Paris - Venice - Munich Itinerary

Overall looks good. Study a Paris map some more; right now you're going back and forth between the left & right banks everyday - maybe too much time on the Metro. Also, remember that the Louvre is closed Tuesday & the Orsay on Monday. You might want to go to the Hofbrau Haus the 1st night & then hit the Marienplatz the next morning to see the Glockenspiel in action (11 AM). Have a great trip!

Since this is your first trip to Europe... you're trying to pigeon-hole everything. Don't. Allow a little time for discovery, or checking out those random things that might interest you that weren't in the guidebook.

Other suggestions: Your trip to the Dolomites/Alps. Number one rule with scheduling a trip to the Alps- Be flexible. Weather here can have a mind of it's own. If the weather is not cooperating on the one day you have scheduled, you may have a wonderful view of the fog 3 feet in front of your nose.

Mike's Bike Tour: Skip it. Although it is fun, other than one church, you don't actually enter any building. You can do this tour on your own.

Hofbrauhaus: Learn the song in advanced, drink up, and have a blast.

Go to the Trocadero for your picnic dinner opposite the Eiffel Tower.

I would re-arrange the Paris part to group sights more by location. It does take time to get from one part of the city to another, especially from Left to Right Bank sights.

We had to get between Paris and Venice spring 09. Flights between Paris and Venice were expensive. If you don't already have tickets. Check Brussels to Venice. We found a flight for $99. Being you're going to Reims, you could go from there to Brussels.

Looks good. Unless you sleep well on planes. The first night you'll probably be real tired. I'd move the cruise to another night. (We did the champagne cruise, loved it.)

Have fun.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and input!

I'm going to try to work the itinerary to where the sights are grouped together a little better. I know that Day 2 in Paris is a little spread out. I'm having a hard time fitting the Montmartre area in. I would also like to try keep Day 2 as sort of a slow day. I'm not quite sure how jetlag will be hitting us.

Also, thanks Tom about the tips about the Dolomites and Mike's Bike Tours. I was iffy on Mike's bike tours for the exact same reason you mentioned. Maybe I will rent a bike in Munich and take my own tour! :)

How old are you?

I've always considered myself a pretty fast-paced traveler. I like to keep going and seeing and doing. When I was 20, your trip would've been a blast. At 30, not so much, but still quite enjoyable (and challenging). Now, at 40, this itinerary would totally punish me...

I had a similar itinerary during my first trip to Europe 3 years ago (Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Venice, Florence, and Rome -- all in 17 days).

On the day in Munich when you do the Third Reich tour and Dachau, I believe it is definitely doable. You could tour Dachau in 2-3 hours (for a good overview) - but also add 1-2 hours for train travel and allowing for a buffer of extra time (so a half day should be fine). The have a good audio walking tour (with headsets).

Also, I didn't see the Arc de Triomphe mentioned for Paris, but you might consider adding that, as it is easy, cheap, and can give you great 360 degree views of the city and beyond.

I like this itinerary. I guess everyone is different, but my only concern is that I thought the Paris part might be a little too slow. (And I am 56.) For example, I would not devote an entire afternoon to the Rodin Museum or an entire morning to the Champs Elysees. But Paris is fun to wander around in, and you can always add things if you're feeling energetic.

I also prefer to concentrate my stops in places that are close together, so I don't have to waste time traveling between places. But if you're set on your stops, I think this plan will work very well. Hope you have a great time!

Tanya, everything looks like fun, however, last year when my Brother and I were in Paris, we visited the Louvre Museum, the Orsay Museum, the Champs Elysees, and the Church of the Sacred Heart on Montmartre, The Notre Dame Cathredral, saw Rue Cler and ate at the Cafe De Marche. and had lunch at the St Regis Restaurant on Ile d' St Louis., during the 2 days we were in Paris. I notice you want to do a day trip in Verona. I don't think it will be enough time, we stayed 2 days and had just enough time to relax, eat on the Piazza Bra, see where Juliet and Romeo stayed (not really stayed but saw a balcony and house that was interesting), and then walked around the central part of town by the Verona Ampitheatre. So you might want to skip the Dolomites. However, you would enjoy what you have scheduled. Jerry

Tanya, an added note for my comment done today on Paris. We walked from the subway stop at the Eiffel Tower and along the Seine to Notre Dame. This was part of our 2 day stay in Paris. Could not believe how far that was when you are enjoying yourself and letting the time go by. To put this in perspective, we stayed at the Hotel Paris-Est at the Gare d-Est. I think we over did it, but it was fun. Take care.Jerry

Jason - I'm 29 and so is my husband so I guess this will put us in the enjoyable but challenging category. Could you elaborate a little more on this? Bobby - On your trip how many days did you spend in Paris, Venice, and Munich? What was your mode of transportation between each city? Carroll - I do want some wandering time in Paris, so I'm trying keep it a little on the slow side. :) Jerry - Thanks for your info! So, here is what I'm thinking for a revision. On Day 2, visit the Orsay, the Rodin, Napoleon's tomb (if we have energy) and Rue Cler & Eiffel Tower. Day 3- Historic Paris tour & Left Bank Tour. Day 4 - Louvre, walk up the Champs Elysee, and then over to Montmartre. Maybe this will work better? Also, I'll add too that our apt is right around the corner from the Louvre (~5 minutes). So, I'm thinking that we can start off most of our days walking to our first sight vs taking the metro.

I haven't read all the replies but just wanted to say that a trip to Dachau is a day trip as what you will want after a visit is time for reflection and to allow the horror of it to have lessened somewhat before you breeze off to the next destination on your itinery. It truly is a life changing experience.

Museums in Paris can often develop very long lines by late morning or early afternoon. I found this especially at the Orsay and had t quickly change gears to walk over to the Orangerie. Dachau can be unsettling but I'd not miss it, you may find you need more time. Rushing through may seem to border on disrespectful on this hallowed ground.

I had a very similar itinerary. Make sure to budget enough time to get to Dachau and back. I think it was like a 45 minute train ride each way, but it is well worth the trip. other than that it looks great.