Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Europe
Reload this Page >

Help scheduling/planning trip/travel (Seville, Italy, South of France)

Help scheduling/planning trip/travel (Seville, Italy, South of France)

Old Dec 12th, 2016, 10:04 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Help scheduling/planning trip/travel (Seville, Italy, South of France)

Sorry in advance for the very lengthy post! We are planning to take a European vacation in late June/early July 2017. My husband's parents have invited us to join them for a couple of days at a rented house in Seville, Spain. We can not take anymore than 2 weeks off (i.e. red-eye 06/30 and return 07/15).

We plan to try and start a family the following year, so we are trying to incorporate other bucket-list European destinations into our itinerary before kids are in the picture.

We definitely want to visit Rome and the Amalfi Coast (Sorrento, Positano, Capri). Other Northern areas of Italy (i.e. Cinque Terre, Florence, Venice), the South of France, and Switzerland are desirable as well if doable. While we are fine with hopping around a bit (again, no kids yet and in our late 20s), we don't want a completely chaotic trip. We want to get a feel for the culture, rather than hit every single tourist attraction (with the exception of Rome). Open markets, charm/ambiance, and local restaurants are more appealing to us.

The primary question is how should we arrange our travel, and what is the most we should plan for within our time frame? I realize this is a loaded question. Since trans-Atlantic flights are most economical when booking round trip from the same airport, we want to arrange our itinerary this way. We also want to start our trip in Seville, since we can adjust to the time zone when we visit with family. We want have a reasonably short journey from the airport we fly into, to Seville. But also, somewhere that is convenient to return to for our journey home.

I am unfamiliar with the rail system, as much as I have tried studying it. I can't determine if that is our best bet, or if we should investigate cheap flights through Ryan Air. I don't know how customs, etc. works within Europe, and whether a train would be faster in some cases vs. a flight once security, boarding time, and customs are factored in.

My guess now is to fly into Spain (Madrid, Barcelona?) then take the train or another flight to Seville. From our visit in Seville, we would then fly directly to Rome? But I am not sure what to do from that point on, or if that is even the best option!

I am completely foreign to European travel. While I have been before, it was with an organized tour, or just London, which is easily navigable and in the same language! Any help would be greatly appreciated.
ualauren is offline  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 10:16 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I am unfamiliar with the rail system, as much as I have tried studying it.>

Some neat sites to learn about it - www.seat61.com -great info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

For long train rides consider overnight trains or flying - www.whichbudget.com and www.skyscanner.net clue you in on flights.

Switzerland and Italy are best done by train- superb trains and even over to southern France but fly from say Marseilles or Nice to Seville or near it.
PalenQ is offline  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 10:31 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 16,392
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You have 13 days/14 nights to work with. How many nights in Seville?????

There is no possible way you can visit all the places you listed in 10 or so days (assuming you spend 3-4 nights in Seville). Travel between 4 different countries and then returning to Seville for your flight home (not necessary - investigate "open jaw" flights) is difficult and extremely time consuming.

You could spend your entire vacation in Spain - Seville, Madrid, Grenada, and Barcelona and have a wonderful but fast-paces trip.

Or you could spend 4 nights in Seville. Then take the 8:50 train to Barcelona that arrives at 2:45 and spend 4 nights in Barcelona. Then fast TGV train (departures at 9:25 and 1:20 - 3 1/2 hr trip) to Nimes for 4 nights in Provence - with a car. Then drive to Nice & spend 2 nights there & fly home from Nice. Check flights from your home airport to Madrid (train to Seville) and home from Nice.

But South of France, Rome, Amalfi Coast, Capri, Cinque Terre, Florence, Venice, Switzerland in 10 days is impossible.

Stu Dudley
StuDudley is online now  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 10:38 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,609
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
When you factor in the time and money involved in returning to your entry airport, it is seldom true that it is more expensive to book a multicity itinerary.

For flights to and within Europe try skscanner, itasoftware, kayak, Hipmunk.

It is often quicker to take a train as the stations are in the city center and you don' t have to deal,with security (no passport control or customs once you have entered Europe). Spend some time reading all the excellent info on seat61.com.

For newbies to Europe I recommend getting a copy of "Europe Through the Back Door" and/or "Rough Guide to First Time Europe".

I'm afraid your wish list is unrealistic. You need to sit down with a blank calendar and plot things out day by day, allowing for transit time and bearing in mind that one full day somewhere requires two nights. You might manage something like this:

Fly into Seville - train to Madrid - fly to Naples - Capri plus Amalfi coast - train to Rome - fly home from Rome.
thursdaysd is offline  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 10:44 AM
  #5  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks for your advice. We realize all the places listed are not doable. I mostly provided them as a list to pick and choose from, based on the most sensible itinerary. We aren't terribly interested in Spain, despite hearing the positive commentary from people we talk to. We mostly intend to visit Seville because of family. However, our primary additional destinations are Rome and the Amalfi Coast.

Southern France would be great as well, if possible. We realize Switzerland is far-fetched, but seeing its close proximity to Italy, we thought one southern locale could have been doable. Probably not, though.

We would probably only stay 2 nights in Seville (arrive mid-day evening on day 1, have 1 full day with family), and then leave the next day. Hopefully this helps clarify and narrow down our goals.
ualauren is offline  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 11:05 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You have 13 days on the ground. That is probably enough to pick 3 destinations. Then youhave to subtract the travel time from one pplce to another, which can eat up anywhere from 1/2 a day to a whole day. Then you have to subtract the time you'll spend in Sevilla. So realistically not much more than a week, and even that will be rushing it for 3 destinations.

Forget Switzerland. Choose between the "South of France"(where exactly? it's huge) and the Amalfi Coast plus Rome, and fly home from the furthest destination.

Every European country has its own national railway. Familiarize yourself with them on www.seat61.com. But in your case, it would probably be best to fly on cheap European airlines (they have STRICT baggage limits). If you do take trains, read up about getting the cheapest fares - usually about 3 months in advance, varies by country.

Do NOT purchase RT tickets. It may "look" economical, but it's not when you figure in the time and expense of getting back to the airport you land in. Purchase open-jaw (multi-city) tickets.
StCirq is offline  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 11:22 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Southern France would be great as well, if possible. We realize Switzerland is far-fetched, but seeing its close proximity to Italy, we thought one southern locale could have been doable. Probably not, though.>

about 10-12 days all told minus Seville you probably do not have much time for Switzerland or southern France unless flying to one of them from Rome. and yes book train tickets ASAP - when they come on the system- www.trenitalia.com for Italy- www.seat61.com is the site for low down on intricacies of discounted ticketing - not always a piece of cake though easier now than before I guess for Italy.

You will take a train to/from Rome from the Amalfi either from Salerno and Sorrento (change at Naples here)- see which is quickest and cheapest.
PalenQ is offline  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 11:22 AM
  #8  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you for your input. I do see an open jaw that flies into Barcelona and leaves from Rome ($1766 pp/rt). The flight to Barcelona leaves San Diego on 6/30 & arrives 7:15am on 7/1. Flight home departs Rome at 11:05am on 7/15, and arrives to San Diego around 8pm on 7/15.

I think if we were to visit Seville, Rome, and the Amalfi Coast that would be satisfactory. That leaves our journey from Barcelona to Seville, and then Seville to Italy. Thoughts/suggestions?

To answer where in the South of France - I don't know where yet exactly, although it looks as though that may be too ambitious. Some areas that looked interesting are Monaco, Cannes, etc. However, other suggestions are appreciated if doable. Again, places with charm and good ambiance, and ideally seaside (shops, food, wine, culture) - not large dirty cities (like what I hear about Marseilles).

Thank you for all the advice thus far!
ualauren is offline  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 11:50 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 56
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You will have many more options and save significantly if you fly out of LAX instead of San Diego. I did a quick search on Google Flights for your dates but flying LAX to Madrid, and then Rome back to LAX. There were many options for $1400 or less, which means as a couple you'd save over $800.

We took the hi-speed train from Madrid to Seville. I would NOT suggest trying to do this on the same day you arrive in Madrid if you investigate this route. Train tickets are cheaper in advance but planes can be (and often are) late. So fly into Madrid, spend 2 days there, take a train early the 3rd morning to Seville. The closest airport to the Amalfi coast is in Naples, so fly there and take the local train down to Sorrento. A few days in Amalfi, then train up to Rome.
miket123 is offline  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 11:50 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 16,392
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Barcelona is one of our favorite cities in Europe - and so is Seville.

After a long flight from the US west coast (we're from San Francisco), I would not welcome a taxi ride to the Barcelona Sants station to catch the 11:00 train to Seville that arrives 5 1/2 hrs later at 4:30 - with one train change in Madrid. I would spend at least couple of nights in Barcelona to recover from jet lag & get oriented, and then catch the 8:30am train that arrives at 2:02 with no train changes.

So:
Barcelona 2-3 nights
Seville 2-3 nights
Positano/Amalfi coast 4-5 nights
Rome for your remaining days & fly home from Rome.

Stu Dudley
StuDudley is online now  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 11:51 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,609
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Where are you looking for airfares? Did you try the sites I listed?

I see flights on American for your dates from San Diego to Seville with two changes and Rome to San Diego with one change for about the same price. Arrival in Seville at 10:05 am on July 1st.

You don't want to buy tickets to Barcelona, any flight connection you buy in addition to the long haul flights won't be protected and the train takes a minimum of six hours to Seville. Madrid would be better, but again, you want all flights on the same ticket.

Also consider flying back on the Sunday instead of the Saturday, it will give you an extra day in Europe.
thursdaysd is offline  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 12:40 PM
  #12  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Sorry if I missed the websites for airfare! I see them now and will investigate further. I was entering dates into this website https://matrix.itasoftware.com/

Ideally, we would like to fly direct to Seville, so we can maximize our non-Spain travel days. We will definitely consider LAX as our home airport base! We will want to arrive back on Saturday though, so we can have all Sunday to unpack and rest before work starts back up the following Monday.

I will do a bit more investigating and research and be back with more questions! Thank you so much for the input so far - it is incredibly helpful!
ualauren is offline  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 12:58 PM
  #13  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
@thursdaysd where did you see the flight to Seville from San Diego, that lands at 10:05am on 07/01? I can't seem to find it! Thank you!
ualauren is offline  
Old Dec 12th, 2016, 01:22 PM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,609
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
kayak.com

The flights were on American so you should find them on aa.com as well.
thursdaysd is offline  
Old Dec 13th, 2016, 09:22 AM
  #15  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi again all - Ok, I believe i have found a flight. Arrives at Seville @ 10:05 on 07/01, and departs Rome on 7/15 @ 11:05am.

So, I am looking at 13 full days - though this needs to include inter-city travel aside from to/from Europe.

I am narrowing down options to Seville, Amalfi Coast, and Rome. Is there a chance I could fit in another destination and not feel the crunch? If so where would be the best bet?
ualauren is offline  
Old Dec 13th, 2016, 10:04 AM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
And your 13 days includes the couple of days in Seville, too, right?

How do you plan to get from Spain to Italy?
StCirq is offline  
Old Dec 13th, 2016, 10:32 AM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,609
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
I suggested upthread taking the train to Madrid for a couple of days and flying from there to Naples - direct flights on Iberia. There is a non-stop flight from Seville to Naples July 5th on Ryanair, but it leaves late.
thursdaysd is offline  
Old Dec 13th, 2016, 10:37 AM
  #18  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I worry that is backtracking though if we go back to Madrid since we fly in there?

The plan was to fly from Seville to Naples, spend some time on the Amalfi Coast, and then train up to Rome.

However, I am now wondering if it is feasible to fly from Seville to Florence, and do a day in Florence and a day in Cinqueterre. Then go from there to Naples, and then Naples to end in Rome.

I realize this is choppy, but we likely won't be back to Europe for a decade or so after this trip and want to make it count!
ualauren is offline  
Old Dec 13th, 2016, 10:39 AM
  #19  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I also fear that I have romanticized the Amalfi Coast...concerned it will live up to my expectations. Perhaps it makes more sense to do a Seville, South France, Northern Italy, end in Rome plan?
ualauren is offline  
Old Dec 13th, 2016, 10:42 AM
  #20  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Also, our dates have now shifted slightly - now only 7/1-7/15.

Can't take the extra full day off on 6/30. So we are at 12 FULL days - arrive 10:05am to Seville on 7/2, an depart (likely Rome) on 7/15.

We would intend to only have 2 nights there (arrive 7/2, depart 7/4)
ualauren is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -