Traveling to Italy and Spain Fall 2013
Apr 18th, 2012, 11:36 AM
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Traveling to Italy and Spain Fall 2013
I am developing an itinerary for a trip to Italy (Florence, Rome,Milan, etc.) and Spain (Barcelona/Madrid) for a group of my six women friends. I was hoping to identify the names of some economical hotels, other suggested cities and safe areas for the suggested cities and/or the cities I have listed, to visit. We plan to fly into Ireland then Italy/Spain with the entire trip being 15 days. We have spent a brief period in Milan before. We have 15 days in total and would love to include some vineyards.
Apr 18th, 2012, 12:18 PM
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So you have 15 days to see Ireland (which part?), Florence, some vineyards (I'm assuming in Tuscany?), Rome, Milan, Barcelona and Madrid? That is a LOT of ground to cover, especially with a fairly large group. Assuming you fly into Dublin:
Day 0: leave North America, if that's where you're from
Day 1: Arrive Dublin, I assume?
Day 2: Dublin
Day 3: Fly to Madrid
Day 4: Madrid
Day 5: Train to Barcelona
Day 6: Barcelona
Day 7: Fly to Milan
Day 8: Milan
Day 9: Train to Florence
Day 10: Florence
Day 11: somewhere with a vineyard
Day 12: Train to Rome
Day 13: Rome
Day 14: Rome
Day 15: Fly home
Is that what you're thinking? I would really recommend cutting something, Ireland being the most obvious choice since it's so far. One day in Barcelona, for example, hardly seems worth the effort to me. Have you bought plane tickets already?
With six people, you might consider apartments instead of hotel rooms, if that interests you.
Day 0: leave North America, if that's where you're from
Day 1: Arrive Dublin, I assume?
Day 2: Dublin
Day 3: Fly to Madrid
Day 4: Madrid
Day 5: Train to Barcelona
Day 6: Barcelona
Day 7: Fly to Milan
Day 8: Milan
Day 9: Train to Florence
Day 10: Florence
Day 11: somewhere with a vineyard
Day 12: Train to Rome
Day 13: Rome
Day 14: Rome
Day 15: Fly home
Is that what you're thinking? I would really recommend cutting something, Ireland being the most obvious choice since it's so far. One day in Barcelona, for example, hardly seems worth the effort to me. Have you bought plane tickets already?
With six people, you might consider apartments instead of hotel rooms, if that interests you.
Apr 18th, 2012, 05:56 PM
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Okay, point made
Thanks so much everyone. Jent103 thank you as well for the day by day breakdown which clearly demonstrate the ambitiousness of my initial plans.
No, this trip is for the fall of next year and right now I just need to identify the cities and potential lodging prospects so the group will have an idea of where we will travel to next year. We travel each year during the fall and I like to start my research early. This site was extremely helpful to me when I planned our last trip to Europe.
I wanted to start in Ireland because the air fare is 50% of what it is to fly into either Italy or Spain. Are any of you familiar with the Antares Hotel Chain or the Formula 1 Chain (Budget Hotel)?
Thanks so much everyone. Jent103 thank you as well for the day by day breakdown which clearly demonstrate the ambitiousness of my initial plans. No, this trip is for the fall of next year and right now I just need to identify the cities and potential lodging prospects so the group will have an idea of where we will travel to next year. We travel each year during the fall and I like to start my research early. This site was extremely helpful to me when I planned our last trip to Europe.
I wanted to start in Ireland because the air fare is 50% of what it is to fly into either Italy or Spain. Are any of you familiar with the Antares Hotel Chain or the Formula 1 Chain (Budget Hotel)?
Apr 18th, 2012, 06:13 PM
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If you fly into Ireland and then head to Mediterranean countries exclusively, I'm not sure that's going to translate to any cost savings. How are you going to get from Ireland to Italy or Spain?
If you are trying to save money, the best way is to plan a trip that covers a reasonable amount of ground in the 15 days you have, not just think of it in terms of the cheapest airfare. You'll more than make up for that airfare hopping all over Europe as you plan. Plus, you just can't reasonably get much out of traveling to all those places in two weeks. It will all be a blur of transportation scenarios.
If you are trying to save money, the best way is to plan a trip that covers a reasonable amount of ground in the 15 days you have, not just think of it in terms of the cheapest airfare. You'll more than make up for that airfare hopping all over Europe as you plan. Plus, you just can't reasonably get much out of traveling to all those places in two weeks. It will all be a blur of transportation scenarios.
Apr 18th, 2012, 08:19 PM
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Where are you looking for fares? I looked on Kayak.com at a random two weeks in October 2012 (since fall 2013 is way out of airline schedule range), and there's barely any difference in cost in a multi-city from my home airport to Dublin and then home to Rome, versus flying straight to Barcelona or Madrid. They were all running around $1300. I'm curious where you were seeing 50% cheaper fares to Ireland - if they're that much cheaper, maybe I can use that tip!
Aside from StCirq's very good point about the monetary costs involved in getting from Ireland to where you actually want to go (additional plane tickets, baggage fees, etc), there's also the time cost: You'd want to leave plenty of time between your transatlantic flight and your flight to, say, Madrid, but that's a large part of the day you could have spent getting to Madrid and getting checked into your hotel and maybe doing some sightseeing - or a day or more spent in Dublin when you really didn't want to go there. I'm a budget traveler, but I'd have to save a whole lot of money to go through that.
If you fly straight to Madrid or Barcelona, that cuts out two days in Dublin. Personally I'd also cut out Milan - I just didn't find it all that exciting, and that would give you another two days to see more in the other cities. However, you've been there before and maybe you loved it.
Aside from StCirq's very good point about the monetary costs involved in getting from Ireland to where you actually want to go (additional plane tickets, baggage fees, etc), there's also the time cost: You'd want to leave plenty of time between your transatlantic flight and your flight to, say, Madrid, but that's a large part of the day you could have spent getting to Madrid and getting checked into your hotel and maybe doing some sightseeing - or a day or more spent in Dublin when you really didn't want to go there. I'm a budget traveler, but I'd have to save a whole lot of money to go through that.
If you fly straight to Madrid or Barcelona, that cuts out two days in Dublin. Personally I'd also cut out Milan - I just didn't find it all that exciting, and that would give you another two days to see more in the other cities. However, you've been there before and maybe you loved it.
