Italy and Beyond?

Hi Helen, You could work your way north through Italy and then travel along the Mediterranean to Nice all by train. Fly home from Nice. However, it would be very easy to spend 2 weeks within Italy (for example: Rome, Pisa, Florence, Siena, Venice, Verona, just to name a few hot spots; fly home from Venice). Or head south from Rome and visit the Amalfi coast, Pompeii & Naples, although I wouldn't recommend visiting Naples on a first visit to Italy. If you are intent on seeing smaller towns that are only accessible by car, then consider renting a car. Having travelled through many countries in Europe, I have never rented a car and have managed to visit lots of smaller towns by train or bus. I'm sure many others on this helpline would agree that public transport makes travel much easier in some respects (no hassles re parking or driving through areas where you might get a ticket like central Florence). Plus, on the train you can get up, walk around & use the restroom, all without parking! For a first visit to Italy, I would probably fly into Rome, then fly home from Venice.

Helen, There are lots of possibilities. Are you interested in visiting more than one country or would you prefer to just explore Italy? If you could provide a bit more information, it would be helpful. Travel in July will unfortunately be hot and crowded, so pre-booking accommodations will be important. I'd suggest using public transporation as much as possible, as it will be faster and more efficient. Cheers!

IMHO public transportation stinks! Our last trip to Italy in Jan was mostly by train and we hated it. Besides worrying about our luggage, we had to keep to the trains' schedule and go where the train went. Previous trips renting a car we went where we wanted, when we wanted and if we saw something interesting on the side of the road we could pull off and check it out. There is nothing like driving through Tuscany, Val d'Aosta and The Lakes. I vote for renting a car.

I like the other post about Rome to Nice for a trip. Or perhaps with it being July start in Rome for sevearl days and then head north on a night train to switzerland for a couple days in a home base town that you can take a day hiking in the alps. After a couple days in switerzland head north again to Frankfurt Germany and spend a couple days in Germany. You won't have the heat that you will in Rome. I will have to disagree with James and I'm sure several others will follow after me. Europe and Italy has one of the most effecient train systems on the planet. You can go almost anywhere in the country by Train and or Bus. Sure there are places like the small villages of Tuscany that don't have a train and you want to drive around exploring the small villages then you need a car. If you trip will be say Rome, Pisa, Siena, Florence, Cinque Terre then you don't need a car and the trains are sufficient. They are frequent and most run every hour or couple times a hour. You don't need to stick to a train schedule, if you aren't at the station for say the 10am train, spend more time in the city and go there for the 11am train. If you are packing light there is no need to worry about your luggage as you only have 1 bag to roll or carry to the station. I just returned from 18 days there and all we did was Trains and Buses. The last thing you want driving in some cities is finding a parking spot, remembering where you parked and not driving through the ZTL zones and getting a ticket in the mail when you get home from your trip. The train stations are all in the city center or walking distance.

It isn't car or train. Depends entirely on where you want to go. IMO a car in any middle size city and up is a waste of time and money. It is useless. But if visiting the wineries in Tuscany, then it is critical. Personally, it is July I would stick to northern Europe. Rome, Italy at that time of year can be brutally hot.

I also disagree with James concerning public transportation. If you want to spend your holiday meandering around small towns in Tuscany or other places that aren't well served by public transit, then a car is beneficial. OTOH, if you'll only be visiting larger cities that do have good public transit, then travel via high speed train is the most efficient method. That's also a better use of your VERY limited two week holiday time. No car can match the speed of the Freccia or Italo trains at 300 kmH, which means you'll spend more time actually touring the places you want to see, rather than looking out the windshield wondering how long it will be until you reach your destination. BTW, does your two week time frame include your two travel days? You'll generally arrive in Europe the day after you depart and the last day will be spent on the flight home. If that's the case, you only have 12 days for touring (and the first day or two will be a blur as you wander around unfamiliar cities in a jet-lagged state). Which locations in "Europe" are you most interested in seeing? Happy planning!

I like the idea of seeing another country or two besides Italy although I realize we could easily spend the entire time there. I am quite open to anywhere that is suggested since we have not been anywhere else although the notion of following the Mediterranean around to the south of France is very appealing. I have always wished to see Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Holland but I know that those last two are a little far away and that is becoming too much. I think that we could squeeze a little more time out of our holiday than the two week allotment as I realize you lose 2 days with travel and another with being somewhat dazed. Thank you so much for your suggestions and information! It is much appreciated!

Helen, If you'd like to see Switzerland, how about visiting Lugano as a day trip from Milan? I've done it as a day trip (albeit rushed) and also squeezed in Stresa and the Borromean Islands (Isola Bella and nearby Isola dei Pescatori). I would highly recommend Isola Bella if you enjoy visiting ornate palaces and exotic gardens. You could save Stresa & the islands for a separate day trip and take more time enjoying Lugano.

Helen, A couple of possibilities..... > Rome - Cinque Terre - Nice - Paris (provides 2 locations in Italy and 2 in France - although it means a return to Paris, it's relatively easy to find flights to Canada from CDG) > Rome - Cinque Terre - Berner Oberland - Bacharach (provides 2 locations in Italy, one in Switzerland and one in Germany - very easy to get from Bacharach directly to the FRA airport, which has LOTS of flights to Canada as it's a major hub) > Rome - Florence - Verona - Munich (provides 3 locations in Italy and one in Germany - Munich is also reasonably good for flights to Canada, but may require a short layover in Frankfurt) One important point - Switzerland is expensive, so budget accordingly. With only two weeks, limiting your trip to three destinations would provide more time in each. Be sure to allow adequate time for transportation between the places you'll be visiting. Getting to Belgium or the Netherlands is possible if you use a budget flight. You'll likely need at least two flights in each direction, so booking code share flights is the best method. That way your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. When you've decided on which places to visit, it would be a good idea to have a look at Guidebooks for your destinations. Those will provide lots of information on hotels, restaurants, transportation, etc. and will allow you to plan touring carefully so that you don't waste ANY time. There are many possibilities and these are only a few suggestions. Happy planning!

You can see almost any combination of countries, as long as you have the budget for flights and/or the time to take long train rides. But some combinations are easier/cheaper than others. For instance, if no budget flight connects your destinations, or if the flights involve connections, you may want to choose a different itinerary. And some love overnight trains, but many others say "never again."

You also have to accept that travel time is finite; if you spend a week in Belgium and the Netherlands, that only leaves a week for Italy.

As you play around with your wish list, you can use the Bahn website to get train schedules for all of Europe, following Rick's tutorial here. And you can use Skyscanner to find flight information; remember that many flights are not daily, and many are seasonal (not usually a problem in July, as that's high season for lots of places). For estimated driving times and costs, look at Via Michelin, although I've read multiple complaints that these times are optimistic.