First Trip to Europe in Late March

March is not necessarily the best time for North Europe France, Ireland, England. It is early Spring so it can be cold, or at least chilly and rainy. At that time of year I would look more towards southern Spain, southern Italy around Rome and south. Second, it is easy to get around via train or bus. Where to go is up to you. Go to your local library and check out travel books, DVDs, etc. and see what interests you. With a 5-7 day trip you are looking at most at two cities. Or one city with a couple of day trips. You might consider Rome and Florence with a RT out of Rome. Or into Rome and home from Milan. Or Madrid with day trips to Toledo and Segovia.

March is susceptible to iffy weather. Under those circumstances i am inclined to stay in large Cities (where there are many indoor things to do and see) with possibly Day trips if the mood or weather beckons. both London and Paris are great Cities where you could comfortably find stuff to do for 7 days. (or you could even split your time between the two by using Eurostar). To my mind London is easier for day trips (any of the surrounding cathedral towns). But then what country or type of things are appealing to you. Make a decision and then you will get enough suggestions to fill every minute you have available

I'd recommend staying in Paris the whole time and doing day trips. You will save money by not moving around and 5-7 days is a very short time. Paris is an incredibly wonderful and fun city with tons of choices for things to do. Lots of great day trip choices as well... Versailles, Fontainbleau, Vaux-le-Vicomte, Giverny and more. I'd also recommend reading the RS France or Paris book. Most libraries have them. I hope you have a great time wherever you choose!

Eric: I agree strongly with all of the advice you have gotten so far. If your trip is 5 days, then plan to spend it all in one of the following: London, Paris, or Rome. If it is 7 days, then you could do, as has been suggested, London and Paris (fly "open jaw"...into one city and home out of the other), London with daytrips, Paris with daytrips, Madrid and Barcelona (open jaw again), or Rome with an overnight to Florence. Oddly, I would lean toward London. March weather will be lousy even in Italy, but the weather is almost always lousy in England anyway, at least from the point of view of someone who lives in Austin. Just bring an excellent raincoat or poncho and a sweater or sweatshirt and some waterproof shoes, and you'll have a fantastic time. Plus, since there is no language barrier, London makes an easy first trip to Europe. Whatever you decide, get the relevant RS book and perhaps, given your age, the relevant Let's Go book as well. The more carefully you read and plan, the better and smoother your trip will be. Have a great time!

Even if you have just 5 full days, you could do the highlights of both London and Paris in that amount of time. As suggested, fly into one and out of the other...connect the two via Eurostar train. This is s great itinerary for a first-time (and short) visit. Very doable.

Hey Eric, My vote would be 5 days in either Rome or Paris, or if you're planning for 7 days then 4 in Barcelona and 3 in Madrid (taking the train). I've done Rome in late March before and had success with weather as well. No matter where you choose though, lineups to the attractions shouldn't be bad at all. Good luck!

Eric, I have to agree with the others in that London and Paris would be a good choice for such a short time frame, as they're relatively close. Use open-jaw flights, inbound to one city and outbound from the other. Is there any possibility you could squeeze in a few extra days? That's an incredibly long way to travel for such a short trip! One of the other advantages of that approach is that it will probably be less of a "culture shock", especially as this is your first trip to Europe. While Rome will probably be warmer in late March, you may find it a bit "intense" on your first visit to Europe. Generally speaking, the best way to get from "Point A to Point B" is via trains. As this is your first trip to Europe, I would highly recommend pre-reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door, as that will provide with a lot of good information on "how" to travel in Europe. Happy travels!

In 5-7 days, I would stay in one major city and do day trips into the country side like others have suggested. London might be good for a first time trip since you won't face any language barriers, plus you can explore the rest of England by train... or even be in Paris in 2 and a half hours by train. Once you decide on a destination, planning will get a lot less daunting. One other tip that I'm sure many will echo... don't be tempted to cram too much into your first trip... assume it will be the first of many and you come back in the future and see anything you missed. Good luck and have fun!