This will be our first trip to Europe, and I hope some one will give me some ideas of the trip planning. We are planing a 2 or 2 and a half weeks trip. The first country we would like to see is France. Beside France, we would like to visit one or two more countries. Our plan A is France-Switzerland-Rome, plan B is Paris-Venice-Rome. Do you think our plans are too rush?

For Plan A, obviously you can't see the whole COUNTRY of France or Switzerland (and Rome?) in 2.5 weeks. Did you mean Paris-Geneva-Rome or something similar? You could certainly see all three cities in 2.5 weeks.

Plan B is basically "Italy plus Paris." Fly into Paris, spend a few days, then fly to Venice (or a long train ride - I'd probably fly), train down to Rome (stop in Florence, which is on the way?), fly out of Rome. You could rent a car and drive instead I suppose, but the trains in Italy are excellent. I'd recommend taking the trains instead of driving. You could fly from Venice to Rome I suppose if you don't want to stop in between, might save you a couple of hours at most.

You can fly "open jaw" so into Paris out of Rome for probably the same price (or less) than a round-rip to either city. Try Kayak.com for pricing open-jaw airfares.

I'd also pick up a Rick Steves Italy book and perhaps his Paris book as well. Also search here for past threads about all the places you're interested in. Make notes about the places that interest you and you'd like to see in each city. Rick Steves has itineraries you could just follow if you wish - or just do three cities, which should be easy to plan.

Plan B is quick but not too rushed, in my opinion, especially if you book open-jaw (aka "multi-city") tickets. For Plan A, as Andrew implied, you really need to be thinking in terms of cities/towns, not countries. Where exactly in France and Switzerland are you thinking of? If France is really the main draw, you could easily spend your whole trip there - Paris, Provence, Normandy, wherever.

Andrew's advice is great and if you just want to visit cities, his Paris-Venice-Florence-Rome itinerary will be a great trip. However, if you're thinking snow-capped Alps, and/or quaint medieval villages in France, then that's another trip altogether. Do read travel books and decide which kind of trip you prefer. If the latter, come back with specific questions; otherwise, as I said, Andrew's city itinerary can't be beat.

Paris/thru Lausanne-Geneva/Venice works nicely by train. OR Paris thru Florence down to Rome works too. With 14 to 18 days either would be a leisurely itinerary. I agree strongly with the suggestion to fly into the first city and out of the last, instead of having to back-track on land.