14 days in Europe can involve 9 cities and a headache all the time or 3 cities you remember! It’s not a matter of money or fortune. It’s if the path was created around a region or around a wish list.
The One Rule: Three Cities, Not Six
The cost of a city change is about half a day each, including checking out of and moving to the next city, and finding a place to sleep. Each 6 move amounts to 3 days of a 2 week trip. Allow three to four nights per stop and you’ll get more done with less effort!
This new, award-winning program is now available in four new formats:
The Western Classic
London to Paris in a few hours by Eurostar, then Paris to Amsterdam by Thalys, which takes 4 hours. Museums, food and the least logistical part of the continent. The most expensive option.
A tour of Central Europe by rail
The courses are Berlin – Prague – Vienna – Budapest and take 3–4 nights. The train times between the cities are given as a maximum of 4 hours. Extraordinary architecture, formidable coffee-house culture and about half the price of Western Europe.
The Italian Triangle
Rome – Florence – Venice, five nights, five nights and three nights by high speed train. If you prefer the coastline over the canals, substitute Naples and the Amalfi Coast for Venice.
The Iberian Loop
First Moorish palaces, then Atlantic seafood and Gaudí at the end: Lisbon → Seville → Granada → Barcelona. Spain is very well served by train – the Lisbon–Seville route is an easy one to do by bus or short flight.
Getting Around
Basic trainings for using the Rail Pass Arithmetic.Rail Pass Arithmetic Basic trainings.
The Eurail or Interrail pass is the best choice where you need to travel by train in multiple countries in an unplanned way. In an individually booked advance ticket, the ticket will typically be less expensive for a fixed three or four city route. Always check the price before committing and note that many of the high-speed trains will need you to pay for a seat reservation even if you have a pass.
Book Open-Jaw Flights
Fly to your first, and last, city. Having to return to one airport means traveling back and forth, which takes an entire day.
Fly Only Long Legs
For distances, distances, distances, you can beat the train by about five hours at the airport and the safety and security check at the airport. Budget airlines come at a very low cost, except for the bags, which don’t.
A Booking Timeline
Three months out: International flights and any timed-entry sites, such as the Alhambra, the Uffizi, the Anne Frank House, and the Vatican sell out.
Two months out: accommodation, high speed rail tickets – cheapest when released, and steadily increase over time.
Two weeks out: restaurant reservations, day trips.
Practical Considerations
When to Go
Open sites, warm days and not too many crowds are found in late April until June and September and early October. August is hot and it’s the high season, and in the southern cities, residents are taking their own vacations.
Entry Rules
The majority of visa-exempt visitors are allowed to make an 180-day run of 90-day visas in the Schengen Area. Borders and pre-authorisation have undergone changes, please check the requirements for your nationality as far in advance as possible.
Daily Costs
In Central Europe, Portugal and most of Spain, expect to spend $70-$120 per day. The price in London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Switzerland is around $150 to $250.
The 2nd afternoons are empty.
Homework does not require to be assigned each hour. The unplanned is the people’s description when they come home, not the fourth cathedral.
The Trip to Avoid
Four flights, five check-ins and 6+ real days of sightseeing in 14 days to Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Prague, and Amsterdam. Take away two cities and dedicate those days to the three remaining cities.