TRSW

Hi All,

I had originally planned on going back to Italy in 2007, but due to some good luck (finally!!), I have a 3 week window this coming October to go back to my beloved Italia. But as I have been waiting for my vacation request to be approved, I have done much reading and research, and now I have a plan B in mind and just can't seem to make a choice!! So I thought I would ask my fellow Fodorites thier opinions.

Plan A 20 nights in Italy:
3 nights Venice
4 nights Florence
4 nights Tuscany ( based in either Siena or Radda)
4 nights Rome
4 nights Sorrento/Amalfi
1 night Rome

Then there is Plan B
4 nights London
8 nights Paris
5 nights Prague
3 nights Amsterdam

I am thinking of taking overnight trains from Paris-Prauge and Prague-Amsterdam so that would cut 1 night off both Paris and Prague. Or would it be better to take early morning flights?

All of this is in the early planning stages and I would greatly appreciate any help/advice/opinions.

Thanks

Tom

ira

Hi TR,

Such a dilemma!

Prague is something of an outlier.

Since you love Italy, how about

Fly into Amsterdam, train to Paris, fly www.myair.com to Venice, Fly to London.

See www.whichbudget.com for flights from VCE to LGW and LHR.

annhig

HOW MUCH IS THE WEATHER A FACTOR IN YOUR TRIP? LONDON, PARIS, AMSTERDAM CAN BE CHILLY IN OCTOBER, WHEREAS ITALY SHOULD BE WARMER. DO YOU HAVE TO DECIDE NOW? - YOU COULD BOOK FLIGHT INTO AMSTERDAM, SAY, THEN SEE HOW YOU FEEL - GOOD PRE-PLANNING WITH TRAIN TIMETABLES WOULD HELP AND TRAINS ARE MUCH MORE FUN THAN PLANES. PRAGUE WOULD BE BETTER TWINNED WITH BERLIN OR VIENNA, ALL OF WHICH SHOULD BE WARM IN OCTOBER. WITH THREE WEEKS, YOU HAVE FLEXIBILITY TO DO SOME REAL TRAVELLING, AS OPPOSED TO BEING A TOURIST. GOOD LUCK!

Intrepid1

Since you are <b>asking this in the first place</b>, my opinion is that, YES, it IS time for you to broaden your travel horizons.

janisj

Either would be fine - but I'd definitely modify plan B. 4 days in London is a very short visit - but especially at the beginning of a trip. You will be jet lagged and not even get a feel for the city until maybe day 3. So I would add a minimum of 2 or 3 days to London. Cut 1 from Paris and 1 or 2 from Prague to make time for the extra in London. Or you could put London at the end of the trip - but I'd still add time there.

You'd still have a full week in Paris and reasonable time in Prague and A'dam.

Actually I like ira's plan - only I'd probably drop Amsterdam and just do Venice (plus maybe Florence), Paris and London. Having 7 or 8 days in both Paris and London would give you time for day trips out of the cities.

suze

I like Plan B since you have been to Italy once. I would even out the days in the cities a bit. London and Amsterdam both seem at least 1 day too short.

nessundorma

I would suggest that you consider a one-week rental in Tuscany in the countryside, in the vicinity of Firenze/Siena. From Venice, travel to Firenze, spend two nights, and late in the day, pick up a rental car and drive to your Tuscan rental. During the next 7 days, you can visit Siena as a day trip and return to Firenze as often as you like. Drop off your rental in Orvieto, tour the town, and take the train from there to Rome.

That will give you two extra days to add to other places. I would add one to Venice,

If I were doing plan B, I would probably fly into Amsterdam, train to Paris via Belgium, stopping in Antwerp and Brugge, cut a night out of Paris, and maybe even a night out of Prague, and add the extra days to London (where I'd finish up my trip).

degas

I agree with Suze.

ILUVPARIS

I love your London, Paris, Prague &amp; Amsterdam idea however, given that you're traveling in October, the weather can be iffy in the north. I'd have to say Italy simply due to the fact that you'll likely have better weather throughout.

TRSW

Thank you all for answering and giving more to think about. Guess it's time to do more research.

annhig and ILUVPARIS - Having lived in Seattle for the last 13 years, 'iffy' weather in October is not a big concern. At least I would be in Europe! And to answer annhigs question, no I don't have to decide just yet, I won't even know if my vacation request has been approved for about another 2 weeks, so like I said, this is all in the planning stages.

ira - I like your plan. My first trip to Venice was WAY too short and I only scratched the surface of the city. Also, what do you mean by &quot;Prague is something of an outlier&quot;? I looked into the flights you mentioned and they are cheaper and WAY quicker than the train.

janisj - If I do fly directly into London I don't think jetlag will be much of a problem since I have found a non-stop flight that departs at 7pm from Seattle, arriving 11:45am London time.

Intrepid1 - I agree that I should broaden my travel horizons. BUT, I really LOVED my first trip to Italy and would love to see more of her. As ira said &quot;Such a dilemma!&quot;LOL

So now here is the revamped PlanB:

Fly into Amsterdam for 4 nights
Prague 4 nights
Paris 6 nights
London 6 nights

Like I said, this is all in the early planning stages and I really do appreciate all of your opinions and suggestions.

Tom

ira

Hi T,

&gt;what do you mean by &quot;Prague is something of an outlier&quot;?&lt;

Well, it is somewhat to the East of your other destinations.

If you are happy with the flights to/from Prague, you have a good itinerary.

Have a nice visit.

janisj

TRSW: Your new idea ( Plan C? ) is much better. Enough time to actually see a LOT but w/o packing and moving 7 times.

One thing - &quot;<i>I don't think jetlag will be much of a problem since I have found a non-stop flight that departs at 7pm from Seattle, arriving 11:45am London time</i>&quot;

Don't discount the jet lag. Any transatlantic flight is difficult, but especially from the west coast. I usually fly non-stop out of SFO but that is only <u>slightly</u> better than connecting flights. If you leave SeaTac at 7 p.m. you will have already been up 12 to 14 hours prior to taking off. Added to that a 10+ hour flight, and then having to stay up another 9 to 10 hours. This one &quot;day&quot; will last a mimimum of 34 hours.

But that's a small detail in the grand scheme - the trip will be great. Just plan on taking it easy the first day or 2.

suze

I fly overnight non-stop Seattle/Heathrow every trip &amp; have horrible jet lag. I don't think it has much to do with time of flight or no connections, but more if you can really sleep on a plane (I can't) and how sensitive you are to the change in time zones (I am very).

I like revamped plan B! Do try to fly into one city and out of another furthest away to save time and money avoiding backtracking on the ground.

TRSW

Well I just booked my flights. Starting in Amsterdam and ending in Paris. I have set aside 4 nights for Venice (I just need to get back to Italy!!) That gives me 8 nights to play with. What a great problem to have!!

Thank you all for your input so far. Keep it coming.

Tom