jpie

The other place might be Paris if you haven't been. In terms of where to base in Provence-at your age I would choose someplace a little more lively rather than a smaller quaint village. Aix-en-Provence is the first place that comes to mind, but I think you also might like Avignon. Both places have good restaurants and coffee shops and just nice strolling and shopping.

azhawk08

Yes, I was thinking of cutting out Vienna and Salzburg and saving them for the next trip, and adding a few days in Paris instead. That'll save me some money on a eurail select pass as well (four countries instead of five).

As far as my goals for the trip: I want to see a lot of different types of cities, eat different types of foods, and I don't mind sacrificing extra days in certain cities in exchange for more ground covered. I'm starting an intense job in October and probably won't get back to Europe for awhile, so I really want to make the most of this trip. I want to see the "best" of Europe, with a wide range of scenery, I guess. I don't plan to do a lot of shopping, and I can eat pretty cheaply- making exceptions for those culinary "experiences" that are necessary in some cities... wine in southern france, pizza and pasta in italy, chocolate in switzerland, etc.

Having already been to Rome, London, and Paris, I'm okay with not returning to any of those cities, by the way.

suze

I think your plan is coming along nicely. The 2nd itinerary MUCH better than the first.

azhawk08

thanks! I read a Rick Steves book and I think I was a little too ambitious to start I can't wait to start planning. if anyone has recommendations on flights, let me know. I'll be flying out of New York any time from Aug 18-22, and back into Chicago (or Cedar Rapids, Iowa) any time before mid October.

thursdaysd

I'd probably drop a day from Salzburg and one from the Cinque Terre, and add them to two of Venice, Vienna or Nice. I'd also consider adding Budapest. I've been back to Vienna, Nice and Budapest, and would love to go back to Venice as well.

azhawk08

Ok- updated itinerary. Was able to find cheaper flights! Yay!

Arriving in Paris on the morning of Aug 16 and sticking around until Sept 29th at the latest. I'd like to keep costs down, but still be able to see and do everything in the cities I've got mapped out. Is this itinerary possible? I can add a day here and there if necessary.

# DAY / NIGHT
1 Paris/ Paris
2 Paris/ Paris
3 Versailles/ Paris
4 Paris/ Paris
5 Strasbourg / Lucerne
6 Lucerne/ Lucerne
7 Bern/ Lucerne
8 Lucerne/ Lucerne
9 Zurich/ Vienna (on night train)
10 Vienna/ Vienna
11 Vienna/ Vienna
12 Vienna/ Vienna
13 Salzburg/ Salzburg
14 Salzburg/ Salzburg
15 Hallstatt/ Hallstatt
16 Hallstatt/ Hallstatt
17 Venice/ Venice
18 Venice/ Venice
19 Venice/ Venice
20 Tuscany/ Tuscany
21 Florence/ Tuscany
22 Tuscany/ Tuscany
23 Tuscany/ Tuscany
24 Cinque Terre/ Cinque Terre
25 Cinque Terre/ Cinque Terre
26 Nice/ Nice
27 Nice/ Nice
28 Nice/ Nice
29 Provence/ Provence
30 Provence/ Provence
31 Provence/ Provence
32 Barcelona/ Barcelona
33 Barcelona/ Barcelona
34 Barcelona/ Barcelona
35 Madrid/ Madrid
36 Madrid/ Madrid
37 Madrid/ Madrid

Looming questions:
1) I plan to get a select eurail pass. will that allow me to get from zurich to vienna via night train, or am I in trouble since my pass won't cover germany? it wasn't clear from eurail's website whether that route goes through germany or not.
2) any suggestions on a base city for tuscany?
3) same question for provence? got one suggestion of aix-en-provence and avignon so far.
4) what's the best way to get from provence to barcelona?

unless noted otherwise, I plan to take morning trains to get from one destination to the next.

anothertravelinsong

Your revised itinerary is a lot more sensible. I personally like to see a lot of things, but I think you are going to too many countries. 6 days in Spain? You could easily spend half of your trip in Spain (and maybe even see Portugal) and the other half in Italy. Why are you spending 4 days in Paris if you say you don't need to go there again? I'd suggest skipping north France.

Why not base in Florence and take a day trip (or two) to the Tuscan hillside? There is easily enough to do in Florence to fill at least 2 days. As a solo traveler it's much easier to stay in Florence and you can take tours from there that will get you in and out of the different cities by bus, some of which are quite a hike from the train station.

travelgirl2

I hate to butt in... Your trip looks fabulous, but I'm sorry you haven't included any Greek islands or Rome.

travelgirl2

Oh sorry, just realized you've already seen Rome...

azhawk08

I'd LOVE to see Greece, but I'm saving it for a future trip with my boyfriend (it's our mutual dream vacation).

The reason for going back to Paris is that I didn't get enough time there the first time around- so now I've seen all the museums and "big sights," and would like some downtime to just explore.

I considered cutting Spain all together, but was able to find a pretty good flight deal out of Madrid so I figured I might as well hit up Barcelona and Madrid for a few days each while I'm there. The other option would be to fork over the extra two hundred bucks for my return flight, skip Spain, and fly out of Paris after Provence.

CathyM

3 days in Madrid and 3 in Barcelona will barely scratch the surface. Alternatively you could spend the entire time in Madrid and do several daytrips (Segovia, Toledo, Avila, etc...). You're going to be exhausted by the end with all the moving around.

azhawk08

I could add a day or two to any of the cities (just not all). My current itinerary is for 37 days and I could go for up to 45. Where should I add a day or more?

CathyM

I'd add at least a day each in Barcelona & Madrid.

Ideally I'd add 1 days each in Barcelona & Madrid, 2 days in Granada and 4 days in Sevilla. You could go from BCN to Granada, then Granada to Sevilla, and Sevilla to end up in Madrid. This would give you a taste of Andalucia with architecture and a culture unlike anywhere in Europe. Of course, I'm a little (alot) passionate about Spain

thursdaysd

I didn't care much for Madrid (much preferred Lisbon), but I'll put in a good word for Toledo, and a strong recommendation for Granada - it you're in the south of Spain you really shouldn't miss the Alhambra.

lynzdee

I would take out Venice and stay for those days in Florence itself. It is more lovely, has more to see, better food, is cheaper for food and lodging.

Mimar

Take out Venice! I'd rather eliminate Florence. Both are beautiful places, but Venice is unique in the world and amazingly beautiful. And it might sink. I agree Florence is cheaper with better food. But Venice is like a living art museum. Every vista is snapshot-worthy. Florence isn't so bad, but better for fans of Renaissance art and architecture. I hate those solid blank stone walls that Renaissance houses have on the street level.

Ah, each to their own.

Unfortunately both of these places will be pretty busy with tourists during the time of your trip.

BTW, in Venice be sure to stay in Venice proper, not Mestre on the mainland or the Lido. Otherwise you miss much of the esperience. In Italy you can stay in monasteries or convents to save money. Check out the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree for other budget accommodation suggestions.

But, with your revised schedule, looks like a good trip.

PalenQ

Venice to me is not only Europe's but the world's most exquisite city - even to glimpse it for a few minutes, a few hours, a few days is oh so awesome. It is the last Italian town I'd drop too.

azhawk08

Alright- here are a couple of options:

Either:

1) add one day each to Vienna, Venice, Cinque Terre, Nice, Provence, Barcelona; and add 2 days to Madrid

OR:

2) add 4 days in Sevilla, 2 in Granada, and 1 day to both Barcelona and Madrid

PalenQ

I would encourage you to spend more than 1/2 day, as it seems in revised plan, in Florence - especially if you want to visit its several lauded museums. Going up to suburban Fiesole is a treat - sweeping views over Florence and the Tuscany countryside.

azhawk08

Thanks for the tip! I think I might have Florence as my base for Tuscany, with day trips to any hill towns that you all suggest.