nnolen - thanks so much for your response. Recommendation of where to stay in Sorrento?

Costiera amalfitana - where is this?

Can you clarify your last point: "I'm just saying 4-5 days sounds like a lot to me if you're a person who likes to DO things as opposed to stay on the beach" - are you saying this is too long to be in the area?

A friend recently suggested doing a cruise through Italy versus all my plans above (of course to throw me off track haha) thoughts on this? She thinks it will be a lot of figuring out the train, etc and from a price point will be very expensive doing what I am planning.

She also felt that my budgeting for food was extremely low - that I would likely need 140 euro (200 Canadian) a day - thoughts?

One more question - would it be cutting it short taking a night out in Paris? Fly out July 11 at 545 pm (our time) and arrive July 12 7 am (Europe time). Just was thinking 4 nights may be too long in Paris? Maybe save the $ I would have spent for hotel and food and use it else where?


Also does anyone know the approximate train cost? I am having difficulty navigating through their site. I know I would need a train from venice-florence, Florence-salerno, salerno-rome. I am assuming I would also use train to get from the Paris airport to the city (beginning of trip) and from Rome to the Rome airport (end of trip). I may also need a train for some of the day trips in the AC area. Any idea of how much to budget for these??

Also how long is the train ride from Florence-Salerno and Salerno to Rome?

Thanks everyone for the great ideas and being so patient with me :)

Meagan


From Positano you can daytrip Amalfi, Ravello, and Capri. You can visit Sorrento (although it doesn't do much for me) and make longer trips to Pompeii or Paestum, but I would do those on the way to or from Positano.

On Capri, there is a lot of wonderful hiking and there are some great places to visit (won't list them all here) but a day trip usually takes visitors to Capri Town, which is far from the best that the island has to offer.

To me, the Cote d'Azur is about art. If you want art, go to Nice. If you want scenery, go to the Amalfi Coast. If you want antiquities, also the AC.

Of course, you can drink house wine more cheaply in Italy. A small pitcher of house wine is almost always available and inexpensive. You can order by the glass, but a quarter or half carafe in France or Italy will be cheaper and serviceable.

sorry Meaganc - costiera amalfitana is the Amalfi Coast.

No, the 4-5 days sounded too long to me if you weren't going to take side trips. With side trips, I think it's perfectly fine.

You can check out my recent trip report to see what was spent on food. It was around or less than what you are budgeting and we drank wine with every dinner. But it greatly depends on the type of restaurant you go to and what you order and a million other things. We are vegan (vegetarian when traveling) so it's likely our meals were slightly cheaper since they didn't contain meat. We had one meal with shellfish in the 10 days and that was it for animals.

If you're a cruise type of person, it's an easy option, but generally you only get about one day in each place which is really not enough in my opinion. But yes, it would be simpler. Everything is planned for you and you don't have to do trains, etc.

However, I love taking trains in Italy and I loathe boats so I might not be a good source. :)

I agree with tusanlifeedit that positano is much more beautiful than sorrento, but it is absolutely less convenient. Add a bus ride on to everything you plan to do.

Keep Paris at 4 nights. You will still only be scratching the surface, but you'll at least feel like you've visited there. You'll likely feel pretty jet lagged the first day or two anyway.

As long as you're comfortable making your own arrangements (and it sure looks like you are!) I'd stick with what you are planning rather than a cruise. Most cruises give you one day and zero nights in a given place. Dinners are usually on the ship. To me, a large part of any European visit is enjoying the local cuisine and experience the night-time vibe of the place. Early morning and late afternoon/evenings are usually the best time to explore without the heat and crowds. You'd miss that on a cruise. Of course, there are other benefits to cruising, so you may decide it's for you, but it's important to realize the trade-offs of each.

I always think the planning is half the fun of a trip like this. Remember, there are no bad choices in the places you are considering, only things that may be more right for you. Have fun!

you might like to ask your friend what his/her estimate of food costs is based on. Of course you CAN spend a to more than i was suggesting [and Paris will be at the more expensive end of the scale] but if you are careful and avoid the tourist traps [places with menus in multiple languages, often with people outside "encouraging" you to enter their premises, and the offering of items not on the menu] you should be able to limit your food spending and still eat well. for example, in Venice you can buy a couple of "tramezzini" [triangular sandwiches] and a glass of wine for no more than about €6. the sandwiches are usually well-filled and filling. a glass of wine or a "sprizt" will be no more than €3 and a coffee less than that.

Economise in Italy and be prepared to pay a little more in Paris.

<<Also does anyone know the approximate train cost? I am having difficulty navigating through their site. I know I would need a train from venice-florence, Florence-salerno, salerno-rome. I am assuming I would also use train to get from the Paris airport to the city (beginning of trip) and from Rome to the Rome airport (end of trip). I may also need a train for some of the day trips in the AC area. Any idea of how much to budget for these??>>

The Italian train system is found on the Trinitalia web site. Fairly easy to use. There is also a RailEurope site, but thay are, I believe, some sort of agent that brokers Trinitalia tickets. There is an English option (on Trinitalia) and I have booked tickets several times from here in the States. Be careful as Florence has a main train station, Santa Maria Novella, and two others, Campo di Marte and Rifridi; stick to SMN and you will be OK.

I had a driver the last time I was at the Paris airport, but have taken the train from Fiumicino to Termini a couple of times, but have also gotten a driver (through the hotel) to get back to the airport.