sks

My husband and I (early 30's)are looking to vacation in Europe next September and have decided on France and Italy as places we want to see (before we have kids!). I have previously been to Norway and Austria and he has never been to Europe. I am a big fan of getting to know one place well as opposed to cramming in as many places as possible. So I'm wondering how to go about planning this trip and if we should just pick one country instead of two. Any oopinions/advice would be much appreciated.

tedgale

You will get more replies if you specify what sort of holiday you want -- cities, rural charm, seaside???? France, in particular, has so much variety that there is almost nothing that you canNOT find there (other than fjords, which you have already seen)

On the face of it, three weeks in France and Italy post-summer sounds like Heaven to me. Indeed it is my favourite time to visit my two favourite countries. But that scarcely helps you to plan.

If it were up to me, I'd say: Paris, Provence, Venice are the "musts" -- then add any stopovers you want to make en route.

In France rental of a "gite" (self-catering holiday cottage or flat) is a highly developed industry and a reliable, affordable way to settle down in one area for a week (Some also rent for three-day periods too). Gites de France is a very large and established booking system but there are many, many independent sites that offer gites.

Car rental is an option if you want the freedom to wander but the train system has many advocates on this site. How you want to get around will be a function of how much freedom you want to pause and dally on the way.

IMHO, (not universally shared, I know): Italy is primarily a country to visit for its cities, whereas France is the opposite. I have lived in Florence and in Perugia and have traversed large swatches of Italy; the countryside simply does not match up to the variety and the "douceur de vivre" of rural France.

emtravel

If this is your first time, and want to see general first-time sightseeing, then I suggest visit one country. France is very large and it depends what you want to see besides Paris. You can do Paris and South France and take a drive from Paris south. Or, maybe you want to see Normandy, Brittany and Loire? 3 weeks is a good vacation in France.

First time in Italy, see Rome, Florence, Venice and Amalfi Coast from Rome. Again, 3 weeks is enough.

However, this said, many energetic travelers (not our style) want to explore many countries in one trip and then maybe come back later to see in debt.

Then, you can for example, go to Paris, then take train to South - Riviera, Provence - September is fabulous there but also expensive.
Then rent a car in Riviera and drive to Italy, so you can tour north. But with this itinerary, not enough time for other Italian cities - Rome, Florence.. Trains will probably save you time and you can also take overnight trains from Paris to Venice or Rome - save one night hotel.

It also depends if you like to travel by train or by car and also what pace you have by exploring the cities. If you look at some escorted tours, they visit many countries however, most time on these tours are spent on the bus or trains traveling.
Enjoy.

ira

Hi sks,

We did 3 weeks in Italy last Sept-Oct and loved it. See my trip report
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

For you, I would recommend reducing Florence by 3 days and adding them to Venice.

Alternatively, I suggest that you fly into Rome, do two weeks visiting Rome, Florence and Venice; fly Venice to Paris for a week and fly home from there.

degas

I'd do the same as what ira said.

bobthenavigator

Ira has a nice plan if you are attracted by city life and art/culture. That is not my thing. If you have 2 weeks then I would consider a week rental in rural Tuscany and explore the hill towns--Sep is a perfect time for that. I would then spend a week at 2 different locations in the lakes of northern Italy--my favorite destination in Europe. Of course, you could spice it up with 3 days in Venice for your art fix. My best advice is to focus on one country.

sks

Thank you for all the advice so far. There is so much to see - I am feeling a little overwhelmed.
I think we would like a mix of city and seaside during our stay. I am quite intrigued by the Cinque Terre (sp?) and my husband really wants to see Paris. We both enjoy good food and all that a city has to offer but we also enjoy beautiful scenery and a chance to relax. Would love to include a little relaxation in the trip somewhere 'beachy' and beautiful.

Surfergirl

Sounds like a great trip, great opportunity, and great time of year. I would opt for what I refer to as the shopping mall approach -- you know, where each end of the mall has an "anchor" store? I would suggest the two anchors as Paris and Rome. Then, perhaps, you could hire a car to meander from one to the other, stopping where you want, staying a little longer if you like.

Weadles

If you would like " a mix of seaside and city", here's what I'd do:

Fly into Pisa ( can connect through London on British Air, or a discount carrier like Easyjet out of Gatwick.

Pick up a car. Spend five days touring Florence and hill towns like San Gimignano, Volterra, and Siena.

Drive to Cinque Terre, spend three days here ( sorry, can't help with a base, we really just drove through it).

Drive to Santa Margherita (beautiful resort town on the sea)spend two days here, then turn your car in at Genoa.

Take train from Genoa to Nice, France ( about 2 and a half hours).

Pick up car. SPend five days here with sidetrips to: Monaco, Eze, St. Paul de Vence, Grasse, and Cannes.

Turn in car. Take TGV ( I think it now runs from Nice to Paris, but if not can take local train to Marseille and catch it from there) to Paris.

Spend rest of your trip in Paris. Fly home from Paris.

Have time of your life!!
Take TGV ( I think it now runs from Nice) to Paris.

Spend rest of your trip here. Fly home from Paris.

Weadles

Sorry for mixed up last lines of my post!

Anyway, I'm pretty sure you can take the TGV from Nice to Paris. If not, as I said, you can take a local train ( about 2 hours) to Marseille, and pick up the TGV there. The trip from Marseille to Paris on the TGV is about 5 hours.

Another option would be to take Easyjet from Nice to Paris. Just depends on your preference for flying or the train.

Good luck!

TopMan

"There is so much to see I am feeling overwhelmed" and, unfortunately, you may continue to feel that way even after you arrive if you continue with the two-country plan. You may feel that way with a "one-country" plan.

Perhaps a way to eliminate this is to tell yourself NOW that you'll never see it all in one trip AND there are many things that, after you investigate, aren't as "worth" seeing as some others.

I still think you go about planning this trip by deciding YOURSELF which places are most important rather than asking people to suggest places. The longer the thread continues the more places will be suggested.

Weadles

I understand Topman's point, but disagree. I think if you have 3 weeks for this vacation, you can comfortably visit two countries as long as you streamline your itinerary.

Now that you've gotten so many suggestions, I do think the best bet would be for you to research the ones of interest to you and your husband. Then come back here and pose more detailed questions.

Good luck, and have a great time!

sks

Thank you so much for all the advice! It gives me a good starting point for reading about places and figuring out what sounds interesting to us.