We are tacking on two 2 night stays to our cruise in Italy. Long story short we will be flying from the west coast USA to London (dd is a London geek) for 4 nights, get acclimated to the time change and then hopping to Naples (for 2 nights) where hubby was born and lived till he was 3 (I still need to get the address from his mom so we can at least take a cab to see where he lived), and then the train to Rome (for two nights) before an 11 day cruise. Can't really add any more nights to the already lengthy trip. Things I would like--mid to upper end hotel, walk to shops, restaurants. Walk or easy cab/tour to sights... not even sure what we want to see at this point, my research just started. Oh and it will be early July (2018) so I assume it will be hot. Ideas for newbies to Europe with a will be 14 year old? We are experienced travelers, just not across the pond. Thanks!
lisa,
As this is your first trip to Europe, my first suggestion would be to read Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip. It provides a lot of good information on how to travel well in Europe, and the differences you'll encounter there. After that use the country or city-specific guidebooks (preferably Rick Steves books) to plan sightseeing, hotels, transportation, etc. You should be able to find the books at your local Library or larger book stores.
The guidebooks have good suggestions for hotels in each location (including prices). Also be sure to read the "caveats" concerning Taxi's as those that you'll encounter in Italy may not be what you're used to at home. The Taxis in London are excellent as the drivers have "the knowledge" and can find their way to any point in the city in the quickest time possible. One interesting point regarding "the knowledge" (from Wikipedia) - "There is evidence that training for the Knowledge can measurably alter the hippocampus of trainee cab drivers. The hippocampus is the area of the brain used for spatial memory and navigation, and is generally larger in taxi drivers than in the general population."
With your planning you'll need to keep in mind that you'll arrive in Europe the day after you depart the west coast, and will likely be jet lagged for a few days after arrival in London (that affects everyone differently but I also travel from the west coast - I've done the trip many times and jet lag is always somewhat of an issue).
There's LOTS to see in London so plan your touring carefully. You might consider easyJet from London to Naples, as they have flights (at least on the present schedules) from Gatwick, Luton and Stanstead. Booking early gets the best prices but note that the cheapest tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable. Also, with any budget airline be sure to read their Terms & Conditions carefully, especially related to luggage rules.
Good luck with your planning!
Wonderful suggestions! Thank you! Research is my favorite part of a trip.... off to get some books :)
In addition to Rick Steves' Europe Through The Back Door, the most useful book of his will be Mediterranean Cruise Ports. In addition to covering Rome and Naples, this will have information on most (but possibly not all) of the other ports you will be going to on the cruise. It will probably not have Naples hotel information (it will have some Rome hotel ideas), so you should supplement it with other books.