Already planning our next trip (Spain/Italy/France)!
Sep 24th, 2014, 12:10 PM
#1
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Already planning our next trip (Spain/Italy/France)!
Just got back from our first European vacation last week and already planning the next one! We loved it and can't wait to go back next year! Want to focus on Spain and southern Italy and maybe a few nights on the French Riviera. We will be going next October (maybe late September). Time is somewhat flexible but around 2.5-3 weeks.
There are 4 adults in our group, including one in a wheelchair. I'd heard numerous warnings about the lack of accessibility in Europe before leaving. We visited the following places:
-Germany (Munich, Bavaria, Rhine/Mosel river)
-Austria (Innsbruck)
-Italy (Verona, Venice, Dolomites, Italian Lakes)
-Switzerland (Bernese Oberland, Lucerne)
-Paris
There were few small obstacles along the way:
-didn't realize we had to call the train station in advance for ramps
-airport being a little confused as to how to handle the wheelchair
-some inaccessible areas with stairs such as Bellagio, Italy
But for the most part, it was actually better than we thought it'd be:
-cobblestones weren't too rough (except for the Rhine/Mosel River area which had extremely thick cobbles)
-sidewalks had nice curbs to cross the street
-buses in Paris/Verona were great
-quite a few handicap public restrooms (water closets!)
We LOVED Italy (and we only did a small portion of it) so want to focus about half of our time there and half in Spain (mixed in with hopefully 2-3 nights on the French Riviera).
Interests: Beautiful scenery/architecture, lively atmosphere, good food, vibrant culture. Not big into visiting every museum/cathedral. Will hit the biggest ones but don't need time to linger all day, etc. On our last vacation, we found that we really enjoy the smaller and more quaint little towns as opposed to the big cities (Paris). Although it's nice to at least visit the big ones for a few days. We enjoy a nice variety and mix of big/small cities.
Spain:
-Want to do Barcelona/Andalusia (Seville based)/maybe Madrid.
-Has anyone flown into Seville from the USA? Seems like that would be a good starting point if we're going to do Seville-Madrid-Barcelona-French Riviera-Florence-Sorrento-Rome?
-Stay in Seville 5-6 nights with day trips to Cordoba, Grenada (seems a bit difficult to get to though), and maybe a few White Hill Towns?
-Train from Seville to Madrid, stop at Toledo for a few hours along the way? Then Madrid for 2 nights? Not huge art people (only museum we visited on last trip was the Louvre) so maybe we could actually skip Madrid? Would it be a crime to skip Madrid?
-Train from Madrid (or Seville if we skip Madrid/Toledo) to Barcelona and stay 3-4 nights?
-Have heard a lot of great things about San Sebastian but not sure if that'd be a good place in October. It's kind of out of the way too.
France:
-2 or 3 nights on the French Riviera. We aren't really beach loving people. Just want to experience beautiful scenery and lively atmosphere. Nice, Cannes, Marseilles, Provence...so many choices. Where would you suggest?
Italy:
-Want to do Rome/Florence/Siena/Tuscany/Amalfi Coast.
-Train from French Riviera to Florence/Siena? Trying to decide which of those to stay in. Also want about 2 days to explore Tuscany so need to factor that in. Would renting a car for a few days be best for exploring Tuscany?
-Thinking we should do Sorrento/Amalfi Coast next since we will probably fly out of Rome. What is the best way to get from Florence/Siena to Sorrento?
-Thinking 3-4 nights in Rome? A couple of people in our group wouldn't mind skipping Rome but I think we should see it while we're in the vicinity. I know 2-3 full days isn't enough for a lot of people but from our experiences, I think it'd be enough for us.
Thoughts?
Everyone on these forums was so helpful when planning our last vacation so I'd love to hear all of your suggestions! Thank you!
There are 4 adults in our group, including one in a wheelchair. I'd heard numerous warnings about the lack of accessibility in Europe before leaving. We visited the following places:
-Germany (Munich, Bavaria, Rhine/Mosel river)
-Austria (Innsbruck)
-Italy (Verona, Venice, Dolomites, Italian Lakes)
-Switzerland (Bernese Oberland, Lucerne)
-Paris
There were few small obstacles along the way:
-didn't realize we had to call the train station in advance for ramps
-airport being a little confused as to how to handle the wheelchair
-some inaccessible areas with stairs such as Bellagio, Italy
But for the most part, it was actually better than we thought it'd be:
-cobblestones weren't too rough (except for the Rhine/Mosel River area which had extremely thick cobbles)
-sidewalks had nice curbs to cross the street
-buses in Paris/Verona were great
-quite a few handicap public restrooms (water closets!)
We LOVED Italy (and we only did a small portion of it) so want to focus about half of our time there and half in Spain (mixed in with hopefully 2-3 nights on the French Riviera).
Interests: Beautiful scenery/architecture, lively atmosphere, good food, vibrant culture. Not big into visiting every museum/cathedral. Will hit the biggest ones but don't need time to linger all day, etc. On our last vacation, we found that we really enjoy the smaller and more quaint little towns as opposed to the big cities (Paris). Although it's nice to at least visit the big ones for a few days. We enjoy a nice variety and mix of big/small cities.
Spain:
-Want to do Barcelona/Andalusia (Seville based)/maybe Madrid.
-Has anyone flown into Seville from the USA? Seems like that would be a good starting point if we're going to do Seville-Madrid-Barcelona-French Riviera-Florence-Sorrento-Rome?
-Stay in Seville 5-6 nights with day trips to Cordoba, Grenada (seems a bit difficult to get to though), and maybe a few White Hill Towns?
-Train from Seville to Madrid, stop at Toledo for a few hours along the way? Then Madrid for 2 nights? Not huge art people (only museum we visited on last trip was the Louvre) so maybe we could actually skip Madrid? Would it be a crime to skip Madrid?
-Train from Madrid (or Seville if we skip Madrid/Toledo) to Barcelona and stay 3-4 nights?
-Have heard a lot of great things about San Sebastian but not sure if that'd be a good place in October. It's kind of out of the way too.
France:
-2 or 3 nights on the French Riviera. We aren't really beach loving people. Just want to experience beautiful scenery and lively atmosphere. Nice, Cannes, Marseilles, Provence...so many choices. Where would you suggest?
Italy:
-Want to do Rome/Florence/Siena/Tuscany/Amalfi Coast.
-Train from French Riviera to Florence/Siena? Trying to decide which of those to stay in. Also want about 2 days to explore Tuscany so need to factor that in. Would renting a car for a few days be best for exploring Tuscany?
-Thinking we should do Sorrento/Amalfi Coast next since we will probably fly out of Rome. What is the best way to get from Florence/Siena to Sorrento?
-Thinking 3-4 nights in Rome? A couple of people in our group wouldn't mind skipping Rome but I think we should see it while we're in the vicinity. I know 2-3 full days isn't enough for a lot of people but from our experiences, I think it'd be enough for us.
Thoughts?
Everyone on these forums was so helpful when planning our last vacation so I'd love to hear all of your suggestions! Thank you!
Sep 24th, 2014, 12:32 PM
#2
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My initial though is that it could get a little tight once you realize all the options within the areas you have pinpointed. From southern Spain to southern Italy is quite a bit of territory to cover in 3 weeks. You have all the time in the world to refine, so I will just add some responses to your country-specific queries.
Spain
You should be able to get flights to Sevilla with one plane change.
I think Granada is too far for a day trip from Sevilla (~3 hours each way), but I suppose it is "doable."
Train from Mad-Sev and Mad-Toledo are different lines (thus no stopping on the way).
There is an overnight train from Granada to Barcelona if you wish to avoid a flight for this leg.
France
not knowledgeable, but for your overall travels, http://www.rome2rio.com/ is a good resource for planning.
Italy
This is where it starts to get crowded. So many places, so little time, as they say.
I think a lot of research for the accessibility question will be required for this portion, especially the Amalfi Coast.
Take train south from Florence, change in Naples (don't discount flights out of Naples if you end up skipping Rome).
Enjoy the planning!
Spain
You should be able to get flights to Sevilla with one plane change.
I think Granada is too far for a day trip from Sevilla (~3 hours each way), but I suppose it is "doable."
Train from Mad-Sev and Mad-Toledo are different lines (thus no stopping on the way).
There is an overnight train from Granada to Barcelona if you wish to avoid a flight for this leg.
France
not knowledgeable, but for your overall travels, http://www.rome2rio.com/ is a good resource for planning.
Italy
This is where it starts to get crowded. So many places, so little time, as they say.
I think a lot of research for the accessibility question will be required for this portion, especially the Amalfi Coast.
Take train south from Florence, change in Naples (don't discount flights out of Naples if you end up skipping Rome).
Enjoy the planning!
Sep 24th, 2014, 02:12 PM
#3
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We have travelled Italy 17 times now to include all of your proposed destinations multiples times. I suggest a minimum of 18 days for that itinerary.
Your Spain destinations should have another 12 days. This is really a month trip. I would drop the AC unless you plan at least 5 days there---too much hassle for any less time.
Your Spain destinations should have another 12 days. This is really a month trip. I would drop the AC unless you plan at least 5 days there---too much hassle for any less time.
Sep 29th, 2014, 07:08 AM
#7
Siena is really on the top of a small mountain and having pushed a bike around it I'd hate to take a wheel chair. Florence is very doable though. This might limit it you to valley bottom cities like Lucca and Pisa.
I found the white towns a bit of a drag, you might look at Malaga instead
I found the white towns a bit of a drag, you might look at Malaga instead
Sep 29th, 2014, 08:15 AM
#9
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It's a power wheelchair so steepness really isn't a problem. As long as there are no stairs, steep paths aren't an issue.
Can you recommend some beautiful towns to stop in on our drive from Florence to Rome? Have heard about towns such as Civita di Bagnoregio, Orvieto, San Gimignano, Assisi, etc. Which would you suggest? Also would love to hear about any hidden gems!
Can you recommend some beautiful towns to stop in on our drive from Florence to Rome? Have heard about towns such as Civita di Bagnoregio, Orvieto, San Gimignano, Assisi, etc. Which would you suggest? Also would love to hear about any hidden gems!
Sep 30th, 2014, 12:42 AM
#11
"It's a power wheelchair so steepness really isn't a problem. As long as there are no stairs, steep paths aren't an issue. "
Look I don't know your technology but some of these hill towns are pretty steep, yes they may have lifts built in but you will be amazed by some of them.
St Gim is up in the hills but relatively flat.
Cortona is reasonable in the lower part but hard to walk up in the upper town
Potenza is dead flat and has great views
Montepulciano (well the clue is in the name) and pretty
None of these are hidden gems
Monteriggioni is a gem, but only approach it on the road, Mrs Bilbo could not walk up the path side (at all)
Look I don't know your technology but some of these hill towns are pretty steep, yes they may have lifts built in but you will be amazed by some of them.
St Gim is up in the hills but relatively flat.
Cortona is reasonable in the lower part but hard to walk up in the upper town
Potenza is dead flat and has great views
Montepulciano (well the clue is in the name) and pretty
None of these are hidden gems
Monteriggioni is a gem, but only approach it on the road, Mrs Bilbo could not walk up the path side (at all)
