Can anyone tell me of any good thing to do in Lindau, Germany?

Has anyone traveled Europe by train, what was your plan?

• I am sure that many have already traveled across Europe by train. I know that there are many sites out there that can give me some ideas about what to do an where to go. However, i would like to hear from someones actual experience. I am planning to travel across Europe somewhere between March & May. I am traveling with my wife, we are a young couple. My plan is to start from London & take the EuroStar to Paris. From there using a Rail Pass from Eurail (most likely a select pass or something similar) I want to go to Germany, Italy, Vienna & possibly Switzerland. Can someone tell me what are the best cities to visit, how many days to stay, what are the important places to visit in each city or what are the good tours, and if I would be staying for one day, then what is the best thing to do with my luggage. I have been told by some that it is worth stopping for a day in Milan on the way to Venice. My final destination would be Rome as I would fly back home from there. I would really appreciate some personal experience and advise. I really want to make this trip perfect and worth every cent!

• Answer:

  I have traveled Euro both by Eurorail & car. I also have lived there in both Italy & Germany for over 8 yrs and know my way around. These are my favorite cities & areas. I won't go into why so much as in general almost anywhere you go in Europe has culture, history, art, food, night life, etc. The thing to do is check on line prior to going & get a good idea what is in the cities you eventually choose incl hotels or hostels if you want to save. I'm pasting my basic answer for travel & some may be useful & some may not but I hope it will help you. This itinerary is based on how I do it when I'm in Europe, it's one I did already. I use Eurorrail all the time, very convenient. You can ride trains cheaper but not that much and it's a pain getting on some just when you want to. 2nd class is always packed in the summer. Fly into Amsterdam, a great city for culture and food but avoid the dope. Oh, generally all larger Euro cities have travel kiosk inside or right outside train depots and airports and they can find you a place to stay if you don't know where to go at a price you can afford. Stay in Amsterdam at least 2 nights and beat jet lag, when you leave you can come back and stay another 3 or 4 and chk out all there is there and nearby. Next train down to Cologne, Ger & stay 0overnight. Catch a Rhine River tour boat toHeidelberg a day long trip. If you can have a telephoto lens set up as there are a lot of castles. Stay there for 2/3 nights then on to Munich, always chk schedules and leave early in the morn to get wherever early enough for a room or use overnight when possible to save room money. I lived in Munchen for over 3 yrs and it & Florence are my favorite cities. Munich is a great city to stay for a 6/7 days at the least or more. You can go from there south to many mountain towns incl Garmisch, Ludwig's castle, Berchtesgaden up to Hitler's Eagle Nest on day trips. Chk all these out on line for things to see & do. Be sure to go to the English Gardens and have lunch. Next on to Salzburg for a day or so. Go on the Salt Mine tour. Then into Italy (be certain you are in the right car as some trains change cars ibn Trieste if it goes that way.) On to Venice obviously a great city but super crowded & very expensive so if you can afford it stay 3 days. Stay outside of the city north or east of Venice and train in each day. Eat hardy elsewhere again if on a budget. Next Florence where I lived near Pisa over a yr & went there almost every weekend I wasn't busy going elsewhere. Art, history, culture, food, leather goods (always bargain when shopping) night life it has it all. Stay & enjoy it for a 5/7 days. Don't bother with Pisa it only has the Tower & it is almost always under repair and not open. On to Rome & as a huge city with all the history stay a week or two and go around from there. Maybe on down to naples for 3/4 days to go to Isle of Capri, see the Blue Grotto and of course Pompei. Back up to Rome stay or keep going to Nice, France. Take a day, evening trip to Monte Carlo & see how the really wealthy live. Chk the marina. Go into the famous old casino. Go to Cannes for a day. On north or east to Barcelona again for 3/4 days as it's a large city. Take in a bull fight if you can stomach it. It is part of their culture & a grand spectacle. Stay in a small village near or on the beach just west and train in. Then Paris. Or if no Barcelona then north to Paris. Another large city with so much, The Louve, Eiffel Tower & much, much more. Good but old subway gets you everywhere.Stay a long time. Where next? Depending on how you set your time up you can always stay less days & go to more places. Figure it out yourselves by doing some on line homework, take a lot of notes. Finish up where you started & stay 3/4 nights & enjoy! I have been fortunate to have see much more, Berlin is a fun city, Budepest is interesting as are many other cities, but the ones I have checked are very good. Lake Como, Italy where Geo Clooney has a villa, If possible go to Lausanne, Switz & go up into the Alps from Montreux on the Gog Wheel to Staddt (I don't know the spelling) it's where there is money again but also great walking trails. Also you can go on a boat over to Evian, France where it's bottled. Almost everywhere in Europe English is spoken. Take Debit Cards for simple money exchange, ATMs everywhere, use the banks. Travel light & when you buy things mail home. Keep a log, diary & note places, tours, people, food, etc, etc with dates. This is my suggestion as it's what I learned after my 1st time yrs ago. Stay and see all the good things you can and don't try to go, go, go & see everything. Why, you will remember and enjoy places much more & it will make you want to return often. You will be more rested as well.