Thinking about a trip for two to the above mentioned countries. Most of the cities covered would be Paris, Provence, Cinque Terre, Rome, Naples, Bari (Italy), Patras (Greece), Undecided Greek City(ies) and/or island(s), and Athens.
This would be a honeymoon, where we could take 2-3 weeks. Does this trip sounds manageable by mostly train/bus and boat where needed? Also, would you go from Athens to Paris or Paris to Athens? Any insight would be appreciated.
Thank you!
It's do-able, though of course a lot in 2 weeks. 3 weeks would be barely enough to do it all justice.
I'd start in France and end in Athens. That way, by the time you get to Athens you'll be more accustomed to the European culture and less shocked by the hard-to-read Greek language. While I can often figure out what a sign means in French or Italian, it's impossible (for me) to read anything in Greek. So, less culture shock if you start in France.
We loved the Greek Islands. Athens is a huge busy dirty place. Nothing to see there, in my opinion, outside the Acropolis area. I'd give Athens 1 day and night then head on to the islands.
We took the crowded Athens subway to the port and caught one of the ferries that go island to island. I'll never forget renting scooters and circling the island of Paros, and taking the ridge road over the center of the island. The land is quite barren, but the window boxes and planters at all the houses were full of flowers, the views of the ocean are magnificent, and, when we were there in late May (1998) we pretty much had the island to ourselves!
Jessica,
While this Itinerary might be considered "doable" by some, IMHO this is somewhat unrealistic and overly ambitious. You've mentioned nine locations to be visited in a 21 day period, which averages 2.33 days per location with no allowance for travel times (some of which will be considerable!).
My suggestion would be to reduce the number of locations to perhaps five or six. Choosing locations which are somewhat close geographically will reduce travel times to some extent. Could you indicate which destinations are most important for you to see?
Whether to start in Paris and end in Athens or vice versa will depend to some extent on what time of year this trip will be taking place. As mentioned in the previous post, starting in Paris will provide a somewhat easier "culture shock".
If this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door before you get too far in your planning. That will provide you with a lot of information, including Itinerary planning details.
When planning your Itinerary, keep in mind one of Rick's main travel planning rules: "Assume you will return"!
Congratulations and good luck in your planning!
I figured this is as lofty trip. We are wanting to get closer to four weeks, but currently that does not seem plausible. Otherwise, we may segment this trip into two.
I have travelled in Europe, but this would be the first trip for my fiance. I have always imagined that we would go to Paris as a part of our honeymoon, but we are thinking of doing an all Greece honeymoon and plan the FR/Italy trip for an anniversary, etc.
This is a completely different thought, but how long of a trip does Greece/Turkey require?
Thanks
Jessica - Italy, Greece and Turkey can easily take 2 weeks each. My suggestion if you want more than just the big city highlights is to pick one country. Rick's Greece book is good for Athens and Pelopennese highlights but it does not cover any of the major islands. As for Paris, you can easily do it as a stopover on the way home. When I went to Greece last year, I was there for just over 2 weeks and then spent a few nights in Paris on the way home. I took a cheap flight from Athens to Paris. I know easyJet and Aegean Air flights are reasonable in advance. Sometimes Air France flights go on sale.
Jessica,
Is it likely that you'll be able to get three weeks for the trip? Rather than spend the entire time in one country, some "contrast" might add interest. For example, you might consider dividing the time equally between Greece and Italy, as there are locations in both countries that would be great for a honeymoon.
Using open-jaw flights would be a really good idea, so you could start in Greece and end the trip in Italy (or vice versa). There are lots of flights available between Greece and Italy via budget airlines (ie: EasyJet). If you plan on using one of these, be sure to pack light as most have VERY restrictive baggage limits.
Cheers!
I think the first two thirds of your trip--France and Italy--would make a pretty brisk three weeks.
Adding in anything beyond that will probably result in a trip that is less satisfying, not more.
So, is Greece important enough to make room for it by skipping some of these other destinations?
