Western/Central Europe 18-Day Itinerary for Review (Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands)

A few things you didn't mention: KD boat ride Bingen to Boppard, Antwerp (a favorite of mine). Everything is going to be crowded and hot. Can you afford air conditioned hotels? Your itinerary is a bit of a death-march. Have you computed some of the travel times? This takes away from valuable touring time, as does hotel check in and out, and finding the train station or whatever.

I'd observe that it is supremely difficult to make the most of the Loire without a rental car. I personally consider Munich way over-rated, especially for the detour. You might look into why this newsboard denigrates Neuschwanstein, a very recent piece of construction.

Just as an example, your listing of the Cologne Cathedral marks a lack of research. Yes, it has the highest turnstile count of any single attraction in Germany. But it is a small part of what makes Cologne so attractive. And you are missing Aachen and Monschau, as well as Düsseldorf.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/can-i-see-enough-of-cologne

One initial point. Google Maps estimates the travel time from central Paris to Mont St-Michel at about 4 hours each way. Much of your day trip will be spent in the car rather than on the mountain.
I haven't worked through all of your plans but my sense is that they are overcrowded with getting from here to there. I'd slow down and cut back on "seeing" so much in favour of feeling what you are seeing. Just me, of course, an admitted lazybones.

Thank you for this feedback! I’ve been doing lots of research on various sites and forums, but am just overwhelmed by the possibilities (and the more research I do, the more places I discover that I want to add to my list)! :) I did calculate travel times between cities, and currently, the longest travel day would be 3.5 hours if I decide to go to Munich; I tried to structure the route so that all other destinations were less than 2.5 hours apart at any given time.

I have a few clarifying questions re: the info in your response, if that’s ok! Again, I really appreciate this detailed feedback, as all of this is new and exciting, but also overwhelming to plan!
- Re: Cologne: I originally was more interested in Cologne, but as I read travel forums (and spoke with a family member who’s been there), I started to get the sense that it’s really more of a modern city with mainly commercial draws outside of the cathedral. Since I already live in a big city, I don’t feel the need to visit things like their zoo, amusement park, etc. I actually would be okay with totally skipping Cologne if it’s not worth it to go just to see the cathedral. Would you mind elaborating on some of the unique draws of Cologne, especially maybe compared to Munich?
- Re: Neuschwanstein I haven’t seen anything negative about this so far, and it is definitely THE main reason I want to go to Munich; if it weren’t for Neuschwanstein, I wouldn’t bother making the detour. Would you mind elaborating on why some people on this forum don’t advise it? I haven’t seen anything on that so far. This is probably my biggest “bucket list” place in all of Germany.
- Re: Düsseldorf I’d love to hear some of your thoughts on Düsseldorf as a city worth making a specific trip to! In the forums I’ve seen, people have described it as more of a modern business/financial city without much “old world” charm. Do you agree with this assessment, and if not, what would you say is the draw of the city?
- Re: Rhineland Destinations I know I listed quite a lot of places in parentheses next to the Rhine part of the itinerary (Burg Eltz, Cologne Cathedral, Mainz, Koblenz, Marksburg Castle, Bacharach, Rhine Gorge, Frankfurt’s Old Town, Heidelberg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber). In reality, I don’t need to go to all of these places, and fully understand that going to all of them in a few days is probably not possible! :) I’d be happy to maybe pick a top 3-5 and try to see those. Do you have any recommendations? I’ve heard Heidelberg is great and that Koblenz/Marksburg Castle are up there too, but I’d love to hear other opinions! Do you think that if I narrowed it down to 3-5 sites within the Rhine River area, that it would be more feasible to do in 2-3 days?

Again, I really appreciate your feedback and look forward to your reply! Thank you so much.

Oh and also, thank you for the comment about the Loire Valley! I had heard it was beautiful and reasonably close to Mont Saint Michel, but I myself was also doubting how easy it would be to get around without a car and how worthwhile it would be to visit just for a day. I’ll leave it off the list and maybe overnight in Mont Saint Michel instead if I choose that itinerary. Thank you for that!

Oh, and also, I thankfully can afford to stay in accommodations with A/C! Teacher summer travels mean always having to take the biggest trips during the hottest time of year, lol.

Looking forward to your thoughts on my questions in my above reply! Thank you again.

I am confused why you would go back to London at the end of your time with your partner, then turn around and either go back to Paris or elsewhere the very next day. Unless your partner needs travel assistance, it seems wiser to part ways in Paris so you don't lose a full day to travel.

I have been to many of the places on your options lists solo, there are many fine choices. But it does seem you're moving around a lot and will see mostly views from trains and planes and not so much things in places. As a solo traveler you have to navigate all that transit alone, which I find tiresome and exhausting. It may come down to finding accommodation options at this late hour. Some of the smaller towns on the Rhine may not have many options for accommodations, so that could influence your plans. My favorite accommodation in St. Goar is nearly fully booked in August.

Whatever option you choose, do not fly back to London on the same day as your flight home to USA. Too many opportunities for travel drama/disaster and if you miss your London-home fight, it's on you, not the airline. If there is a way to change your departure to a different airport (AMS or Munich for example) you would give yourself a couple extra days for fun and not travel.

Best of luck!

Thank you for your feedback! We’re seeing the Arsenal game in London on August 17th (my partner is a HUGE Arsenal fan), which is why we’re going back there! We had to time things in a very particular way because of the game and because we wanted to be in Paris in the window of time between the Olympics and Paralympics, not during the games. I do want to go with him to London-Heathrow when he leaves, because this is actually his first international trip. :) I may try to see if I can change my return home flight to leave from Amsterdam, but if not, I’ll heed your advice and do a red-eye flight out of Amsterdam the night before.

Based on some feedback in some other forums, I’ve modified my itinerary, and this is what I’ve come up with for now. Particularly, I’ve organized/downsized the Rhineland part of the itinerary (August 25-28). What are your thoughts on this?

• August 18: Transfer to Munich at night
• August 19-20: Munich
• August 21: Day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle; spend the night in Munich
• August 22: Transfer to Strasbourg in the morning (3.5 hours); check into hotel and explore Strasbourg in the afternoon/evening.
• August 23-24: Strasbourg, Colmar, Riquewihr/wine route in the Alsace region.
• August 25: Early morning train trip from Strasbourg to Rhine gateway town of Bingen/Rüdesheimer (3.75 hours) to start Rhine River cruise! One-way Rhine cruise from Bingen/Rüdesheimer to St. Goar at 2:30pm (with bags). Hop off the ship in Bacharach (at approximately 3:15), to check into hotel, drop off bags and stroll the town. Catch the 5:15 boat to St. Goar (arrival 5:55) for the rest of the most scenic Rhine Gorge segment. Scenic dinner in St. Goar. Train back to Bacharach (5 minutes) that evening. Sleep in Bacharach.
• August 26: Direct, scenic morning train ride to Koblenz; change there for train to Braubach (9:52 - 10:02). Tour Marksburg Castle. Train to Cologne (12:53 - 2:28) to tour Cologne Cathedral. Return to Bacharach by direct train (there is one at 5:56 that gets in at 8:25). Stay in Bacharach.
• August 27: Check out of hotel in Bacharach. Take the train to Cochem via Koblenz and scenic Mosel River Valley. Drop bags at hotel. Train + bus to Burg Eltz. Late afternoon and evening in Cochem to see the Cochem and Reichsburg Castles! Stay the night in Cochem.
• August 28: Check out. Direct train to from Cochem to Luxembourg (8:41 - 10:23). Sightsee in Luxembourg (is there somewhere to store my bags?). Direct train to Brussels (4:11 - 7:28? 5:11 - 8:28?). Sleep in Brussels.
• August 29: Brussels. Maybe transfer to Bruges (1 hour) at night.
• August 30: Bruges (including morning transfer; 1 hour); stay in Bruges
• August 31: Day trip to Ghent; possibly transfer from Bruges to Amsterdam (2.5-3 hours) at night.
• September 1-3: Amsterdam; transfer back to London in the VERY early morning on the 4th (like 6;00am), or on the 3rd at night.

I’d love to hear anyone’s insights/feedback on this revised itinerary! Thank you so much again.

Thanks for explaining the backtracking to London, that was key info. Unfortunate you have to do that but I understand the love of football. The revised plan still has too much moving around for my taste, but it is your trip. I didn't enjoy Brussels so I wouldn't include that on my list in favor of more time in other places. I have to repeat my advice re: getting back to London before your return flight; even leaving Amsterdam in the early morning is still cutting it too close in my book (if I sound panicky it's because it has happened to me, I don't recommend).

Hopefully someone with expertise on the KD Boat schedule on the Rhine will weigh in on whether you can hop on / hop off any of the boats. In my recollections you couldn't do that without buying another ticket. If you don't get a response to this thread, post a separate question in the Germany forum.

One thing to keep in mind is that the time required to change cities is considerabky longer than the time you'll be sitting on a train, bus or boat. What you see on the transportation schedules doesn't include these activities, which cut sharply into your sightseeing time if you flit from place to place:

• Repacking
• Checking out of your hotel (there may be a line, and in old hotels you may wait for the elevator, if there is one)
• Getting to the train/bus station or boat dock
• Waiting for your train/bus/boat to depart (I arrive at least 15 minutes early, earlier in large stations)
• Finding your way to your new lodgings (may include figuring out where to buy city transit tickets)
• Checking into your new lodgings (there may be a line)

That 3-1/2 hour travel time between Strasbourg and Munich seriously understtes how much sightseeing time you'll lose that day. Also note that many/most trains take longer than that. One of the slower departures might fit your schedule better.

I provided a link to a discussion that lists many of the unique attractions of Cologne, not including the one sponsored by a chocolate company that has retail stores in every major European city. I also refuse to recommend the Ice Cream Museum in NYC, my hometown.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/can-i-see-enough-of-cologne

Regarding the return to London, I will retell an old story. One day I was returning to Antwerp from a short trip to London, for a couple of specific events there. There was a fatal accident on the French section of the London-Brussels route that morning (alas, perhaps involving "The Jungle"), and no Eurostars left London for at least eight hours. The terminal was a madhouse, like an airport that has been shut down. Luckily for me, Belgium held the last train to Antwerp and beyond (after midnight) for our arrival. Can you afford to miss your flight home from London?

It is not a big deal, but it is reasonable to expect a need to change Eurostar trains (Amsterdam to London only) in Brussels, because of Eurostar construction extending to the end of 2024.