Pick Our European Eurail Adventure
We need your help!
We’ve teamed up with Eurail to spend a couple of weeks riding the rails in Europe. We’re flying into Paris and then down to Barcelona, but after that we’re a little stuck on what to do next.
We’ve come up with four itineraries, each slightly different, that take in the highlights of Western Europe.
With a Eurail pass in our hands, we know we want to see gorgeous European cities, eat wonderful food, sightsee our way through galleries and museum and enjoy some beautiful countryside.
But we need your help deciding!
Read through the itineraries below and vote on which one you think would be best.
photo credit: The French Riviera via photopin (license)
Itinerary 1
This itinerary would give us a quick taste of many of the highlights of Western Europe. It is fast-paced but I think we can handle it. Nice is somewhere we have both been drawn to in the past and are looking at it as a potential base if/when we go to Europe longer term.
- Fly to Nice (4 nights) – with a sidetrip to Monaco thrown in there
- Train to Milan (2 nights)
- Train to Zurich (5 nights) – a little bit of exploring in Switzerland & Lichtenstein too
- Train to Luxembourg City (1 night)
- Train to Brussels (3 nights)
- Train to Amsterdam (4 nights)
- Train to Paris (5 nights)
Itinerary 2
This is pretty similar to the first itinerary I’ve outlined above but we would cut out Milan and go straight from Nice to Zurich which will give us more time to explore Switerland and head to places like Interlaken on day trips.
- Fly to Nice (4 nights) – with a sidetrip to Monaco thrown in there
- Train to Zurich (7 nights) – a little bit of exploring in Switzerland & Lichtenstein too
- Train to Luxembourg City (1 night)
- Train to Brussels (3 nights)
- Train to Amsterdam (4 nights)
- Train to Paris (5 nights)
photo credit: 2005_05_16_0908_1085_0 via photopin (license)
Itinerary 3
A slightly different plan to the first two. Flights to Munich are quite cheap from Barcelona and even though it’s a city I’ve been to I would happily visit again. Salzburg, more specifically the Sound of Music Tour, is something that’s been on my bucket list for a long time.
- Fly to Munich (2 nights)
- Train to Salzburg (4 nights) – Sound of Music Tour and a day trip to Halstatt
- Train to Zurich (5 nights) – a little bit of exploring in Switzerland & Lichtenstein too
- Train to Luxembourg City (1 night)
- Train to Brussels (3 nights)
- Train to Amsterdam (4 nights)
- Train to Paris (5 nights)
Itinerary 4
This is the itinerary that would keep the boys happy! They are both exotic car lovers and Stuttgart is home to the Porsche and Mercedes-Benz museums. We’d also be able to squeeze in the charming French town of Strasbourg.
- Fly to Zurich (7 nights) – a little bit of exploring in Switzerland & Lichtenstein too
- Train to Stuttgart (2 nights)
- Train to Strasbourg (2 nights)
- Train to Luxembourg City (1 night)
- Train to Brussels (3 nights)
- Train to Amsterdam (4 nights)
- Train to Paris (5 nights)
Which option would you choose?
Voting is now closed. And the winner is….
Itinerary #1! It was a close race but it looks like we’re going to Nice and Milan!!!
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. Here’s how the final tally stacked up:
Got any suggestions on the above itineraries?
I’d love to hear from all you Europe experts on what you think the highlights of Western Europe are and what we just can’t miss!
Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts!
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They all look epic! I love The Dam!
I love votes! I need to know how you did that, so we can do it too. I love all of your choices, but especially number 3. When in Salzburg, visit the salt mines. Love your plans.
I’m afraid I can’t be much help since they all sound AMAZING! I just wanted to thank you for sharing. I’m planning a trip to Europe for the summer and I may have to borrow one of your itineraries.
Maybe I’m more an outdoor and nature lover, but I preffer Itinerary 4.
If you have the chance to visit central and western europe you can save lot of money and discover wonderful places full of nature!
I voted for #2, but I am a little bias since I’m currently living in Nice and have fallen in love with the area. Enjoy your trip!
Honestly, so hard to choose! They all sound like incredible experiences. Maybe I’m biased but number 3 is my favourite! Either way, can’t wwait to read about where you end up going!
I must say you have four great Itineraries. But I am partial to the first one because it is almost identical to one i did. Decisions, decisions. Have fun.
I think if Nice is drawing both of you and it’s a possibility for your future base, I would definitely choose one of the itineraries that starts there!
I would do #2, but that’s mostly because I wasn’t super impressed with Milan in the brief time I was there. And I think it’s nice to be able to spend a bit more time in each place so you don’t feel rushed. Wherever you go, it sounds like an amazing trip!
I loved Munich so that got my vote.
The 3. one is the one! Well, living in Munich now after spending 1 year traveling and 6 years in Copenhagen. Would be fun to meet you guys!
My vote is for #3 – mainly because Switzerland is amazing and you don’t want to miss Zurich! Love that you’re letting everyone help choose your next adventure!!
Impossible to pick. They would all be great trips. But when forced to pick I’d choose #3. Have a great time!
Crossing something off your bucket list sounds like a good plan. Any one of them should be a lot of fun though. Enjoy.
I voted #3! It sounds similar to our European adventure last year only I wish we would have had time for Salzburg and Switzerland – buuuut #2 sounds pretty awesome as well. Actually…they all sound amazing so I can understand why you need some help in the decision making process 😉
So hard to choose…but it was The Sound of Music that got me over the line!
Tough Decision!
As much as I love Nice and Milaa… My heart felt for the Itinerary 3… Have a blast, all the travel plans are amazing!!
BY any chance, can I go together???
Nat 😀
Sounds to me like whichever itinerary you go for, you’ll be having an amazing time!
They all sound lovely, but we voted for 1 🙂
I would go for #3 as I always wanted to visit the first 3 destinations and I love the last 4. I’ve lived in Luxembourg city few months and is such a beautiful city! Best wishes for the trip!
Any of those itineraries sound amazing but my vote is for #3!
I’ve voted for number 3 as I love Switzerland and Austria. Just a couple of thoughts, having travelled with our kids on five or six occasions in Europe – I’d suggest staying just outside the city in Salzburg. The Austrian Lakes area is so close to Salzburg and regular buses travel to/from Salzburg each day. St. Wolfgang or even St. Gilgen would be great places to stay with kids as you’d get the rural Austrian feel as well as having easy access into Salzburg. Likewise with Zurich – it’s a fabulous city but everything in Switzerland is pricey. Maybe consider staying at Interlaken and doing day trips. Lauterbrunnen (just a few kilometres from Interlaken) is my favourite place in all of Europe and it makes a great base. Enjoy!
If it gets a tie again between #1 & #3, go for #3… My reasoning is that you could miss out on seeing Milan. We stayed there during our 2013 European trip and ended up thinking it was a waste of time as there are not that many sites to see. The Duomo was the only thing that we loved in Milan, as we did the roof top tour which was great. But other than that not much. We wished we missed out on Milan and spent the extra time at Lake Como… If you like shopping its a good place though…
I vote #1!! I absolutely adore the French Riviera!