France, Italy, and England are the most common stops for first trips to Europe from elsewhere. An id

With 50 or so different countries, planning a trip to Europe (especially independent european tours for the first time) can seem overwhelming. Many people head to London and/or Paris first just to get a feel for the place, but if you are going a long distance to get there it s worth exploring more if you are able.
Having been fortunate enough independent european tours to have explored most of Europe s countries and highlights over the years, I continue to research and write about European travel on this site. I ve been getting a wide variety independent european tours of interesting questions on many of those articles, most notably on the article about Europe rail Passes and whom they are right for .
It turns out that I really enjoy answering questions about European itineraries and transportation, so I m trying to make the process even easier. I ve moved a few dozen questions from other articles to the bottom of this page, and many people independent european tours have mentioned that reading other answers can be helpful in general.
Since the list is already pretty long it might be easier to search for text on the page by doing a Command-F (Mac) or Control-F (Windows) and typing in what you are searching for, like Paris or Eurostar or Germany and you ll be taken directly to questions independent european tours and answers independent european tours on that topic.
And feel free to ask your own new question in the comments at the bottom of this page. I usually answer within 24 hours. I ll move most of the questions and answers into the body of this article to make them easier for people to search.
I cover this topic extensively on the Eurail Pass article so please skim that for answers to most questions. But the short version is: Rail passes can be great for those going mainly between major cities that are 200 to 700 kilometers apart. For shorter journeys it s almost always cheaper to buy individual tickets (even if you have a rail pass for the rest of your trip) and on longer journeys it s often better to fly. But most major cities are within this range, so a rail pass is worth considering for many itineraries.
France, Italy, and England are the most common stops for first trips to Europe from elsewhere. An ideal itinerary is to fly into London and stay at least 3 or 4 days there before taking the Eurostar to Paris for at least 3 or 4 days. For those with two or more weeks it s common to then head to the south of France and then into Italy before flying home. I ve written about the perfect 2-week France and Italy itinerary independent european tours to help you get started.
Compared to the US, Canada, or Australia, Europe is a compact place, but nearly everyone still tries to see too many places in too little time. Including travel days, you should allow for at least three days per destination, and hopefully more. In other words, if you will be in Europe for 21 days then don t plan more than 7 destinations, and 5 or 6 is better.
Again, even on the fastest itineraries you ll need at least 2 nights in order to see even the basics. independent european tours And if your train ride is longer than 5 hours, or if you are flying, your travel day doesn t even really count because from hotel in one city to hotel in the next, you ll use at least 8 hours and you ll be too tired to see much until the following morning anyway.
Since France is not participating in the Select Pass this year, that kind of ruins things. I'm thinking for Italy and France I will just buy some tickets in advance (Rome to Florence is only 19 Euros if I get it now – Paris to Brussels is also very cheap) and buy regional tickets when I get there. Or should I not buy train tickets independent european tours in advance and just buy everything regional, since the advance tickets are all premier trains and seem like they'd be more expensive? Then I am thinking that a 3-country Select pass will take care of the rest. What do you think?
For Italy and France we will only go to 3 different cities within each max, because we want time to catch our breath independent european tours and enjoy it. We have a free place to stay in Paris, so we'll most likely be there at least a week. Do you think within the context of the trip 2 weeks apiece independent european tours is enough for Italy and France?
For France, you might think about Nice and the coastal cities in that area (Cannes, Monaco), since it will be quite cold inland. But in France there are dozens of great choices so you can't go wrong.
In Germany, Munich and Berlin are the two must-see cities for first-time visitors, worth several days each. You might add a side trip to nearby Salzburg, Austria from Munich. You'll love it. Rothenburg is very touristy but also lovely and worth a day. Skip Frankfurt. From Berlin you can quickly reach a few other interesting cities, but Berlin is huge and you won't run out of things to do there.
For a trip like this where you have a lot of time and it's all in the off-season, I'd just buy train tickets once you are there. For pretty independent european tours much every stop you'll be making, there are literally trains every 30 to 60 minutes during the day. If you want an express train you might go to the station the day before to buy your ticket, but even if you just show up you should get seats easily. The only thing to avoid is an early-morning express train between two business cities, independent european tours like 8am from Paris to Lyon. Those are often crowded, but those leaving after 9am are usually half empty.
After reading all of the above (including comments) I'm a little confused. Some parts of my trip some people would call Eastern Europe, but other people (including Lonely Planet) would call it "Central" Europe. I'm 26 and travelling by myself for a month (first big overseas trip!).
I'm starting in Frankfurt (got cheap flights!) then going: Munich, Salzburg, Ljubljana, Split (8 day island hopper cruise), Zagreb, Budapest, Bratislava, maybe Vienna, Krakow, Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Berlin, Frankfurt.. Not necessarily independent european tours in that order. My question is, are the trains decent independent european tours enough to get a Eurail pass, or should I go by bus?
For a trip like this I wouldn't independent european tours recommend independent european tours a Eurail Pass. The stops are all close enough together that the individual tickets won't be that much, and parts of it you might want to do by bus anyway. In Croatia the trains are still pretty slow, although they are cheap. For the rest of your stops the trains are very good. The possibility that might make sense is a Eurail Select Pass for 5 days within one month for Germany, which will cost around €200. On the other hand, Germany often has fare sales for weekends and on slow trains, so unless you are in a hurry, don't bother with a pass.
This looks like a great trip and you should have no trouble getting train tickets on the day, or the day before if you prefer. And buses are also possible for most of all of these, which are cheaper but less comfortable and usually take a bit longer. -Roger
It seems you are like the "man in the know". I have looked through your answers above. I am planning to do a trip to Italy. Starting out from Venice or Verona then down to Florence, Rome and Naples. I plan to be away for about 3/4 weeks. Should I get a rail pass (I am a senior citizen) or should I just buy the tickets as I go. I know Venice independent european tours quite well but this would be the first time heading independent european tours further south. I will be travelling on my own. Thank you.
Thank you for the kind words. There's no need or good reason to get a rail pass for a trip like the one you are taking. The individual train tickets between those cities are cheap, independent european tours and they leave every hour or even more frequently. Those cities are all literally 2 to 4 hours apart by train, so just go to the train station and the next one will probably leave within independent european tours 30 minutes, and will cost you around €10 to €18 (US$13 to US$25) each. An Italiarail Pass might cost just a bit less, but it's more hassle, so just wing it and you'll do great.
1. We will stay at various places in Switzerland and would like to stay there for 3 days. Could you please list the most attractive and beautiful places that we must visit in Switzerland. These are the places I found online:
2. We have kept 1 day to visit Paris only. We are planning to by Eurail regional pass from France – Switzerland which is 'France – Switzerland Pass Saver' at 390 USD per person. Is it worth to buy these tickets? If I buy those tickets, can we travel in both in between France and Switzerland and also within France and Switzerland itself?
That looks like a good list of highlights in Switzerland, but I can't really make my own recommendations since I don't know the country very well and I know nothing about your tastes. The larger cities of Zurich and Basel are interesting, but most people seem to prefer the scenic highlights like Interlaken and Lucerne. You might read Lonely Planet's top picks for the country , as they are quite reliable for most people.
2. With a France-Switzerland Pass Saver you can travel anywhere in or between those two countries, although the fastest Paris trains independent european tours might cost extra. For a total of 4 days the only way it would be worth buying a pass is if you were taking the train twice per day in Switzerland, for the busiest tour possible.
3. The order to visit should be easy for you to figure out once you decide on your exact destinations. There are fast, direct trains between all the major cities, leaving hourly or thereabouts, so just pick the shortest loop.
We are starting off with four days in Barcelona and stopping in Rome(3 independent european tours days), Amsterdam(3 days), Paris(3 days) and London(8 days). We are trying to figure out if we should fly between each city or take the train. The flights would serve as a cheaper travel alternative; The trains. although much more expensive, give us a lot more freedom independent european tours for sightseeing and room to relax.
As for your trip, I agree that trains independent european tours are far more enjoyable than flights, especially independent european tours in Europe with so much nice scenery along every railway. Also, when comparing independent european tours the costs of both you have to add in the airport transportation on both ends to the plane ticket.
On the other hand, Barcelona and Rome are more than 12 hours apart by train, independent european tours which only makes a little bit of sense if you do the Barcelona to Milan part on a