2 wk Europe Trip Advice
 

Hello,

My husband and I are planning on going to Europe this coming spring and am looking for input on travel. We are planning on flying into London and staying with family for 2-3 days.

The idea is then either take train to Paris x1 day and fly to Italy or fly from London to Italy. We want to spend majority of time in Italy (Venice, Rome, Cinque de Terre, fly out of Milan)

Would appreciate any input or advice for such travel arrangements as I have never been to Europe. Best way to get from place to place? How long at each city? Yes we know it will be a fast paced trip, but unfortantely can not take more time off.

Just a few more questions need answering before we can advise you best:

1. are the 2-3 days (make it 3 btw) in London in addition to the 2 weeks or part of the 2 weeks in total? And does that 2 week period also include travel from/to home?

2. If you've not been to Paris before, is there a reason for you considering only 1 day there?

3. What are you interested in seeing/doing? If we have a little more information your interests and things you've already considering doing in Europe, that will help with advice.

If you only do London and Italy, then you would be best flying between London and a point (eg Rome or Venice) and working you way to the other destinations by train once in Italy - it's easy and quick.

You may also find that you have to narrow down your choices for Italian cities/places if you have only 10 days in which to travel Italy.

I think this is what you are proposing
London 3
Paris 1
Venice 3
Rome 3
CT 2
Milan 1

Is that about right? I'd avoid Paris (one day is not worth it)

getting about, read www.seat61.com on Italy to get an overview

If you're only planning to spend one full day in Paris, then you should just skip it, unless all you want to see is the Eiffel tower.

It looks to me as though Bilbo is counting up the nights spent in each city, because otherwise, it would come to more than two weeks. One night in Paris, arriving from London and departing for Venice, is really only a few hours in Paris. The same goes for the other cities. To know how many days you'll have in a city, you have to subtract one from the number of nights.

You don't say in which month you'll travel. If it's in March, you may not find decent weather in the Cinque Terre, and unless it's later in the spring, I would recommend skipping that also.

As for the rest of the time in Italy, I would spend more nights in Rome than in Venice, because it's a much bigger city, with a lot of things to see.

Yes bilboburgler that is kind of what we were thinking?

We said maybe only 1 day in Paris really to just see Eiffel tower with hopes that we will be back to do Paris/Germany.

We want to see architecture, museums, good food, maybe hike, etc.

We were thinking staying at hotels centrally located once in cities to walk vs renting apartment for 3 days?

A day in Paris makes zero sense. Getting to the airport, etc.
3 days in Venice is a lot--I know others will say not.
Italy--what happened to Florence?!!

"We said maybe only 1 day in Paris really to just see Eiffel tower with hopes that we will be back to do Paris/Germany."

But that becomes an expensive trip to the Eiffel tower. (Eurostar fare + time)

"Italy--what happened to Florence?!!"

I don't think every first trip to Italy needs to include Florence. The OP needs to be selective of where to see.

I've never been to Europe so I'm not quite sure of all we have to do in such a short amount of time with traveling.

I know we will fly into London and stay 2-3 days and then go on from there. We could spend 2 days in Paris and then fly to Italy. Our must stops are Rome and Venice. Have also heard outstanding reviews of Cinque de Terre, so that's how I came up with our list.

I'm just looking for input, advice, recommendations and am open to feedback! We're interested in seeing as much as we can, experiencing the culture.

Here is what I would suggest....
London 4 nights
Fly to Rome 4 nights
Train to Florence (or Siena, Lucca, or some other Tuscan town) 2 nights
Train to Venice 3 nights
Train to Milan 1 night, fly home

If your interest in Milan is minimal (as it is for many), arranging to fly home from either Venice or Rome will gain you an extra night in one of the other locations. It might be a little more expensive, but remember you will save train fare, time, and hassle, while getting another night in a place you really want to be. If you fly home from Rome, you could reverse the suggestion above so that you fly London to Venice.

As you continue to plan, keep in mind that you will typically lose half a day to travel logistics each time you move to a new location. Happy travels!

Everyone in their own way is suggesting you scale back the number or destinations for 2 weeks and spend more time in each, particularly major cities that take time to see. So either allot 3 to 4 nights in Paris at minimum or skip it altogether and fly straight from London to Italy.

There does become a trade-off whereby trying to see too much can mean you don't give time for even basic sightseeing, much less experiencing the culture.

At the very least I would start thinking of your itinerary in nights, as bvlenci suggests - and 3 nights means 2 full days. That way you can factor in travel time between cities.

Apartments are probably not worth the bother for a 3 day stay.

yes look at nights not days, it makes it easier to understand
CT in March would probably be a waste of time but May might be lovely. So Spring needs to be cleared.

I wouldn't rush Paris, it needs a bit more time than you are offering it and at the end of the day the Eiffel tower is just a pile of bits of metal.

I'd try this

London 3 train to Paris
Paris 3 fly to Venice
Venice 3 train to Rome
Rome 3 train to Milan
Milan 1 (the really nice bits of Milan are very close together if you ignore the fantastic cemetries and the odd little canal and just focus on the Duomo and last supper)

our top countries/cities are London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Venice and Florence.>

14 days means 12 days really - arrival and departure days not being counted really.

Land in London

day 2, 3, 4 London

Take Eurostar train to Paris (2 hours - lose one hour on the clock)

Paris

Day 5, 6 , 7

day 8 - Paris and overnight train to Venice or fly

day 10, 11 Venice

12, 13 Cinque Terre (though I would say substitute Florence for the Cinque Terre if you have never been to Italy!)

14, 15, 16 Rome

fly home from Rome

If can only do 14 days something has to be cut.

Take trains between cities because IME cars are useless once in cities, trains go up to nearly 200 mph on many routes, etc. Check www.eurostar.com for Eurostar tickets London to Paris - book your own online; www.thello.com for the Paris to Venice overnight train and for general info on European trains I always spotlight these superb IMO sites - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.

Well there is an itinerary that I believe is perfect for first time visitors and according to your prefernces - add in a few days if you can in Venice and Florence and may be do day trip from Florence to one of those fabled Tuscany hill towns, like Siena - a cheap short bus ride from Florence as a day trip.

PQ: >>our top countries/cities are London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Venice and Florence.>
<<

That was from a different thread/different OP. The exact same copy/paste itinerary doesn't fit every situation.

@PalenQ thank you!! that helps a lot at least to get us started and thinking realistically about traveling places. We are looking to go end of May and really want to go to Cinque de Terre

That was from a different thread/different OP. The exact same copy/paste itinerary doesn't fit every situation.>

Well it does fit in this because both asked the same question and I gave the same answer tweaking it to substitute the Cinque Terre for Florence - why should I type the exact same thing again - I did forget to remove the first statement and should have corrected but some of us are humans and do make mistakes!

We are looking to go end of May and really want to go to Cinque de Terre>

If not going to Florence for a stay from the Cinque Terre you can take a train all along the coast to Rome - a more scenic route than the other possible route via taking trains to Florence and then high-speed trains to Rome. High-speed trains take an all-new rail line that skirts cities and is often in tunnels or views blocked by wind blocks, etc - not saying that you can't see anything but the slower IC trains along the coast are just more scenic and from the Cinque Terre just as quick - you will have to change trains from any Cinque Terre village at La Spezia usually and perhaps at Pisa but there are frequent La Spezia to Rome coastal trains - www.trenitalia.com for schedules and prices.

I would add a day or two to London then fly directly from there to Italy. You are shortchanging Paris so skip it for this time and have a better chance to really enjoy Italy. If you have two full weeks, that leaves about 10 days in Italy. Spend 4 in Rome and 3 in Venice and 3 in Cinque Terre (Note: it is Cinque Terre, not Cinque de Terre). Getting to Cinque Terre will take the better part of a day from either Rome or Venice. Then spend the last night in Milan to fly home. You have a lot planned for a short time so plan well to assure that you will remember more than train stations and airports.

3 days in the 5 Lands? That would depend on what they want to do - hike all the time or use it as a day trip base but if not into hiking or visiting nearby places spending 3 days in these tiny villages would bore most folks so it depends - you just want to experience the Cinque Terre and do the classic 7-mile hike between the 5 villages 2 days or a day and a half would be plenty - but if you want to day trip along the coast, etc - I would suggest spending a few days in Florence instead of 3 days in the Cinque Terre as an alternative.

Even one full day in Florence would be great - most of the main things are located in one compact historic center.

Thank you for all the advice. After researching and talking through things more we've come up with possible itinerary and I'm curious if it's too much or reasonable. We are flexible and know plans may change but trying to get better idea so we can make appropriate travel plans (booking flights, trains, hotels, etc.)

We are not huge into museums. These are just ideas and interests

Day 1- Arrive in London in afternoon
Day 2,3,4, London - Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey. Stay with family
Day 5- Take Eurostar to Paris
Day 6- Eiffel tower, Arc
Day 7-Fly to Venice in am.
Day 8- Venice- Canal, St Mark's
Day 9- Train to Cinque Terre (via Milan?)
Day 10, 11- Cinque Terre- Hike, relax
Day 12 & 13- Train to Rome
Day 14, 15, 16- Rome- Coloseeum, Forum, Sistine Chapel
Day 17- Fly Home


We know it's going to be busy but we are trying to do a lot while we are there. Is it too much or reasonable?

I'd drop the CT unless your dates are in very late Spring. The weather is too iffy and all the trails won't be passable.

You are only giving yourselves 1.5 days in Paris, 1.5 days in Venice, and a bit over one day in Rome - those care expensive jaunts for not much bang.

I'd drop the CT and add a day to Rome and to either Paris or Venice (Paris would be my choice)

We are traveling first 2 weeks of May. We hear Cinque Terre is wonderful then? If we shouldn't travel out to CT, would it be do able to travel through Florence or Tuscany on way to Rome?

We have it planned as 3 days in Rome. And fly from Rome to London and then back home.

I would drop Rome or Paris - you are just spending a lot if time and money getting there and the. Leaving right away and your trip is rushed as it is. Skip 1 or both and allocate more time to the other places. Otherwise you will spend more time in transit than enjoying the places you came to see.

Your final proposal seems fine to me except I'd put a day or two more in Paris - how about a half-day in Versailles - an easy short RER (metro) train ride from Paris. You are only touching the tip of the iceberg in Paris. Otherwise your times IMO are fine for the average tourist.

If your major tickets are already purchased as being into London, out of Milan, then that is one thing; if you haven't yet bought your tickets, you might have other options. Meanwhile, assuming your flights are as given:

The connecting point for Cinque Terre (this is not a place name by the way; use "Monterosso" or one of the other town names when hunting rail schedules on bahn.de) is not Milan but Florence and then either Pisa and/or La Spezia. If you leave Venezia Santa Lucia at 09:25, you can get into Monterosso by 15:01. For the other CT towns, e.g. Riomaggiore, you would connect Florence-Pisa-La Spezia and arrive in Riomaggiore at 15:16. So, a fairly long day (just over 5.5 hours) on the train, but doable.

I would cut a day in Rome and add it to Paris.

Sorry, just saw you changed to flying out of Rome, smart move.

Oh dear, just saw you have only a day for Venice. You can't count on your plane arriving on time, etc. etc. Try to plan for the unexpected.

London - 4
ES to Paris - 3/7
Fly Venice - 3/10
*** - 3/13
Rome - 3/16

Question: what makes sense to put in for ***.
I'm trying to think of hiking places that wouldn't take you as far afield as CT.

Well, actually it isn't as bad as I thought. You can pick up a fast train to Rome in La Spezia, and get to Rome from Riomaggiore in just over 3.5 hours. If staying in Monterosso, it would mean an early getaway at 07:51, but via La Spezia you would be in Rome by noon.

A bit rushed, but there it is.

You would solve a lot of headaches by dropping Paris.
Fly to Rome from London.
London - 4
Rome - 4/8
CT - 3/11
Florence (has some nice viewpoints; if you hate it you can always do a daytrip to Pisa or Siena) - 2/13
Venice - 3/16

If the hiking experience isn't stellar at the time you are going, then do something else with that time. You have a very rushed trip as it is.

with all that you have planned, i too would drop somewhere. Venice seems to me to be your outlier - fly from Paris to Pisa, over night there, [the tower is gorgeous at night when everyone has gone home and the whole of the field of miracles is lit up] then get the train to the CT which should be lovely at the end of May.

then get the train to Rome as Pal suggests. I've taken the train from Pisa to Orbetello [which is the same line that Pal is talking about] and it's very interesting and picturesque.

THis way you would have more time for Paris and Rome, and can leave Venice for another visit.

Actually annhig is spot on about May being a perfect time for the Cinque Terre in terms of there not yet being the horrendous mobs scene that unfolds in summer. And they are not ghost towns either so the perfect time for crowds.

Personally I think Venice is the most serene - Serenissima or whatever they call it - and beautiful city in the world and I would put it numero uno on my list and tailor the rest of your Italian sojourn around it.

You may never get back.

I agree that dropping one location--- either Paris, Venice, or CT would allow you to have a much more comfortable pace for this trip. Only you know what your priorities are, so drop whichever interests you least. Then spend a minimum of 3 full days in each of the places you do visit. Have a great trip!

Ref the CT: the area is notoriously fickle weather wise and a wet spring will render many of the trails impassable. It's OK people saying that "it's wonderful then", but it varies year to year. Keep a close eye on the weather and try to remain flexible enough to make changes.

Personally, I've never seen what all the fuss is about CT wise. Venice would be my choice without a second thought.

Ngnurse, as others have said, you are going to make the typical error of first time travellers to Europe - too many destinations for a limited period of Time. After your trip, you will be disappointed because you have spent most of your time in airports and on trains.
You HAVE to skip one destination - which one is a no-brainer. London Paris Venice Rome are number-one destinations Cinque Terre is number three at best - it. is just a coastal path