My wife and I just returned from a 3 week tour that started in London went to Paris, Munich, Austria, Venice, Florence and ended in Rome. We took detailed notes and would be happy to share any knowledge gained on hotels, restaurants, train travel and costs. <BR>

Having spent the last few hours searching for our 11 year old Golden Retriever, who was spooked by a major thunder storm tonight, your "Bloody Stump Tour" sounds good. By the way, we did find "Sandy".

Wow, seven major cities in 3 weeks? Wasn't that exhausting? Most people on this forum urge travelers to cut down on the places they go in one visit, do you agree/disagree? Did you feel you had enough time to get the feel of each place? Which cities did you like best? Would you do that many cities in the same amount of time again? <BR>

Wow Kirby, sounds great! <BR>I am getting married next spring and we are planning on taking a three week honeymoon to Europe. With everything else going on with the planning of the wedding we are considering taking a Globus Tour(European Horizon) that goes to London,Amsterdam,Rhineland,Lucerne,Innsbruck,Venic e,Rome,Florence,Pisa,Nice, & Paris. I have heard so many people tell me to plan a trip myself but it seems like it would take a lot of time and cost much more. Do you agree with that or do you think planning your own trip is the way to go? I always worry about having to find my way to the hotels, booking transportaion(trains), and finding reasonable restaurants. Not to mention getting to and from train stations/airports and taking and booking side trips. I would love to hear about some of the ways you went about planning your trip and how you decided on hotels. If you or someone else would like to send me some information or helpful tips, it would be greatly appreciated. <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR>[email protected] <BR>

Wow Kirby, sounds great! <BR>I am getting married next spring and we are planning on taking a three week honeymoon to Europe. With everything else going on with the planning of the wedding we are considering taking a Globus Tour(European Horizon) that goes to London,Amsterdam,Rhineland,Lucerne,Innsbruck,Venic e,Rome,Florence,Pisa,Nice, & Paris. I have heard so many people tell me to plan a trip myself but it seems like it would take a lot of time and cost much more. Do you agree with that or do you think planning your own trip is the way to go? I always worry about having to find my way to the hotels, booking transportaion(trains), and finding reasonable restaurants. Not to mention getting to and from train stations/airports and taking and booking side trips. I would love to hear about some of the ways you went about planning your trip and how you decided on hotels. If you or someone else would like to send me some information or helpful tips, it would be greatly appreciated. <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR>[email protected] <BR>

Dave: <BR>Most everybody here will recommend a do-it-yourself because we like to do stuff on our own. A tour is much easier because all the work/worry is done by someone else. Ya gotta give to get in this world: on a tour, ya give up freedom for ease; on yer own, ya give up peace of mind (mostly) for freedom. <BR> <BR>If you'd like to see the varied workings of varied minds, do a search under "how to plan" on this forum. There's a long string with everybody throwing in their opinions, suggestions, helpful hints, and proven methods on planning a trip. <BR> <BR>For an easy(er) 3-week trip, think about only 2 or 3 places. For example: One week in Tuscany, One week in France, One week in London. Stay in a central location (Paris, for example) and then just take day trips. You only have to find 3 places to stay, and you've cut down the planning to day trips rather than "can I leave Vienna at noon and be in Rome by nightfall?" logistic nightmare (which I, and I think lots of folks on this forum, LOVE). <BR> <BR>Good luck (and congrats, by the way, on the upcoming nuptials) and let us (not the royal 'us', the 'us' of Fodorites) know if we can help.

Kirby, take a little advice from one who has been to Europe both ways. I didn't take a regular tour, but I did go with a large business school class that visited several places over the course of three weeks. Do it yourself. It may take some planning, but it really isn't that bad, and you do have almost a year. I am sure that people on this forum will offer some assistance where needed. It's not that tours are always worse, but this is your honeymoon. I can't imagine spending my honeymoon travelling around with a large group of people. As far as cost goes, yes it may end up more than a tour, but there are definitely ways to cut transportation, meal, and lodging costs without taking a tour.

Dave, another thought about taking a honeymoon tour: they often make you get up at 6AM to get on the bus. Its not how I would spend my honeymoon! I think Elvira's got the best idea. Rent a villa in Tuscany, or in Provence. Take day trips. Or spend your 3 weeks in just one country. I'm taking 2 1/2 in Italy this fall. It really cuts down on the logistics, and I think you would find it very memorable. Also, if you go for weekly rentals you will find it costs lots LESS rather than more. Even in the big cities a week in an apartment is going to be less than a week in hotels. <BR>

Please, Mr Clark--don't take a tour, plan your own honeymoon! Let us help--we have so many opinions you'll look forward to the relative harmony of planning a wedding. Of course, we probably have opinions on that, too.... <BR>Seriously, Elvira's London-Paris-Tuscany trip sounds good. What are your interests (before we start bossing you around)?

Dave, <BR>I've Emailed you directly and am delighted to see posters here reaffirming my suggestion that you "do it yourself". You might simply consider London for a week in which to partake of some of the many millennial celebratory events scheduled, then Brugges, Belgium for four or five days (it's one of the most charming small cities in Europe)and the balance in Paris. If either you or your bride to be are Italian, you might consider the Cinque Terre or Tuscany in lieu of Brugges and a day or two in Paris. <BR> <BR>Do feel free to Email me for suggestions.

David, <BR>You might want to consider a European cruise. This way you won't have to pack, lug, and unpack every few days. The ship offers 1/2 day and full day tours if you are hesitant about striking out on your own. If you have not been to any of the cities that your ship stops at, you can go into the cities and do a little exploring on <BR>your own - to save a little $. Also with a cruise, you won't have to give any thought to finding accomodations, wondering what they will be like, or having to find restaurants for BF, lunch, and dinner. With all the aggravations you may encounter with the planning of the wedding, you might want to settle into a relaxing cruise.

David, <BR>Add me to the list of people telling you do it yourself. We've always traveled to Europe on our own with no difficulties. I can understand that some people might feel more comfortable with a tour, but it is structured and you go where they want to go, not always where you want to! Don't visit too many places, you won't have any fun and all you will remember is the hassle part of it. Try for 2 or 3 cities -- stay put, take day trips. You might consider renting an apartment for a week or so in each place, it's nice to have more room and a "home" to come back to after a day out. Believe me there is enough to do in the major cities to take up the time, in fact you will run out of time. We've visited Paris and London over a dozen times and still find new things. Taking it a bit slower (staying in one place) means more time to enjoy the places you see and maybe even doing some off the wall things, or doing nothing at all. Sometimes sitting in a park eating an ice cream cone and people watching is fun, espiecally if it is in Paris! Just walking around and not worrying about having to catch a bus at 7 a.m. to go to the next destination is worth doing it alone to me. Freedom is the key here .. it's not too difficult to plan either, just don't go overboard with destinations on any one trip and it will work fine. There are always city tours you can take in each city to orient yourself to the lay of the land and from there branch out on your own, you will love it. Go for it! <BR> <BR>Don't worry about language problems, almost all Europeans speak some English. The easiest transistion, if that is a concern, would be to do London perhaps first. <BR> <BR>Most tour schedules wear me out just looking at them -- I cannot imagine doing any of them on a honeymoon. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Hello David, groom to be. We went to Europe 4 times last year and twice this year. We absolutely agree with the above posts on slowing down, spending time in one spot, using that city as a base for day travel. For a honeymoon, the more relaxed the plans, the better it is. Go slow, enjoy, and eats lots of Belgium chocolate.

Dave, As the original poster that promted your reply, I have to whole heartedly agree with many other people on this forum that suggest a "do it yourself" tour. I also think that only on few places in three weeks would be more appropriate. We had a great time during our trip but we wish we had more time in certain places and less time in others. You should probably consider just how tired your new wife will be after the Wedding. While you may feel that you are working hard at helping to plan your wedding, believe me your fiance is working and worrying twice as much nd will be emotionally exausted afterward. I will e-mail you direct with specific information considering your plans. <BR>

Hi Kirby, <BR>I just re-read the original posting and realized how far off topic this thread has gotten. I'd love to hear more, particularly about the Italian leg of your trip. How much time did you spend? What sights were your favorites? And restaurant recommendations, particularly Venice? Also, did you book train reservations in advance, or did you have a pass,and just winged it?

Hi Beth. We were in Venice 2 days, Florence 3 days and Rome 3 days. Check my recent posting "Italy - Warning" for some of our problems there but overall we had a great time. We really enjoyed Florence the most in Italy. "David" was fantastic but so was St. Marks Basilica in Venice. Unfortunately we didn't have any great meals in Venice. We tried several small trattorias but the meals were only average. Our best experiance was in Florence at the Trattoria Nella on Via delle Terme. The gnocci (sp?) was the best we found. It is small (10 tables) and fairly popular with the locals. We had a rail pass and made reservations just a day in advance in most cases. These were not needed but helpful. You will have to pay a suppliment for use of the Eurostar lines other wise you will have to use the slower trains. <BR>

Wow, thanks for all the great posts replying to mine. I haven't had a lot of time lately to get on here and can't stay long now either, but I will definetly take all your advise into consideration. I have gotten emails from several of you and will probably be talking with you alot! <BR> <BR>Thanks again! <BR>