First European trip itinerary
Apr 9th, 2009, 02:58 PM
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First European trip itinerary
Hello! My husband and I are taking our first trip to Europe - August 24-Sept. 4. I would like some recommendations/opinions from some seasoned travelers. Here is our tentative plan: Arrive in London 1130am - immediately take Chunnel to Paris - spend 2-3 full days in Paris - take overnight train to Bolzano - spend about 2 days seeing the Dolomites - take overnight train back to Paris to take Chunnel back to London - spend rest of time in London.
I know nothing about train travel in Europe. I have heard it is a lovely way to see the countryside , but since we were thinking of traveling overnight, we won't see much. Is it cheaper to just fly to Italy, then fly back to London? We are excited about taking the Chunnel, so we would at least like to do that from London to Paris.
Getting from place to place is the biggest mystery at this point. I have read many forums about what to see in each place, so I'm pretty good with that.
Thank you in advance for any advice you have for us! We're very excited!!!
I know nothing about train travel in Europe. I have heard it is a lovely way to see the countryside , but since we were thinking of traveling overnight, we won't see much. Is it cheaper to just fly to Italy, then fly back to London? We are excited about taking the Chunnel, so we would at least like to do that from London to Paris.
Getting from place to place is the biggest mystery at this point. I have read many forums about what to see in each place, so I'm pretty good with that.
Thank you in advance for any advice you have for us! We're very excited!!!
Apr 9th, 2009, 03:09 PM
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1) Do you have 12 full days (not including traveling days) or do you really have just 10 days?
2) There is nothing remotely exciting about taking the Eurostar train between London and Paris.
3) You are wasting a lot of time (and money) on trains and backtracking, on an already tight schedule.
4) Is the goal of this trip to visit London, or visit Paris, or the Dolomites. I don't think you can fit in all 3 if you only have 10 full days. Possible if you have 12 full days.
5) If you have 12 full days, here's what I'd do:
Fly into London AND tour London first.
Take Eurostar from London to Paris.
Tour Paris.
Fly from Paris to Italy.
Fly home FROM Italy (or Munich).
If you have only 10 days, I would stick with 2 destinations. Please try to fly OPEN-JAW (ie, into one city and out of another), so you don't waste time and money backtracking to London.
2) There is nothing remotely exciting about taking the Eurostar train between London and Paris.
3) You are wasting a lot of time (and money) on trains and backtracking, on an already tight schedule.
4) Is the goal of this trip to visit London, or visit Paris, or the Dolomites. I don't think you can fit in all 3 if you only have 10 full days. Possible if you have 12 full days.
5) If you have 12 full days, here's what I'd do:
Fly into London AND tour London first.
Take Eurostar from London to Paris.
Tour Paris.
Fly from Paris to Italy.
Fly home FROM Italy (or Munich).
If you have only 10 days, I would stick with 2 destinations. Please try to fly OPEN-JAW (ie, into one city and out of another), so you don't waste time and money backtracking to London.
Apr 9th, 2009, 03:24 PM
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yk -
1) We have 10 days, not 12.
2) Don't really care about excitement on Chunnel, just want to experience it.
3) I agree, lots of backtracking.
4) The goal is to visit all three. I originally just wanted to go to Italy, but my husband wanted to experience more. As I've been reading further, I think I'd like to see more of Paris/London.
Our flight is already booked. I tried to do open-jaw, but it was just too expensive right now. With that said, are there cheap flights from Italy to London?
bobthenavigator - I went to Bolzano when I was 16, and thought it was beautiful. My husband and I love wine, and we'd like to see some wineries if possible. I heard Bolzano has one.
Thanks!!
1) We have 10 days, not 12.
2) Don't really care about excitement on Chunnel, just want to experience it.
3) I agree, lots of backtracking.
4) The goal is to visit all three. I originally just wanted to go to Italy, but my husband wanted to experience more. As I've been reading further, I think I'd like to see more of Paris/London.
Our flight is already booked. I tried to do open-jaw, but it was just too expensive right now. With that said, are there cheap flights from Italy to London?
bobthenavigator - I went to Bolzano when I was 16, and thought it was beautiful. My husband and I love wine, and we'd like to see some wineries if possible. I heard Bolzano has one.
Thanks!!
Apr 9th, 2009, 03:32 PM
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Since you're stuck with flying into and out of London, here's what I'd do:
1) Fly into London (which airport is it?)
2) Fly immediately from that London airport (allow 3-4 hours for connection) to either Paris or to Italy
3) go to whichbudget.com for cheap inter-European flights
4) Or: Fly into London, stay in London for sightseeing. Go to Paris/Italy; then fly from Italy back to London the night before your flight home.
You may be surprised to find that IF you add up the costs of the flights to/from London, transport to airports, and the precious time you wasted, it would have been as much as the open-jaw flight.
1) Fly into London (which airport is it?)
2) Fly immediately from that London airport (allow 3-4 hours for connection) to either Paris or to Italy
3) go to whichbudget.com for cheap inter-European flights
4) Or: Fly into London, stay in London for sightseeing. Go to Paris/Italy; then fly from Italy back to London the night before your flight home.
You may be surprised to find that IF you add up the costs of the flights to/from London, transport to airports, and the precious time you wasted, it would have been as much as the open-jaw flight.
Apr 9th, 2009, 03:42 PM
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Hi beccacali-
Based on your screenname, I assume you guys will be departing from California? Are you flying OUT on Aug 24 or are you arriving on Aug 24?
Since it's such a long flight from CA, you'd be tired on your arrival day. It's best to just hop on the next flight and get on to the farthest destination on the first day and forget any kind of sightseeing.
I vote AGAINST London airport -> London St Pancras -> Eurostar -> Paris because you'd waste a lot of time just getting from the airport into the city to catch the Eurostar. Since you're already at the airport, it makes much more sense to fly to your next destination instead of taking the train.
Train is a good idea if you have twice as much vacation time than you have now.
Based on your screenname, I assume you guys will be departing from California? Are you flying OUT on Aug 24 or are you arriving on Aug 24?
Since it's such a long flight from CA, you'd be tired on your arrival day. It's best to just hop on the next flight and get on to the farthest destination on the first day and forget any kind of sightseeing.
I vote AGAINST London airport -> London St Pancras -> Eurostar -> Paris because you'd waste a lot of time just getting from the airport into the city to catch the Eurostar. Since you're already at the airport, it makes much more sense to fly to your next destination instead of taking the train.
Train is a good idea if you have twice as much vacation time than you have now.
Apr 9th, 2009, 04:27 PM
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I don't see anything wrong with taking the Eurostar. Chances are that you will land in the morning, and by late afternoon or early evening you can be in Paris. Taking the plane might not save that much time, and it's jet-lagged time anyway.
I don't see taking the train to Bolzano to spend just two days there.
I don't see taking the train to Bolzano to spend just two days there.
Apr 9th, 2009, 06:13 PM
#8
You should fly into the city you want to visit and not select because of a train (there is no Chunnel train, it's the Eurostar). I'm not sure why you think this train is any different from every other train. If you don't plan to sightsee in London, then don't fly there. It would just waste your limited amount of travel time.By the time you add all the costs for trains and the time it takes away from you vacation, you won't have seen much except train stations and the inside of trains and paid as much as openjaw.
Bolzano may have a vineyard or two, but so does most of Italy and France. I don't think Bolzano is really noted for its wine.
For budget airlines try www.whichbudget.com and www.skyscanner.net
Bolzano may have a vineyard or two, but so does most of Italy and France. I don't think Bolzano is really noted for its wine.
For budget airlines try www.whichbudget.com and www.skyscanner.net
Apr 9th, 2009, 07:11 PM
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The trouble of going from Heathrow or Gatwick to St Pancras for the Eurostar is more than just time-consuming. One will need to go through immigration/customs, then schlep one's luggage from the airport to the train station.
Apr 9th, 2009, 09:23 PM
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I tend to agree with yk on seeing London when you arrive, go to Paris, then Italy and fly back to London. If Italy is not a must you might consider the Wine Road in France and you would only be 2-3 hours by train from Paris. We did not have a car on the Wine Road but one would have been nice. We took a couple of tours in the Colmar area. You can google "wine road france" and get inf, see pics, etc. to see if it appeals. I believe your tentative plan would cause you to spend too much time traveling. Keep
working on it and you will come up with the perfect trip.
working on it and you will come up with the perfect trip.
Apr 9th, 2009, 09:56 PM
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I thought I saw vineyards along the mountain from the San Genesio cable car from Bolzano.
I am curious about open-jaw being too expensive. I know that it won't help you on this trip, but did you do open-jaw as one reservation consisting of "multi-city" or did you try to do it as two "one-way" reservations?
I usually do "multi-city" airplane bookings and the prices have been slightly more than the round-trip fare to the arriving or the departing city.
I am curious about open-jaw being too expensive. I know that it won't help you on this trip, but did you do open-jaw as one reservation consisting of "multi-city" or did you try to do it as two "one-way" reservations?
I usually do "multi-city" airplane bookings and the prices have been slightly more than the round-trip fare to the arriving or the departing city.
Apr 10th, 2009, 04:24 AM
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When you're in the Dolomites if you want to relax a day stopped at Hotel Maria (www.hotelmaria.com). For me it was fantastic. Massage, swimming pool, sauna ....
Apr 10th, 2009, 06:46 AM
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This is not a good plan, given the amount of time you have. Drop Bolzano. You say you heard there's a winery there - well, there's a winery in about ten thousand other places too. It just does not belong on this trip. You're going to be zooming around packing and unpacking and boarding and deboarding with no time to enjoy anything.
The Eurostar's a bore, not anything like what I think you're imagining as an enjoyable ride through the countryside of Europe. That said, it's a convenient and easy way to get from London to Paris. I don't know why you booked RT tickets to London if you really wanted to be elsewhere - the cost of getting everywhere else surely will be the same or more than an open-jaw ticket would have been. But that said, I'd take the Eurostar to Paris, spend 4 days there, then head to a wine region of France (there are loads of them, many reachable by enjoyable, scenic train rides - like the Loire, Alsace, Burgundy, Bordeaux), then back to Paris and London by air or train.
The Eurostar's a bore, not anything like what I think you're imagining as an enjoyable ride through the countryside of Europe. That said, it's a convenient and easy way to get from London to Paris. I don't know why you booked RT tickets to London if you really wanted to be elsewhere - the cost of getting everywhere else surely will be the same or more than an open-jaw ticket would have been. But that said, I'd take the Eurostar to Paris, spend 4 days there, then head to a wine region of France (there are loads of them, many reachable by enjoyable, scenic train rides - like the Loire, Alsace, Burgundy, Bordeaux), then back to Paris and London by air or train.
