kahern

I'm going to France and Italy (or maybe Spain??) in April, and need help pruning my itinerary. Are any of these places better than others that time of year: the Amalfi Coast/Rome? Tuscany/Florence? Venice? Catalunya/Barcelona? Provence? (no lavendar fields, that could be a minus) Burgandy? Brittany? i know Normandy is wonderful in April with apple trees blooming. and i won't go to Rome during passion week and easter because of the crowds. can you tell me pluses and minuses for the other places during April? i don't want to cover too much ground this time, but need some reasons to eliminate some locations or put others at the top of my list.

Langcraft

Dear Kahern:

In general as far as France is concerned, the further south you go, the nicer the weather. If you are in France in mid to late April, look into going down toward Toulouse and the Pyrenees, including the departmentes are Gers, Ariege, Tarn et Garonne and Haute Garonne. In Gers, red poppies are blooming and are a lovely sight in contrast to the rolling countryside in and around Auch, the capital of the Gers. Provence is also lovely, and true, the lavender fields do not peak until July, but you wont have to deal with the crowds either.

As far as italy, Tuscany is my sentimental favorite, albeit rainy. Look into spending some time in Florence, Siena, the hill towns are San Gimignano and Volterra: all are delightful...Normandy is wet most of the yeara along with fog near coastal areas as well as inland.(I just got back from Normandy and Brittany and had to run defroster on car a few mins to thaw it out).

Spain is always a good bet, but again, Catalunya is mountains and sea, so once again..rain is a factor..

Drop me a lime for more advice if you like..

Luis

ira

Hi K,

How long?

rex

I would recommend that the number of weeks, and the number of countries visited match, more or less... though 4 weeks to see two countries is not a problem.

Is this your first trip to Europe? With some exceptions, I recommend that your first trip to Europe last 20 days or less.

Best wishes,

Rex

kahern

rex, ira & luis, thanks for your thoughts & questions. this is my second trip to europe - last time france & ireland. loved ireland but fell head over heels with france. i'm sure italy is wonderful too, but frankly, i'm only starting there because i can't find a guided walking tour in rural france that early in the season. i'm thinking 7-10 days for the tour in italy. (the walking tour is because i'm traveling solo for the first time and not ready to plop down into europe all on my own. also don't want to rent a car so it's a good way to get out into areas not on train route.) after tour i'll take train to france. think i'll be ready for the solo trip then. after reading and hearing from you & others, i'm leaning toward tuscany for the tour. amalfi coast sounds gorgeous, but farther from france (more travel, less "being there&quot, and tougher walk for my 50 year old knees. will look up the area with the poppies that you suggested - thank you. deliberating between spending 7-10 days in SE or SW france before paris, or heading straight to paris to have more time there, with just a shorter side trip to brittany/mt st michel or burgundy. it's so hard to decide. i have to keep saying "you can do that next trip." i thought my first trip was going to be my one & only, trip of a lifetime - but i couldn't wait to get back!) as you can see, my inclination is toward having more time in just a few places. we traveled around too much last time & i'm determined to keep it simple with time to get to know a place this trip.

ira

Hi kahern,

My first thought is the Dordogne in SW France.

However, what do you mean by a walking tour? Are you going to have a pack on your back and walk from town to town?

ira

PS,

Would you be averse to a motor trip?

kahern

hi ira, thanks for your help. the walking tours are mostly village to village, but the tour company transports your luggage. all you carry is water and maybe lunch if no trattoria conveniently located. some of the tours are quite high-end with 4 star hotels and pricey restaurants, but i'm looking at the modest tours at 2 star hotels or pensions and good-value restaurants. as for car touring, i'm not comfortable driving & navigating on my own in unfamiliar territory. in ireland i drove and got lost and had a run in with a parked car on a narrow coast road and got lost some more. it was part of the adventure when i had someone to share it with, but not something i want to do on my own. i loved the dordogne too, and have thought about going back, but the walks there are pretty strenuous with lots of ups & downs. do these details give you any other thoughts that might help?

kahern

p.s. ira, i'm kate.

ira

Hi kate,

Have you seen this tour for the Dordogne? A lot of it is along river valleys.

http://www.infohub.com/TRAVEL/SIT/sit_pages/5394.html


Perhaps the valley of the Tarn would be interesting.

Here's a link:
http://www.valac.nl/walking-tarn-valley.html

kahern

thanks ira, those websites were interesting and the second one has tours in my price range. they both offer self-guided tours (i.e. arrange accomodations, give you maps & itineraries, and transport your luggage) but no group or tour guide. that would be fine for my second stop, between Italy (probably Tuscany) and Paris. and the age range of people taking their tours is about 35-60 (so i know it's not just for young athletes). i've sent for more info.
thx again, kate

ira

Glad to help, Kate