30 DAYS TRAVELING THROUGH WESTERN EUROPE BY TRAIN
Schedule: Plan details for each destination. Even if not followed 100%, it helps me stay proactive and avoid maximum incidents during continuous travel.
Accommodation: Prioritize near train stations because I travel by train a lot. I compare prices between Booking and Airbnb, choose whichever is cheaper.
Transportation: I bought a first-class Eurail Pass. Extremely comfortable seat, convenient and cheaper than buying individual tickets.
• Note: Some high-speed trains like TGV (France) or Frecciarossa (Italy) require seat reservations in advance. Experience is to book all segments in advance for peace of mind, usually 3-4 days ahead is fine (TGV should be booked earlier).
Driver's license: I have plans to drive in Germany so I got an international IDP for certainty (even though I've heard PET license with English is sufficient).
Technology: Installed about 10 apps in advance for payments and checking train/bus times for each country.
Attraction tickets: Book all hot spots in advance like Colosseum, Vatican... to avoid sold-out situations.
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🇫🇷 FRANCE: Finding tranquility in Normandy
Anyone who comes to France will visit Paris, I did too, but Paris isn't that interesting to me. My real connection is in Etretat, 2 hours drive from the capital.
I arrived in Etretat at the end of September for hiking. Normandy winds this season blow very strong, with light rain so climbing hills is a bit tough, but the view from the top looking down at the limestone cliff coastline is truly "worth every penny".
Tips: If you love WW2 history, Normandy is a must-visit. Don't forget to check-in at La Grotte d'Amour – a small cave with an extreme premium view along the coastline.
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🇳🇱 NETHERLANDS: 3 leisurely days in Amsterdam
The Netherlands welcomed me with peacefulness, but if you're expecting majestic natural scenery, the Netherlands might not be the place. I spent 3 days just walking through alleys and canals, feeling the characteristically slow pace of life in Amsterdam.
Here I booked a room in a campsite area, quite peaceful and nice. 3 days in Amsterdam were probably the most relaxed days of my trip.
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🇩🇪 GERMANY: Autobahn and crystal-clear lakes
From the Netherlands, I went straight to Nuremberg to visit an old friend. Drinking the first German beer in the old town was a very "satisfying" feeling.
After that, I rented a car to head south with two big goals: Try the feeling of driving on the Autobahn highway and visit Allianz Arena stadium.
Highlight: Southern Germany has heartbreakingly beautiful lakes. Driving along southern Germany is very interesting, especially areas bordering Switzerland and Austria, beautiful scenery, beautiful roads.
Eibsee is my favorite with crystal-clear water and majestic snow-capped mountains right behind. Unfortunately, the Konigssee plan was flooded so I had to miss it, see you next time Germany!
Come to Eibsee early and spend time walking chill around the lake, very relaxing.
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🇦🇹 AUSTRIA: Eerie in Salzburg and a "rushed" Hallstatt
Ending the driving journey, I took the train to Salzburg. This is an ancient city beyond imagination.
Stay: I stayed at Haus Wartenberg (built in 1654). Furniture from wardrobes to beds are extremely antique, very eerie feeling, extremely interesting!
Hallstatt: To be honest, Hallstatt is very beautiful but not quite "for me", I only stayed 2 hours then left. However, the bus route through Gosau to get there is stunningly beautiful (to Hallstatt from Salzburg there are several routes from bus to train, check reviews in advance to choose the one you want). And remember not to sleep on the bus, the mountain scenery along the way is the real gem! Wherever it's beautiful, get off the bus along the way to breathe the air, then take the next bus to continue.
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🇨🇭 SWITZERLAND: "Where you step out and see beautiful scenery"
This is the most anticipated part of the journey because I love nature. I chose Interlaken as the "base" for 4 days to radiate to other places.
I took the train from Austria back to Munich, then from Munich by train through Zurich, beautiful scenery, passing many lakes, in general, spend time on bus or train, flying won't see these 🙂
Spent 1 day 1 night in Zurich to stroll around the city center. Time in Interlaken area was the longest.
Optimal 1-day itinerary for everyone (actually I did this route in 1 day): early morning train from Interlaken ➔ Lauterbrunnen (stroll the valley) ➔ Train up to Wengen (view the whole valley from above) ➔ Cable car up to Mannlichen peak ➔ Down to Grindelwald ➔ Blausee (jade eye lake).
Other days I strolled Interlaken —> Iseltwald —> Giessbach Waterfalls —> Brienz And Spiez.
Tips: every village has very beautiful viewpoints for photos, you can check on google map or look up online in advance.
I walked around all the lakes, quite time-consuming but very chill
Switzerland everywhere is beautiful, miss any spot is a pity, so prepare strong legs and a phone/SD card with large capacity!
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🇮🇹 ITALY: Ancient Florence and Rome – Giant Museum
After 10 years missing an appointment with a friend, finally I made it to Florence.
Cuisine: Queued 1 hour at Il Latini to try the famous T-bone. Delicious but one serving is really "overloading" for my appetite, they don't sell small portions here, so if you want to try alone, choose a place that sells single portions.
Rome: In Rome, I got "addicted" to renting electric scooters to zip through all the alleys. The feeling of riding between thousand-year-old ruins on an electric vehicle is thrilling! For me, Vatican is the most impressive spot, others like Colosseum, Trevi… not that attractive.
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🇪🇸 SPAIN: Football
The only reason I came here is to watch football. To Madrid and Barcelona to immerse in the passionate La Liga atmosphere.
I bought tickets for Real Madrid's home game via Stubhub. Bought 2 months early thinking it would be cheaper, but finally closer to match day prices were much cheaper 🙂
Real Madrid stadium newly renovated so very beautiful, actual atmosphere at the stadium is amazing.
Thank you everyone for reading to the end 🙂
Cre: Sơn Pt
