kybouron - I JUST saw your suggestion re: switching the trip around and doing PAris to Positano to Rome to Florence to Venice.

I already booked hotels but not flights so this is technically still an option. Are you thinking this because it would allow for cutting out a long day on the train from Florence to Positano?

I looked on easy jet and if I do this then I would fly out either at 710 am (eek!) or 530 pm - direct flight to NAples. What would you do from Naples though? Not sure if it is too late at that point to get a ferry the remainder of the way???

Ellenem - your advice has been invaluable! THANKYOU! I think a shared water taxi would be a great way to check out venice from the airport and not a bad price! I will also do some of the day trips you mentioned! COuld I do Piazzale Michelangelo and Fiesole within the same day?

To me Fiesole and Piazzale MIchelangelo would be redundant--two scenic views the same day--plus they are in opposite directions from one another, but it could be done. Check their locations on a map.

For me, I think it would be pleasant to take the bus to Piazzale Michelangelo in the morning, visit San Minato al Monte, and then walk down the hill to the Oltrarno and back to central Florence. It is always surprising to see the view of the green hills and city walls from this viewpoint. Here are some photos to give you an idea:
https://ellenem.shutterfly.com/568
https://ellenem.shutterfly.com/568#564

From Piazzale Michelangelo, I always walk back into the city, walking down the steep Via di San Salvatore al Monte, a pedestrian-only walk past green gardens and enter the city at Porta San Niccolo. Then I usually follow the Via San Niccolo to Via Bardi, eventually to the Ponte Vecchio. You might stop someplace for lunch on this quieter side of the river or explore some of these smaller streets with artisans shops.

Zorrosf you mentioned NOT staying in Positano...what is your suggestion re: an area to stay in Sorrento with an equally as amazing view??? Perhaps Hilton Palace, Grand Hotel Aminta? Magi House, Hotel Mega Mar, etc. I want something with an incredible view where I can swim (sea or pool or a bonus BOTH!) Day trips to Capri, Ravello maybe, Positano (if not staying there) and Pompeii (or on the way back to Rome).

Ellenem - THANKYOU! That sounds incredible!

Is three nights in Florence enough (2 full days and then a part day on arrival with a day trip to Tuscany (therefore 1.5 days?).

We were looking at the Vespa wine tours because we thought it would be a blast to be in the fresh air but I liked the look of the Under the Tuscan Sun wine tour because they go to so many wineries. Is there a specific Vespa wine tour company you have heard good things about?

Originally I REALLY wanted to do a day trip to the Cinque Terre from Florence but I was told it was best to cut it out because it is so far away and we are going to the Amalfi Coast area anyways. Thoughts on this?

One final question - favourite restaurant in Florence since you seem to know the area well (in an ok price range?)

@meaganc: I split time between Rotterdam and Paris. With Thalys it's only a 2.5 hour train ride, so easy enough.

Your nearest stop is Maubert - Mutualité. However, it is served only by the #10 metro line. The only thing that's useful for is to get to the Eiffel tower by metro (La Motte Picquet - Grenelle stop)

But, if you cross Blvd St Germain and continue north (Rue des Anglais then turn slightly left on Rue Lagrange, slightly right on Rue Dante), you'll be right at Pont au Double and eye to eye with Notre Dame.

So actually, you'll be within walking distance of quite a number of sights, and that's why, to me, it's such a good location.

Thanks Menachem!! If you happen to be in Paris during the time we are let me know and I'll buy you a drink!

Sounds great. Quatorze Juillet I avoid, but I'm usually in town early july, so who knows.

I'd also like to recommend IMA - Institut du Monde Arabe. For its architecture and exhibitions, for sure, but it also has a great rooftop restaurant with fantastic views. The restaurant itself is good, and the outdoor space is even better. And in july that could be a great spot for dinner.

book a table though (can be done on their site)

http://www.imarabe.org/preparer-ma-v...nt-panoramique

Directions: turn right from your hotel, walk until Cardinal Lemoine, turn left, walk to almost the Seine, it's at your right hand.

On 28 Blvd Saint Germain, there's the Polynesian Delegation in Paris. Usually during summer they have a cultural program with "stages" (dance, crafts) and a concert program and they do a small craft market.

http://www.polynesie-paris.com/

If you have a spare hour, drop by, it's an unexpected place, that gives you access to an interesting aspect to French colonial culture.

Megan - far too many people in the mix - the ideas are nice but ultimately it's YOUR trip.

- Sorrento is boring. If you want coastline, the Amalfi Coast has it all over the 'Thompson's Package Holiday' capital of Italy aka Sorrento. Do you really want to visit an 'Italian' town that has Irish pubs? - and not just one by the way. You're in Italy - not the UK/Ireland. This is the kind of clientele Sorrento caters to.

- All Sorrento has going for it is the transport links. It's the end of the train line for Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples and the port will take you to the Amalfi Coast, Ischia and Capri.

- As a destination there is nothing to do in Sorrento. Shopping and walking around Piazza Tasso get a little tired and remember - it has no beaches. Positano has two. Positano also has a little bus to Nocelle (where the Path of the Gods walk begins) and Montepertuso.

However...if you absolutely insist on staying there I would stay nowhere other than the Bristol or the Capidomonte. You'll get some nice views across the bay and both hotels are beautiful.

No matter where you stay, or in what hotel, please do not follow this advice:

"We even got a 10% discount for paying cash."

This is against the law in Italy, because people offering this are tax dodging. Even if you pay cash in some places, it is also the law that you be given a receipt.

I think you are doing a great job kicking the tires of all the possibilities. I am planning a trip for late April, and just this morning I was thinking maybe I needed to rethink one of the hotels I booked, because it might be too touristy for my taste. There is really nothing wrong with tweaking, and batting around ideas. Some people don't have the bandwidth for it -- and they are trying to control who you listen to. Listen to everybody. Think about what you want to do. Be as flexible as you like if even some people are very rigid and only have one way of thinking about this part of Italy.

I can see that you have done a lot of research and like collecting information. It will pay off for you when you actually take your trip.

OP am sure you're way too grown up to be 'controlled' people are giving opinions - never knew this was now known as controlling ? Enjoy your explorations and planning - and keep asking those questions - but book soon as the longer you delay the more places are filling

Menachem - why avoid Quatorze Juillet??? Is it not fun or just too crazy busy?

Blueeyedcod and sandralist - thanks so much for your help! I really do appreciate it so much!

It's simply too busy. But then I avoid King's Day in Amsterdam too, so go figure.

On the other hand, keep an eye on

http://lefooding.com/fr/evenements

A few years back that's how I ended up at the wonderful Cafête (inter) Nationale. That was a brilliant afternoon and evening out on the 14th.

That entire site is great for contemporary dining options

For instance:

http://lefooding.com/fr/restaurants/...y-marais-paris

it's a curated site, so there's some measure of quality control. and the places where I went were all good, not that that is any indication of quality

and this one, a restaurant, just like in japan, that only does one thing, dumplings in this case, but does it exceptionally well

http://lefooding.com/fr/restaurants/...r-marais-paris

perhaps not your "standard" off the beaten path eating places, but there's a huge vibrant food scene emerging, and it's almost all outside the usual travel guides. internet guides like lefooding are plenty though.

cityvox has now been gobbled up by yelp, but that always used to be my go to site for events. anyway, there's still yelp http://www.yelp.fr/events

We really enjoyed our day in Paris during Fete Nationale. We didn't wait for the parade or stay up for fireworks (although we would have done the latter if the children had been older) but we were walking through the Jardins Tuileries when the air show was starting. There were many people there just waiting so we grabbed a seat on the grass. Just the atmosphere was great. We enjoyed the seeing the historic aircraft pass by. Then we spent the day wandering and had reservations for a nice meal. We would have found a good place for the fireworks, probably away from the Eiffel Tower so that it would have been easier to get back to the hotel afterwards. I'm not sure why you'd avoid it. We've promised our kids that we'll return for the Fete in a few years.

Thanks casperjj! Im excited!!! Where are you from?

Menachem - for some reason none of the links you sent me will open. Are they Paris webpages? I will see if I can google the information!

Has anyone seen Moulin Rouge? I was thinking of getting tickets - however the dinner option is too expensive but just seeing the show would be neat! Do they converse in French also or is it more dancing/singing?

Strange. They're opening fine on my computer.

If you must spend that money on a cabaret you must, I guess, but you'll feel strangely let down and you'll think you'll have spent too much, even if you do "only the show". Lots of topless dancing, and quite some artistry if you like the genre though. There are more cabaret options too, not too far from your hotel

http://www.paradislatin.com/en

Have you seen that show Menachem? I love the theatre but it has to be entertaining for my husband to enjoy it! I took him to his first Broadway show last summer in NYC (Jersey Boys) and he still talks about how great it was lol

I was able to get those sites to work when I just typed in le fooding in google - thanks!

I do have a quick question - so as you know, we have reservations at Hotel Saint Jacques which looks great (esp the fact that Audrey Hepburn stayed there! My wedding shower was Breakfast at Tiffany's themed!). However, I was also somewhat exploring the idea of a small apartment, which may save us a bit in food if we can cook some of our meals (which means more spending money!). A lot of the apartments I keep finding are in the 'Marias' area. Just was wondering where this is and if it is a better or worse location than the hotel I already booked. We would like to be able to walk to as many places as possible. Also, I have never stayed in a hotel before. Is this a bad idea (e.g., no one to ask questions to, etc.)?

Thanks!

menachem - re: the shows - have you seen Crazy Horse? This appealed to me also, but not sure if I would be disappointed not seeing a real cabaret?

casperjj - I was looking back at an old post you sent me about trains going onsale 120 days before the date you plan to take it. Can you clarify this? That 120 day mark is coming up. Is there a special sale section or does it just show up?

Also, we are planning to fly into Venice from Paris. Any idea how much we should budget to get to the airport from our hotel in Paris? I am assuming we would take a train but I am not sure?

For anyone who knows Italy, we are hoping to do Pompeii. Do you think it is worth it to cut a day off Rome or off the Amalfi Coast to head to Amalfi for a hotel (quite cheap - 90$ Canadian with a pool) so we can get there early and beat the crowds then head to Rome from there?

Thanks again everyone!

Hi meaganc. We're from Ottawa.

As for the trains, if you sign up for alerts on sncf (the French rail site) or capitainetrain.com you'll get emails when certain routes go on sale within France and between France and other countries. My last email indicated that there was a partial opening for some routes back on Feb 4. Other routes open up March 17 it seems http://special-offers.en.voyages-snc...g-reservations

For other countries such as Italy, check on the trenitalia website. I believe they open 90days out (I should know this as I'm waiting to book too). At times they open earlier. The fast trains are later than the local ones. I keep checking each week to see if they're open yet. The earlier you book, the cheaper the prices.

If you're looking at other countries (I can't recall exactly where you've decided to go), the dates may vary.

Oh. Don't forget about the time difference. I've booked international trains the day they go on sale. Generally its midnight in the location your booking. France is presently 5 hours difference from us so 7pm the day before our time tickets would go on sale. They haven't done the spring time change yet. When they do, France will be 6hrs difference.

@meaganc: no, but I have friends who go to Paradis Latin with friends from abroad if they want to see a cabaret show. They consider it to be more "classy" than Moulin Rouge, and more Parisian, ie less touristy.

As to your other question: I think St Jacques is great, in a good location. Yes there are apartments in the Marais. And theoretically you'd save on food. I say theoretically because that usually isn't quite the case: you may find that in the end you've spent as much on food as you would have done had you gone to restaurants. Of course, you can economize: cutting out the hotel breakfast is a good start. But also: buy things for a picknick lunch, or do the reverse: have lunch somewhere nice: usually lunch deals are pretty good. And then you do the drinks and a nibble or a quick snack in the evening. Also that frees you from having-to-find-dinner.

Marais is the very sought after area north of Rue de Rivoli, Just check it out on google maps to get an idea. It used to be a Jewish area and there are still some remnants of that (butcher, grocer, bookshop, cafe. Lately the area has become very gay friendly and it's very very touristy. But also very nice in places.

Be careful where you book though: many apartment agencies will state an apartment is in the Marais while it really isn't and is closer to Bastille for instance. Quite a difference.

Anyway. Both the Rue des Ecoles area and the Marais are nice and in both areas you'll be within walking distance to a lot of sites.