Europe Mid-May 2015 Itineray Help

I preferred Napflio, Greece and Korcula, Croatia over Italian beaches. But that's just me. Great beaches, nice warm water (but I was in Greece in June and Croatia in July). I've not been to Nice, so I can't say how Croatia and Greece compare.

Wherever you go in Europe in May, it will be too early to actually swim in the water. I find the beaches in Italy to be not so great (sand quality, atmosphere), but lots else to like there. We did a great trip through Croatia this year in late April and enjoyed great towns and beautiful water views (but no swimming). I would pick Croatia and spend the whole time there.

If looking for Florida/So Calif type beaches you will not find that in most of Europe. Many of the Italy beaches tend to be course sand or gravel like. And May is not beach swimming weather either. Look a map and notice how much further north all of those areas area compared to the US. Even the Greek island are just waking up in May. If you want that kind of beach weather, wait till Sept or early Oct.

In my opinion the coastline of Croatia is stunning! The water, with the limestone rock underneath, is the most amazing color I've seen anywhere in the world. I haven't been to Greece but I'm sure that it's beautiful! Italy's beaches aren't that great. Southern France has a number that are nice but they are really nothing I would go out of my way for. The rest of France and England have beaches as well but they tend to be windy and blustery. Of all the places you've named, I'd stick to Croatia - besides the gorgeous sea there is a lot to see as well!

The scenery in Nice is stunningly beautiful, but the beach is pebbles, not sand, if that's what you're looking for. The food is, of course, fantastic, too. IF you stuck with the Paris>Nice>Italy plan, the Cinque Terre would be on the way to Rome, whereas Amalfi would require overshooting Rome, then backtracking.

We were in Sicily in December 2012, so weren't there for the beaches, but had a lovely walk one evening in the sand on the south coast, near the Turkish Steps, and Cefalu on the northern coast is popular, to throw in one more Italy option.

Croatia's seafood can't be beat. If you stayed west of Italy, would you want to visit both Croatia AND Greece in your 2 weeks, or stick to one or the other?

Thank you for all your great advice! Based on what you guys said, I think we may try to push our trip back to June and stick with the eastern side of Italy, Croatia, and Greece. Maybe fly into Venice>Split>Dubrovnik>Costa Navarino>Santorini>Athens? Does anyone have any recommendations/suggestions on that itinerary?

We flew into Venice (10 years ago - wow!), picked up a rental car, and drove to Croatia. That allowed us to visit Slovenia (includin Piran) for a few days as we worked our way to Croatia. It's not on the coast, but Plitvice Lakes National Park would make a great visit while you're in Croatia, if you had the time. And Split, with Diocletian's Palace and neaby Solin, was a highlight.

Before settling on any itinerary involving some combination of Croatia, Greece or Italy, look CAREFULLY at the connections (or, more commonly, lack thereof) between them. The flights may be expensive and many will involve plane changes, so they can take the better part of a day. Boats between these countries may run only in high summer, and do not exist on nearly as many routes as you might intuitively guess. Trains can take forever, and on many routes are non-existent (e.g. trains only go along the Croatian coast as far as Split, so no trains to Dubrovnik). And renting a car in one country and dropping it in another can involve high surcharges. I frequently see posts here by people who assume that, since these countries are "next to each other," they have good connections; they don't. Make sure you figure this out before booking any hotels, so you're not stuck.

"If looking for Florida/So Calif type beaches you will not find that in most of Europe." Actually, Europe has plenty of wide sandy beaches... they're just much farther north, in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Germany's Baltic and North Sea coasts, etc. Of course, don't even think of going in the water before July!

Italy, Croatia and Greece in 14 days is impossible, particularly as transport in those countries isn't very great. Choose between Croatia and Greece.

Flying is the only practical connection between Venice and Split (trains take 18 hours with several connections) and also between Croatia and Greece. If you are in a more central part of Italy (Ancona, Pescara, Bari) there are ferries across to Split or Dubrovnik; see www.jadrolinija.hr for most Croatian ferries and www.aferry.com for a few other brands.

Hello Whitney,
Just traveling in France and Italy would be lovely in May, however, if beaches are what you want Mid-may is a wonderful time to travel in Greece or Croatia also. The weather is mild high 60s low 70s in Croatia and the Greek Islands. Athens will be in the high 70s. If you want a better chance at some warmer weather beach time start your trip in Croatia and then go to the Greek Islands end of may beginning of June. You can also find sandy beaches in the south of Italy. Ischia, Capri and Sicily have some lovely beaches though the temperatures will be in the high 60s low 70s in May. Turkey also has some wonderful beaches on the West and southern coast. There are a few ferries that run from some of the Eastern Greek Islands to SW Turkey. You can expect mid-high 70s and low 80s in SW Turkey in May. With only two weeks be carful not to spread yourself to thin. Paris needs 4 days alone to really see anything, so try not to do too much. I hope this helps. Happy Travels.

Hello Whitneystengle. I think being at any of the countries that you mentioned could be great. If being at a sea coast is a priority, I recommend : Croatia. Croatia has the blue Mediterranean Sea, the Mediterranean environment at an island, sunshine, glamorous old buildings, good food. If you will be away from your home for a total of 14 days, you will be at Europe a total of 11 whole days, not counting the day you arrive at a airport there. I recommend being at only one country in Europe. Croatia has a variety of places to go to, not only the islands and coastal cities. I think I would prefer to go to Croatia in May, not June. Croatia is likely to be more crowded with people in June.