cnshah63

Hi Friends. Hv been a silent watcher on this board and hv been reading very interesting trips and tips. Thanks a lot, everybody. Very good information and advice.

A friend & me are travelling to Paris in the first week of February for a seminar and then would like to travel for about 10 days. Can someone suggest a good itenary which includes Spain & Italy.

Please advise.

Thanks in advance.

ira

Hi C,

A: Look up your interests under "Destinations".

B: Get some guidebooks from the library.

C: Plan an itinerary.

D: Come back and let us help you refine it.

How much time will you have in Paris to yourselves?

With only 10 days, I would stick to Spain or Italy.

Dejais

Totally agree with Ira. With 10 days, I would choose either Spain or Italy. Doing three countries will involve a lot of traveling and leave you with less time to see things.

Narrow down your "must sees/dos" and then come back for more specific information. Good luck planning!

Travelnut

I'd pick more France + Spain, or more France + Italy.... Spain+Italy is not very easy to navigate at least by train.

Paris-Barcelona can be done as a night-train.

Getting to Italy would be better done by plane, I'm thinking. Maybe your week in Paris, then fly to Rome for 5 days, then Venice for 4 days and fly home from there.

p.s. did you already make round-trip flights to/from Paris?

Christina

I'd also pick one other country -- Spain or Italy, as they are opposite directions from Paris. Otherwise, you'll have to fly between them.

I'd pick Spain and still maybe fly from Paris to Madrid to start (I know there are Air France flights between those two, and probably Iberia). Spend 3 days in Madrid, take AVE train down to Seville and spend the rest of time there. Or maybe 4 in Madrid, and do day trips to Toledo and/or Segovia. From Seville, do a day trip to Cordoba. That may be a lot to plan for a 10 day trip tacked onto a seminar, though.

I don't understand the logistics, either -- do you have to get back to Paris at the end? that makes it pretty hard, at least cuts off a day of your time, perhaps.

You could do Paris to Barcelona, and then take the high-speed train to Madrid and just split the 10 days between those points (with perhaps the day trips from Madrid). IF that train is not running yet (which it may not be, I'm not sure--it was originally 2007, but I think now sometime early in 2008), that wouldn't be such a good idea.

cnshah63

Thanks a lot for the info. Seems i may have to do a lot of working on the itenary.
What do you say of the following:
From Paris i take a train to barcelona - spend 2/3 days and am off to Venice ( spend a night) from where i ride on Eurail to Florence/Pisa and onwards to Rome and fly out from there. Does this make sense ?

Christina

well, you can do it if that's what you mean. It's an awful lot of moving around for short time periods, and lots of flights/trains. I presume you plan to fly from Barcelona to Venice.

I wouldn't do that just to spend a few hours and the night in Venice, myself. I wouldn't even bother going if I didn't want to be there very long.

Barcelona isn't really like the rest of Spain, anyway, so if the idea is to have some regular Spanish experience, you wouldn't get it that way. A lot of people like Barcelona, of course, but if your goal in going there (and spending hours and hours on the train doing that) is to experience Spain, it won't do that.

Maybe you love that Amazing Race thing, so if so, you might love all this running around and catching flights/trains, etc. I'd personally just drop Barcelona or Italy, still, that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it (you could get a cheap flight from Paris to Venice).

eric502

I have found out over the years that the more you try to see the less you will end up seeing.

I would spend at least 5 days in Paris and then pick another area of France to visit for a few days. We've been to Normandy and the Loire over the years and there is lots to see. Both are just a short train ride from Paris.

Good luck on your trip

Aduchamp1

You cannot go worng between Spain and Italy. Just do not do too much, enjoy what you see.

There are also a number of European carriers that fly you between cities.

Nikki

If you are set on the itinerary that includes Barcelona and Venice, you will save time by flying. There are reasonably priced flights from Paris to Barcelona and from Barcelona to Venice on Vueling (www.vueling.com).

For budget airlines in Europe, check www.whichbudget.com.

cnshah63

Thank you for your feedback. I bet I want to do both so at last this is what i have thought:

Paris (4 days)
Fly to BArcelona ( 3 days)
Fly Barcelona - Venice
Venice ( spend the valentines day)
Proceed towards Florence - Pisa &
reach Rome ( spend 2 days) fly out.

Am i crazy ?

sandi_travelnut

So you would only have 1 night in Venice? Are you assuming you could do Florence and Pisa as a day trip on your way to Rome? If so, then yes - it's a crazy itinerary. You need to research the drive or train time to those cities to see how many hours you'll waste. If you have to fly out of Rome why not fly directly to it from Barcelona so you can really enjoy and see the city. Save Venice for your next trip...IMO.

mamc

Your trip sounds like that of so many who want to fit everything into too little time. The usual result is that you don't spend quality time anywhere.

Most everyone has suggested paring back and spending more time in fewer places. Is it possible to do what you plan? Yes. Will it be memorable? Principally for the inside of train stations and airports.

ira

Hi C,

>From Paris i take a train to barcelona - spend 2/3 days and am off to Venice ( spend a night) from where i ride on Eurail to Florence/Pisa and onwards to Rome and fly out from there. Does this make sense ?

No.

P to B - 1 day lost or overnight train
B to V - your best connection is an overnight train that takes 18 hr.
V to F - 2:40 hr
F to R - 1:40 hr

3 of your 10 days are lost to train travel.

2 days in Paris, 2 in Barcelona, 1 in Venice, 1 in Florence, 1 in Rome and 3 on the train?

This is an expedition, not a visit.

ira

Hi again C,

>Paris (4 days)
Fly to BArcelona ( 3 days)
Fly Barcelona - Venice
Venice ( spend the valentines day)
Proceed towards Florence - Pisa &
reach Rome ( spend 2 days) fly out.

Am i crazy ?

Yes.

It does take time to get from Paris to Barcelona to Venice to Rome.

Are you planning on seeing Florence from the window of the train?

May I suggest that you see Paris and one other city?

aimeekm

I do think that ininerary is too ambitious.

But, I agree with the previous poster suggesting flying instead of using a train. In my experience it's much faster and less expensive. I've had good experiences on Vueling.

I think 3 desinations is doable, flying. I did Madrid - Paris - Barcelona last year in ten days. I wish I had spent more time in Paris, but was satisfied with the length of time spent in the other cities.

Attnymom

A few years ago we visited Paris, then took the overnight train to Florence (saving a night's hotel costs and a travel day). We spent a few days in Florence, then took a train to Rome for a few days then flew home from Rome. It worked perfectly for us. I would not do France, Italy and Spain - pick two where you can easily transport between cities and save the other destination for a reason to return.

Whatever you decide, if you are only going to spend a couple of days in a city, make sure the major sites you want to see in that city are open on the days you will be there. Some museums, shops, etc. . . are closed on Sunday/Monday. If you must travel during the day, you might want to try to travel on a day when things are closed.

Good luck!