New Traveler Needs Help With Itinerary

Rainie - You've got a lot of questions packed into a short entry. First of all, how exciting this must be for you and your friends! Lots of folks here will have answers to parts of your questions. You might try breaking them down into one or two at a time - you'll get good help here. Just the basic answers for my part - for apartments, try vrbo.com for Paris and Rome. Flying from Paris to Venice makes sense. Train from Venice to Rome. Good luck!

Surprisingly, the most user friendly site for train schedules for all countries is the German rail site, the Deutsche Bahn site. To get there, go here, http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/links_menu.htm and then look (on the right side) for the link to Deutsche Bahn. The official Trenitalia site is more challenging to navigate; and you can't purchase advance tickets on Trenitalia (it's a long story), people here usually wait until they get to Italy to buy tickets at the train stations there.

Day trip from Rome to Naples? Not Pompeii? Just trying to get your thinking on that.

Yes Pompeii. I am wondering if I have enough days in Rome to include a day trip to Pompeii, a day trip to Florence and a day trip to Pisa.

Sounds like a fun girls trip. If Florence is on your list of cities to see, I would stop there on your way to Rome. This way you would avoid backtracking from Rome. Another side trip from Rome could be the quaint hilltown of Orvieto. Have fun!

Rainie, As this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend pre-reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door. That will provide a lot of information in planning your trip. Pay careful attention to the "Rail Skills" chapter. You may enjoy watching This short video. A few comments on your proposed Itinerary.... As mentioned in a previous reply, I'd suggest stopping in Florence on the way from Venice to Rome, as it's "on the way". At least two nights in Florence would be good, depending on what you want to see. Given the day trips you want to take while in Rome, you might consider dropping a few days from Paris and adding them to Rome (keeping in mind that you may have to allocate a few days to Florence). You may also want to have a look at other locations to visit, such as Orvieto (an easy trip from Rome) or Siena. While it is possible to visit Pompeii as a day trip from Rome, but it will be a LONG day. Hiring a Guide for Pompeii will make the visit much more interesting. Check your local bookstores or Library for Guidebooks that cover the areas you'll be visiting, as they will provide a lot of information on reliable Hotels, good restaurants, transportation and sightseeing information. Good luck with your planning!

Why am I always agreeing with Ken? Ten days is a little long for Paris given what you want to do later. Trains are very easy to use, run frequently, generally from city center to city center. No arrival early, no or very minor security check, no 3 oz bags, comfortable seating -- 2nd class is equal to business class on an US airline. My preferred way to travel even if a bit more expensive. Advance reservations for trains are not needed BUT can save some money on certain trains. The train ride to Venice is long so you should consider air. When putting your trip together look at a three leg trip. US/Paris - Paris'Venice -- Rome/US. You might be surprise at that price. Discount airlines get a lot of hype especially on this site but have some severe drawbacks - airport location and cost/convenience of getting there, restrictions on luggage and others fees for check-in, checked luggage, etc. Discount airlines work well for some people and not so well for others. Use your extra days at Florence. And then to Rome and home

I agree, I'd allow 7-8 days in Paris and add the days to one of your Italian destinations. For apartments in Paris, I've had good success with Vacation in Paris.

Hi Rainie. I agree with the others about spending at least 2 nights in Florence (via train from Venice to Rome). While the distance from Rome makes it doable as a day trip, the city is so rich with art, architecture, and spectacular views that it would be a shame not to spend as many days there as possible. As for flights from Paris to Europe, both easyJet (http://www.easyjet.com) and RyanAir (http://www.ryanair.com/en) provide service.

For first timers like me this is wonderful information. We (the girls) are very excited. A little background info: we are all high school friends, went to college, 2 of the 6 studied art, made a promise to go to Paris together, got married, raised kids, we're all in our mid-50's .....now we have the time and the money to do it. Better late than never. From the comments I have received thus far, we are making some adjustments to our itinerary: We have 3 weeks as follows: Renting an apartment in Paris for 7 days. Fly to Venice for 3 days. Take the train to Florence for 3 days. Take the train to Rome for 8 days. Any additional suggestions are welcome. Thank you.

Hi Rainie, Your new itinerary now has a better balance, I think. Since you have lots of time in Rome, I would like to suggest that you take one day and night and visit Orvieto on your way to Rome. The art by Signorello (sp.) in the Duomo and the church itsef is magnificent. The atmosphere of this small, walkable hilltown is not to be missed. Ciao, Sherry

I like your revised itinerary. What time of year are you going? If you are going to the Uffizi Museum in Florence, you might want to make reservations ahead of time, online. Rick Steves' tour books have lots of info for making these reservations. It's wonderful that you girls are still in contact with each other after all those year. Have fun making lifetime memories on your trip!

One of your follow up questions not yet addressed: "I am wondering if I have enough days in Rome to include a day trip to Pompeii, a day trip to Florence and a day trip to Pisa." Those day trips will take 3 full days out of your total 8 days in Rome. As already mentioned, Pompeii is done by some as a day trip but it's a long day trip. And Rome to Florence is commonly done as a day trip by those who don't want to sleep in Florence and who think part of a day will be enough for them. However, about Rome to Pisa as a day trip, I wonder whether people here think a day trip from Rome to Pisa is the best day trip? It's a matter of personal preference but involves thinking about going all that way to see what many (not all) think of as basically a one-sight destination (the Leaning Tower) versus the total travel time (and expense). Many posting here see Pisa as, basically, a one-sight destination. If they're in the area anyway, or passing through (CT to Florence, for example), it makes sense. But to go all the way from Rome, just for Pisa, is something you'll have to decide. The 2.5 to 3 hr train ride (one way) is misleading because it's only the station to station time from Rome to Pisa, and doesn't include getting from the Pisa train station to the Leaning Tower area and back (a bus ride, or faster by taxi); and also doesn't include the time to get to the Rome and Pisa train stations, wait for the trains, etc. Spending 8 hours of a day looking at the inside of train stations and trains.... Alternative popular day trips from Rome (in addition to Florence and Pompeii) are Tivoli, Ostia Antica, and Orvieto.

I've never taken the train from Paris to Venice so I can't honestly say how long it is but you should take a look. I went from Venice to Vienna once and it was nine hours so I took a night train. If you have six people you'll be likely to get a couchette all to yourselves which is best. If it's a mixed group they pull down the beds as soon as you leave and you can either go to sleep right away, hang around in the aisle, or spend money in the dining car. I haven't done a night train in years so it may be different, I'd suggest the private rooms if you are willing to pay for them. I just made a rough measure with finger on my globe and I'm guessing that unless there's a high speed train that's gonna be a long one. I did fourteen hours from Budapest to Zurich once and would not want to do so again (I was young and stupid and now... I'm not so young.) I would say cut off a little time where you think you can and take a day or so in a city in South France so you don't have such a hugh trek all at once. People don't realize that most these countries aren't small . I used to do long rides but I now keep it to pretty localized places. I'd say either do it like that or find a flight from Paris to Venice.

Rainie, you don't mention what your plans for lodging are in Venice or Rome (I have not experience in Florence to offer so others will have to fill in). Apartments will serve you very well and probably save money over even double-occupancy rooms in hotels or B&Bs. There are many options and I encourage you to look at apartments on both Trip Advisor and Venere.com. What a fun time you will have! It's good to be old (er) and have money!

Rainie, A few additional comments..... In planning your time, be sure to allow for the travel days at the beginning and end of your trip. Travelling to Europe (especially from the west coast), you'll arrive the day after you departed and the last day will be spent on the trip home. Therefore, you'll only have 19-days for actual touring. Regarding travel from Paris to Venice, you have two choices. The shortest rail trip I could find was 9H:58M, with one change in Milan (reservations compulsory). The other choice is via budget airline. One possibility is EasyJet from CDG to VCE. While the flight is relatively short (~1H:40M), the actual travel time will probably be about six hours including travel to and from the airports, check-in, security and waiting times. Budget airlines will likely be less expensive, but that will depend on when you book (prices sometimes increase as the flight fills). When booking with the budget airlines, be sure to read their Terms & Conditions carefully so that you have a clear idea on these! One other point to note is that normally only ONE carry-on item is allowed. That doesn't mean one item plus a "personal item" like a Purse - it means ONE item only! Finally, some of the Euro airlines don't accomodate seating preferences ( RyanAir is one example), so your group may not be seated together on the flight. For your other trips (Venice-Florence & Florence-Rome), check The Trenitalia Website as they often show prices. Note that schedules are only posted a few months in advance, so those in effect at the time of your trip won't be on the site yet. I definitely agree with the advice that Kent posted - a day trip to Pisa from Rome is NOT worth the effort! Cheers!

In 09 we flew in through Paris and out through Venice. We had the Paris - Venice problem. By train you're basically looking at a long train ride. Overnight. I would look at the flights from Paris - Venice. Sometimes the flights are expensive but sometimes quite cheap. Also look at the time. A lot of the flights have long layovers in places like Dublin or Prague. So you might work in a day at someplace interesting. We also looked at flights from neighboring cities like Brussels. What worked for us; Paris - Venice. Was to take the train to Brussels then to Brugge. Spent a few days. Grabbed the train back to Brussels and the airport in the morning. Took an early afternoon direct $99 flight to Venice. Arriving about 3:00. Have fun. Loved Paris and Venice. My 2 favorite places. Also love Florence and Rome.

Rainie, your revised itinerary looks good. I suggest (along with the others) that you definitely visit Orvieto; it's a nice day trip from Rome. I also think Pompeii will be too long of a day trip and I would suggest leaving it for a different trip to include the Amalfi Coast (Sorrento, Positano, etc.). You might consider Ostia Antica instead. It's an easy day trip from Rome & I believe Rick has an mp3 audio tour for it now. You might also consider visiting Tivoli as a day trip from Rome (Ville d'Este &/or Hadrian's Villa). When you're in Florence, I would definitely take a day trip to Siena; you can easily get there by train (& then you'll have to take a taxi into the walled city). For the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, you should reserve your tickets on-line ahead of time. Have you already identified an apartment in Rome? If not, look at Palazzo Olivia apartments (we stayed there in '09 & as the reviews on Trip Advisor indicate, the apartments are great as is the location). I also use the De Bahn web site to look at train schedules but you don't need to purchase your tickets ahead of time; buy them there & as others have said, first class is not worth the extra money. Have a great trip.

I had not fully thought about the trip to Pisa from Rome. I believe our time may be better spent where we have multiple things to see and do. I like the suggestions for Orvieto, Siena or Tivoli a side trips. In answer to some of your questions: We are planning to go in the late summer/early fall.
We have not located lodging for Venice, Florence or Rome. We are considering a house instead of an apartment as our home base (as there are 6 of us). We would like an area that has restaurants or a market. I plan to check websites like paristays.com or parisattitude.com. I have had some experience with vrbo.com. I am hoping we can find a nice place for the entire group.

Add: http://www.venere.com/hotels/italy/?ref=9115
To your list of hotel web sites to look at. Rick has great suggestions if you don't want to spent too much time looking. He's done the leg work and thats why you buy the guides. We look on Venere and then also apply the RS discounts if they are available. You will break even or slightly better with rail passes as opposed to Point to Point with your trip: A rare example whereby rail passes work. They usually don't work, but your trip from Paris makes all the difference.

You are so lucky to be able to travel with people who have studied art. Their knowledge will add alot to the trip. I envy you!

For Pisa I would suggest taking the train to Pisa from Florence, leave your bags at the train station (they will keep them safe) see the fun stuff (it's not that long and I'd say reserve a time for the tower) and then head back to the train station, pick up the bags, and head off to Rome. You should be there in time for a late dinner. Then you get a good night's sleep in Rome and can get a good early start!