Itinerary advice
Oct 5th, 2013 | 06:15 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Itinerary advice
Hi travellers
I have found reading your advice to others really helpful. I'd love your opinion and/or additional advice to my proposed itinerary as below.
Four weeks travel from Perth, Western Australia.
Rome: 5 nights all usual sights plus Pompeii
Florence: 4 nights Hire care to day trip Lucca, Sienna?
Munich: 4 nights Day trip Salzberg and Dachau
Prague: 3 nights
Berlin: 4 nights
Paris: 6 nights including day in Versaille and Day to Villers-Bretonneux
Fly home fom Paris
Any suggestions very much appreciated as it is our first trip to Europe. We hope to 'do' Spain and Greece on later trips and realise that we have missed Austria and Switzerland as well as Provence, France but want to be realistic about times. (Have been to London and Dublin previously)
Love to hear your ideas.
THANKS!
I have found reading your advice to others really helpful. I'd love your opinion and/or additional advice to my proposed itinerary as below.
Four weeks travel from Perth, Western Australia.
Rome: 5 nights all usual sights plus Pompeii
Florence: 4 nights Hire care to day trip Lucca, Sienna?
Munich: 4 nights Day trip Salzberg and Dachau
Prague: 3 nights
Berlin: 4 nights
Paris: 6 nights including day in Versaille and Day to Villers-Bretonneux
Fly home fom Paris
Any suggestions very much appreciated as it is our first trip to Europe. We hope to 'do' Spain and Greece on later trips and realise that we have missed Austria and Switzerland as well as Provence, France but want to be realistic about times. (Have been to London and Dublin previously)
Love to hear your ideas.
THANKS!
Oct 5th, 2013 | 06:58 AM
#2
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 30,648
Likes: 4
Since Lucca is just down the end of a commuter train line and you cannot take a car into the city (much) I'd take a train.
Sienna can be done by bus
Florence has a car banned zone in the center and I would avoid much of the rest as undrivable unless you are born Italian.
I think you are moving too much. What time of the year are you going?
Sienna can be done by bus
Florence has a car banned zone in the center and I would avoid much of the rest as undrivable unless you are born Italian.
I think you are moving too much. What time of the year are you going?
Oct 5th, 2013 | 07:13 AM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 11,212
Likes: 0
Rome - you have 3 days plus a day for Pompeii. Will this be enough time for you? Have you decided what you want to see in your 3 days. I don't think there is anything like "usual" sights anyplace. Each person decides what they want to see.
Florence - 3 days - no need to hire a car as it will take more time than using the train and bus. You have to spend time getting to the car rental place, it can take up to an hour to go through the paperwork, then trying to navigate and avoid those streets where you cannot take a car. Parking it in Lucca and Siena, and returning the car at the end of the day (once again trying to navigate away from those street where you are not allowed to drive).
I don't think you can see Lucca and Sienna in one day so that will mean 2 days for these trips (or at least most of a day each). That only leaves less than a day for Florence as you have to get there from Rome (takes several hours with getting to your hotel, checking in, unpacking).
Munich - 4 nights is 3 days. I guess you're flying from Florence so 2.5 days. Once again, I don't think you can see Salzburg and Dachau in one day. So that leaves half a day in Munich. Why not stay in Salzburg?
Prague - 2 days. Are you flying? Half a day to get there so 1.5 days. Not enough time for Prague.
I'll let you figure out how little time you have in the other places.
Have you planned what you want to see in these cities or are you going to get there and only see those sights you have time for? Perhaps some more planning and cutting out one or two locations would be best.
Florence - 3 days - no need to hire a car as it will take more time than using the train and bus. You have to spend time getting to the car rental place, it can take up to an hour to go through the paperwork, then trying to navigate and avoid those streets where you cannot take a car. Parking it in Lucca and Siena, and returning the car at the end of the day (once again trying to navigate away from those street where you are not allowed to drive).
I don't think you can see Lucca and Sienna in one day so that will mean 2 days for these trips (or at least most of a day each). That only leaves less than a day for Florence as you have to get there from Rome (takes several hours with getting to your hotel, checking in, unpacking).
Munich - 4 nights is 3 days. I guess you're flying from Florence so 2.5 days. Once again, I don't think you can see Salzburg and Dachau in one day. So that leaves half a day in Munich. Why not stay in Salzburg?
Prague - 2 days. Are you flying? Half a day to get there so 1.5 days. Not enough time for Prague.
I'll let you figure out how little time you have in the other places.
Have you planned what you want to see in these cities or are you going to get there and only see those sights you have time for? Perhaps some more planning and cutting out one or two locations would be best.
Oct 5th, 2013 | 07:57 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 26,491
Likes: 4
I also wonder whether you've allowed yourselves enough time to explore these destinations. Have you searched the travel times involved between cities?
Picking destinations that are closer together means less time lost moving around. So I would skip Berlin and Prague but add Venice, then fly Munich-Paris.
Picking destinations that are closer together means less time lost moving around. So I would skip Berlin and Prague but add Venice, then fly Munich-Paris.
Oct 5th, 2013 | 07:25 PM
#6
Original Poster
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Thanks Bilboburgler re info on Lucca, Sienna, Florence. We're going April/May. I actually wanted to take day trips from Florence in hire car to see surrounds but that idea may be way off the mark. Reading the other comments really brings home the need for specific planning which we haven't got to yet.
Adrienne, thanks for your feedback. It does help with prioritising destinations. Also practicalities of hire care etc. are very helpful. Munich isn't top of my list but after all the great things I've heard about Prague, I'd plan to spend more time there. The side trips are not essential.
We obviously need to plan how to move between places and factor in the time this will take now.
I agree Gretchen. We may need to add a day in each place.
Jean - no we haven't searched travel times - next step. I know what you are saying regarding closer destinations but we intentionally skipped Venice as Berlin and Prague hold a lot more interest for us. So we'd probably skip Munich.
Back to the drawing board for stage two but thanks so much for taking the time to reply and sharing your thoughts.
Adrienne, thanks for your feedback. It does help with prioritising destinations. Also practicalities of hire care etc. are very helpful. Munich isn't top of my list but after all the great things I've heard about Prague, I'd plan to spend more time there. The side trips are not essential.
We obviously need to plan how to move between places and factor in the time this will take now.
I agree Gretchen. We may need to add a day in each place.
Jean - no we haven't searched travel times - next step. I know what you are saying regarding closer destinations but we intentionally skipped Venice as Berlin and Prague hold a lot more interest for us. So we'd probably skip Munich.
Back to the drawing board for stage two but thanks so much for taking the time to reply and sharing your thoughts.
