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Paris to Italy - 5 weeks itinerary. We would like suggestions and comments please.

I'm planning to go with a friend in july in France and Italy. It would be our first time there and we don't want to use a car. Up to now, our itinerary would be :

Paris - 6 days
Chamonix - 2 days (or Interlaken in Switzerland?)
Milan - 2 days
Lake Como - 1 or 2 days
Venice - 3 days
Cinque Terre - 2 days
Florence - 4 days
Sienna - 1 or 2 days
Naples - 1 day, and going to Pompeii
Amalfi coast - 2 days with a day in Capri
Rome - 4 days

This represents 30 days but we would like to stay in Europe for 35 days. What would you add to our itinerary? We are open to any kind of destination. Would you change the number of days in some cities? Would you do some changes? Any suggestion or comment would be really appreciated!

Thank you!

Posted by
10344 posts

It will be hot in July in Italy. Probably hotter than you think. It's not like here where all hotels have AC, you'll want AC.
2 nights = 1 full day
1 night = only a couple of hours to see what you went to that location to see and do.

Posted by
15165 posts

Count nights in each place when you plan your trip. Two nights in a place equal one full day, three nights are two full days and so on. Travel days from hotel to hotel are largely wasted days on the transfer (pack, check out, travel, check in, unpack), therefore I like to stay at least two nights in each location because changing hotels is a time waste. Sometimes it's more efficient to visit places on day trips from a central location, rather than hopping from hotel to hotel in different cities.
My minimum night stay recommendation in your locations:
Paris: 5 nights
Chamonix: 2 nights
Milan: I never cared for Milan, but if you want to go, give the min 2 nights
Lake Como: 3 nights
Venice: 3 nights
Florence: 3 nights for Florence only, 4 nights, with one day trip to Siena. If you want to take more day trips within TUSCANY add as many nights to Florence for each day trip.
Cinque Terre: 2 nights
Naples: 2 nights, 3 if taking day trip to Pompeii from there.
Amalfi coast: 3 nights with day trip to Capri. Note that some people prefer to use Sorrento as a base and take day trips from Sorrento to Capri, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, Naples, Ischia, Procida, etc. it depends if you like large cities or smaller size resort towns.
Rome: 4 nights.
As I said these are just MY minimum stays suggestions. Add more to where you have more interest and decrease (or skip) where you have less.
Do the itinerary in the exact order I listed it.
Buy an open jaw airplane ticket with arrival to Paris CDG and return home from Rome FCO.

Posted by
10344 posts

Assuming the weather, based on averages, will get hotter as your trip progresses, one strategy would be to start in the south and move north toward (hopefully) coooler weather as the 5 weeks progresses). Might not work, but the odds are with you.

Posted by
11613 posts

Paris in late July/August is sweltering, even though it's a little north of other destinations. A hotel without air conditioning is not a good idea.

You could add a few days to France, but Roberto's suggestions are great.

Posted by
1506 posts

Agree with Roberto although we have not been to Chamonix, Milan, Lake Como or Cinque Terra. I would spend add least one night in Siena, one of our favorite towns. Maybe you can do a day trip from there instead of Florence if you are running out of nights.