Hello all - my husband and I are planning a 10th anniversary trip to Europe in September. We fly into Paris and out of Venice; a total of 14 nights. We have been to Paris several times (thinking of staying in Versailles) and are looking more for recommendations on the way to Venice. Toying with Lyon-Milan-Venice or Geneva-Lake Como (Bellagio)-Venice or any combo thereof. It's our 10th anniversary, so while we hav a budget, we are willing to splurge a little. Thank you!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32767 posts
driving, flying or on the train?
Posted by
Florida
45 posts
Why not swing down to Povence and the French Riviera? You could easily spend a week there (and more). Cinque Terre and Como are on the way to Venice too once you are in the South of France.
Plan B would be to go to Switzerland and see and hike the high Alps. I recommend Wengen or Murren as a great place to spend 3-5 days.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks for the quick responses! We are traveling by train. We did Provence in summer 2019 ( HOT, yet AMAZING!!) so want to make this a Paris & Northern Italy based trip. Will save cinque terre for another, as well as the Dolomites. We will start on Paris, then onto Lyon or Geneva. We want to do Milan (to stay or as a side trip while staying in Lake Como/Bellagio) before heading to Venice. Side trips to Turin, Genoa, Verona (or home bases?) are in the cards. Looking for best home bases to stay 3, 4, or 5 nights with this itinerary. Thought? Questions? Thank you!
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7292 posts
Hi, I’ll post my past trip reports that cover one of the routes you’re considering for ideas:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/3-weeks-in-italy-france-italian-locations
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/3-weeks-in-italy-france-french-locations
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7292 posts
Have you been to Chartres? That could be an option instead of Versailles. If so, don’t miss this in the evening! Chartres had one of my favorite night shows.
Posted by
Irving
2956 posts
Hi dmn, what about sleeping in Nice and exploring the French Riviera? It’s a nice place to be in Sep. You can take a train from Versailles Château Rive Gauche to Paris Austerlitz RER and follow the signs to Paris Gare de Lyon and catch the next train to Nice Ville (7h 15m). Good day trip options by a direct train are Villefranche-sur-Mer (15m), Monaco-Monte-Carlo (30m) and Antibes (30m)
From Nice Ville take a train to Ventigmiglia, IT and transfer to get to Milano Centrale. From Milan you can take a direct train to Varenna-Esino (Lake Como) and sleep in Varenna, total time takes 8h.
One of my favorite treats at the Milano Centrale is the arancini. They put them in a brown paper bag and you can see the grease on the bag and it’s worth every bite. Good day trip options from Varenna are Bellagio (15m ferry ride) and Milan (1h 15m).
To get to Venice Santa Lucia, you’ll need to switch trains in Milano Centrale that will take a total of 4h 45m.