- Carefully check the operating days and hours for any museums or attractions you especially want to see, and plan accordingly. These should be listed in your guidebook. Many museums in Europe are closed on Mondays, so you might want to plan on traveling then. There are exceptions to this rule; the Louvre, for example, is closed on Tuesdays, but open late on Mondays and Wednesdays. National tourist offices should also be able to tell you in advance if any major attractions are likely to be closed or under renovation. Be careful - a lot of renovation is going on these days.

- A full Eurail pass will not be necessary, and any train pass may prove too expensive unless you are really moving around. Do not buy a pass unless you are sure you will need it. Most travel agencies that sell Eurail passes also quote prices for individual train tickets. Compare the price of separate train or bus tickets with the cheapest possible pass (see Basics #2) that will cover your trip.

- Look very hard for an airfare that allows you to leave from the last city you plan to see, rather than one that requires you to fly out of the city you flew into. It is well worth paying a hundred dollars or more for this option, although it may not be necessary to pay anything extra at all.

- When all of the planning and expense is considered, a three-week trip is much more than a fifty percent improvement over a two-week trip. If you can borrow a week from next year’s vacation

time, consider it. Also, if you can afford it, see if you can get another week off unpaid.
You really can see quite a bit in two weeks. If I were going for that length of time - and bear in mind that I like art, architecture, and that kind of stuff- I would probably advise something like this: