traveling from LAX .
A trip to Europe in June. LAX to Venice . Fly home from CDG. Trying to find a fun sight seeing itinerary to do things in between and how best to get around. To explore Italy then some of the smaller Alps towns like possibly Annecy or Chamonix, all kind of overwhelming trying to pick and choose all the options. South of France like Nice area , but wondering if it’s a Safe city and area or pick another area.
Any insight would be great .
Best
Dawn in L.A.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
6047 posts
How many nights is this trip?
We loved Nice and surrounding area
Felt perfectly safe
Posted by
871 posts
With many, many possibilities, no one could answer this. You need to do some research and post a tentative plan. You have a non stop flight to Rome, by the way.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
793 posts
Hello dlynch0104,
A couple of tips for getting the best information:
1) How much time are you planning on spending?
2) What are your interests? Museums, food, wine, natural wonders etc.
3) Are you mostly interested in small towns, big cities, amix of both?
In general trains are going to be your best bet for getting around so you should plan on that. Once you cross the alps there's probably no reason to fly since France has a really good high-speed trains that connect cities.
Nice is a big city but it is safe. Provence has many charming small towns to tour - Aix, Arles, Avignon, etc - if you tour on the train from the south of France towards Paris.
If you provide an overview of how much time you have, what you want to see and how you want to divide it up you will help others to give better advice,
=Tod
Posted by
Irving
2948 posts
There are no nonstop flights between LAX and Venice, so you’ll have to transfer once to get there. Fortunately, you can fly nonstop from Paris to LAX nonstop. Check Skyscanner and Google Flights: https://www.google.com/travel/flights to see what airline websites to book on. Check both multi-city (open jaw) and one-way flights to see which option is cheaper.
Posted by
Michigan
415 posts
We really enjoyed Chamonix and Annecy this past September. We arrived in Annecy from the south of France by train, and then took the BlaBlaBus to Chamonix - faster and cheaper than getting there by train. Chamonix was absolutely beautiful - we added another night there because we had gorgeous weather. Beautiful vistas, good hikes, soaring mountains...such a wonderful stay! Then we spent a few days in Annecy (with rain, unfortunately), and enjoyed wandering along the canals, exploring along the lakeshore, and taking a 1.5 hour boat tour around the picturesque lake. You'll be able to swim or paddleboat in June. The markets on Saturday and especially Sunday in Annecy were wonderful to explore. Since we were staying in an apartment, we were finally able to buy a rotisserie chicken and potatoes and other treats and enjoy every bit for our lunch, instead of just gazing longingly at the mouthwatering displays!
From Annecy, you can take a TGV directly back to Paris. Super convenient and comfortable.
Laurie
Posted by
Michigan
415 posts
Also, consider the Piemonte area of Italy as you make your way to France. Torino is a lovely city, and not super touristy/crowded compared to other Italian cities in the summer. We were there in July. Beautiful arcades all over town, excellent foods, and a royal palace to explore, too. The Lakes region is pretty, too - we chose Lago Maggiore and Lago d'Orta for our trip, trying to see beautiful areas without hordes of tourists. We succeeded! The Borromean islands near Stresa, and the town of Orta San Giulio and the tiny island on Lago d'Orta were special places to explore. We'd love to go back to that region with a car next time, to be able to explore more.
Laurie