Train or Fly or Car from Amsterdam to Barcelona with stop in Paris

You can take a train between Amsterdam and Paris, but otherwise only flights are good options because the cities are far apart. If you are very keen on road trips, you can drive all the way, but it will take time (6h Amsterdam-Paris, 9h Paris-Barcelona, 15h Barcelona-Roma - requires 1 1/2 day on the road). So I'd stick with train for Amsterdam-Paris and fly the rest.

Shelly To add to what Andre said, the Thalys train (fast) travels from Amsterdam to Paris 11 times per day and takes 3 hrs. 20 min. Although tickets are only available 90 days out, you can check the current schedules to see the likely future schedules. Buy as early as possible as the cheapest seats go fast. Go to www.thalys.com for more information. Several discount airlines fly from Paris Orly airport to Barcelona. 1 1/2 hours I think. Check skyscanner.com for information. Just make sure you read and observe the "fine print" as luggage size and weight overages can cost as much as your flight! Also seat assignments, a drink, etc all cost extra. Again the sooner you buy once the schedules are out, the better the price. If your family has not traveled much in Europe, get the RS Europe Through the Back Door book. Good luck! Bobbie

Shelly, I agree with Andre. Travel from Amsterdam to Paris via Thalys (high speed) train would be the best idea. For the other legs of your trip..... > Paris to Barcelona - via budget flight. For example, EasyJet has CDG / BCN flights listed in March as low as €27.99. Other carriers may operate on that route as well, but I didn't check. > Barcelona to Rome - via budget flight. A number of budget carriers operate on that route, and Vueling has BCN / FCO flights currently listed at €34.99 in March. Of course, the fares I've listed are subject to change. A few points to note about the budget airlines: > Booking early usually gets the best prices (they often use a "sliding scale" with the seat prices increasing as the flight fills). > Be sure to allow for the inevitable "fees" for baggage, etc. The low base price is NOT the price you'll be paying. > Many budget carriers don't have assigned seating, so you may have to sit separately. > Read the Terms & Conditions carefully so that you fully understand the rules on carry-on, etc. The flights that I've listed use main airports in each city, so transportation from the airport should be relatively straight forward. Happy travels!

There is also a night train between Paris and Barcelona. More details here: http://www.seat61.com/Spain.htm#Barcelona

Wow. Thank you everyone for your replies. This has been very helpful. It looks like we will train from Amsterdam to Paris and then fly from Paris to Barcelona and Barcelona to Rome.