Planning First Trip to Europe

Abby,

If you want to pack a lot into your first Europe trip, I recommend checking out RS's 2008 tours. There are some that cover the places you want to go in that little time (Best of Europe, I think.)

Having someone else plan your sightseeing, arrange reservations for the sites requiring them, arrange transportation and lodging, but still allow for free time, would probably be the most efficent, less expensive and least stressful way to do accomplish your goals.

It is a very ambitious itinerary--but you could spend 3 or 4 days in the capital cities of the three countries. You could fly into London, take the train to Paris, and then either fly or take a night train to Rome. Fly home from Rome to save time.

This isn't really "seeing" these countries, but depending on your goals for the trip it could be a very exciting itinerary. Or, you could slow down and visit more places on one or two of these countries. Good luck!

Abby, you could book an open jaw ticket US to London and Rome back to US. You should spend 3 days in London, than take the train to Paris where you'd need another three days. Then leave Paris in the early AM for a train ride to Avignon. Do Pont du Gard, Avignon and try to get as close to Cannes as possible that day. The next day do Cannes in the AM, Nice in the PM. The following day do Monaco and then take a train to La Spezia for Cinque Terre (about 5hrs ride). Spend 2 days, then go to Florence (via Pisa if you want). And the next and last destination would be Rome... So it's doable and not too-stressful.

A little ambitious if your goal is to really "see" these countries. But for an introductory first trip to Europe, you plans sound reasonable. My advice? Don't try to see everything, because that is almost impossible, even on very long tours. Pick a few must-see destinations, but allow enough time to add others that you discover along the way. And travel as if you will return some day- that last point comes from Rick Steves.

Since, this is your first trip to Europe, I would suggest skipping Italy. England and France have plenty of sights for 2 weeks. Packing and unpacking, finding your hotel, travelling to the next city, all take valuable sightseeing time. To me, it's better to be able to relax and enjoy a city or area. Remember that you can use London and Paris as home bases to do day trips to outlying areas, thus expanding your sightseeing options.

Abby,

I second the previous poster's comment about taking the Rick Steves Best of Europe tour. My wife and I took this tour two summers ago and loved it. It's a good mix of big cities and small towns in each country. The guides were well-informed and upbeat. No, you won't see everything there is to see in Paris (for example), but it will give you a nice overview, so you can plan more extended stays on future trips. Also, having Rick's team worry about hotel reservations, logistics, etc. is really useful, especially for your first trip.

That said, his trips are not for everyone. They work best for people who are interested in European culture and history (as opposed to shopping and eating in 5 star restaurants), are willing to walk around town (instead of taking taxis) and people who don't expect frills at their hotel (don't expect spas or uniformed doormen.) Watch some of Rick's TV shows on PBS to get a feel for his style of travel.

Plan your own trip. You have the time, the internet, and all the hand-holding you need in Rick's books. Fly open-jaws to London. land early day 1, plus 2+3. Chunnel to Paris day 4, plus 5,6,7,8. Night train day 8 (or fly) to Rome, arr morning of day 9, plus 10 + 11 for Rome. Day 12 travel to Venice for rest of day 12, plus 13 + 14 and fly out of Venice day 15... Other thoughts...If you get museum reservations booked for Florence, you could make a day trip of it on your way to Venice and see plenty. Just leave Rome early, or get out late the night before and sleep in Florence...This itinerary works best with point to point tickets, not a rail pass, so consider flying from Paris to Rome...Steal a day from Paris and use it in Italy... Do the trip in reverse....Plan it yourself, play it in your head over and over, adjust and tweek. Decide and book your arr and dep points and go from there. Book your north to south trans. You can still tweak the north and south portions on their own. Do it