Please give me advice
 

Fellow Fodorites ...

I need your help. I have planned a trip to the cote d'azur, florence then Rome for 11 days total. I will be going with my brother, sister and our mom. The trip will be in 2 weeks.

I already did all the plain, hotel and transportation reservations. Also I have the general plan in mind. However, I have been so busy lately, that I did not plan the details of the trip.. Here is where I need your advice.

We will be arriving to Nice on the 21st of October. I am thinking of
Sat. 21 Arrive to Nice and rent a car. Our hotel is in Antibes. Explore Antibes for rest of day
Sat 22 Cannes
Sun 23 St. Paul de Vence
Mon 24 Nice
Tues 25 Monte Carlo and continue (driving) to Florence - on the road stop in Pissa.
Wed 26 Florence
Thu 27 Florence
Frid 28 half day florence then catch a train to Rome.
Sat-Monday Rome

Now any recommendations? Any must see / do in such a short time. Good restaurant (not very expensive but good food and nice atmosphere. Any help would be appreciated..

I want to make this very special for my mom. And I want it to be a memorable trip for all of us
Thanks
Zanz00na

>>Mon 24 Nice<<

There is a morning antiques market in old Nice - but other than that, most shops will be closed there (old Nice).

Stu Dudley

I'd just do two days in Florence, and skip the early half-day before heading to Rome. It's a small town, and once you've seen the Uffizi, Academia and Duomo, you'll be looking for stuff to do.

If you hop the train to Rome early enough, it's only a couple of hours to Rome, and you could be there easily by lunch time and get more time there. Rome requires a minimum of 3 days, and 4 or 5 if you can get it to be fair to that city.

As for the first half of your itinerary, I haven't been there -- but my advice (especially if you're traveling with someone older like a parent or a child) is to restrict your moves to 2-night stays. Otherwise you're just flying through stuff and not really getting to soak any of it in.

Happy travels,

Jules

Do the shops close on Sunday or Monday? if Monday, do you suggest swapping the 24th with the 23rd? and doing Nice on Sunday and St. Paul on Monday?

Thanks

Might I also add that you talk with your traveling companions about what you want to see and do a minimum of planning before you go. You miss so much without at least writing down a few things so you can make sure to see them.

You might buy a copy of Rick Steves Italy 2005 -- it has some great itineraries and information on stuff to see, and in my opinion is the most accurate in terms of providing directions to a place, times and prices and what not to miss.

You can find a copy of it at any bookstore with a halfway decent travel section.

Happy travels,

Jules

Many shops will be closed on Sunday also - actually, old Nice is one of the few places where there are more shops open on Sunday than Monday.

Everytthing will be open in St Paul on Sunday and also in Gourdon (close to St Paul). There is a nice drive in that area, where you can visit both towns and also see some pretty countryside.

For Monday, take a drive into the beautiful Nice Hinterland and visit some other cute perched villages - most don't have stores but the villages are very picturesque and so is the mountainous region.

I have a 20+ page itinerary for the Cote & Provence that I've sent to hundreds of people on this travel board. E-mail me at [email protected] if you would like a copy. It describes the St Paul/Gourdon loop along with some other drives in various areas in the Nice Hinterland.

Stu Dudley

Also, take Rex's advice and read how to post a more attention getting heading. I clicked on your post by mistake. I normally skip over posts that don't give a clue as to the region or country a person wants advice about.

Stu Dudley

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