Here’s a suggested travel itinerary that takes you through two of the major countries in Europe, Germany and Italy, and offers a stop in one of the best cities in Europe, Amsterdam. Our suggested itinerary can be done in two weeks, although longer is always better.
Amsterdam to the lake region of Italy
The itinerary you see on our map takes you through the heart of Western Europe. You will experience the life of Amsterdam, the best of the lake region of western Germany, Switzerland and Italy. The itinerary can be followed easily and efficiently by train, although driving is always an option.
When to go to our suggested itinerary
This is a great spring and fall trip. If you are going to do it in November, there is a lot of snow in the Alps at that time. If you do it in early summer, start in Italy and head north as things heat up. Here are some travel resources for the suggested itinerary.
Amsterdam
Spend 3 days, with optional trip to Utrecht.
- Amsterdam Travel Guide
- Amsterdam Travel
- Schiphol Airport Guide
- Amsterdam Travel Weather and Climate
Cologne
Spend 2 days with an optional trip to Dusseldorf, the fashion capital of Germany:
- Cologne guide
- Cologne – Free Attractions
- Colonia Travel Weather and Climate
Baden-Baden
Relax, spend a day or two in the baths or discover Karlsruhe or Freiburg:
- Baden Baden Map and Travel Information
Basel, Switzerland
Spend two days on the borders between France, Germany and Switzerland. Enjoy a great meal in a historic guild hall. After Basel, you will have to make a decision. You can either take the Bern route and stop for a few days in Stresa, on the shores of Lake Maggiore, or you can head to Lugano in the Ticino region of Switzerland and continue to Lake Como. Have more time? From the lake region on our suggested itinerary, head towards Venice with the best suggested itinerary in Northeast Italy. More? Go all the way with our Venice to Sicily itinerary.
Reach the starting and ending points of our suggested itinerary
In Amsterdam, you must plan to fly to Schiphol airport. In Italy, the closest international airport is outside Milan, Malpensa airport. Malpensa is very well located for visitors to the lake region. I have some suggestions for being around Malpensa. You can also start in the middle of the itinerary, at the Frankfurt airport.
Rail passes for suggested itinerary
Since trains in Italy are quite cheap, you can go with a Eurail Germany-Switzerland Pass (or Eurail Germany-Switzerland Saverpass, if you are traveling as a family together) for the number of days you will be traveling by train. I suggest Germany and Switzerland instead of Benelux Germany because you’ll probably only be traveling one day outside of Amsterdam to Germany, and it’s easy to buy a single ticket for that leg of the itinerary.
Also, there is a benefit to buying a pass for Switzerland: you will not have to pay in Swiss francs, as Switzerland does not use the euro. If you want a pass for all countries on the itinerary, select the Eurail Selectpass for the number of days you will be traveling. A Eurail Saver Pass will give you 15 consecutive days of travel through all countries with few problems. This is the best option if you decide that you want to do excursions or day trips, for example, to Strasbourg, France.
