Europe Travel Answers

One thing you should also consider, is the weather, it will be quite cold/wet in Europe at this time of year.

In you case I would look in to an open jaw plane ticket. Outward to Amsterdam, and Back from Zürich or Geneva. To go from one place to another the best way is the train in this case. Trains from the Netherlands to Belgium, are frequent, and so are trains from Belgium to Paris. From Paris to Switzerland there is a two hourly high speed train. It's to early to book trains now, and there might be some changes in the timetable. Amsterdam - Brugge is currently about 3 hours by train, with departures every hour. Amsterdam - Brussels is about 2 hours with the fastest trains. Brussel - Paris is 1 1/2 hours, and Paris - Switzerland depends on where you go, but you can reach all the main destinations without 6 hours. I would not get a Eurail pass. A Swiss Half Fare card might be a good option though. Use www.b-europe.com to find out what the train tickets would cost (use a date in a month or so to see what advance purchase tickets costs). You can't book train tickets for next year yet though.

i was thinking end of march as the tulips blossom at this time in amsterdam ;)

Thank you for the replies. How cold is it in these place april 1st week.

You may wish to consider reversing the order of your visit. Keukenhof only opens in late March and isn't truly at its best at that time. By reversing the order of your trip, you will be in Amsterdam in mid-April which should gives the bulbs mroe flowering opportunity.

Reversing the trip might be a good idea indeed. You can then make the Swiss part about experiencing the snow, which might be something special for you if you're from Dubai.

The best time to go to the Keukenhof is the end of April. The last couple of years the weather was the best at this time of year. Use a day to go to the Keukenhof. The best city to start your trip is Amsterdam. Followed by Brugge (Bruges), Paris and Switzerland. There is easy excess of trains between Amsterdam, Brugge and Paris. I'm not sure if there are trains between Paris and Switzerland, but I'm pretty sure there will be one. Otherwise you should use the plane between these countries. I doubt if 16 days is enough to see it all. I would suggest to spend more days in the cities you mentioned. There is so much to see and do in Amsterdam, Brugge, Paris and Switzerland!!

Switzerland in April can be mixed weather wise, however it is a great time of year to go. You can generally find good snow with warm weather at the same time, skiing in a short sleeve top is not unheard of. The city of Zurich is wonderful with lots to see, Geneva is also great, Luzern is another town you should definately try to get to and from there Switzerland opens up in every direction with many activities on offer... It is possible to get all around Switzerland by train, they have an extensive train network. As far as I know Emirates fly into Paris, Amsterdam and Zurich/Geneva so you could look at perhaps starting in Paris and ending in Amsterdan...

"The trip takes between 4 and 6 hours with the Eurostar" Actually Paris - Zürich 4 hours, and it's by TGV, not by Eurostar. There are also frequent trains on Paris - Geneva, taking about 3 1/4 hours, several between Paris and Lausanne, the Paris Zürich trains also stop in Basel, and there is one train daily between Paris and Berne. However from Paris to Berne you are quicker to go via Bassel. Get your information directly from the railways involved, so go to www.sbb.ch. Rail Europe is not the right place to look for the best information on Rail travel in Europe.

from Paris ,consider Marseille, European Cultural Capital in 2013. Cheers

In Paris, don't miss out on Sacre Coeur area and the Basalica right on top of the hill. Get off the metro at Anvers and take the Fernaculaire up to the top if you don't want to climb the 150-odd steep stairs. The Cathedral itself is magnificent (no photography inside) but the sweeping view of Paris from this vantage point is truly breath-taking. After you have had your fill (consider going at dusk time) so that you enjoy Paris all light up, walk downhill, enjoying all the touristy shops (the prices are substantially) lower than in the heart of Paris. If you like Indian food, hot and spicy, quite a number of outlets are available (we tried out 'Chicken Spot'). The spicy chicken went straight to the heart. We ordered a double! At the base of the road, you will come across the main road. Turn to your left and walk towards ChateauRouge Barbes Rochechouart metro station (locals shorten it to 'Barbes'). It's a different Paris here. Lots of local colour, mixed nationalities, carefree atmosphere, youth hanging out, lots of good eating joints, very cheap compared to the centre of Paris. When you've had enough and it's rather dark, hop onto the metro and speed home! PS. We bought a 2-day Paris Visite Pass at 15,85 per Pass. Allowed us unlimited travel on metro, bus, train AND the Furnicular up and down the hill. It was really worth it.

Thank you for all the replies.. will consider these valuable tips in my planning ;)