twins77

My husband and I are planning a trip to Europe. Right now we have Milan 3 days Paris 4 days. I heard Milan was not so great, I was considering Rome, Florence or even flying to Athens from Milan for 3 days. Any suggestions? We want to see two different countries, I know we don't have a ton of time. Should I cancel Paris and just do Greece 3 days and Italy 4 days?? We are going early April.
I have been doing so much research and now I seem to like Italy more then Paris. I want to see Tuscany etc. I welcome any advice. We have never been anywhere in Europe.

rex

You have to keep reading.

You question is like asking...

Should I have ....

the filet mignon, and then the cheesecake?

or

the clam chowder with a grilled cheese sandwich?

or

the coconut shrimp with the fresh pineapple?

How can we really know what <i><b>you</b></i> want?

I hope that doesn't sound mean. We don't even know why you would choose one country versus another... nor why visit two countries.

All three of the countries you mention are like twelve countries in one.

Best wishes,

Rex

Barbara_in_CT

Sounds like Rome and Florence (Tuscany) are what appeal to you and would keep you plenty busy for 7 days. Skip anything else. No point in spending a day of your precious time in transit. Hopefully there will be another time to see something else.

Barbara

StCirq

Really hard to say, given that you don't seem to have a grasp on what you want to do (why fly into Milan if you've heard it's not so great?), but 7 days is a very, very short trip, as you'll soon learn, so my advice would be to stay in one country - the variations within a single European country are plenty to give you &quot;two experiences.&quot; I agree Rome and Tuscany would be a good combo. Milan's a great place, but it's more appropriate, IMO, for someone who's already done a lot of exploring around Italy.

twins77

I don't think it is a ridiculous question. I have twin 7 year old boys and my husband and I are getting a break for a week! So I want to get a taste of two places. Not TWO WHOLE COUNTRIES!!! I would like to see maybe 3 cities if not two. I was just asking for advice. What would be good in Italy. Should I stick with Milan and Paris or just switch to Italy and do a few cities?

twins77

Thank you yes that does make more sense, i do not need to visit two places just get a taste of a few cities. Milan is where we could get in using miles and getting a direct flight.

ira

Hi t,

If you want to see Paris, go to Paris.

If you want to see Italy, and you have to fly into Milan, I suggest

Bus from Malpensa airport to Milan Centrale, train to Venice. Stay in Venice.

From there, you can daytrip to Florence, Bologna, Padua, Verona.

See www.trenitalia.com for train schedules, prices and tickets.

From where are you flying home?

twins77

Hi,Ira, We have a 10 am flight back out of Milan. So you say stay in Venice and see all the cities from there rather then traveling constantly to different hotels?? My husband is not going to want to constantly be checking in and out of hotels. Plus I feel it wastes so much time.
Any good hotels 4* in Venice. I know nothing about that city.
Thanks!!

rex

&lt;&lt; Any good hotels 4* in Venice. I know nothing about that city. &gt;&gt;

I am not mocking, nor ridiculing, nor criticizing you... but you need to go spend one hour in a public library and come home with at least three books. Spend at least another hour with one of them, and browse the other two for a half hour or more each.

I sincerely believe you need to find out what makes you think you want to go to Europe.

twins77

rex
I think you need to seriously get a life and stop thinking you are the &quot;expert&quot; on European travel.
I went to the &quot;fame&quot; school as an art major and I know why I want to go to Europe. We can not all be as fortunate as you and have seen millions of European cities in our lives!! i just want to make sure our experience is good, hotel wise, travel time wise etc. I really do not see anything wrong with advice on hotels. I have researched for months, Paris and Milan. I really did not research staying in Venice.

rex

Perhaps I over-reacted to your sentence &quot;I know nothing about <i><b>that city</b></i>.&quot;

If you meant that you simply don't have an overview grasp of its fine hotels, than that's another matter.

But this thread is starting to ressemble another... on which &quot;Feesa&quot; seems focused on &quot;which airports to fly in to/out of&quot; to plan her itinerary.

As I read ths thread, I hear you mentally flitting between Paris, Milan, Rome, Florence, Greece and now Venice... on a seven day trip. But I don't hear you agonizing over the <i><b>content</b></i> of these wonderful places and surrounding regions.

Where to stay is the easier part of the puzzle... once you decide where you want to <i><b>go</b></i>.

twins77

Yes that is the major part of deciding. All of these cities seem overwhelming!!! There is so much I want to see and seven days is not nearly enough time. I want to get a taste of the art, culture but I dont want to feel like I am running to each city and then I can't remember what I saw where. Make any sense?? I guess I should just pick out three cities that really interest me in Italy close to Milan. I just didn't want to make a mistake by rushing through Italy and then going to Paris for 4 days. After researching about Milan and Italy I have really become so interested in Italy and now I am not so sure if Paris is as appealing to me.
Tuscany, Venice and Verona they all see so wonderful I just don't know where to begin for a 7 day trip. Would throwing Rome in be way too much? Thats what I gather when I read all of these listings. I feel like it is better to really see one/two places then run all over and feel like you never saw anything.

Cato

Go to Rome for the whole time and be done with it! Plenty to do and see and a lot less logistics and travel planning.

MaureenB

If you have a direct mileage flight into and out of Milan, then you have to work around that, non? I think the idea of then heading to Venice, and using it as your base makes a lot of sense. That way you don't need to check in and out of hotels everyday-- I personally hate doing that because it eats up so much precious vacation time. You could see Milan, Venice, Florence, Tuscany, etc. It would be a wonderful intro. trip to Italy. Maybe leave Rome and southern areas for the next time, so you don't rush around and exhaust yourselves trying to do it all. Italy has so much to offer! Do a search on this forum for hotels in Venice, etc., and you'll find lots of specific recommendations. Also check tripadvisor.com for reviews. Try bahn.de for train schedules, also budgeteuropetravel.com. Lots of resources out there. Have fun researching, planning, then going there!.

suze

Is the flight in &amp; out of Milan for sure?

If yes, I would stick with Milan and Venice. That's plenty for a 7 day trip. Travel between the two by train. Stay at Pensione La Calcina (it's only a 3 star but a very hotel. www.lacalcina.com

Milan and Paris are an odd combination as they aren't particularly close together, and since it seems you don't even really want to go to Paris! I assume you would fly between the two places or did you plan to go by train?

Greece for 3 days does not fit in this plan by any stretch, in my opinion.

People aren't trying to be mean to you Twins77, it's that you are asking us questions that only you can answer.

If it were me... well I wouldn't fly in to Milan at all. I'd probably pick a Paris/Venice combination. Arriving one city and departing the other. I definitely would not be considering two countries or two cities with only seven days. But see, that's just me.

suze

&quot;I have researched for months, Paris and Milan.&quot; By the way, there's nothing wrong with your original plan. Why don't you just do that?

twins77

Yes the flight to Milan is set but we have a flight from Milan to Paris (after staying in Milan for 2-3 days) I was considering changing it and using Milan as a connecting city and maybe going Milan - Rome stay a few days then on to Paris. I looked at Milan -Florence but the airport is being re done and you need to fly into Pisa and the flights are so limited. I felt like we were starting to waste too much time.
Using Venice as home base could work. Then we don't have to keep switching hotels. Though is it too much to keep running on and off trains, one day Florence, one day Tuscany region?? (I doubt you can do those both in the same day) Might be right in saving Rome for another trip. Would you still keep our flight to Paris and see Paris for 3 days and Venice/Florence for two?
I know its hard 7 days can't see a whole lot but its all we have and its better than not having any.

suze

I like any of your ideas but not all of them at once... YES it is too much to do:
Milan/Paris/Rome
Milan/Venice/Florence/Tuscany
Milan/Venice/Florence/Paris

Any of these combinations is simply way too much for 7 days in Europe. Don't forget your first day arriving and last day departure shaves time off even the week you are referring to.

You will literally be spending a major part of everyday going to and from the train station, riding on the train, etc. I guess it is possible, but it sure wouldn't be my idea of a good first trip to Europe.

I'm no expert but I would have guessed that you have not been to Europe before. What you propose is just not reasonable, in my opinion.

Milan and Paris works
Milan and Venice works

Skip Rome, skip Tuscany, skip Greece for sure. I'd skip Florence as well.

cjacob

As mentioned before, you really can not go wrong when in Europe. Even if you don't fall in love with the city you are visiting, you will still be amazed by it.

Personally, I love Milan, but I have traveled all throughout Italy (I studied abroad in Florence!) and find that Milan is best for those who have seen the other wonders of Italy. The Duomo is truly amazing and if you are flying into and out of the city, I am sure you can make a little bit of time to see it.

Venice, Florence and Rome are all completely different from one another. Venice is magical, Florence is breathtaking and Rome, well it's Rome.

I don't think I would make Venice my home base for the entire week. I would take the train from Milan to Florence, stay there for 4 days (Westin Excelsior for a top class hotel) and take day trips to Cinque Terre and a few other cities in Tuscany (Siena, San Gimingiano (sp?)) so you can get a feel for Tuscany.

From Florence, I would take the train to Venice, or maybe even look into a flight, and stay there for the following 3 nights. Look into the Gritti Palace, although I don't know your budget and it's expensive.

Of course, you're missing Rome, but don't rush the cities, if it is a priority, you'll find a way to get back!

jenneepoo

Because it's more central and less expensive than Venice, I would choose Florence as a base.