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Help With Solo Italy-France Itinerary

I am a soon to be 70 year old male going on my first solo trip to Italy and France after three trips to Europe with my family. I started out with a list of things/places that I wanted to, but was not able to do with them, and it has evolved from there. I have no health problems to speak of and since it's only me instead of three there are no financial issues this time. The more I research the trip the more I find myself taking things off the "must see" list and adding something new. I have three weeks to do this, flying into Rome on 9/17 and out of Paris on 10/6, with three night stops for sure in Rome, Florence, Venice and Provence (where I have lodging arranged) and Paris. Among those the only one I have not visited is Venice. I had originally planned three nights in the Cinque Terre to hike the trails, but seeing a RS video of Milan and Lake Como has me considering going there instead of the CT, where I have been but not hiked. The one drawback to that is that I missed the June 4 deadline to get a September reservation to see the Last Supper and I'll be in France the last week of my trip in October before flying home. Does anyone know of another way to see the Last Supper other than go through their phone or web site address, and does substituting Milan and Como for the CT make sense? If I can't get in to see the Last Supper I'll probably save that are for another time. I am also considering skipping Paris and going to Burgundy and over to Mont St. Michel, neither of which I've seen. Been to parts of Normandy twice and loved it, but not to MSM. Are those two places worth skipping Paris where I've been twice, but never alone. I would appreciate any advice on these subjects. I have a France/Italy rail pass with seven rail days and have no problem renting and driving a car over there. Many thanks.

Jim

Posted by
7175 posts

You have 19 nights, so a few options for your journey ...
Rome (3) - Florence (3) -Venice (3) - Milan+Como (3) - Provence (4) - Paris (3)
Rome (3) - Florence (3) -Venice (3) - Milan+Como (3) - Burgundy (2) - Mont St Michel (2) - Paris (3)
Agencies in Milan sell tours including The Last Supper (saw it in 2012, and it's worth it). Contact your hotel choice for Milan and they will arrange for you perhaps.

Posted by
11613 posts

Try Select Italy for ticket to the Last Supper, no tour of the city included.

Posted by
553 posts

Select Italy doesn't have any tickets when I am there. Someone recommended Viator which according to info on Google was acquired by TripAdvisor. They have several 3 and 6 hour walking tours of Milan which include admission to the Last Supper.

Posted by
2455 posts

Jim, I took the Dark Rome Tours walking tour of Milan a couple of years ago, a fine tour but nothing really special, which ended with a visit to see The Last Supper. I think tickets to The Last Supper are so scarce because various tour companies snap up so many of the tickets in advance. Dark Rome us now part of, or known as, City Wonders. They are a good company conducting tours in various cities in Italy. I understand that Viator is just a middleman, booking spots on other companies tours, maybe with some mark-up, not sure about that. See darkrome.com.

Posted by
127 posts

Burgundy and MSM are not very close to each other and taking trains from one to the other may be a problem. Best you look into it now, rather than waiting until you are on your trip. MSM is incredibly crowded, so keep that in mind. It is also rare to see their massive tides, as they happen rarely. No matter what you choose, it should be fun for you.