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[le_diagon]

So it's taken me a while to figure it out but I believe I've finally gotten a rough idea for my trip

Comments

[monkeedreamer]

OK, first of all, a week is quite a bit of time for a single city. Second, 4-5 days is a bit of overkill for Amsterdam. You'd be fine with 3 days. Third, 3-4 days is rather short for an entire country. Why don't you knock at least one day off Amsterdam, if not also one from Paris, and visit several cities in Belgium? The north and south of the country are quite different from each other and each city has its own unique feel, it would be a shame if you didn't take your time to visit at least 3 cities in Belgium

[yrpreciousheart]

As a suggestion, couchsurfing.org isn't just about finding places to stay. A lot of people sign up to just give people mini-tours of the city or have a coffee with them, etc. Find people who are vouched for and have good reviews, and then you have a tour guide that a. is free b. knows the city very well and c. will listen to things you want to see. They also can help you figure out ways to get to the train station or whatnot.

I'd also agree with the above post, I think 4-5 days in Amsterdam is a bit much, and since you just say 'Belgium,' I'd leave more time to explore the country. :D

[the_band]

Yes, this! And not only can you meet up with individual people on CouchSurfing, but also a lot of the cities - and definitely the big ones you're going to - have regular get-togethers for the whole community. Join the groups for the cities and see when people are getting together for dinner or drinks or some cultural event the next time, and you'll meet both locals and other visitors from around the world

[canadian_turtle]

Of course it depends on how old you are and how much experience travelling on your own you have, but the places in Europe you're visiting are really safe as long as you don't go to some sketchy club by yourself at 3am in the morning ;)

Missing a flight can happen anywhere (trust me I know >.<) but as long as you make sure to prepare properly, figure out how to get to/from airports and give yoruself enough time to travel to it you should be fine.

4 days Amsterdam is a bit much. But if you like go visit some other places in the Netherlands as well. It's a small country and you can get to most places easy by train. But Amsterdam is a world on its own and personally I like other cities in the country much more :)

[thesilverymoon]

I agree with what the first commenter said about knocking a day off of Amsterdam (it's a pretty small city), but I'd suggest adding time to London. 5 days can hardly come the place (in big cities like Paris and London a week can hardly cover it).
You'll be fine withe the flights and everything. Just allow yourself plenty of time (including time to get lost if thats something you do a lot)and you'll have nothing to worry about.
As for a tour--don't do it. If you think you can handle Europe alone, DO IT. I've done the tour thing and they're really, really restricting. Plus, you only get to experience the parts of the country that the tour wants you to experience, which tends to only be the parts that cater to tourists. The best parts of places are the ones tourists tend to miss.
In response to people who ask about Taken (I've gotten the same, though they tend to ask if I've heen Hostel or Turistas), ask if they've seen EuroTrip, Everything is Illuminated, etc. There are tons of wonderful movies about traveling to (and in) Europe.

[thesilverymoon]

Crap, I meant five days can hardly COVER the place.

[dbskyler]

First of all, good for you for planning a solo trip to Europe when you have family and friends who are trying to talk you out of it. You know this is what you want to do, and you are doing it! Go you