mattsigel

Can't help but feel very appreciative towards all the kind people giving their opinions on itineraries. Let me be the next to ask for help, with the promise to return the favor when I get back.<BR><BR>15 day honeymoon for mid 20's couple on a moderate budget (hotels: around 100) with some definite splurges. Musts are Tuscany and Florence. I like eating, drinking, friendly people, and nice views. She likes architecture and museums. The plan so far, subject to change:<BR><BR>1 arrive Florence<BR>2 Florence<BR>3 Florence<BR>4 Siena<BR>5 Montalcino/Montepulciano/Pienza<BR>6 Same (stay at same place as 5. where?)<BR>7 Somewhere between Tuscany and France -- Portofino? Cinque Terre?<BR>8 Same (San Remo?)<BR>9 French Riviera (Monoco - we'd like one night at a casino. suggestions)<BR>10 French Riviera (not someplace too stuck up)<BR>11 Paris<BR>12 Paris<BR>13 Paris<BR>14 Paris<BR>15 Paris<BR>16 Depart Paris<BR><BR>We plan to drive from leaving Florence to arriving in France. Is that good?<BR><BR>If we took one night out of Paris, where would you guys put it?<BR><BR>Worried that the Riviera is not a real place with real people. Reassure please.<BR><BR>Also is there any credibility to flying to Rome but taking a car straight up to Tuscany? (Fares and non-stop action are appealing.)<BR><BR>Thanks in Advance,<BR><BR>Matthew<BR><BR>

mclaurie

Well Mathew, I'll start you off with the French Riviera portion. It IS a real place with real people but not, IMO, in Monaco where you have to be LOADED to live there. For only 2 nights I would stay in the same place. Two thoughts that come to mind are the Marriott in Cap D'Ail which others have posted about. It has a small pool (don't know what time of year you're going.)It's near Monaco so you could drive there for an evening. The other place is in Villefranche, also not far from Monaco. The Hotel Welcome where I have stayed is reasonable, comfortable (but not luxurious) &amp; on the water (a boat harbor, not a beach). I'm not sure either of these will be 100/nite<BR>but they're not outrageous. Others may be able to tell you about places in Nice which is also an option. <BR><BR>As to the casino situation, there are only 2 casinos in Monaco, the European one which is VERY fancy &amp; you have to pay to get in and the American one which is less formal.<BR><BR>For one of your &quot;splurges&quot; have lunch or dinner at the Colombe D'Or in St Paul de Vence, about a 30-40 drive from Villefranche.<BR>http://www.travelintelligence.net/wsd/hotels/htls_558.html<BR>Book well in advance &amp; leave time to explore this fabulous town.

mattsigel

Thanks--good to know.<BR><BR>We're going in late April/Early May.

kt_tak

Me too, I would skip the casino. You can lose your money anywhere and you only have two weeks to see Italy and France.<BR><BR>But I'm interested to see people's advice to you, since I thinking about a similar couple weeks this September.

ira

Hi matt,<BR> Have yu checked air fares direct to Florence (FLR). They are about the same as to Rome, and will save on car rental.

Weadles

For the Riveria portion, (and yes, it is full of real people, depending of course on who you associate with and what town you base in) I'd stay in Nice. From there, you could easily grab the 30 minute train to Monaco. Two moderately priced places that have been recommended quite a bit here on the forum are: Hotel Flot D'Azur, and Hotel Grimaldi. I'm sure there are others as well, just check previous posts.<BR>If you do go to Nice, you'll also have your choice of inexpensive food from amazing thin-crusted pizza ( somebody on the forum recommended Tavern Massena for this) to Le Safari in Vieux Nice, which offers great omelets, stews, fish, all at a decent price.<BR>Have a great time.

bobthenavigator

Matt, You have a good start with 5 destinations in 15 days. But, you cannot decide sequence until you book your air. You may find that connections into Florence may not work--or cost more. Stay big picture for now--the rest will fill in when you know your flights. If you fly into Rome then you will get a car and do Tuscany first. Here is my rough draft assuming Rome:<BR>Land FCO--get car--to Tuscany--3 nites<BR>To Florence--see Siena enroute--drop car<BR>and stay 3 nites<BR>Train to CT coast--Levanto--2 nites<BR>To Menton]Cote d' Azur]--2 nites<BR>Train to Paris--long trip--last 5 nites<BR>That is a start. Be sure to check the Tuscany hotels I gave you before. And, add www.hotelgiglio.tin.it for real authenticity in the heart of Montalcino.<BR>

Lexma90

Is this a trip for 2003? If so, you'll need to start working on lodging.<BR><BR>On the Montalcino/Montepulciano/Pienza night, those are all cute/gorgeous little villages, definitely good to visit, but all quite small. (Though Montepulciano is bigger than the other two.) For more restaurant choices, consider a place that has more, such as San Gimignano (wonderful in the evening after the tourists leave). Caveat is that it's close to Siena, so from the perspective of a touring base, not so good.<BR><BR>I vote for the Cinque Terre - I love it! And more affordable than Portofino.<BR><BR>My parents stayed in Villefranche &amp; couldn't stop raving about what a nice town it was, and more of a real town.<BR><BR>If you're driving from Italy into France, there is a HUGE fee for picking up a car in Italy &amp; dropping in France.<BR><BR>I'd add an extra day in the French Riviera or Cinque Terre - once you factor in travel time, you'll have just over a day at each place, otherwise.<BR><BR>Fly into wherever gets you the best airfare - Rome, Florence or Milan (for us, it's always been Milan).

Huitres8

To concur with the other posts above, you are spending a lot of time on the Riviera (French &amp; Italian). Staying in one city there should suffice. Dependent on where you are coming from in Italy, you could go through Pisa and see the Leaning Tower, then head northward and stop in the Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore is my recommendation) or perhaps further up the coast if you prefer. The French Riviera has the same beaches, just more people, glitz and posh. If you must stay there, then I would recommend Nice as a nice, central location - not to mention the capital of the French Riviera/Cote D'Azur. From there visit somewhere in Provence (Arles, Nimes, St. Remy de-Provence, etc) before heading up to Paris. You will love Provence, it is a truly magical area of France and not to be overlooked. You could cut off of one of your Paris days to allow for that deviation in your itinerary. All in all, have a wonderful trip and congrats!

mclaurie

Lexma90 mentions the big drop off charge for a car rental from Italy to France. What you could do is drop the car in Ventimiglia in Italy &amp; continue by train to Nice or Villefranche or wherever you decide to stay in the cote d'azur. It's a very short trip. Since you will only be there for 2 days, you could manage without a car for that time using train, bus &amp; taxi. You could then take a TGV (high speed)train to Paris.<BR><BR>As to your question about one night outside of Paris, many of the places to go (Chantilly, Versailles, Senlis, Fontainebleau, Vaux-le-Viconte) are close enough to do as a day trip, but if you wanted to make an overnight, perhaps you should consider going to Senlis &amp; Chantilly on your last day &amp; stay overnight at this chateau which someone has posted as being very near CDG airport for $125/nite. It looks great on the website.<BR>http://www.chateau-ermenonville.com/accueiluk.htm

blh

We did a similar two week trip last October. We flew into Rome, rented a car, drove to Orvieto, spent one night, two nights in Montepulciano, turned car in at Siena. (The drive from Rome airport to Tuscany is very easy.) You would not need a car in Siena, Florence, or Cinque Terre. We spent one night in Siena and two in Vernazza in the Cinque Terre. We then took the train to Nice where we picked up a car and spent a week in Provence. This is a wonderful train ride along the coast. You can get off in Menton, Monoco, or anywhere along the French Riviera. I would also recommend a day or two in Provence and then taking the train on to Paris.

mattsigel

Thanks very much to all you who helped me out there. <BR>I got a $600 fare nyc-florence paris-nyc and will either take easyjet or a night train from nice and spend the last 4-5 nights in paris.<BR>working on accomodations now.<BR>any reasonable, romantic st. germain spots that you fellows know of?<BR><BR>Again, thanks very much.<BR><BR>