My husband and I will be in Europe for 1 month...does our calendar look too busy? Flights and hotels are booked...hotels can be rearranged but flights are final
10-15 June Paris
15-18 June Zurich (staying with a friend)
18-21 June Venice
21-24 Florence city
24-27 June Tuscan countryside
27 June -2 July Rome
2-7July Positano
8 July fly home to Australia
Does it look too busy? Tried to get right combo of city sea and counyryside.
I think you have a nice mix planned. You'll see a lot and you'll get to relax as well. I love Positano but that's a lot of nights there - are you going to be traveling around a bit from there? I used Positano for our final stop to relax on a fast-paced trip but even then I was happy with just 3 nights there.
If you've booked flights, are you flying home out of Rome? If so, you could make Rome your last stop, and go to Positano before Rome and give Rome or Florence one of Positano's nights.
Overall though you've got a good mix of locales.
not too busy;
when you plan for yourself through reading guide books
you learn and plan better to suit your interests next trip and will never need to seek advice from a forum;
jenn,
Your proposed Itinerary looks good and not too "busy". A few thoughts and questions.....
As you've probably found from your planning, the travel time from one city to another will vary depending on the route and the transportation options. As you haven't travelled in Europe before, I'd highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip, as it provides a lot of good information on how to travel well in Europe. You may be able to download it in E-book format if you're not able to find it at your local Library. I assume you're using country or city-specific guidebooks to plan your sightseeing.
For travel in Italy, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the use of public transit there, as there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of. How are you planning to get around the "Tuscan countryside"?
Positano is not as well served by public transit as other parts of Italy. What type of sightseeing or touring were you planning on doing there?
Which airport are you using to fly home to Australia?
I just responded to one of your other threads. I'd go to the Amalfi Coast from Tuscany and see Rome at the end. Best to be close to your departure airport the night before a flight. If you have a car in Tuscany you could drive all the way south. If not, you could take the train from Florence to Salerno or Naples and rent a car there.
Thanks for the responses. To expand a bit about travel within Europe:
-between Paris and Zurich--either fly (1hr) or fast train (4hrs)--flexible with times
-between Zurich and Venice (using the whole day of 18th to travel as may take scenic trains thru the Alps to Milan and train Milan-Venice
-Between Venice and Florence-train (2hrs)
-Hire car from Florence and have in Tuscany--husband loves to drive and see whats around (I suspect this will be the highlight for him)
-drive to Rome from Tuscany (drop off car in Rome before we check in to our Roman hotel)
-Pick up a new car when leave Rome and have for Amalfi Coast-drive back to Rome airport and drop off rental car.
Our flight from Rome isn't until 2pm---if we have breakky, check out around 8am, we should get to Rome airport for 11am---plenty of time for our flight.
We want to end the holiday on the Amalfi for a bit of pampering at a nice hotel (our hotel has an infinity pool overlooking the sea. This will be our "splurge" hotel. We're using Positano as a "base" for Amalfi Coast---plan on doing a few day trips (Pompeii, other surrounding villages, Capri, etc) we have the car at our disposal---but really after a month hopping city to city, we'd be quite happy lazing around the pool and soaking up the Italian summer before the long flight back to Oz.
We're not booking any tours on arrival days in each city---we'd rather be flexible take our time, check in to new hotels and familiarize ourselves with our new surroundings
What you have planned sounds exactly right, and at a fair pace.
Paris - 5N
Zurich - 3N
Venice - 3N
Florence - 3N
Tuscan countryside - 3N
Rome - 5N
Positano - 5N
Are you spending 7 July in Rome before flying home? If so, look at heading to Positano after Tuscany before finishing up in Rome.
Try and get some time while you are in Zurich for the Alps and Luzern
Oh, and I would ditch the car before heading to the Amalfi Coast.
Your itinerary seems reasonable and not to much.
Renting a car to see the Tuscan or Umbrian countryside is not a bad idea, but generally driving in Italy is expensive if you use the autostrada. The tolls are very high and fuel is very expensive. Stick to rail travel, as much as possible, especially in Italy.
One of my favorite hotels is in Florence. It is the Hotel Balestri. It is a four star on the Arno and in a great location.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187895-d203902-Reviews-s1-Hotel_Balestri-Florence_Tuscany.html
If you have the option to switch the timing of Positano and Rome, then I think you have several reasons to do so.
Edited:
jenn when comparing flying to rail between Paris and Zurich, don't forget to add the time it takes to get to and from the airports, security, check-in and waiting to board. Then you'll see the time difference is not significant, or even reversed. Advantage to train is that it takes you center to center.
Our flight from Rome isn't until 2pm---if we have breakky, check out around 8am, we should get to Rome airport for 11am---plenty of time for our flight.
Sorry, but where did you get that information? I just used viamichelin.com and it says over 300 km from Positano to Rome (farther to FCO) and 5 hours driving time. Then I tried google maps and from Positano to FCO they show a shorter drive of only 3.5 hours. I've found Michelin to be more reliable than Google. Both show minimum driving time, do not account for any possible delays, like getting stuck behind a slow vehicle on the narrow, twisty road out of Positano, pit stops, making a wrong turn. Just from Naples to the airport is nearly 2.5 hours without incident.
I would just add that your question starts "1st time Europe" - it would be smart to listen to the advice of those who've been there often.
Thanks for everyone's advice.
We're not worried about driving. Husband prefers it...he'd drive the whole trip if he could.
3 1/2hrs from Ravello to FCO. That is really not a big drive. We regularly do 12hr drives from Sydney to Brisbane. Have done a 7hr drive from the middle of nowhere outback to Perth and flew out of Perth to Sydney (6hr flight) on the same day. Had a rental car so had to re-fuel and return the car at the airport.
We'd only need 1 stop at the servo for a drink and stretch if that. We'd properly pack the night before so no fumbling around at the airport.
If I thought we'd miss our flight id rethink it but seriously i dont see an issue.
The odds are very good that you won't have a problem, but do check into the car-return situation in Italy. I've read here that it can be a very time-consuming process, compared to here in the US where it rarely takes more than 5 minutes. You don't want to be in the position of having to drop the car off and run for your flight without getting a receipt showing that you returned the car in good condition. Too many people have gotten dinged in that situation for claimed damage they were sure they did not cause.
jenn,
"We're not worried about driving. Husband prefers it...he'd drive the whole trip if he could."
I must have missed that you were planning on driving. There are also some potentially expensive "caveats' for driving in Italy. Where are you planning on renting the car?
Note that each driver registered on the rental form will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are easily obtained at any AAA office for a small fee and are valid for one year.
You'll also have to familiarize yourself with the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas which exist in many towns in Italy, as hefty fines will result from each pass through one. Do NOT drive in Florence as the city is just about saturated with automated ZTL cameras, and you won't find out that you've been "nicked" until several months after you've returned home.
In addition to ZTL, you'll also need to be vigilant to avoid speed cameras including the devious Traffic Tutor which measures not only instantaneous speed but also average between two points. Violate either or both and expensive tickets will follow. Be sure to budget for tolls on the motorways and parking. A GPS along with a good map would be prudent.
You may find these websites helpful.....
http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/driving/traffic_cameras_speeding.htm
