My husband and I are vacationing with family this summer. We will be in Burgundy France for week of Aug 1 to 8, then would like to fit in trips of 1 week each to Cinque Terre region of Italy as well as 1 week in Kent county region of England. Then we will return to Normandy/Brittany area of France to rejoin our family. Is it easier to get from Burgundy to Cinque Terre then on to England and back to France OR from Burgundy to England to Cinque Terre and back to France? We really would like to avoid driving, but can't figure out the other modes of transportation. Trying to make the most of our time AND money.
Thanks for any help you can give!
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Whichever you do, look into flights to connect England and Italy. The hardest part of your trip is the connection between Burgundy, in eastern France, and the Italian Riviera. The rail connections are not good and there are mountains in between.
Air might also be your best option for that leg, figuring Milan or Pisa to or from Paris or Basil.
One offbeat option: There is a night train from Dijon to Milan.
If none of these appeal to you, perhaps take a day from Burgundy and stay at some intermediate point, perhaps in Switzerland, Provence, or the Cote d'Azure. You'll break that long trip into something more manageable.
Posted by
OP
16 posts
Thanks for your advice Adam. We would like to look in to the night train from Dijon to Milan and the flight from Italy to England. Could you recommend websites to research the schedules and prices?
Posted by
Green Bay
20238 posts
www.thello.com for night trains Dijon-Milan.
Posted by
California 🦋
5226 posts
Wayne,
A good website to explore all your travel options is this one: http://www.rome2rio.com
Click on the mode of transportation (bus, train, plane) icon & this will show you the travel route ( & map) & the agency for schedules & booking.
Sam has given you great advise & I'd echo his suggestion by also recommending that you fly from France/England to Italy & vice versa.
The order of travel is really up to you. England is closer to France but since you will be traveling to Italy as well, whichever order you choose will work out.
If your first destination in Italy will be CT, I'd fly into Pisa then take train to CT from there. If you plan to visit Florence, then fly into Florence then travel to CT via train.
You may find inexpensive flights within Europe by using this website: http://www.skyscanner.com
Have a wonderful trip!
EDIT: It looks like Sam decided to delete/edit his post...
Posted by
1 posts
Tools to rely on
Blogs:
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Posted by
Vancouver, BC
220 posts
Is Burgundy, Cinque Terre, Normandy, Kent possible?
It seems to be that Cinque Terre is shoehorning into this itinerary. It is a special place - less special since RS told everyone about it *- but it makes more sense to see it as part of a trip to Italy than a trip to two different far away regions in France and southern England.
- funny, interesting article in the New York Times a few years ago. Google the New York Times and "Rick Steves must be stopped."
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
wayne,
A few thoughts on your travel plans......
- I haven't checked on the best travel methods from Burgundy to the Cinque Terre, but the night train sounds like it might work. Once you arrive in Milan, you'd still have to get to the Cinque Terre. There are some direct trains from Milano Centrale to Monterosso and that would be the quickest method.
- You'll have to decide which of the five C.T. towns you want to stay in.
- At this late date, you may have trouble finding accommodations in the C.T. August will be BUSY, HOT and CROWDED in that area. I'd suggest looking first in Monterosso as it's the largest of the five towns, and therefore has the greatest number of hotels and other facilities. If you can't find anything in the five towns you could also look in Levanto, which is only about five minutes by train from Monterosso.
- You can find a list of lodgings in all of the five towns using the RS Italy guidebook. If you don't have the guidebook and need suggestions, post another note.
- One of the easiest methods to travel from the Cinque Terre to England will be to take the train to Pisa and then connect with a flight there. For example, easyJet operates flights out of Pisa to London Gatwick and Luton. Check their website for details and prices.
- To return to the Normandy / Brittany area from London, you could use the EuroStar to Paris, and then connect at Gare St. Lazare with trains to Normandy. Check the excellent http://seat61.com/ website for details on booking. Note that the cheapest tickets are non-refundable once booked and you MUST check-in for EuroStar departure AT LEAST 30 minutes prior to travel.
The "fine details" would still need to be worked out, but the above comments provide a few ideas.
Good luck with your planning!
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Paris is your gateway for all of France really. Lyon to a far lesser extent.
Train Burgundy - Paris
Eurostar to London for Kent
Fly London to Pisa for CT
Fly Pisa - Lyon or Paris