Very much agree with the first poster. Distances are generally much shorter then in the US. You can fly into London and then actually use the train to get to P

Very much agree with the first poster. Distances are generally much shorter then in the US. You can fly into London and then actually use the train to get to Paris and from there to Frankfurt (and Brussels and Amsterdam and Zurich and lots of other places). It may make sense to check out European rail deals. http://railteam.com http://railteam.com may be a good start to check on trains. Alas, they where never able to implement ticket sales into the site, it may be a good for general information. http://tgv-europe.com http://tgv-europe.com is the mothership of the French high speed train network. They do sell tickets. Not sure, though, if they send them overseas. Flying is certainly the other option. As for hotels. I made good experiences with http://hrs.com http://hrs.com, http://booking.com http://booking.com and http://hotels.com http://hotels.com are all fairly good and often offer specials (compare all three, if you have a hotel in mind). Anyway, have a lot of fun and plan ample time for your visit.