My husband and I are planning to go to Europe (1st for each of us)for 2 weeks. We were thinking of Italy, but are considering Greece also. We'd love some beach time. There are so many great cities in Italy/Greece. Any definite recommendations? Also, should we take a tour? We're both 30 years old. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You can't beat Greece for choice of beaches; seems like every island has a beach that some Fodorite recommends as 'the' best. As for cities, Athens comes to mind - a day or two is enough to see the archaeological museum and the Acropolis, and do a little shopping. Visit the islands (there are ferries that cruise in and among the islands so you can visit as many as you want) as they each have lots of VERY ancient history (and lots of biblical history as well - like where Paul got marooned and John wrote Revelations). Lots of people speak English (at least in the more touristy areas) and even if they don't, they're such friendly people that they'll work with you... <BR>Italy offers regions; I like the triangle method of traveling in Italy. Venice-Genoa-Florence or Lake Como-Venice-Rome or...well, you get the idea. You could spend 2 weeks in Tuscany and barely scratch the surface. Again, English is commonly spoken, and who cares? It's ITALY... <BR>Both countries offer incredible food and coffee (Italian wines are better than Greek wines for the most part, though there are some very good Greek wines) and desserts... <BR>Greece is not as expensive as Italy; the rail system in Italy is excellent (if a little blase about schedules); the ferry system in the Greek Islands is excellent. <BR>The beaches in Italy that I know are on the Italian Riviera (west coast); they are pretty good - I think Capri probably has the best beachy/island/paradise sort of atmosphere. Not to be overlooked are the islands of Sardinia and Sicily. <BR>You can take an organized tour if you feel uncomfortable trying it on your own; you gain ease of mind and body, but give up the chance to see some things (like a kouros in a woman's backyard) that independent travelers (ok LOST travelers) get to see (or eat). Like, have you ever tried a few drops of vinegar in bean soup? <BR>

If you want beaches in Italy, I reccommend Cinque Terre. It is beautiful! Rick Steeves mentions it in his europe through the backdoor book. I planned on only spending 2 days there, but I loved it so much I ended up spending 2 weeks!

Hi Lisa! my fiancee and I just returned from a 2 week vacation in Italy/Greece.We spent 3 days in Rome and I hate to say this because it is a beautiful city but you have to be extremely careful of some of the people who run hotels,trains taxis etc.upon arriving at the airport we booked a hotel from a travel agent.After calling the hotel to confirm a price we headed to the hotel only to find that the price had jumped considerably from the time it took us to get there.Another day while booking train tickets the man who sold the tickets demanded an extra 20,000 lire to 'reserve our seats'.Well the reserved seat coupon turned out to be useless and we ended up standing in a tiny compartment for 2 hours.We found very few english speaking people and were treated rudely on a daily basis by waiters, etc.one taxi driver started the meter at an extra 7000,000 lire and then wanted an extra amount for our bags in the trunk!I hate to sound so negative and perhaps we just had bad luck ,maybe the smaller centers are more hospitable.Greece, on the other hand was incredible!The people were so freindly and honest!We went to Corfu and stayed on the beach at a wonderful resort called The Chandris hotel we rented a beautiful villa right on the beach for approx.90$ american/day.They have parasailing,boat rentals,tours right on the property as well as a pool,nightly entertainment and great food! There are lots of little shops and restaurants in walking distance.It was really romantic and we are already planning a return visit! Hope I have been of some help.Have a great time!!

What time of year? <BR>. <BR>Conventional wisdom says that there are better uses of your vacation time than to go to the beach in Italy. Cinque Terre may be an exception (haven't been there personally) - - likewise perhaps Riviera dei Fiori (see www.tourism.it - - as generic as the name sounds it's all Riviera dei Fiori) - - I have been to San Remo, but not to the beach there. I'm guessing that you will want to do all your beach time in Greece. <BR>. <BR>As for taking a tour and/or independent travel options, I would love to talk further with you - - an "independent small group tour" has tons of advantages - - you can arrange on your own, or there are plenty of ways to go in an (almost) unstructured group with a little or a lot of help - - the Untours" people, for example, and I have many more ideas to share if you are interested. <BR>. <BR>Feel free to write me directly. <BR>. <BR>Best wishes, <BR>. <BR>Rex