meliturtlee

I am in the process of planning my very first trip to Europe in mid August. We plan on traveling from 8/8 to 8/26 giving us 15 days of travel. We are looking at five cities. Barcelona, Paris plus another French city, Rome and two other Italian cities. Since Paris is a huge outlier, we plan on flying to or from Barcelona and getting a Eurorail pass for France and Italy. We think 3 days in Barcelona is ideal, 5 in France and 7 in Italy. I am aware we will probably see 1/3 of what we plan but the 3 major cities are set in stone. We hope to buy our plane tickets before May in which we will arrive and leave from two different cities depending on cost. We are most likely arriving in Barcelona and departing from Rome. We are both are in our mid twenties. Any ideas, advice, suggestions is very much needed to help us get around.

ElWh

I have traveled to Paris three times and Milan once. I am planning a trip to Ireland, Italy, and Spain for September 2013. We are flying into Dublin and will spend three days there before flying to Italy or Spain.

My group and I travel yearly and must control costs in order to do so. Having said that, we will save 50% on the air flight by flying into Dublin from Los Angeles. It will cost somewhere between $75 and 100 to fly to Italy/Spain from there Dublin.

In Paris we have stayed at the New Hotel Candide which is walking distance of many restaurants and the metro. It is also central to many of the major sights. The staff was very helpful in supplying information. On one occasion we stayed at the Marriot timeshare resort next to Disney but, I would not do so again because it was difficult to find reasonable transportation once the Metro has closed.

An acquaintance from Bulgaria recommended that I stay with a hotel chain called Formula 1 or ETAP. I am taking a look at the reviews on these two chains as well.

I have also solicited advice with a positing on this site for hotel recommendations and eagerly await a response. As I learn more i will post the info immediately. My last trip to Europe was designed based on information I received from folks on this site and everything worked out very well.

StCirq

I don't see how anyone can see 5 cities in Europe in 15 days time. I doubt you really have a grasp on the amount of time it takes to travel from one place to another, then the finding the hotel, checking in, getting your bearings, etc. You'll ultimately lose about 3 days or more of your total 15 just doing that and won't be enjoying "being" anywhere; you'll just be in transit.

A huge problem is always taking trains from France to Italy - long rides and inconvenient connections often. And I would never assume that a rail pass will save you money. Trains in Europe are cheap, especially if you know how to get the discounted fares.

I would start by winnowing your plans down to 3 places in 15 days, because even with that plan and the places you want to visit, you're going to end up with 3-4 days in each place, and every one of them is worthy of a stay of a week or two. And I say this realizing you are young and probably energetic and willing to be "on the go" a lot. But your current plan looks like a research project on the inside of European rail stations.

Try to revise and do more research and the actual logistics (and prices) of getting from place to place.

Jean

Ditto StCirq's comments. And unless you handle heat and humidity well, you may be ready to throw in the towel after Barcelona. Does the trip have to be in mid-August?

StCirq

Yes,I forgot to address the mid-August issue. The absolutely WORST time to visit Spain, France, and Italy. All of Europe heads to the Med in August, for a month. The roads are jammed, the trains packed, the beaches standing room only, restaurants and hotels overflowing, the prices sky high.

uhoh_busted

That said -- you could easily enjoy time in Barcelona, fly to Paris (because so many will be off to the Med) and maybe take the train to Amsterdam (stopping over a couple days in Belgium on the way) and fly back from AMS. You do want to avoid the Mediterranean coastal masses. Gives you a great European experience.

meliturtlee

I know the time is by far the worst to pick but those can't be adjusted.

zoeforyou

I think it will be better to start from Barcelona and see Zaragoza by train. Then you may take a train till Lourdes if you like to see it or take a flight till Paris.In Paris you may spend three days and then you can go to Cannes by train it will be a little longer but I think it will be the best transportation to see the panorama. Then from Cannes you may go to Florence and stay for three days (visiting the neighbourhoods), in Rome by train for four days and in this four days have a day trip to Pompeii.

ira

Hi M,

>15 days of travel. We are looking at five cities.<

Make sure that on Tuesday you visit Belgium.

>Barcelona, Paris, Rome <

Not a bad idea. You could fly into Rome, take the night train (19:15 from Rome Termini) to Paris Lyon, then take the night train from Paris (20:2 from Gare Austerlitz) to Barcelona, or do the trip in reverse.

A Railpass will be contraindicated, as you have to purchase sleeper or couchette tickets.

Check www.trenitalia.com and www.voyages-sncf.fr for tickets. You can book discount fares 90-60 days out.

Enjoy your visit.

kybourbon

>>>You could fly into Rome, take the night train (19:15 from Rome Termini) to Paris Lyon<<<

Currently, that train doesn't exist although they are supposed to be adding it. Night trains to Paris without having to change trains are from Milan or Venice.

If you had picked five places in one country, it would be doable. Five places in three different countries means you are spending a big chunk of your vacation on transport, not sightseeing.

Mimar

The OP wants to visit not 5 cities but 6. In 15 days that's 2.5 days per city, not including travel in between.

Stick to the 3 cities: Paris, Rome and Barcelona, and do a daytrip or 2 from each. For example, you can daytrip by train from Rome to Florence. Or, by bus, you can do a long daytrip to Pompeii or, from Paris, to the Normandy coast and the WWII landing sites.

Cheap European airlines fly between these cities. Look at www.whichbudget.com and www.skyscanner.net for flights.

This would be a much more relaxing trip and easier to plan. In August the cities are not so busy. I remember getting a room discount in August at a business hotel in Rome.