gman731

Hi all,

So I'm a 25yo male, and looking to travel to Europe for the first time this summer. Although I'm a little more than hesitant about going the solo route, I hear it's far better than those youth tours and, of course, not going at all.

Anyway, I have between 1-2 weeks to use, and my wishlist includes London, Paris, and Rome. London and Rome are pretty much 1a and 1b, with Paris firmly behind them. I was also exploring the possibility of an excursion to Venice while I'm in Rome.

Now, I get the sense that I am biting off a little more than I can chew (especially for a first-timer), and wanted to get some feedback on how I should go about planning from some of you more experienced types. I know it feels like I'm cramming an awful lot into one trip, but my fear is that it's taken me this long to even think about heading across the pond, that who knows when I will next get a chance to go back. Anyway, any advice for both my planning and specifics for any of the places I am considering would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!!

thursdaysd

One week in London, cheap flight to Rome, train to Venice, fly home would work fine. You need an open-jaws trans-Atlantic ticket. See whichbudget.com for cheap flights in Europe. You'll be fine - just make sure you wear a money belt of some kind to beat the pickpockets in Rome.

LoveItaly

Hello gman, may I suggest you go over to the Europe Board here on Fodor's..and repost your questions as you will get a lot more responses as the Europe Board is so active.

pippy4tao

If you want to city hop like that I would suggest getting some budget cheap ryanair flights to take you to and from the cities. It's possible, although I don't know why anyone would want to miss out on the great little villages and towns along the way to and from the cities. Unless your a city fanatic you might enjoy taking a break inbetween the big cities for the smaller things in life. But if not, look at ryanair.com and easyjet.com and I'm sure it will be the best way to get what you want for your vacation plans.

Good Luck

Theresa

www.nomadwannabe.com

suze

I don't think it's so much "more than you can chew" rather 4 cities is too many for 7 days...

3 cities in 14 days is better. Venice is almost 5 hours by train from Rome so not really a day-trip. It would make more sense to go there 'on your way' to Rome if you want to squeeze Venice in.

suze

Personally, I'd suggest Amsterdam and Paris for an interesting yet fairly easy to manage first solo trip.