We started our Europe journey from Singapore and our first stop was Amsterdam, The Netherlands. We booked our flight via London. We had 3 hours layover in Heathrow Airport and din't have to pass through the immigration. So, there was no Transit visa required.
We bought all our train tickets for travel within Europe here -https://www.omio.com/trains/
Day 1:
We arrived in Amsterdam's Schiphol airport and bought a Sim card & public transportation card just outside the Airport as we wanted to travel like a local and also save some money(we were in Europe!).
Amsterdam Travel card for 3 days: €28 per person
From Airport: We took R-Net bus which cost us €6.50 one-way.
Tip: So, this travel card we bought ,only allows us on the GVB operated buses and local trains, it's not applicable on R-Net buses(Red ones) and trains outside of Amsterdam city. Make sure you have the right kind of card for the right kind of bus/train you want to take.You can google for GVB routes only.
All the information on the Bus/train details is available on Google maps. Google it everywhere!
We reached our hotel at 4PM local time, and we had already booked our tickets to the Heineken Experience at 5:30 PM. So, we quickly got fresh, googled our route and took a bus and then changed to tram which dropped us at just 2 min walking distance to Heineken Experience.
We had our lunch & dinner at different places wherever we felt like depending on the money we wanted to spend and local food we wanted to try. So go out and try something new!
Day 2:
On this morning, we had a filling breakfast buffet at the hotel, and then headed to the Van Gogh Musuem. It took us 2 hours in the museum appreciating the paintings and having so many thoughts about Van Gogh's life , and finally we were hungry.
We decided to head to Amsterdam centraal which was also the starting point for our next on the list - Amsterdam canal cruise.
After a nice ride on the cruise seeing boat houses, we walked towards Anne Frank house.
Unfortunately, we couldn't buy the tickets to Anne Frank house earlier, and our luck to try to buy the online tickets on next day morning (Opens online at 9 AM for that day tickets only) did not work as well.
We did not have anything else planned for the rest of day, so we roamed around Dam Square and Red light district. We headed back to the hotel before it was too dark.
Tip: You can also plan to check out Rijks Museum and Moco Museum just along side Van Gogh.
Day 3:
2 days in Amsterdam is not enough, and there is so much vibe in this city that i din't feel like leaving. But we gotta get going!
After our breakfast, we left to Amsterdam centraal station to be there early so that we figure out our train schedule to Belgium and wait at the right platform!
We inquired at the information desk in the station about our train schedule. We did face problems in using the bar codes on our tickets to enter the platform, but the officer there helped us get through, and we had to look around a bit for the right platform.
Tip: We were careful of our belongings as they kept announcing that there could be thieves on the train! Also,we carried some snacks with us and it came handy during the train ride.
After almost 3 hours, we arrived at the Brussels-midi train station. Our hotel was at walking distance from the station. We relaxed & got freshened up, and headed out to the Grand Palace as it was also at walking distance from our hotel!
There were lot of tourists at the Grand Palace, but we managed take pictures and roam around. It was truly Belgian chocolate & Beer everywhere. We walked to view the Manneken pis, and the area is so charming. Also try to catch a glimpse of the Grand palace at night, its charming & enhances the whole experience.
Don't miss to try the Waffles & fries there, truly delicious!
Day 4:
I had been waiting for this day, from many years. It was the day i finally met my long distance skype friend for the first time. He lived in Ghent , and so we had planned to visit Gent on this day.
We hadn't booked this train tickets in advance because this could be bought easily at the railway station on the same day. There was a machine at the station we could use easily to select our destination , pay and print the tickets!
Gent is such a beautiful city and we visited the gent central which felt so much better than the crowded brussels. We fell in love with the architecture, the calm vibe of this city.
After long conversations over beer, it was time for us to leave. I bid adieu to my friend and i already missed our conversations!
After reaching Brussels, we realized we hadn't tried any chocolate! So some chocolates and pizza it was, before we called it a night!
Day 5:
The day that most of us wait for, finally arrived , as our next destination was Paris!
We took the Thalys from Brussels to Paris, and in about 1 and half hour, we arrived at the Gare du Nord station. It was like as if we entered a different world. It appeared new to us ( it was!), and we stood there figuring out where we could buy our public transport tickets. We looked around a bit, and headed to the basement. There it was, the ticketing counter.
Paris 3 day travel pass: 26 Euros per person
We then googled our way home , had to take one train. When we arrived at our stop, this station had no lifts and so many stairs to climb, spirally!
We arrived at our airbnb in Montmarte .Realizing we were so close to Moulin rouge & Sacre coeur, we headed out to explore them!
Tip: If you book an airbnb, carry some food with you to cook, good way to save few bucks!
Day 6:
Chilly Morning in paris, and it was the day to conquer! We had already done our booking to take the Seine river cruise today. We had some croissant & hot chocolate (star bucks to the rescue) ,caught a public bus, and this was the best way to see the real Paris! Narrow roads, outdoor seats at the cafes, colorful neighborhoods, and monuments!
We arrived at the Pont des Arts which is famous for being the love lock bridge on Seine river. There were too few locks now, i thought about those movies that made me always wanted to be here.
Tip: The river cruise we took was enjoyable and quite informational, but you can skip it and instead visit the tourist spots instead!
We then headed to view the Eiffel tower right beside where we ended the cruise. Eiffel Tower is truly so charming that any number of times you look at it, it isn't enough!
Day 7 :
A lot to do on list today, so we got ready and headed out. We made it to the louvre, and tried to soak in all the art, but Monalisa definitely stood out.
View of Paris from Arc de triomphe is definitely charming.
We had book our tickets to the top of Eiffel, but unfortunately due to heavy winds, the top was closed, and we could only go up until then 2nd floor. We enjoyed our views from Eiffel but every minute spent walking around Eiffel seems so precious.
Day 8:
Next up, Switzerland!
We had booked the TGV lyria from Paris gare du Nord to Bern, Switzerland as we were going to stay in an airbnb close to interlaken.
When we arrived at Bern, we looked for the travel information counter to buy Swiss travel pass. This really saved us money as we din't have to pay anywhere unless we took a mountain excursion and those has 25% or 50% off as well.
Swiss travel pass for 4 consecutive days: (to travel back to airport on our last day)
From Bern, we took train to spiez and the changed to Leisseigen where we booked our airbnb. Leisseigen is a village area closer to interlaken, such a nice change to the crowded city.
We arrived by evening to this calm village by Lake thun. Such a fresh air and such a good end to all the hustle bustle we experienced so far!
We took a stroll, and then headed to interlaken for dinner. There is a train every 15 mins going to interlaken, and we had all the time in the world.
Day 9:
JungFraujoch - My train journey to the top of the europe here
Swiss travel pass came in handy as we only had to pay 50% of expense for train ticket between Grindelwald - kliene scheidegg - Jungfrau - Kliene scheidegg - Lauterbrunnen.
Day 10:
We were so excited for this day to have some fun.
We headed to interlaken and then caught the train to Grindelwald ( Today we already felt like locals, so aware of the platform numbers and the train timings). After arriving at Grindelwald, we went to the information desk at the train station, and they guided us about the directions to "First" and we also bought our tickets here with 50% discount. The ticket price will vary depending on the activities you want to do and this ticket will include Gondola rides to & from First as well.
When we reached First, we decided to do the trek to bachalpsee lake. This is where my love for treks strengthened. Walking with beautiful views of the mountains, and it felt like we were walking amidst the clouds.
We then trekked back to First taking our own trail and looking for the direction to go back to First (not a wise decision, but we had so much fun).
At First, try the First cliff walk by Tissot, going to the Tip of this cliff walk is really fun.
We then tried out activities that we had chosen, i really loved the mountain cart( but thought it wasn't so safe for the kids!)
After a fun & heart filled day, we wrapped up our trip on the next day travelling to Zurich Airport station.
We had a few hours left to catch our flight, and decided to go to Swiss National Museum which was few meters away and also entry was free for travellers with swiss travel pass. I did not take any pictures here, though there is an entire floor dedicated to Swiss relationship with India & its cotton industry, we were so proud!
I hope this article guides and helps any of you travelling to Europe, who like us are adventure seeking & self planning travelers :-)
See you later, Alligator!
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