Need Advice for 11 Day trip from Paris to Rome

Hey Kerry - thanks for the insight and advice!! I was also told that Pisa isn't worth an overnight trip...but if I'm close by I at least want to see the Leaning Tower. I plan on spending most of my exploring time in Rome and Paris. I will check out our local library for the Rick's book when I'm ready to dive into the the details of figuring out what I want to see. Cheers, Jordache

I was told not to waste time overnighting in Pisa. I believe it's only worth a short visit (and only if it's not a lot of hassle to get there). I'm not sure how many nights you have left at this point, but I assume you could spend all of them in Florence and find lots to do. Rome is absolutely wonderful. I personally spent 8 nights there last summer (2011) and loved every minute. If you haven't already, get Rick Steve's guidebooks and read up on the area's you want to visit. Note: they are available at the library, you don't even have to purchase them. Rome has so many fascinating places to visit by day, and so many wonderful piazza's and charming streets to stroll and linger by night! I think it's magical.

I second skipping Pisa. You have much more to do in Florence. Save Pisa for the next trip to Italy, if you must see it, when you go to Cinque Terre (not in winter though).

With your extremely limited time, I would skip everything but Paris, Berner Oberland, and Rome. About 5 hours from Paris to Interlaken Ost, and about 6.5 hours Interlaken to Rome. Then, unless you are flying from Rome to London, the train to Paris is a minimum of 12 hours plus Eurostar time to London. After arrival in Paris, you will have only the afternoon of 12-24 and about 7 days. You will be spending the better part of three days in transit. I would probably skip Switzerland entirely and if Rome is your other priority, go directly from Paris to Rome and Rome to London. Given that Paris to Rome on the train is a minimum of 12 hours, I would probably choose Paris with perhaps a couple of side trips to nearer cities.

I will be jumping on the Eurostar after I land and head directly to Paris. I will arrive in Paris late-morning of 12 24 -v- I don't understand how your first day will work. What time do you expect to land? At Heathrow or Gatwick? Trains are different on Christmas Eve and I haven't looked at Eurostar's Christmas Eve schedule but it might bear checking. Have you already got your Eurostar ticket? The cheapest ones sell out early. My big concern is this: Train 9010, which arrives at 11:47 to make your late morning arrival at Gare du Nord, leaves St Pancras at 8:31. Unless you are plumping for the drastically expensive Business Premier with 10 minute check-in, you must have your ticket through the barrier machine absolutely no less than 30 minutes prior to your Eurostar scheduled departure or you don't go. I strongly suggest at least an hour prior, queues to get to the barriers can be quite long, and I bet on Christmas Eve they will be even longer. So you need to be walking into the station between 7:30 and 8:00 depending on your risk aversion index. If everything goes tickety Boo it will take plus or minus an hour from either Gatwick or Heathrow so you need to be boarding the train or Tube at about 6:30. Figure 90 minutes after touchdown to walking into the public part of the airport through the frosted doors of Customs. And 15 minutes minimum from there to the train. So you need to be off the plane no later than about 4:45. That sounds pretty early to me, so I worry about your Christmas Eve plans to be in Paris before noon.

Just one other thing about such a tight connection going to Paris - does your flight from Texas ever have delays or is it always on time?

Skip the rail pass and fly. Spend all your precious time in Paris and Rome.

Agree with Richard. Intra-Europe flights can be found pretty cheap...and are far preferable to 6+ hour train extravaganzas. Just buy a one-off ticket at the Italian train station to get from Florence to Pisa and Rome. If you haven't booked the Eurostar yet, price flights from the airport you're arriving at in London to Paris - I am doing a similar thing in the opposite direction in November (only flight i could get was round trip to Paris, so as soon as I land I'm heading to London), and i found that the flight from Paris to London was about the same price as the Eurostar - and i wouldn't even need to leave the airport to get on it. Much more convenient.
Switzerland is beautiful, but with only 11 nights, I would skip it this time. Fly from London to Paris, stay there 4 nights, fly from Paris to Florence, for 3 nights (day trip to Pisa, if you must; another option is to actually sleep in Siena and simply day trip to Florence, it's a quick bus or train ride away, and Siena is fantastic), train from Florence to Rome for 4 nights, fly back to London.

My sister used Rick Steves Italy in winter, and found that he had only listed summer hours for many attractions; winter hours were often substantially shorter. And I imagine there will be further changes due to holidays. So, if you have your heart set on a place, do be sure to double-check the opening hours (or, indeed, if it's open at all) before going. Good advice at any time, but especially important at this time of year.