Eelskins

Hello

I'm planning a trip (mostly by rail) across Europe. I've got two weeks and only a rought schedule and wondered if anyone had any insights.

I don't have many criteria, other than:
1) I'd like to spend the bulk of the trip in French speaking countries
2) I want to see if I can get to San Marino.

The rough schedule is:
Brussels - Luxembourg - Paris - Lyon - Lausanne - Milan - Rimini (San Marino) and then fly back to London, where I live.

I've already eliminated a ferry to Split as it just seemed like too much to cram in. Brussels is a quick stop-over where I can stay with a friend, so I'll be flying there on the Friday night and then leaving again on Saturday to get to France via Luxembourg. I'd like to be in Paris by the Tuesday as I may meet up with a friend who has Tuesdays off work.

Other than that, the rest is very flexible. I've done a comparison of driving/rail costs and rail looks cheaper, even with the flight in from London to Brussels.

I'd love to know the thoughts of anyone who has made similar trips. Thanks in advance for being so welcoming to a first time poster.

Eelskins.

PalenQ

Well just a few neat sites that will give you lots of info on the European rail system - and with all that travel check out the Inter-Rail Pass (currently www.sncf-voyages-.com in Britain has a special on Inter-Rail Passes) - www.seat61.com - good info for folks going from Britain to points on the Continent; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

PalenQ

Why do you want to go to San Marino? Just because it's a novelty? The reason I went but to make a mad dash across Italy just to see it - check out Monaco, near Nice for about the same absurd type Mouse That Roared place?

tower

I found San Marino to be quite inviting. I planned for us to be there for the semi-annual investiture of the new President. Very colorful parade
and related celebrations. Some very fine restaurants. We drove through beautiful mountain country from Perugia.

You take the elevator from the parking garage to go up a few floors to the main gathering places. We spent only a day and were off to catch our overnight ferry to Croatia from Ancona.

Pal: so much more pleasant and scenic than Monaco.

PalenQ

I too loved San Marino even though it is just another nice hill town in Italy - but I like the novelty of these type places. I stayed over night and after the day trippers coming in for discount booze and tobacco were left quite a tranquil place.

PalenQ

Why San Marino - not saying it's bad at all but so few have an interest in it or even know where it is - and Luxembourg is a so-so at best city though one of the most gorgeous settings in Europe - being divided by a deep gorge - good if you collect tiny postage-stamp countries as I do but otherwise a big detour from Brussels to Paris- I'd rather go toa place like Bruges and then to Paris - Bruges being for many the highlight of Belgium.

Eelskins

Thanks all. Yes, San Marino mainly for the novelty. It just struck me as a place that not many people visit and it looked interesting. Same reasoning with Luxembourg although the more I research it, the less I can find that I want to do there. Really, I'd just like to get out amongst people and practice speaking French (the Italian leg is a detour from the language practise part of the trip).

Eelskins

Oh, and I agree Bruges is lovely but I have been there before. There's also a list of places my girlfriend and I want to visit, so I'm taking a route that I'd be happy to do alone, leaving those places (southern Spain, Montenegro, Amsterdam, etc) open to future trips. The beauty of living in London is that it's relatively cheap to hop across for a single destination trip in future.

sandralist

>>Yes, San Marino mainly for the novelty. It just struck me as a place that not many people visit and it looked interesting.<<

A great many people visit San Marino. It is filled with tour buses and crowds. You can read several posts about "the hordes" here. Many people like it despite the thick crowds of tourists, who mainly are daytrippers, but don't go expecting it will feel off the beaten track.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

PalenQ

The point of the thread that sandralist gives - which I started - on my part was if going to San Marino be sure to stay overnight when the town and Republic take on a really nice aura.

But to go that far out of your way just for that - no it's not that fabulous and there are other Italian hill towns much more off the beaten path.