We got our flights! Comments requested on itinerary Italy/Paris/Amsterdam
 

Hello,

Thanks to everyone for the advice in trying to use my FF miles to get my family of 4 (2 kids ages 16 and 17) to Europe next June. I kept trying and finally got tickets! We are flying into Rome and out of Paris -- 3 week trip.

So now I am starting to plan itinerary, hotels (budget is tight; around $150 USD per night), etc. Right now I am thinking:

Rome 6 nights -- hopefully find an apartment. What part of Rome should I be looking in? We have never been there.

Amalfi Coast 4 nights -- stay in Sorrento? Or Capri? Or Naples? Want somewhere we can take a ferry from as I would not do well on the trip to AC on the bus (from what I have heard!).

Fly Naples to Amsterdam; stay 4 nights -- any accomodation ideas? Looks like I may have to pay more than my budget here! What about the houseboats?

Then 1 week in Paris -- already looking at partments with your help, have found possibilities in the 3rd, 5th, and 7th. Which is best for a family with older teenagers? Have been to Paris once and loved the Left Bank and Marais. I am afraid, though, that the Marais is not centrally located enough (we like to walk almost everywhere!).

Am I making a mistake by choosing the Amalfi Coast instead of Venice???!!

Thanks in advance for your comments and advice!

Michele

We like the Campo di Fiori area in Rome. Get an apartment. It is a great value and there is more room.

For us,the Amalfi is like being on speed where Venice is like being on a tranquiler. Venice shouldnt be missed.

In Amsterdam, we love the Jordaan area.
The other areas can get really rowdy.

Hi. I can't help you that much when it comes to the accommodation. But my wife and I have been to both Rome and Paris in the last two years and you can check out my trip report with pictures, links and interactive maps on http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm and http://gardkarlsen.com/Paris_France.htm . I hope that you can find some useful information there :d Good luck with the planning.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Why not cut back a little and enjoy it a lot more? Spend some more time in Italy and the last few days in Paris before returning home. Save Amsterdam, and a little more of Paris for another day. June is nice, but Paris is much nicer in the spring, fall and winter. Amsterdam is great in the fall.

Remember, you'll be loosing a day with each move as well as the day of your arrival. Based on your itinerary, that comes to 6 travel days (including your arrival and departure days for your international flights) out of a possible 21 days, or nearly 1/3 of your holiday traveling.

As much as I love Holland, I think that your flight to Amsterdam should be saved for another trip. I would stay on the ground and take trains up through Switzerland to Paris, making a couple of stops along the way, in smaller cities to save money.

For a family of 4 your budget of €110 is unrealistic for Rome and Paris. It would be more attainable at a B&B in Amsterdam or Haarlem.

I'm looking into an apartment in Rome for October which has breakfast included for 150 Euro for the whole apartment (enough beds for 4). From the owner. It looks lovely; haven't been to Rome yet but apparently its a couple of minutes walk from the Colloseum so can't be bad.
http://www.arcosbedandbreakfast.it/
(you need to enter spanish or italian version to see all the pics, for some reason the english version only has one page.
Apartments in both Amsterdam and Paris have a look on www.way2stay.com, for a lot in Marais, not sure about houseboats in Ams tho!

Consider this apartment for Paris. Because it is so close to the Seine it is a good place for walking from. (It is a copy of my posting last month about it.)

"I have posted before about the apartment we stayed in September 2004, me, my husband and my parents. It is still advertised as available at www.rentalfrance.com. It is the apartment that goes by the name there of Propriete Royale on Rue St. Paul. The address is 24 Rue St. Paul. In the Marais, just about 3 blocks from the Seine, across from Ile St. Louis. Its current advertised rate for a week on that website is 980 to 1200 depending on the season. It is a simple but very comfortable apartment. The front bedroom has two twin beds and the back bedroom a full bed. It has one bath with sink and tub/shower and another with sink and toilet. The living dining room is quite large really but the bedrooms small (but comfortable). It was quiet. It is above an antique shop. It is on the second floor (American second floor) so we didn't need an elevator. It is very near restaurants, cafes, grocery, metro, everything you need. I think a great value for the space and location. I know Paris a bit and had gotten and emailed a reference the manager gave me of another woman in the U.S. who had recently stayed there with her parents with many questions so I had done my homework and knew what to expect. I would think it was a good match for a family of parents and two young adults. (Also, if you wanted it the sofa is a sofa bed, although we did not use it.)"

Hi M,

>Am I making a mistake by choosing the Amalfi Coast instead of Venice???!!<

No. Your mistake is choosing Amsterdam over Venice. :)

I would visit Rome, the AC, Venice and then fly www.myair.com from Venice VCE to Paris ORY.

((I))

Listen it Ira!

Thanks for the advice. I talked to my husband and kids and they agree that we should go to Venice instead of Amalfi Coast -- who knows when we will get back to Europe! (Plus we have seen lots of "coast" on our travels but I'm sure nothing like Venice).

Dandj, do you have any specific lodging recommendations in the Jordaan part of Amsterdam?

Loved your websites, Gard! I have printed out the trip reports for reference.

I know that lots of fodor experts believe it is better to stick with fewer stops, my kids and husband each have their pick and I don't feel like we can get rid of one of them! I do feel like we will be okay with 4 cities in 3 weeks. Plus since we are planning to fly from now Venice to Amsterdam, we won't be eating up whole days travelling from place to place.

Love that apartment on Rue St. Paul but I am afraid it is out of pur price range. How necessary is AC in Paris in early July? Is the 7th district more centrally located than the 3rd (those 2 seem to be where most of the apartments within our price range are)?

And for Venice -- where to stay? 3 nights or 4? I realize the budget of $150USD there will be impossible, but would like to keep it reasonable.

Thanks for all your help,
Michele