StCirq

<<we should rent a car on the day that we are leaving ROME and we can use that to travel to go to
Florence
Venice
Turin/Milan...>>

You do not want to have a car in Florence or Turin or Milan (ZTL problems!), and you can't have one in Venice, so I don't think that's a good plan unless you want to be parking outside those cities and taking public transportation in. Seems like a waste of money.

You can figure out tolls and mileage and gas on www.viamichelin.com

jpie

Yeah I would look at the whole trip a bit if you decide to keep a car longer but I think it is worth thinking about if it will work for you.

Petalstogo

I had no idea about the ZLT issue, thank you SO MUCH! okay, going to rethink that part and come back w/ a stronger plan for you all

bubblywine

This is all looking great, Petalstogo. I did 10 weeks in Europe last year and have one word of advice: give yourself some vacations from your vacation. You'll want and need the occasional "day off" where you sleep in, watch TV/read, and do pretty much nothing. I found I needed one about every 2.5 weeks.

I didn't do EuroRail Pass, instead did a mix of buses/trains/rental cars. I didn't do the math on it though, so no idea if I would have saved money doing the rail pass and for the most part I bought them right there at the station before getting on whatever I was getting on.

StCirq

There's no such thing as a EuroRail Pass. It's Eurail, and it's a MARKETING COMPANY that exists to sell overpriced European train tickets to unsuspecting Americans (in particular). So stay away from it.

I totally agree about needing days off on a long trip, BTW.

Mimar

We used to insert a short (2 or 3 day) vacation from the vacation in the middle of our itinerary (usually 3 or 4 weeks). But sometimes we got a bit bored during our mini-vacation. So we switched to adding an extra day here and there, to places where we thought we'd like more time. This has worked out well. We mostly don't use the whole day to relax, we just take the whole visit a little more slowly.

mtmnp

My husband and I did the same thing to start our honeymoon, but right at the end of our Ph.D. program. My main piece of advice--you will be exhausted (especially the bride) after the wedding; give yourself some time (preferably some time with just the two of you) to relax, recover, sleep. We were a bit too ambitious, and by the end of the trip I had to spend a whole day in bed, in Florence.

Other advice: mention to everyone you see that your are on your "honeymoon," "luna di miele," "lune de miel," etc... It's unbelievable the extra liqueur, service, and good feeling that you get.

So, in our case, in two months, FYI, we spent about a week in London and an week in Kent (with friends of the family), then a week in Paris (at a friend's apartment) and a week in Burgundy, centered in Dijon, then a week in Rome and a week in Florence. That was enough for us--although we did a number of side trips in the Kent and Burgundy areas.

AisleSeat

I keep thinking about the Honeymoon couple in Paris in National Lampoon's European Vacation. I don't think sightseeing was at the top of their list.

Watzmann

My personal opinion: Cinque Terre is beautiful but has way too much tourists, it's become a bit artificial really. If I were you, I'd ask the friends in Turin for an alternative in Italy that is less crowded/touristy.

IMDonehere

My personal opinion: Cinque Terre is beautiful but has way too much tourists,
_____
So, you live there and are not a visitor?

Watzmann

No, I don't live there. What's your point?

Dukey1

I have YET to be asked to see a return ticket when I have flown to Europe and I am doing so on a one-way again later this year. If anybody asks it might be the airline, not an Immigration officer.

lavandula

>Wetzlar (near Frankfurt - I just put Frankfurt because i'm assuming that's where the train >would go) and he's single and wont be in town. He's letting us stay at his place(s) for free so >we figured that we would make good use of it by using the place in Wetzlar/Frankfurt & Turin >as hub,

Near Wetzlar you should try to see Limburg, Marburg and Alsfeld - all are pretty and close by. If you go further afield, Göttingen and Duderstadt to the north are nice too. Kassel is a cultural centre but isn't especially pretty (destroyed and rebuilt after the war).

Lavandula

Petalstogo

Okay I'm back!! a few things have changed. Due to my fiances school & job schedule we have to do this. We have 3 week to see Italy & France and after that we will be "stuck" in London for 6 weeks - but HE wont be able to take any day trips.... so all of this changes stuff. That means that for the 3 weeks of Italy and France I want to squeeze a few things in there. I am going to take Cinque Terre off the list for Italy because it's out of the day and will eat up a whole day. At this point I am thinking of starting off with 4-5 days in Rome, Pompeii, Florence (2 days), Venice 2 days and from there to France... Eurail has a deal right now that's only good for 1 more day... should I buy the 15 day pass? will I be able to use the Eurail pass to get from Rome to Florence and to Venice? Will I be able to go throughout the country or will I be forced to purchase other tickets. Anyway, I am kind of bummed out about having to cut our trip short.... but he has to do for his fellowship and it's a great opportunity, so I am doing my best to be supportive.

Anyway, any advice or feedback would still be greatly appreciated. What places are a must in Italy? HELP!

cathies

My suggestion is to skip Pompeii and go to Ostica Antica instead. It's much, much closer to Rome and will much better use of the limited time you now have in Italy.

jane1144

Note the advice you have been given above re: Eurail passes. Check out the man in seat 61.

Christina

There are plenty of websites where you can read about Eurail passes and what they cover, they even have their own website. Generally, Eurail passes only make sense for people who are traveling by train a lot on long-distance trips. I have never seen them make sense for people who want to use them for day trips or short trips. However, if you get one free as a gift and you won't get the same gift if you do local tickets, it might make sense. You would buy the 2 country pass for France and Italy. They are still pretty expensive, around $300 for 5-6 days of travel. But in euro, that's around 40 euro a day so isn't actually terrible if it is convenient to use. I'm thinking mainly Italy as in France, seats are limited for passholders. That is the regional pass for France-Italy.

I don't see any special sale on the Eurail website for only one day, they have a get one day free thing but that ends 4/30, not 3/30. I think iot is a better deal if you are under age 26, of course.

There are some trains the pass doesn't cover, I don't think it covers the train from Italy to Paris, either. And you'll need to still buy reservations for certain trains in both countries. Here are the FAQs http://www.raileurope.com/rail-ticke.../pass-faq.html

Ozarksbill

Wow, congrats in advance from an old guy married 60 years! What a treat just to travel, never mind where. And certainly wonderful to have family places for lodging where possible. There are so many places to see but of course you will have a lifetime. Our overseas travel has been spread out during a lifetime that included in addition raising a family, camping, sightseeing in the U. S.

I like the advice of relaxing after the wedding. As for change of plans you will enjoy time in Italy I'm sure. But I might add do agree on what you want to see and do, i.e. sightseeing, historical sites, great art, hiking. Just don't wear yourselves out which leads to arguments instead of love making.

Now then, please don't fret about London. Regarding the longer stay this is a great place for short trips on whatever days you can carve out. Just being in London area for starters.

Best to you from Boston area.