My whirlwind plans - thoughts?
 

Hi all,

I've just signed up for this board, but I've read a lot of posts in the last few days and I appreciate all of your insight.

I'm in the process of planning a 10-day trip to Europe in late October. It's my first trip abroad. Right now my plan is as follows:

Overnight from NYC to London
3 days in London
Eurostar to Paris
3 days in Paris
Overnight train to Rome
3 days in Rome
Flight from Rome to NYC

As far as budget, I've picked a few hotels (thanks Tripadvisor), priced my flights and train tickets, everything looks good.

However, some of my friends are saying that 3 days in each city will be too rushed. I realize it's not ideal, but I don't expect to see everything. I feel like I want to experience Europe in broad strokes my first time out, then go back in subsequent years (I get precious little vacation time each year) for more in-depth experiences. I want to eat some good food, check out some historical sites, and take a lot of hi-def video.

If I had to drop one city, I think it'd be Paris, but I'd have to stop there on the way to Rome anyway.

Anyway, your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Incidentally, I'll be traveling alone.

Hello ytheshroud, I assume you are young and have lots of energy.

Some here my say you are planning to much but going on my assumption that you are young and energetic I like your plans.

My opinion, you know what your energy level is, you have done research and have made your plans, you will be travelling on your own so you will not have to deal with a travel companion who will slow you down.

My opinion, do this trip that you are thinking of! You will get an overview of some fantastic European cities and you will be able to return in the future when you have more time and you will also know which cities/countries interest you.

I hope after you are home and settled in that you will find time to give us a trip report! Best wishes for a wonderful ten days in Europe.

I say if those are the places you want to go and that is the time you have to do it, then great, you're way past the stage of people who ask where to go and what there is to do there.

Do you really get three days in each city, though? The first day is a jet lag day, though you might still be able to fit a lot in if you're energetic.

The train to Paris will make that day a travel day and eat into the first day in Paris.

I still say you will get a feel for each city, you'll hear three different languages, including the one they call English in London, eat three different kinds of food, experience three very different cultures.

Since you're traveling alone, you can structure your time any way you want, take advantage of the times you feel energetic, and rest when you don't. And you don't have to satisfy all your friends; they're not coming with you.

Is there a night train to Rome? Do you have to change trains? Wouldn't it be faster/cheaper to fly one of the budget European airlines instead?

> Is there a night train to Rome?

Apparently so...I priced it on the SNCF web site, around $90-$120 if you take the 7pm train, which is 14 hours from Paris to Rome. There are some other options where you change trains in Milan.

And it seems to vary based on the dates you plug in. Unfortunately they're not pricing/booking past September.

I'll look into the plane thing, but remember that the overnight train saves me 1 night in a hotel, and avoids the hassle of the airport.

Incidentally, how is customs handled on a train that crosses international borders?

I would split my time between Paris and perahps Rome. I think three cities is far too much travel.

Five nights in each of those cities would be great for a first visit. You will have time to settle in and enjoy the neighborhood where you are staying, in addition to seeing the main sights.

The two cities are both magnificent, and both different. It would be a great trip.

I think you are making a mistake trying to do three cities in ten days. Learn from my experience and that of others and slow down a bit. There will be another trip to Europe in your future!

14 hours on a train is a l-o-o-o-o-n-g time, even if you do sleep half of it.

Phew, plane fare from London to Rome is a mere $80, and less than 3 hours. That's hard to pass up. So, maybe it'll be half London and half Rome. The good thing is, I can book the two Transatlantic legs now, and mull over Paris a bit more.

Thanks for your input!

I think if you fly into London, take the train to Paris and then fly to Rome and fly home from Rome, it wouldn't be too rushed.

The train from London to Paris is an easy trip (3 hours or so, if I remember correctly), going from the center of each city, so you don't have to waste time getting out to the airport.

I like your plan, except I'd fly from Paris to Rome. Have fun!

I think your plan is great! Of course more time is ideal, but not everyone can swing it.

As others have suggested, I would change the overnight train to a flight if you can. 14 hours is a long time and I don't sleep well on a train (btw, how they handle border crossings is you give your passport to the train attendant and he deals with it, he returns it to you in the morning).

Hi, Shroud - I just checked whichbudget.com and randomly checked a couple of dates in October. EasyJet has some flights from Paris(Orly) to Rome for 17.99 euros. The flight time appears to be about 1 hour 55 minutes.

Also, I did the Eurostar from London to Paris several years ago, and it was a VERY expensive trip, compared with the cheap flights which were available. I learned (later) on this board that at the very least, I should've bought a round-trip ticket, as one-ways were much more expensive.