First trip to Europe, 1 month in September 2013 - itinerary help
 

Hi all

My husband and I are planning to visit Europe in Sept 13 for the very first time. We are in our late twenties and are hoping to get an all round experience - art, architecture, history, museums, scenery etc.

I have trawled through numerous Fodors forums and have come up with a rough itinerary below which takes into account a lot of suggestions re: timeframes etc. I was hoping to visit Spain but decided against it due to the limited time we have.

I want to be in Prague and France during the European Heritage Days which are scheduled for 7-15 Sept (Prague) and 14-15 Sept (Paris), hence my note below about being in Paris over 14-15 Sept. I was also planning to use Paris as a home base and do a number of day trips from there, hence the extended stay.

1. Prague, Czech Republic (4 days)
2. Amsterdam, Netherlands (4 days)
3. Paris, France (6 days) – including 14-15 September
4. Nice, France (2 days)
5. Florence, Italy (3 days)
6. Rome (5 days)
7. Sorrento / Amalfi Coast / Isle of Capri / Pompei (4 days)

I am planning to fly between most destinations. Are there scenic options for travel (for exampl, between Nice and Florence)?

Would it be possible to add another destination by cutting down on the days in Paris, Rome or Sorrento?

I am very new to this forum and would appreciate any recommendations / critiques.

This is a pretty decent schedule.

To pick up days, my suggestion would be to take 1 day from Amsterdam and 1 from Paris. That would allow you to visit someplace in between them for 2 nights, like Brugge, Ghent or Antwerp, or add days in Provence, somewhere other than Nice, perhaps. You could also take 1 from Rome, too, I suppose, but then again it is Rome. With what you have planned form the AC, Capri taking an entire day, you will probably want those 4 days.

Prague-Amsterdam is long enough for a flight to compete with rail, but Amsterdam - Paris should really be done by train. It is only a 3:19 minute trip.

Paris - Nice is also suited better for rail travel, clocking in at about 5:40 minutes, with some scenery and the thrill of traveling at over 200 mph, which creates it's own scenery.

Nice- Florence is probably a flying route at 7:30 for the train, unless someone can vouch for some interesting scenery. From Florence, you want to be back on the train.

I would probably start in Prague, then Amsterdam. From Amsterdam, a cheap budget flight (maybe Transavia?) to Nice. Train to Paris next. Cheap flight from Paris Orly (Easy Jet) to either Venice or Rome to finish the trip.

Look at budget flights on whichbudget.com or skyscanner.com.

Are your travel days included in the numbers reflected after each city? If yes, you don't have 4 days in Amsterdam, 6 days in Paris, 2 days in Nice, etc. By the time you've packed and left one hotel, traveled to the next city, and checked into the hotel there, you've lost a half day or more. You should investigate all your travel times and plot this itinerary out in real time before you consider taking days away here or there, adding destinations, etc.

Investigate flying Nice-Florence in particular. I'm not sure there are direct flights between the two cities, and it could end up taking several hours. Nice-Pisa may have better options, and there is direct train service from the Pisa airport to Florence. If it were my trip, I'd skip Nice altogether and fly Paris-Florence. I'd want more time in Florence to provide the option of seeing a Tuscan town or two.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your helpful feedback. I will revise my itinerary by plotting to real time and including travel times and will post back shortly!