First time to Italy and France...going end of December...boom or bust?
Sep 28th, 2011, 09:35 AM
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First time to Italy and France...going end of December...boom or bust?
Hey,
Looking to travel to Italy and France in mid-late December. So far the itinerary is very basic, but I'm a little skeptical on the cold weather. Biggest issue is probably Venice during this time period.
Rome - 6 days/5 nights
train from Rome to Florence
Florence - 4 days/3 nights
train from Florence to Venice *maybe take a day trip to Verona
Venice - 4 days/3 nights
fly from Venice to Paris, France
6 days/5 nights Paris (spending NYE here)
In your opinions, is this too much traveling? We're still working on the daily itinerary, but that's our guideline so far.
Looking to travel to Italy and France in mid-late December. So far the itinerary is very basic, but I'm a little skeptical on the cold weather. Biggest issue is probably Venice during this time period.
Rome - 6 days/5 nights
train from Rome to Florence
Florence - 4 days/3 nights
train from Florence to Venice *maybe take a day trip to Verona
Venice - 4 days/3 nights
fly from Venice to Paris, France
6 days/5 nights Paris (spending NYE here)
In your opinions, is this too much traveling? We're still working on the daily itinerary, but that's our guideline so far.
Sep 28th, 2011, 09:43 AM
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It looks like a nice pace to me. You won't see everything in each destination of course (you could spend months in Rome) but you will see most of the highlights 
.
When you say you are skeptical about the cold weather, could you please elaborate? Skeptical that it will be cold, or skeptical that it will interfere with sightseeing? We've been to Italy in late November and Germany in February and it was never the cold that interfered with sightseeing... however heavy snowstorms and downpouring rain blowing sideways are not fun to be outdoors in for long periods of time. Fortunately, your destinations have plenty of great indoor sightseeing options
.When you say you are skeptical about the cold weather, could you please elaborate? Skeptical that it will be cold, or skeptical that it will interfere with sightseeing? We've been to Italy in late November and Germany in February and it was never the cold that interfered with sightseeing... however heavy snowstorms and downpouring rain blowing sideways are not fun to be outdoors in for long periods of time. Fortunately, your destinations have plenty of great indoor sightseeing options
Otherwise, we were good. It was cold, but not unpleasantly so.
Sep 28th, 2011, 09:55 AM
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Your itinerary looks more like this:
Rome 5 nights/4.5 - 5 days
Florence 3 nights/2.5 days
Venice 3 nights/2.5 days
Paris 5 nights/4 days
If you want to stop en route in Verona, subtract another half-day from Venice. It takes time to check out, transport yourself and your bags to the train station, ride the train, then transport yourself and your luggage to your new hotel and check in. You need to allow for that.
And arriving in Rome after an overnight flight means you'll be sleepy and jet-lagged your first day or two in Rome. Your sightseeing will be less efficient.
Plus travel in winter may not be as reliable as in better weather.
All of which is to say you don't have as much time as you think. But I still like your itinerary. It's not as rushed as many.
Verona's Porta Nuove train station has luggage storage (deposito bagagli). You can stop in Verona between Florence and Venice and tour without having to drag your bags.
Rome 5 nights/4.5 - 5 days
Florence 3 nights/2.5 days
Venice 3 nights/2.5 days
Paris 5 nights/4 days
If you want to stop en route in Verona, subtract another half-day from Venice. It takes time to check out, transport yourself and your bags to the train station, ride the train, then transport yourself and your luggage to your new hotel and check in. You need to allow for that.
And arriving in Rome after an overnight flight means you'll be sleepy and jet-lagged your first day or two in Rome. Your sightseeing will be less efficient.
Plus travel in winter may not be as reliable as in better weather.
All of which is to say you don't have as much time as you think. But I still like your itinerary. It's not as rushed as many.
Verona's Porta Nuove train station has luggage storage (deposito bagagli). You can stop in Verona between Florence and Venice and tour without having to drag your bags.
Sep 28th, 2011, 09:57 AM
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yes, by "skeptical", I meant that the weather would be either raining or snowing, where it would interfere with outdoor sightseeing. Also, I know daylight hours are limited, so I want to make sure we make the most of the daylight as we can (mainly in Florence and Venice, Rome and Paris, I assume would be just as beautiful at night).
Sep 28th, 2011, 10:04 AM
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@Mimar - thanks for the tips, especially the tip on the luggage storage at the Verona train station. I think we will be including that into our trip.
Thanks everyone for your helpful tips/suggestions so far!
Thanks everyone for your helpful tips/suggestions so far!
Sep 28th, 2011, 10:24 AM
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4 cities in 3 weeks. I won't call it agreesive. Consider buying Eurail Passes if you have not done so.
The passes ranged from 4 to 10 days to 15+ days. They also have Global, Regional, single country pass etc. The regional and single pass aer typically for 4 to 10 days.
You should check out if it is worth your while to buy the Global pass for the entire trip or cheat and buy a one country pass for the first 10 days and then a regional pass (2 country) for the next 10. Figure out which one saves you the most money.
The Metros in each of those cities are quite safe, especially if you stick to the toursit areas. Pick a hotel close to the Metro station. If you pick a hotel that is centrally located, you can walk almost everywhere, and we did exactly that in Rome last October.
You shouldn't worry about snow too much but you should consider bringing a heavy (warm) wind breaker and an umbrella.
Average temperature in December for Rome is high 60, low 40.
Florence slightly sooler with high 50, low 40, and Venice probably high 45, low 35.
Winter weather there are unpredictable. Wind and rain are to be expected. Snow are rare in Rome, Florence and Venice but it can happen. I would worry more about icy rain and the cold wind then snow though.
Looks like it is going to be a fabulous trip ...
The passes ranged from 4 to 10 days to 15+ days. They also have Global, Regional, single country pass etc. The regional and single pass aer typically for 4 to 10 days.
You should check out if it is worth your while to buy the Global pass for the entire trip or cheat and buy a one country pass for the first 10 days and then a regional pass (2 country) for the next 10. Figure out which one saves you the most money.
The Metros in each of those cities are quite safe, especially if you stick to the toursit areas. Pick a hotel close to the Metro station. If you pick a hotel that is centrally located, you can walk almost everywhere, and we did exactly that in Rome last October.
You shouldn't worry about snow too much but you should consider bringing a heavy (warm) wind breaker and an umbrella.
Average temperature in December for Rome is high 60, low 40.
Florence slightly sooler with high 50, low 40, and Venice probably high 45, low 35.
Winter weather there are unpredictable. Wind and rain are to be expected. Snow are rare in Rome, Florence and Venice but it can happen. I would worry more about icy rain and the cold wind then snow though.
Looks like it is going to be a fabulous trip ...
