I am planning to visit Europe for 9 days with my wife and 20 month old son.
We want to visit Paris for alt east 2 days and 7 days in Italy.
I need your advice on travel plan? And budget hotel accommodations are welcome.
26May: Arrive in Paris
27May: Paris
28, 29: Venice
30-31-1: Florence
2-3: Rome
4Jun: Fly back
Are you traveling from the US or Canada? If so, your proposed schedule doesn't really give you 2 days in Paris. It gives you one day (May 27) and some hours in a probably-sleep-deprived/jet-lagged zombiefied state on May 26. A lot of us find that it is all we can do to stay awake on our arrival day.
You don't have enough time for 4 locations. Excluding the low-value jetlagged day, you have only 8 days to work with. With that amount of time I'd pick France or Italy, not both. Or, if you must get to both countries (which means a trek to the airport for a flight to avoid wasting a full day of your vacation on a train), you could go to Paris and perhaps one city in Italy. Every time you change to a new hotel, you lose about a half a day as you get re-settled. Doing that three times in 8 days really cuts into your vacation.
And as a parent what the above poster goes double with a toddler. You never know how they will react with jet lag. We spent the first 3 nights in Hawaii with ours waking at 2 am then him needing to nap in the morning when we were ready to go. This was ok on a beach vacation but could lead to unpleasantness if you are changing hotels and on the go every couple of days.
I'd try for more time in Paris & Rome.
May
26: Arrive Paris (3)
29: Fly to Venice (2)
31: Early morning train to Florence (1)
June
1: Evening train to Rome (3)
4: Depart Rome
Skip Firenze, fly from Paris to Venezia, train from Venezia to Roma, fly out of Roma.
I agree with Zoe, Paris fly to Venice, then Roma.
We have traveled when our daughter was 10 months and again when she was 22 months. We carried her in an Osprey Poco AG plus from Rei. we loved it. she has enough room to move around. It is very comfortable to carry all day long.
I agree that you're trying to cram too many far-flung destinations into too few days. If you stick with your intended itinerary, I predict all 3 of you will end up grumpy and stressed.
In a 9-day trip you really only have 7 days on the ground. If your top priorities are (a) Paris and (b) anyplace in Italy, I would say fly to Paris, stay 3 nights, then take the train to Milan or Venice (or fly -- the train takes hours longer but you get scenery and a more European experience). Spend your remaining nights there, using a day or two for day trips to the surrounding area if you feel like it. Fly home from that city.
