My wife and I are embarking on our first trip into the European territories. We are excited and my wife especially has waited, somewhat patiently, for ten years. That said, I would like to make the trip as painless and trouble free as possible.

I spent a good amount of time reading through "searches" for topics I had questions on. Wow, what a wealth of information here! Kudos to the flyer talk community. I hope I can one day return the favor (my only area of expertise is USA, and specifically Texas).

A few questions regarding cross country travel.

- we will be going from Dublin, flying to Amaterdam, train to Paris, and flying to Rome. Each stop 2-3 days.

First question. Albeit simple. I'm deciding on weather to take a roller duffel or a backpacking pack. With public transport to and from airports will it be difficult to lug luggage? I imagine it to be like New York City, with packed subways and filled busses...is this what's to be expected?

And weather. Reviewing the weather almanac, the range in temperature and conditions is...well very variable. I assume this is because a cold front can flip the switch from normally mild autumns. I plan to pack layers and a rain coat. Any other specifics to deal with the local climate?

Thanks in advance!

Did you say when you are travelling? If so, I missed it.

Anyway, I live in Amsterdam and the weather here in the autumn will be not cold, but there will be rain showers. Dublin will probably be the same. Paris and Rome will be warmer.

In answer to your packing question, I would recommend to pack light. Europe is not a "territory" but a collection of advanced countries not unlike your own. Anything that you forget to bring, you can probably buy here (clothing, toiletries, etc.). I would recommend bringing several long sleeve and short sleeve shirts, a fairly light waterproof jack (with hood, if possible) and a sweater or two of different thickness. If you can post the specific dates, I may need to modify this.

Getting from Amsterdam airport (Schiphol) into the city is done by train. Usually there is plenty of room. In Paris, you will need to either take a bus or use a combination of commuter train and metro. Rome, as I recall, is also train. I don't know in Dublin.

I would spend at least one, possibly two days walking around the cities you will visit. This will give you a feel for them. You could then spend one day visiting the standard tourist sites. If you plan on never coming back to Europe again, you might reverse that plan.

Public transport in Europe is generally between very good and excellent. From my experiences in the US, it will be quite different from what you are used to. If you have any questions about that, perhaps I can help you.

Thanks Michael. We are traveling October 3-15th.

You're welcome. The first week in October should not be a problem. The temperature here may require you to wear a sweater or jacket, but it should not be cold. As I wrote previously Paris and Rome will be slightly warmer and Dublin roughly the same.

Michael, as a local, perhaps you can offer some candid feedback. I noticed after booking our hotel that it is in the "red light district". We are staying at the Swissotel. Do we need to be worried about walking around this area or are there areas we should avoid? I thought the location was a good central area to make for efficient use of our time but just have no idea what to expect.

And thanks for the suggested "light" packing. I have no problem with this concept as I also like to camp and can live out of a bag comfortably. My wife will want to bring it all, but is always open to shopping for what she needs, hahaha. I'm just debating on if I have to pack a nice pair of shoes for nicer restaurants.

I have been to all the cities you mention and many more in Europe, within the last 5 years, and I always used public transportation between cities or from the airport to the city. On every occasion I have traveled with a carry on size rolling luggage and never had an issue. Granted I have never had to get into public transport with luggage during peak commute time. Maybe I have been lucky that way. But if it is peak commute time, I am not sure if a roller duffel or a backpack would make a difference.

In both Dublin and Paris, I took an airport bus into the city and walked to the hotel, so there were no commuters per say. In Rome I took the train from the airport to the city and then the metro. In Amsterdam, which was just a few weeks ago, I took the train from the airport and then then tram from the central station to the hotel.

Talking about a traveling in a crowded train, I was in Brussels last month, and did a day trip to Bruges on a Saturday morning. I was stunned at how jam packed the train was, given that it was the weekend. It was all tourists, and many many with large luggage. So I guess it is hard to predict when a train can be crowded.

Hey wishiwashere, being a local I am sure Michael will be able to give you much better advice then me, but I just got back from a a trip to Amsterdam, and never felt unsafe walking around Amsterdam including the red light district. I also walked around late at night, and there seemed to be people around at all hours.

I think in any European big city you have to be conscious about pick pockets and other forms of petty theft. And if you read the European Rail Travel forum, you hear about luggage theft on trains, etc. So you have to be aware of such things and just take the necessary precautions, but don't let it spoil your vacation. I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

By the way, I found Amsterdam to be one of the prettiest European cities I have visited. It was so quaint, colorful and charming. It was very compact and walkable, you just need to watch out for the bicycles . The people were some of the friendliest Europeans I have met. The food was really good too. I had a really great time and I didn't even patronize the coffee shops nor the red light district Can't wait to go back.

Sooge, that's great to hear. Thanks!

Unless there is more than one Swissotel in Amsterdam, it is not located in the Red Light District. It is actually located on a very busy street in the central part of the city. The location is very convenient for using local trams and is within easy walking distance of the central train station. There is very little auto traffic (the city had planned to ban it completely on that street, but I don't know if that has happened yet), but lots of people walking.

The Red Light District is to the east of where you will be staying. I would avoid it in the evening as the area often is filled (yes, so many people that it is sometimes difficult to walk) with semi-drunken tourists staring at the prostitutes. If you want to see it yourself, I would go in the early afternoon.

On the other side of the Red Light District is the Oriental area - Chinese and some other Asian restaurants and food shops. You can get there without walking through the Red Light District by walking on the street where your hotel is toward the Centraal Station. You then need to turn right to get to a street called Zeedijk. At the beginning, Zeedijk is mostly tourist-oriented restaurants, however, as you continue walking it will become Asian.

If you feel adventurous, at the very beginning of Zeedijk, near the Centraal Station, is one of my favourite places in the city: Ooievaar (http://www.proeflokaaldeooievaar.nl/). This is a very old looking jenever pub. Jenever is a strong drink made in the low countries since the middle ages. If you go in, ask for old jenever. They may then ask you whether you want one year, three years, five years, etc. The prices go up the older it is. If you don't mind paying €5 for a very small glass of strong drink (2cl), see what that will get you (if you can pay more, that's all right too). There is another lovely jenever pub only a few meters from Ooievaar called de Olofspoort (http://www.olofspoort.com/).

Thanks again!

Yes, you are correct, only one Swissotel in Amsterdam, when I picked the location it was simply because it seemed like an efficient logistical starting point. My intel is likely to be incorrect regarding the actual locations of areas in relation to each other. We have been collaborating (shared google map) to mark points of interest with another couple we are traveling with. Mainly we have been noting the locations of possible points of interest based on online research and not first hand knowledge. Now the next step is to find the best options for transportation. On a map, the city really does seem condensed and walkable. We plan to get an Iamsterdam card to have access to tram/bus/metro as well as museum access.

Funny you mention the Asian area, as my wife and I are Korean (Korean-American). This little tip could be just what we need to fill our rice-based meal quota. Joking aside, when we travel we like to do as the locals do. Thus Jenever has just made the list of things to try! My drink of choice is Glen Livet so I am accustomed to expensive small and strong drinks. Cheers!

If you will only be here for 2 or 3 days, there's plenty to see inside the city without needing to travel outside. Yes, the city is quite walkable, but most people here travel by bike. Museum access is a great idea as there are quite a few museums here, including the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum all clustered around one green square. There are a number of other interesting museums, including the Rembrandt house, the Ann Frank House, the Resistance Museum (http://www.verzetsmuseum.org/) and a Jewish Museum (http://www.jhm.nl/).
Yes, if you like Scotch, jenever should be something you feel quite comfortable with. Just be careful never to order young jenever (jonge jenever). If you would like to tell me what sort of things interest you, I might know of some places you could go.

We will be staying at the Swissotel, which is close to the Central Station. I am assuming that the best mode of transportation from Airport to Hotel will be via Train. Keep in mind, we are traveling 4xadults with 4xluggage. Also considering, our departure is early morning on a Wednesday, so I am not sure of what traffic conditions are in the area.

Personally I found Rome very warm in October - most of the time I was just wearing a t-shirt, though I did need a fleece some evenings and a waterproof one morning. I think Michael's clothing advice is spot on, although you may wish to modify it slightly if you are very affected by heat or cold.

Either a backpack or a smallish roller would be fine; personally i'd go with a backpack on account of having to walk to hotels along busy or cobbled streets. The Leonardo train from FCO to the city centre is pretty good for luggage space and public transport in most European cities is Ok but obviously the smaller your bag the easier things are.