Astha

Hi

Me and 2 other friends have finally figured out an itinerary for our first trip to Europe during June 2015 (We will be going in the first half).

Just to give some idea, we are 3 travellers who are in their 20's, love adventure sports,water,sightseeing, meeting locals and very fascinated with history

The following is what we decided-
5 nights at Paris (this includes versailles and disneyland)
3 nights at Florence(this includes a day trip to chianti for wine, also we are taking a morning flight out of paris to reach florence early, rest and start the day)
4 nights at Rome( have a morning train from Florence to Rome, will keep the first day light)
3 nights at Amalfi coast( have a morning train from Rome to Naples and then keeping the base as Sorrento to see the Amalfi coast one day and Capri the other)

Please help me with the following-
1. Are the number of days enough for each destination?
2. Just to get some idea, there is one friend who thinks Spain would be better, in terms of being more apt for young travellers. What do you think?
3. Any tips for the above mentioned destinations?

Thanks for the help!

nytraveler

Well for 20 year olds in Paris I cannot imagine wasting a day in a poor imitation Disney rather than in a real Paris with all the incredible history you'll find just walking down any street - never mind all of the specific historic sight - even excluding the museums (but there is no way I would miss the Cluny museum of middle ages and incredible unicorn tapestry.

Be sure to give yourself time in the late afternoon to sit in a cafe at a populous corner with a glass of wine just to watch the very fascinating world go by.

As for water - just be aware that beaches around the Amalfi coast tend to be pebbles or even rock rather than sand, are in the center of the towns and VERY tame. I would get a hotel with a good pool and check opportunities for water sports before deciding where to stay.

bilboburgler

(Me) sic!

Hi Astha, welcome to Fodors.
1) good to see you counting nights. It is a bit tight but it sort of works
2) If your friend wants to spend his nights dancing, covered in foam and watching soft porn performances he might do better in Ibiza (seriously party island), other than that you might also look at Croatia for a party scene though June could be a bit early
3) Check out thorntree web site for a younger person's view.
4) I suspect sports or water may miss out on the trip you recommend.

I would check if Paris still has the roller skating rallies, yes it does http://pari-roller.com/
Florence will be a bit too laid back for such excitement, but art, it has.
I might also look at Amsterdam.

annhig

Hi Astha,

when planning a trip anywhere, it's important to factor in the time it takes to get from one place to another, book into your hotel, orient yourself, etc. as a rule of thumb you can reckon on this taking at least ½ a day. if you factor this into your itinerary, you get this:

Day 1 - arrive Paris. stay 5 nights (this includes versailles and disneyland)
Day 6 - fly to Florence, stay 3 nights. 3 nights at Florence (this includes a day trip to chianti
Day 9 - train to Rome, stay 4 nights ( morning train, will keep the first day light)
Day 13 - train to Naples thence to Sorrento, stay 3 nights to see the Amalfi coast one day and Capri the other
Day 16 - Fly home from...?

so your 5 nights in Paris works out as 4 ½ days on the first of which you may have jetlag and on 2 other days you want to spend on day trips, leaving only 2 days for the whole of Paris!

similarly in Florence, you'll have 2 ½ days and one of those will be a day trip, and in Sorrento, both your days are going to be day trips.

Also your trip is pretty light on adventure and/or sports, though there is plenty of history.

Perhaps Spain might be a better fit for your interests - but you need to do some thinking about what you really want to spend your valuable time doing, and then some research on where best to do it.

bilboburgler

NYT is pretty right

http://inlineskating.about.com/od/wh...ari_roller.htm

Astha

Hello,

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, we have factored time and have considered 1/2 day to be utilized in traveling

We considered Paris and Italy for the ease in travel (train travel is convenient in Italy).Would love to do Belgium and Amsterdam sometime else for sure

We are fascinated with history and culture but are trying to find some activities, hence looking at Amalfi for snorkeling, beaches, grottos, thermal springs.

sandralist

I think your trip is doable, but the way you describe yourselves -- as loving adventure-sports and water and meeting locals -- I don't see where this trip gives you a lot of that. Would you like more of that?

Also, is there any particular period of history that interests all of you? Which adventure sports are the favorites of your group?

I can see where your friend is coming from in suggesting Spain -- and that is not just limited to "party islands" like Ibizia. Most cities in Spain have a stronger nightlife scene for young people, at favorable prices, than places like Capri in June. What is harder to get in Spain is the density of great sights of history. But Rome is wonderful for young people. If you can afford one more cheap flight, maybe a trip that was Paris-Rome+Napoli- Barcelona (or Madrid+Toledo) would be fun

I spend most of my time in museums when I travel but I've little interest in tapestries and the Cluny museum is not one of my favorites, so you will always get people tell you "see this! Not that!" but you should decide for yourselves. Maybe the unicorn tapestry appeals to you. Maybe not. Lots of worthy choices.

annhig

We are fascinated with history and culture but are trying to find some activities, hence looking at Amalfi for snorkeling, beaches, grottos, thermal springs.>>

but where is the time for that in your itinerary, Astha? one day on the Amalfi? and you've got to get there first.

if these really are your interests, why not do a bit of work on google to see where you could do more of them, and then work your itinerary around that?

sandralist

Think about going snorkeling and visiting thermal areas in Napoli, and skip Capri. In Napoli, you can snorkel amid underwater ancient ruins, so you can get your history at the same time!

http://www.seenapolisea.it/underwaterarcheology.php

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio..._Campania.html

Naples is also a place where you will meet locals, not just fellow tourists and tourists in the tourist industry. Plus its cheap with great food (and not just pizza). Plenty of history and culture in the city as well as easy trip to Pompei.

Astha

@ all-Thanks for the reply

Thanks Sandralist, this looks amazing!

Christina

I think you will be fine in any place, but I agree that Spain is pretty lively at night, it has nothign to do with Ibiza (as if that were the only thing in Spain) or porn. Barcelona, Seville, Madrid are all great.

With big cities like that, I don't think you need to worry about finding enough to do for young people. My only caveat is Florence as I don't know much about it in that regard, but you have reasons for being there and it's only a couple days, regardless. I presume you want to see the art. I saw some article about so-called nightlife in Florence and it just talked about "clubs", and most were not right in Florence, but on the outer edges. IN Spain, such as Sevilla, nightlife is broader and more in the open, just walking around, hanging out in tapas bars, many of which open onto the street, etc.

Man_in_seat_61

Don't forget you can also go from Paris' historic Gare de Lyon to Turin or Milan by 186mph TGV high-speed train from €29 booked at www.capitainetrain.com - a high-speed dash then a slow meander through the Alps.

A chill-out trip, power sockets at all seats and a cafe-bar on board, or feel free to take your own picnic, beer or wine.

Paris-Turin only takes 5h37 city centre to city centre with no check-in to add.

Then go Turin or Milan to Florence SMN by high-speed train from €19 booked at www.trenitalia.com

Turin to Florence only takes 2h45 at up to 186 mph.