I forgot to add I will going April to early May- 2010

19 cities in 41 days is pretty hectic, particularly when you figure that day one is usually an overnight flight, arriving jet lagged and sleep deprived on day 2. You last day will be entirely taken up with your flight home and the day before that will be taken up getting to your departure city. Packing up and moving every other day will get really, really old. You can make this work if you cut one or two cities and make some changes in the more compact areas — Brussels as a day trip from Brugges, Salzburg as an all day stop between Munich and Vienna and perhaps Innsbruck as a day trip from Munich. Interlaken will involve a day to get there and a day to get somewhere else in order to spend what, a few hours there? You should also look at an open jaw flight to avoid wasting a day or more getting back to Paris.

Oldlady is right, I think you are trying to see waaaayyy too many cities for 40 days. You don’t have to make a ridiculous amount of changes, but here are a few suggestions:

Cut out one of the cities in Spain, probably Seville.

• There isn’t much of a point to seeing Nice for just one day. Maybe add a day there from your days in Seville?
• If you need two days in Venice I’d be SHOCKED. It can be seen in a day, plus it’s really expensive.
• Take a day from Vienna and add it to Innsbruck
• Don’t even bother going to Brussels. Add that day somewhere else.

I feel like you are trying to cover too much ground (physically, a lot of these places are really far apart). Tough to say but if you cut out Madrid AND Seville you’ll have more time to spend in the places in your trip that are closer together. You could probably keep Barcelona. But I will admit I’m biased since I don’t really care much for Spain.

A couple of things:

I agree that you should probably trim things down a little, but don’t just cut Spain. Paris to Madrid/Barcelona is easily done by overnight train, and Madrid, Barcelona or Seville to Paris is easily done by cheap flight (which is likely a better option because even with a pass the Madrid/Barcelona to Paris night trains are expensive).

If cost is a big priority don’t lock yourself into flying into Paris. Because it’s so popular, fares to Paris are usually high. Madrid and Barcelona should prove to be cheaper if comparing Jan-March travel from New Orleans is any guide (in the $550’s to Spain vs. $830’s to Paris). You could start in Madrid, go to Seville, fly to Paris, go north to the Benelux countries, hit your spots in Germany, Austria, Czech Rep., and Switzerland, go south into Italy, and finally head to Barcelona and fly home from there.

Just noticed you said you’re leaving from Memphis, not New Orleans. Either way, definitely look into multi-city flight options to avoid backtracking.

I agree regarding Venice. Only go for one day. Get there in the morning and leave your bags in a locker at the train station. Checkout the city all day and then head to your next city that night…

Also, I did Nice in one day when I took my trip. It was not worth it for me because I felt rushed and unsettled. I should have spent more time or skipped it all together…

If I were you, I would try to cut down on the 1 day stays because they will wreck you. If you do plan to stay somewhere for 1 day, make sure to plan where you are going to put your bags. You do not want to have to carry them around all over the city with you (trust me) and some train stations have specific hours which you can access the lockers (Nice was like that).

If you at least spend one night then you can drop off your bags at your hostel and enjoy the time you are there…

I love Switzerland, but for your trip, and in that season, I think you should be prepared for rain and clouds. Mountain views are often obscured, but if you get up into the mountains (Interlaken is not in the mountains; people stay there and take excursions up into the nearby mountains) the wildflowers are quite pleasant. We have been to Switzerland in May twice (I don’t listen to my own advice). The first time there was about three days of drizzle and rain in a week; We went to Lauterbrunnen (near Interlaken) and took the excursion to the Schilthorn. It was rapidly alternating between clear and cloudy, and each time I tried to take a picture of my wife in front of a mountain, the clouds had rolled in before I got the lens cap off. We were back there last year and again took a train to Lauterbrunnen, but when I went into the station to buy tickets to the top, their closed circuit TV showed a lot of fog and clouds at the top, so I didn’t go further.

I think with so many other places to visit, and none of them really close to Interlaken, I would skip that site due to the season you will be there.

Thanks for all the comments guys! As far as Spain goes, I really want to experience a little of it. The ONLY reason I have Seville on the itinerary is to see a bullfight, which to me, epitomizes classic Spanish culture. I know the season starts right around mid-April and if I can see one in Madrid I will not make the trip to Seville which would add 2 days elsewhere. As far as in Interlaken and Nice go I will most likely drop both of those cities and take the advice of seeing Venice in 1 day. I can add these days to a Normandy day trip as well as a day or two more in the larger cities. No other stay is 1 day in any city. I have looked at the train schedules and on those 2 day stays I will be getting in early in the morning and leaving the next night on a night train so it’s almost 2 full days which is kind of hard to convey on the trip planner.

Again I realize this is pretty hectic, but like I said in my first post I really on have 1 chance for quite some time so I really want to see as much as possible. I am young, healthy, and fit and think I can handle it. And I still think a circular path is best for me.

Questions: Is Brussels really that useless? I just considered the proximity to Bruge it may be worth a quick visit. Is there any way I could squeeze in some Swiss Alps or is it to out of the way? I feel it’s kind of something everyone should see. Or will the Alps in Austria around Innsbruck make up for not seeing Switzerland?

Thanks again for all the comments and keep them coming!

As an Iberofile, I’m one of the last people here who’ll try to talk you out of Spain Nothing wrong with a circular route, just saying that the way you planned it will likely cost more and make you waste time backtracking to Paris.

While this can be done and I’ve frequently posted “how to see Venice in one day” I only recommend it if that’s the only way you’ll get to see Venice. Unless you’re coming from Milan (not a top tourist destination, IMO) Train schedules mean you usually can’t get to Venice before 11:00 and must leave by about 19:00 — that makes for a pretty hectic day. I’ve heard of folks taking an overnight train to Venice, spending the day there and then leaving on an overnight train. While that also works, you could easily end up in a sleep deprived fog between two sleepless nights. Spending a single night in Venice makes more sense if you can work it out.

I suppose a part day in Venice is better than not seeing it at all, but Venice by day and Venice by night are quite different. During the day it is very congested as the cruise ships disgorge their cargo for a few hours; all those people leave by the afternoon, and it becomes a much more romantic place. Of course you are going alone, so perhaps the romantic aspect is not as important to you.

As to Switzerland, the mountains are beautiful in a number of countries, including Austria. If you are transiting from northern Italy to Austria or Germany, you could probably find a scenic rail ride through some of the mountains. My money saving advice would be to find the exact routing of one of their scenic trains, such as the Bernina Express, then buy a ticket that covers the very same routing on a regular train. Same scenery, lower price, and I don’t think the panoramic cars on the scenic train add much to the view, unless you like to watch the sky.