Help Planning Summer Europe Trip - GVA MUC CDG AMS BRU
Mar 30, 2015, 9:00 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 43
Help Planning Summer Europe Trip - GVA MUC CDG AMS BRU
I'm trying to plan a trip for this summer to Europe. All I know is that I'm flying in to GVA and flying out of BRU 2 weeks later. I have a total of 16 nights in Europe.
I'm trying to plan how much time I need in each city.
I need to be in Dusseldorf a week after arriving for a wedding.
So what I'm thinking is something like this (I apologize if it's a little confusing):
GVA (1 night) -> Interlaken (1 night) -> Bern (1 night) -> Munich (4 nights) -> Stuttgart (1 night) -> Dusseldorf (1 night) -> Paris (4 nights) -> Amsterdam (2 nights) -> Bru (1 night) -> home
Thoughts?
I'm trying to plan how much time I need in each city.
I need to be in Dusseldorf a week after arriving for a wedding.
So what I'm thinking is something like this (I apologize if it's a little confusing):
GVA (1 night) -> Interlaken (1 night) -> Bern (1 night) -> Munich (4 nights) -> Stuttgart (1 night) -> Dusseldorf (1 night) -> Paris (4 nights) -> Amsterdam (2 nights) -> Bru (1 night) -> home
Thoughts?
Mar 30, 2015, 9:47 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 196
Depends what your interests are. Interlaken and Bern close together and neither are really top drawer IMHO. What about Lucerne?
I really liked Stuttgart but it was heavily bombed and is not as characterful as nearby places like Tuebingen, Esslingen etc. There's a lot of nice places if you follow the Rhine up to Duesseldorf.
Paris is an outlier on this schedule. You would go past BRU to get to AMS and then come back again.
I really liked Stuttgart but it was heavily bombed and is not as characterful as nearby places like Tuebingen, Esslingen etc. There's a lot of nice places if you follow the Rhine up to Duesseldorf.
Paris is an outlier on this schedule. You would go past BRU to get to AMS and then come back again.
Mar 31, 2015, 4:06 am
#3
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: LHR- ish
Programs: MUCCI, BA Blue
Posts: 4,295
I think i'd try and reduce the number of stops as going from hotel to hotel is a serious annoyance and you can't see much visiting a place for one night. I would stick to one place in Switzerland rather than three different ones and cut out Stuttgart in favour of an extra night in Dusseldorf. Depending on what time your flight leaves you may be able to cut out the night in Brussels and have more time in Amsterdam.
Otherwise it depends on whether you've been to Europe before/when you're planning to return. Paris is a bit of an outlier but if this is potentially your only trip to mainland Europe you should probably go anyway. The other thing is what are you interested in? There's little point in going somewhere which has little to offer you.
How are you planning to get around anyway?
Otherwise it depends on whether you've been to Europe before/when you're planning to return. Paris is a bit of an outlier but if this is potentially your only trip to mainland Europe you should probably go anyway. The other thing is what are you interested in? There's little point in going somewhere which has little to offer you.
How are you planning to get around anyway?
Mar 31, 2015, 7:21 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 43
I've been there several times before, but this is the first time for my girlfriend. Only reason we're flying into GVA was because of availability on award tickets.
I have no issue moving days around since the only real date we have to hit is the wedding in Dusseldorf. I really don't want to spend too much time there since there's no much to do there or in Cologne. I was thinking of just using Stuttgart as a break in driving since I'm going to be driving from Munich to Dusseldorf.
Re: Switzerland, I'm wide open to suggestions. My idea was to spend at least 1 full day in a city and 1 day in the Alps.
My flight from BRU is at 10:30 AM so I'd much prefer to spend the night there.
Paris a must on this trip for several personal reasons and the fact that that's the city my gf is most excited about.
I think we're going to get around by train mostly and drive from Munich to Dusseldorf.
Thanks in advance for the help.
I have no issue moving days around since the only real date we have to hit is the wedding in Dusseldorf. I really don't want to spend too much time there since there's no much to do there or in Cologne. I was thinking of just using Stuttgart as a break in driving since I'm going to be driving from Munich to Dusseldorf.
Re: Switzerland, I'm wide open to suggestions. My idea was to spend at least 1 full day in a city and 1 day in the Alps.
My flight from BRU is at 10:30 AM so I'd much prefer to spend the night there.
Paris a must on this trip for several personal reasons and the fact that that's the city my gf is most excited about.
I think we're going to get around by train mostly and drive from Munich to Dusseldorf.
Thanks in advance for the help.
Mar 31, 2015, 11:01 am
#5
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Warsaw / London
Programs: price is a king
Posts: 820
I have no issue moving days around since the only real date we have to hit is the wedding in Dusseldorf. I really don't want to spend too much time there since there's no much to do there or in Cologne. I was thinking of just using Stuttgart as a break in driving since I'm going to be driving from Munich to Dusseldorf.
[...]
Paris a must on this trip for several personal reasons and the fact that that's the city my gf is most excited about.
[...]
Paris a must on this trip for several personal reasons and the fact that that's the city my gf is most excited about.
- MUC-DUS drive - unless you really want to see Daimler Benz factory there's no point in driving through Stuttgart. Beautiful city, but one rushed day might not be enough. I'd agree with other FTers - go to DUS and spend few days there. There are MANY things to do there. Just let us know what are you into? (clubbing? gourmet food? sports? nature?)
- Paris - well - hard to argue with GF
mfk
Mar 31, 2015, 2:09 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 43
I do like your itinerary, I'm into "few nights here, few nights there" mode as well. Couple of comments:
- MUC-DUS drive - unless you really want to see Daimler Benz factory there's no point in driving through Stuttgart. Beautiful city, but one rushed day might not be enough. I'd agree with other FTers - go to DUS and spend few days there. There are MANY things to do there. Just let us know what are you into? (clubbing? gourmet food? sports? nature?)
- Paris - well - hard to argue with GF
mfk
- MUC-DUS drive - unless you really want to see Daimler Benz factory there's no point in driving through Stuttgart. Beautiful city, but one rushed day might not be enough. I'd agree with other FTers - go to DUS and spend few days there. There are MANY things to do there. Just let us know what are you into? (clubbing? gourmet food? sports? nature?)
- Paris - well - hard to argue with GF
mfk
I was going to stop in STU just to go to the MB Museum since I had to run through it last time. But that's not 100% necessary.
Mar 31, 2015, 2:30 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Platinum/LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 5,594
Like you, I tend to not stay in one place too long when I visit Europe. However, you have so many 1 night stops that a lot of your time will be spent in cars and trains. That may not be a great first experience for your girlfriend. Just something to think about.
Without a ton of thought, I'd probably take Bern out for sure, and probably Stuttgart (but you said you're using it as a rest stop).
The other thing I see is that with Munich, Amsterdam, and Paris, you're really covering some ground. I think I'd take out either Munich or Amsterdam...probably Munich when I look at a map. That allows you to take Stuttgart off too.
What if you did something like this?
Geneva > Paris > Cologne/Dusseldorf > Amsterdam > Brussels
Staying in those 5 locations for a little more time also means you can do some easy day trips by train or car: the Dutch windmills, Bruges, Ghent, Champagne region, etc.
Just another idea to look at. Have fun!
Without a ton of thought, I'd probably take Bern out for sure, and probably Stuttgart (but you said you're using it as a rest stop).
The other thing I see is that with Munich, Amsterdam, and Paris, you're really covering some ground. I think I'd take out either Munich or Amsterdam...probably Munich when I look at a map. That allows you to take Stuttgart off too.
What if you did something like this?
Geneva > Paris > Cologne/Dusseldorf > Amsterdam > Brussels
Staying in those 5 locations for a little more time also means you can do some easy day trips by train or car: the Dutch windmills, Bruges, Ghent, Champagne region, etc.
Just another idea to look at. Have fun!
Mar 31, 2015, 2:37 pm
#8
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: LHR- ish
Programs: MUCCI, BA Blue
Posts: 4,295
I think you are going to have to overnight in Brussels before your flight.
I'm not expert on Switzerland so I won't make any recommendations. I'm sure somebody who is a bit more expert will be able to offer some advice.
So far as the stop in Stuttgart is concerned, it might well be less tiring to either go straight to Dusseldorf (which rates 9 pages in my Germany Lonely Planet so can't be entirely dull) or to stop off somewhere more rural.
Edit to add: That is rather an interesting idea JBord.
I'm not expert on Switzerland so I won't make any recommendations. I'm sure somebody who is a bit more expert will be able to offer some advice.
So far as the stop in Stuttgart is concerned, it might well be less tiring to either go straight to Dusseldorf (which rates 9 pages in my Germany Lonely Planet so can't be entirely dull) or to stop off somewhere more rural.
Edit to add: That is rather an interesting idea JBord.
Mar 31, 2015, 5:13 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 43
Like you, I tend to not stay in one place too long when I visit Europe. However, you have so many 1 night stops that a lot of your time will be spent in cars and trains. That may not be a great first experience for your girlfriend. Just something to think about.
Without a ton of thought, I'd probably take Bern out for sure, and probably Stuttgart (but you said you're using it as a rest stop).
The other thing I see is that with Munich, Amsterdam, and Paris, you're really covering some ground. I think I'd take out either Munich or Amsterdam...probably Munich when I look at a map. That allows you to take Stuttgart off too.
What if you did something like this?
Geneva > Paris > Cologne/Dusseldorf > Amsterdam > Brussels
Staying in those 5 locations for a little more time also means you can do some easy day trips by train or car: the Dutch windmills, Bruges, Ghent, Champagne region, etc.
Just another idea to look at. Have fun!
Without a ton of thought, I'd probably take Bern out for sure, and probably Stuttgart (but you said you're using it as a rest stop).
The other thing I see is that with Munich, Amsterdam, and Paris, you're really covering some ground. I think I'd take out either Munich or Amsterdam...probably Munich when I look at a map. That allows you to take Stuttgart off too.
What if you did something like this?
Geneva > Paris > Cologne/Dusseldorf > Amsterdam > Brussels
Staying in those 5 locations for a little more time also means you can do some easy day trips by train or car: the Dutch windmills, Bruges, Ghent, Champagne region, etc.
Just another idea to look at. Have fun!
Is there enough in Geneva (and the neighboring towns) to fill a 3 day itinerary? We really wanted to spend some time in the alps but I don't want to risk getting bored after 1 day.
Mar 31, 2015, 8:54 pm
#10
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Platinum/LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 5,594
I'm definitely open to taking Stuttgart out. I can't take Munich out since I'm picking up a car there.
Is there enough in Geneva (and the neighboring towns) to fill a 3 day itinerary? We really wanted to spend some time in the alps but I don't want to risk getting bored after 1 day.
Is there enough in Geneva (and the neighboring towns) to fill a 3 day itinerary? We really wanted to spend some time in the alps but I don't want to risk getting bored after 1 day.
I've been just about everywhere else on your list except Stuttgart.
Given your restrictions, I would probably just advise skipping a couple of the one-night-stay cities and spend a little more time in Amsterdam and Brussels/Ghent/Bruges. If you count your flight, you're basically traveling constantly the first 4-5 days of your trip.
Apr 1, 2015, 4:27 am
#11
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: LHR- ish
Programs: MUCCI, BA Blue
Posts: 4,295
Presuming your flight to GVA arrives reasonably early in the day you don't have to stop the night there. You could move straight on to somewhere you like the sound of more. If you do decide to stop in Geneva, the particle accelerator at CERN is fascinating if you've any interest in that type of thing.
You can also do daytrips into the Alps from Munich, by either rail or car. Neuschwanstein comes to mind and maybe Garmisch or into the Austrian Tirol. It's not the same high Alps experience as you'd get in, say, Grindelwald but it's still lovely.
You can also do daytrips into the Alps from Munich, by either rail or car. Neuschwanstein comes to mind and maybe Garmisch or into the Austrian Tirol. It's not the same high Alps experience as you'd get in, say, Grindelwald but it's still lovely.
Apr 5, 2015, 3:21 pm
#12
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,214
Your trip is a bit similar to mine. What would help knowing is what kind of stuff you and the gf are into, so that we can point you to places of interest.
I should preface by saying I love skipping from city to city, but with time limited, you'll probably want to maximize your time and skip some of the less-interesting ones.
I would definitely skip Interlaken. It's an Olympic village which holds some interest if that's your thing, but I found it to be fairly unspectacular. Echoing the earlier poster who suggested Lucerne. I did the Geneva-Bern-Lucerne-Lugano quadrangle in 2009 and found Lucerne to be the best of the bunch, although Geneva merits attention as well, IMO.
I would probably advise against Bern, as well. It's a capital city, it's nice, but for me it just doesn't have the visual appeal of Lucerne, Lausanne and even Geneva. Zurich might be a better large city to visit (caveat: I haven't been, but I hear good things).
As far as picking up a car in MUC, why there and only there? I like Munich, but I personally spent five days there a couple of years ago and got bored after two.
I haven't been to Stuttgart, although as an auto fan it's on my bucket list. Since you're just using it as a rest stop (although the drive between Munich and Dusseldorf really isn't that long - 5-6 hours absent traffic), I'd suggest skipping it, taking a night out of Munich and hitting up Frankfurt for a couple of days. Or tack on another night in DUS and check out Cologne which is just across the river. If you and your girl like comfy hotels, the Marriott in Cologne is awesome and just a quick walk away from the Dom.
I have no issues with the second half of your itinerary. Paris for four days sounds about right, Amsterdam for 2 is perfect and you are definitely going to want to spend your last night near the airport since your flight leaves early-ish.
But, yeah, fill us in on your interests and we'll be able to pinpoint things a little bit more finely.
I should preface by saying I love skipping from city to city, but with time limited, you'll probably want to maximize your time and skip some of the less-interesting ones.
I would definitely skip Interlaken. It's an Olympic village which holds some interest if that's your thing, but I found it to be fairly unspectacular. Echoing the earlier poster who suggested Lucerne. I did the Geneva-Bern-Lucerne-Lugano quadrangle in 2009 and found Lucerne to be the best of the bunch, although Geneva merits attention as well, IMO.
I would probably advise against Bern, as well. It's a capital city, it's nice, but for me it just doesn't have the visual appeal of Lucerne, Lausanne and even Geneva. Zurich might be a better large city to visit (caveat: I haven't been, but I hear good things).
As far as picking up a car in MUC, why there and only there? I like Munich, but I personally spent five days there a couple of years ago and got bored after two.
I haven't been to Stuttgart, although as an auto fan it's on my bucket list. Since you're just using it as a rest stop (although the drive between Munich and Dusseldorf really isn't that long - 5-6 hours absent traffic), I'd suggest skipping it, taking a night out of Munich and hitting up Frankfurt for a couple of days. Or tack on another night in DUS and check out Cologne which is just across the river. If you and your girl like comfy hotels, the Marriott in Cologne is awesome and just a quick walk away from the Dom.
I have no issues with the second half of your itinerary. Paris for four days sounds about right, Amsterdam for 2 is perfect and you are definitely going to want to spend your last night near the airport since your flight leaves early-ish.
But, yeah, fill us in on your interests and we'll be able to pinpoint things a little bit more finely.