2.5 Weeks in Europe with my girlfriend

Old Jan 25th, 2011, 09:12 AM
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2.5 Weeks in Europe with my girlfriend

Hi Everyone,

I will be attending an interview in Liverpool University, during the first week of March. Following that, my girlfriend and I (mid 20s) want to travel Europe for 2.5 Weeks. We are not hardcore party people and would prefer to have some sightseeing and get a taste of culture in different countries (i.e visit the country sides and try the local food). The country thats a must for us to see is Italy; the countries that we are interested to see are: Ireland/Scotland/Switzerland/ and Possible Turkey!!!

This is going to be our first Europe trip.

We don't want to visit more than 3 countries (Excluding our first stop, England). We would like to take the train at least once or twice and maybe fly to the other destinations.

I would appreciate some recommendations. Please be specific with regards to the cities and regions. Also, would be cost effective to stay at homestays rather than Hotels?

Thanks in advance
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Old Jan 25th, 2011, 09:34 AM
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Stick to Italy. 2.5 weeks will give you just enough time to visit the highlights (Rome, Florence, Venice) adding to it Siena as a base for Tuscany (you'll need a car) and Perugia as a base for Umbria. Even then it might be a little much.

Alternatively you can land in Rome, pick up a car at the airport to tour Tuscany and Umbria for two weeks and spend the rest of the time in Rome. That's what we did in three weeks quite a while ago.

This collection, excluding Northern Italy, Venice and Sicily covers the trip that we took, starting with Tarquinia.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7623039746640/
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Old Jan 25th, 2011, 10:39 AM
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Thanks for your reply Michael.
May I ask where you stayed in each destination- hotels?
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Old Jan 25th, 2011, 10:43 AM
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We stayed in hotels. But during our more recent travels we have stayed in B&Bs (Bologna) and agriturismos (Sicily). Perhaps you can find something similar to this site for Tuscany and Umbria:

http://www.turismovenezia.it/eng/dynalay.asp?PAGINA=437
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Old Jan 25th, 2011, 12:49 PM
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Thanks for the pics and the website.
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Old Jan 25th, 2011, 01:47 PM
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In March, your plans could be hostage to highly variable weather, so aiming for southern Italy is a good bet. You might want to fly from there to Turkey (or vice versa). Rome and Istanbul are amazing destinations -- but it has been some years since I've been in Istanbul or thought about it as a travel destination, so others may have safety considerations or such I don't know about.

Personally, for March, I would focus on the cities, which have plenty of fantastic indoor attractions if the weather turns blustery. For Italy, I would choose Rome or Naples, with a possible few day trips like Orvieto or Capri -- depending on weather and mood. For Turkey, I would pick Istanbul -- but again, others know better.

If you end up feeling Turkey is simply not right for this trip, dipping into Sicily -- with a car -- could be wonderful

It might be easier if you flew to the furthest point beyond London, and flew back from Italy.

I don't think Switzerland, Scotland or Ireland are really good destinations for March -- especially Switzerland. But if you don't mind the possibility of lousy, non-stop rainy weather, Paris is lovely and Belgium is great for food, and they are easy to reach by train from England. I would pick Paris and Antwerp (and might squeeze In Amsterdam with 2.5 weeks, although the food is dreadful -- yet the beer is great!)

Have fun deciding!
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Old Jan 25th, 2011, 09:23 PM
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Should we fly from London to ROME or traint it? If we do take the train how long and how much is it? We probably can get a 2-week train pass.

This is probably going to be our plan: London (3 days) somehow go to Italy (9 days) take a train to Athens and fly back to london. What do you guys think?
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Old Jan 25th, 2011, 09:26 PM
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A train from Rome to Athens would mean taking a train through Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia. Is that realistic?
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Old Jan 25th, 2011, 09:28 PM
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Or you can take a ferry from Venice to near Athens.
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Old Jan 25th, 2011, 09:32 PM
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Venice / Patras ferries.

http://www.minoan.ferries.org/?gclid...FQHybwodslWBHw
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Old Jan 26th, 2011, 01:23 AM
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Check out cheap flights to Italy directly from Liverpool, or London for that matter--easyjet, flybe, ryannair...

You have to read carefully all the t's and c's but these airlines often save you lots of money.

And, try to fly home from Italy rather than doubling back to London if you can.
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Old Jan 26th, 2011, 02:28 AM
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I just got back from Liverpool last night and it is (now) one of my favorite European cities! You will have so much fun there. Spending only 9 days in Italy may be tight (depending how much you want to see). I suggest concentrating on a couple places (maybe Tuscany and Rome) that way you will get to actually see them and not be exhausted by traveling. If you don't have your heart set on Italy, I would stick to the UK for those three weeks. Rent a car and explore Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England. There is so much to see there alone!
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Old Jan 26th, 2011, 03:30 AM
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There are also ferries from Bari, Italy to patras Greece
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Old Jan 26th, 2011, 08:20 AM
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In March, I don't think you want a ferry ride.

I suggest you fly from England to Greece if you are going there, and fly from there to Italy, into the airport most convenient to your Italian starting point.

Likewise for your departure point -- fly out of the nearest airport if possible. Many people think they must fly out of Rome or Milan or Venice in order to get to the US, but it can often be much easier to get on a morning plane in Naples or Florence or Pisa, and connect through Rome (or another European capital, like Frankfurt, Madrid etc) for an afternoon flight to the US. But this is much easier to do with only carry-on, and you should book it as single ticket (meaning, for your departure, don't buy a Ryan air flight to Rome and a separate Delta flight from Rome to the US. If you need a plane switch, book it as one ticket through Orbitz or some such, which obligates the airlines to get you home if your first flight is delayed).
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Old Jan 27th, 2011, 10:50 AM
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Thanks for all the replies guys.
So as of right now I booked tickets canada to London and then back from athens greece to canada. We will spend 3 days in engbald (london and liverpool) then fly to Milan. Take a train south and spend little time in each city. After 9 das in italy we will fly to athens and spend 3 days there.

I would love to hear about ideas for what to do in each destination, given the above itenary.
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