First timer with daughters to France/Italy - need help please!

I'm not going to be too helpful, but I am a bit confused about the idea of possibly flying into Spain and then going on holiday in the French or Italian riviera with only 7 days in mind. I can't imagine flying into Spain and then ground transporting to who knows where, Marseille or Toulon, etc. (?), would be that efficient or that inexpensive. And forget about flying into Spain then travelling to Italy by ground transport because of the distance and limited time you have.

I'm sure someone with experience on the forum can provide ideas of what to explore in southern France and Italy for 7 days. Good luck!

Nice is the transportation hub for the French Riviera, so it would be a practical base. I can't tell you how significant closures might be in the smaller towns because I visited the area in May 2017. I know that some secondary sights in the area (not necessarily in Nice itself) go to 4- or 5-day weeks in the winter. Note that it takes over 6-1/2 hours to get to Nice from Paris-CDG by train. Last-minute rail tickets are likely to be quite expensive because of the distance, and it can be challenging to figure out a safe departure time for a train when you can't be sure your flight will arrive on schedule.

You'd have plenty to do, and it would likely to be a good bit warmer, in southern Spain (Seville/Cordoba), but the highlight cities there are not on the coast.

Barcelona should also be OK, weather-wise, at that time of year. On average, it's warmer than Nice and gets less rainfall. However, it is an extremely popular city, and I cannot promise you no crowds.

For a one-week trip I'd be looking for places I could reach easily via a flight and a short train ride.

Hello 326mariana, and welcome to the boards,

Seven days is a very short window and I would concentrate on flying into and out of the area you wish to visit - even if it is more expensive. You will lose at least part of a day traveling from where you land going to what you actually want to see and then spend it again reversing that travel to fly out. With so few days I think the money will be well worth the cost of one of your limited days. I would write down the number of nights you actually have, count the days that remain with flying and out and choose based off that information.

Seven nights means a maximum of six days on the ground so plan carefully to maximize your time. From your description it sounds like Nice would fit the bill adding maybe Antibes and Saint-Paul-de-Vence or other surrounding areas. The airport is close to the city and it is manageable by public transportation.

Whatever you decide have a great trip,
=Tod

Park somewhere and explore/enjoy it. Don't run yourself ragged.

We just know we want to be in Europe at this time and want to experience a slower pace trip (not fighting crowds).

Hi and welcome! You've already gotten some good advice and I wanted to add a word of caution about crowds over NYE and I'm assuming the week after NY? Most of Europe has that week off & almost all the schools are closed. We've been to Rome for NYE and leading up to that day, it was jammed, I suspect Nice will also be crowded. So absolutely not a bad thing, in fact we will probably be back in Rome again over the same holiday time, just wanted to make you aware this is a big holiday time! Make dinner reservations for NYE & NY day would be a good idea. Coming back to flights, I would consider just flying into Nice, even RT via Paris, rather than trains because, hey holidays, they will be very crowded. Or Madrid with a train to Cordoba or Sevilla. And enjoy, it's still a great idea!! Have you read any guide books on the area? Watch some RS videos, always worthwhile.

I've never traveled to Europe (or Italy) in January, but if you're interested in the coast of Italy, than personally I like Sorrento. You can fly into Rome and train down (more travel time but more flights into/out of Rome than Naples) or Naples and take the coastal train or ferry to Sorrento. I have only been there in June which was perfect weather-wise for me, but what's nice is you'd have access to Pompeii, to Caserta (gorgeous palace with marble stairway used in Star Wars film, amazing gardens), or south to Amalfi or Capri Island. There's so much to see and do around there, I spent 3 nights in Sorrento and loved every minute, including taking an afternoon bus to Positano and having dinner above the town). If I go back I will likely stay in Sorrento again and make a point to see Ravello as well. You'll have to do some research as far as weather and what you want to see, but it may be less cold than the south of France. Good luck! --Kathleen

You should fly to the place where you plan to stay. If you want to spend your week on the French Riviera (Côte D’Azur), you should fly to Nice, not Spain, which looks close on a map but it’s not that close.

If you are looking for nice places to spend NYE that are not too cold, the Mediterranean cities are your best bet.

Nice, Barcelona, Rome, Naples, Athens, Lisbon, Porto, just to name a few, are great places with airports that are large enough to have several flight options. Barcelona and Rome, I believe, have non stop flights from DFW (not sure if operating in winter).