I have always wanted to take my two children to Europe before they graduated from high school. I am a few years late, because they are both in college, but we are planning on going next summer, probably at the end of June. We want to go to London, Paris, and Rome exclusively with the idea of going back to see other locations on subsequent trips. Which city should we fly to first, and what is the best mode of transportation to get from city to city? We have friends to take us around in London and Paris, but are on our own in Rome. Also, any ideas for very inexpensive hotels in each location?
Thank you! I really enjoy reading all your posts.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
I would suggest flying into Rome and out of London for one reason only. Weather. As you go north from Rome, it's possible the weather could get a bit warmer. You really don't want to be in Rome in July. For transportation, I would suggest flying to Paris from Rome to avoid a 12-14hr train ride. Or, if you are OK on a night train, there is the new Thello that will put you on a high-speed day train to Milan at 7:15pm, transfer you to the night train which departs at 11:38pm and arrives in Paris at 9:29am. Not bad. If you book 90 days early, you could get some really nice fares. Here's a LINK to more information on the Thello train. For your journey from Paris to London, you could take the nice Eurostar train under the channel. Again, if you can book 90 days early, you can get some great fares. Good planning early will save you money.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10244 posts
Normally I would suggest the opposite of what Larry suggested, but he's right about the weather. Be sure to get A/C in Rome! On the otherhand, you are used to the heat living in Folsom. Why I like the London-Paris-Rome route is that you start off gently in an English speaking country. You have friends that can help guide you there. Traveling to Paris is a breeze from London on the Eurostar as Larry suggested. Again, you will have your friends to guide you there. Of all the places I've traveled, I found Rome to be the most difficult. It's noisy, crowded and chaotic. I started my trip to Italy there and after 3 days was happy to leave the chaos. But...we were tired from the journey. I think I may have felt better about it in a more rested state. If you save Rome for last you will feel more comfortable navigating the city on your own with some European travel experience under your belt. We have monthly Helpline travel meetings on the 3rd Saturday of each month in Sacramento. Feel free to join us and pick our brains regarding your trip. Larry knows all about the trains and would be a big help with that. I'm pretty sure that all the "regulars" have been to the places you're going and are happy to help. The meeting information is posted under General Europe about 7-10 days before we meet.
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3049 posts
One thing I would caution is being from the Central Valley probably won't prepare you for the heat in Rome for two reasons: it's more humid than that dry valley heat, and there's far less A/C available (this is true in Europe in general) so it's harder to get relief. That said, with friends to show you around London and Paris, it might make more sense to "ease" into the trip by starting in London, just as long as you are prepared for the idea that Rome may be hot hot hot (and it could be just as hot in June as in July anyway). Then again, Paris might also be hot - we encountered a crazy heat wave on my second trip there, and we'd tried to save money so we got a room without A/C. Won't be doing that in most places in Europe in summer ever again, even if most of the time you don't need it.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
It's harder to predict weather every year. For the language and friends factor, I would start with London, train to Paris, and fly to Rome if you can. Rome can be boiling hot in summer, but there was a 5-day "cool snap" last month (mid-July), so there's no way to tell.