sarShubin

Hi!

Please help out a couple in their late 20's planning Europe trip in August. We have a full 11 days not counting arriving and departing. Itinerary: Arrive in Paris and stay 4 days, Fly to Venice 3 days, train to Rome 4 days. Depart out of Rome… Do we have enough time for this? Should we choose train or fly to both cities? Also want to visit countryside in Rome? Any suggestions where to go that might see countryside with wine tasting? Any adventurous tours we should try? Bike touring? Want to see the city but not overdo it because it is a vacation. Also budget hotels or B&B recommendations?

StCirq

Bit of a rush - 3 countries in 11 days. Not sure what you mean by "countryside in Rome."

Why not just go to Italy or France? 11 days is really a short vacation.

You can do this if you want, but not sure why you'd want to.

kybourbon

Four nights in Rome will probably only give you 2 1/2 days sightseeing time. Barely enough time to scratch the surface. I don't think you have time for day trips outside the city.

What is your hotel budget?

janisj

Just the 3 cities - yes, you could get a nice overview w/ 11 full days. But IMO not enough time for excursions too. If it was me, I'd decide which was more important -- the 3 cities, or 2 cities and trips out of town.

RonZ

Although I agree with StCirq, there is an overnight train from Paris to Venice.

qwovadis

Congrats doing something very similar to this in April.
We are flying easyjet.com between from 39 euros per leg ryanair.com also does this a little cheaper though airports
are not as central usually. www.eurocheapo.com booking.com
great tips hotels based on budget. Alban Hills south of
Rome Frescata wine or better www.lucca.info where best reds are grown. seat61.com/italy hopping regional trains like a local works best for us. Have done sleepers they truly suck are more expensive not safe and do not sleep well. Love day trains though if time see a lot so train down over a day or 2 if you must. For me flying takes 1.5 Hr way better for a short trip and usally cheaper. We are doing CDG VCE Easyjet 39 euro in May all in.

Happy Trails!

denisea

Sounds a bit rushed, but we are planning to make a side trip to Orvieto from Rome when we go in September. I believe there are a few wineries for Classico tastings.

From Paris, the Loire Valley or Champagne region make good day trips and you can visit wineries, as well.

I would consider visiting only two cities. We will be in Rome in September and decided to wait on the Amalfi Coast. Will be there10 days and there is plenty to see around Rome!

annhig

Hi sar,

once you factor in jetlag [that's one of your 4 days in Paris shot] and travel between cities [that's 2 x 1/2 days[ you might begin to feel a bit short changed.

if your travel style is to explore a place thoroughly and you feel short-changed if you can't do this, then you might want to lose one of your three cities. OTOH, and bearing in mind your youth [compared to lots of us here anyway] if you are wanting to get a flavour of each of them, and intend to come back, you've got it about right.

what you probably won't be able to do is to do much discovery of the countryside - you really won't have a lot of time for that.

Apres_Londee

If you already have your flight book into Paris and out of Rome, then I would stick with those two cities only, splitting your time evenly between them. You say you have a full 11 days so I'm assuming that means 10 nights- I'd do 5 nights Paris, fly to Rome, 5 nights Rome.

If you don't have your airline tickets booked, then you might want to think about staying in one country only- Paris plus a smaller town, or Florence plus a smaller Tuscan town (since you mentioned wine tasting).

10 nights will fly by and you don't want to waste your holiday time doing a lot of travelling. You need to focus and decide what is important to you and what you really want to see (cities versus countryside, France versus Italy, art/museums versus outdoorsy/nature).

nytraveler

You are really short-changing those 3 cities IMHO and wanting to do day trips will make the trip even more over-scheduled.

IMHO to see Rome yuo need at least 3 full days (4 nights) - 1 day Vatican, 1 day ancient Rome and 1 day Renaissance Rome - with evenings spent exploring some cute neighborhoods.

Yuo really think how yuo want to travel. Do you want to spend evenings rushing back from a day trip and grabbing a quick dinner before sleeping and starting over? Or do you want to spend the late afternoon sitting in a cafe aross from the Pantheon watching the workd go by while you have a drink and free munchies and listen to the choir practice from a nearby church. Then shower, change and realx for a few minutes in yuor hotel before going out for a romatic dinner - walking back to your hotel afterward through romantic squares with floodlit fountains, checking out the local nightlife?

Perhaps you prefer the former. I wold rather not go than have to forego the latter. (What's the point of Italy if you can;t haeat least a little of La Dolce Vita?)

If it were me I would split the time equally between Paris and Rome - and really enoy both.

MelJ

Apres - I agree with you.

Sar, if this is your FIRST visit to these cities, you will need time to acclimate yourself to each country. Rome, I find, is very intense so you need to take it a little slower there. I don't know how to explain this better, sorry.

If this is your first, I would suggest you fly into Paris and spend 5 days there, overnight train to Rome (for the adventure of it--I've done it and it was great) and the balance of your time in Rome. Look for apartments in each city, as well. You will enjoy coming home to a larger place to unwind and they are more affordable than hotels.

suze

I think you can do what you describe, but I don't think there'll be time for day trips or extra countryside excursions. Just the 3 cities in 11 days. Flying Paris/Venice, train Venice/Rome is fine.

nytraveler

Sorry didn;t answer hotel question. You really need to provide more info.

What is your budget per night? Are you willing to do shared bath and several flights of stairs versus an elevator?

IMHO in all places a central location is most important - since you want to be able to walk to as much as possible - exploring on foot is one of the joys of visiting european cities.

sarShubin

Thank you all for your input! i truly appreciate the help. this would be my first trip to Europe, however it is not my husband. He has only been to Paris. So im hoping my husband has his wherabouts in Paris to get us around quickly

My hotel budget would be around $110 a night...But maybe renting the apartment might be more reasonable

We have not booked our flights yet im figuring out our Itinerary first. The reason to go to 3 places was because who knows when we would be able to afford to go back. Ya i dont think we will have time for days trips.

janisj

"<i>The reason to go to 3 places was because who knows when we would be able to afford to go back.</i>"

That seems logical --but what actually happens is the more places you visit, the <i>less</i> you get to see. You spend a LOT of time just getting from one place to the next, and a lot more money on transportation. So you end up w/ less time and less money to go around.

Also - spending more time in a city gives you a chance to rent an apartment.

If you stick to the original plan -- you'll certainly see a lot, but not all of the main sites. And you won't have <i>any</i> time for day trips.

nola77382

Having been to all three cities and the Italian countryside, yes they all deserve more time. But if 11 days altogether is what you have, then prioritize and be smart about how you spend your time. Having a plan has worked well for us in maximizing our time in places.

Our first few trips to Europe, we were younger and moved around a lot more although we rarely had one-night stands. We've since slowed down, mostly because all I can get off is 1 week at a time, and now spend several days in one locale.

Both approaches have pros and cons but doing the research and having a plan made all the difference for me. Just make sure you allot time to smell the proverbial roses! Have Fun!