Novice Traveler-Need suggestions for big 1st Europe Trip!

Lots of suggestions at my personal blog:
http://gadtravel.blogspot.com/

Hi C; you'll be hard pressed on the first trip to 'do' Italy/Greece/France in two weeks. You've got lots of time to plan and my first recommendation would be to pick up a copy of RSteves "Europe Through the Back Door". Should be able to get a used copy at your library and it's not really important that it's the current version.

Rick'll give you great planning, itinerary, geography, generic information that you can expand on as your planning moves forward. It ain't the Bible but it's not bad for a first timer. Rick has a travel philosophy and writing style that makes this particular book stand out; but he's kind of unique and I say that in the most positive way. You just may not wish to travel 'his' way, but you'll not go too far wrong if you do.

ETTBD will lead you to many other information sources, including this website, but don't miss "Trip Advisor Forums", which I prefer to this helpline. You have so many more options on 'TA Forums' and many more 'locals' who are regular contributers. And if I want to know about Rome, I'd prefer my advice come from a Roman.

I'm not a 'cruiser' so can't speak to that method of discovering Europe for the first time. And I can't imagine that would be the way to do the first trip. Guaranteed you'll have fun and don't be afraid of the language, geography, custom issues that might turn some folks away from a self-guided tour.

With lots of planning you'll have a blast. BTW, I'm a WW2 history buff too and my last 3 trips (and one coming up in September) are directly related to that interest; give hubby some leeway.

I agree with the suggestion to get a copy of Europe through the Back Door. You local library should have copies of Rick's shows, too--the older ones especially have lots of travel skills tips (or if you have DVR, search for them). These shows are also great for deciding where you want to go--rent the Italy, France and Greece episodes. With 2 weeks, pick one or two countries at most.

I know some people love cruises (though I know more who don't)--but keep in mind with a cruise, you aren't really traveling in X country. You are given a certain amount of time in port and will probably have just enough time to see the main sights at any given stop, but you won't have time to really soak up the culture, ambiance, take leisurely walks at night, etc...I mean, do you really want to go to Italy but only spend 6 hours in Venice then go back onboard and eat cruise ship food for dinner???

Does the two week time frame include the air time to and from Europe? Also, take into consideration travel time. Also, remember that jet lag is real.You are going to be tired for a few days. Greece is not all that easy to get to. I think you would be happier to use less time going from one place to another. I think you will enjoy seeing more of fewer places. Rick Steves books will certainly help you out. Enjoy the planning. That is almost as much fun as the trip. We leave for Italy and Switzerland in a month. It is fun to have all the planning come to fruition.

Id agree - Europe through the Back Door is a must for a quick overview and details inside. Rick has spent a lot of time over 25 yrs outlining it for various agendas 1=2=3 week etc. Its really a great way to get an idea - then come back with more specific questions. Keep in mind tho - you want to stay a few days in areas and do side trips - or else you might as well do a 3-city a day bus tour! :)

Venice 2 days i will let others plan the rest of your trip

I have done both cruising a land tour. Both wonderful for different reasons. Cruising is nice for a first time out to see where you would REALLY like to return to. Frustrating, though, in the sense that you get a little taste of the culture and have to return to the ship, which feels very American. I never wanted to to return to the ship. But it is great in that you can see SO MUCH in such a short time with bare minimum effort. Cruising is quite expensive in Europe, however, because you are essentially paying for a 4 star room with all the amenities and STILL are buying things in your ports of call. And the excursions are costly! About 85 dollars for a half day tour and 200 on up for guided ones, which are absolutely essential for ports like Rome and Florence which require quite a long bus ride from the waterside into the city. I think like 2 to 3 hours each way, if memory serves. So cruising is exhausting in that pretty much every day in port you meet your tour approx 6:30 am and return approx 8:00 pm. I would absolutely reccommend a cruise tour so you get a little more culture. I'd pick a cruise starting from Venice or Rome or Barcelona and stay 2 to 3 nights on one or both ends. That would help tremendously. Also, if WWII you are thinking of the Normandy beaches, the cruises are rather limited on that port of call. I would recommend three weeks or cutting out either France or Greece for the two weeks. Maybe fly to Athens. Athens-Santorini-Rome-Florence-Venice. Fly out of Venice. Or continue on overnight train from Venice-Nice,France-Paris-Normandy region and fly home from Paris. Just some thoughts.

My husband and I have traveled to Europe 7 times for a month each trip. We really rely on Rick Steves books. Last summer we stayed a week in Florence, Italy and took day trips into Tuscany. Wonderful! We then went to Arles, France for 5 nights - another great small town who seem to love Americans. There is a WWII monument honoring some flyers who crashed there. It is also a Roman settlement with lots of Roman ruins. We also did day trips out of Arles.
We stayed in Annecy for 5 nights ( it is a small Venice with a lake, canals, swans, mountains) and then on to Chamonix for 5 nights. Wherever you go take Rick's books. You cannot go wrong!

We just took our first cruise and loved the days at sea, but found the days in port in European cities exhausting. You really don't get a true feeling for the places you visit when you only have a couple of hours. I personally wouldn't recommend that method.

I would recommend that you pick one place and spend your entire two weeks there. We've spent a good deal of time in all three countries you mentioned and loved all of them. We did find that France has become really expensive when we were there last month, compared to our last visit 5 years ago.

For a special experience I'd recommend Greece -- fly into Athens and maybe direct to Santorini, visit another island or two, and spend some time on the mainland. Look at Matt Barrett's site (www.greektravel.com) and see what appeals to you. The islands start shutting down in October but the larger islands will have some hotels/restaurants and no crowds. Ferries are less frequent then too, so allow for that.

Of course Italy is amazing too. Venice, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast. Even if you do just Italy be careful not to try to see the whole thing in two weeks. Slow down and enjoy -- just keep telling yourselves that you'll be back.

Have fun planning!