My husband who is active military and myself would like to plan an amazing train trip in May 2008, the 21st from London to France to Germany Switzerland and Spain. We have 14 days. We are excited about the trains in Germany with the panaramic view and the sights we will see along the countryside! We are also trying to figure out how to book the europass, the nighttrains(with a full sleeper and shower) and then what tours are available that we can prepay and have ready to use when we step off the train. Can anyone help this newbie??? This is our honeymoon that we never got since he was deployed and we want it to be really nice, comfortable on the sleep between countries and adventourous. I will pay a consultation fee to set this up right. Thanks :)
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32350 posts
Kathleen, I definetly agree with Kent - I don't believe it's possible to visit all those destinations in 14 days. I'd suggest dropping Spain, as the distances & transport times are a problem for that short time frame.
Depending on what cities you choose, you might not need night trains. Those with a full sleeper & shower are going to be expensive. You're not going to see a "panoramic view and the sights" on a night train.
Could you clarify your question on the "consultation fee"? If you use Rick's travel consult service, there is a small fee. If you make your own arrangments or use a travel agent, there won't be a "consultation fee" AFAIK.
You can buy a Eurail Pass (if that's appropriate for the circumstances) at ETBD. It's a bit early in the planning for that - you need to narrow down cities first.
I'd suggest reading Rick's Europe Through The Back Door to begin with.
BTW, I can appreciate your situation as I also had a "delayed honeymoon".
Posted by
Reseda, CA, USA
196 posts
I try to encourage friends to slow it down and not try to take such a big bite out of Europe. I understand the urgency of wanting to see as much as wecan. I think that we get it in our head that this is a trip of a lifetime and that it is your only shot at a trip. After my first whirlwind big bus tour I realized that I would enjoy it a lot more if it was slower. I now go every other year and budget for it. I take little bites and always stay at least 3 nights in each city and enjoy it so much more than that first trip. My advice, for what it is worth, write down specific destinations on a piece of paper leaving blank lines in between. Write the number of days next to each town and fill in the travel time in between. Try to realize that if you are going independant you will spend more time getting around. Later I start scratching off destinations that are less realistic. Too hectic of an itinerary will make your honeymoon hard work. Thank your husband for his service for me and enjoy!
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
You may find that your fastest times between countries are not on the "sleepers". Also, you may find that you are changing trains in the middle of the night. Many night runs do this although to be fair, many don't. You need to decide on where you will be and when you will be there. Once this is done, you can look at the train schedules.
I also agree with the above to consider dropping Spain from this trip. It's an extra 15-18 hours to get there and the same coming back. If your visit to Switzerland is in late May, you might want to consider the Berner Oberland for a couple of days. Specifically, Murren, Wengen, Gimmelwald, Lauterbrunnen. It's very scenic. Many areas there are not open in early May.
Posted by
southwest, Missouri, U.S.A.
1717 posts
Hello Kathleen. In 14 days, I recommend be at a total of two countries in Europe. I do not recommend sleeping in a train at night. If you want to only visit the big cities, it is possible to go to more than two countries, but much of your time would be spent traveling between the cities and countries.
A person could become tired of traveling in trains.
Posted by
southwest, Missouri, U.S.A.
1717 posts
If you want a scenic train ride, countries that are good for scenic train rides are Switzerland and Germany. In Switzerland ride in the Panorama train on the "Golden Pass" route, reserve seats in the VIP section at the front of the train: you can look forward through a window at the front of the train. Read about it in the book "Rick Steves' SWITZERLAND".
Posted by
in a train schedule...
267 posts
I'd stay in one place for a honeymoon trip. Even two countries in 14 days seems too much, unless you're really visiting two cities that just happen to be in different countries.
Posted by
OP
Tampa, Florida, USA
2 posts
Thank you all for opening our eyes to our naive thoughts of doing all this in 14 days. We have come to our senses and decided to really focus on Germany, Switzerland and Sweeden. I also thank everyone for the suggestion of planning with Rick's intinary via phone and email. Our goal is to line up the flight, trains, hotels, tours & prepay all of this by 1/31/08 for 5/21/08 for 14 days. If anyone has suggestions as to websites, tour companies, travel agents, that are really good to plan the whole thing train/tour combination, flight, hotels - I am all ears(and eyes since I do need to read this.)
My husband Gordon is deployed right now so all your advice in planning means the world to him and me and we thank you. We have both been to London and France before so we are not going to cry about blowing through those lovely countries this time around.
Thank for the feedback and any and all constructive criticisim is always welcome. Peace and good health to all.