first time to Europe

[nomad1]

Hey everyone. Nice to see there are other people in this world with the sense of adventure. I have traveled the US and now looking to explore Europe. I wanted to start in the Netherlands,down to Belgium then train through Germany to Prague. Is 30 days OK for this trip? can anyone give me advice on this? Thanks.

[herrbert]

It depends on what you want to see in these countries. If you can replace the countries by towns/cities, we have a much better picture. Also some background on your interests would help us in suggesting some possible places to go.

I think that you can make a very nice travel in 30 days. And at least most of the places will not need a lot of time to reach if you stick with these countries. What are your must-sees?

[Eagle]

nomad1, welcome to the Boards!

As herrbert mentioned, it would really help to know which cities you want to visit in each of the countries you mentioned (the only city you listed was Prague). It's difficult to know what's possible in 30 days without having this information as travel times will vary in each case, and also some of the more "significant" cities require more time than others.

You didn't indicate where you're flying from, but open-jaw flights would be highly advisable, and will be the most efficient travel method.

To get your planning started, you might find it useful to check some Guidebooks to get some idea on which cities you're most interested in, and also which sights you might want to see in each of those places. The best book to start with (IMHO) would be Europe Through The Back Door, as it provides lots of tips on Itinerary planning, rail skills, money issues, etc.

A trip of 30 days should provide you with an interesting first visit to Europe. Careful planning is important though. You'll probably be travelling by rail for the most part, but don't make any decisions on rail passes or P-P tickets until you've got a basic Itinerary "roughed out".

Good luck with your planning!

[nomad1]

Thanks for the replies. I will be flying out of Boston and would like to visit Amsterdam first, then train down to Brussels, then go to the Czech to visit Prague. Is this all possible by rail? I love sightseeing and historical buildings so what ever lies in the path would be awesome! Thanks again for your help guys:)

[herrbert]

Hi nomad1,

yes that is all possible by train. If you like to investigate trainroutes, you can go to www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml here you will find the routes and timetables. (not only for Germany but for the rest of Europe as well).

so as it stands we have:

Amsterdam
Brussels
Prague

Take 3 days for Amsterdam, this way you have some time to get over the jetlag, and to see most of the city. It's pretty compact so these 3 days will be enough. I recommend the van Gogh museum, and the Anne Frank House, as must-sees.

Brussels: There are always some mixed feelings as it comes to Brussels. I think it is a good place to visit, but in my opinion there are nicer places in Belgium to visit. Brugge would be my number 1 in Belgium. As you have 30 days, you can take some more days and make Brugge your base for eastern Belgium (also check Gent and Antwerp (as daytrips), and if you are interested in WWI, Ieper could be a place of interest for you.

Prague for me is a 3 days (4 nights) kind of city. It's not so big as other cities, but also not small enough for 2 days.

What's in between?

Well you have a bunch of choices as daytrips from Amsterdam. Haarlem (really close) is a popular one, and a pretty city, with pretty buildings and pretty enclosed garden. (hofjes). I also like The Hague. but others will like Delft, Utrecht or Rotterdam. A little bit further away is Groningen (in the north) and Maastricht (in the South). These are still doable as a daytrip, but getting there takes longer. Maastricht you could add to the initerary, as it is close to Belgium and Germany.

For Belgium I already gave you some extra options, you could after Belgium head to Cologne, and the Rhine/Eifel and Mosel region. A place to mention that is often left out in Trier, close to the border with Luxembourg.

If you like smaller places, Rotherburg ob der tauber might be a nice place for you. (you can find it somewhere between Frankfurt and Nurnberg).

After that you can go further South to Munich (take the daytrip to the Castles if you want), go to Salzburg, and then go north to Cesky Krumlow and finally Prague.

This is just an example of what you can do, there are so many possibilities. (after Belgium you could go south to Strassbourg and head to Lake Konstanz (Bodensee) and Innbruck as well. If it is not a must to end in Prague, you could also head north after Prague and go to Dresden and Berlin. I think the best thing is to read a lot, and to discover which places suit you best.

[nomad1]

Thanks Herrbert and Eagle you guys are awesome!