8 day Europe trip
(I am new to posting tr and am not sure how to post this by the appropriate places. If anyone wants to fix this that would be great.)
We booked our tickets using Amex points with Flying Blue. Business class was 62500 per pp per way. It can be a bit difficult to find availability for 62500 points as the regular price is 150000 but the closer you get to the date you want to leave the easier it gets. you should also keep on checking as availability can change per day.
We left Wednesday evening with KLM from JFK. (Delta services this flight and be aware they close the baggage counters a full hour before the flight. If you com even 2 minutes late you will be bumped fro the flight)
Business class was very nice and quiet. The seats do not lie flat all the way but is was a very comfortable flight. We took along our own pre-wrapped meals from Pomegranate so I cannot say how the meals were on that flight.
Amsterdam
We arrived in Amsterdam where we had a 8 hour layover. As in most of Europe they only accept credit cards with the chip or Euro.
We bought a round trip train ticket which leaves on a speed train directly from the airport to the grand central station. From there we decided to walk instead of taking the trams since it was a nice weather and it is the best way to see the city. The streets and canals are beautiful and the architecture is very old and it is interesting just too look and walk around.
We walked to Dam Square where they have the castle and a Ferris Wheel and other rides. Then we went to look at the flower market which was very beautiful. This is about a half hour walk from the train station.
The Portuguese Synagogue is a 10 minute walk from the flower market and is a must see. They have a treasure chamber in the basement with old silver and Torah Scrolls that are hundreds of years old.
From there we took a tram to Sal Meijer to get some sandwiches. The Rhye train station is right there and we took a speed train directly to the airport. The way took about 15 minutes.
Venice
We arrives in Venice at around 11:00. We took a public water taxi which is only 12 Euro but the way ended up taking about an hour and 40 minutes. We used our SPG points to book the Westin Europa Regina which was very beautiful. The service was great and the concierge was extremely helpful.
We arrived at the stop in San Marco square which is very close to our hotel but we had a very difficult time finding it. the address numbers are random and do not follow a particular order. We called the hotel a few times and still couldn't find it until someone from the front desk came to meet us. (you need to walk through 2 alleys to find the hotel) If we had taken the more expensive private water taxi which is about 100 euro it would have taken us directly to the hotel dock and it only takes about 30 minutes.
Friday was raining pretty heavily but we didnt let is stop us.
We bought a full day pass for the vaporetto (water taxi) to Gam Gam treats for pizza. The ride took about 40 minutes but it was actually very nice since we got to see the sights from the water. The pizza and sandwiches are amazing and the Pizza rivaled the pizza we get in Brooklyn.
We took a vaporetto to Muran where you can see the glass creations made by the factories. We were not able to see and factories doing the actual work, it was only available for tour groups.
From there we took the vaporetto to Burano which is a very pretty island with very colorful houses. The vaporetto then took us back to San Marco square.
San Marco square is a huge square with a famous church and clock tower. It is full of tourists feeding birds and street people trying to sell you things. There are bands that play from the restaurants sometimes and many people come to enjoy the free show.
The Rialto bridge is one of the most famous attractions in Venice and little shops line the bridge.
We booked the Shabbos meals in Gam Gam in the Gallery. the price is 72 euro pp for 3 meals and you have a reserved table where you get served by waiters. The food and wine was delicious and it was very interesting meeting people from all over the world. There is a minyan in Chabad and there is another in the Spanish Shul although you need to register in advance and bring photo ID to be admitted.
We took a gondola ride on Motze Shabbos and it was beautiful and worth it. We paid 80 euro for about 40 minutes.
On Sunday we went back to Gam Gam for brunch and then we toured the old jewish ghetto. You pay admission and there is a tour guide that takes you around to 3 old shuls that were built in the 1500s. It was really interesting and well worth the hour it takes.
We then took a private water taxi to the airport and flew to Prague on Air One.
Prague
We arrived in Prague at about 8 and took a taxi to the Sheraton. We are gold members and found our room to be very nice and quite larger than the one in Venice.
Chabad has 2 restaurants, Shelanu pizza and Shelanu grill. the Grill is very nicely decorated and the food is delicious. There i a bit of a wait until the food arrives but otherwise the service was great and the food was delicious and comparable to many other restaurants in NY.
Since Prague does not have the Euro most things are significantly cheaper than the rest of Europe.
Monday morning we went to see the Municipal house and then walked to the Astronomical Clock. We went to the observatory and then watched the clock show. It takes about 2 minutes and is nothing special.
We then went to get breakfast at the pizza shop. It is located right near the entrance to the Old Ghetto. We bought 1 ticket and toured the cemetery and about 6 old shuls and the museum.
We finished at around 6 and we then took a boat ride at Charles Bridge. We used the Prague Venice Boat and it was an old fashioned wooden boat. you get a free drink and the ride is narrated. It took about 45 minutes and was a nice way to see the different sights.
Tuesday we arrived at Prague castle at noon for the changing of the guards. We couldnt see the whole thing since people arrive very early to save a place. We bought a ticket for the palace and golden lane. The grounds are huge and it takes a few hours to walk around and see everything. the gardens are beautiful and it takes quite a while to walk through them.
We took a taxi to Petrin tower and went to the top to enjoy the view.
On Wednesday we went to Terezin concentration camp. There is a bus that takes about an hour that leaves from the train station. We had a bit of a hard time finding it but it is located inside the train station.
Terezin is huge and has a small fortress, crematoriums, old shul and museums. It takes about 5 hours to go through everything. We then took the bus back to Prague.
Paris
Thursday morning we booked our return flight on Air France. We had a 7 hour stopover in Paris. We took a train directly from the airport to Notre dame which is about a 15 minute walk to La Marais which is the Jewish quarter. It was raining slightly but we still saw huge lines by the falafel store and people were standing under their umbrellas eating falafel on the street. We walked around and then ate lunch at Pizman. The food was really great. We saw the shul which is next door to the pizza shop which is about 100 years old.
We then walked back to Notre Dame and took an hour boat ride around Paris. It was narrated and we got very close to the Eiffel Towers and we saw other famous sights from the water.
We took the train back to the airport. The ride takes about 30-45 minutes.
We flew home Air France business. the plane was very big and their were about 49 seats in business so it was not that quiet. The seats do lay flat and were pretty comfortable although they were a bit narrower than the ones on KLM.
The food was horrible and luckily we had taken along some food for the way.
