Do it yourself European tour (hostels, train station, France, best)

[bachslunch]

Originally Posted by markg91359

London:

1. Stonehenge. (take a tour to get there)
2. Bath. (take a tour to get there)
3. Windsor Castle. (take a tour to get there)
4. Oxford. (take a tour)
5. Cambridge (take a tour)

Paris

1. Fontainbleu (Napoleon's palace) Easily accessible by train from Gare de Lyon.
2. Versailles (but its close by) a suburb of Paris reachable by the RER.
3. Giverny (where the artist Monet lived) Take a tour or rent a car to get there.

Amsterdam.

1. If you have full day consider taking a tour to Bruges, Belgium (considered one of the prettiest cities in the worldl)
2. Marken a lovely dutch village.
3. A countryside windmill tour including the dikes that keep the ocean from the land.
4. Volendam (picturesque harbor)

I would sign up for day tours to see all of the above attractions in the Netherlands.

Great suggestions. Would also highly recommend Chartres from Paris (the cathedral is the best I’ve ever seen, and I’ve visited several). You can take a commuter rail train there from Paris.

A fun and goofy half day jaunt from Amsterdam is Zaanse Schans, where you can get your windmill fix, see some fun little museums for things like wooden shoes, and eat pancakes and/or chocolate. Touristy but delightful. Also reachable via train from Amsterdam.

[beachmouse]

For a limited number of rail legs, it's often more cost effective these days to just buy by individual segments rather than going the rail pass route. Can't remember if anyone has posted the Man in Seat 61 web site yet, but it's really good for European train information:

https://www.seat61.com/

[DefiantNJ]

Are you sure you want to be in the expensive, touristy city for your honey moon? I personally wouldn't as you will be paying a lot of money for an expensive city with a lot of attractions when I would assume you will want to spend time together, inside. We did a beach vacation for our honey moon.

But if you do go, I will stick to AirBnb apartment rentals and mainly walking tours in all these cities. All of these cities are pedestrian friendly so a walking tour is always a good resource. They can also tell you about other attractions in the city and about public transportation

[lieqiang]

There are also lots of free things. For example one can spend a full day in Paris going to Notre Dame, Père Lachaise Cemetery, walking around Latin Quarter, and ending in the later afternoon up on Sacre Coeur.... none of that has an admission price or requires a tour.

[StealthRabbit]

Catacombs in Paris is a nice rainy day 'self tour'.
Individual rates | Catacombes de Paris

[Dd714]

Originally Posted by BoSox 15

Hello! We are looking at taking our honeymoon in Europe. We have not firmly decided on specifically where but I would say that Paris, London and Amsterdam are on the list, in order of importance, but we are not limited strictly to those cities.

I've looked up some tour packages and it seems you're on the go every minute of the day. The alternative is doing everything myself but I'm afraid that I'll miss some sort of excursion or local knowledge that would make a tourist stop desirable or undesirable. I'm wondering if there's something in between where we can do our own thing for a few days and then perhaps take an excursion every other day. Is there a recommended travel website out there?

I did attempt a google search but may not be using the right terminology since most of the returns were blogs. I'm looking more for a loose itinerary that I can fill in the blanks on.

Am I asking too much or is there some other resource that I need to be seeking out? I've never used a travel agent before, is this something they would be well versed in?

Thanks in advance!

It's Europe, not outer Mongolia! You don't need a tour group....
Do everything yourself. For me that's part of the fun, planning for vacation.

[BoSox 15]

Thanks to everyone who responded, I truly appreciate your feedback!

After reviewing this thread I realize that I may have been too ambitious in my planning (in order to actually take time to wander and discover). After discussing with the future Mrs., we have sort of scaled down the plans.

The cheapest airfare I've found into Paris is on Icelandair. Iceland has been a "bucket list" destination for both of us but I think that October may not be the best time for a full honeymoon in Iceland. Icelandair connects through Reykjavik and we can build in one or two nights on the way to Paris. We figure a day at the hot springs might be the perfect way to unwind after the wedding.

Having said that, Paris (and France) will be the ultimate destination and we will have about 1 week (maybe plus one or two days) there. While we do want to see Paris, we also would like to take some excursions to the countryside whether day trips or an overnight.

What district of Paris would be recommended for October? What are your favorite areas? I've only been to Paris once, and that was just for one day because I was flying out of CDG so I am not really familiar with what areas are best for a honeymoon.

Thanks!!!

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by BoSox 15

Thanks to everyone who responded, I truly appreciate your feedback!

A...
The cheapest airfare I've found into Paris is on Icelandair. I...

What district of Paris would be recommended for October? What are your favorite areas? I've only been to Paris once, and that was just for one day because I was flying out of CDG so I am not really familiar with what areas are best for a honeymoon.

Thanks!!!

For Paris in fall...

I do rural / city parks with lots of trees (fall colors) and while in countryside... wine processing // grape stomping in Oct.

Definitely do Iceland Hot Springs! (eat BEFORE you go to Iceland (really expensive). Soup is good (and the cheapest thing available)

Save your food budget for Paris!

[markg91359]

Originally Posted by BoSox 15

Thanks to everyone who responded, I truly appreciate your feedback!

After reviewing this thread I realize that I may have been too ambitious in my planning (in order to actually take time to wander and discover). After discussing with the future Mrs., we have sort of scaled down the plans.

The cheapest airfare I've found into Paris is on Icelandair. Iceland has been a "bucket list" destination for both of us but I think that October may not be the best time for a full honeymoon in Iceland. Icelandair connects through Reykjavik and we can build in one or two nights on the way to Paris. We figure a day at the hot springs might be the perfect way to unwind after the wedding.

Having said that, Paris (and France) will be the ultimate destination and we will have about 1 week (maybe plus one or two days) there. While we do want to see Paris, we also would like to take some excursions to the countryside whether day trips or an overnight.

What district of Paris would be recommended for October? What are your favorite areas? I've only been to Paris once, and that was just for one day because I was flying out of CDG so I am not really familiar with what areas are best for a honeymoon.

Thanks!!!

So much to pick from:

Don't miss Rue Cler. Interesting place to walk and many sidewalk cafes to choose from.

The best view of the Eiffel Tower for a photograph is probably the Champs de Mars.

No visit to Paris is complete without a visit to the Louvre.

I would also recommend seeing the following:

Orsay;

Napoleon's Tomb;

Viewing the Arc de Triumph from the Champ Elysees;

Mont Martre and the Sacre Couer Cathedral;

Notre Dame and St. Chapel (which is practically next door to Notre Dame);

Jewish Quarter;

Latin Quarter;

Pierre LaChaisse Cemetery.

[lieqiang]

Originally Posted by markg91359

The best view of the Eiffel Tower for a photograph is probably the Champs de Mars

I think it's from that bridge just south of it, I forget the name. You get a little elevation, nothing obstructing since over the Seine, no mobs of people.

We discovered this by accident when cross it on foot early evening, looked over and and the tower had just lit up we were like wooooahhhhh!