Airplane tickets purchased!

Good going getting the tickets. In my view that is always the least fun part of the whole thing so now that it is out of the way it will all get more fun! For a first trip, staying in London may have a small bit of advantage as it would be slightly less of a language difference. (Although I must say, for me, I have a bit of a time understanding folks in the UK at times) If you need help with good budget places to crash in Italy, let me know.

London is one of the top cities in the world, so it's an easy recommendation for someone who hasn't been there before. Yes, it can be expensive & you'll take a bit of a hit on exchange rate (1 GBP is worth $1.58 and 1 Euro is worth $1.33), but you can save on lodging when you stay in a cheaper but still good place like Cherry Court Hotel in Victoria or Blades Hotel in Belgravia. Both are very close to sites and transportation. Check them out on tripadvisor. Many sites are free...museums, galleries, changing of the guard. I've never been to Nice...I'm sure it's great. But compared to London? You're flying into London anyway, so why not see the city? Have a great trip whatever you choose!

I agree with Michael that London is a great city. But, with the cities you have on your itinerary, some beach time might be a pleasant break. I don't think you can go wrong either way, though.

You should really stay in London for 2 or 3 nights...London is a fantastic city that shouldn't be missed.

Bethanie: Assuming that you are traveling between Paris and Rome either by discount airline like Easyjet or by night train, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to substitute London for Nice easily. However, if you are planning on day trains between Paris and Italy, you will need to break the trip and Nice is a perfect spot to do so. Thus Paris-Nice-Florence-Rome-Venice-home. Flying/ night-training, given that you have 20 days, even if you put 14 into Paris and Rome, that leaves six for London, Florence, and Venice. Venice, which is expensive, could be done as a single night stay before your flight. Florence could be done in two busy days. That would leave three days for London, which would be three great days. Keep in mind, this doesn't account for travel days, so you'll have to factor those in. My instinct would be to take them out of Paris and Rome, even if you have to give up the apartment idea. Paris has some reasonable clean cheap hotels, and Rome...well, you'll need to hear from someone whose Rome experience is more recent.

Bethanie, I would suggest that you skip Nice and instead pick up something else in Italy to make up for it. My suggestions would be: London Eurostar to Paris Fly Paris to Rome
Train Rome to Florence Train Florence to Venice I think logistically this might work better than including Nice. Somewhere in Italy, you might consider picking a smaller place to spend 2 nights to relax and break up the big cities (a town in Tuscany, a beach on the Adriatic, a town on one of the Italian lakes, Sorrento, etc.). That still gives you 3 to 4 nights in each of the other cities.

Many apartments do not require you to stay an entire week. My shortest apartment stay was 2 nights in Verona. Since you are flying into London, I think you should take advantage of that by spending at least 3 nights. It will be a good introduction to Europe while easing you in to places that speak different languages. If I was planning my first trip and I was your age (or even at my age :-) )I would do something like this - Arrive London (4 nights) Eurostar to Paris (5 nights) Fly to Rome (5 nights) Train to Florence (3 nights) Train to Verona (2 nights)
Train to Venice (2 nights) I am assuming that if you fly to London on May 9th you will be arriving on the 10th. If you arrive on the 9th you could add a day in any location. London may be more expensive, but maybe not. Museums there are mostly free. You could find apartments to rent in London, Paris & Rome for those periods of time. Venice is expensive, so that's why I suggested Verona for 2 nights before Venice. They are only one hour from each other by train. I enjoyed Verona very much, and think it has a lot to offer in a smaller city. I found Rome a bit overwhelming and chaotic (and I have been to many large cities), but I didn't feel that way in London or Paris. If you want some beach time you could go to the beach while you are in Rome. I would suggest a daytrip to Orvieto from Rome so you can experience a hill town. That's not the beach, but it is something you can't experience in Charleston! I'm sure you will have a blast, no matter what itinerary you choose! Have fun!!!

You might as well spend a few days since you will be there. Lots of free things to see. Since you will be taking the Chunnel, sorry, I mean Eurostar, do yourself a favor and buy a carnet of metro tickets from the info desk in the waiting area at St. Pancras. It will make your transition into Paris much easier.

London is one of the great Cities. it would ne a shame to be there and not take a few days to experience it. it will also be quite different from the Italian part of your trip

Going from Heathrow to St. Pancras station and the Eurostar will take you right through the heart of London and I predict you will feel you made a mistake if you have to leave immediately. It's a fantastic city with lots to offer two young college girls -- and don't discount the language factor, especially when everything else is so unfamiliar and you are tired and jet-lagged. London and Venice were my 19-year-old daughter's favorite cities on the trip we took last summer. Incidentally, we saw many cities in a short time and had a fabulous trip, so I think your plan is very doable, except I'd substitute London for Nice. (And yes, London-Paris-Rome-Florence-Venice would be the logical route for you.)

Thanks so much for the replies, everyone. I don't know how I could have thought about leaving London before seeing it! If I'm already there, it would be a shame. I guess I've just been so focused on Paris, Rome, Florence, and Venice that I was too quick to overlook something else as just a stepping stone. There's so much that I do love about London. I think we will stay there three days. Rough/working itinerary: M 5/9 travel day to London T 5/10 London W 5/11 London R 5/12 London, evening Eurostar to Paris (2 hr 15 min) F 5/13 Paris Sa 5/14 Paris, s/t to Versailles S 5/15 Paris M 5/16 Paris T 5/17 Paris W 5/18 fly to Rome (2 hours) R 5/19 Rome F 5/20 Rome Sa 5/21 Rome, s/t to Naples and Pompeii (a long day, I know) S 5/22 Rome M 5/23 Rome, s/t to Orvieto T 5/24 Rome W 5/25 morning train to Florence (1.5 hours) R 5/26 Florence F 5/27 Florence Sa 5/28 morning train to Ravenna (2 hours), train to Venice (3 hrs) S 5/29 Venice M 5/30 Venice
T 5/31 travel day home Thoughts, suggestions, any problems? Thanks!

I think your itinerary looks fantastic. You are giving yourself plenty of time in each location not have to rush through it. You'll have time to relax a little and really enjoy it all! I too am visiting Rome, Venice, London (and also, Vernazza & Positano) on my next trip in July. Can't wait! I'd love to hear what you thought of your trip when you get back.

That's a good plan, IMO. I think the full 4 days for Rome is enough to see what you need to see and you will have the 2 sidetrip days to experience even more in Rome at night. I did a 4, 3, 3, of Rome/ Florence /Venice. But when I was finished with my trip, I wished I had more time in Venice because I felt it was so awesome and magical. If I could have taken it back, I would have spent less time in Rome and more in Venice. Me and Rome really did not get along too well, the sites were awesome but the city stressed me out, no magic was created for me in Rome, which surprised me because I am a big city kind of gal. I hope you have a great time. It sounds like a fantastic trip.

This is a great plan, well done.

I love your new plan. Also, I'm glad that you decided to fly from Paris to Rome, rather than taking the train. It makes a lot of more sense and you'll get to see the countrysides on your other train rides. The only thing I would do differently is maybe go to Siena as a day trip when in Florence?
Your previous post asked about reservations to museums. You will need reservations given the cities you are going to, so continue to check out RS guidebook about what to reserve. I'm assuming that you are working off of a guidebook because your initenary looks well researched. Have fun!

Perhaps you could consider visiting Orvieto on your way to Florence? I google-mapped it, and it seems that Orvieto is one-third of the way to Florence. You could avoid back-tracking this way. Others might know more about this than me, however. Buon viaggio!
:)

Bethanie - If you haven't already purchased your Eurostar ticket to Paris, I suggest you do that. The earlier you can purchase the cheaper the ticket. Current price fron London to Paris for May 12 is £39.00.

Re visiting Orvieto in-between Rome and Florence. While it seems logical, there are two main problems with this approach. One is what to do with the luggage. The other is that Orvieto is NOT on the fast Eurostar line between Rome & Florence, which means that it takes approx. 1 hour to get to Orvieto and approx. 2.5 hours to get to Florence (vs. 1.5 hours from Rome direct to Florence), which doesn't leave much sight-seeing time in Orvieto itself. I would either leave the plan as-is, or change the night in Rome to a night in Orvieto which, incidentally, would also solve the baggage issue. It's up to the OP whether the hassles of packing up and changing hotels an additional time would be worth the overnight.

Awesome job of planning an itinerary Bethanie! You've done your homework and focused your interests. The duration in Rome allows for some great day trips and the ease of returning to a familiar lodging, instead of changing hotels all the time. We loved Rome, even though it can be intense. Just take time to relax back in your lodgings a couple of hours before your late afternoon or evening activity. Sit in Campo dei Fiori with a bottle of wine at apperitivo time and watch the people: Ah, Roma! (Ditto Venice - find a nice "campo" and settle in to watch the parade.) Do you know where you are staying in Rome yet? It seems an apartment would suit you well for such an extended stay.

It looks like a well thought out itinerary. If it were me, though, I'd take one day off Rome and add it to London, especially since you'll be feeling jet-lagged when you get to London. Rome was fascinating but also a little overwhelming and intimidating for my teenaged daughter and myself. Regardless, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip!

Bethanie - It's inevitable that you will come home wishing you'd had more time in some places, and maybe less time in others. Weather, people you meet - all these variables that you can't plan for make a difference. But I think you've done an outstanding job with your research and planning. I would add the one extra day in London. There is lots to do and see, it's easy to get around, and you can always take a day trip (to Oxford, for example) out of the city on one of the days to see the English countryside if you feel you've seen enough of London. Some thoughts:
Paris: The Musee d'Orsay is closed Mondays; Louvre closed Tuesdays. Check closing days for all the museums you want to visit in each city to help your planning. Rome: Stay in the Pantheon/Navona area if possible - ancient part of the city, very walkable, away from busy, traffic-y streets, lots of outdoor cafes (and gelato!). Possibly join some day group tours to orient you to the city. Or be prepared to take more taxis here rather than public transportation just to feel less overwhelmed. It's not scary; just big and somehow more "foreign". Pompeii: Keep it in your itinerary! Florence: Art History major?? - you will love it!! Don't miss the San Lorenzo market stalls for fun shopping. Venice: Sigh. We really enjoyed Murano, too. All of the above is just one person's opinion, of course! My first trip to Europe was years ago when I was about your age, and my last trip (quite a few in between) was this past summer when I basically recreated that first trip for my teenaged daughter, so I've really enjoyed reading your posts. I know you will have a fantastic time and make memories that will last you a lifetime!

Laurel, we don't know where in Rome we are staying yet, but I love the apartment idea and will be looking into it soon. Andrea, I have been thinking today that maybe we should have one more day for London. I've been reading up on it today and it seems it will be nicer to have more time. I'm also nervous about Rome. It's probably the place I want to see the most (I'm a Classics/Art History major), but I keep hearing that it is stressing, especially for a first-timer. We will probably end up taking a day from Rome and putting it onto London. Should I give London more time than Florence and Venice...just in regards to the sheer amount of things to do? I hope I'm not giving Florence and Venice too little time. But I need to stop worrying. This is only my first trip and I know there will be more. Thanks so much everyone for your positive reviews! I'm so excited about this trip. I can't seem to put down guide books and I am staying up to ungodly hours reading them...which is going to become a problem! I just feel like there is so little time to plan and SO much to plan. But I probably need to relax some or I'm going to make myself sick.

Can I concur with the last poster, Andrea, in most things but slightly disagree with her on one. If you are able to be in Pza Navona or Pantheon areas I would not recommend the taxi. What I recommend is the tiny orange electric battery buses. Only about 10 people can fit, mostly standing, and they will quickly get you into the swing of things. Then you can step up to the adult-sized buses and Metro and easily (yes I do mean easily, Bethanie) get all around Rome. Sorry to disagree, Andrea.

Nigel - no offense taken! Off to google "tiny orange electric battery buses". How did I miss those last July??!

I think your plan looks great, but I agree that you don't have enough time in London. You will only be there 2 nights based on the schedule you posted. You may be pretty tired at the beginning of your trip. Some people have jet lag, and some people hit the ground running. I only suffer from jet lag when I go home, because when I arrive in Europe I am so excited to be there! Anyway, I would add at least one more night to London. Take the night from Rome, where in my opinion you have plenty of time. I personally would do 4 nights in London and 5 nights in Rome. You could give up your long daytrip to Naples if you felt like you needed more time in Rome. Do go to Orvieto. It is an awesome little town. I'm sure you will keep second guessing yourself...wondering if you have enough time in one place and too much time in another. Remember, you can always go back!

"...I keep hearing that it is stressing, especially for a first-timer." The energy level of Rome reminds me of NY. Many people get stressed by NY (and Rome), while others (me included) love the energy. If you have been to NY, it may help you gauge your comfort with Rome. Charleston it ain't!

Andrea, For the life of me I can't think of the route numbers of the electric micro buses, but they are so cool. There are about 4 or 6 seats and a couple of poles for hanging on to and they can get around the tiniest places. (also available in Florence) The route we liked best (still can't remember the bloody number!) circles around Campo di Fiori, Pza Navona, around the back of Pantheon, close to Fontana di Trevi, Barberini, Via Veneto, near Villa Borghese, and circles down by the Spanish Steps, and return. What a route. Slow! but fun....

Does anyone know the name/route of the micro bus in Rome? Sounds interesting.

I had to go to the ATAC website and I've got it! Its the 116 route. There are several others as well. The one I described is the 116, and the info about it can be found here: http://trovalinea.atac.roma.it/zoom_in.asp?VediSemafori=off&VediMeb=off&VediParcometri=off&VediFermate=off&VediLinee=off&VediRivendite=off&percorso=116R&idmtram=52173&xmax=2312274&ymax=4643811&xmin=2309287&ymin=4640756&tipologia=URB&linea=116&circo=NO ... or go to www.atac.roma.it and drill down

Just realized I saw those little electric buses in the very center of Florence where most traffic wasn't allowed. I thought they were private tour groups. Thanks for the info!

Bethanie,<br><br> I'm curious about your travel day home from Venice. My wife and I had to fly out of Venice so early that we would have had to hire a private water taxi. The cost was really expensive. So we decided to head up to Verona instead and fly out from there. The cost of the train ticket and the night in Verona saved us a bit of money and gave us one more city to visit (shortly).<br><br>
If you depart Venice early, have you looked into your transportation options to the airport?

We depart Venice at 7:45am...is that too early to get transport to the airport?

I was just reading what RS has to say about connections to Venice airport. The Alilaguna water bus to the airport looks like our best option. It takes 70-80 min and costs 13 euros. Since our flight leaves at 7.45, I'd want to be there between 5.15 and 5.30. The first water bus time is from S. Marco at 3.40, then 3.44 from S. Zaccaria and 3.56 from Lido. Those are the only times that would work for us to get us there on time. On top of the 70-80 min for the boat ride, RS also says you have to walk 8min between the boat dock and the airport terminal. So, I guess we need to have our hostel/B&B somewhere near those places so we can get there easily and quickly that early in the morning. Alternatively, we could pay the 110 euros to take the private water taxi. That would be way less of a headache and save us a lot of time. I guess we will just have to decide if we want to hold that money for the last bit of our trip to be able to do that or not. About $73 per person.

It's good that the water bus will get you there early enough. I don't remember that being an option for us when we there there a few years ago. But I think we needed a very early departure to get into Frankfurt on time.

Lucky you for getting cheap tickets. I just paid $1500/ ticket to go to Italy, the end of June. 30 years ago, my husband and I spent 5 weeks in Italy after arriving in Amsterdam. We stayed in cheap pensiones and it was fine. You will be out of your accommodations most of the time anyway. At my current age, I would not want a pensione, but when you're young, it is perfect. I think you should save London for another time because you need a lot of time for it and it is worth a good week of your time later. I would recommend taking the Eurostar to Paris (a nice quick trip) spending 2 days there, then go to Nice for an overnight. It is a beautiful city, but don't know how warm it will be in May. Do the three big cities (Rome, Florence and Venice) but do not skip the small towns of Italy. It was truly the highlight of our first trip there. My sister-in-law went to the Amalfi coast and loved it. I would spend 5 days in Rome, 3 in Florence and 3 more in Venice, but you should have time for a couple of small Italian towns and then maybe you should go back to Paris, I loved Paris the most really. Good luck and be flexible. I hope you are getting a Eurail pass or whatever they call it now. Loved traveling by train.