France- Italy Trip

Tasneem.saifee,

June or July? Take your pick--it's summer & it will be crowded & hot in Europe.

Have you considered waiting till the Fall? Mid-late September is a great time to travel because the crowds will be gone & the weather is more pleasant.

You say you're doing a 12 day trip, so does that mean you have 12 days on the ground or 10 days?

It looks like you have 10-11 nights for your trip according to this statement:

France- 4 days in Paris,2 days Loire Valley by car, then travel to Venice and spend 2 days there and 3 days in Rome.

In my opinion, I'd stay in France or Italy but not both and that way you will have more time to explore & truly enjoy your desired destinations.

If your heart is set on visiting both countries, I'd definitely fly from Paris to Venice then take train from Venice to Rome.

So even if you fly to Venice, it takes time to get to your hotel from the airport, time to find your hotel, time to check-in, unpack, get situated, etc...
So 2 nights in Venice will give you one full day of sightseeing &

likewise, 3 nights in Rome means only 2 full days of sightseeing.
This is not enough time because there is so much to see & do in Rome!

So in my opinion, I'd explore France ( Paris & surrounding cities)
or Italy ( Venice, Florence & Rome).

These are the websites you will need for train schedules:

www.trenitalia.com (Italy)
or www.bahn.com (Europe)

Happy Planning!

Who knows whether there'll be a heat wave or cold snap 6 or 7 months from now, but in general, late July will likely be hotter than mid-June, and probably more crowded.

We once used the train to get from southern France (not Paris) to Venice, by way of Milan. The next time, from Romania, we flew to Venice, and seeing the canals and the buildings at St. Mark's Square from the air just before landing was spectacular.

More and more, we've used budget flights, such as on easyJet and Vueling Air to get around within Europe. You have to deal with airport security and check-in arrival times, but the price is often very good. The fast TGV train in France can get you out of Paris quickly, though, and you might get a good price, especially if you book early. Trains and planes can both have relative time and cost pluses and minuses, so look at all your options so you can make an informed decision.

Easy Jet ( http://www.easyjet.com/en/) 5 months out shows Paris CDG or Paris Orly to Venice at $56 - $68 each and only a 2 hour flight. Where as a train can take up to 12 hours with one or more transfers.
I recently took the Italo Train http://www.italotreno.it/EN/Pages/default.aspx) from Rome to Florence to Venice. This is a civilian run train line as compared to the government one Trentitalia (http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=4ddd1a035296f310VgnVCM1000005817f90aRCRD). I traveled in 1st and 2nd class and will again with Italo.

Great advice! thank you so very much.

I would fly.. the long train ride does not interest me.. more then 6 hours is too long for me..

I have used both Easyjet and Vueling for that routeing. Read websites carefully and prepay for luggage check in.. its expensive at airport.

June as it will be cooler, probably. For a twelve day trip I'd keep it simple and do Paris and skip the Loire since there is no easy way to get from the Loire to Italy. Easy jet or a similar budget airline from Paris to Venice or Rome. Paris - Rome will have more flights and be less expensive (generally) than any other location in Italy. Paris to Venice and train to Rome. I would add a stop in Florence (or somewhere in Tuscany) for two nights between Venice and Rome.