Hello all, I love this site! I've already learned a lot that has helped plan my trip so far. I am in Afghanistan and will be taking a R & R, meeting my two sons in Europe. We've never been to Europe, and only have two weeks so its been hard to decide where to go. We're traveling from May 16-May 31, my sons are 23 and 29- the 29 yr old will be traveling with his girlfriend and meet us in Rome, so much of the trip will be me and my 23 yr old son. Rome is definitely on the itinerary. I was going to then do Venice- Florence- Rome, traveling by train, including Tuscany from Florence and Pompeii from Rome. But never traveling to Europe, I also wanted to do Paris . So now I am thinking about doing Paris-Venice-Rome, flying from Paris to Venice then take train to Rome. It would give us 5 days in each place, maybe I would do 3-4 in Venice and spend extra days in Paris or Rome. I am thinking this may be more interesting for my son than the time in Florence and Tuscany. Would love to fit in something coastal but don't know how, maybe Venice will satisfy my love for the water. Comments or suggestions for a first time European traveler?

I am guessing you are US miltary and if so, many thanks for your service. Enjoy the R&R.

I would only do 3 days in Venice. It is truly beautiful, but there are more things to do in Paris and Rome. Spring in Venice, as in the other sites should be beautiful with great weather.

I love Paris, so I would spend more time there. I am not sure what you want to do...museums, monuments, churches...Musee d'Orsay is my favorite museum and I actually love the Musee L'Army/Invalides, as well (burial site of Napoloeon).

Versailles is gorgeous and a great day trip from Paris...if the fountains are operating you can get a water fix there.

You all might enjoy the catacombs in Paris...not your usual site!

You will find tons of info on this site for what to do, where to eat, etc...

Have a great time on your trip. We go back to Paris in November and I can't wait.

I think 3 places in 2 week sis a great first trip - it really lets you learn something about the places you're visiting. I would consider Versailles from Paris, possibly Verona from Venice - and perhaps Orvieto from Rome.

And will give you time to do at least one day trip form each city. And the time you're going is great- warm - but not hellishly hot - weather, long days but not packed with tourists yet.

Thanks for the info- I was concerned three places in two weeks would be too much- and I need to relax. But my whole life I have wanted to go to Europe so want a balance between going to a few places and having a relaxed pace. And also balance what I think my son would like with what I would like- I love outdoors so walking tours, hiking, a trip to the countryside, plus I love art and historic sites, and food and wine. He does like the same things but being young not looking to relax as much as have fun.

Since I knew we were doing Rome I've done a good bit of research, but just adding Paris any more comments on this would be helpful. Advice on flying or trains between the three cities? Anyway to fit in some countryside or coast? Would love to do Provence or Nice but don't want to give up Venice.

Thanks so much for the guidance!I am so excited about this trip!

I think in two weeks you can fit in one more site to visit. How about fly to Paris, stay there 4 days, fly to Venice for 3 days, they fly (or train) to Naples and spend 3 days on Amalfi Coast to get your coastal fix, finally finish up in Rome for 5 days.

Or if the countryside is more appealing, train from Venice to a location in Tuscany (such as Siena) and then on to Rome.

Have a great trip!

UGH! Kabul to Paris flights are super expensive- over 1K increase from the round trip to Rome I was looking at. I get airfare in my leave package, but this would put me way over I'd be paying quite a bit out of pocket plus paying my sons I can't afford to do it. I've got to rethink how I could make this work, pick a different city to combine with my Italy trip, or just stick with my Italian vacation plan. But I want to do Paris!

Are there any cities close to Paris where you could get good airfare and then take a train to Paris? Brussels, Frankfurt perhaps? Can you not get a military hop to Frankfurt from Kabul? You can get an ICE train in the early afternoon that takes less than 4 hours.

Yes Paris is great, but if it strains your budget, 2 weeks in Italy would be unforgettable. You could easily spend 2 months in Italy and still want more. If you want relaxation, try and get at least a few nights in the beautiful Tuscan or Umbrian countryside. Staying in a rural setting to chill out and just hike, bike or explore the countryside might be the highlight of your trip. Rome is fabulous but very hectic. You might want to spend time here after you've de-stressed for a few days in the countryside. If you want seaside, consider hiking the Cinque Terre, which is just a few hours from Florence/Tuscany. You could do 3-4 nights in Tuscany, a night or two in Cinque Terre, 4-5 nights in Rome 3 nights in Venice.
Could you do an open jaw into Pisa or Rome and out of Venice?

No budget flights available from Rome to Paris? It'd be a faff to have to fly into and out of Rome but if it makes financial sense and your heart's set on seeing The City Of Light then maybe that'd be a faff worth the faffing.

Ryanair do flights to Paris (well an airport nearby linked by a shuttle bus !) from Venice - Venice Marco Polo and Rome.

Easyjet fly Paris (Orly) to Rome, Nice Milan and Venice. They also do Nice - Rome.

Both are cheap if booked well in advance.

Peter