Honeymoon Dublin-Paris-Milan-Rome in January!
Nov 1st, 2012, 04:46 PM
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Honeymoon Dublin-Paris-Milan-Rome in January!
Hi Guys,
My fiance and I will be travelling to Europe for the first time. And I know how cold January is going to be unfortunately, we can both only take the time off work during then.
Travel dates: 28th January - 10th February
My initial plans are to fly into Dublin, then to Paris (will skip London as we've been to London before), then fly into Milan-Rome (EasyJet cheap fares!).
I have been advised to do the trip from Rome-Dublin as it will get warmer over the period of time, so tickets for this trip has not been decided yet!
I'd like to ask for a few suggestions/advises about my trip and hopefully we can sort out the tickets ASAP and start planning/packing!
ps: We're both not too keen on fancy dining/activites, but more of wanting to get a chance to gain local experience! I'm love vintage goods, and he loves architectures
1. How should I pack? Is layers going to be useful like most have said? Rain boots necessary? (I have a fur jacket that I wear through winter most of the time, is this going to be too much? From where I come from, it goes down to -10 Celcius on most winter days)
2. I have seen that travelling with train can be quite expensive (Euro Rail tickets), or is there another type of trains that we can use when travelling inside of Italy + France?
3. Suggestions of must visit places during this time of the year please!
4. Daylight hours in both places?
5. Must eat food suggestions from locals
6. Interested in night markets/ vintage markets/ flea markets around these places
7. What can we do after it is dark? (I've been told that the ice skating opens till midnight?)
Thanks so much guys!
My fiance and I will be travelling to Europe for the first time. And I know how cold January is going to be unfortunately, we can both only take the time off work during then.
Travel dates: 28th January - 10th February
My initial plans are to fly into Dublin, then to Paris (will skip London as we've been to London before), then fly into Milan-Rome (EasyJet cheap fares!).
I have been advised to do the trip from Rome-Dublin as it will get warmer over the period of time, so tickets for this trip has not been decided yet!
I'd like to ask for a few suggestions/advises about my trip and hopefully we can sort out the tickets ASAP and start planning/packing!
ps: We're both not too keen on fancy dining/activites, but more of wanting to get a chance to gain local experience! I'm love vintage goods, and he loves architectures
1. How should I pack? Is layers going to be useful like most have said? Rain boots necessary? (I have a fur jacket that I wear through winter most of the time, is this going to be too much? From where I come from, it goes down to -10 Celcius on most winter days)
2. I have seen that travelling with train can be quite expensive (Euro Rail tickets), or is there another type of trains that we can use when travelling inside of Italy + France?
3. Suggestions of must visit places during this time of the year please!
4. Daylight hours in both places?
5. Must eat food suggestions from locals
6. Interested in night markets/ vintage markets/ flea markets around these places
7. What can we do after it is dark? (I've been told that the ice skating opens till midnight?)
Thanks so much guys!
Nov 1st, 2012, 05:16 PM
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The way I read it you have only 12 days on the ground. Allowing 3 days for travel from one place to another that is 9 days for 4 cities - or 2 days each. IMHO in the time you have - and given the fairly short daylight hours and the shorter hours that many sight will be open - you really need to look at cutting back on destinations.
It's true that Rome is likely to be warmer that Dublin or Paris - but the order makes no difference - it will still be winter everywhere. And although Rome is LIKELY warmer - you can still get snow when you will be there.
You will definitely need layers - but also a warm coat (but I wouldn't touch fur with a barge pole), hat, gloves, warm scarf and waterproofed booties or sturdy walking shoes with non-skid soles. Also a sturdy folding umbrellas for cold rain, sleet, ice or snow.
Do not buy through Eurorail - that is just a travel agency that resells rail tickets at higher prices. Go to the rail company of each country to find train prices - but I assume you would fly Dublin to Paris and Paris to Rome. for train schedules for all of europe go to bahn.de (but they can;t sell tickets except for Germany.)
It's true that Rome is likely to be warmer that Dublin or Paris - but the order makes no difference - it will still be winter everywhere. And although Rome is LIKELY warmer - you can still get snow when you will be there.
You will definitely need layers - but also a warm coat (but I wouldn't touch fur with a barge pole), hat, gloves, warm scarf and waterproofed booties or sturdy walking shoes with non-skid soles. Also a sturdy folding umbrellas for cold rain, sleet, ice or snow.
Do not buy through Eurorail - that is just a travel agency that resells rail tickets at higher prices. Go to the rail company of each country to find train prices - but I assume you would fly Dublin to Paris and Paris to Rome. for train schedules for all of europe go to bahn.de (but they can;t sell tickets except for Germany.)
Nov 1st, 2012, 05:39 PM
#3
"<i>I have been advised to do the trip from Rome-Dublin as it will get warmer over the period of time,</i>"
The difference between the end of Jan and beginning of Feb will be slim to none. It will be deepest winter everywhere. Not only cold/damp - but short daylight too. Not that you can't have a lovely trip . . . but the order makes no difference. IMO you are trying to cover waaaaay too much territory, especially in the winter.
By 'Euro Rail tickets' do you mean Eurail passes? They aren't tickets. They are rail passes and are often very expensive and unnecessary.
W/ that little time I'd choose 2 cities (3 cities absolutely max) - which 2 would be your choice. Of those, mine would be Paris and Rome.
The difference between the end of Jan and beginning of Feb will be slim to none. It will be deepest winter everywhere. Not only cold/damp - but short daylight too. Not that you can't have a lovely trip . . . but the order makes no difference. IMO you are trying to cover waaaaay too much territory, especially in the winter.
By 'Euro Rail tickets' do you mean Eurail passes? They aren't tickets. They are rail passes and are often very expensive and unnecessary.
W/ that little time I'd choose 2 cities (3 cities absolutely max) - which 2 would be your choice. Of those, mine would be Paris and Rome.
Nov 2nd, 2012, 08:07 AM
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There's a lot about this that makes no sense.
(1) You say: My fiance and I will be travelling to Europe for the first time.
But you say you've both been to London.
(2) You want a honeymoon, but instead have set up an endurance-race itinerary.
(3) You think that end of January into early February will make a legitimate difference in temperatures - you've lived a couple of decades yourself and presumably in the Northern Hemisphere: February is just as bad, or worse, than the average January.
January 28-Feb 10 is 12 nights not including your overnight flight (unless you leave on the 27th, then it's 13 nights). For those 12 nights, you will have to take at least one intra-Europe flight, if not two (Paris-Milan - that's a long train ride) and you're trying to jam four cities into the itinerary despite short days and the high potential of crap weather. Honeymoons are for relaxing, seeing what you see, and spending quality time together not running around and worrying about missed items on a traveler's punch list.
Dublin is really no big deal as a city - it gets romanticized because it's the capital of Ireland and there are so many Irish expats and scions in the US that Americans think to visit Ireland they should go to Dublin. Bad conventional wisdom.
To visit a great city that speaks English of some sort and isn't London but is located in the UK/Ireland region, go to Edinburgh.
I'd do the Paris for a week(ish)/Rome for a week(ish) suggestion from janisj above. Those are top tier cities. Milan is at least a tier below. Dublin isn't up in that range.
Visit Timeout.com for restaurant suggestions and bars, etc. You'll have a hard time finding a bad meal in Rome. In Paris, the baseline quality is good, and it tends to increase in correlation with the amount you spend. You can eat well at brasseries and not wipe out the next two months' of paychecks.
Must sees are up to you and your interests. Fodors has extensive resources on what each city has to offer.
Rome is roughly parallel to New York, so daytime hours should be close to the same; Paris is far north of that - a parallel closer to Winnipeg.
(1) You say: My fiance and I will be travelling to Europe for the first time.
But you say you've both been to London.
(2) You want a honeymoon, but instead have set up an endurance-race itinerary.
(3) You think that end of January into early February will make a legitimate difference in temperatures - you've lived a couple of decades yourself and presumably in the Northern Hemisphere: February is just as bad, or worse, than the average January.
January 28-Feb 10 is 12 nights not including your overnight flight (unless you leave on the 27th, then it's 13 nights). For those 12 nights, you will have to take at least one intra-Europe flight, if not two (Paris-Milan - that's a long train ride) and you're trying to jam four cities into the itinerary despite short days and the high potential of crap weather. Honeymoons are for relaxing, seeing what you see, and spending quality time together not running around and worrying about missed items on a traveler's punch list.
Dublin is really no big deal as a city - it gets romanticized because it's the capital of Ireland and there are so many Irish expats and scions in the US that Americans think to visit Ireland they should go to Dublin. Bad conventional wisdom.
To visit a great city that speaks English of some sort and isn't London but is located in the UK/Ireland region, go to Edinburgh.
I'd do the Paris for a week(ish)/Rome for a week(ish) suggestion from janisj above. Those are top tier cities. Milan is at least a tier below. Dublin isn't up in that range.
Visit Timeout.com for restaurant suggestions and bars, etc. You'll have a hard time finding a bad meal in Rome. In Paris, the baseline quality is good, and it tends to increase in correlation with the amount you spend. You can eat well at brasseries and not wipe out the next two months' of paychecks.
Must sees are up to you and your interests. Fodors has extensive resources on what each city has to offer.
Rome is roughly parallel to New York, so daytime hours should be close to the same; Paris is far north of that - a parallel closer to Winnipeg.
Nov 2nd, 2012, 09:22 AM
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I totally agree to do Paris and Rome and skip the rest. You will have plenty to do in both cities and can also take day trips from both to break it up a bit.
Yes, it will be cold and will get dark early, ut there will be plenty to do.
Layers are the way to go and rain boots will be the welcome. A travel umbrella, gloves, hat and scarf plus a good winter coat will be needed. I like a cashmere scarf that is wider and longer than the average scarf. I also reommend the hand and foot warmers that heat up when exposed to air. They are usually sold in the camping section of stores...easy to pack and gfeat to have along when it is cold outside.
Obviously, museums and churches will offer some refuge from the cold. You can also duck into a cafe for coffee, vin chaud, or a chocolat chaud if you get too cold.
In Rome, the cheapest way to eat right along with locals is pizza. Our fav was Roscioli (Marco) in Campo de Fiori; get the pizza pomodoro. We also loved Forno pizza at Campo de Fiori (pizza bianca).
Pizzarium is another pizza option near the Vatican.
Beppe in the Jewish ghetto is a creat cheese store that also serves light food.
I would avoid restaurants immediately around tourist sites, especially if the menu is in English or if they proudly display pictures of the food. They will usually be poor quality and expensive.
In Paris, Reed in the 7th is very reasonable priced and terrific. Small, charming spot. If you are in the 6th, L'Avant Comptoir sells huge crepes at lunch that are inexpensive and wonderful. You can certainly do well by ordering the plat du jour at many Paris restuarants and many of the prix fixe options are excellent.
Yes, it will be cold and will get dark early, ut there will be plenty to do.
Layers are the way to go and rain boots will be the welcome. A travel umbrella, gloves, hat and scarf plus a good winter coat will be needed. I like a cashmere scarf that is wider and longer than the average scarf. I also reommend the hand and foot warmers that heat up when exposed to air. They are usually sold in the camping section of stores...easy to pack and gfeat to have along when it is cold outside.
Obviously, museums and churches will offer some refuge from the cold. You can also duck into a cafe for coffee, vin chaud, or a chocolat chaud if you get too cold.
In Rome, the cheapest way to eat right along with locals is pizza. Our fav was Roscioli (Marco) in Campo de Fiori; get the pizza pomodoro. We also loved Forno pizza at Campo de Fiori (pizza bianca).
Pizzarium is another pizza option near the Vatican.
Beppe in the Jewish ghetto is a creat cheese store that also serves light food.
I would avoid restaurants immediately around tourist sites, especially if the menu is in English or if they proudly display pictures of the food. They will usually be poor quality and expensive.
In Paris, Reed in the 7th is very reasonable priced and terrific. Small, charming spot. If you are in the 6th, L'Avant Comptoir sells huge crepes at lunch that are inexpensive and wonderful. You can certainly do well by ordering the plat du jour at many Paris restuarants and many of the prix fixe options are excellent.
Nov 7th, 2012, 02:19 PM
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Hi guys,
First of all, thanks for all the comments and suggestions to cut the trip short. Over the weekend, I've done more research and spoken to a few relatives in the UK for advice as well.
1. We've now booked our tickets on the 27th (night flight) to Paris and leaving on the 10th from Milan (night flight).
2. We will be spending 2 days in Milan as we are meeting up with a another couple to spend the next 6 days in Male. (Because we are taking Emirates and the transit is in Dubai-Male)
3. Yes I have been to London for a semester during Uni but its our first time travelling to Europe together. Apologies if it didnt make sense earlier!
4. We've sorted out tickets from paris-rome / rome-milan with EasyJet and it takes 1.5-2 hours flight for each way.
5. Hotels are the only thing we havent booked just yet. As we're still deciding on the short stay apartment in Paris, and Best Western hotel in Rome. (Rivolli)
6. Thanks for the packing advise!
7. Also thanks for the train tickets pointers!
8. And denisea, Pizza is my favourite!
First of all, thanks for all the comments and suggestions to cut the trip short. Over the weekend, I've done more research and spoken to a few relatives in the UK for advice as well.
1. We've now booked our tickets on the 27th (night flight) to Paris and leaving on the 10th from Milan (night flight).
2. We will be spending 2 days in Milan as we are meeting up with a another couple to spend the next 6 days in Male. (Because we are taking Emirates and the transit is in Dubai-Male)
3. Yes I have been to London for a semester during Uni but its our first time travelling to Europe together. Apologies if it didnt make sense earlier!
4. We've sorted out tickets from paris-rome / rome-milan with EasyJet and it takes 1.5-2 hours flight for each way.
5. Hotels are the only thing we havent booked just yet. As we're still deciding on the short stay apartment in Paris, and Best Western hotel in Rome. (Rivolli)
6. Thanks for the packing advise!
7. Also thanks for the train tickets pointers!
8. And denisea, Pizza is my favourite!
