Help! I am overwhelmed!
Jan 6th, 2005, 09:40 AM
#21
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Your head might be spinning w/ all the good (mostly) advice you've received.
I don't usually recommend tours for most people - but there are definitely exceptions and some tours are great.
But if you are looking over tour brochures pay CAREFUL attention to the wording. "See" means just that - seeing a castle or cathedral from the distance through the bus window. "Visit" means actually getting off the bus and going inside that castle/cathedral. And many tours use hotels outside of the central city areas - especially in places like Venice and Paris. So you end up using a lot of time just getting into/out of the tourist areas.
My idea would be Paris/Venice/and Rome or Florence on your own. But any three cities would be fine. Remember your first day you'll be a mess with jet lag and just trying to get your bearings. And the last day is spent packing and getting to the airport. Add that to travel time between cities and a 14 day trip really gives you about 10 full days for sightseeing.
One other small point - a couple of folks suggested you rent a car in Italy. Probably not a good idea. You are only 22 and rentals could be a lot more expensive (if you can even find one) because under 25's often are really hit by extra insurance/restrictions.
I don't usually recommend tours for most people - but there are definitely exceptions and some tours are great.
But if you are looking over tour brochures pay CAREFUL attention to the wording. "See" means just that - seeing a castle or cathedral from the distance through the bus window. "Visit" means actually getting off the bus and going inside that castle/cathedral. And many tours use hotels outside of the central city areas - especially in places like Venice and Paris. So you end up using a lot of time just getting into/out of the tourist areas.
My idea would be Paris/Venice/and Rome or Florence on your own. But any three cities would be fine. Remember your first day you'll be a mess with jet lag and just trying to get your bearings. And the last day is spent packing and getting to the airport. Add that to travel time between cities and a 14 day trip really gives you about 10 full days for sightseeing.
One other small point - a couple of folks suggested you rent a car in Italy. Probably not a good idea. You are only 22 and rentals could be a lot more expensive (if you can even find one) because under 25's often are really hit by extra insurance/restrictions.
Jan 6th, 2005, 10:31 AM
#23
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In any case, I think you should see more of Europe than Paris and Italian cities. Places within a two-three hour train ride of one another (if you choose the shortest connection) include:
London
Paris
Brussels
Cologne
Heidelberg
Munich
Innsbruck
Zurich
Milan
Venice
There. That's 10 cities and 7 countries. Not a recommended itinerary <i>per se</i>, but should give you some ideas. In every case, there is a train that arrives before midnight. So you should see that the possiblities are boundless.
London
Paris
Brussels
Cologne
Heidelberg
Munich
Innsbruck
Zurich
Milan
Venice
There. That's 10 cities and 7 countries. Not a recommended itinerary <i>per se</i>, but should give you some ideas. In every case, there is a train that arrives before midnight. So you should see that the possiblities are boundless.
