I'm traveling with my family to Germany and Paris in March. We will have 3 1/2 days in Paris. One of those going to Normandy. 4 days in Germany and 1 day in Amsterdam where we will then fly out. I know its kinda crazy but my kids have certain areas they want to see. Berlin is a must for my son who loves German and WW2 History. We were thinking two days in Berlin. We are interested in German history and absorbing the culture. So we had thought fly from Paris to Munich on a Monday morning. Spend 2 days leaving on a Wednesday morning then train to Berlin and stay until late Thursday night where we would then fly to Amsterdam. Does this itinerary make sense? We chose Munich because we heard it's like the Germany you think when you hear the word. Other than Berlin, We are not stuck on a certain city. Just want to really experience German culture.
To be honest, I think that it's way too rushed! You'll spend a lot of time in airports/transport! You will not be able to soak up the atmosphere of a city, just time to go and see a few "must see's". Skipping Normandy and Munich might make it a bit less hectic...
Agree with number 1....you will spend most of your trip in transit.
You could easily spend a week just in Paris.
Paris plus Amsterdam is fast enough for your timeframe. ..without adding two cities in Germany plus Normandy as well...,
If Berlin is a priority, why not fly home from there instead of Amsterdam?
Paris plus Berlin in a week is more feasible. ..still fast,but enough time to see the main sights.
Maybe Just Paris and Berlin is the way to go. Would you recommend train or flying to get from Paris to Berlin? It seems like flights are cheaper and would save us some time. If we did train, would you suggest stopping in a town for a few hours? I'm a little afraid we will run out of things to see in Berlin. For sure the Check point Charlie is on our list, Just not art museums.
That initerary makes no sense at all, saying Munich is the real Germany is like saying New York is the real USA.
You say 2 days in Munich, by the time you checked into your hotel most of the first day is gone, than you have one day and leave the next morning arrive late in Berlin and leave the next morning for Amsterdam, what do you think you can see in Berlin in that short ammount of time?
Eigther you fly directly to Berlin and spend the days safed from Munich there, or you go to Munich do Dachau on the same, more likely the next day, then train to Nuernberg where the Nazi ralleys and later the Nazi trials where
held and fly from there to Amsterdam.
To be honest I would go to Paris, then do Normandy and maybe some other WW2 sights in France or Belgium before you go to Amsterdam to fly home, that is plenty with the short ammount of time you have.
From Paris to Berlin fly or you spend at least 8 hours on a train, didn't check, but as a rule of thumb a 1 hour flight gets you to a city as fast as a 4 hour train journey, city center to city center.
Berlin has far more to offer than Check Point Charlie, you have the East Side Galery, Topography of Horror, go up in the Reichtags Dome (do prebook, passports are a must to enter) just to name a few, you could even go to the Babelsberg Studios if you're interessted in film making, if you like a palace there is Potsdam.
I'm not an expert on Berlin, due to circumstances our stay was cut short to 3 days and we have so much left to see in Berlin that we will go back, but the next time for longer.
I agree, to much for a week. I would split the time between Paris and Berlin and fly home from there.
If your son likes WW II, I would definitely suggest the D Day Beaches. If your rent a car for this I suggest your have a short visit to Mt. St. Michel, it is not that far away.
I would recommend that your son read the book, "Is Paris Burning". It is the last two weeks of the German occupation of Paris and the liberation. Try to read it before going, you will see many of the places mentioned in the book while you are in Paris.
You can find a lot of information on Paris, France and Germany at the following web site and also many photo essays that may be of interest. http://anyportinastorm.proboards.com/board/19/europe
be assured that there's an abundance of sights in Berlin, and there is no place in the world that can display the Third Reich era in as many facets as this city can.
I consider myself a rail enthusiast, however with the limited time you have, even I would rather fly, since the train on all routes mentioned will take the largest part of your day. exception: there's a nighttrain Paris-Berlin 3xweek which you might find enjoyable (see www.seat61.com for details), and Paris-Amsterdam - I mention these two just in case you intend to tweak your itinerary.
me too, I am convinced that your current itinerary is too rushed and far from desirable.
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