Quote:
Does anybody have and tips on setting this up. How much time we might need?

Heres just a swag for activity/place and days:
Fly 1
Recover 1
Berlin 3
Move 1
ADam 3
Move 1
Paris 4
Move 1
UK 5
Fly 1

That adds up to 21 days -- three weeks - and it is missing at least 4-5 days of what I find the most fun -- "Wander".

The general plan you describe sounds pretty city-centric. I would discuss with SWMBO what your priorities are. If it is to stay in cities and visit the Louvres and Rijksmuseums, then the point-to-point planning and reservations become a little simpler. You could do the whole thing (save perhaps the UK) by train.

Personally? Personally? I have a bias toward the "Wander" part and would spend some time getting out of the band of northern citiies you list. Don't get me wrong, I love all the places you mention, but I don't find the countryside outside of those cities as interesting as what you'd find if you dipped further south in Germany, France and elsewhere.

So, some philosophical questions: Do you want to stick with large cities where you are part of a large body of tourists or would you also like to see smaller towns where communication might be more challenging? Any language skills, you and SWMBO? Enjoy driving? Driving in Europe is pretty easy. I haven't gone down one-way streets the wrong way *too* many times, and when I did I, think I gave the locals something to chatter about for the afternoon.

I see Tom's post about ICE trains. Agree. If you managed to make this trip without spending some time on ICE/TGV/Thalys/Eurostar, I think that would be a shame. The slower trains are generally no slouches, either! As far as planning goes, that Bahn site has the most comprehensive schedule info that I am aware of. A site I have used for some Railpass ticketing in past is the Rail Europe site that Steves touts. I have been happy with their assistance. Don't know if they serve Canada, but I would think so.

If you travel in July or August, you are in peak European holiday season, which means you are propably going to have to book in advance to avoid sleeping in your car (or a train station!). If you travel in May/June or September (which are very nice) it is much easier to wing it, especially in smaller towns and cities -- pull up at 5PM and say "Hey, got a room?"

There are lots of hire car concerns like Europcar and Sixt. I have stayed with Avis as I have a "frequent flyer" track record with them and in one case where I got nudged into a guardrail late one night, that wound up saving me some hassles. Whatever you do, put your car rental charges on a silver/gold/platinum Visa/MC/Amex that will cover your deductible in the event of an oopsie (if you would like to avoid all of the overpriced insurance riders that turn a $50/day car into a $100/day car) .

So, if I take your rough itinerary and apply some Jim bias, I come up with this:

Fly 1
Recover 1
Berlin 2
Move 1
Car Hire (Geneva, Lyon, Nice?) 1
Drive around south and return car someplace 5
TGV 1
Paris 3
Move 1
ADam 2
Move 1
UK 4
Fly 1

Hmmm? 24-25 days. It is sooo hard trying to squeeze things in. To the extent that you want to span long distances, you lose a lot to "Move" (but some of those can be fun).

With respect to my revised itinerary, I think of my crossing to the UK on the Stena catermaran uber-ferry with the Empegistas from the Netherlands. I have to believe that there are plenty of rental/hire outfits that would be standing at the dock with keys to their cars for the UK segment.

Books? I have a bunch of travel books and maps from diverse sources. For driving/planning, I have stayed with Michelin. For cities, I think it varies. Rick Steves often comes across as an over-earnest goof, but, when I really look at it, I appreciate his attitude. One of these days, I'm going to buy one of his books!

Edit: Oh, and I should have asked: Do you and SWMBO like to eat?


Edited by jimhogan (09/01/2005 03:04)