Eileent421

My husband and I are visiting my cousin in London for 2 weeks in July. This will be my third time in London and my husband's first. On my second trip, my cousin and I went to Paris for 2 nights. I am looking for any ideas for a 2-3 day trip to break up the time in London and see a different country. I'm not sure whether to take the train or fly as well. I have also been to Amsterdam and Germany so I am thinking of Italy specifically. Any advice/tips would be so appreciated.
Thanks!

janisj

Edinburgh would be great -- easy train ride from London.

But w/ easyJet and all the other budget airlines you really could go anywhere in Europe for a long weekend.

bilboburgler

Note that you have a wide range of airports that service London. Thoughts

Copenhagen, Berlin, Prague (no not Prague, way too busy), Amsterdam, Dublin, Barcelona, Madrid (probably too hot but you might like it hot)

sandralist

If you are thinking of going to Italy, there are plenty of flights from London to many different destinations in Italy, that range from beautiful seaside to spectacular mountains, to gorgeous lakes to jaw-dropping art cities to food/wine destinations to sights of great antiquity, history..... color and beauty and charm just about everywhere, plus off the beaten track (which is often just a beautiful, charming, memorable, but without the tourists.

What is drawing you to Italy?

How much heat and humidity can you take in July? (Some of Italy is cool and breezy, but some isn't). What about crowds? Do they bother you? Are you thinking about renting a car or touring by train?

justineparis

Well you only did two days in Paris.. barely a visit.. and Paris is likely the easiest and cheapest option. 2.5 hours city center to city center ( no wasting time on airport commutes and waiting for flights).. on the Eurostar.. tickets can be as cheap as 40-50 GBPs.. ( buy early ).

However.. you could also fly to Rome pretty easily on a cheap airline like Easyjet. I would arrange to stay more then 2 days however.. Rome, like Paris and London, definitely deserves at least 3-4 days minimum.

Eileent421

Thanks for the replies and advice.
In response to sandralist:
We can definitely deal with heat and crowds. We are from NY and spend a lot of time in Manhattan so we are used to crowds.
I think the food/art is what is drawing me to Italy. We would not be renting a car. Am open to touring by train as well. Also, thinking perhaps Florence and/or Venice.

sandralist

Trying to do both Florence and Venice in a 3 day trip in July would be a challenge. There are about 2.5 hours apart by train, and even if you fly into one city and out of the other, they are so dense with attractions, you might end up feeling frustrated. Depends on your personality. But might make for a better trip to choose between the two -- one or the other -- and then have some easy day trips researched if you feel ambitious on the ground. But most likely you will want to stick close to the core of each city.

In July, both cities get packed -- like central Manhattan for the Macy's Day Parade or New Year's Eve -- especiallly if you are planning on seeing the main sights. You need to make reservations for the most popular indoor attractions in Florence, and for a handful in Venice as well.

Both cities could be wiltingly hot and humid, so you need to book accommodations with air con (protects against mosquitoes in both cities too, and noise).

You can ferret out good food in either city -- but you do need to research. If "Italian" food is what is drawing you to Italy, be aware that you've probably not tasted true Venetian food, which has very little pasta or meat. The best food in Venice is seafood, and its polenta, not pasta (Venetians eat some rice dishes, and potatoes). You can find pasta with tomato sauce and meat dishes in Venice, but it is really there for tourists, not because the Venetians want it.

Florence has not got a great pasta tradition (in July, most locals would be reaching for a bread&tomato salad), but you will find more pasta dishes there and definitely more meat and cheese being served (and no seafood except in tourist restaurants or Michelin-level places).

Neither Florence or Venice has a good pizza tradition. White wine is more common in Venice; red in Florence (and neither in a heat wave!)

As you probably already know, there is wonderful food and art all over Italy, much of it in places tourists rarely go. Naples is a fabulous art city with amazing food and volcano views. it is a very different place from Venice or Florence, and easy to get to from London. I am not trying to change your mind about where to go -- just pointing out that Italy is really stuffed with food and art.