Greece, and...
 

I posted earlier about this being my first trip to europe. My wife really wants to go to Greece and some of it's islands but also wants to see Paris and the French Riviera. I 'm cool with that but would also like to see parts of Italy including Tuscany, Rome, Florence. Is all this possible in 2-3 weeks time on a small budget? Set me straight if I am trying to fit in too much. Is Greece worth a whole trip by itself? If Greece was a for sure, what other country would you go to?
Thanks again

soulseven:

You stated in an earlier post that you were "poor." If that's the case, consider that every time you move from one place to another in Europe, it is going to cost you. If you go to Greece, France, and Italy, you are going to need a fair amount of money just to travel between them. Big cities like Rome and Paris also will be more expensive than Greek islands by quite a bit.
So you have to decide on your priorities, as well a figure out how much moving around you're comfortable with.
I would stick to Greece and Italy, and not focus on cities, where costs are higher, but more rural destinations for at least half of your time.
Greece, and every other European country, is definitely worth a trip of its own, but you CAN see two or more countries if your budget and mindset allow for it.

You stated in your earlier post that you would be traveling in April (presumably of this year).

You should be aware that in Greece in April, there will still typically be a lot of rainy days, the ferry service to the islands will still be sporadic and even more unreliable than usual, and a lot of the hotels, restaurants, and other tourist services on the islands will not have opened for the season yet.

In addition, a great many of the major museums and archeological sites in Greece are currently "closed for renovations" because of the upcoming Olympics, and will probably not be open by April 2004. Plus, Easter falls on April 11 this year, so there will be massive crowds of Greeks clogging up transportation, tourist facilities, etc.. during the long holiday weekend.

(The Easter crowds issue will also apply to most other Catholic European countries, because 2004 is one of those occasional years in which Orthodox and Western Easter fall on the same day)

If you think that this is the one and only trip overseas, then I would go first to (only?) Paris. Then the Loire, and French Riviera. Too much moving around will cost you time and money. I am not for moving all around and never sitting still as a way to see the world. If I want to keep moving I will take a road trip in the states.
Check a map and you will see that Paris to Greece is a considerable distance. Better to plan this as two trips I think.

Your earlier post was entitled Med Europe-don't quite see how Paris fits into this category. You have wonderful destinations in mind, but as others have suggested, you must really sit down and think thru your travel plans-are you planning on renting a car to travel from city to city, take a train, or fly? Those expenses add up quickly. You might want to do some currency conversions to see how far your money (assuming USD) will go in your outlined countries. Your earlier post also mentioned relaxation-an itinerary like this will be anything but. As much as you want to see it all, you should consider parring down your trip to 2-3 cities (as defined by your mutual interests) and concentrate on those areas so you can not only see, but experience them. Think you'll appreciate your trip more in the long run. You have wonderful choices to pick from so your decision will be a hard one. Good luck !

Air France offers a special deal flying from Paris to other European destinations, so depending on your budget perhaps you could fly to Athens and Rome. I think you could spend a week in each of 3 destinations and have a good time without feeling like you were trying to fit too much into your time frame.