First Euro Trip

Your question is like saying "I'm going to America and have 10 days. I know I want to see New York City, and the Grand Canyon looks good too. What about New Orleans or San Francisco? They all look great. Help!" So, first, realize that in 10 days you will have to be ruthlessly selec-tive. You can't "see it all" in Europe in this much time any more than you can do this in the US. Do those 10 days include your flying days, meaning you only have 8 days on the ground?. Remember that your first day of arrival is often a jet-lagged haze. Start thinking in terms of nights; remember that two nights in a place is a full day, while one night is less than a full day. And you have to allow a half day to connect even close destinations (check out of first hotel, get to station, take train, get to second hotel, check in). If you're taking a longer train ride or a flight, you have to allow most of the day for this. If you want to go to Paris and have 10 days on the ground, you can combine it with one other place by taking a train or flying (for example, 5 nights in Paris and 5 nights in Rome), or two other places close together (for example, you could have 4 nights in Paris, 3 in Venice, and 3 in Rome). Don't try any more, or you'll be sorry. Unless you have a terminal illness, assume you will return. continued..

continued.. You will want open-jaw flights (for instance, into Paris and out of Rome) to avoid backtracking; on a short trip like yours, you don't have time. To find these, don't book two one-ways. Instead, use the "multi city" option on http://www.kayak.com/. Renting a car only makes travel easier in small towns and rural areas. In cities, a car is as much of a headache as it is in New York City. For a first trip and a short trip like yours, you'll probably want to use trains (or budget flights) instead. Of course, if you want to spend a few days in Paris and the rest of the trip in Normandy and the Loire Valley, a car makes sense (after Paris). To help decide where to go, look at guidebooks and videos (Rick's are on Hulu and YouTube). And when you say "Italy," what does that mean to you? What do you want out of this trip? Shopping, art museums, WWII history, natural beauty, hiking, cuisine, wine tasting? The answer(s) will help you focus the destinations. Wherever you go, definitely get a copy of Rick Steves Through The Back Door, to learn the "nuts and bolts" of European travel; he also has a section on planning trip. Reading this should be your first step; then come back when you have more specific questions.

hi, you all should sit down and figure out whats important to you for you all to see. you will loose 1 day getting there. Then, i think since you are probably youngish, you will be so pumped up, the jet lag wont affect you till later so you could get off and running once you land and checkin to your lodging. look at it this way. you wont see much other than country side if youre on a train, bus or plane going from one place to another. If you choose to go to other places, try to make them in adjacent countries or citys that way you will minimize (watching the things go by) and spend more time doing! also, dont think of it as a one time trip, think of it as an appetizer for things to come. If youre smart, make some $$$ and can take off at a moments notice, you can take advantage of some special deals when they show themselves. ALso, once you know the ropes of using the rail/transportation systems over there its way easier to do it the next time. again, put your heads together and figure out what all of you want to do/see and go from there. happy trails.

Emily, With such a short time frame, you might consider splitting your time between Paris and Rome, with a few day trips. There are lots of sightseeing options in Paris including a day trip to Versailles, so you shouldn't have any trouble keeping busy for 4 - 5 days. It's the same in Rome and while there you could take a day trip to Orvieto and visit Ostia Antica. The quickest and easiest way to get from Paris to Rome will be via one of the budget airlines. Be sure to book early for the best prices. As the previous replies mentioned, it would be a really good idea to read Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip, as that has a lot of good information on "how" to travel in Europe (including "rail skills"). Use the country-specific Guidebooks for more detailed planning of hotels, sightseeing and transportation. Renting a car will NOT make travel easier for the places you're visiting, and car rentals come with a few "issues". You DO NOT want to drive in Paris or Rome if you can possibly avoid it. Travel by train is by far the best option. Also as previously mentioned, using open-jaw flights would be best, especially with such a short time frame. Happy travels!

Well if you had 11 nights, you might be able to get in 3 awesome cities that are relatively easy to get to.....Amsterdam 3nights, Paris 4 nights, London 4 nights; flying into Amsterdam and out of London. Paris seems so far away from Italy, that one could waste alot of time traveling to that destination. You could fly, to shorten the travel time.

If you have only 10 nights IN Europe (not one of them on the plane) you could do Kelly's suggested itinerary with 2 nights in Amsterdam. Taking the train from Amsterdam to Paris to London (or reversed) is very easy. Do plan to fly open jaw to avoid extra travel time and expense of backtracking to your original city. Personally with the time you have I would split the time between Paris and London. There is much to see in both places, you will not have the additional expense of renting a car, and you can easily do a day trip from each of them. I would price airfare two ways, flying into London and home from Paris, and visa versa. The price may be different depending on taxes. Ideally for a first trip I think it's better to do London first and then Paris.

Thank you everyone for your comments, they were all very helpful. I think I am going to take you advice and do a little more research before we make a final decision. I really like the Amsterdam, London, Paris idea! The only reason we were talking about possible going to Italy is because we have a few friends living there but the more I think about it maybe it would be best to make Italy a separate trip all together....Maybe next summer! Thanks again for the suggestions!!!
~Emily~