need advice
 

help! traveling to europe for the 1st time with my 10yr old daughter.planning to visit italy,france,england.should we do a tour? how easy is it to get from 1 country to the other? is 2 weeks enough for 3 countries? i'm confused as to how to get around.

Hi - I have been to London, many places in Italy and am currently planning a trip to France. Italy and France are hugely accessible by train. We love the train travel and wish we had more of it in the U.S. The trains are normally very prompt, easy to use, and are very relaxing - i usually write in my travel journal, write out postcards, and if at a meal time we bring a picnic.


I am a huge proponent of NOT using a tour. I feel like you just get shuffled from one thing to the next without ever really walking around at your own pace and enjoying it.

You should probably first decide what cities you want to go to and your priorities and then figure out timing. Last year in two weeks, we easily did Rome, Venice and Florence in Italy, Salzbury Austria and Munich Germany.

An open jaw flight helps.

Hope this was helpful...

Yslim, Don't listen to Ben.

Ben, why bother being on a travel site if you don't support travel?

In my opinion the best way to eliminate hatred is to go and visit and learn about other people. just my 2 cents...

hi, iluvs2travel iwas planning to visit london,paris,rome,florence and venice.I was thinking of 1 week in italy. i probably wont do a tour but i just didn't know how safe it was for 2 girls to run around in those cities.
thanks for your help!

No, two weeks is not enough for three countries. Two weeks is just right for a limited part of one country. Examples: parts of Tuscany and Umbria, or parts of Sicily, or a few days each in London and York and Bath, or parts of Provence.

I think that is too much territory to cover in 2 weeks. You will miss a lot if you restrict yourself to 2 weeks for 3 countries. We generally allow 2 weeks for each country and always come home feeling we missed some things. There is so much to see and do in these countries that I think you would be better off spending the 2 weeks in one country or limit your visit to Rome, Paris and London. If you do that however, you are really missing out on a lot.

"i was planning to visit london,paris,rome,florence and venice"

You could do it in two weeks, but it would be way too rushed for the vast majority of people on this board.

Slower 2 Week Options:

London and Paris

London, Amsterdam and Paris

Venice, Florence & Rome

A week in Paris and then fly to Italy

Paris and then a night train to Venice or Rome

I agree with degas suggestion. 2 weeks for a first time in europe is not the time to cram too many countries or cities in. Paris is easily a 7 day stay and so is London. That said in those 7 days I would do a couple of day trips. Once you go you will go back. Save Italy for later. A seasoned traveller may be able to do it but again for a first timer I would wait. Train or plane is the way to go. I would use the chunnel and then an open jaw flight flying into London and leaving Paris or visa versa.

First 2 weeks is not enough for 3 countries - it is enough for 3 CITIES - which can be the same or different countries - but remember the longer distances you travel the more time you waste on planes/trains.

Do no reco a tour for a 10 year old. She will be the only child - bored stiff with (often mostly older) adults and it will not give her any opportunities to do kid stuff. I think she would suffer - and eventually so would other tour members.

I would reco renting an apartment in 2 or possibly 3 cities - to give you more room, flexibility, help save money on breakfasts and snacks - and give her some time to be a kid.

As to which 2 - you need to tell us more about yourselves and your intrests. Considering it's your first time you might want to start with London to ease the culture shock and add one more major city - with day tours from each. (There are very inexpensive flights from London to many cities on the continent.)