Seek your opinions and knowledge about my planned itinerary for April 2027

It's a bit difficult to comment without knowing what you are trying to optimize or see
with this itinerary.

It's not the most efficient, and you don't say how you plan to go between each city.
Paris to London and then back to Amsterdam is probably 2 half days of travel,
for example, whether you fly or take the train.

Also, I think you probably have too many places to cover in 23 days. If you are
counting arrival and departure days in that number, you actually have 21-23 full days
of travel, and 8 places (maybe more, since Switzerland has a lot of places). That
comes out to 2.5-3 days per place, not including travel time. You may want to
dive into detailed transport options to see how much time you would have in
each place.

You'll find many threads about the wisdom of using AI to plan a travel itinerary. It may
be helpful, but I wouldn't trust it completely, and I don't know how specific and detailed
you were in your phrasing of the question(s) you asked it.

Brigitte,
The above comments are worth paying attention to. The itinerary has too much doubling back on it. With (probably) 21-23 days, it would be best to fly into London first, then go to Paris or Amsterdam from there, and onward. Here is (just) my suggestion.
Starting with London, counting nights in a place (2 nights=one full day):
Day 1...Arrive London (sleep London)
Day2-3 London (sleep London)
Day 4 move to Amsterdam (Sleep Amsterdam)
Day5-6 Amsterdam (Sleep Amsterdam)
Day7 move to Paris(Sleep Paris)
Day8-10 Paris (Sleep Paris)
Day11 move to Prague (Sleep Prague)
Day12-13 Prague (Sleep Prague)
Day14 move to Vienna (Sleep Vienna)
Day15-16 Vienna (Sleep Vienna)
Day 17 move to Salzburg (Sleep Salzburg)
Day 18 Salzburg (Sleep Salzburg)
Day 19 move to Munich (Sleep Munich)
Days20-21 Munich (Sleep Munich)
Day 22 Fly home from Munich

This gives you: London 2 1/2 days, Amsterdam 2 1/2 days, Paris 3 1/2 days, Prague 2 1/2 days, Vienna 2 1/2 days, Salzburg 1 1/2 days, Munich 2 1/2 days. Each change of location will take a half day (or more, depending on mode of travel, time of day, etc.), hence the half days (travel and arrival days). You could add or subtract a day from one city or another.
With the amount of time you have, you may want to consider dropping one or more destinations altogether, to spend longer in a place. That is up to you and what you want to see and do in each city. There is no right or wrong way to do this trip. Just be aware that each move takes up more time from your trip than AI might calculate. Once you figure in these practicalities you might want to make adjustments. Each place you are going has so much to experience there that you may not want to shortchange it. Or this may be an introductory trip to whet your appetite for future travel. Whatever you decide on, have lots of fun and amusez-vous bien!

Seven countries in 25 days will be a lot of time in transportation and not much time for the best part of a European vacation- being out enjoying it. I am very stingy with my vacation time and don’t want train rides longer than two hours. And flying between cities will eat up a whole day, even if the flight is only 1-2 hours. Assume you will return to Europe and pare down what’s your actual priorities. There’s so much in each of those countries beyond a major city, too. Help us help you by sharing more about what are your goals for this trip, and we can give you better information.

My intended itinerary is:
London - 3 days
Paris - 3 days
Amsterdam - 4 days
Munich - 3 or 4 days (including Salzburg - a day trip or two). Salzburg is the closest to Munich.
Czech Republic - 3 or 4 days (the most beautiful country)
Vienna - 3 or 4 days
Switzerland - 2 days (maybe Bern) because it is the most expensive country. I just wanted to see what Switzerland is like. I hope to spend 23 or 25 days. All routes are by trains.

7 countries? I thought Austria is a country. Salzburg and Vienna are cities in Austria.

Thanks me.crewe for pointing out valuable info like ETIAS, ETA, and ESS which I completely forgot.

ETIAS is currently planned to start in the last quarter of 2026 (October–December 2026). Winter is not the most crowded season, right? Another reason why I chose Paris as my first destination arrival because it is cheaper than London Heathrow Airport.

Yeah, I read news that there are lots of delays in Europe due to biometrics and processing malfunctioning. I hope that the queue issue will be resolved then.

As for some trains take about 4 hours, it means i have to wake up very early and depart very early to save time or during lunch time or evening.

The problem is the route between Switzerland and Czech Republic or Salzburg and Switzerland.

Yes 7 countries. I hope you can work out the logistics. I visited London, Paris and Amsterdam this May to June and really enjoyed them all. Going to Munich, Salzburg and Vienna soon and will likely write a report.

Edit you may already know this but the earlier you can buy Eurostar tickets the better for price. I have mine for April already.. bought them in June.

Don't worry now about ETIAS. It's been delayed so often, who knows. It's definitely not happening this year.

With only 3 weeks I would drop some areas. You want to see the countries, not the trains/stations. It sounds like you have already been to London. If so, you already got your money's worth on the ETA. If you decide on UK in the future, it's only another $20 or so.

Maybe concentrate on Czech Republic , Austria and Switzerland for this trip. There is more than enough to see to fill 3+ weeks. There is much more to see than the cities you have mentioned. You'll find you will save money by not moving around so much.

I thought I visit 5 countries.

Now it's possible that EES delays will have been eliminated by then -
but it's also possible that the ETIAS system will have come on line
with more delays. It would be simpler to start in London and only
enter the Schengen zone once, which would also save you the cost of
one crossing of the English Channel.

ETIAS is a pre-travel digital authorization you apply for online before leaving home, whereas the EES is a physical border check that registers your biometric data when you cross into Europe.

I'm confident that ESS issue will be sorted out smoothly before April 2027. As for ETIAS, it is almost similar to ETA.
ETIAS already recorded the particulars of the person which the one pays for the ETIAS fees. ETA is a digital travel permit required by countries like the UK Government ETA Portal, Canada, and Australia for visitors who do not need a full visa. ETIAS is also a digital travel authorization for visa-exempt visitors. No worries at all.

In other words, there won't be delays with the ETIAS system at all because we apply for ETIAS BEFORE we come to Europe. Just similar to ETA.

Maybe concentrate on Czech Republic , Austria and Switzerland for this
trip. There is more than enough to see to fill 3+ weeks. There is much
more to see than the cities you have mentioned. You'll find you will
save money by not moving around so much.

I decide to drop Switzerland because it is too expensive country in Europe and it is due to time constraints. I asked here because I have to rush to book the air tickets during the special promo. :)

I want to go to London for sightseeing and ETA is fully utilised.

“ I thought I visit 5 countries.”

In your first posts in this thread, you planned to visit 7 countries: the UK, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland.
You’ve only said that you’ve now dropped Switzerland, but apparently you’ve dropped another country, since you now write that you’ll visit only 5 countries. It would help those who want to help you, to know where you want to visit.
It would also help to know about your exact dates. When in April do you plan to visit? If it’s early in April, it could for instance be too early to see the tulips in the tulip fields near Amsterdam in bloom, but the Keukenhof could be an option.
Also have you decided how you’ll travel from one place to the other? Have you made up your mind about sleeper trains?
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/any-experience-with-sleeper-train

London - 3 days
Paris - 3 days
Amsterdam - 4 days
Munich - 3 or 4 days (including Salzburg - a day trip or two). Salzburg is the closest to Munich.
Czech Republic - 3 or 4 days (the most beautiful country)
Vienna - 3 or 4 days
Switzerland - 2 days (maybe Bern) because it is the most expensive country. I just wanted to see what Switzerland is like. I hope to spend 23 or 25 days. All routes are by trains.

7 countries? I thought Austria is a country. Salzburg and Vienna are cities in Austria.

I was going by
UK, France, Netherlands, Germany, Czechia, Austria, and Switzerland in the post just ahead of when I posted. It's your vacation and everyone is different. It's fun exploring new places and it's fun relaxing in one city too.

I doubt many people here don't know that Salzburg and Vienna are cities in Austria.

Much depends on your travel style. One of my first trips to Europe was an Italy trip with 3-4 nights stops at 6 different places. It was a great trip and a nice way to sample Italy. The transfer times from place to place were shorter than those in your proposed trip, which was helpful. More than a decade later, I like staying in places for longer periods of time while adding in some day trips for variety. I often spend 7-10 days in a single spot.

I personally like the Munich-Prague-Vienna-Salzburg route, but if that seems too slow-paced to you and if you want to see more places (with the trade off of less depth in each city and more time inside trains during your trip), go for it. It's your trip... do what makes you happy.

Brigitte07,

helping you count countries:

From your post -

My intended itinerary is:

London - 3 days

Paris - 3 days

Amsterdam - 4 days

Munich - 3 or 4 days (including Salzburg - a day trip or two). Salzburg is the closest to Munich.

Czech Republic - 3 or 4 days (the most beautiful country)

Vienna - 3 or 4 days

Switzerland - 2 days (maybe Bern) because it is the most expensive country. I just wanted to see what Switzerland is like.

I hope to spend 23 or 25 days. All routes are by trains.

7 countries? I thought Austria is a country. Salzburg and Vienna are cities in Austria.

London - Country 1, UK
Paris - Country 2, France
Amsterdam - Country 3, Netherlands (sometimes referred to as Holland)
Munich - Country 4, Germany
(including Salzburg - a day trip or two) - Country 5, Austria
Czech Republic - Country 6, Czechia
Vienna - back to Country 5, Austria
Switzerland - Country 7, Switzerland (shame you're not seeing the unique bits when you're in Bern)

So that's how I come up with 7. How do you get 5?

actually Munich - Prague - Vienna - Salzburg is a logical circular
tour and is the only sensible AI generated itinery I've seen this
year!.

The main question is:
I am surprised to read that reply. I thought that Munich is the nearest to Salzburg. That's why Salzburg is considered a day trip if you stay in Munich and want t visit there from Munich. From the map, it indicates that Munich is far away from Prague.

I thought myself that Munich - Salzburg - Vienna - Czech Republic is the route but I'm still not sure how to get to Czech Republic from Vienna. I found that info from the Main in 61 seat website that there are 4 hours train from Vienna to Czech Republic. Unfortunately, there is no direct flight from Czech Republic to my home. I prefer the direct flight. Initially Switzerland is the final departure destination to my home via flight. But I'm thinking to drop it from my itinerary. But i am figuring out which country is my final departure destination for my home through the direct flight (no change) since Switzerland is one that I am thinking to drop from my itinerary.

Going to Munich, Salzburg and Vienna soon and will likely write a
report.

Will be looking forward to your report. :)

Well, i have yet to decide which dates to visit Amsterdam in April because i have yet to decide which country to visit according to priority order. I only focus on which country to arrive and depart from so that i can book the flight ticket with the cheaper price early as long as the special promo is around. Right now, the special promo is not here yet so i have to wait for the special promo.

I read information that flowers in Netherlands (Holland) bloom between mid-April and early May.

Also have you decided how you’ll travel from one place to the other?
Have you made up your mind about sleeper trains?

I have yet to work out later. I think there are no sleeper trains for my itinerary plan yet.

You are correct to count 7 countries. I mixed up. Yes there are 7 countries correctly. I'm thinking to drop Switzerland due to time constraints and costly activities and food but i heard that Switzerland is toooo beautiful and clean.

I'd love to go to Switzerland someday. When my husband and I were engaged I said we'd go to Switzerland for our 30th anniversary. I thought it'd be til then before we could do it. But I have family ties to the country. It looks so beautiful, too. Do you have plans on doing another trip in another year or 2? When I first joined here I was going to take a family trip to the Lake district, London and Paris and maybe Normandy and ended up just 11 nights in Paris with my daughter, and the Normandy and Paris on another trip, then London, Paris and Amsterdam this past trip . I do like the longer stays as long as we have plenty to do in the city.

Wolters World on YouTube just posted an honest video about the sleeper train he and his wife took, filming during the trip. I know I wouldn't sleep and I have no interest in it, especially now that I've seen it.

I'm planning on the train from Brno to Vienna in June so maybe Prague to Vienna are also well connected by trains, I've never looked that up .

actually Munich - Prague - Vienna - Salzburg is a logical circular
tour and is the only sensible AI generated itinery I've seen this
year!

Can you help to enlighten me on this route why you said is more sensible? From what I understand so far, Munich - Salzburg takes only 1 hour ++.

Thanks.

If you are going to omit Switzerland (good call, since it is geographically an outlier) then this could make sense. Salzburg is only an hour from Munich, which has an airport with excellent international flights. You could look at flying home from there. However, without knowing your home airport, it's impossible to suggest anywhere definitively.

I do see that trains Munic to Salzburg are just over 1 1/2 hours. Day trip seems doable!

Maybe concentrate on Czech Republic , Austria and Switzerland for this
trip. There is more than enough to see to fill 3+ weeks. There is much
more to see than the cities you have mentioned. You'll find you will
save money by not moving around so much.

Thanks a lot for your suggestion.
I may probably consider your suggestion on Czech Republic and Austria. Just curious. Besides Rick's recommendation of most interesting places in Czech Republic, which interesting places in Czech Republic which may not be mentioned in Rick's book do you recommend?

Salzburg is only an hour from Munich, which has an airport with
excellent international flights. You could look at flying home from
there. However, without knowing your home airport, it's impossible to
suggest anywhere definitively.

I still first need to work out the route of different cities of different countries by trains and time so that it won't waste precious time. Thanks for your help. Appreciate your help.

actually Munich - Prague - Vienna - Salzburg is a logical circular
tour and is the only sensible AI generated itinery I've seen this
year!

I tend to think that ChatGPT may hallucinate. That's why I need to double-check to ensure that it is correct and time is not wasted unnecessarily. I'm still waiting for your clarification why you said it is sensible and logical.

Have you looked at Brno? I'm planning on going there next June and am really looking forward to it.

pbscd, thanks for suggesting brno. I just googled to find out what is in brno. Seems interesting because it is the second largest city. Yes, I will be visiting brno. Located about 2.5 hours from Prague and 2 hours from Vienna.

Will you be staying there for few nights?

Thanks for letting me know about it.

We're staying 2 nights. I want to take a day tour focused on Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz (daughter is a big fan, to put it mildly). His greatest victory! :)

I'm staying in Brno for 7 nights in October (with 2 more nights in nearby Olomouc). I'm there for one week of a 5-week classical music festival. I'm a performance attendee, not musician. Lots to do in the city and surrounding area!

Interestingly, Rick does not cover Brno, Czechia's second largest city, in his guide (though he does cover Olomouc).

A few videos from the Honest Guide (based in Prague) with off-the-beaten-path things to do:

• Brno Video #1
• Brno Video #2
• Olomouc Video

Look for a trip report some time in late October/early November 🙂.

A week of a classical music festival sounds amazing. I will be strong and not do a google search. (Already have a few in my head for ideas)...

Thanks so much for Prague link and Brno links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAPTZxIPEBQ
38 Tips I Wish I Knew Before Visiting Prague

I think it might be a very useful link for tourists here. :)

Yeah, Rick does not cover Brno because i guess he might have no chance to visit there due to lack of time?

From that link given, I am surprised to see that there is the church of St. James which showcases walls of many skulls.

Wow, 7 nights in Brno. Hope you share more about your Brno trip. I might consider staying for few nights in Brno.

There are a lot of cities Rick Steves doesn't mention. Poland just gets Warsaw, Torun, Gdansk and Krakow mentioned.
The Rough Guides book for Poland has been helpful to me. Maybe they have one for Czechia.

It's doable, but I think it's too ambitious for a comfortable trip. Plus, you don't really see anything but large cities in your entire 25 days. There's no "stopping to smell the roses" anywhere along the way. And each time you change hotels, you're burning at least a half day.

I'd pare it down and mix in some smaller but well-connected towns

With 23 to 25 days in April 2027, you've got a beautiful amount of time, but Europe is bigger than it looks on a map. Pace it wrong and you'll spend the whole trip packing and unpacking instead of actually being there.

Moving from Munich up to Prague, then all the way down to Vienna, just to come back west to Salzburg? C'est un cauchemar! That's a real zigzag, and it'll cost you hours staring out train windows instead of enjoying a glass of wine on a terrace.

Here's how I'd think about timing for each stop, pour être honnête:

Munich & Prague (3–4 days each). This is the sweet spot. Enough time to take in the architecture and the food and actually breathe, without feeling rushed.

Salzburg (1–2 days, max). It's gorgeous, but small. The historic center is compact enough that you can cover the medieval alleys and the castle in a day or two. You only need more if you're planning to hike in the mountains.

Paris & Amsterdam (5+ days each). Trust me on this one: five days is the bare minimum for either city. Between the museums, the neighborhoods, and just sitting at a café watching the world go by, you'll want the time and Amsterdam rewards a slower pace the same way.

If part of the route has you driving through France or Germany, especially in an electric or hybrid car this might help: Top suggestions for a road trip in France, Germany, or Spain with an EV or hybrid (https://www.europezigzag.com/2025/05/top-suggestions-if-you-are-planning-a-road-trip-in-france-germany-or-spain-with-an-electric-or-hybrid-car/). This is relevant in south of Germany AND Czech Republic.