penelope41

Hi All,

Would love some advice. My husband and I are planning a trip this May and I would love suggestions on where to go for two weeks in Italy and France. That is all the time we have. Should we take a plane from the each country or is it better to rent a car or take the train to explore both countries. Should we fly into one country from the US and fly out of the other or back track and fly out of the same city to save on costs? We know we can go everywhere in both places but with limited time we need some help on where to go. We love wine, good food, nature and it is an anniversary trip so any reccomendations for France based on that would be great. We will spend a few days in Paris and then the remaining 5 days somewhere else in France. I have only been to Paris and Rome. Also in Italy we would start in the North maybe and work our way down to Rome unless you feel the Amalfi coast must not be missed. I welcome and thank you for your advice in advance. We like small charming properties and do not want to spend more than $350 per night for a room. THANK YOU!!

SCFoodie

Do your two weeks (14 days?) include travel? If so, it looks like you have 2 days of travel (from/to the US), 3 days (you said a few) in Paris, 5 days elsewhere in France. That leaves only 4 days for Italy. If that is the case, I'd pick one destination in Italy and get there the quickest way possible from France. And definitely fly back to the States from Italy - don't waste time backtracking. Venice is very romantic for an anniversary trip. La Calcina is a wonderful B&B in Venice.

Can you give us some more details so we can make better suggestions?

Nikki

It probably doesn't cost more to fly open jaws to Paris and home from Italy than it does to fly to Paris round trip and pay to backtrack after visiting Italy. It will cost both time and money to backtrack.

I agree tht you need to limit your destinations and realize how much time will be spent traveling from place to place.

penelope41

thanks so much. The travel days will be extra on top of the 14 days so really trying for maybe 6 days France with 2 of them in Paris and 4 days somewhere in the wine country near Paris and 8 days Italy. Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it. Should I fly between countries like when I am done in France and moving on to Italy or take the train and once in Italy is the train or car better? Not sure if they drive on the side of the road that we drive on in the US.

nukesafe

I also suggest an open jaw flight into France and back home from Italy. You could minimize cost and maximize the time you have for sightseeing by closing the open jaw by flying from Paris to the Italian city you choose. For example, I checked with MyAir.com and they have a one way low fare from Paris Orly to Venice for €9.99. Now, that translates to around $50 when you add in all of the taxes, etc., but it is cheap and quick.

I also agree that you limit yourself to only one, or at most two Italian cities. Otherwise you will be spending most of your time in transit.

Have a great trip.

Nikki

In Italy and France (and all of continental Europe), cars drive on the same side of the road as in the US.

Whether you fly or take the train depends on the places you will be visiting. For budget flights within Europe, check www.whichbudget.com. Frequently, if there are flights between the places you want to visit, they are less expensive than trains. If you are traveling around the countryside, a car is the way to go for flexibility and being able to see back roads and places that trains don't go.

nukesafe

Whoops, I misspoke. When I ran out that €9.99 MyAir fare out, it came to €46.49, or $59.50 USD, not the $50 I said earlier. Things have gone up since I made that flight -- surprise! The date I picked was Wednesday, May 13th for a late flight. You will pay more for earlier, more convenient flights, and for later in the month, but you get the idea. Look for the cheapo European airlines that connect the cities to which you are going.