Trip to Italy, Paris and Prague
Apr 3rd, 2015, 12:51 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Trip to Italy, Paris and Prague
Hi Everyone!
My mother and I will be traveling in Europe this summer in July. This is my mother's first trip to Europe and I want her to have a good time. She loves to sightsee and shop but she also likes to relax in natural surroundings with scenic views. I have made the following trip for about 25 days covering Italy, (very) little of Switzerland, Paris and Prague. I would like your advice whether this is a feasible trip. I don't want to rush her and be tired but neither do I want her to get bored. Also it would be great if you could provide suggestions for: if I should add or remove anything (number of days or day trips), any cities that need more time or less time, activities to do, must-see places or restaurants we must eat at (she is a vegetarian). I would really appreciate all the help
Day 1 Fly in to Prague from Amsterdam (plan to take a taxi to the hotel from airport)
Day 2 Prague
Day 3 Prague
Day 4 Prague
Day 5 Fly to Paris (take taxi to hotel)
Day 6 Paris
Day 7 Paris
Day 8 Paris (Bastille Day)
Day 9 Train to Lucerne- overnight in Lucerne
Day 10 GoldenPass to Montreux-overnight in Montreux
Day 11 Train to Venice
Day 12 Venice
Day 13 Venice (Festa del Redentore)
Day 14 Venice
Day 15 Train to Florence
Day 16 Florence
Day 17 Florence
Day 18 Florence (Day trip to Siena & San Gimignano)
Day 19 Florence (Day trip to Pisa)
Day 20 Train to Rome
Day 21 Rome
Day 22 Rome
Day 23 Rome
Day 24 Rome (Day trip to Tivoli)
Day 25 Fly out to Amsterdam
My mother and I will be traveling in Europe this summer in July. This is my mother's first trip to Europe and I want her to have a good time. She loves to sightsee and shop but she also likes to relax in natural surroundings with scenic views. I have made the following trip for about 25 days covering Italy, (very) little of Switzerland, Paris and Prague. I would like your advice whether this is a feasible trip. I don't want to rush her and be tired but neither do I want her to get bored. Also it would be great if you could provide suggestions for: if I should add or remove anything (number of days or day trips), any cities that need more time or less time, activities to do, must-see places or restaurants we must eat at (she is a vegetarian). I would really appreciate all the help
Day 1 Fly in to Prague from Amsterdam (plan to take a taxi to the hotel from airport)
Day 2 Prague
Day 3 Prague
Day 4 Prague
Day 5 Fly to Paris (take taxi to hotel)
Day 6 Paris
Day 7 Paris
Day 8 Paris (Bastille Day)
Day 9 Train to Lucerne- overnight in Lucerne
Day 10 GoldenPass to Montreux-overnight in Montreux
Day 11 Train to Venice
Day 12 Venice
Day 13 Venice (Festa del Redentore)
Day 14 Venice
Day 15 Train to Florence
Day 16 Florence
Day 17 Florence
Day 18 Florence (Day trip to Siena & San Gimignano)
Day 19 Florence (Day trip to Pisa)
Day 20 Train to Rome
Day 21 Rome
Day 22 Rome
Day 23 Rome
Day 24 Rome (Day trip to Tivoli)
Day 25 Fly out to Amsterdam
Apr 3rd, 2015, 01:12 AM
#2
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,713
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello
Looks nice to me.
Good to take taxis from airports - saves hassle and time.
In Prague, it is about 15 min from airport, don't know the cost though, always rent a car.
I fear Rome + Florence + Venice is too much. We did the same some years back and were fed up with visiting so many churches, museums etc - there are so many and they are so beautiful but after a time, it starts to blur.
You don't devote enough time to Paris imho.
And Bastille day (fête nationale) is on july 14, not 8.
Enjoy !
I'm a frequent (weekly) traveller to Paris, should you need advice on hotels, I've tested quite a lot ranging from 50 €/pp/night (and found 1 acceptable) to 5* hotels (mostly when with my wife).
I was in Prague recently and have slept in 2 great hotels - expensive for Prague, cheap compared to Paris - hotel UNICUS and hotel de Paris and King courts, all close to Republiky.
I don't know where you come from, but saying it is the first trip to Europe, why don't you stay in Amsterdam ? Lovely city (good for 1-2 even 3 days)
From Amsterdam you could take a train to Paris (less than 3 hours) - you might want to consider this.
Enjoy your trip.
Looks nice to me.
Good to take taxis from airports - saves hassle and time.
In Prague, it is about 15 min from airport, don't know the cost though, always rent a car.
I fear Rome + Florence + Venice is too much. We did the same some years back and were fed up with visiting so many churches, museums etc - there are so many and they are so beautiful but after a time, it starts to blur.
You don't devote enough time to Paris imho.
And Bastille day (fête nationale) is on july 14, not 8.
Enjoy !
I'm a frequent (weekly) traveller to Paris, should you need advice on hotels, I've tested quite a lot ranging from 50 €/pp/night (and found 1 acceptable) to 5* hotels (mostly when with my wife).
I was in Prague recently and have slept in 2 great hotels - expensive for Prague, cheap compared to Paris - hotel UNICUS and hotel de Paris and King courts, all close to Republiky.
I don't know where you come from, but saying it is the first trip to Europe, why don't you stay in Amsterdam ? Lovely city (good for 1-2 even 3 days)
From Amsterdam you could take a train to Paris (less than 3 hours) - you might want to consider this.
Enjoy your trip.
Apr 3rd, 2015, 01:14 AM
#3
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,713
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi
Hotel Unicus is in Krakow, sorry my mistake.
In Venice we love hotel FLORA, very close to plaza San Marco.
Expensive but worth it.
Siena and San Gimigiano are great- you seem to have done some homework !
Definitely add some days to Paris and do daytrips (Provins, Senlis, Versailles... lots of nice things to day close by).
Hotel Unicus is in Krakow, sorry my mistake.
In Venice we love hotel FLORA, very close to plaza San Marco.
Expensive but worth it.
Siena and San Gimigiano are great- you seem to have done some homework !
Definitely add some days to Paris and do daytrips (Provins, Senlis, Versailles... lots of nice things to day close by).
Apr 3rd, 2015, 02:27 AM
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi pariswat
Thanks for your reply. We will be starting on 7th July, so by Day 8 I meant July 14 (sorry for the confusion). Also forgot to add, we'll be doing Versailles on Day 8 during the day. Will that work considering it's a national holiday? We are traveling to Prague first because we want to be in Paris on 14th to see the evening fireworks show. Should I add another day to Paris then?
Also I am a little worried about the weather in Italy in July, will it be too hot to handle? I've read that it's really hot and reaches 30 degrees (C). We are from India so sort of used to the heat. But I don't want it to get to the point where we are not enjoying ourselves because it's too hot. In that case, should I maybe add more days to Switzerland?
Actually, I live in Amsterdam and my mother is visiting me. So, she'll be staying in Amsterdam before and after the trip
Thanks for your reply. We will be starting on 7th July, so by Day 8 I meant July 14 (sorry for the confusion). Also forgot to add, we'll be doing Versailles on Day 8 during the day. Will that work considering it's a national holiday? We are traveling to Prague first because we want to be in Paris on 14th to see the evening fireworks show. Should I add another day to Paris then?
Also I am a little worried about the weather in Italy in July, will it be too hot to handle? I've read that it's really hot and reaches 30 degrees (C). We are from India so sort of used to the heat. But I don't want it to get to the point where we are not enjoying ourselves because it's too hot. In that case, should I maybe add more days to Switzerland?
Actually, I live in Amsterdam and my mother is visiting me. So, she'll be staying in Amsterdam before and after the trip
Apr 3rd, 2015, 06:33 AM
#5
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 12,018
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Looks nice.
I would, however, take a day from Prague and add it to Paris for a day trip to Versailles.
I would also go to Luca on the day you go to Pisa. They are very close by train and easy to do on the same day. Pisa in the morning. stay late for dinner in Luca.
I would, however, take a day from Prague and add it to Paris for a day trip to Versailles.
I would also go to Luca on the day you go to Pisa. They are very close by train and easy to do on the same day. Pisa in the morning. stay late for dinner in Luca.
Apr 3rd, 2015, 06:50 AM
#6
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,713
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello
14th of July ... i'm usually in the south, I would consider it as a sunday which means a lot of shops will be closed, anything public (admin, banks...) but most restaurants will be open.
I've been for the fireworks twice, it was real nice.
Italy is ok to handle, especially for Indians ! I was in Chennai some years ago, it was 40C... it is 35 right now (got colleagues from there in Paris).
Yes, take a day from Prague to add to Paris and I would take one day off Florence and add it to Switzerland. You've got a lot of days in Florence.
Namaste !
Namaste
14th of July ... i'm usually in the south, I would consider it as a sunday which means a lot of shops will be closed, anything public (admin, banks...) but most restaurants will be open.
I've been for the fireworks twice, it was real nice.
Italy is ok to handle, especially for Indians ! I was in Chennai some years ago, it was 40C... it is 35 right now (got colleagues from there in Paris).
Yes, take a day from Prague to add to Paris and I would take one day off Florence and add it to Switzerland. You've got a lot of days in Florence.
Namaste !
Namaste
Apr 3rd, 2015, 09:22 AM
#7
Make a list of what you want to do in Florence and then decide whether you can take away any days. For me, four days there, but two spent on day trips, would allow barely enough time to cover only the most popular/crowded sights.
That said, Florence could be hot and humid in the 4th week of July. Doing the itinerary in reverse (Rome first) could possibly (and I say only possibly) make the Italy portion more comfortable, but then you could get a heat wave in Paris or even Prague later in month. I think you just take your chances and cope as best you can. Otherwise, go to Scotland!
That said, Florence could be hot and humid in the 4th week of July. Doing the itinerary in reverse (Rome first) could possibly (and I say only possibly) make the Italy portion more comfortable, but then you could get a heat wave in Paris or even Prague later in month. I think you just take your chances and cope as best you can. Otherwise, go to Scotland!
Apr 3rd, 2015, 10:31 AM
#9
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 985
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
These are your full days for each city:
Prague - 3 days
Paris - 3 days
Venice - 3 days
Florence - 4 days
Rome - 4 days
I'd suggest the following:
Prague - 2 days
Paris - 5 days
Venice - 2 days
Florence - 3 days
Rome - 5 days
Paris is such a highlight of Europe...
Prague - 3 days
Paris - 3 days
Venice - 3 days
Florence - 4 days
Rome - 4 days
I'd suggest the following:
Prague - 2 days
Paris - 5 days
Venice - 2 days
Florence - 3 days
Rome - 5 days
Paris is such a highlight of Europe...
Apr 3rd, 2015, 10:39 AM
#10
While your overall plan looks good, travelhorizons makes a good suggestion. I'd allow more time for both Paris and Rome - they are very large w/ just a ton of things to see/do. Instead of just dividing up your time into essentially equal bits -- allow more time to the bigger places. Prague is lovely but there is much more to both Rome and Paris (especially Paris IMO)
Apr 4th, 2015, 07:15 AM
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
pariswat and travelhorizons thanks so much for your input! I have removed one day from Prague and added it to Paris. But I am not sure if I should remove days from Florence to add to Rome. Since 2 days out of 4 we will be doing day trips to other cities, do you think we'll be able to cover Florence in just 1 day?
Sassafrass thanks! Added Lucca to Florence day trips.
bobthenavigator Not sure what you mean but we are flying home
In general, I have been thinking about maybe adding in Gstaad since it's so beautiful and they'll have the Menuhin festival at that time. But if I do that then we'll miss Festa del redentore in Venice. Will you recommend to add Gstaad and push back Venice? Or is the Festa just totally worth it?
So if do add it in, it would look something like this:
Day 8 Paris
Day 9 Train to Gstaad
Day 10 Gstaad
Day 11 GoldenPass to Lucerne-overnight in Lucerne
Day 12 Train to Venice
Day 13 Venice
(I'll be adding a day to the whole trip to include Gstaad)
Sassafrass thanks! Added Lucca to Florence day trips.
bobthenavigator Not sure what you mean but we are flying home
In general, I have been thinking about maybe adding in Gstaad since it's so beautiful and they'll have the Menuhin festival at that time. But if I do that then we'll miss Festa del redentore in Venice. Will you recommend to add Gstaad and push back Venice? Or is the Festa just totally worth it?
So if do add it in, it would look something like this:
Day 8 Paris
Day 9 Train to Gstaad
Day 10 Gstaad
Day 11 GoldenPass to Lucerne-overnight in Lucerne
Day 12 Train to Venice
Day 13 Venice
(I'll be adding a day to the whole trip to include Gstaad)
Apr 4th, 2015, 02:58 PM
#13
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 6,534
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You wrote:
>>>>>Also I am a little worried about the weather in Italy in July, will it be too hot to handle? I've read that it's really hot and reaches 30 degrees (C). We are from India so sort of used to the heat. But I don't want it to get to the point where we are not enjoying ourselves because it's too hot. In that case, should I maybe add more days to Switzerland? <<<<<<
I think yes. You can never really tell what the weather is going to by -- most of last July it wasn't very hot -- but if you get a heat wave in Florence or in Rome, it can be make sightseeing tough.
Gstaad is lovely. If your mother likes to shop, do you think she might enjoy going to Lugano, which is 3 hours by train from Lucerne, and then maybe Lago di Como and Venice, and then ending the trip there? If you stay in Venice a bit longer than 2 days, you can also take a trip to Verona and see the Roman sites there.
Obviously that is not a good plan if you and she really want to see the most famous art and history sights in Florence and Rome. But if she likes beautiful scenery and doesn't mind skipping the cities, then July is a nice time to enjoy it.
Just a thought.
>>>>>Also I am a little worried about the weather in Italy in July, will it be too hot to handle? I've read that it's really hot and reaches 30 degrees (C). We are from India so sort of used to the heat. But I don't want it to get to the point where we are not enjoying ourselves because it's too hot. In that case, should I maybe add more days to Switzerland? <<<<<<
I think yes. You can never really tell what the weather is going to by -- most of last July it wasn't very hot -- but if you get a heat wave in Florence or in Rome, it can be make sightseeing tough.
Gstaad is lovely. If your mother likes to shop, do you think she might enjoy going to Lugano, which is 3 hours by train from Lucerne, and then maybe Lago di Como and Venice, and then ending the trip there? If you stay in Venice a bit longer than 2 days, you can also take a trip to Verona and see the Roman sites there.
Obviously that is not a good plan if you and she really want to see the most famous art and history sights in Florence and Rome. But if she likes beautiful scenery and doesn't mind skipping the cities, then July is a nice time to enjoy it.
Just a thought.
Apr 6th, 2015, 12:06 AM
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
sandralist thanks for your response! I think, as Jean suggested, we'll just suck it up and bear through Italy somehow lol. I will definitely look into doing Lugano and then Como and Vernoa. My mother is an English Lit professor, so she might appreciate Verona.
Apr 6th, 2015, 12:26 AM
#15
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 6,534
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Although the Romeo & Juliet tourist sights in Verona are legend rather than fact, it is hard to visit Verona and not think that Shakespeare visited at some point, despite the biographers who said he did not. However, you already have a pretty busy schedule for Italy and I don't know how much more you can comfortably fit in.
There are lots of sights in Venice of literary interest, I think. Some in Florence too.
There are lots of sights in Venice of literary interest, I think. Some in Florence too.
