Travel and Transportation

I would suggest the following: 1) Fly into London 2) Take the Eurostar train from London to Paris 3) Fly from Paris to Venice 4) Take the train from Venice to Rome
5) Fly home from Rome (or vice-versa) You lose at least 1/2 a day everytime that you change locations. Also, don't expect to do much on your first or last day. Make sure you factor that in to your planning. I would suggest that you add at least one more day to Rome.

It's confusing as all get out. What's this tour business? Is it to get around the cities, to make hotel arrangements, to make transportation arrangements? The simple thing to do, assuming all you want is to be shown around, is to fly in to London, take the eurostar to Paris, fly to Venice, and take a train to Rome and fly home from there. Set up your own hotels. Ask again for tour guides, or read a book and use its recommendations. If the flights work out cheaper, do it in the opposite direction.

Thank you Laura in Virginia for your politeness and suggestions. It really helped me decide on the best route for my husband and I to have an enjoyable and memorable trip.Thanks Again!!

Generally tours don't cover that much ground. Above suggestion are good. You didn't indicate what time of year. That could make some difference. Personally I would reduce Venice to two and add two to Rome. Going London to Paris to Italy would allow for a slower adjustment to Europe. Italy, Rome especially, can be a little intense. And it is the Eurostar between London and Paris.

Thanks for your suggestions as well Frank. I actually had 4 days for Rome too. But shortened it to 2, because I was trying to decide which was the best route to go. But with yours and Laura in Virginia's suggestions, I have added two more days to it. The time of year we plan to go is in late August to the beginning of September. My research showed that in late August and September is when Buckingham Palace can be toured. And it is one of the must see sights on my list.

The advice to start in London and end in Rome, or vice versa, is good. However, if you really want "4 days in Paris, 4 days in London, and 2 days in Rome, and 4 days in Venice," remember that you lose a half day to a full day changing cities, and that you also can't count the day you leave the US or the day you leave Europe. Furthermore, the day of arrival in Europe is often a jet-lagged haze. So, you will need more days than you might think. Here's how your proposed plan might look, if by "4 days" you mean full days: Day 01: Fly US to London Day 02: London day 1 Day 03: London day 2 Day 04: London day 3 Day 05: London day 4 Day 06; London to Paris via Eurostar train. Paris half day. Note that "Eurostar" is the correct term for the train between London and Paris, not the "chunnel." Day 07: Paris day 1 Day 08: Paris day 2 Day 09: Paris day 3 Day 10: Paris day 4 Day 11: Paris to Venice by plane. Venice half day (or less, depending on when you fly). Day 12: Venice day 1 Day 13: Venice day 2 Day 14: Venice day 3 Day 15: Venice day 4 Day 16: Venice to Rome via train. Rome half day. Day 17: Rome day 1 Day 18: Rome day 2
Day 19: Fly Rome to US Note that this is actually 17 nights in Europe. If the above schedule isn't what you had in mind, you now have a template you can modify according to your needs. Your trains and flights should be booked several months in advance for best fares, or you'll pay SUBSTANTIALLY more for them (and in some cases, risk them being sold out entirely). Once you know your exact itinerary, you can post again asking for advice on how to do this.

Thanks Very Much, for your suggestions and tentative schedule of days for each city. Along with the other helpful posts I have receieved, I now have a much better idea of how many days, I should plan for each city, and include travel times between each of them. And I check the prices of airfare and local accommodations often, so I have been keeping up on that. Thanks Again!

Sheila- You might want to check some other travel websites. May offer what are often called 'city breaks'. If you want SOME assistance, guides, etc. and SOME pre-booked activities, this is often a great way to go. You could book city breaks in some or all of the places you want to see and then book your transportation between them. In effect, you'd be creating your own personal tour.

Thanks Toni, I'll look into those too.

It sounds like you have a lot of lead time for planning. I have found it best to work out my land itinerary before booking flights. Most hotel reservations are cancellable if need be, but once you are locked into flights. . .