Dadelle

planning a first time trip to Europe with family of 4. We would like to go to France, Rome and possibly Barcelona From Orlando, Fl. I am not sure if I should do a one way flight to France and one way flight return flight from Barcelona. Should we take train in between the countries? We need to know the most economical way to travel, need hotels accommodation for each destinations. Which cities to visit in France, Rome etc... Only have 18 days for this trip. Any advice would be appreciated.

janisj

18 days is not very long to do 3 countries (18 days really only nets you 15.5 days on the ground)

After you decide where all you want to go -- don't book two one way tickets -- book Open Jaw (called multi city on most sites) where you fly in to one city and home from another.

>>need hotels accommodation for each destinations.<<

First you need to decide specifically which cities you are visiting -- France is a BIG place.

>>Which cities to visit in France, Rome etc… <<

Rome is a city -- did you mean which cities in <i>Italy</i>?

When is your trip?

Robert2533

You would typically fly what is called 'open jaw', flying into on city and out another. It you're not familiar with the concept, then check with a Travel Agent.

bilboburgler

Time of the year? Interests? Family rough ages would help...

sandralist

You can learn about open jaw just be reading the internet or asking here. Not everyone will give you a nasty response -- but Robert2533 will in response to almost any thread tagged Spain! (he thinks he's an "expert".)

Florida often has good flights to Spain. When I fly from the US to Europe, I like to have a non-stop flight if possible. Flying from Europe to the US, it doesn't bother me to switch planes and have a longer travel day, because I'm usually still landing in daylight hours.

If I had your wish list of named places, I would fly to Barcelona, take trains to Paris, possibly with a stopover midway (like San Sebastian) and then fly from Paris to Rome, and depart from Rome. Whether or not you would find this enjoyable depends on your personality and likewise the needs/preferences of other members of your family, and what you hope to enjoy in the countries In Europe that you say you would like to visit.

janisj

>>Not everyone will give you a nasty response -- but Robert2533 will in response to almost any thread tagged Spain! (he thinks he's an "expert".)<<

OK zeppole/sl -- what the heck was nasty about Robert's post? He said nothing about Spain and merely suggested a TA might be able to help. Hardly nasty . . .

Robert2533

It seems zeppole is back (with a new handle)!

bvlenci

I actually agree that Robert's response was a bit patronizing. And I really would hesitate to recommend a travel agent to anyone.

Sassafrass

OK, we often say "open jaw" but when you are actually booking, you will not see "open jaw" as an option. Travelers often say it when we are talking about trips that make stops at different cities or begin and end in different cities.

The booking questions you will see are "One way, Round trip, or Multi-City". You want to look at multi-city. Yes, once you have your itinerary planned, you will want to at least compare multi-city with two one ways. Multi- city is usually cheaper.

Only you can decide which places to visit based on your interests. I personally prefer to see more in one country rather than spend a lot of vacation time and money racing around to lots of places, seeing a lot of airports or train stations. Each move eats up time getting to the station or airport, time waiting at the airport and flight time or train time, then time getting from the station or airport to the next hotel.

Does your 18 days include travel days. How many days will you actually have on the ground? Your arrival day is often jet-lagged, so don't book any heavy sight seeing that day.

How old are the other family members? Children? Elderly parents, etc. That will play a part in your planning. When are you going? Time of year can affect suggstions.

What are you interests? Major cities only, some villages or medieval walled cities, architecture, art, history, food, adventures, hiking?

18 days is just 2 & 1/2 weeks. By Rome, do you really mean Italy? By France, do you mean mostly Paris?

If three cities, Paris, Rome, Barcelona are your only interests, then divide your time between the three and fly between them. You could possibly do a day trip from each one, but count on 1/2 to 3/4 of a day to travel between each.

I wonder if those are simply three famous places that you have heard of? You probably need some good guide books for ideas of places to visit in Italy, France or Spain.

Many people spend that much time in one country. In Italy, you could go to Venice, one of the lakes (Como, etc), Florence including the Tuscan countryside (walled cities, wineries, etc.), Rome, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast.

Within Italy, trains are fast, cheap and direct, city center to city center. You are better off without a car most of the time. You can't even take a car into some places.

France: Paris and the environs, Provence, the Riviera, the Loire Valley, etc., etc. great train service between major cities, but sometimes a car is necessary.

Barcelona has good air connections to Paris, but also Madrid can be reached in two hours by a fast train. There are interesting walled cities within 1/2 hour by train from Madrid. One area that is usually of interest to tourists is Andalusia (Seville, Cordoba, etc.).

This is totally personal, but I would consider one of these options:
1. Four or five whole days in Paris and the rest of the time in Italy
2. Four whole days in Barcelona, the rest in Paris and Provence or another part of France.
3. The Netherlands and Belgium (Amsterdam to Bruges with day trips by train) Train to Paris, fly to Barcelona.

Basically, you must decide where you want to go. Be sure to allow plenty of time for each place and account for travel. Then people here can tell you how best to get there.

Hope this gives you a bit to start your planning. It can be frustrating, but also fun.