hi everybody,
me and my wife had planned a trip to one of the countries in africa , but somehow it could not materialise due to law and order situation..

so now we are trying to plan a trip to europe...

we understand this is not the best time to visit europe ... but still

if all of u could throw some light on the below mentioned points we'd appreciate that..

1. we are planning to visit from 16 feb to 28 feb

2. we have short listed paris, milan, veince, rome,cinque terra and zurich.

3. should we travel by train or take a bus

pl advice

Your short list has 6 places in 3 countries in 12 days, maybe 10 if two of those are travel days. You need to seriously consider trimming the list before going further IMHO. Plus, where are you coming from?

A visit to Cinque Terra is based on outdoor activities. Even though on the Mediterranean, I would think that February is not the month to visit. I would stick to the cities.

"should we travel by train or take a bus"?

Travel by private airplane or helicopter if you stick to your "short list"! Its impossible otherwise--too many destinations, too far apart for 12 days or nights.

I'm guessing that maybe you want some of the places on your short list and not all of them. If you are thinking about seeing all of them I would follow macanimals advice. In February I would choose either Paris and Rome (fly between) or Venice and Rome (train between).

do venice and rome with a train in between and maybe a day or two in florence

Take out CT from your list, not the time to go. Paris to Milan to Venice is perfectly doable. Adding Rome at the end a bit of a stretch. It could all be done by train.

I agree. I would eliminate Milan, Zurich and Cinque Terre. Then choose 2 cities from Paris, Venice and Rome. After many trips to all of your short list, I would start with Paris and Rome on this trip. February can be cold and visiting cities will allow you to spend time inside if the weather isn't decent. If you haven't already got your plane tickets, fly into Paris and out of Rome and take a plane from Paris to Rome.

I agree with 2 out of 3: Venice, Rome, Paris.

But if you pick Venice, don't put it at the end of your Feb. 16-28 timeframe. Carnavale begins approximately Feb. 26th, and, although it would be an interesting time to be there, you may have trouble finding lodging at this late date.

I think Paris is an excellent winter city. We have gone in the winter multiple times and just find so much to do.

I'd put Paris on the list. I'm also a fan of Florence in the winter; so many incredible indoor sites and hearty, steamy food.

I'm sorry that your African trip did not work out, but there is great world out there.

February in small towns in Italy will not work as everything is closed. Venice is supposed to be charming this time of year and I think that Florence, Paris or Rome would be great. A special time of year to see great cities without all the tourists. If you are a wine person, the Chianti Classico tasting is about that time in Florence and the Welcome Brunello is also that week in Montelcino.

I agree that Paris is the perfect winter city. Rome is nice but if you haven't been then there's a lot to do outside and what if it rains hard the entire time you're there.

How about Paris and London? You have plenty of indoor spaces to be dry and/or warm. Or just Paris.

thanks a lot guys those were some really great insights..
my wife is starting from india and i will starting from africa..
and we plan to RV at one of the cities...
i am personally more biased towards paris and rome..
so iguess i will keep it like this
paris - 4 days
paris to venice - by train
venice- 2 days
venice to rome - 1 day
rome - 4 days
fly out of rome

is it better
looking forward to ur insights

That sounds great - but fly Paris to Venice - I think easyjet flies there.

Agree, Fly to Venice.

thanks a lot guys .. trully appreciated...

It's a long train ride from Paris to Venice - about 12 hours on the night train. It's rather wonderful waking up and seeing the approach to Venice (like being in the movie Summertime) but to minimize your travel time I would definitely fly between these two cities.

Have done Italy in Feb France still very cold no fun.

Amalfi coast will be warmest base there

and train around like a local from there www.seat61.com

www.amalficoastweb.com

www.greecetravel.com might also be an option.

www.weather2travel.com Climate guides Feb.

Have fun,

Well don't give up on Africa just yet. I was in Marrakesh last week and it is lovely with fine blue sky and 22C. As usual the people are friendly and happy with their government.

Go there.