Hello travelers,
I'd like to get your advice on my France-Italy itinerary, please. I am traveling in Sept '19 with a friend, by plane and train (no car). We are planning to arrive in Paris, then spend a couple of days in Nice. From Nice, we are planning to go to Italy - we know where we want to go, we just don't know the best way to map out our travel plans in Italy. We want to go to Cinque Terre (Monterosso) - Florence - Venice - Rome then the South. Initially, we were going to take the train from Nice to Monterosso, then to Venice, and from Venice to Florence and to Rome then the south. We'd like to do less zig-zagging between Nice - Monterosso - Florence, and Venice. I am wondering if there is a more efficient way to take this trip. Any suggestions or feedback you may have is appreciated. Thanks!
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11832 posts
Perhaps fly Nice to Venice, then train to your other Italy destinations.
Venice -Monterosso- Florence- Rome-"the south'
How much time do you have for this trip and what does 'the south' ( of Italy) mean?
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thanks, Joe32F. Great idea to fly into Venice from Nice. I have 16 days in total. The tour of the South of Italy includes Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri then back to Rome.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15777 posts
Venice -Monterosso- Florence- Rome - I think it may be better to switch Florence and Monterosso.
You have 16 days? Are you counting the day you land in Paris and the day you begin the RS tour in Rome (I hope you aren't counting the tour days in Rome)? Do you want to spend time in Rome before the tour begins (there's only one day there). It sounds like you have 14 full days, and 5 stops, not counting Rome. You will use 1/2 day (maybe more) in travel every time you move. If you want 3 full days in Paris (4N) and 2 full days in Nice (3N), that leaves you with 7 nights for Venice, Florence and the CT. So it depends on your travel style. If you've taken a European trip at this pace before and know you can be enjoy it and just get an overall impression of each place, that's fine.
Posted by
8168 posts
Skipping Paris??
The South of France is wonderful. Nice is nice, but there is a lot more to see like Arles, Avignon, Aix, St. Paul de Venice, Monaco and more.
After Nice you would proceed to CT. Consider visiting Pisa and Lucca on your way to Florence. After Florence, to include Venice, you would then go there, then back track down to Rome.
You many not have time for more:
South of France- 3-4 nights
CT 2 nights
Pisa and Lucca 1 night
Florence 3 nights
Venice 3 nights
Rome 5-6 nights.
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
Assuming you plan to spend time in both Paris and Nice before heading to Italy, I believe you're best option is to fly to Venice (midday direct EasyJet flight), go to Florence, skip Monterosso, go to Naples area for South of Italy tour and then return to Rome. You're trying to include 7 very spread out locations into a 16 night trip, and I honestly think you'll need to drop at least one location to make it work. Monterosso is a big detour (as you've already noticed), so I'd start there. I'm also assuming the South of Italy tour is a must-do, so I haven't dropped that.