nodda

Hi
I am planning a trip to Italy, France and the UK (London).
We are a party of 3 - Me - 36 female, my mum 70 and an 8 years old boy : )
The original idea is to take my mum to Europe since she's never been there before.
Then I thought it'd be nice to tag along my 8 years old boy who've been reading a lot about Europe and UK's histories.

I plan to starts from Rome, Italy then travel up to Paris, France and end our trip in London.
I can go from 15-17 days. Though 15 is more ideal for us since I am leaving behind my 2 other toddlers at home with dad and a nanny.

Here is our rough plan

ITALY
1. Rome
2. Florence (not sure if there's enough time for that)
3. Venice

Question 1
From Venice, what is the best way and route to travel to France?
Venice - Lyon - Paris?
Venice - Geneva - Paris? (That will add Swiss to the trip)
Venice - Paris?

FRANCE
1. Paris

UK
1. London

Thank you so much in advance for any suggestions. : )

Nodda

annhig

hi nodda,

do i gather that you've never done anything like this before? then you have no idea how much longer thangs take for the very young and very old, especially when added together!

plus you are wanting to cram at least 5 places into 15 days ,which is only 2 whole days per place, taking account of how long it will take to get from one place to another.

so, that's the bad news. the good news is that this is a great idea, you just have to slow down a bit.

can I suggest that you fly into London, out of Rome? that's because the language problem won't be so bad in England, and you'll have time to acclimatise to our strange european ways. your son can see the Tower and the dinosaurs in the Natural History museum, granny can go to Harrods, and you can all eat the food.

then, you can get the eurostar to Paris, [loads of fun for your son] and discover a new culture - the Eiffel Tower, steak and chips...[the favourite food of the french, so far as I can see] the Louvre.

after that, get a plane to Venice - a complete contrast - and if either granny or DS didn't like french food, they'll be ok with spaghetti.

Finally, get the train to Rome, and head for the Colloseum - a building no 8 year old boy can resist [mine loved it and he's 19].

4 nights in each will enable you all to have a taste of something you like, won't be tooo rushed, and could enable you to stay in apartments [much nicer for families] if you want to.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

janisj

15 days -2days to get there and back -1 day to recover from the jetlag = 12 days / 5 cities = 2.4 days per city -.5 day to travel between each location = less than 2 days per city.

So you really need to cut back. If you want to hit all three countries and only big cities, then pick ONE city in Italy (Rome most likely but Venice would also be good IMO), Paris and London. That still only give you about 4+ days in each but at least you'll have time to breathe.

To make this work - you'll want to fly open jaw into Rome (or Venice) and out of London, fly to Paris, train to London, fly home from London.

OR - you could spend your whole time in Italy, OR - just London and Paris

If you can expand to 17 days, that would still only give you 4 and 5 days in Rome/Paris/London, so I wouldn't add another city.

SusanP

With 15 days, I'm assuming 14 nights. With 5 destinations, that's less than 3 in each spot, plus you lose at least half a day each time you move. I think I'd do 4 nights Rome, train to Venice for 2 nights, fly to Paris for 4 nights, Eurostar to London for 4 nights. Even this will be quick (only 1-1/2 day in Venice and 3-1/2 days in each of the others).

janisj

was posting the same time as annig . . .

janisj

oops -- annHig

SusanP

Well, we were all posting at the same time! You could of course reverse my order and start in London as annhig suggests.

janisj

yes - London > Paris > Rome or Rome > Paris > London would work. Just as long as you do open jaw tix . . .

Palenque

I would go thru Switzerland to get to Paris even though it is not the quickest way (that would be via Milan and Lyon) - Switzerland is a dreamland that old and young and you too will revel in - the Interlaken area is smack about half way between Venice and Paris - two easy enough train trips one there and one to Paris. The Interlaken regiona (a k a Berner Oberland or Jungfrau Region is the absolute highlight of Switzereland - go to a place like Grindelwald, lying at the foot of awesome snow-girdled Alpine peaks with a myriad of aerial cableways, tiny mountain climbing trains and postal buses easily take you to great heights - if you are from a snowless area then your kiddo can see snow year-round at some places.
I assume you are going by train as you do not mention car and with that type of group i would go by train - again the kid will love the trains - so many of them going everywhere all the time. Some great sites for deciphering the rail systems on your route and helping to plan are- www.seat61.com; www.ricksteve.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter's free (and superb IMO) European Planning & Rail Guide, with a chapter on each country's train system. Not sure you are traveling enough to merit buying the Eurail Select Pass but that is the only pass you would consider if going via Switzerland - a 3 country pass - Italy, Switzerland and France - 8 yr old pays half price - a Saver Pass - 2 or more names on one pass cheaper than solo passes - assumingly you will all be traveling together all the time. If only going thru Italy and France then look at the France-Italy Eurailpass, which is considerably cheaper than the Eurail Select Pass. But i'd have to do some research to see if either pass is warranted for your travels - and in Italy with a pass you still must pay a surcharge of 10 euros to ride the fastest trains. Have no worry about being able to buy tickets as you go along - so many trains - two fast 'Eurostar' trains an hour between Rome and Florence for example. For the train to Paris, from either Switzerland or Milan check out www.voyages-sncf.com for PREM fares - deep discounted tickets sold online but in limited numbers often requiring weeks advance purchase to obtain.

janisj

PQ - they don't have enough time as it is, they really don't have time to add an excursion through Switzerland. If anything like the OP's plan is to work - w/ cuts as it is - is to fly from Italy to Paris, not take trains through Italy/Switzerland/France.

Switzerland is amazing - but so are the other destinations. If they want Switzerland, another country has to go . . . .

ira

Hi nod,

>From Venice, what is the best way and route to travel to France?<

Check prices for discount airfares at www.whichbudget.com for flights from Venice VCE to Paris.

nodda

Dear all ^_^

Thank you s o oooo o much for your responses.
I really do need to cut back.
I can add a few more days to the trip.
My mum wants to go to Swiss.
I can't decide if I should just add a few more days to this trip
or make Swiss a separate trip next year.
But like I said, my mum gets older each year;
and I don't want to leave my hubby and 2 DS home again.
Sounded like I should just make it a longer trip.
Since I fly out of Bangkok at night, I will arrive Rome in the afternoon the next day.
That means I'll only have an evening to spend that day after we arrive the hotel.

@annhig - I have travelled with a kid and a senior before while I myself was pregnant!
What a combination : ) I forgot to mention that we are flying from Bangkok.
So it will be more convenient to fly to Rome and travel up to the London.
I have been to Italy 3 times. So I guess I should be fine with that.
The idea is that we will get to relax when we end our trip in London after a journey in Italy.

@Palenque - I have the exact same idea. The train ride from Venice is too long and expensive. I found cheap flights via Easyjet. It costs around 40 Euro from Venice to Paris.
I check the train from Venice to Lausanne; but it arrives at Lausanne very late, around 23.00 pm. I have never heard of The Bernese Oberland before. Must look into that. I did the maths
and it seems like the pass won't work for us. It's cheaper to buy point to point tickets.

My question now is that: Should I fly from Venice to Paris
or slowly take the train from
Venice - Milan
Milan - Swiss (some where near) Spend a day or two there.
Swiss - Paris

It seems like there are so many stops to make but
the good thing about it is that we don't have to travel long hours.
I don't know if this would work tho.

OK so here's my new plan after a few researches.
It's just a rough idea as I haven't really consider the exact time of departure at
each point.

Bangkok - Rome - Emirate Air
Arrive Rome 13:45 pm

Day 1 /Night 1- Rome (half day)
Day 2 /Night 2- Rome
Day 3 /Night 3- Rome
Day 4 /Night 4- Rome (ES to Venice 2.0 hrs.)

Day 5 - Venice
Day 6 - Venice (ES to Milan)

Day 7 - Milan (TGV to Lausanne 3.15 hrs.)
Day 8 - Lausanne
Day 9 - Lausanne (TGV to Paris 3.40 hrs.)

Day 10 - Paris
Day 11 - Paris
Day 12 - Paris
Day 13 - Paris (ES to London)

Day 14 - London
Day 15 - London
Day 16 - London
Day 17 - London (Departure flight 22.00 PM)


What do you think ?

Palenque

Seems a sweet itinerary to me and yes i can see no pass that you would benefit from. But do book the Eurostar Paris to London as early as possible to get the cheaper tickets, which can sell out weeks in advance. Try for a Tue, Wed or Thur for best availability of cheaper fares - the slacker days.

annhig

@annhig - I have travelled with a kid and a senior before while I myself was pregnant!
What a combination : ) >>

oh my, apologies for trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs. you are a brave woman.

Palenque

oh my, apologies for trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs. you are a brave woman.>

??? Translate into English please!

annhig

oh come along Pal. surely you are familiar with that bit of english argot.

however, in the remote possibility that it has passed you or others by, to teach your grandmother to suck eggs is to teach someone somthing when they already know very well how to do it . [sorry about the inelegant syntax].

it may be applied to both males and females, as there is no equivalent phrase featuring a grandfather!

Palenque

thanks ann - up here in the sticks of Northern Michigan that phrase is yet unheard of - but now i see even with that i should have been able to get the meaning.

annhig

but now i see even with that i should have been able to get the meaning.>>

is Northern Michigan full of egg-sucking grannies then?

I think we should be told.

nodda

@Palenque , thank you for your tips.

@Annhig, no need to apologize. I know you meant well : )