9 Days to see Paris, London and Rome?

Old Oct 22nd, 2000, 09:05 AM
  #1  
Barbara C.
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9 Days to see Paris, London and Rome?

I am planning on taking a trip to Europe on May 21. It includes 3 days in London, (via chunnel, to Paris and then Rome. I have never been to Europe before! I know that 3 days in each city isn't much time, but since that is all the time I have I would like to make the best use of it!!

I would appreciate any ideas on where to go (or not to go!), what to do, etc.

Any women who travel alone?? All tips on traveling alone would be appreciated!!
 
Old Oct 22nd, 2000, 09:18 AM
  #2  
Rose
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Hi Barbara, 9 days ia a pretty short time to see these three major cities. I suggest either Rome by itself (with trips to Florence and Venice) or London and Paris together.

9 days would only give you 7-8 days when you take out the travelling time which isn't alot! If you do London and Paris that's four days each which isn't that bad if that's all the time you have. although more time is highly recommended.

Consider that you could easily spend all of the time in any one of these cities and still not see everything!

What are your interests? Please advise and we can help with the must sees. There's a thread here regarding single gal travel called 'Am I nuts?' that have good tips on solo travel, it's near the top at the present time. Please provide more info, and we can help you out. Happy trails!
 
Old Oct 22nd, 2000, 09:19 AM
  #3  
Cindy
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Barbara,

I just finished the trip you are contemplating. Twelve days total, evenly split among London, Paris and Rome in that order. Here are some observations.

I don't think 9 days is long enough. Your first day will be unproductive due to fatigue. You will lose 3/4 of a day packing, getting to the chunnel, chunneling, getting to your hotel and unpacking. If you go from Paris to Rome, you'll lose most of another day if you fly, and you'll lose an evening and night if you train. Plus, we found that many sights were open on their schedule, not ours, so it was difficult to tour with maximum efficiency. Even with four nights per city, we took almost no day trips into the countryside because there wasn't time, and we missed a lot of things.

So for those reasons, I would recommend that you skip Rome. Split your time between London and Paris, perhaps allowing a few days in one country or the other to explore the countryside.

The other reason I would skip Rome rather than one of the other two cities is that Rome is easily folded into the standard Italian tour itinerary (Rome/Florence/Venice) for your next trip. Paris is too lovely to miss, and London is nice because there's no language barrier so it makes for a smooth transition on your first trip.
 
Old Oct 22nd, 2000, 12:02 PM
  #4  
Art
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I agree with above posts, especially the last one. There is just to much to see to try to do all 3 in your alloted time. To really enjoy Europe you need some time to not only see the major sites but to also enjoy the areas with a little relaxing, enjoying the sidewalk cafes in Paris and just a little of the areas outside the cities. Once you get the flavor of Europe you'll want to go bakc. Make your next trip to Italy with the big 3. Have a great trip.
 
Old Oct 22nd, 2000, 07:28 PM
  #5  
Joan Doyle
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Dear Barbara: As a woman who has almost ALWAYS traveled by herself I can tell you that, though you may actually travel to London, Paris, and Rome, YOU WILL NOT SEE THEM in nine days. Take the advice of the poster who suggested you limit yourself to London and Paris. Even then you will not be able to do either place justice but four days each is better than three. Have a good trip. Joan
 
Old Oct 23rd, 2000, 04:01 AM
  #6  
elaine
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Barbara
Cnosider the above advice, particularly
Cindy's comments about the time lost in checking out, traveling, and checking in again.
Italy is farther away, save that for another trip.
I have travel notes on London and Paris; if you'd like to see them, email me.
 
Old Oct 23rd, 2000, 04:22 AM
  #7  
Paige
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I agree with everyone above, that 9 days isn't enough to see London, Paris and Rome. BUT, if you have your heart set on it and you don't think you'll make it back, go for it! Seeing a little of Rome once is better than never seeing it at all. If there's a chance you could make another trip sometime, postpone Rome and give it the time it deserves. Once you're in London or Paris, you'll understand why everyone thinks you should spend more time there.
 

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