Potential itinerary – too big of a bite?

As previously mentioned, that is a LOT of travelling. Keep in mind that every time you change cities, you spend a fair amount of time packing/unpacking, finding your hotel, travelling to and from the train station, etc. First suggestion is that Neuschwanstein and Salzburg can be seen as day trips from Munich. So home-base in Munich. Second, I would suggest flying open jaws. Fly into Brussels or Amsterdam, and fly out of Rome. Back-tracking to Brussels will chew up a lot of time. Third, while Amsterdam is a very nice city to visit, I would definitely pick Brugge over Amsterdam. And since you're already in Brussels to visit friends, Brugge is an easy one-hour train ride from Brussels.

Our best experiences have been from having the time to enjoy a place and talking to people, not from rushing from one place to the next.

You say you "want to maximize our travel and experiences." Given your plans you will have plenty of travel. AS for experiences, you will likely get a taste of many places and end up wishing you had spent more time in fewer spots.

I agree with Kent. And never assume that you won't be back! Treat it as an "introductory" trip and plan to go back.

Our first 3 trips were big overview trips like you're planning and then we've gone back to several since then and stayed 3+ days. We mix it in with going to 1-2 we've been to with the new places we go on each trip.

If you run hard, you can see lots on your trip but you'll need a week to rest when you get back.

A word of caution on using too many night trains. Although they can be great time savers for short trips, taking too many can backfire. You will never be as well rested on a night train as you would staying in a hotel. Eventually, the lack of sleep can wear you down before the trip ends.

Good point, Tom. And night trains can be much more expensive than you would think.

Michelle, I think a person can not do all of that in 17 days. I suggest : if you did not already buy your airline tickets : fly to Amsterdam, or to an airport in Belgium. Fly from Rome to the U.S.A. I think that does not cost more money than flying to and from the same airport in Europe. And I do not recommend going in any night trains. Sleep in hotels or B & Bs at night. I think it would be best to visit Paris in between Brussels and Munich, so that you will not need to travel to the north from Italy.

Hi Michelle, Since you yourself said you may not get back for a long time , I strongly suggest you make a real effort to add a few more days to your trip.
Seriously, take some more time off work, we always think we are indispensible, but this trip may be the last "really big" trip you take with your daughter before she leaves the house, I mean she will most likely be gone in 3 or 4 more years, college or work, so now is the time to really make a special memory.

21-22 days in Europe could make your iternerary alot more fun,, and I second the suggestion re not taking too many night trains, take one for novelty, but really you will not sleep well on them.

Michelle,
I think that's too much for you to do, and I'm usually the one who says it's not. You're going to have some VERY full days and spend a lot of time on trains rather than on the ground seeing things. But you can make this work with an insane amount of research and a lot of advice, more than people can give you in 1000 characters.

Unless you've booked your flights, consider this. Travel in a straight line. Fly into one city and out of another. The plane ticket won't be that much more expensive, but it will be cheaper than your time and money getting back to Amsterdam. I would do the following: fly into Amsterdam -> Brussels -> Paris -> Tuscany -> Rome -> Sorrento -> fly out of Rome. Save Munich, Salzburg and Venice for another trip. Those three cities are perfect for a 7-9 day trip in the future.

Remember, if you were able to make this trip happen once, you'll be able to make it happen again! You'll be back!

Well, it is doable, for three focused and nimble travelers. Is it optimal? The following are just my opinions.

Those one-night stands are going to be taxing, especially back to back. Personally I would consolidate a little. You should expect to just crash when you get to Sorrento--maybe that is your plan.

Your No. 2 European destination, in terms of time, is Sorrento. Your No. 1 destination is on trains.

Two night trains is not an unreasonable number in seventeen days, but you can eliminate one of them by traveling Amsterdam-Brussels-Paris-Munich and returning from Italy. (Note that the Rome-Paris trip is more than just overnight; it is 16 hours long.)

Good luck and have a great time!

Wow - that's a lot of feedback! Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful advice and encouragement. We are carefully going back to the drawing board - it looks like the "open jaw" flight will be a definite, some trip restructuring, and maybe a couple of deletions. I'm glad nothing is yet booked - lol

We just want to see everything but haven't the time (or funds) for a summer long trip. I'm sure we'll get back to Europe but we really want to travel with our daughter while she is still young.

We are traveling light - thanks to RS - 1 carry-on each and we are all in shape, but we do want to actually breathe and enjoy each place. Thanks again and any further advice is very much appreciated!