Retirement Vacation
 

My husband and I and our 2 closest friends will be taking a retirement trip in 2015. We all dream of visiting France and Italy. I would also like to visit Spain. We have 15 days. We would be flying out of New Orleans, LA. We have only left the US a couple of times and have no clue about how to travel. If we wanted to visit Spain as well, how many more days would we have to add and how would we do it? Also I have no idea what would be the best places to visit. We have talked about the French Riviera, Paris, and enjoying the food in Italy.

Help! I have no idea what would be the best places to visit in any of these countries and get the most out of our 15 days.

IMO, 15 days (which is only about 12.5 days on the ground) is good for a taste of Italy - or a taste of say Paris, Rome and one or two other bits of Italy - or Paris, maybe a few days in provence or another part of France and one city in italy . . . But not long enough for 'France' and 'Italy'. So you eyed to focus a bit more.

how much additional time to add Spain - entirely depends on where all you want to go . . .

Well I'd look at
Paris 5 nights (and jet lag recovery)
Rome 4 nights
Florence 3 nights
Venice 3 nights
if you want to add Spain then
Fly to Seville for 3 nights (day trip to Cordoba)
Grenada for 2 nights

Now many would say that this misses tons of great places, but you can do the whole thing by great european public transport and you see many high spots in a short time.

Do not go in July or August.

And the best places to visit are entirely up to you, so get busy with guidebooks and maps.

If you add Spain into the mix, you should plan for another week, at least.

The good news is that you have plenty of time to plan! So, yes, reading guidebooks and deciding what are the "must-see" places for you and your friends is a good place to start. I'd encourage you to think in terms of specific cities, rather than entire countries you want to visit. For example, "Italy" could mean Rome, Florence, Venice, the Lake District, the Tuscan countryside, or many other wonderful destinations. You will never get to them all so pick the few that really matter to you.

A general rule of thumb is to factor in a half day lost to travel every time you change locations (even within the same country.) More transportation also means more expense. So, you might prefer to spend 6 days in Paris rather than, say, 3 in Paris and 2.5 in Nice. But everyone's preferences are different... Think about what will suit your group best.

Also, consider flying into one city and out of another. Usually costs are similar and you can book using the "multi city" option on most airline websites. The planning is half the fun of the trip... Enjoy!

In addition to you need to think about the time of the year if you have a control.

Many of these places are stifling hot in summer, but some events, such as historical pageant shows at French castles (Son et lumière), are only available during the peak tourist season. The amount of crowds and the cost of accommodation vary depending on the time of the year.

Thanks so much, everyone, for your advice. I will keep you posted on the progress.

Please keep posting your opinions !

Forget countries---that has no real meaning.
Think regions and cities.

For instance, a nice 15 day trip may be:

Paris
French Riviera
Ligurian coast of Italy.
Venice

You get the idea. It takes months to see any one of the countries you mention. And, plan 3 trips in advance since you will catch the bug and return.

ummmm,

The countries of Europe are distinctly different. If you would like to experience 3 different culture/countries, then you should go to 3 different countries. You should also be aware that travel within countries can often be more time consuming and less rewardin

That said, the French Riviera and the Ligurian coast of Italy share such a long history (they used to be one country), that I would find it fairly redundant to do both in the same 15 day trip.

It is quite simple to fly from many points in Spain to many points in Italy, or to Paris. Transportation from the city center to the airport is excellent. In fact, it is simpler and quicker to get from, say, Madrid to Lago di Como or Rome to Barcelona than it is to get from the French Riviera to le Cinque Terre, or especially from the Ligurian coast to Venice.

It is always better to have more time, but visiting a Spanish city, and Italian city and a French city in 15 days doesn't need to be rushed and it is hardly a killer pace for fit people. Some people "do" one country in 15 days and exhaust themselves on 7 hour train trips, like the one between the Ligurian coast and Venice, or "day tripping" endlessly from a "base", constantly commuting to sights. Other people pick a few fascinating, beautiful cities like Paris, Berlin, Rome or San Sebastian, and sightsee each day in a relaxed way, enjoying the gems, the food and the wine.

Have fun planning.

I'd consider Bilboburger's itinerary, except I'd go from Paris to the Riviera and spend 3 days on the Riviera before heading to Italy, and I'd therefore cut one day from each of the Italian cities.

Unfortunately, adding Spain to the mix will require more time.

If you "must" see Spain, then I'd probably do 4 days Paris, fly to Madrid, 2 days, fly to Barcelona, 2 days, fly to Rome, 3 days, train to Florence then Venice for a total of 4 days.

Should have added to also be sure to spend some time searching this forum. Reading trip reports and questions from others can be a great way to start the planning process.

Agree with St. Cirq: first place to start is with good guide books and maps, and when you have a better sense of what you want to do and distances between them, come back and ask questions.