OK DUers, if you had 14 days to travel from Amsterdam to Rome . . .

[da_chimperor]

in the month of July, where would you stop along the way and why?

The goal is to spend an average of two full days at each place (so one day at one stop and three days at another would be fine), and not have to spend more than 6 hours on a train at once, with the exception of overnight trains. Now get cracking, I need some help planning my trip! B-)

Edit: Oh, and assume you're traveling with your little sister, and it's her first time in Europe. :D

[tjwmason]

1. Definitely take in Paris and Florence.

This rather implies going south through France, there will be loads to see there, the Trains a Grand Vitesse (T.G.V.) are jolly good and quick at getting you between major cities.

[Misunderestimator]

2. Munich

[RPM]

27. yup - i'd spend the whole interim there

mmmmmmm Augustiner Garden.........

[RPM]

28. yup - i'd spend the whole interim there

mmmmmmm Augustiner Garden.........

[sui generis]

3. generally south

Berlin, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, (maybe Budapest?), or branch through Venice, Milano, Fiorenza, Roma!

[da_chimperor]

7. We've basically thinking along the same lines.

The problem I'm running into is it seemingly takes forever to get from Vienna to anywhere in northern Italy other than Venice. I've been told to avoid Venice in the summer due to the crowds, but I'm considering just an overnight stay before moving on to Florence or something. I'm still working on it. x(

[sui generis]

13. Venice is really a day trip -

you might see if there is an overnight on the train that would put you into Venice very early in the morning to beat the madding crowds.

Otherwise if you skip Vienna/Venice you can go straight south from Salzburg through Florence and Tuscany and then into Rome and not feel so rushed. Plus, Salzburg and Vienna sort of blur in the memory; they're both really expensive little tourist traps.

If you do go to east and south, maybe skip Salzburg and go through Passau and then down through Vienna. Passau is mind boggling beautiful.

But Salzburg has the catacombs and the ancient graveyard where the Von Trapp family (didn't) hide in the Sound of Music, plus an extraordinary mind-blowing castle.

You'll have fun - it's probably better to travel faster between fewer points and enjoy a bit more time without feeling rushed. Europe isn't going anywhere, you can always come back.

[da_chimperor]

19. Yeah, that and it seems that everything in venice is booked already.

I think I may do just a day in Vienna, and then add Salzburg, and then see if we can take an overnight to florence. I want to have at least three days for Rome though. Argh! :banghead:

[sui generis]

20. personally, between Vienna and Salzburg I'd pick Salzburg

and give yourself an extra day in Rome. by not going east before you go south you will probably shave another day off of travel.

[da_chimperor]

26. I picked Salzburg. Vienna is just too far off. Thanks for the input. n/t

[Misunderestimator]

31. Salzburg is absolutely magical...

Vienna is impressive, but cold.

[radwriter0555]

24. There is always room on Lido in Venice.

Lovely local place that's very affordable.

[KurtNYC]

4. Oh boy....

2 days in Amsterdam
train to Berlin
2 days in Berlin - see east and west, remnants of the wall, Brandenburg Gate, Unter den Linden,.
train to Prague
3 days in Prague - cheap concerts, great history, live music everywhere, St. Charles Bridge, Mucha museum
train to Munich
2 days in Munich - Hofbrau Haus, Tiergarten, a day trip out through bavaria
train to Milan
2 days in Milan - food, etc.
train to Florence - art
train to Rome

[Lannes]

5. Paris,Honfleur ,Deauville,Bordeaux Region,Cannes.

Tuscany,Venice.All beautiful and scenic all have great restaurants.

[sasquatch]

6. You'll probably be going to Dortmund you dork

:P

[da_chimperor]

10. Naaaah, my sister isn't interested in soccer.

Though we may go to München anyhow. Anything is still possible at this stage.

[sasquatch]

11. The Bundesliga is off right now, but the confederations cup is on

[da_chimperor]

17. Yup, pity about Japan the other day.

They almost beat Brazil.

[sasquatch]

22. That would've been awesome if they pulled that off

[LiberalEsto]

8. Venice and Florence

but stay in Padua if you visit Venice and go in by train - much cheaper than staying in Venice

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

9. I traveled from Rome to Amsterdam in about 3 weeks

It was fun, but I think I'd want to spend a more extended period in Amsterdam though...

Nice, FR is great (my fave city in France), maybe you could stop somewhere in Switzerland?

[matcom]

12. if you DON'T include Salzburg

you will be making a HUGE mistake!

http://sasik.sasprg.cz/~stoupa/wallpaper/evropa/rakousko/Salzburg,%20Austria.jpg

[da_chimperor]

16. Sweet baby JEEBUS!

:wow:

[matcom]

29. most beautiful place i have been to date

bar none

[da_chimperor]

33. You'll be pleased as punch to know that we'll be going there.

:thumbsup:

[matcom]

34. then i will HAVE to demand a Salzburg thread upon your return

with no less than 20 pics :D

[Squeech]

14. Depends

I liked Switzerland and Austria a lot-- more than Paris, heretical as that may seem. Geneva is just gorgeous, and I remember enjoying the topography of Innsbruck a lot.

If I weren't travelling with a little sister, however, I might just stay in Amsterdam :smoke:

[pansypoo53219]

15. can you check out Foix, france

i started reading a 1903 encyclopedia britannica(very interesting book) and they really thought Foix sucked, but fon du lac, wi was the bees knees.
aparently the old castle in town couldn't overide the uneven streets.

[billyskank]

18. Don't start in Amsterdam

Finish in Amsterdam. Otherwise, you'll spend two months getting stoned and tripping on mushrooms before you realise that you were supposed to be doing something!

I hear many a student taking a year out interrailing make this mistake... :)

[progmom]

21. oooh - this sounds like fun!

Amsterdam - the Rijksmuseum and the van Gogh museum, or course. And I am certain you can find other things there to keep you occupied. ;)

You might also consider a trip to den Haag to visit Scheveningen and check out the North Sea. Heck, if you time it right, you could be in the Hague for the North Sea Jazz Festival!

Nothing in Holland is too far away - it's a very small country. You could go to the cheese markets in Alkmaar or check out the Kroller Muller museum and see some more van Gogh stuff http://www.kmm.nl/index_flash.html


My favorite stop in Belgium is Bruge (or Brugge). Venice of the north. You prolly don't need more than a day there.

Spend a good amount of time in Paris. The Musee D'Orsay, the Touilleries, the Louvre, Versailles, the Picasso Museum, the Musee Rodin... And make sure to allow for lots of time on sidewalk cafes watching people.

A stop in the Loire Valley is a must.


Many beautiful chateaux. It's a beautiful area to bike through, and there are many companies that offer packages where they provide the bikes and will even transport your luggage from city to city while you bike.

I've never been to the south of France, so I will leave others to fill in the blanks there.

In Italy, you should spend a little time in the Cinque Terre along the northern coast. Lake Como is beautiful as well. Make sure to schedule enough time in Florence to see all the amazing art. At least two days.

A day trip to Venice was enough for me. We stored our luggage at the train station and just packed a change of clothes and some toiletries in a bag when we got there. It's beautiful, but the touristiness of it (and the prices) made it a place we were kind of glad to leave after a day.

Rome. :loveya: You can just walk around that city and soak up the history. It's amazing and beautiful. Stay away from the touristy restaurants and you will never eat a bad meal. Make sure you know when the museums are open - you don't want to miss the Sistine Chapel (like we did our first time there!). The Trevi Fountian, the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, St Peter's Basilica, the Borghese Gardens and museum, the Pantheon, the Forum...


Can I come with you?

[da_chimperor]

25. Whoa . . . that's a LOT of input. Many, many thanks.

I've opted to take a more northern route, though southern Germany and Austria and into northern Italy. I totally agree about Brugge though, I've been there and while you can do it in a day, it's a cool city just to hang out. You'd be welcome to join, but you'd need to be in Amsterdam in 7 days from now. :(

[progmom]

32. ah - then i'll stay home

:P

when i lived in holland, i never really got into the germany/austria trips. paris moved me. :D

[radwriter0555]

23. You MAY want to consider Easyjet.com to get between places

and to maximize your time in places.. so as to not spend most of your time on the trains. It's a cheap, cheap, cheap way to travel europe.

And be super super super careful on the overnight trains and do NOT EVER Forget to have your train ticket validated ESPECIALLY IN ITALY. Please, please please watch for pickpockets.

Enjoy!

[northzax]

30. depends on what you like, now doesn't it?

you want museums and classical art? the stuff you see in books? spend a week at the Louvre. you can do anything.

Personally, (how old is your sister? it matters) I would take EasyJet to Barcelona and take the train along the coast up to Monte Carlo. Peel off through the Mt. Blanc tunnel to the alps, you must see the alps. Go to Berner Oberland ride the train up the Jungfrau, go for a hike in Grimmenwald. Take the train back to Zurich, and the overnight to Milan. Stop in Lugano if you can. Ignore milan, it's not that useful. If you want history and Tuscany, take a bus to Siena (pay to climb the belltower, it's worth it) or San Gim, followed by a train to Venice (I love Venice but I agree, one day is fine unless you have forever) Take the train to rome via San Marino.

If you want coastal, go to Cinque Terra. then take the train to Roma.

voila! five countries, everything from the most famour beaches to the most famous mountains, sea level to 15,000 feet. Tapas to Pasta. You really should hit Paris, I guess, all girls love Paris.