2 weeks in Paris, Italy and Spain
 

We're 3 friends (could be another 3 friends joining us) all in mid 20's, at the moment planning for a quick 2 weeks, budget getaway from Feb 19 - March 6, 2012. Our starting and end point will be in Paris-Orly. There are two events that we don't want to miss; Venice Carnival (Feb 20-21) and a conference at Barcelona (Feb 26-29).

Here's a summary of what's planned so far. (*) is still pending on planning.

19 - Paris (Booked triple room at Plug-Inn Hostel for 96 eu per night)
20-21 - Venice (Booked triple at Casanova Villa, Lido for 115 eu per night)
22- 25 - Southern Italy: Sorrento, Amalfi, Pocetano, Ravello, Pompeii (*)
26-29 - Barcelona, Spain (Booked triple at Casa Gracia, Barcelona for 75 eu per night)
1-4 - Granada, Seville and Cordoba (*)
5-6 - Paris (*)

I'm currently having tough time finding cheaper and faster way to commute from Naples to Barcelona. So far I only found a flight from Vueling that costs a whopping 100 E one way. Any other suggestions on transportation method? We don't mind if it takes half a day to travel, but would be awesome if its a one time journey and costs us less than 100 euro or half that price. I've tried asking our host in Barcelona, and they suggest us to travel to Milan to get a train to Barcelona, which will basically take us another extra 5 hours to commute from Naples to Milan.

Last but not least, our final destination. We have remaining of 5 nights after Barcelona and we are not sure whether to travel down to southern Spain (around the Andalusian trio) or just settle up to Paris for this.

It's mostly an Italy - Spain trip. Paris to us is just a start/stop point since Paris is the closest destination in our budget airlines. Our flight leaves on 1am midnight in Malaysia (where we're from) and it takes about 12 hours and 35 mins to reach Paris. I hope one day is just enough for us to overcome jetlag.

skyscanner.net

best econoair options

u are trying to bite off a lot

might skip the south too much cramming

seat61.com nice train down the Med coast from Venice

www.lucca.info www.metropole.it Portofino Nice

Montpellier Talgo Med to Barcelona Sants is an

AWESOME journey hopping on and off.

CT and Portofino prettier than the south anyway

was just there and it is on your way...

hostelbookers.com good lodging also eurocheapo.com

hostel5terre.com if you are hosteling in CT is awesome

centricpointhostel.com Barcelona my fav...

There's a hostel in Positano.
http://www.brikette.com/

Try Easy Jet from Paris Orly to Venice.
http://www.easyjet.com/asp/en/book/index.asp?lang=en

For other budget flights:
www.skyscanner.net
www.whichbudget.com

Crazy trip. You won't see anything except airports and train stations!! Since you have to be in Paris and want to be in Venice and Parcelona, limit your trip to those 3 places. You will spend a lot of time traveling as it is but with the other two areas included, running from place to place is all you will have time for in 2 weeks.

It seems as if you're not going to see much of Carnival. If you arrive midday on the 20th, you'll really only have the 21st? Then you leave so you don't see Venice at all really? Then you're only alloting time in Barcelona for the conference. That leaves you no time to see the city.

I would suggest:

19: Arrive, Go directly to Venice
19-24: Venice w day trips
24-2: Barcelona
2-6: Paris

Not only will you get to see more of the cities you visit, but it will be less expensive. The flight or train costs will be significant with your current plan. So you will be paying a lot to get to these places, but then not have any real time to see them? Also with longer stays you can look into apartments. Not only is the rate usually less than hotels, but you can save money on meals. Not to mention the extra space will be welcome!

Do you already have your plane tickets? If so, can you change them inexpensively? Then then you could fly into Paris and out of Barcelona, saving you the time and money of backtracking. (Look for multi-city flights on the airline/travel websites.)

February/March is not the best time for the Amalfi Coast. Most of the hotels and many of the restaurants will be closed. You're better off in cities that time of year; cities have more indoor sights. You could go to Rome or Naples and do Pompeii as a daytrip -- since it seems a priority.

I agree you really need to cut back on destinations - you have enough for at least a month. I normally recommend 2 weeks minimum for Barcelona and Andalucia and you have 8 days (and Barcelona is a conference which probably won't give you much time to see the city during the day).

How can you possibly think that you can find a train from Naples to Barcelona that will only be a half-day, when you know that the train from Naples to Milan, which is just a blip in the journey, takes 5 hours? You will have to fly. Your plan is way too ambititious, involving far too much travel over a wide area of Europe to do this as a "budget getaway". Get real. As Mimar states, Feb/March is not a very good time for the Amalfi Coast, so why waste your time and money getting there and back? Aimeekm's itinerary suggestion is much more reasonable for the time you have available.

A couple of notes>

flying in and out of Paris makes no sense =- you are wasting time back tracking. Fly into your first city and out o fyour last - it won't cost any more.

You do not want to go the Amalfi coast at this time of year. It is chilly, rainy, empty (many hotels and restaurants closed) - a beach resort out of season is not fun. Also - the ferries don't run often that time of year - and perhaps not at all if the water is rough.

You have to fly from Naples to Barcelona - the train would take more than 24 hours with multiple changes.

And you will see practicaly nothing of Andalusia in only 3 days.

I really think you need to get a map, some guide books and a decent train schedule.

Thanks EVERYONE for the great feedbacks and making sense to some of the 'dream' destinations, lol! Really appreciate all of them.

Mimar, we've only return tickets to Paris, the rest of the transportation in Europe haven't been arranged yet. Thank god :D

I guess in this case, the # 1 main priority of this trip is the Barcelona conference, which to us only takes 1 full day of conference and the other 2 days can be allocated for sightseeing.

Venice on the other hand would be nice since its once in a year event (could be a lifetime experience), but the thought of being crammed with million of crowds (masked models and sea of photographers) kinda turned me off since I've had experienced being in anime conventions and halloween parade. I guess I can try to kiss goodbye Italy for now and come in next future when the season is right since we're more looking forward for Amalfi Coast compared to Venice.

For now I'll push away Italy and that leaves me with more empty days.

19-21: Paris
22-25: ???
26-29: Barcelona, Spain
1-5: ???
6: Back to Paris and leave for morning flight.

I have a few more questions and some to-do/to-go list:

1. Mardi Gras: Does Parisians celebrate Mardi Gras? If yes, probably its worth staying till 21st Feb for this if there's some sorta colorful event going on.
2. Amsterdam: Since I'm the only female in the group with two guys, majority of them would like to experience this place. Do you think its worth a visit this time of the year? Perhaps a peek at Herge Museum in Belgium on the way?
3. After Barcelona: Since Italy is out, it will be great to experience a bit of the rural side and away from the city. Any interesting sights we can kill before hitting back to Paris? We don't mind booking a car since we've had a lot of experience doing roadtrips abroad. We have 5 nights to spare for this.
4. Diving deeper in east of France? Have you guys been/heard of Museumotel at Raon-l'Etape? http://www.museumotel.com

Two weeks would be a good amount of time for Paris, Barcelona and Andalucia. It would work better if you didn't already have your plane reservations. You could fly into Paris and out of Barcelona or your last stop in Spain. How about Paris (5 days), Andalucia (4 days) and Barcelona (4 days)leaving a day for your trip back to Paris?

what mamcalice said.

forget Amsterdam - show your confreres a map and point out that Amsterdam, like Venice, is in the wrong direction.

a car won't be much use once you are out of spain - you will pay huge drop off fees if you return it outside the country you rented it in.

ps - that hotel is in/near Alsace. no-where near where you're going.

Visit Paris, Barcelona and at most just ONE other location. You could easily spend a week in Paris and a week in Barcelona.....

Gosh, I've had some ping pong moments with my partner on this, so I'm here to bring the results and show it to the rest of the jurors (that's you guys :D)

Here goes.

19 - 24: Arrive Paris straight to Naples and settle in Sorrento. Day trips to Amalfi Coast [6 nights]
25: Travel back from Naples to Barcelona [1 day to travel - with any cheapest mode of transportation]
26 - 2 - Barcelona [5 nights]
3 - 5: ??? Remain in Barcelona or visit neighboring city? Or settle in Paris? [3 nights]
6: 9.50 AM flight back home from Paris


I know Amalfi Coast might be one of the most debatable place to go that time of the year, but having read quite a few been-there-done-that reviews and even Samantha Brown's Amalfi Coast journey, I find it somewhat an irresistible gamble, with less tourists especially...and probably less of restaurants in town. Having lived in all-summer country, we don't mind the cold anyway, as long as its not subzero temp, which we've experienced last Jan in Seoul.

Some good pointers (and not good pointers in forum) on Amalfi in February
http://www.ciaoamalfi.com/2011/02/ph...inter-fishing/
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-am-i-nuts.cfm

Like most of you guys, I'm also leaning towards Paris than Amalfi coast considering the weather and accessibility, but my partner keep telling me that we can go back to Paris some other time. I need all the 'pointers' I can get from you guys. Seems that my friends are not keen on Paris at all.

Still cracking my head on all of the possibilities, which are endless and can be unrealistic, haha! But that's where you guys came in...comments and feedbacks are VERY much welcomed - positive or negative :)

Much better! If you are flying through Paris I would spend the last 4 nights in Paris! Why wait to go back another time?? You have to be there for your flight, so enjoy your time there!!! You will need to be back there the night before to fly back home.

As for Amalfi in Feb - wouldnt be my choice. The best part is sitting on a deck or patio outside enjoying the view. But its up to you.

Happy Planning

Thanks Jamikins :) Glad I'm almost heading to the right direction.

Since Orly-Naples is left with 5pm flight on the 19th, should I resort to...

1. Staying 1 night in Paris (+96 eu for a night) and go for 20th flight at 12pm
2. Fly on the same day (19th) and take 5pm flight

BOTH these days have the same flight price for Easyjet and eDreams, btw. eDreams is 9 euros cheaper than Easyjet, but is it any good/reliable? Any other low budget airlines to recommend?

Where we're from (32 celcius on average), we're not much a fan of hot sun so that makes Amalfi Coast almost perfect for us. An article that supports winter in Amalfi.
http://www.nileguide.com/destination...-coast-winter/

UPDATED TENTATIVE ITINERARY
19 - 20: 1 night in Paris before hitting 12pm flight the next day*
20-26: Fly to Naples at 12pm and settle in Sorrento. Day trips Amalfi Coast [6 nights]
26 or 27: Travel back from Naples to Barcelona [1 day to travel allocation - with any cheapest mode of transportation]
27 - 2 - Barcelona [5 nights]
3 - 5: Settle in Paris [3 nights]
6: 9.50 AM flight back home from Paris

Appreciate all the fantastic feedback so far. Really really appreciate it so far :)

From Sorrento how are you going to travel to the Amalfi Coast and points around? The ferries either don't run or are unreliable that time of year (can be canceled due to rough water). That leaves the bus or car (rental or hired driver).

What will you do if it rains all day? Or all day for several days?

Hi Mimar,

We'll definitely hire a car once we arrive in the Naples airport. Have done in in other countries we've visited before with the helpful aid of GPS.

That's a good point you. Hmm, if it rains all day, I'm sure there are plenty of stuff we can do, especially chillaxing and eating :) http://vicki-h.travellerspoint.com/21/ Or do what Italian love to do - nothing. Il dolce far niente...

Why go all the way to the Amalfi Coast to do nothing!?!

You should definitely plan on at least one day trip to Naples - it's an amazing, vibrant city, and if you have any interest in Pompeii, it's just 30 minutes to get there from Sorrento on the Circumvesuvia train (and another 30 to Naples - you do NOT want to drive in Naples!) The Archaeological Museum in Naples has most of the treasures that were excavated from Pompeii, including some beautiful mosaics, bronze sculptures, and the Secret Room, which contains the erotic art that was popular at the time. And you have to try the pizza, of course.

Frankly, if it's raining, so what? Put on some rain gear, grab an umbrella and go.

It's just an expression. I can't say it will rain the whole 6 nights when we're there, but you never know. Rain is always a possibility in Amalfi Coast no matter what time of the year it is. Will try to find out the forecast when the date grew closer. Has anyone here experienced the weather in second half of February around Amalfi Coast before?

Quoted from one of the forumers in Fodors on winter in Amalfi Coast:
"The Amalfi Coast is mostly a summer resort, so tourist traps close down in winter. The better restaurants the locals go to will be open. Ask at the shops, or anywhere - everyone knows where the good restaurants are, and will be glad to point you in the right direction."

It's 9 years old post, but surely it's useful?
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-winter.cfm

Thanks for the wonderful input, Hazel! Will definitely keep those in mind especially the driving part to Naples. And MOST definitely Naples and Pompeii will be one of our to-do list, cos my partner just love to get his hands on Napoli pizzas. Would you recommend Da Michele? Errotic art, eh? I'm sure the guys will want to go here, oh dear :)) At least I can do some art appreciation on the sculptures while the guys escaped to the Secret Room, lol! Omg, I just can't wait.

Do you think Sorrento is the perfect base to stay in Amalfi Coast?

There are certainly those (many!) who believe Da Michele to be the epitome of pizza napoletano, but I haven't had it so I can't speak from personal experience. We ate at Pizzeria Brandi, which proclaims to be the originator of Pizza Margharita, created for Margharita, the Queen consort of Italy, in 1889. Their pizza is delicious, and they also serve an antipasti sampler that is fabulous.

I misidentified the erotic collection - it's the Gabinetto Segreto (Secret Cabinet) and it's pretty unbelievable. It takes the phrase "phallic symbols" to a whole 'nother level!
The pictures I took in that gallery are some of the biggest highlights of my travel photos when I show them to people.
We stayed in Sorrento (and Naples) and although some people dismiss it as being too full of British tourists and cruise ship hoardes, we loved it, and you won't have that kind of tourist crowd during the late winter. I thought it was the perfect transit hub - the train to Pompeii and Naples, the SITA bus to the Amalfi coast (sit on the right side for breathtaking views), ferries to Naples, Capri, and AC (altho I don't think they are running during those months), and the town itself is very nice. I still remember the scent of lemons in the air...

We'll probably try both these places for sure. Oooo, lemons...i just cant imagine...Any recommendations on great pastas around? My dad told me even the fanciest ristorante sells lousy pastas, but that was Rome 30 yrs ago, which can be different since it's the northern part of Italy.

What's an average price per night (double room + extra bed/ triple) in AC? I found a few that's about 70-90 euros.

Marvelous input so far :)

Just to clarify - Sorrento isnt on the AC, are you still looking at staying there? Or on the AC?

From Barcelona I would stick to exploring Costa Brava, gorgeous little towns, exciting cliff roads. But keep in mind the weather that time of year may not be the best.

I personally think you're being extremely ambitious on your trip. Your not allowing for anything to go wrong, and while Europe is small, it still takes time and effort to get to your countries. Personally, you should take france completely out on concentrate on 2 countries. It will cost more to get around than just going directly to the countries you want to be at. You'll have many travel days, not much vacation days.

I'm an antsy person by nature, the "if it's Tuesday it must be Belgium" type(get in as much as I can!) yet I found 2 weeks not enough just for Italy. I've been going to Spain for years and each time a week is not enough for any given region. France, Paris alone you need days.

Don't forget to add jet lag to the equation too, this can really slow you down.

Also consider a package tour, where all the transportation is done for you. While I did all these countries on my own, for everything you want to do, might be the best way.

Also to consider, in feb Europe can get extremely foggy (the countries you're considering) might not be able to see much, might add serious delays to travel, as for example, Spain can get socked in and delay for days!

Jamikins, basically anywhere that's central enough to cover some main spots around the area. Is Sorrento a good choice you think?

You have some valid points there Blamona. The guys in my group are putting high priority on Italy and Spain for now. Paris just serves as the start/stop point of our trip. We'll reserve Paris for future trip (in 3-4 yrs time?)

I have asked some local friends on the jet lag, but for our situation, we will be departing on midnight and after 12 hours flight considering if we sleep half the time, we'll be fine since we'll be arriving in the morning. But we'll most likely be facing trouble adjusting when we come back to our home country.

I guess I should hunt for a place to stay in Italy and perhaps ask them how the weather would be in Feb.

Sorrento is fine I just wanted you to be aware it wasnt on the AC - its a bigger centre than the 'villages' of the AC. You can do trips to the AC from there using the bus at that time of year plus Pompeii. Probably more open in Feb than in AC.

I misidentified the erotic collection - it's the Gabinetto Segreto (Secret Cabinet) and it's pretty unbelievable. It takes the phrase "phallic symbols" to a whole 'nother level!
The pictures I took in that gallery are some of the biggest highlights of my travel photos when I show them to people. >>

i have mentioned this before, but i was a little taken aback to find a room in the vatican museums dedicated to the "groin area" of statues, some being whole sections of the trunk, and others just the "bits" from the front. Why anyone would collect this stuff remains a mystery - it could not by any stretch of the imagination be described as erotic.

Wow, I'm surprised just by reading the suggestions, can't imagine having to see the actual thing soon. Can't wait to witness them myself!

By the way, here's another round of questions:

1. eDreams or EasyJet?: I've compared both prices, and eDreams tend to be 10 or 20 euros cheaper than EasyJet, which is of course better, but is it any reliable? Has anyone flew using eDreams before?

2. Cabin size luggage or backpack: I've always traveled using cabin size luggage and kinda tempted how backpack would suit this trip especially traveling around Amalfi Coast. I only weigh 92 pounds, so I'm wondering I could carry my stuff over my shoulders.

3. How's early March weather around Amalfi Coast compared to late February? Will the weather improve?