25 Days: Itinerary Help

[raresteaksoup]

Hi Everyone,

I'm leaving soon (in about 4 days) and wouldn't mind getting advice on my itinerary. My plans are pretty flexible and I tend to travel fast. I know the time is short and the list of sites is ambitious, but here's what I've got:

Aug. 4 Fly into Brussels [2 days] (Meeting up with friends here so this is a must)

Paris [4 days] Overnight train to Munich
Munich [2 days]
Prague [3 days]
Salzburg [2 days]
Vienna [1 day] Overnight to Venice
Venice [2 days]
Cinque Terra [2 days]
Florence [2 days]
Rome [3 days] Leave on Aug. 27

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[me]

Wow! much too fast for me.

but, you say you're a fast traveler and you know yourself much better than i do.

3 days is a little short for Prague, to me. but compared to Vienna getting just one, 3 days in Prague is too long.

Vienna has more to offer: Heurigen, Habsbergs & Hundertwasser are just three of the "H's." the 1st district alone has much to see (museums & castles).

Prague is great, but Vienna is even better. you might want to go with 2 days each. or, even 1 day Prague, 3 days Vienna.

- d

[Eagle]

raresteaksoup, Welcome! I agree with David, this seems a bit quick for what looks like a three week Itinerary. I hope you have your transportation connections worked out to a high degree of precision, especially as your trip falls in the peak of tourist season!

Is there a particular reason you arranged the order of cities as listed? I would have planned this a bit differently. There are many possibilities, but this is one suggestion that is close to the version you posted:

- Brussels (since you're meeting someone, this is fixed. Keep in mind that if you're flying from North America, you'll have to contend with jet lag so you might not have two complete days for touring)

- Paris (four days is a bare minimum for Paris, but should suffice if you have your touring planned well. Be sure to buy a Paris Museum card so that you don't have to queue for long periods of time. It will probably be hot and crowded, so be prepared!)

-Munich I haven't checked the train schedules, but I suspect the overnight trip to Munich will have at least one or two changes during the night. Therefore, you might not get too much sleep. With only two days in Munich, again you'll need to have your sightseeing well planned)

-Prague (3 days should be adequate time for a quick visit)

-Vienna (1 day hardly seems adequate for Vienna! Is there something in particular you want to see there? I felt that Vienna would be a more logical stop at this point, as it's not a long train journey from Prague - there's a direct train leaving at 10:26, with a travel time of 4H:02M).

- Salzburg (the trip from Vienna is only about 3 hours, which is convenient)

- Venice (there's a direct train leaving Salzburg at 01:38, with a travel time of 7H:07M - mandatory reservations of course. This would get you to Venice in the morning, so you'd have a full day of touring. You'll have to decide whether you want to just sit in the Coach, or rent a Couchette)

- Florence (this is an easy trip from Venice. There's a train leaving at 08:29, with a travel time of 2H:54M)

- Cinque Terre (this is again quite an easy trip from Florence, although you didn't specify which of the five villages you would be staying in so it's difficult to be specific. One example to Riomaggiore - there's a train leaving Florence at 08:57, with a travel time of 3H33M, with one change in Pisa)

- Rome (as with Paris, 3 days is not adequate to see Rome properly. However, if that's all the time you have available it will have to do. One possibility for transport is a direct IC train leaving La Spezia at 10:06, with a travel time of 4H08M)

This seemed like a more logical order of travel than your original version. However, if you already have arrangements in place (ie: for lodgings on a certain date), then of course this version won't work.

One final point, it's too bad you hadn't discovered our site sooner. With your trip only four days away, it doesn't give us much time for suggestions. Oh well, I suppose there will be a "next time"? Also, don't forget to Post a "Just Back Report" to let us know how your trip went.

Happy travels!!!