I am traveling with my 75-year-old mother and my two daughters who are 18 and 21 this July. We have 9 nights to travel. We are flying into Barcelona, arriving early morning, and staying for two nights, then traveling to Marseille, Nice, Cinque Terre region to Rome. I am wondering how many nights to stay in each location. We wouldn’t arrive in Marseille until 9pm at night so I’m wondering if 2 nights (really just one night since we arrive so late) in Marseille is enough. This is what I was thinking but haven’t booked anything solid yet.
2 nights Barcelona
2 nights Marseille
3 nights Nice
1 night Cinque Terre
1 night Rome.
Any recommendations for train travel, tours, restaurants, excursions, etc are greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
53 posts
I am all for aggressive itineraries, but these are relatively big distances to cover with very little time in each location. Are your initial arrival and final departure international travel? Day 1 can be pretty crummy if flying a long way, and international departures often require a bit more time. You are losing a lot of your holiday with this many stops. What is the stamina level of the group?
I just don't know what you would get out of only 1 night in CT and Rome after two relatively long journeys. There is so much to see in Rome, and you'll have something like 1/2 of a day to explore if you leave CT early in the morning.
I recommend distilling this schedule. Prioritize what it is that you want to do and see. What is it about Marseille that interests you? This region is rich with options. Consider ending the trip in Nice (great international airport) or flying directly from Barcelona to Rome if you must see Italy.
If it were me, I'd limit it to no more than 3 locations.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
1419 posts
Agree with Patrick - heed his advice. IMHO you have far too many stops in too little time. Narrow the trip down to 2-3 locations OR extend the time you have in each location. Also, we don’t know the interests of the travelers and/or the stamina of you all. Barcelona and Rome each deserve at least 3-5 nights.
Is this your first European trip? And where would you be flying from? Jet lag can be real - especially from the West Coast of the US or Asian countries.