Can't decide on an itinerary - September or October 2021

What you've heard about Venice is wrong. I think it's the exact opposite: If you make a short trip there, you will inevitably just go to the same few places the day-trippers do, you will be swallowed up in a mob (maybe not so much right now, I admit), and you probably won't care much for the city. Venice is about the atmosphere. Give yourself time to wander randomly and get lost.

You have a wide range of interests; I am sure you'll have a fabulous time no matter where you go. One thing I would not do is try to cram Greece into a 2-week trip along with Slovenia and Croatia. Traveling around Greece takes time (it's ferries, flights and buses; there aren't many trains). Hold off on that until you either have more time or are willing to devote an entire 2-week trip to that country.

You might check the October weather statistics before committing to one of your northern itineraries; especially toward the end of the month you could get unlucky and run into a lot of cool, wet weather. Personally, I wouldn't even risk Venice at that time of year--but then I hate being wet and cold. On the other hand, early September could be quite hot in Rome and Florence.

Rome is a lively, bustling city. I bet you'll like it a lot when you get there, but there's no reason you have to go this year, even if you go to Florence and Venice. You could mix and match a bit by combining those two northern Italian cities with Slovenia or a bit of northern Croatia. Consider Zagreb; it seems to have an active cafe culture; young folks were much in evidence during my 2015 trip.

You could also stick just to northern Italy and include the Dolomites (better in September, I assume) and whatever smaller towns you have time for (Padua, Vicenza, Verona, etc.).

Hi acraven,

I'm actually planning on traveling in mid-September, since weather in most places won't be too cold and there would still be some warmth. Maybe I'm wrong though. But it seems to be the most balanced, cause early September will be too hot I think.

I really like your dolomites/Italy or Croatia/Slovenia + Florence/Venice idea. Maybe I could do northern Italy + Paris as well? That could include a train ride from Venice to Milan through the Swiss alps (including Bern) and even see a small town like Strasbourg. No clue if I could fit that in 2 weeks.

I also wouldn't mind seeing Rome, I feel like if I'm in Italy I might as well. Maybe I could do 4 nights Rome, 4 nights Florence, 2 nights Venice, 5 nights in Paris.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for the ideas!

Wait actually: Rome + Florence + Venice + train through Alps to Paris, sounds kind of perfect. I wonder if I could do that in 2 weeks. A train ride through the Alps just sounds amazing.

As well as your other suggestions!

Edited:
Hi Alpaca! I’d pick the Paris-Belgium-Amsterdam itinerary for a few reasons. Number one, it has Paris. Second, as a mom with a daughter about your age, I’d feel comfortable that this was a safe, solo-young-adult-traveler choice. (Edit: I originally erroneously assumed that OP was a female. OP has very kindly let me know they are a solo maletraveler. My apologies for making a gender assumption that was all me and had nothing to do with the OP content.) And third, well - Paris. And, Brugge is charming and Amsterdam is a wonderful place to explore. Depending on your touring priorities and actual number of days/nights, Berlin may be a city too far on a two week trip.

I’d suggest considering another option to your Frankfurt flight hub idea. It looks good on paper, but you will chew up 2 precious vacations days - 1/2 day to 1 full day of your arrival day getting from Frankfurt to your starting city and at least a full day getting back to Frankfurt for your flight home. (To avoid possible travel delays and a missed flight, many on this forum strongly recommend being in your departure city the night before your flight leaves). I’d take a look at a “multi-city” flight option after you’ve nailed down your itinerary. Looking at a random two weeks this fall, I found an Icelandair flight out of Seattle (SEA) to Paris (CDG) with a stop in Reykjavik (KEF) and one back to Seattle (SEA) from Amsterdam (AMS) with a stop in Reykjavik (KEF). We’ve taken these flights from Seattle before and the connection in Reykjavik is seamless.

If a place doesn’t appeal to you then skip it. When I went to Venice, I spent three nights and many others on this forum will recommend that too. I highly suggest taking a vaporetti (water bus) ride from one end of the Grand Canal to the other i.e., between the train station and San Marco Square or even further. Do this at twilight so you can see the palaces that line the canal fully illuminated by giant crystal chandeliers and miss seeing the gritty decay on the exterior. You also want to “get lost” as acraven mentioned by getting off the beaten path in Venice.
Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and when you see it you’ll know why, so is Amsterdam. If you go to Belgium, see Bruges.
In Croatia I would begin in Zagreb > Plitvice Lakes > Hvar > Korcula > Dubrovnik. Instead of going to Greece, visit Mostar and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovenia) since it’s closer. Visit Greece another time.
You cannot go wrong with your fourth itinerary: Berlin > Prague > Vienna > Budapest. You’ll enjoy the ruined bars in Budapest’s Jewish Quarter. In Vienna, take a day trip to Bratislava. This tour involves five countries.

Paris isn't the sort of place most people visit only once, so this won't be your last trip there. In four days you can hit some of the highlights and get a sense of the place; I'd recommend not packing your itinerary with back-to-back indoor sights to the exclusion of wandering through some Parisian neighborhoods.

However, if you decide you do want to include Rome, I think you're going to be rushing around an awful lot to squeeze in Paris. In that case I'd end the trip in Switzerland. You might get good connections home from Zurich. For me (iin Washington DC) Zurich is a fairly cheap flight gateway. (Not that anything else in Switzerland is cheap.)

Being able to travel through the Swiss Alps is great. If you decide on that route, ask in the Swiss forum here about the train route to take. You won't want one that keeps diving into long tunnels.

Hi JenS,

Yes! I think Paris, Amsterdam, and Bruges are probably on one of my top lists for which itinerary I want to choose. Just seeing what other people say for ideas so I can make a final decision, but I have always wanted to see Paris and the canals in Bruges. I'm actually a male traveler, not female, not sure if for some reason you thought I was a solo female traveler (maybe it sounded like it from the description, not sure) or if you meant that in terms of safety so wanted to clear things up.

I will most likely be flying into Frankfurt anyway, since I have enough miles saved up over 10 years to splurge on business class, and the business class routes are either SEA - JFK - ZRH - CDG on Swiss Airlines or SEA - FRA - CDG on Lufthansa Airlines. However, if I decide to save the business class booking for later and pay with cash instead, I will definitely take a flight through KEF!

Hi MaryPat,

Those ideas sound amazing! So far 2 people agree that Bruges is a must!

I think in terms of all the itinerary ideas given so far I would say:

• Just Italy, Italy mixed with Croatia, and Paris/Amsterdam/Bruges are all tied at the #1

• Berlin, Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, and Prague a very close 2nd

• Croatia and Slovenia probably also a very close 2nd (although I think I want a bit more city and less national parks, since we have beautiful national parks here in Washington as well. I know it's probably not comparable though).

Still got more deciding! Ahhhh this is hard, it's so hard to pick the perfect one! :)

Hi acraven,

I don't think I'll add in Rome then if I do decide to do that. Too many cities at that point. Perhaps I'll combine Italy with Zagreb then, or combine Florence + Venice + Paris? Would both those be doable for 2 weeks?

+1 on the Paris tips. I don't just want to be inside, but also want to wander around the streets! And oh my the food looks amazing!

I have so many ideas, any advice on how to narrow them down? My last comment showed what i have narrowed down I think.

Looks as if you’ve already got your 2nd thru 6th solo Europe trips roughed out - all great destinations.

I’ve done an October Belgium trip - Brussels, Gent, Bruges, Antwerp. It was a fine time of year to be there. Even if you’re there for the waffles and not the chocolates, they call them “pralines,” not “truffles.” You’re also given fries with every meal, even on the side when you’re having spaghetti. Note that Bruges (Brugge in Flemish) is in the Dutch- (Flemish) speaking part of Belgium. After 2 days of saying “merci” to the woman who owned the B&B where we stayed, she made it clear that she wasn’t French.

Another October trip was in Florence for 2 weeks. It did rain a couple of days; one day it rained a lot. Definitely not as crowded as in July. Inside museums and other sights weren’t affected by the cooler and sometimes damper weather. Admiring external architecture could warrant a jacket, especially in evenings.

As noted above, 3 days in Venice is not too much. If you’re limited to 2 weeks but several locations, of course, you need to figure out your timing, but 2 days is a quickie hit-and-run.

Not sure if you’re planning on renting a car, and it sounds like being under 25 might limit rental availability some places, and/or drive the price up, but we actually rented a car at the Venice airport, drove to Slovenia and Croatia, then returned the car in Venice, where we finished the trip for 4 days and 3 nights.

I urge you to go with your first choice—to trust your gut. Fly to Rome and spend your first 4 nights. It is the perfect place to shake off jet lag because you won’t want to shut your eyes. Think about sleeping in Trastevere. Split the next 5 nights between Florence and Siena. Consult Rick’s Italy book to decide how to split the time, but you must spend the night in both so soak up the energy, joy, and unequalled beauty of these two places. In whichever locality you spend more time, use it to venture into the countryside. I would even consider (as expensive but convenient) guided tour, especially if you would like to take in a winery or 3. From Florence, you would see the Chianti. From Siena you would see Val d’Orcia (Montalcino, Pienza, Montepulciano) or the Chianti. Part of my point here is to see some village life in Tuscana. OH yeh, and to taste wine where they make it. If you don’t want to take a tour then follow Ricks public bus instructions on day trips. Wasting a whole day in 1 or 2 villages is a real indulgent pleasure. In Florence sleep in the San Lorenzo (Mercato Centrale) neighborhood, it is the only place that I have found in Florence that feels like an actual neighborhood. Florence is a hard city, but who cares, it’s Florence!! In Siena sleep anywhere inside the walls, as wherever you select will instantly become your favorite place (in the whole world). Now you have a tough choice for your final 4 nights: either fly to Paris (you have two cheep airports to pick from, Pisa and Florence) and spend the balance of your time there, OR spend 1 or 2 nights in Venice and then fly from Venice to Paris. As an earlier poster commented, you will go back to Paris (and my guess is Rome, too). There! That’s it! Of course, you could consider lots of little side trips unmentioned here, again, pick them from Rick’s books. Full disclosure, I am an unapologetic Italo-phile.

Thanks for the gentle gender correction. I’ve edited my response above. I apologize for the gender assumption. There was nothing in your post that led me to make that assumption it was all my own parental bias. Good lesson for me. : )

Alpaca On Mars - if you'd like to be sure that people here get the right picture of you - when you are logged in you can create a profile, perhaps a general idea of where you are (Mars being a long flight), tell a little bit about yourself, kind of introduce yourself so that when people answer your posts they have an idea if they are answering implicit questions perhaps not in the OP.

Glad to have you on board.

I have been to all the places that you list as option.
They are all good.

However, my favorite country to visit is Italy and doing the big three, Rome, Florence and Venice are perfect.

With Rome you get the amazing ancient Roman history as well as the Vatican (St. Peter's Basilica and the incomparable Sistine Chapel). The Sistine Chapel is the number one work of art in the World in my opinion. I have seen it twice and didn't want to leave on either occasion.
Florence, you get Renaissance Italy and its wonderful art museums there. Venice is special with canals instead of streets.
You will never be sorry about going to those cities.

My second favorite country is Great Britain. Love London, Edinburg and the countryside as well.

Thanks for the replies! I think I definitely want to do Italy. I have a couple of questions:
Could I fit in Paris to the Italy idea? I have 14 nights (could do 15) total.
Here's a rough idea (where I fly into I don't think matters):
Fly into Rome, spend 4 nights there
….You mentioned that you didn’t think you will like Rome. Then I wouldn’t plan four days here. I would give one of those days to Venice.

Take the train to Florence, spend 5 nights there, with a day trip to Siena.
……So far I’m just seeing the larger cities, and from your description, you also wanted to see a variety. I would take 1-2 of those Florence nights and stay in Siena. It’s a college town and has a nice atmosphere at night that you’ll miss with a day trip. That second day could be a scenery trip to Montepulciano.

Spend 1 night in Venice (would I have enough time to see balcony of Juliet?)
…..Juliet’s balcony is in Verona, another nice city to visit, but you don’t have time with your current itinerary. Personally, I absolutely love Venice! If you like an adventure walking through a maze (put your phone away - no maps allowed. 😊), spend more time in Venice. Just one day - you probably won’t get the chance to love Venice.

…..Fly to Paris & enjoy the remainder there.

Would September be a bad time to visit in case of another wave of COVID? Since schools are opening up then, I fear another wave is going to shut down the country again. So maybe it's better to visit in August or late July this year despite the heat? Or go during Labor Day.
…..It’s a big guessing game right now. I have an itinerary planned to return to Italy for three weeks and an alternate itinerary to return to France. I’m just waiting to see which one might be less hassles in September.

"You mentioned that you didn’t think you will like Rome. Then I wouldn’t plan four days here. I would give one of those days to Venice"

• True, although I feel like maybe I'm underestimating Rome to be honest. Idk.

"So far I’m just seeing the larger cities, and from your description, you also wanted to see a variety. I would take 1-2 of those Florence nights and stay in Siena. It’s a college town and has a nice atmosphere at night that you’ll miss with a day trip. That second day could be a scenery trip to Montepulciano."

• Yeah in the last reply I said Siena was a day trip. Maybe I'll do 2 nights, however, and 3 in Florence.

So far the itinerary is:

• Rome 3 nights
• Florence 3 nights
• Siena 2 nights
• Venice 2 nights
• Paris 4 nights

So far the itinerary is:

Rome 3 nights

Florence 3 nights

Siena 2 nights

Venice 2 nights

Paris 4 nights

I think this is a good itinerary, but I'd strongly recommend visiting Siena first and then Florence. Siena is a medieval city; Florence is a Renaissance city. Seeing Siena first will give you a much better context for appreciating Florence.

Alpaca, you can visit Siena as a day trip from Florence. Add 1 night to Florence if you like and the second night from Siena to one of the other locations. Limiting your hotel moves.

Enjoy your trip, I'm heading to France myself in Nov/Dec.

“So far the itinerary is:
Rome 3 nights
Florence 3 nights
Siena 2 nights
Venice 2 nights
Paris 4 nights”

I suggest you fly into Venice. Take a shared water taxi from the airport and stay on the island. Approaching Venice by water is an unforgettable experience. It is also a better place to recover from any jet lag than Rome is, in my opinion. Leaving Venice you could make a quick stop in Verona to see Juliet’s balcony, then continue on to Florence. There is luggage storage at the Verona train station. After Florence take the bus to Siena, then the train to Rome. From there fly to Paris. Fly home from Paris.

Paris is a fabulous city. You will enjoy it more and have a better experience if you spend a little time learning about the culture.

I hope you have a wonderful trip.

Sounds like you have recieved some great feedback on your itinerary, so I'll add some advice about accomidations. As a solo traveler in your early 20s, I recommend you stay exclusively in hostels rather than hotels or b&bs. Hostels are a wonderful way to meet other travelers and will enrich your trip for sure! I'm in my mid-40s, and have traveled to many times to Europe over the years; my BEST trip -- bar none - was my 2-month solo trip through France, Germany, Spain and Holland when I was nineteen. Have a wonderful time! I'm heading to France in August with my husband and 12 year-old daughter, and hope to inspire her to solo travel when she is a young adult.

Thanks for the advice everyone! I had enough miles saved up to book a business class flight from Seattle to Venice. Booked a separate Paris to Seattle flight with cash!

Both flights are refundable in case I decide to change where I want to go or if the delta variant gives me trouble in September. The good thing is that Italy’s vaccination rate is higher than the US’s so maybe it will be okay. Fingers crossed! But very ready to make itinerary changes if I need to.

You've have gotten many great suggestions AlpacaOnMars!

Pre-Covid, I'd have been suggesting an itinerary that included multiple countries - now I'm not so sure as things are changing rapidly - for this trip I'd stick with just one country - Italy. I agree with Michele - trust your first idea - and reconsider your Italian Extravaganza!

Dive deeply into guidebooks to decide which cities are most appealing to you - check out the south too - Puglia for example.

Since you have a big budget, perhaps, save some of that for your next trip when you can travel freely anywhere!