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I'm getting nervous! Please help, o wise travelers!

Posted by (Costa Mesa, CA) on

I'm leaving in 2 1/2 weeks! My trip is for 6 weeks and I have minimal reservations (Dublin to London, London to Gibraltar, Paris to London) for maximum flexibility. I am going solo, so I can do what I want. My goals for the trip are 1) visit family in Ireland, England, and Spain; 2) get a sense of history in these places and in France ( I'm a history teacher). With that said, here is my skeleton itinerary, please check or make suggestions.
Ireland: 2 days in Dublin and 3 days visiting family
London: 5 days in London (3 evenings spent with family)
Spain: 3 days with family (Tarifa), 1 day Morocco, 3 days Madrid, 3 days Barcelona
France: 4 days Arles/Avignon (Roman history, love it), 5 days Paris, 1 day Mount St. Michel, 1 day Normandy beaches, back to Paris
London: one more day, return to Dublin and then fly home

Note these days do not include travel days for train/plane/ferry travel.

Your thoughts on time in each place and advice on necessary train reservations would be appreciated!

Posted by
10344 posts

Sounds exciting! May I suggest this link to help you get an idea of how long it will take you to get from destination to destination, an important part of figuring out how many destinations you can reach in the number of days you have: itinerary planning tips

Posted by
53 posts

We also love Roman ruins. We adore Arles. The ruins there are beautiful. I hope you are staying near the amphitheatre. It is amazing to experience walking by on a daily basis or sitting at a cafe overlooking it. I enjoyed Les Alyscamps. The ruins are interesting and it is a beautiful and restful experience. The Theatre Antique has similar qualities. We went there late in the day and had it to ourselves. Plan to take lots of photos in Arles as there is plenty of opportunity and the light is great (just ask Vincent). I prefer Arles to Avignon and see Avignon as a day trip. Be sure to walk the Rue Des Teinturiers - off the beaten path and well worth it. Hope this helps.

Posted by
11507 posts

Sounds like a wonderful trip, enjoyr yourself!

Posted by
1455 posts

Adrian, sounds like a great trip... I wonder if I'll bump into you at LAX!! LOL.. I leave 22 June.

If you're going solo, and winging it, you can book your train when you get to your destination. You may hit a bump with Normandy, but since you are flexible, the worse that happens if you can crash for the night there before heading back to Paris.

Posted by
37 posts

Thanks for the help, Michelle. That makes me feel a bit better. I'm just glad I didn't get the dreaded "You're seeing too many cities/countries in too few days" comments! So maybe I did something right after reading the posts on this board for the past year. I leave on June 23, so I'll be following you!

Posted by
1455 posts

I would say you're seeing too many cities, but you added you are flexible. Being said that, you can decide once you are there if you wish to include or delete that city.

Have you checked www.maribelsguides.com for Spain tips?? If not, you have GOT to find the cloistered nuns convent in Madrid. You can get cookies and other dulce from the cloistered nuns, and its a hoot to "speak" to them thru some wall. Samantha Brown had that on her show (check travel channel or YouTube). PM me if you want the address or info.

Posted by
13 posts

My one suggestion is to stay in Bayeaux for your Normandy trip. It's a nice little town. You can see the Bayeaux Tapestry which chronicles the Norman conquest. I strongly recommend Battle Bus tours for a Normandy tour. I think it's run by one guy and he was GREAT! Bon voyage! Bob

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