Bags at lodging. Explore in Paris. Quick outside views of the Louvre, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees/Arc de Triomphe, hopefully a few hours around the Eiffel Tower.
Day 4: Bags at lodging. Day trip to Versailles. Afternoon seeing Montmartre.
Day 5: Travel to Bastogne (5.5 hours) to see WW2 Memorial/museum and Ardennes Forest/Battle of the Bulge sites. Luggage places? Arrive early afternoon? Take night train to Munich

I used rome2rio.com to see what your transportation options are (there may be other solutions). Here are some of the things to consider:
Day 1 - Land at CDG airport. Allow time to get through immigration (passport control). No wait for luggage if all you have is carry-ons. 10-20 minutes to RER station. Take next train to Rennes (you may have up to an hour's wait for the train) 3.5 hours. I don't really see a way to get from Rennes to Mont Saint-Michel. There are a couple trains a day from Rennes to Pontorson (from your breadcrumbs, I'm guessing this is where you plan to spend the night). Maybe there are buses from Rennes. Even if all this works out and you have 2-3 hours at the sight, are you going to be in any state to enjoy it?
Day 2 - From bahn.de, it looks like you are planning the train at 9.49 to Bayeux. I haven't been to Normandy, but I've read that you need more than 1/2 day to see the WWII sites.
Day 3 - I guess you're looking at either the 6.43 or 8.35 train to Paris (2.25 hours). Another 1/2 hour to drop your bags, so the afternoon and evening to see the landmarks of Paris from the outside.
Day 4 - Versailles and Montmartre. Okay, not what I'd have chosen.
Day 5 - Again, an area I'm not familiar with. But it is an area. Is there a tour you're planning to take? What will you be able to see and do in 1/2 day?

So, you'll have been in Europe for 5 days, and had about 2.5 days in total of sightseeing, after a trans-Atlantic flight and now at 7 or 8 p.m. you're embarking on a train (with maybe a bus) journey from Bastogne, that requires 3 connections, and at best will leave you with 6-7 uninterrupted hours on a sleeper train.

You've never been to Europe. You have no idea how quickly (or slowly) you'll adjust to new surroundings. Don't underestimate the level of disorientation you may have or the time it will take you to adjust. You are going to have to find your way around airports, train stations (and how to find your train platform), and cities where signs are in foreign languages and not always in places you expect them to be (especially street names). The money will be strange, not everyone you ask for help or directions will speak English (or know the right answers). You will have to figure out how to get around each city, whether on foot or by bus/tram/metro. And each has a different system of payment. Your schedule for the first 5 days is more aggressive than most (if not all) organized tours and that's with door to door buses and tour guides who know the way and skip the waiting lines. You might just miss a train at CDG to Rennes because you're waiting in line to buy a ticket.

cont'd.

I visited Berchtesgaden a few months ago. This from the Dachau website: Traveling from Munich, the easiest way to reach the memorial is by public transportation. Take the S2 train from Munich in the direction of Dachau/Petershausen until you reach the Dachau station. The train ride takes approximately *25 minutes** from Munich’s Central Station (Hauptbahnhof). Once you have arrived at the Dachau train station, take bus 726 towards "Saubachsiedlung" to the entrance of the memorial site* The site opens at 9 a.m. So if you get there at 9 and spend 2 hours (?), you're back in Munich at 11.30 or so. Collect your bags and take the 11.55 train to Berchtesgaden. Arrive at 2.30 and leave your bags (where?). You now have to wait for the next bus to the Documentation Center/Eagle's Nest. If you want to go up the mountain to the Eagle's Nest (and it's a clear day), you have to wait for the next bus up (and you may need to book in advance). The main reason to go up is for ride up the road (an engineering feat) and the views. If you want to see the bunkers you need to visit the Documentation Center (which has a great deal of information on the town, pre-Hitler as well as during WWII). The Documentation Center is open until 5.00 and the last admission is at 4.00. Then you wait for a bus back to the train station in Berchtesgaden where you wait for a bus which takes you to Salzburg. They run about once an hour and take about 45 minutes.

As someone who has been there, done that...it is exhausting. My 2010 trip (our 2nd trip) was I think 22-ish nights and we went to Paris (3)/Strasbourg(1)/Augsburg(1)/Munich(1)/Salzburg(2)/overnight train to Venice(2)/Milan(2)/Spiez(1)/Bern(1)/Zurich(1)/London for a few nights, sister visit in Portsmouth for a few nights, then back to London to fly home.

A few months later, looking at the photos, my husband didn't even recognize/remember being in Munich. We had such a great time with our couchsurfing host in Augsburg we didn't get to Munich until the evening - so no time to do anything other than check into the room, then the next day we had about 8 hours before we had to leave for Salzburg. All that moving in Switzerland gave us little time to see anything - by the time we got from Bern to Zurich, it was evening (after a clothes washing mishap at another couchsurfing place delayed us a few hours) and we had about 4 hours the next morning to see something before we flew to London.

Even some of these, you are assuming that wherever you stay will let you leave your bags until the evening...example

Day 21: Cinque Terra. Bags in lodging. Evening train to Venice (6 hours). Check in.
Day 22: Venice. Bags in lodging. Evening train to Rome (3 hrs 45 min)

What if where you stay in CT can't keep your bags? Or Venice? Then you have to schlep them to the train station and hope there is somewhere there to leave them. I know you can in Venice...we were lucky to have a B&B that allowed us to leave our bags in a locked closet...but not so sure in CT if there is bag storage - our first visit to CT in 2008, we ended up dragging our bags around Monterosso for three hours because we couldn't leave them in the room in Corniglia after checking out and there was nowhere to leave the bags in Monterosso. Thank goodness we travel light! And all that way to Venice to just spend part of the day is a crime! And we always seemed to run into train delays or just missed that bus so now we have to wait another 30 min delays in Italy making transferring from place to place much longer than we expected. Not to mention the cost of trains/buses for all that moving - it adds up very fast (if budget is a concern).

But you are young - if you feel you want to do this whirlwind trip, the only thing I can say is...it will give you a very quick taste of the places you are going and perhaps whet your appetite to return for longer stays (I've been to Venice 4 times...and someday am going to return to Switzerland for longer). The main reason we did the trip like that is because hubby (who is a pessimist) thought we'd never get back. (And we've been back 3 more times since 2010, so that went out the window).

Whatever you decide, I hope you make some lasting memories (and not fleeting...'we were in Munich?' ones...)

Oh - having visited Mont St Michel with a car, we looked beforehand into getting to MSM from where we were staying near Caen...you had to catch a bus there since the train didn't run all the way there (there are a few options) and the time of year we went, buses only ran until 6-7pm or so, so you have to factor that into your visit as well - how late does the public transport run? Most of the reason we rented a car was because of the difficulty in getting to MSM and I wanted to be there after dark to see it lit up.

Tom- Thank you for your input.

Laura B- I appreciate the mindset! I am trying to adopt it :)

canuckatlarge- I'm glad to know not everyone plans a slower itinerary! I am still researching to find what is right for us!

Susan- Thank you for your post! I don't want to not remember it, while we want to make the most of what we can see and do while we are there! It's all about balance!

Emily- I definitely won't end up with an itinerary as busy as the first one, but I will make sure to let you guys know what my final itinerary is before we leave!

Hi,

You have a full month ...doable but I would drop Greece and Switzerland, maybe Austria too since you're seeing mainly Salzburg. Add those days to France. How are going from Paris to Provence? Paris to Avignon TGV? True..travel gliches happen so be prepared to drop a sight or two. I would suggest very careful planning, stay near train stations,

If you are going to sprint thru Europe, then do yourself a favor & take only one small bag. Those are the two biggest mistakes inexperienced travelers make, over-packing and trying to doing the If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium thing.

Good luck on winning the Amazing Race!

Most hotels of any size will store your bags for you. Small places and B&Bs may simply not have the space. Last year I was pleasantly surprised at how many RR stations in Italy and the Balkans had left-luggage offices, but not all do. I suspect this is less common in larger cities in northern Europe with security concerns. You can probably get pretty accurate recent info by Googling "luggage storage Interlaken", etc., or "luggage storage Interlaken railroad". In a pinch, you can try asking at a nearby not-too-crowded café, or walk into a large hotel with a 5 Euro note in your hand (more if you have a lot of bags) and ask whether it will hold your luggage. That's money directly in the pocket of a staff person, so you may very well get a "yes" response.

Overnight trains that don't require connections usually run between major cities, stopping only at other large cities on their direct routes. Hallstatt to Interlaken is the sort of route that does not offer a decent night routing. Given that all the options on the Deutche Bahn website require 4 to 10 transfers, it could be argued that there aren't even any decent daytime connections for that route. Bastogne to Munich is also difficult. There's a departure around 8 PM that takes 13-14 hours, depending on connections, of which there will be either 3 or 5. You won't find couchettes or sleeper cars for that sort of routing, and the trip will be utterly exhausting.

You still need to do some trimming. If it weren't for the family connection, I'd definitely suggest cutting Belgium. As it stands, my next cut would be Venice. I adore it, but you're spending a lot of time to get there and won't have enough time to really see the city. I'd also cut Como, for the same reason, except I think you need to break the Zermatt-Nice trip somewhere. Just be aware that the Italian lake district deserves far more time, for bus rides around the lakes and boat trips on the lakes.

The Verdon Gorge sounds lovely, but it seems to be difficult to reach by public transportation, based on my quick Googling. That's something you need to research carefully to be sure your plans are viable. Eliminating this jog into southern France would allow the rest of your trip to breathe a bit.

You're going to spend an unbelievable amount of time on trains and buses or waiting for trains and buses. Dragging suitcases through train stations, trying to make tight connections, is very tiring. In addition, your ground transportation costs are going to be very high compared to the amount of real sightseeing time you will have. Because you're trying to do so much, so fast, you're going to be faced with taking some organized day trips rather than waiting for inconveniently scheduled, but much cheaper, public transportation. You'll probably also have to take quite a few taxis. There's nothing wrong with those options, but it can be difficult to estimate those costs ahead of time. No one plans for a delayed train (quite common still in Italy) or limited Sunday/holiday schedules, but they do occur.

I'd suggest trying to think about the trip a little differently. Instead of "How many top sights can I fit into one month?", consider "How can I most enjoy a month in Europe?" When we daydream about Europe, it doesn't usually involve spending so much time on trains and buses.

Are you planning to make hotel reservations and buy train tickets ahead of time? Your schedule is so aggressive that I'd be very concerned about that.

Southam- I had heard they were going to take the locks off, but I was hoping I could see it first! I appreciate you letting me know it is no longer there. I hate that it became damaging to the bridge, although I'm sure that was never the intent of those who participated. I loved the idea of placing something in the city of love as a representative of your own love!

David- Thanks! Yes for sure, people on these boards do not like multi-country trips! To each his own :) I love your comment about balance- and that is exactly what I am trying to find!

FastEddie-I don't know that I have seen his 21 day itinerary. I will definitely look that up!

pfresh-That's a great idea about staying in Bayeux and doing a day trip to Mont St Michel. I think that would cut down on travel time as well as keep us in the same location longer. Great suggestion! I love it!

Chani- I am starting to reconsider Hitler's Nest as well as Dachau. I have been told Hitler's Nest has a beautiful view, but after seeing other places in Austria and Switzerland that I will have my share of views. I was told that there aren't many locations to sit and relax, and you cant see much of the venue. I am considering cutting Dachau since we will already be stopping twice for out of the way WW2 locations that are more personal to me. What do you think?
Also, why would you not have picked Versailles and Montmartre?
You posted a lot of train times, but train tickets are not even available yet. Are these standard times?

Nicole P-Yes, we are hoping to have more than fleeting memories, but I did like how you pointed out that quick trips will give us a taste of cities we would want to come explore further. I am trying to find a good balance for us! Still working out the baggage issues, but I do want to get a better grasp on the itinerary before I worry too much about it-that way I am not doing needless research if we decide to cut a location. Also, in your opinion- what are the high points of Venice? Our main wish was to see the canals and maybe 1-2 other sites/museums, so I thought a day would suffice. Why do you recommend more?

Fred- We probably wouldn't travel from Paris to Provence, and instead cross over to Bastogne and pick up Provence after Switzerland and before we head down the coast of Italy. What do you think?

Going234- Absolutely! We are already planning on it! We have Gregory packs, and I have an Osprey pack/rolling as well. I'm not sure which I want to take! The rolling case is carry on size and comes with a small zip on back pack. It also has straps so that you can wear the whole thing as a backpack, or you have the option to roll it. My Gregory pack is just a backpack. What do you think?

Emily- That made me laugh out loud!

Acraven-Thank you so much for your response!!! Lots to consider! I really appreciate your comments and will be considering them for SURE!

Well, I fell in love with Venice the moment I walked thru the doors of the train station and saw the grand canal laid out in front of me. Our first visit there was in 2008 we only had about 30 hours...arriving around noon and having to leave the next day at about 8pm to fly to London. We've gone back in '10, '12 and '14 and I'm hoping to go for a week in '18 for carnivale. For me, it is unlike anywhere else...maybe the lack of cars. You need almost a day to visit murano/burano and torcello if you want to see them. And burano is so lovely. I'd def recommend adding at least another night there if you can, and two more nights would be best.

Only experiencing Rialto and San Marco for a few hours when they are full of day trippers is a sure fire way to hate Venice. For me, I like to wander, get lost in the back alleys, get up early before 7am and go to SM and Rialto, stay out after dark and listen to the duelling orchestras in SM and watch the light play on the water. It's just really hard to get a feel for a place in such a short time frame. But again, our first brief taste (in which I will say we squandered a good 3 hours by going to murano in the afternoon and arriving just when the shops were closing...and then spent an hour the next day waiting to get into the doges palace) made me fall in love.

Im just talking as someone who has had the experience of a couple of very fast paced itineries who has learned to slow it down. Our 08 trip consisted of 5 nights in Rome, 2 in cinque terre, 1 in Genoa and Bologna and Venice then flying to London and doing the sister visit in Portsmouth. Our '12 trip was a night in London, a few nights in Venice, few in Florence, few in Milan, few nice, Avignon, Paris, a little village near Caen then Portsmouth and London. I'm finally learning the benefit of slowing down and not moving all the time, which gets exhausting about halfway thru. My mom came with us to Italy in '14 and (after spending a few nights in London and gathering her from her long visit with my sister in Portsmouth) we flew to and spent a night in Naples, 3 Amalfi coast (def not long enough), 5 Rome and 3 Venice. The slower pace was nice and def easier for my mom.

And for sure moving all the time will really get expensive with trains and whatnot. We probably spent almost as much (or more) on trains on our crazy 2012 trip than we spent on the airline tickets to get to Europe. Our only saving grace for our budget was we did a lot of couchsurfing on that trip.

But I know if people told me then to slow down my trips, I wouldn't listen, so I totally understand. :) It is something you need to learn for yourself. And hopefully you will many more opportunities to go back and travel at a more leisurely pace.

Hi,

I think your itinerary given a tight schedule includes a lot of zig zag traveling, which can be done if you plan diligently but still keep in mind there will ocassions when the unexpected happens, what I call the "travel imponderabilia" that causes a waste of time., ie, time which you planned for something else. That means you need to have a back up plan for every contingency. You list Bastogne, Provence, Switzerland, the coast of Italy, presumably the eastern coast or is it going towards Tuscany? Out of these 4 one has to go with your current time span. If you had two more weeks, I would say all four can easily be done.

How do plan on getting from Paris to Bastogne? You could take the TGV Paris Est to Metz/Lorraine. then a local train from Metz. The three days Germany? I assume the first two nights you'll stay in Munich. drop Nürnberg unless seeing the place for an afternoon suffices. . Going from Munich to Salzburg might bring with it travel delays...I hope not since I plan likewise in June. If you go from Nürnberg to Austria, the train crosses (Grenzübergang) at Passau. There you change trains for Salzburg. How are planning on arriving in Greece? Flying or taking the ferry from Italy at Brindisi?

Let's try this itinerary..
Day 1: Fly into Paris (land before lunch), and sightsee for a few hours before hopping an evening train for Bayeux. (Roughly 2 hours).
Day 2: Day trip to Mont St Michel (2 hour train ride). Return back to Bayeux, bags in lodging. (2 total nights in Bayeux)
Day 3: Normandy/Omaha beach. Bags in lodging. After dark, train to Paris (2 hours) to stay the night.
Day 4: Bags at lodging. Continue exploring Paris (Quick outside views of the Louvre, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees/Arc de Triomphe, hopefully a few hours around the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, Versailles)
Day 5: Exploring Paris. (3 nights in Paris)
Day 6: Day trip to Brugges. Evening train to Bastogne (5.5 hours).
Day 7: WW2 Memorial/museum and Ardennes Forest/Battle of the Bulge sites. Spend the night. (2 nights in Bastogne area)
Day 8: Train (or fly?) to Fussen (1 night in Fussen)
Day 9: Neuschwanstein Castle. Evening train to Salzburg.
Day 10: Explore in Salzburg. Bags at lodging.(2 nights in Salzburg)
Day 11: Travel to Hallstatt for the day (2 hrs 45 min). Spend the night. (1 night Hallstatt)
Day 12: Train (or fly?) from Hallstatt to Interlaken (11 hrs)
Day 13: Interlaken. Early check in for bags? (3 nights Interlaken)
Day 14: Day trip to Grindelwald. Bags in lodging.
Day 15: Day trip to Gimmelwald. Bags in lodging. Travel to Zermatt in evening (3 hours).
Day 16: Planning to ski! Spend the night there. Bags in lodging. (2 nights Zermatt)
Day 17: Travel to Lake Como (6 hours from Zermatt), Spend the night there. Bags in lodging. (1 night in Como)
Day 18: Morning in Como. Evening travel to Nice (7 hours from Como). Check in to lodging.
Day 19: Relax in Nice.
Day 20: Earliest train to Provence (2-3 hours). Kayak Verdon Gorge in Provence. Return to Nice. (3 nights in Nice)
Day 21: Sleep in day in Nice. Afternoon/Evening train to Vernazza/Cinque Terra (6 hours). Check in.
Day 22: Cinque Terra. Bags in lodging. (2 nights Cinque Terra)
Day 23: Morning in Cinque Terra. Bags in lodging. Evening train to Venice (6 hours). Check in. (1 night Venice)
Day 24: Venice. Bags in lodging. Evening train to Rome (3 hrs 45 min)
Day 25: Rome. Bags in lodging.
Day 26: Rome. Bags in lodging. (3 nights in Rome)
Day 27:
Day 28:
Day 29:

Still looking to rearrange a little at the end. We will be flying out of Rome, so I can squeeze something else in-or I can add time to another city. I cut Nuremburg, Dachau, Hitler's Nest, and added time to Paris, Nice, and rearranged my Bayeux/Mont St Michel time.

Nicole- Yes, I know experienced travels all suggest the same thing- which I am trying to listen to! However, you do sometimes have to make your own mistakes and have your own experiences to judge for yourself! I just posted a still busy itinerary, but a little less train time and more day trips to allow for more time in accommodations. Let me know if you think it looks better!

Fred- We cut Greece, but I did make some more adjustments and cuts!

Have you considered how/when you are going to wash clothes? I assume that you are going to have to wash clothes at some point over this trip. My husband and I pack light and usually do at least one load over a two week trip with some smaller sink washing in between. Even with wicking clothes that are not cotton we have trouble getting things to dry in our room and have found it easier to either use the hotel's laundry service or spend a few hours at a laundry facility. But that can take away from sightseeing.

Why are you staying in Interlaken? Why not stay Lauterbrunnen which is close to Gimmelwald and Grindelwald?

I know you are having a hard time limiting the craziness of this trip so I think you have to do this trip as you planned and learn from your mistakes. I know it is really hard.....we've all been there, but I think you will have great trips in the future because you will learn what not to do on this trip. Sorry....but true!

One thing we really enjoy are bike tours of the city, we have done several in many of the cities you have mentioned, it is a great way to get any overview if it's a quick stop, or to just get the lay of the land. We always do one as soon as we get settled in our hotel on the first day to try and combat jet lag. The fresh air and movement helps us to stay up til 9pm.

We also added a 11 night Med. cruise, used mainly as transportation to Greece as it is off the beaten path. It started in Venice and ended in Rome so we added days at the beginning and the end of the cruise. Although it is a brief visit to ports, it eliminated travel time and was a fun way to end our month as it was nice not to have to unpack every few days and to be taken care of.

I have done a number of whirlwind trips and would not change them for anything.... However, this was always done with a car. Walking out of the hotel, throwing luggage in the trunk and taking off takes about 2 minutes. Getting from hotels to trains and into hotels in new cities can add lots of time to your travel day. With that said, you do have to make your own mistakes/ or not, and make this trip your own. When you ask for advice you can either heed it, or ignore it. I see that you have eliminated a number of places, but you still have a really busy schedule.

The Gorges of Verdon are beautiful and I have driven that area a number of times... don't miss it.

See my previous post. I suggest you make a detailed plan like that for each of your days. Know in advance what bus/tram/train to take and what the schedule is, how long it takes to get to your chosen sights and roughly how much time you need to see them properly. It takes time to figure it out and if you don't know the answers when you get off the train, you will waste way too much time figuring it out.

Two of us have told you to use rome2rio.com for routes from place to place. It doesn't sound like you've tried that, since you ask if you should train or fly to Fussen and from Hallstatt, neither of which is even close to an airport.

Make some anchor reservations in Paris, Rome, Venice. Hit the ground running-see what your tolerance is for lots of trains, buses, planes. Make a top 5 must list. Work some extra flexibility into your schedule. Scout for future trips. The important thing is that you are going on a wonderful trip! I am envious.

Hello there...
While not nearly as well traveled as the others posting here, I have traveled a bit, including around North America and to Europe and South America. I must add my vote that you are planning to cram too much into too little time, even with your revised itinerary. It feels like you just want to check things off a "to do" list (sorry). I have found that we never want to spend less than 2 nights anywhere unless it is just for convenience to catch a flight. For instance, Lake Como was one of our favorite parts of a trip to Switzerland and Italy. Although we spent 3 nights in Como, we feel like we want to go back to better enjoy it; yet you plan it as a day trip. Maybe it is a personality thing, but I feel that for us the best travels allow us the opportunity to really experience and feel a part of another location and culture. Otherwise, we could just Google it. Again, I do not have extensive experience, but hope you seriously consider the very valuable opinions of the experienced travelers who have taken the time to respond to your query. Whatever your itinerary ends up including, though, I am sure you will have a memorable time, especially if you prioritize your preferences and consider your own travel personalities!

You seem to have a number of "evening" trains after which you are checking in at lodgings -- some less-expensive places do NOT have 24-hour front desks and therefore have specific check-in times. (Or extra charges for late check-in.) Something to keep in mind when you get down to booking details.

Where you still have a few days 'left over', I would really add one more (at least) night to Venice - going all that way (and the expense of a train) just to spend part of a day there seems a big waste of time...

I'm not sure if you mentioned where you plan to fly into and home from...?

Another thing to consider with night arrivals: they may make getting to your hotel more difficult, and potentially more costly if you decide to taxi to a place you'd normally be able to walk to. It's not usually a safety issue, though train stations in large cities are often not in the greatest neighborhoods. The problem is that it's dark and harder to see street signs and other visual cues.

I guess I'm dating myself here. No doubt a cellphone with navigation capability would be helpful; I still tend to navigate with maps.

Ashleayale,

What an awesome trip. I love how you are trying to strategically fit in WWII Historical locations and sites along with some major cities and locations. My first trip to Europe was a lot shorter (only 10 days) and boy did we try to cram a lot in. I loved ever minute of it and would not have traded it for any other trip plan! We have been back to Europe a few times since then and each time we try to slow down and spend more time at places. I used to think I should warn people and tell them to slow down and not try to do so much but I think that if you are ambitious (like we were on our first visit) then you will have a blast. Also, it will give you an opportunity to find out what countries and style of European travel you will prefer for your return visits.

If you are set on that itinerary that is great. I think Greece and England can wait for your next trip. As I visualize your path through Europe the only portion that made me wonder a bit was the diversion back into France (southern France, Nice, etc). That is a wonderful area and for some reason I can feel your passion for that kayak excursion but that might be the only portion I would think about doing your next visit. Postponing those days might allow for:

One more day in Como
A visit and stay in Tuscany or Florence for 3 days before Venice.
One more day in Venice
One more day in the Amalfi Coast.

Florence (and Tuscany) often end up being a favorite place in Italy and even in Europe for a lot of people. Personally, we loved Florence and Tuscany compared to Rome (make sure you take the Walk About Tours day long bus trip into Tuscany from Florence. It leaves early and ends late but is unbelievable and you guys have the stamina to do that all day tour. We took it 4 years ago and it is still the # 1 trip to do in Florence)

But remember if you have already booked your trip what you have worked out is awesome. I/we are only trying to offer some last minute fine tuning so to speak. You may not want to see Florence and Tuscany and that is 110% fine because this trip is about the two of you and what you want to see and get excited about. Your only real issue is you will be hooked on Europe after that trip and want to come back :-)

Running my eye over your latest plan, I have a few ideas to consider ...
- Add your extra nights in Paris, Munich, Venice
- Make Nice a stand alone stay at the end of your trip, flying in and out.
- Visit Hallstatt from Salzburg and Neuchwantsein from Munich.
- Fly from Brussels to Munich and Venice to Nice.

(2 nights in Bayeaux)
(4 nights in Paris)
(2 nights in Bastogne area)
Fly Brussels to Munich
(2 nights Munich) (with day trip to Neuschwanstein)
(3 nights in Salzburg) (with day trip to Hallstatt)
(3 nights Interlaken)
(2 nights Zermatt)
(1 night in Como)
(2 nights Cinque Terre)
(3 nights in Rome)
(2 nights Venice)
Fly Venice to Nice
(3 nights in Nice)

Jen C- we are planning to stay in a lot of Airbnb places, but I will make sure to strategize and look out for laundry facilities when booking. Thanks for reminding me!

Susan- Interlaken has several things to do and is only about 30 min from Grindelwald and Gimmelwald.

Kathi- I love the bike idea and think my husband will too! I am going to look into that!

Terry- I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the gorge! Several people have said to skip it, but we are really looking forward to it. I see your point about train travel, but on another hand we are not having to drive, so our time on the train can be used as down time/sleep time/time to read or make plans for our next city.

Chani- I plan to make more detailed itineraries once I have my locations decided on. As we all know, that takes a lot of time and research, so I don't want to waste time looking heavily into places that we aren't going to go to. I haven't looked into Rome2rio yet, but I am aware that several of my locations don't have airports. I meant to train to the nearest airport and fly to save time.

Fourth house- making a priority list is a great idea. We will definitely be using this trip to scout places to return to! I like the idea of doing a whirlwind trip at least once!

ML- yes I have been seriously considering the advice given here. That is why I have tried to respond to each indiviudal post. I think we would enjoy doing a faster paced trip the first time and then going back to get into details, although maybe I will feel differently after this trip. I just can't imagine taking a vacation for a month (my husband only gets a week vacation a year) and saving/planning for a year to only visit 1-2 countries. We will probably not have an opportunity quite like this one again, so we want to maximize what we see while still being practical.

Laura B- great thought! We will be looking first at Airbnb locations, so I was betting on their flexibility, but a great reminder to look into that before booking. Thank you.

Nicole- the plan is to fly into Paris and out of Rome- tentatively

Acraven- hopefully yes, a GPS should be helpful, although I plan to have maps and directions as backups, either located in my phone or a folder in my bag.

Eddie- thank you for the positivity :) the trip is not finalized, we actually haven't booked the first thing! We plan on beginning our bookings after we buy airline tickets, which should be in the next month or two. We are planning to skip Florence this visit because we aren't into art history very much. And you are right- the kayak excursion is one of my husbands favorite things on our itinerary! If it all works out, I will try to remember to post how it all went!

Dyp_syd- I. Love. This! I am going to use it I think! Thank you so much!!

I am still considering taking off the Almafi coast or lake como to slow our trip down. Any ideas on how to make that decision? The Almafi coast is more out of the way. What are your recommendations?

All the potential destinations are great, so it's hard to pick one to eliminate. If you're still including the area around Nice and the Cinque Terre (both coastal), I might eliminate the Amalfi Peninsula and keep Lake Como on this trip. As you said, Amalfi is beyond Rome.

You say you are planning on staying in Airbnb rentals. Have you actually started looking for those rentals yet and their requirements? A lot of times they require a minimum stay of 3 nights because they are not as easily equipped for the turnover between guests compared to a hotel. With many of your stays being only a couple nights you may have more difficulty finding rentals. Not that you can't find shorter rentals available, but they will be more difficult to find. Also to reiterate the check-in times, those type of rentals have very few staff and therefore are not always as flexible with check-in times as hotel. And if you do agree to a specific time and something happens making you late, be sure you let them know as they will be specifically waiting on your arrival.

In addition to the bike tours, we have found Segway tours to be a fun way to see a city when they are available.

The generally minor inconveniences of waiting around for the rental manager to show up, or getting directions to locations that are not well marked and not known by locals, might prove more of a drag on a whirlwind trip. Last-minute changes due to travel delays--which I experienced on both buses and trains--can be difficult to sort out by email (assuming you have internet access), and I'm not very comfortable trying out my limited language skills by telephone. Fortunately, many of the hosts spoke English.

I found the effort to arrange my initial arrival at non-staffed accommodations to be a bit of a pain. On one occasion it cost me at least an extra hour to get into my room. Be sure to have the location plotted on a map, have a description of the exterior of the building, and be aware that sometimes the entry door you need is on the back side of the building. Heading for a private accommodation is nothing at all like looking for a hotel. Again, it's more of a challenge at night.

Thanks Jen C and acraven. I will consider that and if we do decide to do airbnb, I will make sure we have directions and available check in times.

dyp_syd: I had time today to look over your ideas with my itinerary. Why do you think Nice would be a good stand alone location? Just trying to follow your thoughts so I can make them work! I did change my Hallstatt day to a day trip instead of a spend the night location.

I am finally having the time to sit down and use Rome2rio.com! It is very helpful in determining times, and more helpful than the DB app because it offers at least a price estimate. While routing my trip, I tried to make it flow by picking a logical next destination, but I am wondering if you have any changes that you would make regarding the route my trip takes?

I am strongly considering cutting the Almafi coast, and adding time in Como and Venice to keep us from bouncing around so much. I also added a passing through day in the Florence/Tuscany region. I know some of you will be appalled at how little time we would be spending there-but keep in mind we had planned to skip it altogether! I thought it would make more sense to stop by for a day trip there since it is between Venice and Rome than to travel even further south.

So at this point, I am asking for recommendations for how to lay out the trip, as well as recommendations on if a Eurail pass would be worth it for my specific destinations. I know it gives flexibility and saves time so you don't have to stand in line to purchase point to point tickets; however, I also know that a lot of trains (as well as buses, flights, subways, taxis, etc) are not covered in the pass. So on top of the $1750 we would pay for a months pass, we would have to pay quite a bit of additional fees in other transportation. I am wondering if it would be significantly cheaper to purchase point to point. I have read several articles that are pro Eurail passes, but also several that claim they are much more expensive than point to point, and that you are paying for that flexibility.

I am adding an updated itinerary with the changes and research I did on rome2rio. Thank you to those who are bearing with me and helping me plan this unforgettable trip! I want you to know I look forward to your responses and consider each of them and how I can learn from them and apply them.

Day 1: Fly into Paris (land before lunch), and sightsee for a few hours before hopping an evening train for Bayeux. (Roughly 2 hours/15 minutes. Rome2rio says this train leaves every 4 hours, $35-$75 per person, depending on class-without train passes)

Day 2: Day trip to Mont St Michel (3 hour train/bus ride one way or approximately $30 per person without passes). Return back to Bayeux, bags in lodging. (2 total nights in Bayeux) **(Potentially cutting this stop. It is not on our must see list, so if I need to make more time, I would consider cutting this first)

Day 3: Normandy/Omaha beach. (20 minutes via taxi for approximately $45). Bags in lodging. After dark, train to Paris (2 hours/15 minutes, $35-$75 per person) to stay the night.

Day 4: Bags at lodging. Continue exploring Paris (Louvre, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees/Arc de Triomphe, hopefully a few hours around the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, Versailles, D’Orsay museum, Shakespeare and Co bookstore, Luxembourg gardens, Seine river cruise/walk, Monet gradens, Panethon, Pont Neuf bridge, Disneyland Paris)

Day 5: Exploring Paris. (3 nights in Paris) 55E for zones 1-5 (including Versailles) Paris subway/train pass for 3 days. Price is per adult.

Day 6: Exploring Paris in the morning. Afternoon train to Bastogne (Approximately 5 hours at $30-$50 per person without a rail pass).

Day 7: WW2 Memorial/museum and Ardennes Forest/Battle of the Bulge sites. Spend the night. (2 nights in Bastogne area)

Day 8: Train (or fly?) to Fussen (1 night in Fussen) Train is 12 hours. $150-$200 per person. OR train to Luxembourg, Fly to Munich, Train to Fussen- Total of 9 hours/15 min, $150-$400 per person. (Currently showing $120 pp on skyscanner for flight, total travel cost of $180 approximate per person)

Day 9: Neuschwanstein Castle. Evening train to Salzburg. 4 hour train ride, $60-$80 per person.

Day 10: Explore in Salzburg. (Hohenwerfen and SOM tour) Bags at lodging.
Day 11: Travel to Hallstatt for the day (2 hrs 30 min by bus or train. $20-$40 per person one way). Back to Salzburg to spend the night. (3 nights in Salzburg).
Day 12: Train (7 hours/40 minutes at $175-$200 per person) from Salzburg to Interlaken

Day 13: Interlaken. (3 nights Interlaken)

Day 14: Day trip to Grindelwald. Bags in lodging. (30 min train for $10 per person)

Day 15: Day trip to Gimmelwald. Bags in lodging. (1 hour for $10 per person). Back to Interlaken to retrieve bags. Train to Zermatt in evening (2.5 hours/$40 per person).

Day 16: Planning to ski! Spend the night there. Bags in lodging. (2 nights Zermatt)

Day 17: Morning in Zermatt/skiing or sleeping in. Evening train travel to Lake Como (6 hours from Zermatt at $60-$80 per person), Spend the night there. Bags in lodging.

Day 18: Day in Como. Spend the night. (2 nights in Como)

Day 19: Morning in Como. Evening travel to Nice (7 hours from Como, $60-$70 per person). Check in to lodging.

Day 20: Relax in Nice.

Day 21: Earliest train to Provence (2 hr train ride and taxi for $200 per person, or less than 2 hour drive). Kayak Verdon Gorge in Provence. Return to Nice. (3 nights in Nice)

Day 22: Sleep in day in Nice. Afternoon/Evening train to Vernazza/Cinque Terra (7 hours via bus/ $160 per person). Check in. If stopping in Milan, see The Last Supper

Day 23: Cinque Terra. Bags in lodging. (2 nights Cinque Terra)

Day 24: Morning in Cinque Terra. Bags in lodging. Evening train to Venice (3 hours/$130 per person). Check in.

Day 25: Venice. Bags in lodging. (2 nights in Venice).

Day 26: Train to Florence/Tuscany region. (2 hours/$30-$45) Mineral baths. Evening train to Rome. (1 hour/30 min for $35-$45)

Day 27: Rome. Bags in lodging.

Day 28: Rome. Bags in lodging. (3 nights in Rome)

Day 29: Morning in Rome. Fly home from Rome.

Ashlea,
If you are into WWII sights, you have one major omission from your list in London: the Imperial War Museum.
And why Buckingham? It is a small town (population 12000) about 50 miles from London, originally the county town of Buckinghamshire. Or did you mean somewhere else :-) ?

If you have 4 days in Paris (more recommended), you need the same time in London.

Switzerland: Wartegg Castle - why there.
Germany - where are you staying?

You need to list out all the places you are staying and for how many nights. Golden rule - minimum 2 nights per stay, 3 recommended. And then list how you are getting from one place to another (transport). Each change of location will use up ½day - at least.

You're moving around a lot, and I'm just not sure about the cost-effectiveness of a railpass in your situation. I'm sure some other folks will have informed opinions. This is just general commentary:

For adults, the Eurail pass is a first-class deal unless you're under 26. (There are other passes that are for second-class travel, but I think they're generally single-country.) If a lot of your travel is on regional trains with no first-class cars, you are losing some of the potential benefit of the rail pass, though you do have the convenience of just hopping on the train. If you're OK with second-class seats on faster trains and would otherwise be buying second-class tickets, you are losing some of the financial benefit of the rail pass.

To the extent that you take the fancy/fast trains with mandatory seat reservations, you don't have the full flexibility you may be imagining; you can't just jump on one of those trains and wave the pass at the ticket-checker. You'll have to buy a reservation. The cost of the seat reservation is extra, whether you have a rail pass or buy an individual ticket. That cost varies by country (perhaps also by train?), but it isn't minor. I believe I paid 15 euros in Italy. If you choose to get the reservation ahead of time and miss the train, you'll have to pay for another reservation or take a slower train with no reservation requirement. If you wait till you're about ready to depart to buy the reservation, you'll probably still get on the train (this might be risky in some cases), but how is this any more flexible than buying the ticket and reservation at the same time on the day of departure?

I found the automated ticket machines in Germany and Italy easy to use except on some occasions in Italy when the number of my senior travel card wasn't recognized. That forced me to use manned ticket counters, and it is true that you don't want to do that at the last minute, else you may miss your train.

Chris F- We have decided to skip London and add it to another trip in the future. I just posted an updated itinerary. I am not even really sure where Wartegg Castle is (more things to research!) but we read you can stay there, so thats why it has made it into our wish list. The new itinerary just above your comment also lists how long we are staying in each location as well as more details travel times and prices.

Acraven- so your recommendation would be to try point to point tickets?

I'm not in a position to recommend because I haven't looked in detail at your train legs--specifically, how much extra time would it cost to take a less expensive train? But the Eurail website tells me that 6 days of travel over a 1-month period cost $520; 8 days over 1 month, $633. There's a sale running till late April that extends the duration of the passes a bit (included in the times I've cited), but you're still limited to 6 or 8 days of usage at those price points.

I looked at the fares you provided, and the two most expensive days total $325-400, but the Salzburg to Interlaken run is available as a Super Economy ticket for 69 euros in May on a train that takes an extra 80 minutes. That's a lot of savings for an extra hour on the train. I can't even bring myself to think about that Bastogne to Fussen leg. Normally I'd say "stick with the rain" rather than traveling by train-air-train in order to save such a little bit of time. I couldn't find a 3-hour routing from the Cinque Terre to Venice or anything approaching $130. (Not saying it doesn't exist, but there are 5- to 6-hour trips priced under $55.)

Taking the fares you provided, it appears that your heaviest 6 days total $640-$780, vs. $520 for the 6-day rail pass. I wouldn't say it's clearly a money-losing proposition, but you might lose money in the end, because:

• You would probably beat those fares with single tickets in some cases, especially if you compromised a bit on travel time. Big savings possible on the Cinque Terre to Venice leg.
• If you decide to fly the bulk of the Bastogne-Fussen leg, there goes one of your highest-cost days, with the result that the rail pass is pretty much the same price as the top-tier rail tickets.
• You have an extremely aggressive schedule. If something changes during your vacation, I assure you it won't be the addition of a new costly leg that would increase the value of the rail pass; rather, it will be elimination of a destination or splitting of a long trip across two days because you get a late start or hear about an interesting place along the way. If you decide to do the latter, you now have to use two of your railpass days to get from Point A to Point B rather than one, so you've in effect lost a usage day (worth $60-$80 at top price).

See what I mean? It's pretty convoluted. I don't think the extra usage time available for Eurail Passes purchased over the next 4 to 6 weeks would mean much to you because you don't have costly trips at the very beginning or end of your schedule, so there's no hurry to decide whether you want the rail passes. The approach we're both taking (bird's-eye view of pricing) is OK for building a budget, because you want your budget to be on the high side. It's pretty inexact for judging whether a rail pass is good value.

Hi,

Another WW 2 site in London I would recommend is the RAF Museum in north London, Tube stop Colindale, then ca 10 min walk, if you're interested in WW 2 planes, including the Me 262 jet fighter with a close-up of the engine. You'll notice that German war planes are displayed in England in their original, ie, not sanitised as is the case in German museums.

Acraven-I hadn't really thought too much about mixing and matching a pass with days we don't use it. SO. MUCH. RESEARCH! I have found that the rome2rio website will really help me a lot with planning train travel. Better get busy with those details!

Fred-Thanks for the recommendation, but we are skipping London this trip!

Not sure what your plans are, or budget is, but try to save some money in case you want to take gondolas/funiculars etc. up the mountains in Switzerland. They can get pricy, but worth every penny! I know you plan to go to Gimmelwald, but it is the lowest place on the mountain. You may want to head up higher then hike down.

Ash

What you are trying to do in 2.5 days in Paris took us a full seven days and we felt rushed. There is so much to see, do, eat and drink in Paris.

I suggest you take the 12 hours of travelling time and the approximately $400 in travel costs from your first 3 days and use them as follows:

3 hours for extra sleep to get over jet lag
3 hours to sit at cafes in Paris with wifi to sip coffee, read, talk, relax and people watch
3 hours for a $400 meal in a very nice restaurant
3 hours to walk around and enjoy view of sunset at Sacre Coeur

To be amazingly blunt (we Aussies are known for it), you won't get any meaningful advice until you develop a realistic expectation for this trip. After all, that is the purpose of this forum, and as it currently stands your trip is really not what most would consider feasible.

Your train prices are whack. Where are you getting those?

A couple of things: a 2-week whirlwind trip is one thing, sustaining that pace for a month may be exhausting and impractical. I worry about falling dominoes. If you can put two or three nights in the middle where you plan nothing in advance, you might be happier for the rst of your trip.

Train tickets: in France, seats for pass holders tend to be limited, and there's a few for each reservation.

Rome2rio.com is great for planning, but each country's rail site will have better prices.

You've made a lot of improvements in your itinerary. Congratulations; it's not easy. You need to work out the transportation details. In some cases you will find that your plan is not feasible. For example, unless things have changed, there is no train station in Bastogne. You'll need to take a train and then bus. Perhaps the timing will work; perhaps not. Then how will you get around to the sites in the area? We rented a car which seemed like the only option to us. Then getting to Fussen the next day? That seems daunting. I love your reason for going there, but this would be a good thing to cut since it involves such long and complicated transportation. You're young; you'll be back.

Please please do not stay in Interlaken. Stay in Murren in the mountains or Lauterbrunnen in the valley. You'll be surrounded by views and a wealth of hikes without having to do day trips. You don't need to see Grindlewald.

Don't even think about Disneyland Paris. It's a whole day affair and you don't have time.

Good luck with your planning. I hope you have a fabulous trip!

Susan and Monte- I watched one of Ricks videos about Switzerland and saw the funiculars! Pretty cool! I think my husband would also really enjoy doing that.

Funpig- thanks for your recommendation. Omaha beach is very important and personal to me, so I think we are going to continue to make the trek to Normandy. I hope I have budgeted in a bit more time here and there and slowed us down enough to still have time to do some of the things you mentioned, although I can't imagine paying $400 for dinner anywhere! To each his own :) I agree the Paris wish list is still large, so I plan to make a prioritized list and see what we can fit in after that.

Dyp_syd: I'm sorry you feel that way, but I think I have gotten quite a bit of meaningful advice, as well as encouragement about my trip. I understand it is a lot- and if we get over there and it is too much then we will regroup. However, most Americans don't get a month to vacation. As I said earlier, my husband gets only 1 week a year- so this vacation comes with lots of sacrifices and is truly probably a once in a lifetime trip (although I hope we can return for shorter times). I just can't stomach only visiting 1-2 countries in that length of time. We want to see and do as much as possible while still being rested. We don't typically do vacations where we just sit and relax, so I believe for us this could really work. I continue to appreciate all of the advice I receive, and am still learning and planning, but I am excited about our first trip being a whirlwind trip and am looking forward to the adventure and memories that will bring.

Emily- I got the train prices from rome2rio! Are they too low??

Zoe- do you recommend the 2-3 days to have no plans or no plans for the last half of the trip? Also, I have had trouble getting rail sites to pull up price estimates for me. Because our trip is still a ways out, our actual dates are not available yet, but even using other dates as a guide I can't get prices. What sites do you recommend?

Carroll- thanks for the advice! Disneyland is on the back burner for sure, we will probably just skip- you're right. I will look into Murren and car rentals for places like Bayeux and Bastogne. Most of my long travel days I tried to leave just to traveling to help with mishaps.

Keep the advice coming friends!