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12 nights between Venice and London

I am going to be a US solo traveler (60ish) in Europe for the first time in March and April. I am spending most of March in Italy. I am leaving Venice, Italy on March 23 and am open until April 4 (12 nights) when I have reservations in London on my way to Ireland. I am considering Paris (and/or other parts of France), Brussels and Amsterdam but open to more. I am interested in architecture, gardens, beautiful scenery, beer/wine, meeting locals. I would like to end up with a fairly easy trip to London on April 4. I am open to primarily to trains, planes and ferries, but not opposed to buses either. Getting there is part of the fun! I am in no hurry and don't want to cram too much stuff in.

I would love some feedback or suggestions on an itinerary. I hope I provided enough info...

Thanks!

Posted by
2732 posts

I always put Paris at the top of the list. We’ve been there many times and always look for a way to go again when we are in Europe. It never gets old. Then the trip to London is an easy train ride through the Chunnel. You could easily spend the entire time you have between Italy and the UK in Paris, see and do much and not waste a lot of time traveling.

Posted by
5398 posts

I agree with Alan that you could easily spend the bulk of those 12 nights in Paris, but I wouldn't do all of them there. I'd recommend first flying to Amsterdam for 3-4 nights. See the sights there, but take a day for a day trip to the Keukenhof gardens. They will have opened for the spring season just before this. Its displays of spring bulbs is the most beautiful in the world, and should be a bucket list item for any garden lover. You could then train to Belgium for a night or 2 in Brussels or Bruges, and then train to Paris for the remainder of your free time. Then take the Eurostar to London.

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks to each of you for your reply. And thank you CJean for the info about the gardens in Amsterdam. That’s a definite for me.

Posted by
6713 posts

I agree with the others -- Amsterdam and Paris, or Paris alone, in those 12 days. There are fast trains between Amsterdam and Paris (Thalys) and between Paris and London (Eurostar). The sooner you book those tickets the better, they cost more as you approach the travel dates.

If you're going to split your time, I'd suggest giving Paris several days more than Amsterdam. But really you could spend the whole 12 days in Paris, with some day trips nearby, and not run out of things to see and do.