My daughter is studying abroad in Seville, Spain. I am planning to join her there at the end of her semester. We have three weeks to travel. We would like to see Paris, London, Belgium, take the train under the channel, Italy if possible. We have to fly out of Madrid to return to the States. Any suggestions? Is this even possible? Thanks. Patty
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3259 posts
It is possible if you are willing to do a lot of flying around. From Seville, fly to Italy and spend maybe a week there. Fly to Paris, visit Belgium (a week to 10 days for these two) and take the Eurostar to London from there. Spend 4-5 days in London and fly back to madrid for a couple of days before you fly home.
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3259 posts
Anyone have anything to add to help out Patty?
Posted by
Costa Mesa, CA, USA
503 posts
Even with 3 weeks that's pretty ambitious - traveling from country to country generally eats up a good - 3/4 to full day by the time you figure in packing, getting to airport/train station, travel time, getting from new destination to hotel, etc. and that's assuming that everything is on time! Figuring a day for each transfer, that eats up 5 days alone leaving you just over two weeks for 4 countries. Also, since you'll presumably be in cities you aren't familiar with, it does take some time to orient yourself (i.e. how to get tickets/use the metro in Paris, etc. etc.) so you may not be able to see as much in a day as you think. Now, is this doable? Yes, but it seems you would be spending a large chunk of time getting from place to place versus really "seeing" those places. Depending upon what you want to do, that may work just fine for you - it really depends upon what you want to see/do in each city! My recommendation Patty is to do some research on what you really want to see and then start laying out a schedule, realizing that you probably won't be able to see everything you want. If you have a list of what you want to see/do in each of those cities, everyone here can help you with determining if the time allotted is sufficient to do it so "keep on asking!"
Good luck!!
Posted by
OP
hastings, Minnesota, USA
8 posts
Thank you, for your advise. We will look at what is the most important places we want to see.
Patty
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Patty, I agree with Nancy. Your requirement to fly home from Madrid adds an additional constraint that will eat into the time you have. On the bright side, 3 weeks is a good chunk of time. You can see a lot! Just remember that the more days you spend traveling between destinations (Seville > London > Paris > Belgium > Rome > Madrid) the fewer days are left for you to see those destinations. Be honest about your priorities, resist the temptation to try to see it all, and you will have a great trip!