louannmorton

We are travelling to Aix-en-Provence via Paris with nine days to tour before departing from Paris to the States. Can someone assist us getting the most from our time in Europe. The trip must include Rome and the Alps. We will be travelling in mid May 2016. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!

isabel

If you arrive and depart Paris and have a total of nine days and want to see Paris, Rome and the Alps then why are you going to Aix? Wonderful city, great region but that would take a few days itself. I don't think you have time for all of it. With nine days you could just barely do Paris, Rome and one other place (either the Alps or Provence but not both). Even at that it will be a very fast pace and you will be spending a large portion of your time in travel rather than 'being' anywhere.

Also, do you plan to do this by car or public transportation?

KTtravel

If you have only 9 days, Paris and Aix-en-Provence make a lovely trip. I don't think you have time to add Rome and the Alps.

StCirq

Nine days for all that is really going to be pushing it. And why are you flying RT to Paris, forcing yourselves to backtrack a considerable distance at considerable expense? Sounds like a perfect open-jaw trip, but you do need to cut it back to, ideally, two destinations.

PalenQ

Maximum like you want

Aix to Rome - fly or all day on a train

Rome

Rome to Switzerland by train or fly - the Jungfrau Region near Interlaken is about half way between Rome and Paris and to me the absolute best place for those wanting to see the grandeur of the Alps

Interlaken to Paris by train

you won't have more than a few days in each place however.

for lots of info on trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. You are not traveling enough on trains to consider any railpass.

louannmorton

My son is on a study abroad in Aix which is why we have to travel through there. We want to see as much as possible in the limited time we have.

janisj

Please clarify - are you flying into Paris, traveling to Aix, then want to see Rome, the Swiss Alps and back to Paris . . . ALL in nine days?

If so - ain't going to happen.

louannmorton

We will be using public transportation, most likely train/plane. Whichever is the most economical. If Rome/Alps aren't possible. What is a good tour route to see from Aix back to Paris?

StCirq

Nothing about a trip like this is going to be economical. You simply have far too many destination wishes for the small amount of time you've allotted. And you haven't begun to factor in the travel times between places. If a main thrust of the trip is to visit your son in Aix, visit Paris for at least a couple of days, take the train to Aix, rent a car and visit Provence for a few days, then go back to Paris. Save everything else for some other time when you can actually see and enjoy things.

justineparis

I know I know.. many people do not seem to get enough vacation time( but I thought everyone gets at least two weeks a year??) but is there anyway you can swing a longer visit.. its worth it for the distance and cost of flight to Europe. Think about that.. at least 8 -9 hours of plane time.. and a few thousand dollars.. make it worth it.

With 14 days you could visit Paris for 3 days, then to Aix for 2-3 days, then to Rome for 3 days, then return to Paris via the Alps.. 3 days.. that leaves the two extra days absorbed as travel time( arrival day and departure day)
Whirlwind visits.. places like Rome and Paris easily deserve more time.. but at least you could hit some highlights.

With 9 days.. 3 places tops, because travel itself takes time..

Paris,, arrive in morning ( most flights do ).. spend day, and next day, then next day train to Aix, then 2-3 days with son, then perhaps return to Paris with a stop in Tours to visit the Loire Valley..

Now.. if you are able then another good idea is to book an open jaw flight.. arrive in Paris.. proceed to Aix, then Rome.. then fly home from Rome.. those flights save on backtracking and are usually no more expensive then the price you pay for the backtracking.

louannmorton

We visited Paris a year ago, so no need to tour around there. The plane flight has been booked in and out of Paris. The trip is to bring my son home from his study abroad, and no, not everyone gets two weeks of vacation.

Sounds like we will only have time to tour around France..Nice, Marseilles, and Monte Carlo.

michele_d

There is so very much to see in France I would also recommend limiting your trip to just this country. We spent over a month in France on our first trip and just barely scratched the surface.

StCirq

I would ditch Monte Carlo in a heartbeat on such a fly-by trip.

Whathello

Then you have 'only' the whirlwind option.
Nice Venice Rome Firenze would be my choices (not necessarily all of them). No chance to change your flight and have a multi city ?
I would exclude the alps if you don't have a car.
On a footnote I am happy to be an European. Trump thinks I live in a hellhole but we have at least 25 days to spend our holidays.

PalenQ

less can indeed be more!

michele_d

'less can indeed be more'

That is indeed correct!

PalenQ

I would ditch Monte Carlo in a heartbeat on such a fly-by trip>

Yes on a brief encounter you can only really see Nice if just a day - IMO Cote d'Azur gems are well out of Nice (though Nice est nice!) for a big city but it's the hill towns like St Paul-de-Vence; Vence; Biot, etc that are also charmers and Grasse a neat regional town and Antibes and Cannes and yes Monaco would be far down my list unless collecting 'countries' of which it is not but a Principality that exists at the whim of the French State.