Big Cities

You should do some research and make lists of the things in/near these cities that YOU want to see and then plan out how long it will take you to do it. There are some people who would to spend whole, or several, days in museums and others who wouldn't go at all.

Do you have guide books for those three cities yet? If so, great. If not, I would suggest you get some as soon as possible as they we make you planning much easier. I would also highly recommend that you get Rick Steves' "Europe thru the Back Door" book and read it twice since this is your first trip to Europe. It contains lots of very useful information for anyone thinking of traveling to Europe as well as all of the good and bad.
I have spent time in all three of the cities you mention and would say that you should be prepared for the higher prices in both London and Paris. You could get a RS guide book for each of these cities and order them elsewhere on this web site if that is your choosing. Happy travels

I think London and Paris will each keep you busy for at least 8-9 days, with or without day trips beyond. No problem there. I haven't been to Barcelona, but from what I've heard 8-9 days might be a bit long to stay there. No doubt someone will post about all the wonderful things to do in and around Barcelona to keep you occupied for WEEKS. ;) I'd suggest looking at RS and/or other guidebooks for all three cities and noting the sights and daytrips that would interest you. Most guidebooks give you an idea how much time to allow at each place, you might vary depending on your own interests. Add them up, throw in some additional time for strolling, people-watching, laundry, first-day jetlag, rainy day, etc. If you're sort of average middle age adults without mobility issues or excess energy, figure a couple of "big" sites each day, strategically located to minimize travel time. You're on the right track to focus on a few major cities instead of trying to race from one-night stand to two-night stand, etc. Time spent getting between cities isn't necessarily wasted if you're seeing countryside, but it's expensive and inevitably you're putting hours into stations or airports or city traffic, depending on how you go. Consider the Eurostar between London and Paris, and a cheap flight between either and Barcelona. Consider flying open-jaw so you don't have to circle back to your starting point before flying home. And, in the words of the much revered RS, "pace yourself, assume you will return." You're likelier to return if (1) you had a good time and good memories, and (2) there is more you want to see in places you loved to visit.

hi, I agree with jeff/Charlie. Spend more time upfront and minimize your guessing. Yes you can fly (travel) by the seat of your pants, but since this is your first trip over there and as you say, you dont know when you will be back, why not make the most of it (time = $$$). Not that you have to run around like the preverbal chickens.... i spent 4.5 days each in both Paris and london and had a great taste of them both. Not that i saw everything, but i came away with the following: > Getting the layout of the city. > knowledge of how to use the local transportation system.
> seeing/doing most of what i wanted to see so when i go back i can spend SOME time in the city and MORE time outside. > finding out where i stayed was nice and central to what i wanted. use what info and reference you can get your hands on including the books called out and google and any other tools. yes, the 8/9 days in each city is enough, but if you dont know WHERE or WHAT youre gong to do, you can spend alot of time spinning your wheels and not see as much as you could. also, you can get laminated (erasable) maps of London and Paris (dont know of Barcelona) and use markers to note where you want to go/see. that way you can find a central place to stay or at least plan out you days and also get a lay of the land. happy trails.

For me, 8-9 days in London and Paris is not too much time, as there's so much to see and do in each city itself, plus a raft-full of day trip possibilities. But for Barcelona, while there are many day trips, the city itself is smaller, and I'd be looking for daytrips after 4 days or so. By the way, I'm speaking merely of size and number of "attractions." Whether you like a place or not is a different issue. If you don't, it doesn't matter how large it is or how many museums there are; you'll want to leave. For this reason, I would probably limit any first visit to a city to a week; I'd hate to feel "trapped" in a place I didn't like. You have to do the research, as Charlie said, to see what interests you. Do allow some slack time, both to rest and to experience the cities themselves rather than the "sights." But if you look at some guidebooks, list what you want to see, and find that it would be a struggle to fill you alloted days, cut them down and use the time elsewhere. Similarly, look at the daytrips to make sure they sound appealing to you. For instance, many of the excursions from Paris are to chateaux (Versailles, Fountainblue, Chantilly, etc.). If chateaux don't interest you, or if one is sufficient, make sure you look into other possibilities (Giverny, Provins, Chartres, etc.).

I haven't been to Barcelona, but it is my impression that 8-9 days may be too much. Consider splitting the time with Madrid, which has many sights, and day trips to Toledo and (possibly) Cordoba.