My wife and I are planning on going to Europe this April. Any advice and recommendations would be appreciated. We have never been there before. Would love to see Amsterdam, Paris and London for sure. Would love to even go into Germany if we have time. From what we are understanding, they have trains that go to and from each of these cities. What are must sees for us if it will be the only time we go there? TIA

No advice but trains are super easy between the 3 locations. I typically use ItaliaRail to book rail but many use RailEurope. I can't wait to go back to London.

Oh and note it costs $$ to use the restrooms in many places. It took me 30 minutes to find an ATM at the Paris train station after arriving for London just so I could get $$ to use the potty. Their Starbucks has some pretty unique desserts there at the train station. I found many did not speak English in Paris but I was only there for a day.

So do you have to purchase rail tickets beforehand, or can you do it like the day before?

ncttc said:

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So do you have to purchase rail tickets beforehand, or can you do it like the day before?

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You can purchase the longer, inter city lines in advance that come with a seat reservation so if your dates are set between the cities I would do that. We did the Eurostar train between Brussels and London and then London to Paris. You can pre-purchase a mult-day Eurail pass if you want or they are available for purchase local.

We did Amsterdam, Brussels, London & Paris summer 2019 and it was great.

eurail.com

how long do you have?

7 to 10 days

ncttc said:

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7 to 10 days

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Amsterdam is great, but you really need two, maybe three full days there. Rent a bike for an afternoon and explore by bike. Such a fun way to see the city. Go to the windmill brewery located at Brouwerij 't IJ. It's a few blocks east of City Center. The Anne Frank house does not look like a house from the 30s/40s from the outside. I didn't do this when I was there. The Van Gogh museum is really great, however. I loved it. There's a place called beer temple that has Jester King beers in stock, it was wild to see. You'll be in TND in the Spring, so I recommend you head east out of Amsterdam for a day and check out the tulip fields.

If you're trying to fit in Belgium, I'd skip Brussels and go to Bruges instead. Bruges is incredibly charming and really quaint. There's a quote from the film In Bruges, where Ralph Fiennes describes it as a "Fairytale f***ing town" and he's not wrong at all. I drank Westy 12 at a musty tavern in Bruges. It was surreal.

With your time frame, if you're going to Germany I would guess you'll stick to western Germany? If so, Muenster is a cute little town that I really like. I spent like 5 nights there with a fraulein I met (flex) and loved it. Skip Dusseldorf. It's a stopover town. Cologne has a humongous Gothic church right by the main train station that's awesome to check out. IMO the prettiest towns in Germany are in Bavaria (Munich, Nuremberg and Reutlingen). If it was me, I'd save Germany for its own trip. But I'm biased as I love that country and would move there tomorrow.

As for London, it's a huge metropolitan city. And might be my least favorite big "city" in Europe outside of like, Madrid. It really is awesome though. The Imperial War Museum is amazing. Take a walk on the south bank of the Thames (pronounced "Tims" in case you're like me and didn't know). Tower of London if you're into that era. Big Bend might still be under construction when you're there. There's a big mesh net around it currently. Churchill war bunkers are great. Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park are a nice place to go for a walk or do a picnic. Heaps of fun little pubs.

I can't comment on Paris, unfortunately. But maybe one day. Once you have your cities nailed down come on back and I can give you specific recs (if I've been there)

If it were me, I'd fly into Amsterdam then train to Bruges then to Paris and to London and fly out from there.

Q1. Is the EU letting Americans in?

My family took the train during the summer of 1978 from Amsterdam to Heidelberg to Paris and back to Amsterdam. That was an amazing experience for an 8 year old.

I highly recommend the Anne Frank house.

I would save Germany for it's own trip. I've made multiple trips there an have barely scratched the surface.

Likewise, Luxembourg and Belgium would be hard to squeeze in. Do them on another trip. Bastogne is a must.

Your best bet would be 3 days in London, 3 days in Amsterdam and 3 days in Paris.

Or, you could do 4 days in London with an eye to never going back. Then do 2 days in Amsterdam with the intent to always go there on European trips. Spend 2-3 days in Paris.

Good info, thanks

If you're taking the train from Paris to London, buy that in advance as the price jumps considerably the closer it gets.

Currently Europe is closed to Americans. Nobody knows what will happen by April. Anybody who says they know should not be believed.

London is one of my absolute favorite cities but I'm biased because I used to live there. Just spend the money on an oyster card for unlimited tube rides and use that to get around. Far more convenient than a bus or taxi.

Many French don't speak English but as long as you walk into a shop with a "bon jour" and a smile, you'll be fine.

Amsterdam is absolutely lovely. If you're going to do the Anne frank house, do that first thing in the day. Otherwise the line gets pretty long.

I did not know Europe was not allowing Americans in. That may change our mind on our destination. Thank you

I am cautiously optimistic that travel to the EU will be open in the spring. But time will tell.

What other parts of the world interest you two?

ncttc said:

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I did not know Europe was not allowing Americans in. That may change our mind on our destination. Thank you

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Wife and I are hopeful for next summer, but I'm not holding my breath. I could also see some countries refusing entry if Trump is re-elected (petty decision they'll blame on Covid)

ncttc said:

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I did not know Europe was not allowing Americans in. That may change our mind on our destination. Thank you

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That is correct. We are not letting Americans in because of the Corona Virus numbers in the states.

That being said, our numbers are skyrocketing as well. Our numbers are about the same as in

the beginning of April. Hopefully, this will change soon on both sides of the pond.

wangus12 said:

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ncttc said:

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I did not know Europe was not allowing Americans in. That may change our mind on our destination. Thank you

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Wife and I are hopeful for next summer, but I'm not holding my breath. I could also see some countries refusing entry if Trump is re-elected (petty decision they'll blame on Covid)

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Yep, I could see this but I think the money from American tourist will drive them to open back up by next summer. The wife and I are hoping so b/c we want to get in Bavaria, Switzerland and Italy.

The other place we want to go is Hawaii. We may do that instead of Amsterdam due to travel restrictions. Any recommendations there. We love the nightlife, but also want to see waterfalls, volcanos, etc. which island is best to stay on, or do you want to spend 2-3 days on each one?

I know your trip may have shifted to Hawaii, but we did Amsterdam, Brugge, Brussels, Munich, and Lucerne last year.

I HIGHLY recommend Hotel Estherea in Amsterdam. It is a bit of a splurge but was so quaint and nice. I also strongly encourage you to get up in the middle of the night to book the advance Anne Frank Haus (don't 2 months in advance, I think.) We did the one with the 30 minute history briefing and it was fantastic. Do a canal tour as well. We also did the Van Gogh Museum and the Riks museum. I could take it or leave for either of those.

We travelled by train to both Belgium locations and flew Luthansa to other further away destinations due to time.

I think you couldn't do wrong with any trip you choose, but Europe was everything we hoped for and more.

ncttc said:

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The other place we want to go is Hawaii. We may do that instead of Amsterdam due to travel restrictions. Any recommendations there. We love the nightlife, but also want to see waterfalls, volcanos, etc. which island is best to stay on, or do you want to spend 2-3 days on each one?

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I recommend checking the latest Hawaii travel restrictions.
I was supposed to go there for work 2 months ago but they wanted a 2 week quarantine so I wound up having to do the work via Zoom instead.

Similarly, today I just got asked to go to Bangalore but again, India is doing a 2 week quarantine on arrival.

If you're looking domestic for April, I'd recommend Puerto Rico, or South Florida.

Ann's Frank Haus is a must do if open. The house is very tight quarters though so virtually impossible to keep any distance from others unless they really limit tix sales.

I did this exact trip. Flew direct into London, train to Paris and train to Amsterdam and direct flight back from there. What I enjoyed most in London were Crown Jewels and Windsor castle. Paris would be the louvre and a wine or champagne tour. Amsterdam, seriously just use the end of your trip to relax and enjoy walking around the city eating and drinking your heart away. There isn't like any wow can't miss types of things in Amsterdam just general beauty of the city which is perfect for a relaxing end.

As for Hawaii, the big island and Maui have what you are looking for and are good for a first timer. A lot of nature, volcanoes and beautiful beaches.

There's also some things you can procure in Amsterdam that make it even more relaxing.

7-10 days, first time = 2 main cities max

Get some Rick Steves books.

EU isn't letting anyone in for tourist stuff. I live in Germany so I can go back and forth to the US. It might be a good idea for you to hold off on making solid plans right now.

Europe reported a higher per capita infection rate than US. Paris talking about a nighttime curfew and winter not here yet. I normally have several trips planned now nada.

Vernada said:

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7-10 days, first time = 2 main cities max

Get some Rick Steves books.

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Agreed. My wife and I's first European experience was a trip, not a vacation. 12 days total. 4 nights in Istanbul, 3 nights in Amsterdam, 4 nights in Prague. Talk about some culture shock for us. We used Destination Travel books for each of the cities and they were great to help us see all the spots.

6 years later we've definitely learned some ropes and seen some stuff. That trip my wife brought a 36" rolling hard case that you could stuff a few Europeans in. Along with a large purse and 21" carry on. We looked like American idiots. Haha. Now it's a small purse/bag and a small rolling duffel or if it's a 7day trip it's a large backpack.

What do you do in Germany? if you don't mind me asking.

purplehayes said:

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EU isn't letting anyone in for tourist stuff. I live in Germany so I can go back and forth to the US. It might be a good idea for you to hold off on making solid plans right now.

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Where do you live in Germany? When was the last time you went back to the US?

Is there a quarantine when traveling from US to Germany?

SwissAgg said:

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purplehayes said:

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EU isn't letting anyone in for tourist stuff. I live in Germany so I can go back and forth to the US. It might be a good idea for you to hold off on making solid plans right now.

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Where do you live in Germany? When was the last time you went back to the US?

Is there a quarantine when traveling from US to Germany?

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You have to self-isolate at home until you have a proven negative test result.

Thank y'all so much for the great info!

Ireland just locked down again. Residents can't travel more than 5 Km from home. Bars & restaurants are take out only.

FancyKetchup14 said:

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I am cautiously optimistic that travel to the EU will be open in the spring. But time will tell.

What other parts of the world interest you two?

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Man... I live over here now. The numbers from spring are quietly coming back and most people think the US Is 2-3 weeks behind.

Nobody here is optimistic about travel restrictions here being lifted by the Spring let alone travel to and from the US. I think the restrictions are in place for at least a year still unfortunately.

Would you mind sharing what you do/how you got over there?

I'd love to move over to Europe in a few years. Either to do grad school and work there. Or do grad school here and go over there. Currently taking German courses to get it to functional level.

FancyKetchup14 said:

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Would you mind sharing what you do/how you got over there?

I'd love to move over to Europe in a few years. Either to do grad school and work there. Or do grad school here and go over there. Currently taking German courses to get it to functional level.

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I am in Europe since over 20 years and am Swiss now. How is your German?

I am in IT/Finance. They always need people. The best chances are with an American company or like a Big 4.