Paris/Italy 15 day itinerary suggestions
 

Hi everyone,

My wife and I along with my sister and her husband are doing a couples 15-day trip to Paris and Italy beginning April 23 and ending May 8, 2016. It's our first time and we want to experience as much as possible without getting too crazy....we love food, wine, history, and experiencing the culture....and maybe a little bit of a nightlife since we are in our late 20's and enjoy going out. Our flights are locked in....flying into Paris arriving early morning of April 23 and leaving the morning of May 8

Here is our proposed itinerary.....any thoughts/suggestions are appreciated. Not looking for as much recommendations of what to see/do.....more wanting to know if this itinerary and "hopping" around seems like a good plan without getting too hectic.

April 23 -- Paris
April 24 -- Paris
April 25 -- Paris
April 26 -- Paris
April 27 -- 1/2 day Paris....fly to Venice in afternoon, 1/2 day Venice
April 28 -- Venice
April 29 -- 1/2 day Venice....train to Florence in afternoon, 1/2 day Florence
April 30 -- Florence
May 1 -- 1/2 day Florence.....train to Naples then Sorrento in afternoon....1/2 day Sorrento
May 2 -- day trip to Amalfi Coast
May 3 -- day trip to Capri
May 4 -- early morning train back to Naples then onto Rome -- full day Rome
May 5 -- Rome
May 6 -- Rome
May 7 -- Rome

You overall plan is a bit rushed, but OK for young people who have energy and want just a few highlights, so it is doable. *

However, you are not allowing enough travel time, so the times you are estimating being in places is not as long as you have planned by about a half day.

April 17, If you do not leave Paris until afternoon, you will not have 1/2 day Venice. It will be late afternoon by time you get there and get to your hotel.

April 29, You also will not have 1/2 day in Florence by time you travel from Venice and get to your hotel in Florence, it will be mid to late afternoon.

May 1, it will take about 3/4 day to travel from Florence to Sorrento. If you spend 1/2 day in Florence, it will be very late afternoon or early evening by time you get to Sorrento, so just in time for dinner.

May 4, you will definitely not have a full day in Rome. It will take 1/2 day to go from Hotel in Sorrento to hotel in Rome, so 1/2 day in Rome, at best.

*I would hate to go all the way to Sorrento and not see Pompeii.

Consider this
Fly from Paris to Venice as early as possible so you have 1/2 to 3/4 day, Venice

Sorry, posted too soon. Didn't check for errors.
Consider this
April 27, fly from Paris as early as possible so you have 1/2 to 3/4 day in Venice.
April 29, train as early as possible to Florence so you have 3/4 day there.
May 4, stop in Pompeii on the way back to Rome (there is luggage storage near the entrance).

Very doable trip. I do agree with Sassafrass regarding that fact that you'll loose feasible trip days while traveling from city to city, so consider that your ½ days are going to be more about getting out of the hotel on time, getting to the airport/train station, transportation time, delays, booking into hotels, etc. Also, could be rainy season so consider that too. Best of luck.

Agree that you are not allowing for travel times since you are double counting. You can;t spend 1/2 day in Florence and 1/2 day in Sorrento and also have 6 hours to get from hotel in F to hotel in S.

The trip isn't bad - limited time everywhere and I would try to get 15 days on the ground versus only 13 - but suggest you work out the actual time on those travel days. If you go to bahn.de it has train schedules for all of europe (except the local from Naples to Sorrento which will take about an hour).

A further comment on the travel times... If you take afternoon trains, you have to check out of your hotel room in the morning and (hopefully) leave your luggage with the hotel while you sightsee. (Most hotels will do this, but you need to verify in advance.) That means you have to return to the hotel to retrieve your luggage before heading to the train station. Just another step in the logistics that eats up time.

Your itinerary isn't at all bad. But as the others say - you are definitely over estimating your time in various places and under estimating the travel times.

Say you have half a day in <i>any city</i> before moving on - that is it for that day. By the time you check out (or go back and retrieve your bags), get to the station or airport, travel, get to the next hotel, check in . . . there goes the day.

And even more so when flying between cities. You have to travel to the out-of-the-city airport, check in in advance (and seriously in advance if on a budget airline), get in from the next airport, etc.

So several of those 'half days' you list are non-existant . . .

I would cut out Sorrento and the AC....maybe add in a day in Orvieto on your way fronFlorence to Rome. Use the extra time in Rome to spend a day in Tivoli to see Hadrain's villa and the gorgeous Villa d'Este.