We are going on the GSA tour this fall and have our flights in and out of Amsterdam from the states. Anyone have ideas if this is good idea and where to go from Amsterdam to end up up in Trier, and then at the end in Vienna.
Any thoughts?
Posted by
Liberty, Missouri
265 posts
Just to be sure, you do mean the Rick Steves GAS (Germany Austria Switzerland ) tour?
Also are you arriving in Amsterdam a day or two before the tour starts?
And are staying a few days after the GAS tour is over?
Posted by
Paradise
6662 posts
"Anyone have ideas if this is good idea..."
I agree - you need to explain the idea in greater detail.
I assume your flights aren't yet purchased since you're asking for advice. If your goal is to land close to Trier, Luxembourg airport makes really good sense. Cologne-Bonn or Frankfurt International are possible too, but more distant.
"...where to go from Amsterdam to end up up in Trier..."
By train a logical route might be Cologne - Middle Rhine Valley (south of Koblenz) - Cochem - Trier. Your tour bypasses these places. It's unclear how many days you have to reach Trier, however
"...London..." - if you go there first, you can reach Trier by flying Ryanair from London Stansted to Frankfurt Hahn airport, which is very close to Trier (shuttle bus from Hahn to Trier.)
Posted by
not here anymore
631 posts
Well Frankurt (real airport, not Hahn) would make more sense than Amsterdam or London. It's the main international gateway for Germany.
It's easy enough to get to Trier and back from Vienna by train.
If you have already booked to Amsterdam, as already said most obvious route is train via Cologne. Or you can go via Brussels and Luxembourg city.
To get back from Vienna to Amsterdam you can take the train, it's easy but takes nearly 12 hours and costs at least €159 if you book now (and around €240 if you don't). Alternatively http://www.easyjet.com/en/cheap-flights/vienna/amsterdam fly most afternoons (not Saturdays) for MUCH less than the train if you book now (less than €60 for a seat). Easyjet are a self service airline, you must book and check-in online. Luggage is charged extra during the booking process, if you don't buy enough they charge much more at the airport. Flights take 2 hours.
London is a bad idea!
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8464 posts
we flew into Frankfurt, out of Vienna. Direct flights to US both ways. No reason to be more complicated than that. But if you've already booked into Amsterdam, why are you asking now?
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32213 posts
Tim,
It would have made more sense to fly inbound to Frankfurt. You've mentioned both Amsterdam and London, so does that mean that you've already bought your air tickets? What time is your flight arrival? More information would be helpful.
If you want to get directly to Trier, there are trains right from Amsterdam airport with a travel time of about 6-7 hours and 2-4 changes, so that's one option. You could also stay in Amsterdam one night to recover from jet lag and then make that trip the following day.
The tour ends in Vienna, so I'm not clear on your question?
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13978 posts
This isn't one of the choices you listed, but when I did GAS last year I flew in to Paris for a few days and took the train to Trier 2 nights ahead of the tour start. I do recommend you give yourself an extra day in Trier. I found a lot to do there!
From Vienna, I did go to London. Took a flight on BA which was as cheap as the LCCs. Spent some time in UK and then flew home from Heathrow.
If you've already purchased your RT tickets from Amsterdam, then it's not too hard to take the train to Trier or you could go to Luxembourg if you have an extra night or 2 then to Trier. From Vienna, it's an easy flight either back to Amsterdam or Paris with a train to AMS.
In any event, this is a fun tour!