Hello!

I am planning a 15-day (already excluding flight days from USA, so 15 full days in europe) trip in europe in mid-late March 2012. I am flying in/out of Zurich, Switzerland. The main point of the trip is to visit my sister and bro-in-law in Groningan, Netherlands, where they reside. Thus, I’d like to spend at least 4-5 days with them there (which includes a day trip to Amsterdam). So that leaves 10-11 days to travel elsewhere in nearby countries. I have friends that live in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Kassel. So I’d like to visit them for at least a day/piece in all those cities as well. It is possible I may be able to forgo Frankfurt and have my friend that lives there meet me in Berlin instead (I hear there is not much to see in Frankfurt?). Is it possible to travel anywhere else? I was hoping to spend some time in/around Zurich as well since I am flying in/out of there. Also, Belgium, possibly Brussels and/or Bruges are top on my list to visit; or alternatively Salzburg, Austria or a visit to Prague. Any advice on the amount of time it will take to travel between these various cities/countries? For example, if my itinerary was:

1. Zurich to Brussels to Bruges to Groninengan to Berlin to Frankfurt to Kassel to Zurich.
Or
2. Zurich to Salzburg to Kassel to Berlin to Groningen to Zurich
Or
3….. the most efficient (in terms of travel time) itinerary

Will I be spending days just on trains/planes/buses? Or are these cities sufficiently close together that travel will not take up too much time? If you were planning this itinerary, which cities would you choose to visit and for what duration?

Also, will winter-weather (e.g., snow) be an issue for some of the countries I am traveling to in terms of potential travel delays, since I will be there in mid/late March?

Thanks so much for your help!!!