1 Month Western Europe
 

I am a high school student and will be graduating a semester early. I have decided to take some of my free time to travel. My mom and I are planning to go to Europe for 1 month in late February through march 2013. We are starting to decide on main areas we would like to see and have decided on Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and France. We don't want to rush our time in any of these countries, however we would like to see as much as possible in the time we have. We were planning on starting in Italy and making our way north, ending in France. I was interested in recommendations on cities to stop in, how much time to allot for each country and city, and if there are any other countries that you would suggest that I should choose instead. Any advice would be appreciated.

Also my mom is allowing me to choose the places we visit. I will have completed 3 years of French, and would definitely love to be able to use my knowledge of the language. I am mainly interested in soaking up the environment, and going to a mix of large and small cities and villages.

Thanks for your help.

The first thing you need to do is read some guidebooks to give you an idea of what you really want to see. General guidebooks, such as Rick Steves' <u>Europe</u>, might be useful because they offer the highlights because they are covering a lot of territory. In that respect, the Michelin Green Guide for France is better than the regional guides, and similarly a guide for Italy as a whole probably suits your purposes more than regional guides.

You can easily spend a month just in France...Paris, Burgundy, Provence, Dordogne. Or in France and Switzerland. You are young and will go back to Europe again.

Thanks Michael. I have already purchased Frommer's Europe and Rick Steve's Europe Through the Back Door. However, I'm finding the books a little large and overwhelming. I will check out the Michelin Green Guide though once I nail down the countries I wish to visit.

Uhoh, I had considered spending the entire time in France, however I would really like to at least explore the option of seeing 2 or 3 countries on my trip. I just don't know when I will get this opportunity again.

Do you have a budget for this trip? The more you move around the more expensive the trip will be.

If you do not want to rush things then I would suggest no more than 2 countries in a month. Four countries means that you only have a week in each country and that's not nearly enough to give you a scanty visit to the highlights.

When you mention seeing as much as possible you have two choices: 1) see lots of towns/cities but see very little in each place. 2) see fewer places in depth.

I'm assuming because of the time of year and the amount of area you're covering that you will either take trains or fly between destinations. One thing you don't want the trip to be is a visit to lots of airports and train stations.

In the winter I would recommend cities/large towns over smaller towns and countryside because of the weather. Cities offer more in door activities. The countryside may be bleak in winter.

Small villages will not offer as much charm as they do in nicer weather and usually require a car since public transportation will take too much time. Think carefully about visiting small villages - what will you see or do there?

In Italy the traditional cities are Rome, Florence, Venice but you can easily add some other towns/cities to this mix and spend two weeks in Italy (Pisa, Bologna, Verona to name a couple).

Continue your journey to Nice, Lyon, Dijon, Strasbourg, Colmar and end in Paris. I'm not suggesting that you see all these places in France in two weeks but they are a suggestion of places to visit that are easily accessible by train.

Please please please get some guide books from the library and start reading. You will get a better idea of what you're looking for if you do the reading and preparation ahead of time before booking your flights.

You should arrive in one city and depart from another to minimize your travel time. No need to arrive and depart from the same city.

I was typing while you were mentioning the guide books. Go to the library and get other guide books such as Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Cadogan, Fodor's. Each guide book offers something different. You can also read fiction/non-fiction for a flavor of the countries.

Adrienne. Thank you for your advice. Our budget will be moderate for the trip, not unlimited but not terribly tight. I have thought 4 countries might be too much, although I was thinking maybe to not spend too much time in Austria and Switzerland. However, I am now considering nixing Austria and Switzerland altogether. We were planning on traveling by train, starting from the south and making our way north. Our times for travel can be flexible, although we were hoping to take advantage of the off-season prices. I hadn't thought about the country-side being bleak however I will definitely take that into consideration. If we did push that date back what smaller villages do you recommend?

I think you need to understand the concept of a village. Some houses which would be charming when flowers are blooming and the weather allows walking around. There may be a small bar or restaurant. That's a village. There aren't necessarily shops in a village although there may be a bakery or tourist shop. There may be a pension or chambre d'hote.

You may be thinking of small towns rather than villages. There are tons of them in Italy and France. First decide the big places you want to see and your route. Then you can think of small towns to visit that are convenient.

Pickup some country specific guide books. They have much more information than general books on Europe.

I guess I am thinking small town however I would love to see a few villages just for their charm. I understand I probably should decide on main places first. I have been thinking about starting in rome, then moving on to Florence, but I have not decided much besides that. I know I won't be able to see these countries in depth which is why I am wanting recommendations on everyones favorite places to visit.

Well at that time of year trains are the way to go and at any time of year IMO if mainly hitting the main tourist cities all of us naturally wish to visit - driving in European cities is more and more a nightmare as cars are being banished for the most part and city centers being pedestrianized.

Check out these fantastic IMO sites for planning a European rail trip and railpasses which with your type of travel over a long period you should check out - especially the flexipasses that are valid for 2 months and you buy a certain number of days for unlimited travel to be used anytime within that two month framework - these sites will help greatly in planning - www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com (check out this site's free online European Planning & Rail Guide for lots of rail-oriented itineraries in each country) and www.seat61.com.

I like base cities where I take day trips to nearby towns by rail - sans luggage - like in Munich you could base there and day trip to nearby Salzburg, Fuessen and Mad Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle - no doubt Europe's most famous castle, and Dachau, Rothenburg/Tauber, etc.


Look for Saverpass - two names on one pass and about 20% cheaper than two solo passes - OK if you do not want flexiblity to take different trains, etc.

Hi ell,

>I had considered spending the entire time in France, however I would really like to at least explore the option of seeing 2 or 3 countries on my trip. I just don't know when I will get this opportunity again.<

Considering that you have some fluency in French, which will greatly enhance your experience, I think that your initial idea was a good one.

You will have about 59 years to see the other countries.

In addition, since this is your first visit I urge you to move to Mid-March - mid-April (if not the month of April). You will still be off season, but the weather will be better.

Check www.kayak.com, www.1800flyeurope.com/index.cfm, www.mobissimo.com

After you have made a draft itinerary, check the cost of point-to-point tickets at www.voyages-sncf.com (they offer discounted PREMS fares), a Raillpass at www.railpass.com (there are supplemental fees for high-speed trains) and car rental from www.kemwel.com, www.autoeurope.com and www.novacarhire.com.

www.viamichelin.com will give cost for fuel and tolls on auto routes.

When you can give us a budget, we can help you with hotels, etc.

Have fun with your planning.

((I))

IMHO you can't leave Italy without seeing Venice. It's Carnival Feb 1 through Feb 12 so that won't be off season in Venice.

The month of April would be perfect, I think. In Italy, you could spend 4 nights in Rome, which is huge, then train an hour to Orvieto, a lovely small town on a hill, for 2 nights, and then on to Florence for 3 nights. Then to Venice for two nights, and perhaps stop 2 or 3 in Bologna, a mid-sized city, with fabulous food, and interesting streets that are covered with porticoes. Or stop in Parma or Modena, the small city homes of parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar. You could take a train into Bologna from there. Some combo of that. From there on to Milan if you want to see the cathedral there and the Last Supper, before you move on to France. That's about two weeks.

Your French and English will help you in Italy because the language is easy to understand and has many English cognates, such as polizia for police, etc. Every letter is pronounced, using the same pronunciation as French. In your remaining time before you and your Mom go, consider downloading the podcasts from My Daily Phrase Italian, 100 five-minute lessons in essential tourist Italian. It's free. You could both listen to them.

Most universities offer study abroad programs that don't cost a whole lot more than it would per semester at your university. Especially if you have great grades and know what they are looking for so you can plan for it as soon as you declare a major. So, don't assume this is the only time in your life you'll get the chance to travel,

But you should relax and plan your first trip as if it is your first trip. Many people, older than you, post here about planning their " trip of a lifetime. ". Two years later they are planning their next trip. Once bit, you are likely to realize that travel is always going to be a big part of your life. Even if you take an 18year break to raise a family between your first and second trips!

You will find having a bit of French under your belt as you do that you will be able to pick up Italian rather easily -- or at least understand.

I personally would suggest getting Let's Go Europe as a start, since it's geared for college age students.

For French -- at least this was the way it was with me on my first visit (which lasted a year) is to start in the south where the language is slower and more akin to the way you were taught in school, and end in Paris, where your head might explode trying to concentrate on the fast-paced, slang-infused French spoken there. Spoken French can be a bit different than textbook French. Do get a book on French slang -- there's plenty of them around, and they're very useful. The accents in France are similar to accents in the United States (in my opinion) -- a slower easy to understand drawl in the south, and a faster paced- words all stuck together type speak in the north.

So -- places like Nice, Juan les Pins, Antibes, Aix en Provence, Avignon are nice. So are the alp towns like the nice university town of Grenoble, Annecy etc (and you could catch some skiing if you're so inclined); followed by a healthy dose of Paris. And I would spend a week in Paris to get a better feel -- don't be rushed. You'll still have to come back 20 or 30 trips to see everything you might want to see.

Consider also going to see a movie while you're there. It helps with your French. Easiest to understand American movies you've seen before that are dubbed in French or have French subtitles (and you WILL find yourself looking at the subtitles!). French children's films are also great to see since the language is more user-friendly.

Believe me, going to a French flick there will really help you!

I would nix only Austria and keep Switzerland, going to the french-speaking part of the country around Geneva area on Lac Leman. The towns of Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux are beautiful and would fit well in an itinerary between Italy and France.

I would nix Switzerland if you are on a tight budget.

Palenq thanks for the advice. I will definitely look into those websites and the railpasses. I also like the idea of staying in one town and taking day trips from there. Which cities do you suggest?

Charnees thank you for the recommendations. I will definitely be stopping in many of those cities.

Ira. Thanks for the advice. I definitely agree that my knowledge of some french will help. I probably should have mentioned earlier however that my mom has spent time in Italy and is actually fluent in the language. I also am definitely now considering pushing the trip's date back.

Are you thinking of renting a car? Travel by train?

When you cross over borders, I might suggest that you do no do so via car, unless you will be returning to the originating country. Drop-off fess for cars between countries can be large.

You could rent car for Italy, then, when done, train to Nice for example. Rent car,etc.. You don't want a car in cities where you will be spending several days.

I could see 10 days Italy, 10 days France and 10 days Austria.
Austria does not get credit for being a good destination. We rented a car in Vienna and then headed out across the country, very scenic. And then we dipped into Italy (Lake District)and Switzerland (Lugano, Lucerne) and flew home from there.

Only concern would be time of year. Snow and being off season.

Also, Open Jaw flights. You don't want to fly into and back home out of same airport.

Surfergirl, Thanks so much for the advice. I wasn't aware that southern french accents would be easier to understand, however that will definitely be useful when planning my route. I also will look into seeing a movie while in France.

Michel_Paris, we were thinking about staying in various cities for about 4 or 5 days at a time each and taking day trips out of the cities by train. However, what would you suggest for travelling between cities? Train or car? Also, Austria is definitely one of the top countries on my list, and I like the idea of 10 days in each country.

The train system is quite good. If you were doing Rome and Venice, for example, it might be best to take train, since no need to have car in either location.

But if you were going to Tuscany, only real way to see countryside is to have a car.

It is finding the blend between roaming the countryside in a car, discovering places, stopping wherever you want..and then not going nuts trying to drive in a large city. And, with high speed trains and discount air carrier, you could jump from...Rome to Vienna cheaply and not need the car.

Staying that long in a city is a good idea, gives you a chance to get a bit more in depth. For somewhere like Paris, you could base yourself longer there (maybe get an appartment), and plan on doing day trips outside of the city (by train).

But if you were going to Tuscany, only real way to see countryside is to have a car.>

I disagree - I have taken SITA buses all over Tuscany and Umbria and I have also drive around Tuscany and Umbria - you can get to any ole hill town by bus and the bus drops you off near the top of the hill - parking in busy seasons is IME often down below the hill - buses run very very frequent routes and are dirt cheap - Florence to Seina for example about 4-5 euros I believe.

I also found the driving to be fatiguing - narrow twisting roads - if you get behind a lorry it can be really slow going. Driving is fine but you certainly do not need a car to explore the countryside of Tuscany and Umbria IME. A car does obviously have some benefits of setting your own schedules, etc but will also be a whole lot more expensive - especially with petro about $9-10 a gallon these days I would think.

Sorry I didn't know that Austria was the 'top of your list' when I suggested dropping it. I was only thinking geographically that northern Italy, thru Switzerland, into France would make a good one month route, not trying to cover too much ground. Austria being a bit more out of the way.

The hotels in Venice are usually booked out way in advance during carnival time. Only go if you have booked accommodation.

February / March is cool to cold in Europe. There can be a wicked cold wind blowing so bring shawls and layers of clothes.

Personally, I'd spend 2 weeks in France working your way down to the coast and 2 weeks in Italy. I was once in Florence in March and they had just got a covering of snow on the ground.

For a first time trip I would suggest Paris, with daytrips to Versailles and the Loire Valley. I spent 2 weeks in Paris with my daughter while she did research for her PHD. During the day she would be at the library and I explored on my own. Late afternoons and the 2 weekends we had, we did a mini-van tour to a few Loire Valley Chateaus, and daytrips to Chartres and Chantilly by train. I daytripped to Versailles on my own one day while she worked. It was a nice mix of different areas, and gave us ideas on where to return to in the future. It is an easy train trip on the TGV to your choice of an area in Provence and from there to the French Riviera. From there you can easily move on to Italy. Milan would make a good 1-2 night stay as you could visit the stunning cathedral, see "The Last Supper" and then use the Milan train hub for a fast connection to Florence where you could daytrip to Siena and maybe San Gimingano, then back on the train to Venice for 3-4 nights. That gives you 2-3 days. One for wandering Venice, one for seeing your choice of the top sights and maybe one for taking the boat to Murano/Burano,Torcello. From there back on the train and head to Austria. Maybe like this: Paris 6 nights
Provence area 4 nights
Nice area 3 nights
Florence 4 nights
Venice 4 nights
Austria 7 nights to be
divided per your research
This is just a suggestion of how to start looking at it. Obviously you could reverse your direction and fill in your choice of daytrips, etc. I'd use the German railsite to search the train schedules for planning between stops. I didn't suggest Rome only because it would be a longer journey and you don't want to use too much time getting back and forth. This general route gives you a flavor of each area and a big enough taste to influence where you would most like to go for a longer, in depth visit.
On our first trip to Italy we did a day trip to Siena--when we returned the following year we stayed there 4 nights and walked EVERY street, soaking up the views and atmosphere. On a later trip we flew into Bologna so spent 2 nights there before taking the train on to our next destination. It was long enough to decide for us, it was not a favorite, although we did have our most memorable meal there.

So many choices, so much fun making up your mind. Get out your maps and your guidebooks then check the train schedule possibilites, and also consider the proabable weather while you're traveling, and it will be as much fun planning as it will be when you get there. And of course, there is always the option of renting a car if your desired destination isn't accessible by train or bus.