CassieC

Hello! So me and my boyfriend are planning a trip to Europe, and we want to be sure we don't make the big mistake of spending too little time or too much time in one place. We do not have a set itinerary, but our travel dates will be September 25-November 4.

We hope to visit UK (really interested in the Stonehenge), France (Paris, maybe other interesting areas, wine tours...), Spain (not too sure on this one, willing to cut it out if necessary), Italy (Rome, Amalfi Coast, Venice), Ireland (castles). We hope to spend the most time in Italy.

We plan to travel by night trains, if possible - still trying to figure out best way to travel between locations. I would appreciate any insight on how much time to spend in each location, or any recommendations on either of these countries. Thank you in advance for your knowledge.

ribeirasacra

First question are you still wanting to see something of Halloween? You have not responded to the answers so the question is still up in the air.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-europe.cfm

michele_d

First off, you have to get some guidebooks and see what interests you.

Think seriously about flying open-jaw: into say Dublin and out of Rome.

Maybe something like this would work:
Ireland 1 week (drive from Dublin to Shannon)
Fly Shannon to London
UK 1 week (London and Cotswolds, Stonehenge)
France 1 week (Paris and maybe Dordogne)
Venice 3 days
Tuscany 4 days
Amalfi Coast 3 days
Rome 4/5 days

This is a mix of city and countryside. No need for cars in the cities. Will probably want to rent a car occasionally for countryside touring.

Remember, every time you move locations you will lose 1/2 day. Night trains are good idea.

Also, check out low cost intra-European airlines although it is getting really close to your dates for low prices.

CassieC

@ribeirasacra Thanks, we are leaning more towards Ireland, and although we plan to fly into the UK from the U.S., it's essentially cheaper to fly back home from Ireland. Halloween would be the last leg of the trip so price was the major indicator. I can see Halloween is not celebrated as much in Europe as it is in U.S..

thursdaysd

Any special reason you're going to Ireland for castles rather than Wales? Especially if you're flying into England.

For loads of info on trains in Europe see seat61.com

janisj

>>Any special reason you're going to Ireland for castles rather than Wales?<< or Scotland??

Sure there are a lot of castles in Ireland - but there are generally more/larger/better examples in Wales/Scotland/England.

CassieC

Castles are first thing that came to mind. I will surely look into Wales.

yodababe

I agree with janisj, there are certainly a lot of picturesque ruins (and castles still in good shape too) in Scotland. If you are up there around Halloween, you might want to consider dropping down to Sheffield (England) on the night of. They have what they call the biggest celebration in Britain, I personally love the college students they recruit to play mummies and zombies and vampires and such--they hang out in the window displays of shops that are closed for the evening and put on a real show for the GP. There are other performances for the public too, and lots and lots of people dress up. It is def worth a visit and the trains run every few hours to Sheffield from Scotland.

As you firm up your plans, remember that towards the end of the trip, your days will be shorter up north--don't plan more activities than you have daylight for (I'm thinking sightseeing around castles and historical sights and such), and be prepared for some lovely rain!

jersey_bailey

As michele_d said you need to get one travel guide, discuss with your boyfriend and then sort out which places to visit first. September is an exciting time to explore Europe attractions especially Paris sights. Don't forget to visit the iconic Eiffel Tower when you visit Paris.