Hello all-
I have about a two week period between Paris and Venice next month that I need to fill with some traveling. I was thinking possibly going to Nice, CT, Florence, Bologna...but now I'm wondering if I should take advantage of cheap flights and go somewhere else? I'm on a pretty tight budget but am willing to go anywhere as long as I can get to Venice by the end of June.
Any suggestions would be enormously helpful and welcome. Thank you!!!
Gwen....Paris isn't exactly the center of the world as far as discount flights are concerned, but your best start may be to go to whichbudget.com to see where discount flights out of Paris (Orly and CDG,...avoid "Beauvais" of you can) are heading to. Then you can double check from Venice (or even Milan, Florence, and Rome) to see whether there's a flight in or near your destination to get you to Italy. Personally, I would go to Spain....a wonderful country with a rich heritage and wonderful people....but that's me:)
Norm- Thank you for your suggestions. I was thinking Spain too! Only thing is that I leave on June 14th and so I don't have much time to do any research or planning and Spain strikes me as the kind of place I'd want to have somewhat mapped out. How is it price wise...compared to other European countries?
Hello Gwen. All the places that you said you are thinking of going to are good places. Go there. Nice: 3 nights (include a day trip by bus to other towns). Cinque Terre: 3 nights. Florence: 2 nights. Bologna: 2 nights. Travel in trains. Plan for a whole day for travel between cities. I recommend ride in First Class train cars in ITALY. In the day of traveling from a Cinque Tere village to Florence it is possible to visit the hill town Lucca.
Hello Ron. Thanks for your input! My only reasoning for maybe changing these plans is that I have been to all of those places before and since I will be living in Venice they will all be within reach for weekend trips. Plus, do you think I'd be able to find reasonable accommodation in CT during June (and on such short notice)?
What about Prague/Budapest? Or Croatia?
Gwen, I ditto the vote for Spain. EasyJet has a flight from CDG to Madrid for as little as 50 Euros each way.
From Madrid, you can take the train or bus to other parts, like Segovia or Toledo.
Prices depend on location...Barcelona and Madrid are somewhat expensive (not as high as Venice and Paris)...the rest of Spain is a bargin by Euro standards today...but I would reserve Spain for a trip all unto itself...since you are going from Paris to Venice...why not take advantage of that fact and stop at various places along the way....for example...Paris to Avignon...stay for a few days...Avignon to Cassis (a wonderful, relatively undiscovered town on the French Riviera) 2 days, Cassis to Nice...stay for 2 or 3 days....then on to Santa Margherita Ligure for a couple of days (a bit north of the Cinque Terre, but not as crowded)...then on to Milan for a couple of days then on to Lake Como (Varenna) and then on to Venice.
To me, two weeks is a great length of time for a first exploration of Spain. I would suggest Madrid for four days (including day trips to Segovia and Toledo), a day in Cordoba, 2-3 days in Sevilla, 2 days in Granada (to visit the Alhambra, the most popular tourist site in Spain), then up to Barcelona for a couple of days. From Barcelona, you can fly cheaply to Venice on MyAir, vueling, or Clickair, or maybe go to Rome or Florence for a day or two before training to Venice (vueling and clickair go to Rome, Meridiana to Florence). If you like the idea, book your flights first so you know you've got cheap flights in and out....then worry about the rest. Book Alhambra tickets on line ASAP, get Rick's Spain book, and look for lodgings in "hostals," a class of hotel like a pensione....clean, comfortable but cheap. Another option are Ibis and Etap hotels, part of the Accor chain, which are modern and comfortable, if basic. PM me if you need further input.
Here's a totally different plan--fly to Berlin (Air Berlin)--it's a relatively inexpensive city--easy to get around and lots to do. Then train to Prague or Budapest (5.5 hour train trip) and fly back to Venice from Prague (Sky Europe.)
On the other hand, Spain would be great as well--you won't go wrong with whatever you decide! I like your idea of exploring new destinations!
I would try skyscanner.net and find some cheap airfares. I highly reccommend going toward Eastern Europe..away from the crowds and much more bang for your buck/pound/euro.
Some of my favorite destinations are Budapest, Prague, Krakow, Eger, and Vienna (a good gateway city to the East).
I have all my friends who have been telling me that they also highly reccomend Croatia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Greece is another option, particularly if you fly to Athens and then rent a car and explore the rural Peloponnesse. I loved that and it was super cheap last year at the time you're inquring about was relatively uncrowded.
Thank you all for your comments!
So, what about flying into Barcelona from Paris and then taking a train to Cassis, Nice, CT...and then on to Venice.
Do you think it would be worth it to just go to Barcelona for a few days? I quite like the idea of sitting on the beach in Cassis for a few days...if i were to go straight from Paris, would I take a train to Nice, or is there a direct? And what about Arles?
Thanks again!
Barcelona can be done in 3 days. That's a great number of days to get a feel of the city, and to determine if you want to return. They have a hop on/hop off bus which takes you to the main attractions, like the Sacrada Familia, and the rest of Gaudi's famous places, etc.
Also if you're on a budget (as most of us are) go to hotwire.com. I've been really lucky with the 3 star and higher rooms, getting places like Sheraton and Hiltons for $89-$126 per night... that's dollars, not euros or pounds.
