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pls. hlp. with paris, venice, rome trip planning

pls. hlp. with paris, venice, rome trip planning

Old Aug 3rd, 2002, 01:08 AM
  #1  
amanda
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pls. hlp. with paris, venice, rome trip planning

hello everyone,

needed help with a trip we plan to take in the spring of next year. we are planning to visit paris, venice and rome.

1. does anyone know of any websites that offer good packages to these particular cities? might there be sites that just offer inter-europe only packages (we will probably get to europe using miles).

2. given the geography and the logistics, what is the best order to do these cities? best to use train, plane, etc..?

we are the type of travelers that would look for fairly decent places to stay, but budget with everything else.

thanks in advance for your help.
 
Old Aug 3rd, 2002, 04:22 AM
  #2  
xxx
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You need to do some research on your own. I can suggest a route for those places, but you may not be interested in them (or some of them). If you are new to this forum, please understand most people will help AFTER you have done some of your own research. We're here to ADD to your plans, not make them for you.
 
Old Aug 3rd, 2002, 04:25 AM
  #3  
Rex
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Welcome to the Fodor's forum.

There are so many ways to answer your question. There may indeed be tour companies that can offer you exactly these three cities. I know nothing of those - and like the majority of "regulars" here, would rather offer you resources for doing it all on your own. One other alternative is something called untours.com - - though I don't think that they assist travelers with itineraries quite this far-flung.

With regard to question number two, my answers would depend in large part on your timetable. Do you have fifteen days or more? What you have listed is ALL cities; not a bad idea, but I submit that you are shortchanging what I consider the best 50% of Europe - - its smaller towns and rural destinations. but if you have 10 days or less, you might have to live with 4-2-4 (PAR/VCE/ROM). I'll say more about transportation options if you wil answer the timetable question and your thoughts on seeing some of (at least) one other "area" destination. Some choices that come to mind are some smaller towns in Normandy, Belgium, northern Italy or Tuscany.

However you try to skin this cat, I strongly urge an "open jaw" air travel plan - - i.e., fly into Paris, fly back home from Rome. You can do this with many frequent flyer programs.

As for hotels, two resources I can recommend as good places to start are www.webscapades.com for Paris and www.venere.com for Venice and rome (and now some selections in Paris as well, I think maybe - - haven't used them for outside Italy).

But think twice about the destinations before locking in any decisions.

Best wishes,

Rex Bickers
Westerville, Ohio
 
Old Aug 3rd, 2002, 04:50 AM
  #4  
jen
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Hi amanda,
You can probably find a package deal from Paris to Italy and back but you will need to speak French to book it (and all booking conditions, insurance, etc. will be in French). In order to find these packages. do a web search in French. Generally, the packages originating in a particular country cater to the people in that country.

Why don't you research travelling by train from Paris to Rome, then to Venice, then back to Paris. There might be a place along the route where you'd love to stop for a night instead of getting a couchette, maybe near Genoa
or La Spezia? Or check out cheap one-way flights from Paris to Rome and do the rest by train. I would save Venice for last because its pace is much more relaxed and there are no cars, a good way to recover from Rome!
 
Old Aug 3rd, 2002, 05:09 AM
  #5  
Walter
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As Rex said an "open jaw" would be the best and easiest. But if not, how about an overnight sleeper train from Rome to Paris (~7:30pm-10:15am). Also an overnight sleeper train from Paris to Venice (~8pm-8am)? No personal experience but plan on it someday. If you're interested in this option try this site www.seat61.com click-on "London to destinations in Europe" and "Italy". Although his journey starts/ends in London the overnight trains are from/to Paris. Also you could post any train questions here, they would probably be answered by Ben Haines whose knowledge & years of experience on European train journeys is invaluable. Regards, Walter
 
Old Aug 3rd, 2002, 05:27 AM
  #6  
amanda
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Thank you Rex, Jen & Walter. Your comments have been helpful. To xxx, I have done some research on my own. I probably am not good enough with my searches, but frankly I haven't found pre-packaged tours that offer just Paris, Rome and Venice. That's why I am asking (because I couldn't find it on my own). Secondly, I am asking about modes of transportation because a majority of my travels have been connecting via air all the time whether it be due to cost or whether it be due to the fact that where I have traveled, the trains aren't efficient, etc... Rex, Jen and Walter, thank you for your kindness and you willingness to help a little.
 
Old Aug 3rd, 2002, 06:00 AM
  #7  
Mel
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Amanda, if this is your first time overseas and you really want the comfort of a package, I'd suggest a "city stay" type, rather than the confines of a tour group. I did this a couple of times. British Airways, American Airways, Delta and I'm sure other airlines offer packages that include only the airfare and hotel so you have those major things out of the way and can roam the cities on your own (and they're reasonable). They will also offer you optional city tour, day trip,etc. options. Usually these are Paris/Rome or Rome/Venice/Florence, but you could do a Paris/Rome and delay your return (they let you do this), so it would work out like this:
Airline package gets you from the states to Paris & includes your transportation to hotel and hotel. The first stop (in this case, Paris)is the only one where you'll be limited to a set # of days. After the 3-4 days there they'll have arranged transportation to the airport and you'll fly to Rome. After your set days in Rome you're on your own for extra days--take a train to Venice. The catch is that your return flight will have been pre-arranged from Rome and you'll have to train back there to fly home.

Another place that does this is www.go-today.com (not sure about the hyphen--try it both ways). Click on "City Breaks" and look at the menu. One thing about that Web site: Spring 2003 will not be up yet, but you can get a good idea of prices and packages.

Good luck on a wonderful adventure!
 
Old Aug 3rd, 2002, 06:27 AM
  #8  
Mike
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Amanda,
We went to venice and rome in 2000 and paris this year.
We found it easy to buy air tickets and make hotel reservations on the internet.
Train travel between cities in europe is also convenient and a nice way to see the countryside. However the the train trip between the two countries would take around 15 hours so you may want to fly. We did the train trip from rome to venice and it was nice.
The hotel we stayed at in venice is hotel ala and was a great hotel (around $120 us per day).
 
Old Aug 3rd, 2002, 10:40 AM
  #9  
topper
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topping
 
Old Aug 3rd, 2002, 08:31 PM
  #10  
Debbie
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Amanda, I took the overnight train from Paris to Venice last month and it was a pretty convenient way to go. You could then do the train from Venice to Rome and fly out of Rome. If you haven't done Florence or Tuscany that might be an alternative to going down to Rome.
I would not try to find a prepackaged tour that goes to the cities you want and the hotels you prefer. The planning is really quite easy on the internet to book hotels and make your train reservations. I would go Paris, Venice, Rome for convenience.
 
Old Aug 5th, 2002, 09:06 AM
  #11  
Rex
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I think that the suggestion from mel is "spot on" - - thre are probably any number of "training wheels" options to purchase (a little or a lot) of a trip/tour that includes just Paris/Rome or Venice/Rome. then visit the other destination(s) on your own. Especially if it is Paris/Rome, you will have no problem getting to Venice and enjoying it on your own.
 
Old Aug 5th, 2002, 09:59 AM
  #12  
2 cents
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No tours or travel agents required ;-)

Would you think of planning it yourself? This is not that complex an intinerary:

If you fly into Rome & out of Paris (or reversed) so you don't have to back track. Then do Paris (reserve hotel), overnight train to Venice, (reserve hotel), train to Rome (reserve hotel). With the use of internet, guidebooks, etc. this is very do-able~ if you want to give it a try on your own.
 
Old Aug 5th, 2002, 12:33 PM
  #13  
m
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Just wondering how much time you have for this trip?
 
Old Aug 5th, 2002, 07:07 PM
  #14  
up
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up.
 
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