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Europe Trip Itinerary by Train For First Timers under 3k for 12 days

I went to Europe in December to visit the Christmas wonderland. 
This trip is travelled using a 15-day consecutive Eurail Global train pass on Klook. 
We went to Switzerland, Italy, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Finland in sequence which are all covered under the Eurail pass. 
Western Europe includes Switzerland, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. 
Northern Europe includes Sweden and Finland. 
Southern Europe includes Italy. 

Eurail Planner 

Eurail Passes Explained:
How to use it?
-buy the pass from Klook, we got the youth pass as we were under 27 years old
-we picked the 15 consecutive days pass as we wanted to test the app before our flight 
-download an app called Rail Planner
-add your mobile pass using the Pass Number from the Klook voucher

enter code 

train inspector will request to show your QR code found in My Pass>Show ticket
Remember to add your journey  

How do I reserve seats?
Most trains do not need seat reservations except for overnight or fast-speed trains. 
You can click on the app button to reserve seats. 
If you do not reserve seats, you will end up standing.


How much is the Eurail pass? 
Our 15 consecutive days youth pass cost $459.60 after a $50 discount voucher.
You can wait for sale periods or Klook festivals. e.g. Black Friday sale

Is it worth it?
Yes, it is worth it. Trains in Europe are expensive.
Without the pass, our trains would cost $2050.80. 
With the pass, the trains are unlimited with the fixed price of $459.60 

1st class or 2nd class?
Actually, some trains do not have 1st class carriages.
It does not differ much if you take 1st or 2nd class.

Itinerary
We started my Europe itinerary in Switzerland as the flight fees are the cheapest due to lower demand since Switzerland is an expensive country to visit. 

Before our flight, we booked the 3 overnight trains.
Overnight trains are great for saving accommodation costs. 

1. Overnight train Venice→Rome 2231H → 0635H
2. Overnight train 23:28 Roma termini → 23:55 Roma Tiburtina→ 06:55 Milano P. Garibaldi
3. Overnight train 2203H → 0957H  Hamburg Germany → Stockholm Central

Accommodation 
We booked our Airbnb during the trip. 

1 night Switzerland
1 night Lyon
1 night Paris
1 night Netherlands
1 night Helsinki
2 night Oulu

Day 1: Switzerland

We took a night flight and arrived at Zurich airport at 0850H. 
Our 1st activity is the Lindt Home of Chocolate ($26.25) which we booked on Klook. 
My Klook code is <chloelunlunklook> for 5% off, min.spend $50. 

Lindt Home of Chocolate

Nearest train station: Kilchberg ZH.
Opening hours: 10:00-19:00.
Free luggage storage is available. 

Next, we visited Lucerne to see the Lion Monument and Chapel Bridge. 

Lion Monument
Chapel Bridge

We also saw Matterhorn at the Kirchbrücke Bridge
However, it was dark as the sun set around 4pm.
I would suggest going to Zermatt the next morning instead.
We stayed at Visp as it is the nearest town to Zermatt. 

Day 2: Switzerland → Italy Venice → Italy Rome

We went again to Zermatt in the morning. 

Zermatt- Matterhorn

We then went to Venice to take our overnight train to Rome. 

0957H Visp→ Milano Centrale→Venice Venezia S. Lucia Ponte di Rialto Bridge
Overnight train Venice→Rome 2231H → 0635H 

Venice Ponte di Rialto Bridge

Day 3: Italy -  Rome

We reached Rome at 0635H and dropped our luggage at a hotel using the bounce app. My referral code for you to get $5 off is BOUNCE-FF8OXBDST. 

We went around Rome to see the historical buildings.  

Trevi Fountain
Pantheon 

Chiesa Di Sant Ignazio (Free entry: 9am-11.30pm)

Colosseum  (Opens at 8.30 am, closes at 7.15 pm)

Roman Forum

We also went to eat Tiramisu at Two Sizes 

Then, we headed to the Vatican City to visit St. Peter’s Basilica. 

At night, we took an overnight 7h train back to Milan. 
23:55 ROMA TIBURTINA → 06:55 → MILANO P.GARIBALD

Day 4: Italy Rome → Italy Milan→ France Lyon

We arrived at Milan at 0655H. We went to see the Duomo di Milano and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. 

Then, we headed to Lyon, France as a rest stop to Paris. 

Day 5:  Lyon + Paris, France 

We arrived in Paris from Lyon and we went for shopping at Louis Vuitton. 


Day 6: Paris, France → Rotterdam, Netherlands 

The next day we went to the Louvre Museum ($35.55) that we booked on Klook. 
My Klook code is <chloelunlunklook> for 5% off, min.spend $50. 

Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum

We took a picture with the Eiffel Tower and went to the Christmas Market @ Tuileries Garden. 

We also drank some hot chocolate and ate a madeleine. 

We then headed to Rotterdam as a rest stop to Amsterdam. 


Day 7:  Rotterdam Netherlands → Hamburg Germany overnight train→ Stockholm Sweden 

At Rotterdam, we ate stroopwafel and poffertjes. 

stroopwafel and poffertjes

We also visited the Anne Frank House but it looked too modern. 

We then made our way to Hamburg Germany to take an overnight train to Stockholm Sweden. 

We went to a German Christmas Market at Hamburg. 

Hamburg 

2203H → 0957H overnight train Hamburg Germany → Stockholm Central

Day 8:  Stockholm Sweden →  Helsinki Finland 

We arrived at around 11am at Stockholm Central (Sweden). We were slightly delayed. 

We went to Ikea City to have some swedish meatballs and ice cream. 

Ikea ice cream 

We booked a Tallink Silja ferry using the discount code "EURAIL" to get 20% off.
We booked the 1645H - 1030H Overnight ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki Finland at €91.80.

The cruise was great. 

Day 9:  Helsinki Finland

The ferry arrived at 1030H at Helsinki. We went to the Helsinki Christmas market and hung around the shopping malls. 

Day 10: Helsinki --> Oulu Finland 

We took a 6h train to Oulu. 

We then ate at sushi restaurants and went back to Airbnb to rest. 

Day 11: Lapland Finland

We woke up at 3.30am to take the 5am train to Lapland Finland to catch our Husky ride at 0830H. 

We also went to the Christmas village to explore. 

Christmas village

Day 12: Oulu --> Helsinki 

We made our way back to the Helsinki Airport and bought our souvenirs. 

Day 13: Finland --> Hong Kong --> Singapore

We took 2 flights to go back home as it was cheaper than a direct flight. 

Home sweet home. 














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Location: Singapore

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