ashridha

Hello Everyone

My future wife and I from India ,are planning a two weeks honeymoon from 29th Oct, 2011 to 12th Nov in Italy & Paris and we were hoping to use your expertise to help us plan our trip.

This would be our first ever trip to Europe and we are really excited about it. We want to spend roughly for a week in Italy and another week in Paris.

From the research so far, the top three cities in Italy we want to see are: Venice Florence, & Rome . I am not sure if it is possible to cover these in a weeks time. We're looking for any tips anyone has – Should we fly from india to Venice directly and then go to Florence and then Rome and then Paris Or should we from india to Rome --> florence --> venice and then Paris

So far Rough Itinerary looks like

Fly into Venice from India (3 nights)
Train/Bus to Florence (3 nights)
Train/Bus to Rome (2 nights)
Fly from Rome to Paris ( 5 nights)

We aren't really sure of a budget right now, as we haven't traveled all that much and don't know what something like this should cost but would like to limit us to around $5000 for trip.

Also Could some one please recommend us good 3/4 star hotels/ B&B around 160$/per day from their experience. Has someone tried AirBnb before?

Also, would be great if someone can tell us about the weather conditions in November in those cities.

Any ideas or help is highly appreciated! Thanks!

bobthenavigator

I would change sequence:
Fly to Paris---5
Fly Easyjet to Venice--3
Train to Florence--2
Train to Rome--last 3 nites

Start north that time of year.

denisea

Paris will be cool/chilly and you will get some rain, I'm sure.

Don't know Rome.

For Paris, there are threads for left bank and right bank hotels to search for hotel ideas (posted by Guenmai). I am sure you will find something, if you are staying a week consider an apartment if you are pretty independent. Will allow you to have some meals and drink at "home", so you can save some $. No concierge services, but could be a good option to consider. You could also take a look at Trip Advisor for hotel reviews and can probably search by dollar amount.

cmstraf

I would stick with flying into Venice. If you take the very expensive but wonderful water taxi into the city from the Marco Polo airport and you will have one of the most gorgeous sights in the world as you turn into the city. We married in Genoa, spent our honeymoon in Venice and have returned there many times. Our favorite hotel is the Accademia, loved by many more wealthy than ourselves. It is quiet, a converted villa which was once the Russian embassy, has a garden (rare in Venice) is near the Museo Accademia and about a 15 minute walk from Piazza San Marco (which I would not stay near). Treat yourself to a superior room since it's your honeymoon (we loved #60 on the top floor) and give our regards to Signor Massimo.

If I were you, I'd skip Florence and split the time between Venice and Paris. By your honeymoon you will be exhausted. That said, if you can't resist, November is a good time to go to Florence. I like where we stayed there last time and could look up the name. Not fancy, but great location, only 10 rooms nice people and again we had superior room with beamed ceilings and nice view.

The weather in November is variable, could be cold and rainy, could be fair and sunny. It's a GREAT time to be in all three cities--fewer tourists make the variable weather only a minor burden. All three are filled with both inside and outside beauty. We spent a week in Venice last November, prepared ourselves for rain with Gortex pants, jackets and hiking boots and did not need them (though I think we made a wise choice since with the gear we had, we could have been outside all day).

Go to La Fenice for the opera if you can in Venice, to the island of Torcello with a lunch at Locanda Cipriani, let yourself get lost in small streets and remember that the crowded area is only between Piazza San Marco and the Rialto. If you are in Venice over a Sunday force yourself up and go to the 9:00 mass at San Marco. The mosaics will be lit and you will see the church doing the job it was made for, not just as a museum.

If you go to Florence, besides the Uffizi, the Museo di San Marco is wonderful as is the sculpture museum the Bargello. The Chiesa San Miniato has a wonderful view of the city.

I just read your entry again. PLEASE don't go to all three art cities in Italy. It's too much, even if you are not on your honeymoon. Restrict yourselves to two, any two as long as one of them is Venice. We also love Rome. I know you are from India and it's a long way. Our favorite hotel in Rome is Due Torre, near the Piazza Navona, small, quiet. We like the rooms with balconies on the top floor. They are SMALL, but lovely.

Tanti auguri (congradulations), buon viaggio and bon voyage!

ira

Hi Ash,

I would skip Rome.

Fly into Venice, 3 nights
Train to Florence, 4 nights with a visit to Siena

You could splurge for a double sleeper on the night train from Florence to Paris (See www.trenitalia.com) or take the less expensive flight from www.airberlin.com that takes all day.

You now have 6 nights in Paris before flying home.

Happy honeymoon.

ira

PS,

For Paris, http://www.hotel-collegedefrance.com...-hotel-01.html has been recently recommended by one of our posters. It is within your budget.

For Florence, if you don't mind basic accommodations at a very good price, I can highly recommend www.bedinflorence.it.

mamcalice

I think 3 stops in Italy plus Paris is too much for the time you have available. It would be better to choose 2 cities in Italy and then to Paris or do all 3 cities in Italy and skip Paris for this trip. Another option, if at all possible, would be to add 2 or 3 days to your honeymoon. All of the cities you plan to visit are wonderful but 2 nights is not nearly enough time for Rome.

I think you will enjoy your time much more if you limit your stops to 3 in two weeks.

Donalee_Jolna

Hi Ash,

First, let me say Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

I have been to Europe every year for the past 20 or so,(mostly Italy and France) including Paris on my honeymoon and have some thoughts for your itinerary.

I suggest starting in Paris. You'll be exhausted from your wedding and long flight, so it will be nice to have the extra time (5 days) in your first city to relax. Plus, Paris can get quite cold that time of year, so the sooner you get there, the better.

Unlike most of the posts above, I would actually encourage you to go to all 3 cities in Italy for the remaining 8 days. Since this is your first trip to Europe, I understand wanting to see as much as possible, and all are so special and worthy of a visit! The only thing I would suggest is adding a day to Rome and if you must, take that from Venice. There is sooo much to see in Rome, and although I've been to Venice a dozen times and think it's a magical city, I've never stayed there longer than 2 days and have found that to be sufficient! Plus, it's an EXTREMELY expensive city so this could help keep you within your $5,000 budget.

I hope this helps! Enjoy your trip.

nytraveler

WEather in Paris is likelyto be chilly (40s) and rainy. Italy may be a little warmer -- but rainy also possible. Days will be very short and in Italy some sights will have shorter hours -- closing in the afternoons is posible.

$160 will not pay for either a 4 star or central 3 star hotel. You should look at the discount web sites to see what you can find that is central for your price range. Expect it to be more like a 2*-- r a 3* in a more distant vacation.

I have never used Air BnB and don;t trust it an inch. Search here and you will see several lenghty threads - of people withgood or bad experiences. NOT something I would do on a honeymoon when you wil wnat privacy - rather than staying on someone's sofabed or spare room.

nytraveler

WEather in Paris is likelyto be chilly (40s) and rainy. Italy may be a little warmer -- but rainy also possible. Days will be very short and in Italy some sights will have shorter hours -- closing in the afternoons is posible.

$160 will not pay for either a 4 star or central 3 star hotel. You should look at the discount web sites to see what you can find that is central for your price range. Expect it to be more like a 2*-- r a 3* in a more distant vacation.

I have never used Air BnB and don;t trust it an inch. Search here and you will see several lenghty threads - of people withgood or bad experiences. NOT something I would do on a honeymoon when you wil wnat privacy - rather than staying on someone's sofabed or spare room.

Mimar

November's the worst month for acqua alta (flooding) in Venice. So if you go there first, you're most likely to miss it.

2 nights in Rome is kind of ridiculous. There's so much to see there. If you're interested in Renaissance art and architecture, Florence is a must. Otherwise think about skipping it and adding those days to Rome.

But what do you want to see? What are you interested in?

ashridha

Thank you very much for such prompt replies. I will go through the threads mentioned for the hotels in paris and will get back with some more queries of mine.

cmstraf

We have twice spent 10 days in Venice and loved it. We think it is an underrated art city and there are also lovely side trips to Burano and Torcello and the Giotto frescoes in Padova.

uhoh_busted

We stayed at this Paris hotel, last (2010) May and found it to be very attractive, wonderfully, located, very comfortable and to INCLUDE a full buffet breakfast (which many seem to have stopped providing). http://www.saintlouisbastille.com/index.php?langue_id=2

As you will be there at the end of October-start-of-November, you should be able to negotiate a deal -- for example, 5 nights for the price of 4. That could bring it within or very close to your budget. If the weather is nice, you can easily walk to many of the locations you are likely to want to see. If not, there are multiple Metro and bus stops with a block or so.

We've been to Paris 5 times since 1998, and as we generally stick to 2 or 3 star hotels, this was one of the nicest we've stayed at within a budget that keeps us between $120-150/night.