2 weeks in NL, France & Italy

For the Amsterdam to Paris leg, they could take the Thalys which whisks them into Paris in a little over three hours. I like to use the DBahn website to research and print off train schedules: http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en
For the Paris to Cinque Terre leg, a train will take 10 1/2 to 12 hours. I would check for flights on EasyJet or RyanAir. Do you know of a local travel agency where you live? Sometimes they have flight deals or check online. I believe you would fly into Pisa then take the train from there. Do they have hotel reservations yet? If not, pick up a Rick Steves' tour book for those cities or post questions for each city asking for suggested lodging. You can also go to th"Search" box at the top, right corner of this website to get lodging suggestions. Using the website, research trains from the Cinque Terre to Rome. I would purchase their train tickets at the Centrale station once they arrive in Amsterdam. Purchase Rick Steves' tour books and start reading what to see in each city. Everyone has different interests and priorities so it's hard to suggest sites. I think your suggested itinerary looks good. Most of Oct 31st will be taken up for travel, however, a day and a half might be sufficient depending on where they are staying in the Cinque Terre. I'm assuming they are flying out of Rome and do not need to return to Amsterdam? Please emphasis the need to pack light. They will be lugging their bags up and down stairs and escalators. One carry-on piece of luggage for each of them should be sufficient. Sometimes the two of us take three carry-on, wheeled pieces. Nothing larger than carry on, though. Have fun making memories with them in Amsterdam.

A few thoughts: It will be much easier to plan if you know your parent's priorities and interests. Have them go through a guidebook of Europe or rent some of Rick Steve's travel videos and find out what interests them most. Are they keen on sampling French and Italian food and wine? Are they interested in art? Transportation: The distance between the places you mention would require either long train rides or at least one flight (from Paris to Rome, for example). Are your parents set on seeing Paris and Rome and the Cinque Terre, or are they flexible? If I were organizing a trip like this for my folks, I'd stick with one or two regions and work from there. From Amsterdam, for example, they could go on to Belgium (Bruges and Brussels), perhaps, and then take a train from Brussels to Paris. From Paris they could do day trips or overnight stays in Normandy, or even head down to the Cote d'Azur or Provence. Another option would be to skip France and go from Amsterdam to Germany and do a Rhine river cruise or tour the Romantic Road. Or, if they're set on Italy, they could fly from Amsterdam to Rome. There countless places in Italy to see and countless things to do. Personally, I love art and history, so Rome and Florence are two of my favorite places. Duration of stay: This again depends on your parent's interests. Find out first what their priorities are and plan accordingly. If they like art and history, Paris and Rome have weeks' worth of important museums and sites. It all depends. You may also be selling Amsterdam a little short, since by the time your parents arrive, presumably, you'll have a good sense of the city and your own favorite things to show them.

Thank you both for the great advice, very informative and helpful. I have shared this information with my parents and look forward to helping them plan their trip. Of course I am still open to additional advice from other posters. Thanks!

I'd probably give the CT a miss at the beginning of November. Weather is dodgy at the best of times at that time of the year, there was just a landslide closing the easiest trail - people hurt - and it was not too long ago that floods did lots of damage. Just like here in the UK, Autumn is the time for heavy rains and floods. I think it would be a gamble for decent weather and things open there. Rome, Paris and the Netherlands are 12 month places. What about Venice?

Good information. I think that I will suggest that they give CT a miss and add Venice, Nice or perhaps Monaco...or maybe Florence...

Venice or Florence would be lovely this time of year. It'll also be easier to fly into from Paris. Personally, I'd choose Venice. However, again, it just depends on what they like to do and see.

For a two week Trip I'd stick with Amsterdam,Paris and Rome. That is plenty for a first trip to Europe. Have them get the RS guide books and use them, especially for restaurants. Avoiding bad meals is a key to a memorable trip.

I agree, take the Thalys high-speed from Amsterdam to Paris - it is cheap and fast, and the Paris transit system is excellent for maneuvering around Paris (though watch for pick-pockets!). As for Holland: my husband, our two small children and I are expats living near Amsterdam and have traveled extensively throughout to pretty much everywhere within driving distance of the Netherlands. If you have a rental car, I highly recommend driving up to Batavia Werf in Lelystad. It isn't a far drive from Amsterdam, maybe 45 minutes. They reconstructed the Batavia, a merchant ship from the 1620's completely according to historic plans and methods. You can wander around in it without any restrictions - go from the top deck to the bottom and everywhere in between! It is the kind of experience you will not find anywhere else! I am sure you can visit Batavia Werf via public transit, but we have a car so do not know off-hand which lines run out to Lelystad. It is one of those places that we'll definitely take my parents when they come to visit! Also outside of the Amsterdam area, is the flower auction in Aalsmeer. The #172 bus runs straight to it from Amsterdam Central. It is the largest flower auction in the world, as well as one of the largest buildings in the world. Would be something good to do indoor during the wet weather! It is pretty fascinating just to see the number of flowers that get processed on a daily basis. Good luck with your trip!

Might be good to have a couple more days in your home base of Amsterdam, one to let your parents get over the jet lag, and, two, to see some of the wonderful sights in that area. Skipping CT (at this time) is a good idea (although we loved CT in the summer). Paris is wonderful! We've been 3 times and could go again in a heartbeat! Rome is good, too, but I prefer Florence and Tuscany. What a great opportunity for all of you!

I am biased because I have done this a couple times, I would take a train from Amsterdam to Cologne and get a car (from Gemut) and drive thru Germany and France. Maybe loop thru a couple areas of Germany, Rhine/Mosul valley, Heidelberg, then drive into France, ending up in Paris. Drop off the car and fly from Paris to Rome if you have to see everything in this trip (I would make Italy another trip) If you want take your time, loop thru Germany and France and end the trip with 2 to 3 days in Paris.

I would NOT do what John is suggesting with renting a car in Germany and returning in France. There will be a large drop off fee to rent in one country and return in another. No one told my brother this, and he rented in Germany and returned just over the border in France. It cost him several hundred dollars extra. I don't know about the CT that time of year. Do they like to hike? There's not much else to do there. And if its rainy they won't be hiking.
Maybe they could do something like Amsterdam - Paris - Venice or Florence - Rome. If they are wanting to experience a smaller town substitute a town in Tuscany or Umbria for Venice or Florence. Train Amsterdam-Paris, fly Paris to either Venice or if Tuscany to Florence or Pisa, train from there to Rome. Will they be returning to Amsterdam? If so, fly back to Amsterdam.

Since this is their first trip, when raveling between Paris and Rome, they should avoid the cheap "gotcha" airlines which impose big fees for little services. For those who aren't accustomed to the way they operate, the charges can add up. For example, it's $100 if you don't print out your own boarding pass before coming to the airport. They should just take Air France which provides service and has several Paris-Rome flights a day.