Itinerary Feedback Please - Mother/Daughter Trip

I think this is too many stops for a trip of this length and you will regret not having more time in London and Paris. For example, you say you are staying 3 days and 2 nights in London. The first day is the day you arrive, so you may be a bit jet lagged. The third day will be the day you leave (not sure what time). That leaves you only one full day. It's not nearly enough IMHO; there is so much to see in London. If it were me, I would do London, Paris and Munich. That will leave you more time in each city and leave a little time to do day trips from any of those cities. If you just want to hit the highlights in a lot of places, then your trip will accomplish that, but it might leave you exhausted.

Jesse,

As far as what tickets to get in advance, you definitely want to get your Eurostar ticket in advance and I would also suggest your tickets and reservations for night trains.

This is quite an ambitious trip. Since you indicated that you have already made your hotel reservations, I'm only going to suggest one change to your trip. I notice at the end of your trip you have one night in Munich and one night in Rothenburg. While I really like Rothenburg, I'd probably skip it for just one night, particularly since you have to fly out of Munich. Save if for another trip. Instead, you might want to consider spending your last night in Munich.

It is a bit brisk, but not everyone has weeks & weeks to do vacations, unfortunately. I think it is doable and I congratulate you for keeping things realistic - at least for a young, energetic and enthusiastic 22-year-old. This might be more of a challenge for your mom, especially if she has trouble sleeping on night trains.

Thanks for your advice.

I hesitated mentioning that my mom is 50 - she is a very young/active fifty. The Vernazza and Innsbruck stays are purposefully put in there for relaxation, so hopefully that will make up for the busy days in between.

Although I've booked hotels, it is still very far in advance so I can always change those if need be.

What I am still wondering is what is the best way to book the night trains? Raileurope or directly? Has anyone done the night train from Paris to Milan - is it safe for two woman traveling alone?

Any must sees besides the standard tourist stops in Venice, Florence, and Paris?

Jesse- as a 50+ traveler and someone who has done lots of European trips, here's my input:
Add 1 or 2 days to London and do one or more day trips by train (Windor, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, others???)Skip Vernazza and Venice, add 1 or 2 dyas to Florence. Cut Innsbruck to 1 night and add 1 or 2 days to Munich and do day trips (Burchesgarten, Salzburg, salt mines, etc.) It would look something like this:

London- 5 days with 1 or more day trips

Paris- 4 or 5 days

Florence- 3 days

Innsbruck 1 or 2 days

Munich 4 or 5 days with 1 or more day trips.

Less moving around, more time to absorb the "tone" of each place. I also agree that you should compare the cheap intra-europe flights with train prices. It might be worth it to fly. Just plan on packing VERY light.

Regarding the question "do train tickets in Italy book up fast or could I buy them when I get there. Specifically Milan to Genoa, La Spezia to Florence, and Florence to Venice. It will be the last week of April when I am traveling through here."

I have always had good luck buying my tickets within Italy after I arrive. As long as you are not travelling on a major holiday or taking a night train, you will probably be fine. I usually print a copy of the train schedule from Trenitalia for the routes that I want. It is easy to circle the train that you want to take and show it to the clerk when you buy the tickets. Not all of the trains require reservations (although you still need to buy a ticket of course)

Regarding the question about walking shoes ...
I like to take a pair of athletic sandals for April/May. If it is cold, I wear them with a pair of socks (not white :)). If it is warm, without. I've been particularly fond of the ones I currently have which are Ecco Yucatan. I usually take two pairs of shoes ... one regular pair of walking shoes and one pair of sandals. For coats, I would suggest layers. A wool cardigan and either a raincoat or waterproof jacket would work.

Hi Jesse,

I think that's an intense itinerary, but doable. Of course, I'm also a young traveler, so I would double check with your mom on the speed of the trip. Both my mom and mother-in-law were much more exhausted than I expected on their first trips to Europe at that age. I hope that doesn't sound ageist! It just surprised me how quickly the new surroundings wore them out.

You're wise to reserve night trains in advance. The general consensus on this board is that Rail Europe isn't worth it because of their middleman markups. SNCF, the French train company, has a fairly user-friendly website through which you should be able to purchase your Paris-Milan tickets. The same cannot be said for Trenitalia's site, but perhaps you can book that leg through the Swiss website?

On the safety of night trains: If your budget allows, I highly recommend getting the two-berth private compartment rather than two bunks in a six-bunk cabin. It's not a matter of safety so much as comfort. Since you're relying on these night trains to give you enough sleep to keep moving at a pretty fast pace on your itinerary, it might be worth it to spring for the extra privacy. These compartments are usually first-class, and you get a couple of perks, like a sink in the room and breakfast in the lounge car. And no one boarding at 2 a.m. and entering your compartment while you're trying to sleep! That said, I've found the 6-bunk compartments on western European trains to be totally safe for girls traveling solo.

Have a wonderful trip!

Thanks Emma!

After reading everyone's comments I got a little freaked out about my itinerary. I thought about it a lot and decided to cut out Rothenburg, which I think will make Munich much more enjoyable for us.

As far as Italy goes, I just can't seem to cut anything out because I know this may be one of the few times my mom will make it to Europe and I want her to see it all, even if its just for a day or two.

So my next questions is - do train tickets in Italy book up fast or could I buy them when I get there. Specifically Milan to Genoa, La Spezia to Florence, and Florence to Venice. It will be the last week of April when I am traveling through here.

Which reminds me, how should I pack for April/May weather. What type of jacket should I bring? Also, can anyone recommend some walking shoes? Are there any that are a bit more "stylish" that I could wear with skirts?

Thank you!

I agree that your schedule is quite busy. I'm 46, my husband is 47, and we would not get tired out by this schedule, but it's not really one that I would enjoy. Also, keep in mind that even if she's energetic (like me!), everything will be new to her, and sometimes newness means "stressful," even if it's a positive kind of stress.

I can understand you wanting your mom to "see it all" in Italy if it might be her only trip there. Have you discussed the Italy portion of the trip with her? On my first trip to Italy, Florence was a biggie, because I'm very much into art. But if she's not so much, then you might decide to skip Florence.

I've never taken a night train. Is it direct to Vernazza, or will you need to change trains in Nice or elsewhere? Changing trains in the middle of the night would be a pain. I've heard that inter-Europe planes are quite cheap, so you might want to check on that possibility instead of a night train.

I love the Cinque Terre, but you might check on the weather there in late April/early May, and how much is open at that time of year.

Regarding your other questions; You would get more responses if you created a new thread for them - even one for each major question.

As to the question of energy level; One thing you can do to address fatigue is to limit the number of sites you try to visit each day and take public transport place to place whenever it is realistic to do so. The amount of time on your feet and the number of miles walking each day should not be maxed out day after day like it can be for a college student. Make sure she has very comfortable, not-new shoes.

You might try include time for a cafe-sit&sip&people-watch stop each day for a breather.

Here's some perspectives from a 50+ year old! When I travel now, I prefer to spend more time at places, but I think that may be because I've done the quick overview trips before and NOT because of my age. ;-)

It sounds like you are taking the lead in arranging things and being the leader during the trip. That should ease the stress for your Mom--she just has to follow you to the right train, etc.

A few days in London and Paris give a hint of the places so that your Mom may want to return on a later trip--without you as an expert guide! Some of my memorable things in London: a show, a picnic in Hyde park, Evensong at Westminster, walking the loop from Buckingham to Parliament. In Paris, watching the traffic from the top of the Arch de Triomphe, gathering with the crowds to see the illumination of the Eiffel Tower, visiting a select few museums/cathedrals, a pastry stop.

I think you will have an experience to remember! Fifty isn't that old--my parents took their first trip to Europe with us when they were 65 and they still talk about it almost 20 years later!

Thank you Pauline!

That was so encouraging - I really just want my mom to be able to enjoy this trip. If you have any other recommendations, let me know!

I'll add one more suggestion ...
Rather than taking a night train from Paris to Vernazza, you might consider flying from Paris to Pisa and then taking a train to the Cinque Terre. There are some budget airlines that serve Pisa. Also, it is only about an hour by train from Pisa to La Spezia where you can switch to the local train to Vernazza. Spend the extra night either in Paris or in the Cinque Terre depending on your preference. Even with the additional hotel night, this still might be less expensive than the night train.