We have one week and would like to visit the Italian Lakes and the South of France.
Traveling with two teenage daughters 18 and 16. Originally planned two weeks to include Spain but now spending one week in Greece and will leave Spain for a separate trip.
Looking for recommendations on best itineraries.
Thank you
Sherri
We do not have flights booked yet so are open to suggestions. Currently thinking of Greece first then flying from Athens to Milan ? But open to suggestions.
Two weeks total?
If so, spend it all in Greece. Or in The Italian Lakes. Or the South of France. Such different cultures and languages that it will be a total blur if you mix them.
While I won't go as far as saying "spend both weeks in one country", one week is good for the Italian Lakes OR Provence/Riviera, but definitely not both. Connections between the two regions are awkward: basically a full day by train, and few flights.
This is vastly different from your previous post, although similarly overactive, in my opinion. The two destinations are very different and both are dependent on particular seasons - southern France is not a good choice in mid summer, and the lakes are a poor choice for early spring or late autumn. As another post suggests, the travel between them is a limiting factor. Research specific cities/towns in each area to decide which destination is best for you.
If I had two weeks available and wanted to include Greece in the trip, I would absolutely spend all the time in Greece. Transportation in Greece is usually rather slow, involving mostly flights (time in airports and time getting to and from airports), boats, buses, and not-fast trains. A week is really not enough time there.
One week ... either the South of France OR the Italian Lakes. There is no easy way to get from one to the other . It would take one of your days to travel between the two.
I would also spend the two weeks in Greece, but if you must break up your trip, I would also choose one destination (or two that are closer together, more efficient use of time).
Pick one place and do day trips from it. You have three separate trips here. There is much to see in each place and you will spend too much time trying to get from on place to another unless you fly from one to the other. Driving there takes more time than in the states. I have done walking tours in the English Lake District and Washington State. In The south of France you can get to many towns by train from Nice. Spain was a two week stay in three places and day tours from each. You will have more fun if you pick one place.
We visited the French Riviera (Cap Ferrat, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Nice) a couple years back, and Lake Como this past month. I am a huge fan of blue water next to mountains and both locations are breathtaking. Can't go wrong with either, just depends on what you want to do. Keep in mind that as others said, the roads are not easy or fast. The tradeoff for spectacular nature is narrow, windy, tourist clogged roads.
For either destination, you should get on a boat. On the lakes, the 40 HPs that any adult can rent without restriction are good and speedy and you can see a lot. On the sea, you can also rent the 40 HPs, but the seas are rougher and the ride can be sickness-inducing for some passengers. My wife and I were fine with it, but our 25-year-old daughter got very queasy and had to cut her time short.
Lake Como temps are brisk even in summer, but not chilly. The sea is even warmer, and with the bonus of plenty of fish to see with your snorkel because rocky shores and pebble beaches mean much clearer water than sand beaches we're more used to. The fish aren't as pretty as in the tropics, but they're still cool.
