What’s It Like to Visit 3 Countries in 8 Days by Train?

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Nathan and Sarah Pickle lived in Hamburg before their now teenage twins were born. Recently they decided to take their kids to see the city they love…and that turned into a week-long family adventure across 4 cities in 3 countries. All by train.

Nathan and I worked out their train route in a Mini Consult before they left, and so I was thrilled to hear all about their trip and how everything worked out with their train travel!

If you’re weighing a multi-country itinerary, considering traveling by train, or are planning a fast-paced trip of your own, listen to my conversation with Nathan below or keep reading for a run down of their trip and Nathans tips!

This article is also available as the Germany Travel Planning podcast episode #58. Use the player below to listen or continue reading the article below. See episode transcript on Apple podcasts.

Nathan and Sarah Pickle lived in Hamburg from 2002 to 2005. Together they built a life in one of Germany’s most underrated cities. Then life happened and they decided to move back to Texas, had twins, and then slowly Germany became a fond but distant memory.

Fast forward about 20 years.

Nathan and Sarah’s twins were about to graduate and head off to college.That’s when they decided there was only one way to properly mark the occasion: take the kids back to Hamburg and show them exactly where their parents’ story began. And then they decided to add in Cologne, Paris, and London, and travel everywhere by train.

I love Nathan’s story so much, because it’s not just a fun family vacation but a meaningful experience all 4 of them will remember for years to come.

Stop 1: Hamburg

Nathan and Sarah used to live right on the east side of the Outer Alster, and that’s exactly where they chose to stay on this trip.

They stayed at a little boutique hotel called Hotel Alsterblick (which means “Alster View”), just around the corner from where their old apartment. It’s in a residential neighborhood, about a 10-minute walk from an S-Bahn stop, and just 3 stops from the heart of the city.

The hotel offered a full German breakfast, which Nathan raved about. This is such a classic Germany thing: you sit down to a delicious spread of bread, cheese, meats, eggs, coffee, tea, and more.

What was so special about this first stop is that Nathan and Sarah didn’t only show their kids the top sights. They also showed them things like their old apartment, the grocery store where they used to shop, the ivy-covered trash cans you needed a key to open, and the spot where Nathan used to park his car.

What to Do in Hamburg with 2 Days

Nathan and his family focused on experiences over a checklist. Here’s what they did and what they recommend:

• Walk the Rathaus area. The city hall neighborhood is beautiful, lined with cafes, shops, and bars. Easy to spend an afternoon here just wandering.
• Hafenrundfahrt (harbor boat tour). This is a must! You can just walk down to the harbor and pick a tour. They did an open-air boat, about an hour and a half. The highlight was going through the Speicherstadt, a historic warehouse district right on the water that’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Eat at Mo Grill for classic German street food. This is a beloved local Imbiss (casual food stand/counter) with 2 locations where you can enjoy Currywurst, Bratwurst, and fries with mayo.
• Dinner at Groening Up. A restaurant Nathan and Sarah used to go to when they lived there, set in a building from the 1500s, down in the basement, with a brewery on-site. Traditional German food, fun atmosphere, and still a favorite after all these years.
• Sushi at Henssler. Hamburg is a port city with excellent seafood and a great sushi scene. Henssler is right on the Elbe near the old fish market and cobblestone streets.
• Stop at a neighborhood grocery store. There was an Edeka right around the corner from their hotel. Nathan says this is always one of his favorite things to do: walk through a European grocery store, pick up snacks for the room, and let the kids discover things like Haribo gummies and Apfelschorle (a sparkling apple juice that’s completely addictive and just doesn’t taste the same when you try to replicate it at home).

Taking the Train from Hamburg to Paris Via Cologne

Nathan’s original plan was to take a Deutsche Bahn train from Hamburg to Cologne, then the Eurostar from Cologne to Paris. Unfortunately, the Eurostar wasn’t running from Germany to France that particular weekend due to maintenance. And, since he hadn’t taken a train in Germany in 20 years, he had questions about what had changed (spoiler alert – a lot!).

So Nathan booked a Germany travel consult with me and I quickly helped him figure out how to get all four of them from Hamburg to Paris with a stopover in Cologne to see the cathedral. Once we got the route, timing, and tickets sorted, Nathan booked first class tickets.

The 8 hours they spent on the train was some of the best family time of the whole trip. They talked, watched the German and then French countryside out the window, and enjoyed snacks from the dining car.

Tips for Traveling with Luggage on German Trains

This was one of Nathan’s biggest pre-trip anxieties: four people, four suitcases and multiple train changes. Here’s what their experience was like and Nathan’s tips:

• First class cars often have luggage racks inside the car itself, so you can keep an eye on your bags.
• Some cars have luggage areas past the sliding glass doors at the end of the car, which is also totally fine.
• Your reserved seats are shown on a digital display on the train, and the app tells you exactly where to stand on the platform.
• If you have a stopover and want to explore (like they did in Cologne), train stations have luggage lockers with dimensions listed online.
• Transfer times are usually enough…if the trains are on time. Nathan had a 16-minute transfer in Mannheim and arrived with seven or eight minutes to spare.
• Get breakfast or snacks and drinks the night before if you’re catching an early train. Station kiosks are open, but it’s easier to just come prepared.

The Cologne Stopover

One of the best moves of the whole trip was building in a few hours in Cologne between trains. This is something else I helped Nathan build into his trip.

The Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is right outside the train station and it’s stunning to see it! It’s also easy to visit on a short stopover.

They had about 1.5 hours to see the cathedral so they took turns watching their luggage while the others explored the cathedral and the surrounding area. If you have a few hours, it’s absolutely worth getting off the train to see the cathedral.

Highlights from Paris and London

Here are few things Nathan and his family enjoyed in Paris and London.

Staying on Ile Saint-Louis in Paris

Most people know about Ile de la Cite, the big island in the Seine where Notre Dame sits. Just to the east of it is a smaller, quieter island called Ile Saint-Louis, and that’s where they stayed. Only a handful of boutique hotels are on the island. It’s peaceful at night and you have direct views of Notre Dame lit up across the water. It’s one of those places that just doesn’t feel like a tourist area even though it’s right in the heart of everything.

A Sunrise Photo Session at the Eiffel Tower

Nathan booked a professional photographer for an early morning session, which turned out to be a total highlight of their trip. The photographer had them meet on a bridge near a little walkway with a statue that had completely unobstructed Eiffel Tower views. They arrived at dawn and watched the sunrise! The whole session ran about an hour, cost around 250 euros, and they came away with a huge gallery of family portraits they absolutely love.

A Black Cab Tour in London with Discover Real London

In London, the family did a 4-hour private tour in a classic black cab with a company called Discover Real London. It was just the four of them with their guide which meant they could stop wherever they wanted, hop out for photos, and get a really personal experience of the city. The guide even took a photo of the whole family doing the Abbey Road crossing, something you just can’t easily pull off on your own.

Nathan’s Top Tips for Planning a Multi-City European Trip with Teens

For anyone thinking about a similar trip, here are Nathan’s tips:

• A multi-city week is absolutely doable, but adjust your mindset. If your goal is to hit every museum and every major site in every city, you’ll need more time or fewer cities. If you’re okay with a highlight reel and are happy to come back later to see more, it works beautifully.
• Build in unplanned time. They had multiple afternoons with nothing scheduled, where they just explored. This is what kept the trip from feeling exhausting.
• Take the trains. Even if the journey is long, the experience of being on a train together as a family, watching the countryside go by, is something you can’t replicate on a plane.
• March is a great time to visit. Fewer crowds, mild weather, lower prices.
• Make restaurant reservations in advance. Especially in Hamburg, where even an empty-looking restaurant may be fully booked for the evening. Don’t show up and hope for the best.
• If there’s nostalgia involved, lean into it. If you have a Germany connection and you’re thinking about going back, don’t wait.
• Book a travel planning consult with us to ensure your trip is everything you’re dreaming about.

About Nathan Pickle

Nathan traveled to Germany (and Paris & London) with his wife and their 17-year-old twins for their high school Senior Year Spring Break in March of 2026. Nathan & Sara had lived in Hamburg from 2002-2005 and they flew from Texas to Hamburg to share their love of that city with their twins.