Help me plan European vacation please - 10 days UPDATED

[FiguringItOut]

Hi All,

I figured with all incredible world travelers around here I'll ask for help planning my trip.

I am taking my 13 y.o. daughter on her first trip to Europe in July.  We are flying into Berlin on the morning of July 8th and leaving from Dusseldorf on the morning of July 18th, so we will have 10 full days for travel and sightseeing.  Tickets were booked with credit card rewards.  This was my first reward travel booking.  Very exciting.

I crossed out everything below because we changed our plans a little bit and now I want to get a feedback on the new plan.

My general plan of the trip is to spend couple days in Berlin to do the WWII historical sites including Reichstag Building, Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust memorial, Berlin Wall, etc.  Having grandfather who fought in the WWII on the Soviet side and being born in USSR myself, this is a huge part of my history.  How long do we need stay in Berlin to do this?  Is 2 days enough?  3 days better?

Then the plan was either take overnight train or cheap airline to either Amsterdam or Brussels.  I would love to take a overnight sleeper train to Amsterdam, but I didn't find anything in my search.  So may be a cheap flight is better.

I personally thing it's better to go to Amsterdam and then make our way south.  In Nederlands I want to spend couple days in Amsterdam, maybe do a day trip somewhere (Rotterdam?).  Please suggest things to do with 13 y.o. who doesn't like art.  We will go to Anne Frank House and I want to go to Van Gogh museum.  Also want to spend time just wondering streets and canals, taking in architecture, etc.  What are specific must see do you recommend keeping in mind my desire to keep expenses down where possible, but not at the expense of missing something important.  What about day trip(s)?

Then on to Belgium.  Couple days in Brussels? No specific plans beyond general overview of city, chocolate, .  Suggestions?

Does it make sense to go to Antwerp instead of Brussels and make Antwerp a central location with day trips to Rotterdam back in Netherlands, and then Ghent, Brussels, Bruges, etc?  I think this may help with not having to change lodging for longer period, but not sure it this makes sense.  Specific places to stay/visit would be appreciated. 

She also wants to cross French border.  It's her dream to visit France and I promissed her one day we can cross the border.  She picked Lille, about 2.5hrs by train from Brussels and 1.5hrs from Ghent. 

At the end, we need to make our way to Dusseldorf for our flight home at 9:45am on July 18th.  Should we spend the last day in Dusseldorf?  Or in Cologne and take a train from there to the airport? 

I am a bit lost with this trip.  The last time I was in Brussels/Amsterdam it was a haze of drinking and enjoying the night life with art museums during the day.  I need help planning something for my 13 y.o. to do/enjoy.  I'm thinking some cathedrals and castles are a must.  She needs to see/appreciate/learn about these.  Any specific?  We will cover WWII history, so that's good.  Maybe when we are in Dusseldorf or Cologne take a river tour?

Any specific hotels/lodging you recommend?  Food must haves?  Ways to cut costs?

I will be trying to use as much of travel rewards as I can.  Right now I have enough points for 3 nights at Hilton (at 30K points per night) plus two free weekend night certificates. So that's 5 nights covered.  I think my certificates can be used any level hotel, and if so, maybe "splurge" on a fancy hotel somewhere.  We will need a bit of downtime somewhere in the middle of the trip with an easy day.
I will try to earn more points for other hotels too.  Suggestions on which hotel chains to consider?  We will also need to do laundry once as I plan on just taking backpacks with us with about 5 days worth of clothes, no checked in luggage.

Arrive in Berlin on the morning of July 8th.  Spend 3 full days in Berlin (July 8, 9, and 10) and leave for Paris on 7am AirFrance flight July 11th, arriving in Paris around 9am.
Spend 3 days in Paris (July 11, 12, and 13) and leave on the train to Brussels evening of July 13 or morning of July 14.
This gives us 3 days (July 14, 15, and 16) in Brussels with day trip to Amsterdam.
On July 17th we need to get to Dusseldorf for our early morning flight home on July 18th.

The change of plan was due to couple things - the feedback I got here on my original post, my daughter is dreaming of visiting Paris and I decided to make this a slightly less crazy trip than originally was planned. 
So I thing with just 3 major stops, Berlin, Paris, and Brussels it should be a lot easier to manage, easier to book hotels, and will give us a little more relaxed time in each of the major cities.

I found $55 flights from Berlin to Paris for which I will pay out of pocket.
I need to find a reasonable way to get train from Paris to Brussels.  I did a quick googling and there are tickets ranging from about 60 Euro for both of us to astronomical 250 Euro.  However, there are no time tables for July 2016 trains yet.
Then I'll also need train tickets for travel to Amsterdam and Dusseldorf.
When should I book these trains and flight?  As soon as I find them?  Wait till summer?
I want to start booking hotels also.  About half of hotels will be booked with rewards.  Should I start booking those as well, or wait?

Thanks for all in advance.

[cerat0n1a]

I'm sure others will have better advice,  but having taken teenagers to Amsterdam & Belgium recently, I'll have a go at a couple of your questions.

I think a 13 year old coming from America would be blown away by Amsterdam anyway, without necessarily needing specific sights - the canals, bikes, lack of cars, small scale, the way the buildings & city looks compared to places in the US. (And that's before you wander round at night!) No idea what kind of stuff your daughter is into, but check out the NEMO or the Tropenmuseum. Rides on a canal boat? Hire bikes too.There's the Rijksmuseum, stedelijk museum, Rembrandt's house as well as Van Gogh, of course.

Be sure to check out germanwings for cheap flights from Berlin. I think when you're in Belgium, Brussels is a convenient central base from which day trips to Antwerp, Ghent or Bruges are easily done. Brussels is definitely worth a day to take in the Grand Place, mannekin pis etc. All of these places are very walkable from the train station.

Lille is a good choice in terms of being a place you can get to quickly from Belgium and it's an OK city, but I'd say that corner of France is maybe the least attractive part of France.

[Josiecat]

Wow, that sounds exhausting.  Are you sure you want to hit all those places in only 10 days?  Why don't you pick one and then explore it in depth in a relaxed way.

Remember that every time you change cities you lose about a half to full day due to travel time.  You will also have to pack/repack constantly.

You can do the others cities on another trip.

(I don't 'stress travel'.  Last year spend 9 days/8 nights just in Paris and it was amazingly relaxing).

[elaine amj]

One thing I discovered on my last trip to Europe that surprised me - how expensive train travel is. I was paying for a family of 4 so you shouldn't get as big of a sticker shock. My teens can tolerate a little art and short (under 2 hours) excursions to museums.

Since I was trying to do things "on the cheap", I had to do a TON of research before going (I enjoy intensive travel research though). I did discover that every city we visited involved a lot of hours of research to figure out how to do it inexpensively. We moved around every 1-2 nights (I prefer it to backtracking). Tripadvisor forums were the best places for info.

I heard Brussels has not much to do and is small.

The only place on your list I visited was Amsterdam. We took a train from the airport to the downtown and then walked (quite a distance) to the Anne Frank House (Which I really enjoyed). Dinner at an Indonesian rice table (YUMMY!) then a bus to our hotel on the outskirts of the city. (the ones downtown cost a lot of points).

My teen daughter primarily liked seeing the major landmarks, and listening to accents.

I would suggest considering the IHG credit card - 80k points should get you 2-3 nights (unless u can maximize with 10k Pointbreaks.) Choice hotels is not bad too - and much easier with 2 people since most rooms in Europe are double occupancy only.

[Telecaster]

My general plan of the trip is to spend couple days in Berlin to do the WWII historical sites including Reichstag Building, Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust memorial, Berlin Wall, etc.  Having grandfather who fought in the WWII on the Soviet side and being born in USSR myself, this is a huge part of my history.  How long do we need stay in Berlin to do this?  Is 2 days enough?  3 days better?

I would say three full days in Berlin.  Berlin has some great museums, that's at least two half days right there.  Definitely do the walking tour.  Potential side trip to Potsdam.  Then Berlin has lots of hip shops/restaurants that I imagine a 13 year old would like.  You'll be hard pressed to fit it all in three days. 

 

[Argyle]

That's a lot of hectic travel for such a short time.  I would cut down the number of locations.  It is a big relief not to be changing hotels so often.

In the Netherlands, you want to go to Delft.  It's like Amsterdam with its canals, but miniaturized.  Walkable, extremely cute.  If your daughter's into this kind of thing, you can watch Herzog's "Nosferatu" first, which was filmed in the central square in Delft — all the locations will be very recognizable.

I personally would skip Belgium entirely.  At least skip Brussels.  Bruges and Ghent, maybe.

I've never been to Lille.  Possibly any charming French town with cafes and all that would do the trick.  Or just zip down to Paris for a day.  If your daughter's dream is to spend some time in France, why not?  If Paris is too far, maybe Mont St Michel would be the kind of thing a 13-year-old would like.

I'd vote for Berlin — Amsterdam (day side trip to Delft) — one location in France — Dusseldorf.  But even that itinerary is kind of hectic. 

[kimmarg]

I heard Brussels has not much to do and is small.

I haven been to the other places mentioned but Brussels seemed like your average huge city to me (maybe like Boston? I guess smaller than NYC but certainly huge!)

There were lots of things to do, here are my top picks:

Musical instrument museum - you get an iPod and it plays all the different exotic and historic instruments as you wander around, very neat

Comic museum - a must stop if you like Tintin

Military museum with huge airplane hanger - forget what it was called but on the edge of a park

Wander the downtown historic square to ogle old ornate buildings

Eat too much chocolate and waffles

I also LOVED the two abbeys I visited but those you'd need a car to get to(I was visiting friends) the other stuff is easy on the metro.

[Schnurr]

Just a couple thoughts:

1. Berlin is a much better value than the Benelux. Pretty much everything (food, lodging, museum entry fees -- the main museums in Amsterdam are $$$) -- will be significantly cheaper in Berlin, so perhaps staying there a bit longer is a good idea. I love Berlin... so much to do. Amsterdam and any place in Belgium will seem small by comparison.

2. In general, I think you are packing a lot into those few days. But that might be more personal preference (to travel slower), I have friends who don't mind being in a different city every night. You have a lot of city time, so I would definitely do a side trip to a smaller town. Delft is a good suggestion, as is Gouda.

[Polaria]

I'd say either skip Brussels or spend only half a day there if you really want to visit the Grand-Place area. I find that Bruges and Lille are better choices for visiting.

For Belgian chocolate, go to any supermarket and buy the Cote d'Or stuff. List of products here: https://www.cotedor.be/produits/produits-list

[Bertram]

Skip Brussels and add Hamburg. It's just as nice as Venice or Amsterdam.

[chrisgermany]

Cologne has the cathedral right next to the train station, the roman museum next to that and a very walkable city center.
Düsseldorf's city center is more spread out.
I'd skip the river Rhine tour. From both cities you would need a full day to a picturesque part of the river and back.

[WerKater]

When you are in Berlin, try http://berliner-unterwelten.de/. They offer cool tours through unusual places. You also must eat Currywurst.

[Izzs]

I'd also suggest cutting down the number of locations and taking your time in the cities.
Check out www.use-it.travel
It's a site with maps and a free app for tourists designed for young people and written by locals. I think most of the cities you mentioned are covered (except Berlin, bizarrely). Each of the maps has a range of walks taking you to some of the less well known/interesting places and showing the city behind the tourist attractions. I've done a few of the Brussels walks and they were great.
 

[cerat0n1a]

If I was going to skip anywhere out of the originally proposed itinerary, it would be Lille. Other than to tick the box to say you've been to France, it's far less interesting than any of the other places suggested.

Not sure where the comment about Brussels being huge is coming from - the city itself is less than 200 000 people. If you include the city-region (essentially the neutral ground between Flemish and French speaking Belgians), you're still looking at a population that is smaller than Boston (the majority being of non-Belgian origin, too). The main points of interest are generally walkable, unless you have a burning desire to see the various EU, European Council, NATO headquarters buildings.)

Hamburg is an excellent suggestion if you end up taking the train west from Berlin, although I personally wouldn't place it in quite the same category as Venice or Amsterdam. I'd also go for Koln over Dusseldorf.

[jb130]

Berlin, Paris, London would be my stand out highlights having done them all except Dusseldorf. Bruges is lovely but you might not have time. Drop Amsterdam in favour of Paris and London. Book cheap airlines now for the hops, often an hour flight between.

[2lazy2retire]

Berlin, Paris, London would be my stand out highlights having done them all except Dusseldorf. Bruges is lovely but you might not have time. Drop Amsterdam in favour of Paris and London. Book cheap airlines now for the hops, often an hour flight between.

Flights can be cheap but keep in mind an hour flight is more like 3-4 hours when you factor in check-in getting to/from airport etc, also some of those airlines ( ryan air for example) use airports that can be a lot further from a city than you would expect - so additional transfer costs. Trains will take you right to city centre - pretty much stress free.

Brussels is an admin city nothing much for tourists, I found Bruges pretty cool mind.

[ooeei]

I went on a two week friend after college to London-Amsterdam-Cologne.  It was about as hectic as I would've cared for, and it was 15 days total.

The Anne Frank house was really cool, and I was surprised how much I liked the Van Gogh museum (not usually an art guy).  There was a giant park we rode bikes in for most of a day, which was a blast.  We ate a supposedly traditional home type meal at a place called Moeder's ("Mother's"), it was full of sweet little old ladies and the food was great in the cold weather.  That whole city is just really cool and very different from anything you'll see in America.  Keep in mind I was probably in a different "state of mind" than your 13 year old daughter will be in Amsterdam.

The cathedral in Cologne was mindblowing, but other than that we didn't do a whole lot there.  The giant brewery was cool, but I think Cologne might be a good candidate for a day-trip before leaving from Dusseldorf depending on how it can be worked in.  See the cathedral (go up to the top if you've got a lot of time and energy to burn), check out the mini-museum under it for some cool old religious stuff, and move on.

We had a 1 hour layover on the train in Brussels, didn't see much of it.  I do remember the train announcements took FOREVER because they all had to be repeated in 3 languages. 

I know the temptation is to try to see everything, but keep in mind that traveling tires you out and takes up time, minimizing it is ideal.  Depending on you and your daughter's personality, maybe you just want to have 10 hectic days and see everything possible.

Edit:  And what a cool trip to take your daughter on!  Awesome!

Edit2:  If you do go to the Anne Frank house, try to make it a weekday and get there in the morning.  Going on a Saturday the line can literally take hours.

[elaine amj]

Edit2:  If you do go to the Anne Frank house, try to make it a weekday and get there in the morning.  Going on a Saturday the line can literally take hours.

For the Anne Frank House, you can book reservations in advance. The lines can (and do) take forever. We arrived on an evening in the spring past the times reservations could be booked. But I had heard that lines were better for the last 1-2 hours (since most people don't realize the museum is open so late at nights). We ended up in a half hour line - not too bad, all things considered.

Since I had read the Anne Frank diaries as a teen (and reread them before the trip), it was incredible for me to actually be there. Be aware that the rooms in the Annex are not furnished - which makes it a little harder for kids to relate to. Also, depends on your daughter's interests. Both my kids were interested in holocaust stories (they had done some work on it at school) and I tried to prepare them before we went. That said, my teen daughter only ended up reading about half the diary or so before we went. And my son refused to read it (he's not much of a reader). I did get him a few reference books with lots of photos (he prefers them) and he enjoyed sitting with me as I explained the various historical points. So, it was worth it - but expensive (OUCH - museum admissions are expensive in Europe).

[Bobberth]

I had friends that had lived in Belgium for a couple of years and they, I can't say recommend because of what it is, suggested the Breendonk Concentration Camp while we were there. It's an old WW1 fortress that was used as a camp and it's not one of the famous camps. But everything was left exactly the same so it's not only a museum, but you smell, feel and experience the place with all of your senses with the damp dank air and poor lighting. If you're doing WW2 things, it might be interesting. Again, it's one of those things you can't really "recommend", but my wife and I were glad that we went. Caution though, as it may be too much for your 13 y/o daughter.

If you have friends that are into beer, try to find some Westvleteren while in Belgium. It's super hard to find (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westvleteren_Brewery) and you will be laughed at in most stores for asking but I found it in a big store in Brussels. It cost 6 euro for the 330ml bottle (in 2009) but it can sell for more than $50/bottle here so you could even make a few dollars if you do find some. You would definitely get some good friend points for bringing one of those beers home.

[Expatriate]

Just my two cents: you can book night trains from Berlin to Amsterdam on bahn.de. However, you can only book three months in advance! Pick any date nearby to get an idea, look for the CNL brand (CityNightLine). Apparently the standard connection is 23:44 leaving Berlin, arrival at Duisburg at 06:18, leaving again at 06:40 to arrive at 09:34. Not the quickest route and neither really comfortable (I'd probably just try to catch an early morning flight...) but could be nice of you've never slept on such trains.

[KiwiMust]

I found Brussels a bit boring, Bruges is not far away and lovely. I did a cycle tour in Berlin, which was great, I think it was only about half a day, I would recommend looking into doing one of those.

[jorjor]

I echo the suggestions to spend more time in Bruges and less in Brussels. Bruges was awesome. Especially if you like beer and cycling. Lots to do there. Oh, and fill up on waffles, frites + mayo, carbonade flamande, and mussels.

[freeazabird]

My family and I just returned from a European vacation and got tons of great suggestions from the MMM community. I just did a blog post about the Netherlands. You can see some stuff I recommend doing here http://bmorebungalow.blogspot.com/2015/11/around-another-town-amsterdam.html

Have fun on your trip!

[iwasjustwondering]

That's a lot of hectic travel for such a short time.  I would cut down the number of locations.  It is a big relief not to be changing hotels so often.

In the Netherlands, you want to go to Delft.  It's like Amsterdam with its canals, but miniaturized.  Walkable, extremely cute.  If your daughter's into this kind of thing, you can watch Herzog's "Nosferatu" first, which was filmed in the central square in Delft — all the locations will be very recognizable.

I personally would skip Belgium entirely.  At least skip Brussels.  Bruges and Ghent, maybe.

I've never been to Lille.  Possibly any charming French town with cafes and all that would do the trick.  Or just zip down to Paris for a day.  If your daughter's dream is to spend some time in France, why not?  If Paris is too far, maybe Mont St Michel would be the kind of thing a 13-year-old would like.

I'd vote for Berlin — Amsterdam (day side trip to Delft) — one location in France — Dusseldorf.  But even that itinerary is kind of hectic.

I second this.  If you're that close to Paris, and you're looking for non-art things to occupy your days, just go for it and go to Paris.

If you do go to Amsterdam, then do the Rijksmuseum, not just the Van Gogh.  You see Van Goghs everywhere, but the Dutch masters collection at the Rijks is incredible, and you can't see the likes of it anywhere else. 

[KirstyB]

A good chain of european hotels is the Ibis group. Nothing fancy - every hotel room is identical, but good value. I've stayed at one of them in Amsterdam, about 10 minute bus ride from city centre.

[fa]

In Belgium, Brussels is not terribly interesting but would be a convenient hub for lodging.  The Gravensteen was a really cool medieval castle in Ghent.  Bruges is one big museum with canals.  Absolutely stunning but very crowded with tourists.  Antwerp has some amazing museums.  The house of the famous painter Rubens is well worth the visit, as is the Museum Plantijn-Mauretus (print shop from medieval times).

As mentioned before, Lille is the least interesting place on your list.  Why not take the bullet train from Brussels to Paris for the day?  One way is about 1.5 h and is reasonably priced if you buy your tickets well ahead of time.  I think the train is called the Thalys.

Amsterdam is fine but I think Delft is much better.  Very charming and essentially with the same stuff as Amsterdam.  Plus you avoid dealing with seedy Amsterdam.  The flower market is interesting, but I think you are there after the tulip season is over.

It sounds like a fun trip.  Enjoy.

[Captain and Mrs Slow]

A few tips

Traveling

It’s worth spending the extra to go by train, it’s really an experience. If  you've never visited Europe before than a Eurail pass is probably worth it, it takes all the hassle out of travelling. If you willing to be more adventuresome and buy individual tickets than a few tips for www.bahn.de

Compare prices for both 2nd class and 1st class, sometimes you can snag a deal and first class travel is only a few Euros more. Well worth it. Wifi is free in first class otherwise a small fee.

Make seat reservations and ALWAYS choose Open Salon especially in second class you risk being stuck in a compartment with 6 other people and no room to stretch.

Uncheck the box “prefer fast connections” and check the box “local transportation” Often, especially on shorter runs you can get a local train at half the cost. Munich to Nuremburg 1 hour by ICE, 2 hours by local train.
Flying

Avoid Ryanair they are real assholes love nothing more than finding a loophole no one heard of to charge you hundreds of Euros. One British lady couldn’t print her ticket so Ryanair charged her some 500 pounds on a 10 pound ticket for the privilege. It made the news and company laughed and said sucks to be you. They also have really strange rules on non EU passport holders, unless it’s changed you have to check in at the counter and pay a hefty fee for the privilege otherwise they will cancel the ticket at the gate! Good luck sucker.

Note Easyjet has none of those rules. I once went to the counter to check in and the lady looked at me funny than started laughing, said sorry we’re not Ryanair! Same with a boarding pass, couln’t print it and braced myself for fork over serious cash and they said thank you very much here’s you boarding pass.
Compare discounters to regular airlines. Often times it’s cheaper to pay a bit more to fly with a regular airline especially once you count the cost of travel to airport.

Watch the weight limits on checked and carry on bags. I’ve been caught here, paid a hefty 85€ to haul used books home to Canada (Air Transat). I believe discounters also have smaller carry on limits, a way of forcing you to check a bag. Most have a strickly enforced one bag limit and that doesn’t mean a carry on and purse or a carry on and a duty free purchase it means ONLY one item. Show up with two things in you hand and one of them will be left behind.

Packing

Biggest mistake newbies make is massively over packing. If you’re willing to spend the money a Samsonite expandable carry on will easily be enough for 2 weeks. Google how to pack.  Blew my wife away when I got her checked bag down to a carry on size. More importantly this means you can check in online and go straight to the gate.
Unless you’re staying in real low end hotels most will have free tooth brushes tooth paste, shampoo etc.

Eating:

If you can book a hotel with breakfast included and really pig out and skip lunch
Alternative is to find a hotel with a microwave and nuke something, but that’s probably not worth the hassle.
Coffee: Coffee Americano originated from WW2 when the GIs couldn’t stomach the espresso and asked to add water. Don’t blame them, the worst coffee I ever had was in Austria, pure gut rot, 8€ down the drain, neither the wife or I could drink it. Anyways either know where your local Starbucks is or bring tea bags and ask for hot water.
Alternatively is to find a bakery (in Germany anyways) and order a large cappuccino, there comparable to Starbucks and usually a bit cheaper. 

Have fun it will be the experience of the lifetime for you and your daughter

[kimmarg]

Not sure where the comment about Brussels being huge is coming from - the city itself is less than 200 000 people.

From someone who lives in a place 10 times smaller ;) I think the metro area is a million which counts as a big city to me. At any rate the city felt much larger with transit, downtown etc. lots to do!

[cerat0n1a]

From someone who lives in a place 10 times smaller ;) I think the metro area is a million which counts as a big city to me. At any rate the city felt much larger with transit, downtown etc. lots to do!

I live somewhere where you say hello if you see someone on the street, so even coming into a town feels busy :-)

Brussels is one of the smaller european capitals though and I certainly wouldn't single it out as a big city in comparison to Berlin, Amsterdam or Koln.

On the avoid Ryanair theme, I think almost everyone in Europe would have agreed until recently, but I think in the last 2 years they have really upped their game and now treat you as a customer and got rid of a lot of the blatant attempts to rip you off. They're certainly better than WizzAir, who are the airline of choice for east europeans going home to visit family from their job in the west. I'd go for GermanWings (particularly from Berlin) or Easyjet all else being equal, but I wouldn't pay moe than a few euros extra for either over Ryanair. Ryanair are currently much more generous on the carry-on luggage than the other budget airlines too. You need to carefully read the policies for all of them though.

[Albert]

I echo the suggestions to spend more time in Bruges and less in Brussels. Bruges was awesome. Especially if you like beer and cycling. Lots to do there. Oh, and fill up on waffles, frites + mayo, carbonade flamande, and mussels.

Bruges is cute, but it's more like an open air museum. Brussels on the other hand is a real city and does have it's charms too. I spent few days there 2 years ago and in fact liked it. Also Antwerp is the place to go as well.

[FiguringItOut]

Thank you all for your previous feedback.

I updated the original post with our change of plans and new ideas for which I'd like more feedback.

[HenryDavid]

Pack light! Pre-pack everything you will take.
Now carry it up and down the stairs in your house 10 times. If someone can't carry their own, they wait while they're helped.
Was that fun?
This is what getting through airports and train stations will be like. Make it easy on yourself!
Clothes for a week: 2 pants, 2 sweaters, 5 days of undershirts/socks/undies. Wash some part way through.
One pair of shoes you can walk in all day long.
One carry-on bag (Euro size and weight rules!) plus one "personal item," i.e. knapsack/shoulder bag. So much less trouble!
Wear your heaviest/bulkiest outfit, obviously.
If you truly find some amazing big stuff you just have to bring home, you can get a cheap suitcase the day before you fly back.
But save the money for nice meals instead.

Do less! Give yourself some time to explore. Everyone who bops around like they're in a pinball machine regrets having to leave nice places too soon.

[MsFrugalista]

I want to start booking hotels also.  About half of hotels will be booked with rewards.  Should I start booking those as well, or wait?

Most hotels have generous cancellation policies (even when booked using loyalty points). So I would check the cancellation policy and book the dates you want and adjust them as you adjust your overall plans. I would also look at Airbnb in cities where the summer months get busy and hotel rooms on points are hard to come by.

Your trips looks fun! Enjoy :)

[Bytowner]

You have more than enough suggestions above, but I'd add one more: shame to go to Belgium and not do any battlefield visits. A battlefield tour out of Ypres would be on my must-do Belgium list, but milage may vary for an American.

[Capsu78]

I don't think Brussels is a 3 day destination- I feel it can be seen in 1.  But Brugges is along your general route and that place is magical.  You can do Brussels from there too.

[cerat0n1a]

You can travel by coach (bus) from Paris to Brussels from 15 euros (or less) with companies like Eurolines. Don't usually need to book in advance, although price will be lower if you book 3+ days ahead. It's a bit under 4hrs, so slower than the train.

You don't need 3 days in Brussels - plan on doing day trips to any of Bruges, Antwerp, maybe Ghent or Dinant?

[Dee18]

I would just go to Berlin and Paris. My daughter and I spent 10 days in Paris when she was 15, a great vacation.  We rented a studio apartment, so we could eat lunch out and dinner in.  She loved learning her way around our neighborhood.  The travel time you are planning will be tiring and will be a lot of hours in transit.

[Genevieve]

I did a similar trip of Paris - Berlin - Dresden - Berlin - Amsterdam - Brussels - Paris a little over a year ago. We did it in three weeks.

This site will help you find the cheapest train routes: http://www.seat61.com/. There are plenty of trains from Paris - Brussels - Amsterdam, including a high speed one.

Realistically, to not spend the entire time in transit, you should probably only do 3 places. Berlin, Paris, and one other. Plus one day to get to Dusseldorf.

I wouldn't want to spend 3 days in Brussels. Much more to do in other cities. We loved Amsterdam, though there is lots of stuff talking about drugs and sex in the downtown tourist area. The bike tour of the canals was one of our favorite parts of the entire trip.

[Landlord2015]

I find it funny if I would go to Berlin and Amsterdam since I would not do it for the same main reasons as you and your daughter.

As regarding WWII sighseeing history yes I could find that somewhat interesting  and I am sure there are remains of that. Logically American influence was in western Berlin and Sovjet influence was in eastern Berlin. Finland my country was allied with Germany in World War II and yes we do also have WWII history sightseeing.

A little tip for you though. In whole western Europe Germany have most prostitutes an incredible amount. Amsterdam is known for huge amount of prostitutes as well.

City sightseeing huh? You got it all upside down that is not why most people visit Amsterdam.

Amsterdam has famous Red Light District with prostitutes naked on windows... Amsterdam has also some drugs legal by law. I am not interested in drugs not so whatever and I have never been to Germany or Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is also known for flowers specifically roses... however my tip specially in Amsterdam do NOT let you teenage dauther wander off alone... Amsterdam has a bit criminals to of course... I am not saying it is nasty murder zone, but it has some criminal elements. However any parent should know that specially a daughter that is teenage is not wise to let out alone.

As a general rule Berlin is very safe... Amsterdam use common sense do not let your daughter wander off alone out in the night. If you do drugs in Amsterdam don't buy from the street and do not trust street sellers that might say that some hard drugs are legal because they are not and they might sell even poison to you. There are so called coffee shops in Amsterdam where people legally smoke light drugs.

Berlin and Amsterdam has sure lots of restaurants and different places to eat in.

Oh and speaking at least slightly German language is a good benefit in Berlin no doubt of that. I do speak slightly German language.

Funny you picked two cities in Europe that have likely most prostitutes in whole Europe! Amsterdam is likely the only big city in whole Europe where light drugs i.e smoking weed is legal in their coffee shops.

[HawkeyeNFO]

Flying

Avoid Ryanair they are real assholes love nothing more than finding a loophole no one heard of to charge you hundreds of Euros. One British lady couldn’t print her ticket so Ryanair charged her some 500 pounds on a 10 pound ticket for the privilege. It made the news and company laughed and said sucks to be you. They also have really strange rules on non EU passport holders, unless it’s changed you have to check in at the counter and pay a hefty fee for the privilege otherwise they will cancel the ticket at the gate! Good luck sucker.

Care to cite a source for your stories?  Your information is non-factual, or inaccurate at best.  My experience has been the exact opposite: They have been friendly, on-time, and saved me many hundreds of dollars in just a few months of living in Europe.  Maybe that's why they are the largest and fastest growing airline in Europe.  If it was as bad as you say, people would turn to competitors.

I love Ryanair.  No other airline can fly my family of 5 to London r/t for less than $60 per ticket from Germany.  Or our recent r/t tickets to Rome for less than $100 each during peak season.  They tell you up front to print your ticket before you get to the airport.  If people are too hard-headed to follow the rules, then they get to subsidize my cheap tickets!  Even when that happens, the cost to get a ticket printed at the terminal is 15 euro, and 45 euro to check in at the airport, not 500 pounds.  So check in online and print your own ticket at home for free.

As a US passport holder, I've NEVER had to pay anything more than my fellow travellers who are EU citizens.  I'm not sure what fees you are talking about, because I've never paid them for any of my Ryanair flights.

Bottom line is to understand the deal, then follow the rules so that Europe can be travelled on the cheap.  Ryanair doesn't try and trick anyone.  They do exactly what they say they will do.  They are cheaper than any other airline by far, and much cheaper and faster than the trains.  Just print your tickets before you head to the airport. 

[cerat0n1a]

I use Ryanair often and it used to be pretty objectionable - super low prices but then trying to gouge money out of you at every moment. They have really improved massively in recent times, as it had got to the point where so many people were refusing to use them, so it's entirely possible that you're both correct in your observations.

[gaja]

I would reconsider the plane between Berlin and Paris. You might save a few $$, but the train is much more comfortable, you can see more along the way, and you save the hassle of travelling between the town centers and airports.

In Brussels; Grand Place is nice, the chocolate shops and music museum are good, but also consider looking at what makes Brussels famous now: being the "capitol" of the European Union. The EU museum is actually not that boring, and a lot of the main buildings are open for visitors. There are less meetings and seminars in Brussels in July, but there are some. These are usually free to attend, as long as you register in advance. Sounds boring? They have free snacks and coffee, sometimes free lunch buffets, and nobody notices if you just go there for the free food (just wear nice clothes and keep a low profile). Who knows, maybe you even find an interesting seminar. Do some google searches a month or so before you go there, and I'm sure you'll find something.

I have stayed at several hotels in Brussels, and they are all horrible. Most of them are terribly expensive, and don't include breakfast. Hotels in Brussels are for business people who work 16 hour days and stumble into a bed just to sleep. Use TripAdvisor to find a nice B&B, or look at AirBnB.

@Landlord15: The OP is travelling with his/her young daughter. I sincerly hope he/she has no interest at all in your tips about prosititutes and drugs. If he/she does: OP; please advice your child that the emergency phone number in the EU is 112, and that the police and child protection services are there to help her.
A pity you feel the need to write about that sort of stuff in all your travel related posts, Landlord, as it takes the focus from some of your other advice that is actually relevant and interesting.

[Nothlit]

July 14th is Bastille Day in France (their national holiday comparable to July 4th in the U.S.) If you have any flexibility in the newly proposed itinerary, you might want to consider being in France that day/evening for the festivities, fireworks, etc. Seems a shame to be there on the 13th and then leave on the 14th!

[Zarya]

I'm American but have lived in Europe for almost 20 years and travel frequently here (often with my three kids). So my advice is from the perspective of someone who has been doing transatlantic and European travel with kids since my first was 8 months old (now an older teen). So my guiding thought is: Less is More.

I agree with the recommendation to take the train instead of the plane despite the extra cost, also because flying tends to waste a lot of time (getting to the airport, waiting to clear security, etc.). The time spent on the train is much more enjoyable, and so memorable for an American teen in Europe (unless you're one of the few Americans who actually travel by train a lot at home).

I'd also be inclined to reduce the time spent traveling even more and possibly just focus on two cities instead of three.  If she's excited about Paris, spend a little more time there. You won't regret it.

I know lots of people who work in Brussels (EU bureaucrats) and it probably isn't the most exciting place unless you (or she) are really interested in the EU. Personally, I'd probably stick to just Berlin and Paris (plus perhaps a day trip out of one of those cities) if I were doing the planning. It's so nice for a young person to be in a place long enough to start feeling comfortable there, start learning it, and really get into the vibe of the place.

[Genevieve]

If. I remember correctly, the train between Berlin and Paris takes 8.5 hrs at a minimum. Not practical for a 10 day trip.

[gaja]

If. I remember correctly, the train between Berlin and Paris takes 8.5 hrs at a minimum. Not practical for a 10 day trip.

They are opening new lines in april that should speed up the journey. Also; sleeper wagons are a great way to travel.

[White Eagle]

Hi there,
I live in the Netherlands and have been to many of these places. This is a tremendous amount of travelling for 10 days where you won't be able to enjoy or truly experience the places you are going. Also, you will be jetlagged so take that into account. Personally, I would take 3 days for Berlin (day 1 you will be exhausted from your flight and day 3 you will be leaving so that leaves 1 day for sight seeing).
Don't bother with Rotterdam but spend another 2 days in Amsterdam (visit Anne Frank and the Rijksmuseum and take some time to walk the beautiful canals and take a canal tour).
I would the advise Brugge (Brussels is huge and has a higher risk of terrorist attacks at the moment) and then try to take your girl to Paris. Can you fly from there? 
That would give you a great overview and more enjoyment. If you need more info then feel free to send me a message.

[Captain and Mrs Slow]

Flying

Avoid Ryanair they are real assholes love nothing more than finding a loophole no one heard of to charge you hundreds of Euros. One British lady couldn’t print her ticket so Ryanair charged her some 500 pounds on a 10 pound ticket for the privilege. It made the news and company laughed and said sucks to be you. They also have really strange rules on non EU passport holders, unless it’s changed you have to check in at the counter and pay a hefty fee for the privilege otherwise they will cancel the ticket at the gate! Good luck sucker.

Care to cite a source for your stories?  Your information is non-factual, or inaccurate at best.  My experience has been the exact opposite: They have been friendly, on-time, and saved me many hundreds of dollars in just a few months of living in Europe.  Maybe that's why they are the largest and fastest growing airline in Europe.  If it was as bad as you say, people would turn to competitors.

I love Ryanair.  No other airline can fly my family of 5 to London r/t for less than $60 per ticket from Germany.  Or our recent r/t tickets to Rome for less than $100 each during peak season.  They tell you up front to print your ticket before you get to the airport.  If people are too hard-headed to follow the rules, then they get to subsidize my cheap tickets!  Even when that happens, the cost to get a ticket printed at the terminal is 15 euro, and 45 euro to check in at the airport, not 500 pounds.  So check in online and print your own ticket at home for free.

As a US passport holder, I've NEVER had to pay anything more than my fellow travellers who are EU citizens.  I'm not sure what fees you are talking about, because I've never paid them for any of my Ryanair flights.

Bottom line is to understand the deal, then follow the rules so that Europe can be travelled on the cheap.  Ryanair doesn't try and trick anyone.  They do exactly what they say they will do.  They are cheaper than any other airline by far, and much cheaper and faster than the trains.  Just print your tickets before you head to the airport.

My bad was only 200 pounds

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/9490368/Woman-forced-to-pay-200-to-print-out-Ryanair-tickets.html

Regarding non US passport holders it wasn't that you paid more only that you couldn't check in online and go directly to the gate. It's been quite a few years so possibly the rules ahve changed

[Landlord2015]

@Landlord15: The OP is travelling with his/her young daughter. I sincerly hope he/she has no interest at all in your tips about prosititutes and drugs. If he/she does: OP; please advice your child that the emergency phone number in the EU is 112, and that the police and child protection services are there to help her.
A pity you feel the need to write about that sort of stuff in all your travel related posts, Landlord, as it takes the focus from some of your other advice that is actually relevant and interesting.

A pity you don't see why it is important to write about those things. There are other people then OP that can be interested. Personally I have no interest in drugs.

Of course I want nothing bad happening to the OP or the OP:s daughter, but I tried also to warn them that they don't get a culture shock.

I usually don't mention drugs at all, but the two main things Amsterdam is know for are prostitutes and light drugs legal. It is extremely rare in Europe that smoking weed is legal at least that is legal inside the coffeeshops in Amsterdam.

Guess what country very likely have most prostitutes in whole Europe? Germany! On the other hand if you look at the total population of Germany they might not have won second World War, but there are rarely many millions of Germans you will meet them in most European countries. Personally I like German tourists so that is fine with me.

[Captain and Mrs Slow]

Landlaord2015 nothing personal but your posts are very strange to say the least.