mindibz

My husband and I are planning an 11 day trip to Europe in September 2007 to celebrate our 30th birthdays--our first trip to Europe together. I spent 6 weeks in Europe in college (London, Paris, Nice, Lucerne, Innsbruck, Munich). There's so much I want to show him that it's hard to narrow it down. The 11 days includes travel to/from the U.S. (Texas). I was hoping to see some places I haven't visited before while also showing some of the "oldies" to him. Our likes: I like history, museums, and the hustle and bustle-he likes beautiful scenery, walks, and downtime. I hope to find an itinerary to satisfy us both. We had Paris in mind--a romantic city sounded nice. I thought of coupling it with Rome since I have not been there. We don't have to see everything, nor do we want to spend all of our times travelling around. However, seeing 2 larger places with a small side trip to a rural area sounds fun. We are not interested in London. I tried to narrow it down from Paris, Switzerland (such beautiful scenery to show him), Austria, and Italy. Any help you can provide on whether I've chosen 2 good "major" places and a recommendation on a third rural visit is appreciated. Again, we don't want to run around like maniacs, but rather hope to go to several "big attraction" cities and focus our time on a couple of great things in each place, then enjoy some countryside scenery. We do want to see several areas, understanding we won't see them in depth. Our focus is on quality in each city and variety of areas seen, not necessarily the quantity of how much we see in each place. Thanks so much!

nbujic

it is a hard choice , so many beautiful small towns and rural areas in each country. You have 9 days so your best choice may be day trips to the country from the 2 cities you pick as your base.
(with an open jaw ticket).
Paris 5 days, Rome 4 ?

ira

Hi M,

Paris-5/Rome-4 is very good.

Venice -4/Paris-5, I think is even better.
You can fly VC to ORY on www.myair.com.

You could also Do Paris-6 and Dijon/Beaune - 3.

You could do Venice - 3, Tuscany - 3, Florence or Rome - 3.

You could do a drive through Burgundy and Alsace.

I think that's enough.

schuba

Mindibz, As Ira says, I would definitely visit Venice and Paris. Both are worth the experience. Try not doing the high speed version through too many cities.

mindibz

Ira--do you think three places is doable? 4-Paris 3-Venice 2-? Anywhere in Switzerland that's doable?

mindibz

Topping--hoping for reply from Ira.

Ira--from other posts, you seem to really like France. I've heard many who do not care for Paris. I'm stumped. I'm still thinking: Paris, somewhere in the Alps, Venice. But this would give me 1 major city and 2 relaxing places. Would Paris, Venice, Rome be better? Where in the Alps? My husband would like to see Austria. I loved Lucerne. Ideas? Ideas on how to get from point to point?

jabez

If I were to include Paris and wanted some mountains,I'd go to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region.
I do like Paris,but I like Rome more.
I'd skip Paris and concentrate on Italy with the limited time you have.
Whatever you choose,consider the travel time.

StuDudley

My wife & I spend 2 months in Europe every year - about 75% in France, 20% Italy, and the rest elsewhere.

Nine days is not much time - you could spend it all in Paris & still just touch the surface. I would also not try to do two big cities (like Rome & Paris) in 9 days if you also want countryside & relaxation.

If I was in your shoes, I would do 1 of these two itinerries:

1. Paris 4 days
Take the 3 hr TGV train to Avignon, rent a car & explore Provence. On the night before your flight home from CDG, take the TGV from Avignon to Dijon, stay overnight in Dijon & take the early TGV directly to CDG for your flight home.

2. Venice 3 nights. Take the train to Chiusi, rent a car, and stay in the beautiful Val d'Orcia near Pienza in Tuscany for 3 nights. Drive to Orvieto, turn in the car, visit Orvieto, then take the train to Rome for the remainder of your vacation.

I think these two itineraries are "classics" and I consider them to be the best introduction to Italy & France for someone on a very short visit.

I have a 20+ page itinerary for Provence, and another for Italy which has a heavy dose of Tuscany. E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy. I've sent them to thousands (really!) of people on the Fodors & aol travel boards.

Stu Dudley

zorba_01

May I suggest Paris, Turin, Rome?
They are very well connected by airplane.
Turin is one our away from the Alps, surrounded by beautiful wine areas, at the foot of hills.
In Turin you can have a lot of history -It was the previous Italian capital and home of the King.