Itinerary review from a overplanner

Old Apr 27th, 2017, 08:39 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 550
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Itinerary review from a overplanner

Good Morning fellow Fodorites,

We are leaving in a month for Capri and the Dordogne area in France. I though I would post my itinerary and see if someone would find something to add or point out.

I am traveling with my husband, our two daughters (4.5 years old and 1.5 years old), my sister, and for part of the trip, 2 friends are joining us.

We traveling for 16 days including airplane travel. Originally I wanted one week in Capri and one week in Dordogne. But one of my friends wanted to stay in Rome, so it became 5 nights in Capri and 2 nights in Rome.

I bought my tickets when British Airway was having a sale. We are flying business class going to Europe and economy coming back. Because of the sale, I forgo the open jaw ticket I would usually buy. Our round trip ticket is Orlando-London-Bordeaux. British airway apparently provides flying cribs that are mounted on the wall. I don't know how I missed this with my firstborn, but I am looking forward to see if it works with my second.

I don't like connecting flights in the US: when I am leaving I want to feel like I have started my journey, settle in for the night in my airplane. Coming back, it is really painful to go through security twice and board yet another flight when you are exhausted from the transatlantic flight.

When I am in Europe I love outdoor pursuits, history, immersing myself in another culture. I don't like shopping.

Day 1: Depart Orlando
Day 2 COTSWOLD
Arrive in London at 9am. Connecting flight to Bordeaux is not until 6 am on Day 3. We have a hotel room at the airport. Renting a car and driving two hours to Bourton-on-the-water. Tea at Smiths.

Day 3: flight at 6am London-Bordeaux. Long wait connection at the airport (6 hours). Taking a taxi: 2 stops: 1) Leaving bags (we will only have carry-ons and backpacks) at the train station lockers in Bordeaux 2) going to the les jardins publics. Merry go round and playground for the children. Lunch at the jardins publics. Taxi back, pick up bags. Fly to Rome at 4pm. In Rome by 6pm. Meet up with our friend at 8pm. Glass of wine and food next to the Il Templio di Adriano.

Day 4: ROME
We are staying at a B&B in Monti. Walking. Seeing fountains. Eating gelato. Wine. Eating somewhere on Via del Governo Vecchio. I googled Rome's most beautiful streets and then looked at them on google maps.

Day 5: CAPRI
Train is at 11am. Plenty of time to go to Roma Termini and take the 1 hr train to Napoli Centrale. Ferry to Capri. Settle in the Villa (found on vbro). The villa is situated 10 min to Capri town, 10min to Marina Piccola. Does anyone know a good grocery store in Capri?
Relax and then around 5pm walk to Piazzetta to eat ice cream. Explore town. Dinner at either Villa Margherita, Ristorante Panorama, or Le Grotelle. I want a place with a view, a space for the kids to play once they are done eating. Any recommendations?

Day 6: CAPRI
Morning boat tour of the island 4 hours. Anyone with experience with a baby on board? do they have a life jacket or should we just bring our own? Should either my husband or I keep the baby at the villa and skip the boat tour? Swim and picnic. Skip the Blue Grotto. (more about that later).
Siesta.

Day 7: CAPRI
Walk via Pizzolungo. Stop at Da Luigi. Relax, swim, eat.

Day 8: CAPRI
Visit ANACAPRI. Taxi to Piazza Vittoria. Chairlift Mont Solaro. Visit Cetrella Hermitage and Villa San Michelle. Walk Via Migliera. Lunch at Da Gelsomina Restaurant.

Day 9: CAPRI:
Villa Lysis, Villa Jovis, Augustus Gardens.
One evening, I would like to bus to the Blue Grotto and swim inside after the tour boats are gone, like the locals do after 5pm.

Day 10: SARLAT Dordogne
Leaving with the first ferry at 5:40 am to catch the 8am train Napoli-Roma Termini, to catch a plane in CIA Rome at 1:20pm to Bordeaux. I rather chance missing our flight in Rome then cut one day in Capri. But I have faith we will make the flight. Right now I have 3 hours to spare at the airport if the train doesn't break down or go on strike. Pick up rental car in Bordeaux, drive to Sarlat, settle in Airbnb in Sarlat by 7 pm.

DAY 11: SARLAT
Tickets to Les Combarelles et Font de Gaume. French is my first language. My husband has his tours in English.
Vist Beynac, Les jardins de Marqueyssac, dinner in Domme.
I bought a book called "the first drawing" to introduce my eldest daughter to the caves drawings.

Day 12: SARLAT
Canoe down la Dordogne. Rentals of canoes in Vitrac at 9:30am. Children less than 5 years old and who cannot swim at least 25 meters cannot go in the canoe, so my husband, my sister and I will play musical chair with the baby. My daughter who is 4 years old is going to be almost five in June and she is a strong swimmer, so she will be coming along.

Dinner at the Presidial in Sarlat

Day 13: SARLAT
Lascaux
Castenaud, jardins Melisandre

DAY 14: SARLAT
Drive to the LOT region ( 1h 30).
Le gouffre de Padirac at 9:45am
Lunch at Rocamadour
Drive to Pech Merle 5pm tour
Dinner in Saint Cirq La Popie

Day 15 leave Sarlat
drive to Saint Emilion (2 hours) Underground tour at 2pm. Wine tasting at 4pm. Buy wine and ship it to friends.
drive to Bordeaux airport (40min). Hotel next to Bordeaux airport.

Day 16:
flight back Bordeaux-London-Orlando.

Any comments, critics, observations are most welcome.

Happy travels,

J.
ToujoursVoyager is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 08:47 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,549
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
I haven't read the full itinerary -- but your arrival day is not great IMO/IME. In fact it is pretty awful.

Can't you find a nice place for tea w/o driving 4+ hours R-T all the way to B-o-t-W? (BTW - It will likely take 2.5+ hours for the drive)

Like in Windsor which is only 7 miles from LHR. Even flying Business Class, some or all of you will be jet lagged and 5 hours in the car is long and dangerous.
janisj is online now  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 09:05 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
There are no english-language tours to Les Combarelles. They are always at 10 am and are always in French. Do you actually have reservations for a tour of Font-de-Gaume? They were sold out for the season at the end of January this year.

St-Emilion is a complete waste of time, huge tourist over-priced,over-hyped place. Do not waste your time. Buying wine there and shipping it home is about the stupidest, touristy thing you could do. Beyond stupid and beyond overpriced.

Your arrival day is a dreadful disaster.
StCirq is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 09:31 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 6,134
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I have to agree that your first day is awful. Not sure it's even logistically possible. Your flight ( if on time ) lands at 9:00 you will need to get through passport control etc. pick up rental which may as much as 3 hours. Bourbon- on- the - Water may be my least favorite place in Cotswold but that's a personal opinion. It really makes no sense to drive all that way just for tea at Smith's. It's certainly not worth that much hassle and after your flight, I guarantee that some will be tired. Young children can especially be affected with changes in their schedules.

You have some very early departure times, but I assume you're aware of that, You should note that traveling with that many people things just takes a lot more time than traveling by yourself or with another person. With 2 small children, it'lll be even more time consuming. There are several activities which seem overly long for small children. The wine tasting is not exactly child friendly, and I agree with St. Cirq about shipping wine home. It's neither practical or economical.
historytraveler is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 09:34 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 17,949
Received 22 Likes on 4 Posts
Please rethink your arrival day, especially with children who have been sitting in an airplane for a long time already. You will all be jet lagged. Bad idea.
HappyTrvlr is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 10:29 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I understand that you want to plan your time so you can use it wisely. However, I agree with all the above suggestions. While I haven't been to France, I have traveled with children before. Being an experienced mother, remember the times when you took a car trip with the children and stopped for a meal. It always takes longer than you expect! Make sure your carry ons have clean clothes for the kids. You know an accident or a spill will happen. Those small cots for the kids are great, I hope your little one sleeps well in them. Regarding the swimming, since you seem to be a Florida resident, I have no doubt that your 4.5 yo is a good swimmer. However, 25 meters swimming is a long way. I would counsel to bring life vests for both children so you know there is a safe secure fit. Try to relax and enjoy the trip without rushing. Day 7 looked like heaven to me! Enjoy your trip!
StacyB is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 10:58 AM
  #7  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 550
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hello,

My plans are always flexible. If everyone is too tired on arrival day, then we are sleeping in the hotel in Gatwick. I have asked and been granted a early check in.

If we were flying economy coming in, I would not even consider it. But we are flying business class for +8 hours. The children would have been sleeping in beds. Chances are we would have gotten some good sleep. We travel frequently (every 3-4 months), they have never cried on a airplane. They actually love it.

The purpose of driving of the Cotswold is not to have tea. The purpose is to see briefly this region even if for 4 hours. Since we have to eat, I thought it would be fun to have tea, especially for my 4 years old. It gives structure to the day. I read the trip reports of Cotswold posted here, and I looked at pictures. Bourton-on-the water, Bibury, Upper and Lower Slaughter seems to picturesque. I agree it is a long drive for the day. If we end up doing it, I will let you know how it was.

St Emilion is my friend's must do. She was there 15 years ago with her parents and it was one of her most memorable evenings. She wants to revisit it. It is our last day (check out is a 11am), and instead of spending the afternoon in Bordeaux, we would be in St Emilion instead. For the wine tasting, I booked the Cordeliers tour that welcomes children. They serve grape fruit juice to the little ones.

If shipping wine from St Emilion is "beyond stupid", is Sarlat a better place to do it from? I am not shipping it to our house but to an family friend that loves French red wines. Receiving a package from France would make her feel like it was Christmas day.

As far as the caves: yes, you are correct there are no English tours for les Combarelles. I offered to translate for my husband but he said he would be ok with just Le Font de Gaume, Lascaux and Pech Merle. We have tickets for everything. I emailed the office on the 3rd of January and I called them to pay. It is rather an arcane way of doing this compare to Lascaux et Pech Merle. But I think it will be spectacular.

We do have some early departures don't we? In the end I am only responsible for making sure that my children and I are on the right train and ferry. I am confident I can manage that since I have traveled alone with them before (in Greece and France). I emailed the itinerary to the other people. My children are up at 6am anyway and as long as I have coffee I am good to go. Maybe it is because of my schedule as a ER doc that makes me resistant to sleep deprivation. No, now I think about it, it is because I am a mom ...

Best,

J.
ToujoursVoyager is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 11:03 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,321
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
What type of advice are you looking for? You appear to have disregarded all thoughts above and have reasons for all of your plans. Are you looking for something specific we can help with?
jamikins is online now  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 11:07 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 24,817
Received 4 Likes on 3 Posts
Day 10 sounds like torture.

What happens if the 5:40a ferry is cancelled? Could you fly out of Naples rather than schlep all the way to Ciampino? Could you afford a driver from the Naples ferry to Ciampino?
Jean is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 11:10 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,549
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
>>My plans are always flexible. If everyone is too tired on arrival day, then we are sleeping in the hotel in Gatwick. I have asked and been granted a early check in. > thought it would be fun to have tea, especially for my 4 years old.
janisj is online now  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 11:31 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
St-Emilion is a complete waste of anyone's time and money. It is a showplace for selfie-taking tourists and bistrots that charge 32 € for a thimbleful of local wine. A complete Disney wine-shop farce. Shipping wine from there to anywhere is a, well, a complete tourist rip-off.

If your friend was there15 years ago, she has NO clue what it's like now.

You can't get in to Font-de-Gaume now unless you already have tickets. Maybe you do. Trust me. I live 4 kms it and know the owners.
StCirq is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 11:59 AM
  #12  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 550
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
To answer a few responses:

It is always good to have someone else see your itinerary but in the end it is up to you to take the advice. I do value the advice given. And I appreciate comments especially when an alternative is given. I will look at the Hever Castle. Anything else closer to Gatwick that we could check out? You are right I don't want to be stuck in traffic for 5 hours.

I am still wondering if anybody knows a supermarket near Capri town. Also if anyone has done a boat tour with a baby? Do they have life jackets? Any nice restaurants where the children can play not far from the tables?

The 5:40am is early I agree but I have done things like that in the past. (Getting up early in Bruges to catch a plane in Paris. Or catching the first train from Manarola to go to Mürren). It has worked well. The plane ticket to Bordeaux was relatively inexpensive and if we miss the plane from Rome to Bordeaux it is not the end of the world to me. I did look at the flight out of Naples. It arrives really late like 10pm or so. We went back and forth about with plane to take. I guess it is not too late to change that. Getting a driver from Naples to CIA could be done.

St Cirq: like I mentioned, I have tickets to all the caves already.

Best,

J.
ToujoursVoyager is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 12:22 PM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 97,137
Received 12 Likes on 11 Posts
You are going to Rome for only 1 day?
suze is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 12:23 PM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 97,137
Received 12 Likes on 11 Posts
But staying on Capri for 5 days?
suze is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 12:35 PM
  #15  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 550
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I have now very low expectations of St Émilion. Anyone likes the town? If I am successful in convincing my friend not to go there, where you recommend for us to go? We check out at 11am in Sarlat and we have to drive in the direction of Bordeaux.
ToujoursVoyager is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 12:44 PM
  #16  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 550
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I appreciate your advice stacyB. Absolutely the 4 years old will have a life jacket. I probably will have my hands around her waist the whole time and make my husband paddle

I have been to Rome 5 times before and I didn't really want to stop there again even though I love the city. Rome is just a meeting point for my friend. She will be there before me (she is spending 3 nights) we are only spending 2 nights. Beyond walking around, I did not plan anything. There are a few Rome treasure hunt tours for children which my 4 years might enjoy. Or a Rome food bicycle tour- but while I loved my bicycle tour in a Munich and Salzurb, it was awful in Prague where there were just too many people in the streets. Anyone was done a bicycle tour in Rome?
ToujoursVoyager is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 12:50 PM
  #17  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 550
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
And St Cirq I do trust you and I know that you live close by. I read all your trip reports
ToujoursVoyager is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 01:23 PM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 7,919
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I've never done a bicycle tour in Rome, but I've run across some when I've been there. You're right, the streets are usually too congested for bikes, and most people are either walking the bikes or risking pedestrian mayhem.

Little kids usually love the fountains of Rome; I know my granddaughter did. You might look for a suggested self-guided fountain walk. I would get the four-year-old a little camera. I love looking at the crooked photos of fountains that my granddaughter took when she was three. Stay away from Trevi Fountain, which is usually twenty-deep in tourists, and concentrate of some of the lesser-known fountains, like the "turtle fountain". The kids don't care whether the fountain is famous or not.
bvlenci is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 01:50 PM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,849
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I would doubt very much that any boat rental agency would supply baby life jackets. Of course my information is long out of date, and a quick look on line showed that vests that support an infant's head and float them in a position in which they can breathe are available. Here is a link to one; http://www.overtons.com/modperl/prod...7LMaAtya8P8HAQ

Your four year old should have no trouble being fitted. I cruised the inland waterways of France and the Med with twin four year old girls for a few years, and had no problems.

Well, now that I think of it, one girl fell into the Canal de Burgogne when she assumed she could walk on water, trying to see a parrot living on another boat. The same girl also fell off the quai in Gruz. A heroic Yugoslav dove in fully clothed to pull her out, then walked off before my wife could thank him.

Our absolutely unbreakable policy of "Always have a life jacket on when on deck!" paid off, as both times the kid was none the worse off.

BTW, having traveled with young children, I think your schedule is absolute madness, as well. You are not going to be loved by the other members of your party the many times kid meltdowns or illness throw your overly tight schedule out of kilter.

Best of luck and I hope you have a wonderful time. Please do a trip report and prove us all wrong.
nukesafe is offline  
Old Apr 27th, 2017, 01:56 PM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 17,949
Received 22 Likes on 4 Posts
Your villa rental agent should be able to tell you locations of grocers. We saw small ones while walking around Capri.
HappyTrvlr 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 -