Our Europe Trip Itinerary: Amsterdam, Prague & Switzerland

It was absolutely crazy to be packing our bags for our second europe trip in the summer of 2015 when we had never been on one until March earlier in the year. It so happened that the first trip was so great that when we got down to planning our second vacation of the year, we circled back to Europe.

Keeping into account our budget, number of days and connectivity, below is what our itinerary looked like:

Day 1 – 3: Amsterdam

Our first stop was Amsterdam and it turned out to be a tremendous start to the vacation. The weather was just perfect. Lots of sunshine and just the right amount of chilly in the evenings. The city had a fun summer vibe in August with its lively canals, cafes, coffee shops, boat houses and streets dotted with trams, bicycles and horse carriages. The people are the friendliest and the happiest bunch we’ve come across in all of Europe we’ve been to, so far.

Getting around in Amsterdam was on their trams. Very easy to catch as they pick-up and drop-off right on the road. Rest of the time was mostly on foot. In fact, it was pleasure to walk around here.

In terms of things to do, we visited the Rijksmuseum to get a glimpse of art and culture and the Anne Frank house (read the diary before going if you can). Strolled around in Central Station and Damstraat area to take in the hustle-bustle. A leisurely canal cruise was a great way to absorb the city sights and walks along the canals were just wonderful.

On the third day we ventured out of the city and visited Zaanse Schans and it turned out to be a fairy tale place. There were old windmills which still work, cute little houses, a couple of shops selling cheese, chocolate and souvenirs, a clogs workshop, a restaurant offering the yummiest dutch pancakes, a stunning blue lake, swans, ducks and fat chubby sheep.

Day 4 – 5: Prague

To get to Prague, we took an EasyJet flight from Amsterdam. 1:30 hours later we landed in this historic town.

Although the locals and the tourists wear modern clothes and carry gadgets and selfie sticks, you can’t help imagining how the place would have been in earlier times. Especially, when you are in Old Town Square and ahead from there on the 14^th century Charles Bridge. Evenings in Prague are magical – the castle lit up in the distance, the many red, green and yellow roofs adorn the space under it, city lights tinkle, the water in the Vltava river ripples, the Charles Bridge stands still with its sculptures looking down upon the passersby and some beautiful melody plays from an artist’s violin. It’s so beautiful and dramatic, it can move one to tears.

Getting around in Prague was on trams or on foot. We had purchased the 24hr public transport card and it helped when we were too tired to walk.

We stayed in old town itself and so walked up to and back from Old Town Square (Astronomical clock, Tyn Church etc.) and Charles Bridge all the time. Visited the Prague Castle and covered ‘Circuit B’ – Old Royal Palace, St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George’s Basilica and the Golden Lane.

On the second day, took the funicular to Petrin Hill and went to the tower top to soak in the pretty city views. The bright red roofs spread across between the castle, the bridge and the river was something I didn’t want to miss. Also walked upto the John Lennon Wall for some insta-worthy pictures. And a leisurely boat ride at dusk on the Vltava was therapeutic.

Day 6 – 10: Interlaken and around

For the last leg of our Europe trip, we flew to Zurich on Swiss air. Less than 2 hours later we touched town in Switzerland. After visiting two cities, we had decided a bit of countryside will be good for us and so we skipped Zurich altogether and took the train straight to Interlaken from the airport.

Interlaken was our base and to get around from here we had purchased swiss rail passes in advance.

Interlaken was the perfect location. As the name suggest, it is situated between two lakes (Brienz and Thun) and surrounded by hills all around. We had rented a cozy studio through Airbnb giving us the option of preparing light meals at home as eating out can leave a hole in your pocket.

On one of the days, we decided to go for a hike from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. It is a 5.5km walk which should normally take about an hour to complete. It took us a little longer as we took a couple of pit stops to admire the place. The walk is easy and perfect for families with young children and you get enjoy great views throughout the hike.

Interlaken to Zermatt turned out to be an amazing day trip for us. While originally not part of the itinerary, we decided to go for it after some deliberation. More so, as we were put off by the hordes of tourists making a bee-line for Jungfrau.  Instead, we zeroed in on Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, accessible from Zermatt. While getting to Jungfrau lets you ride to the highest railway station, getting to Matterhorn means you get to ride to the highest cable car station. And that is an adventure in itself!

The Alps, the peaks, the trek, Swiss rail and the many train rides, the cable ride, the lakes, the villages, our log studio, the pretty lane in Interlaken where we stayed, the brilliant blue lakes, the vistas and the sight of paragliders high up in the mountains … Switzerland did not disappoint!

And this is where a most memorable journey came to a close. We hope our trip gives you something to start planning your own euro adventures. And if you have any questions, leave them in the comments and we’ll try to answer as best as we can.

Here’s a map of our whole trip with the main cities in black markers. The purple markers are the places we visited within the cities. We’ve also marked the places we stayed at and some eateries we liked and remember – note the icons and zoom in to see more clearly.