Itinery and Paris to Venice

Sharron What a great opportunity; 30 days in France and Italy! Do you have access to RS guides Europe through the Back Door and his France and Italy Guides? Wonderful for trip planning ideas and destinations. Without knowing what your interests are, if you have been to them before, what you want to experience, etc the Helpline will not be useful for determining your best route. Please give us more information about you and your husband. Bobbie

Thanks Bobby, this is our first trip to Europe and as "old" backpackers, would like to stay off the tourist track to a greater degree (minimal tollways, no high end hotels etc.)
Perhaps pub stays, convent stays, B & B's. Into nature and landscapes, local music, painting opportunities, "living with the locals", we are simple lifestyle people. Would be nice to see some of the great cathedrals and icons also.

Highly recommend Chambord Chateau outside of Paris, just can't remember how far. Don't rent car in Paris, not necessary. You can look into apartment rental in Paris for low cost, try VRBO. Definitely get tour books before you go, will save you tons of money, such as no need to tip, don't ask for bottle of water at restaurant, too expensive, etc.

Sharron, Travel by car between those destinations would not be my choice, but it's certainly one option. A few things to keep in mind..... > For travel in Switzerland, you'll need the highway tax Vignette. You'll be fined if you're caught without it. > For driving in Italy, EACH driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an IDP if requested may result in fines on the spot! > For driving in Italy, you'll also need to be aware of Zona Traffico Limitato (limited traffic) areas, which are becoming increasingly prevalent in many cities (especially Florence). EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket. > Given your home location, I'm assuming you have "Chip & PIN" credit cards? Some automated Fuel Pumps will ONLY accept that style of card. > Be sure to consider the cost of CDW insurance in the overall rental cost. You may find it helpful to have a look at This Website for lots of information on travelling in Italy. As you're flying into and out of Paris, I'm assuming you're planning to travel only by rental car? If available in your area, I'd suggest having a look at Rick Steves Guidebooks for the areas you'll be visiting. They have good suggestions for lodgings in various price ranges, including some Convents and Hostels. They also have LOTS of information on sighteeing, open & closed days for Museums, transportation, etc. Good luck with your planning!

You might want to read several guidebooks first and make a list of what you like ( Michelin green guide has quick references for most towns),and then start winnowing those hotspots to a reasonable itinerary. I have spent 3 weeks driving in France and felt I didn't see a quarter of what I wanted- and there are far more experienced travelers than I on this forum. But in my case: I made a circle trip with driving day trips every day: Paris- then 3 nights each at DDay beaches ( saw Bayeux, Honfleur, MSM for example)- Loire Valley- Dordogne-Provence- Juan Les Pins- MontBlanc- Paris. Have driven in Italy, but it was to and from Munich so can't advise there. I loved driving in France; Italy, not so much. Read some past posts about insurance and get the best you can for a rental. Take a look at viamichelin.com to figure some times and directions between cities, and add 25% to their estimates for stops. It's a valuable tool.
Come back and tell us more.

Thankyou all for your helpful advice and information. I will definitely order the books recommended and try to plan something. Reading about all the restricted no-go places in major cities is a bit daunting but I feel we shall shall work it out as we go. Investigating the lease of a car in Paris at present - seems to be cheaper than a hire car! 88 days and counting!

We leased a car in 2010 in France & Italy for 6 weeks. Rick's guidebooks talk about leasing a car. We found it more reasonable than renting. You need to lease it for at least 3 weeks. It was a brand new car. We will be leasing again in Sept/Oct picking the car up at Paris airport, going south in France, over to Germany, Austria and northern Italy.

I'm having the same issue---what routes to take? I wish there was a map or website that rated each road on how beautiful it is. BTW, I'm using maps.google.com to type in each stop and it adds up the total distance and time... it's a useful tool. Pete

Michelin maps, both the paper kind and on-line, do show particularly scenie routes - they're lined in green. On viamichelin, you can for a "sightseeing route," as well as a route that avoids tolls. Google maps also allows you to choose a route that avoids tolls. Generally speaking, the "best" route from Paris to Venice would not be through Switzerland. Though I think that's "best" on ease of travel and travel time, not how scenic the route is, or how many small towns and villages the route goes through.