Veet

I am travelling to Milan/Turin for a knitting retreat in October 2018. I have an additional two weeks to travel after the retreat and am looking for any recommendations people might have. I would like to travel by train and will not have access to a car. Was thinking of exploring Lyon/Avignon or maybe even Bologna and/Portugal. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

sssteve

It would help if we knew what kind of traveler you are, what you are interested in, or if you have been to Italy, France or Portugal before.

isabel

Milan to either Bologna or Lyon would be a reasonable train trip - opposite directions obviously so you'd choose one or the other. And plenty of nearby places to combine with either of them to make for a good two week trip. For Portugal you'd need to fly but intra European flights are fairly fast and cheap. Especially for Portugal, but probably for the others as well, you'd want to fly 'open jaw' into Milan and then back from the other destination.

So you basically need to decide if you'd rather visit Italy, France or Portugal - all three are wonderful.

Veet

Hi SSSteve

I absolutely love all types of travel. I am a big foodie and also enjoy places that have abit of culture....not really a fan of big cities for any length of time, prefer to get off the beaten track abit and head into smaller towns/villages. I have been to Italy before for about 4 weeks - travelling through Rome, Venice, Florence, Milan, Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento, Lake Como etc. I haven’t done much travel in France before (only been to Paris) and have never been to Portugal.

mbjl1976

Hi,
If you never been to Portugal, then that should be your pick since is very different from the others, with a very strong identity and amazing culture and a big connection to the sea. For a small country the diversity is truly amazing and the people are the most friendly you'll ever encounter.
https://www.visitportugal.com/en

PalenQ

Trains are great in Italy and OK in Portugal but fly of course in between though I would concentrate on Italy - train info- www.trenitalia.com; www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. For France trains www.oui.sncf - book far in advance to get discounted train tickets.

sssteve

VEET:

If you are a foodie, then you must spend some time in the Bologna/Parma/Modena area (Emilia-Romagna).

You can visit Parmesan producers, prosciutto makers, traditional balsamic makers.
It's a fantastic area! Lots of great restaurants!
We were there last year.
Check out my web page about this trip.

A VISIT TO EMILIA ROMAGNA - 2016

Veet

Thanks SSSteve - I will have a read of your blog! Bologna looks amazing.