Quick 9 Days in France, Florence & Rome
 

Hi everyone,

I need a little bit of help planning my trip this July in terms of getting around, places to see, where to eat and shop on a budget. Here is the itinerary for a group of 6 adults.

July 9 - Land in Paris - See Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe & Basilica de Sacre Coeur
July 10 - Visit Louvre and Notre Dame
We will be staying near Arc de Triomphe, what is the best way to get around the city and how much would trains and buses cost?

July 11 - From Paris Orly, fly to Pisa and arrive at 8am. Visit the Leaning Tower and take a train to Florence later in the afternoon.

July 12 - 13 - Staying in Florence. What are the best places to see here?

July 14 - Planning to take a train to Venice but not sure which train, which station and how much is a return trip to Florence? Also any suggestions for our 1 day trip?

July 15 - Depart Florence to Rome. Again not sure what is the best way to get there in the early AM. Our accommodation is close to Termini station if this helps.
Planning on visiting Trevi fountain, Spanish steps.

July 16 - Saturday will be at the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica. Can we get to Castle D'Angelo from here and would we have enough time?

July 17 - Colosseum, Palatino and the Forum

July 18 - Have free time till afternoon to wander around before flight in the evening. Any suggestions? We are staying close to the Termini station.

Thank you in advance!

Florence to Venice is about 2 hours on the train. You need to buy tickets to Venezia S.L. or Venice Santa Lucia, NOT Venice Mestre.

It will cost about 45 euro per person return. For one day in Venice, just wander around San Marco.

On July 15, not sure what time you arrive, but Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps won't take a lot of time. You might also want to check out the amazing Pantheon and Piazza Navona that day. And on your last day, you might want to walk around and grab a bite in Trastevere.

Oh, and in Florence, you must see the Uffizi Gallery -- but get tickets in advance or you will get stuck in a two-hour plus line.

Have a great time!

Hi Chelly,

Did you plan this trip by reading brochure from travel agencies?

two nights in Paris, 3 nights in Florence, A daytrip to Venice (in July yet), and then a visit to Rome - for 6 people!

You can check all your train schedules and prices at the official Italian railroad site:

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...0080a3e90aRCRD

For Florence to Venice, you will travel between the stations Firenze SMN (Santa Maria Novella)) and Venezia SL (Santa Lucia).

For Florence to Rome, you will travel between the stations Firenze SMN (Santa Maria Novella)) and Roma TE (Termini).

Since you have so little time, it would probably be best for you to take the fastest trains available—AV, ES— which will be apparent on the site provided by their shorter trip durations and higher prices.

Since we know nothing about your group aside from the fact that you are adults, it would be difficult to tell you what would be the best places to see or things to do. Do you like/hate art? museums? shopping? fine dining? hiking? You must have chosen these cities for some reason. Please share any hints you might have about your interests and we can offer better guidance on how to maximize your brief time in each of these cities.

Go to the Trevi Fountain either very early AM or late PM. We were so dissappointed that we couldn't see it without a million other people around. Try to get up to the Cupola of St. Peter's Basilica. If you can by 4:30 as it dies down. It costs 7Euro each and the views on a gorgeous day are unforgettable.You must not be afraid of heights as the climb up the steps, after the elevator, are quite steep and of course once outside of the Cupola.

@ AphraBehn - Should we book these tickets 2 weeks in advance or a couple of days in advance is good enough?

@ Ira - I planned this trip on my own, which is why I need as much help as I can get :)

@ Peter_S_Aus & ellenem - When choosing my options for a return trip from Florence to Venice, it shows this station for Venice> VE S.L. (in red) MESTRE... does this mean the train is going to Santa Lucia or Mestre? Also how advanced should I book these tickets? 2 weeks or just days before departure?

@ ellenm - My group consists of myself, sister and 2 friends between the ages of 22-26 and my parents. I love art so I was also thinking about Salvadaor Dali's museum in Montmarte, Paris but not sure if we have much time and if it's worth it and also should we check out Guggenheim? my parents are very religious hence Rome and we love shopping.

Everything is on a budget including dining so if we can get cheap steals on shopping that would be fantastic since we're all ladies.

@ Lakelife - Thank you for letting us know about Cupola, I wouldn't want to miss that amazing view

Also for Trenitalia, which is the best option to pick Flessible, Base or Mini? Are there any trains that start as early as 7am and return to Florence late evening? The earliest I found was 10.30am and return at 3.50pm.

All trains that start in Venice SL pass through Venice Mestre. Mestre is the town on the mainland just before the causeway that crosses the lagoon to the island of Venice.

The destination guides available on this site can give you a good idea of what you might like to do and see.

By Guggenheim, do you mean the Guggenheim in Venice? If yes, then I say skip it since you will be there on a day trip (with 50,000 other daytrippers).

Personally, in Paris where there is so much great art, Salvador Dali would not be my first choice, unless you have a particular interest in his work.

In Florence, you will probably enjoy seeing the original David statue, which is at the Accademia Gallery. it is a smaller museum and makes a quicker visit than the Uffizi. Reserve these tickets NOW since lines can be interminable at this popular travel time.

In Rome, the Borghese Gallery is a great place for art. It can be visited by reservation only, two-hour time slots, so reserve now.

Another way to satisfy your group: visit churches. Many contain art masterpieces for you and will satisfy your parents as well.

People ask questions about Venice, Florence, and Rome here every week, every day even. I encourage you to use the search function above to find existing threads about restaurants in each city.

Sorry, but this sounds like the trip from hell to me. All of this in 9 days? You hardly have any time at all to get acclimated to any place you're visiting. And with 6 people?? On a budget??? It's probably too late to revise it, since you say you're going in July, but I simply cannot imagine anyone enjoying this expedition.