Best place to fly to first?

The most logical would be to start at one end and end at the other. Don't backtrack. Fly into Lisbon and out of Athens or vice versa.

Hi Mike - I would start in Lisbon, Portugal, and then , if you're in a rental car, which would be a very scenic drive, head to Spain - definitely stopping in Barcelona for a few days, then up the coast past Marseilles, Cannes ,Nice,Villefrance,and Monte Carlo to Italy - suggest stopping in La Cinque Terre, then down to Tuscany, then on to Rome for a few days - then down to Naples where I would suggest hydrofoiling it to Sorrento and then Positano.
From there you could take a ferry to Athens - spend a couple of days and then more hydrofoil or ferry to The Cyclades to see Santorini and Mykonos.
Certainly train travel is possible - I just think you guys would see so much more by car and be able to stop anywhere you wanted to whenever you wanted to.

Have A Great Trip, Greg

That's alot of ground to cover in one trip...you'll most likely need to connect some of your destinations by air. I would advise you to fly open jaw for transport over and back...into Lisbon and out of Athens, for example. You're going to need to do some work on the travel websites to determine best routing and price combos. Try www.skyscanner.net or www.kayak.com. Discount airlines in Europe are very inexpensive. Also, your itinerary precludes you from traveling by car in my opinion. There are a million reasons to skip the car...do some extra research on this site...lots of good info and plenty of opinions. Rail...yes. Ferries...you might need them. That's a hot itinerary in summer...occasional seaside stops would be a good idea.

Mike,

To begin with, is there any possibility you could move your trip to May/June or Sept./Oct.? July & August are not the best time for travel in Europe, as it's usually hot and crowded. Also, especially in Italy many of the locals take holidays in August so some tourist facilties will be closed.

It would help to have a bit more detail about your trip. Will you be going for the entire two months? Which cities in each of the countries you listed will you be visiting?

Regarding the flights, there are a few possibilities. Given your location, you'll probably be departing from YVR, so you'll need to consider which airlines operate from there. Using open-jaw flights is definitely the best idea. At that time of the year, all the major airlines will be offering flights to Europe.

For airlines, Air Canada will be adding new flights to Athens and Spain next year, beginning in June. Air Transat began new direct flights from Vancouver to Rome and Barcelona this year, and I'm assuming those will continue. Flight schedules for next year won't be posted for several months.

Given the countries you listed, I'd probably start in Portugal or Spain (whichever has best flight availability. Travel from Portugal to Spain (or vice versa) via rail/Coach and then budget airline to Greece. Travel within Greece via boat/hydrofoil or perhaps air (if you're going to the Islands?). Finally, budget flight to Italy (probably Rome / FCO). One possibility would be to start in Rome and fly home from Milan. I used that method this year and it worked fine (my flight was Air Canada, but codeshare with Lufthansa).

If you decide to travel via budget flights in Europe, you'll need to PACK LIGHT! Within each country, travel by rail (or in some cases Coach) is the best method.

If this is your first trip, I'd recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door as the first step in planning.

Good luck with your planning!

My daughter and I are basically planning the same trip to Portugal, Spain and Italy. We were going to include Greece, but have decided the long distance from Spain to Italy and then on to Greece was too much for a 5 week trip and will visit Greece later.

From Spain we may go back to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland for a week.

Ken how light does one have to pack for flying from Spain to Italy?

JB--I'm assuming you want to carry on only. Every airline has their own allowance for hand luggage regarding size and weight.

Depending on which airport you fly out of in Spain, and where you go in Italy, there could be a choice of up to 7 or 8 different airlines each with their own limitations.

My suggestion is to narrow down which two cities you want to fly between, check out which airlines fly that route, look at the fares, and then check their carry-on limits.

Except for a few exceptions,and in regard to hand luggage, the average low fare carrier in Europe will allow ONE bag only with dimensions about 21 x 15 x 8 and weight limits from about 13 lbs and up. (Again, there are some exceptions mostly going even lower.)

For checked luggage, it's going to cost. Once again, each airline is different.

I agree that flying into Lisbon or Madrid and them home from Athens is your best bet for efficiency. You can book such tickets by using the "multi-city" function on airline and fare search websites.
Unfortunately, renting a car in one country and dropping off in another will cost you an arm and a leg. And driving in the larger cities, like Madrid, Rome, and Athens, is problematic. You may want to consider public transportation as an alternative...all the countries on your list have excellent rail and/or bus services which can be very inexpensive. Possibly consider renting a car in each of the major centers (at a location AWAY from the downtown) if you wish to range off the beaten track.
Discount airlines would probably be best for connecting from Spain-Italy-Greece. But, as Frank mentions, you have to be careful about check-in times and baggage restrictions. You can go to www.whchbudget.com to determine discount airline links. But don't forget to check those same runs with the major airlines. If they'r under competition from a discount carrier, they may offer good airfares, too, with better schedules and luggage conditions.

JB,

As Frank II mentioned, although there's some consistency across the E.U. zone, baggage limits can vary slightly among the budget carriers. RyanAir has some of the tightest limits, and they also charge for such things as checking luggage, etc. (they're also threatening to charge passengers €1 to use the washrooms on the aircraft during flights!). EasyJet and some of the others are a bit different (check their web sites for the specifics). Were you planning to travel with carry-on only?

One other important point to note about flights within Europe, is that most airlines enforce a ONE carry-on bag rule. That DOESN'T MEAN one bag "plus a personal item", it means ONE BAG ONLY (of the approved size and weight). This rule can be especially challenging for international travellers to adhere to, as we often travel with a bit more kit than the average domestic traveller in Europe.

If flying from Spain to Italy, be sure to note the airports that the airline uses. Some budget airlines use airports that are a considerable distance from the city centres, so you'll have to budget for the time and cost to get into the city as well. I prefer to use the main airports in each city whenever possible (ie: Roma / FCO).

Cheers!

Regarding the one piece of hand baggage rule on many major European carriers, you can typically still bring a coat or reading material into the cabin, too. And, I believe women’s purses are okay in addition to the one bag (not sure about man bags, so my messenger bag stays in the backpack). Swiss, for example allows one bag plus a coat or purse...Lufthansa allows 2 bags plus coat or purse. The discount carriers, such as Ryanair, may have extremely tight rules. Only one piece on Ryanair...not sure how a coat fits into their equation. Of course, you won't need a coat in July/August.

Oh yeah, on Ryanair, you may be able to take advantage of their cheaper standing room only “seats” if they implement that proposal along with pay-to-pee.

Michael, when an airline says one bag, it's one bag. Not one bag and a purse. One bag.

A coat is not a bag. A coat is a coat. Yes, you can carry a coat.

Many of the "major" airlines do allow one bag and a personal item. Hardly any of the discount carriers do. And usually, but not always, the major carrier is a lot more expensive.

Now, to Mike, our origianal poster, if you could give us some idea of how long a trip you're planning and exactly where you want to go, we could be of more specific help. Just giving us countries and no time limit covers too broad an area.

Incorrect on your first statement...it's too broad. I understand that one bag = one bag, and there may be no exceptions in most cases on most airlines. You can still find differences with the one bag rule among European airlines that adhere to this rule, however. Again using Swiss as an example, one piece of hand baggage in economy = one 8 kg bag PLUS these items if necessary: coat, umbrella, cane, ladies’ handbag (i.e. purse), camera, binoculars, and reading material. So, one bag could mean one bag and a purse…it depends on the airline. And as you've correctly noted, major airlines may still allow a personal item. Ryanair (discount) does not. Aer Lingus (discount in Europe) allows one bag and an extra item. It doesn't matter for me personally, because I always take only one small backpack with messenger bag inside. I think we're saying the same thing for the most part.

Right…you’ve done a nice job in clearing up the statement that implied when an airline with a one-bag policy says one bag, it means one bag period. Indeed, it would be foolish for one to assume anything related to cabin baggage allowances. The most reliable information may and should be obtained directly from the airline itself. While baggage policies can be confusing and strict to be sure, this really isn’t that complicated. Because policies can and do change, both experienced and inexperienced travelers would be well advised to inquire with their airline when they book and again right before they travel and use the information provided here only as a general guide.

I travel with a day back pack this is 19" x 15" x 10" (expanded) and Rick Steves' 21" Roll Aboard.

I have always stayed within the weight limits on KLM/Northwest and Lufthansa/United for carry on.

Inside the day back pack is my PacSafe Stash Safe 200 (fanny pack) which comes out once I am on the plane.

I use only the light weight quick drying travel clothes so they don't weight much.

However, now I travel with my Dell Inspiron which adds weight. I may have to check the Roll Aboard from now on ... not sure.

Have not got to the airline decision as of now. So all depends on which airline used from Spain to Italy as to what to checkin.

I will be checking into Easy Jet and their baggage restrictions, etc.

Thank for your suggestions.

You are technically correct to say that both Swiss and Ryanair both have one bag policies,however, on a board like this, where we are trying to help people travel easier, it's sometimes better to be clear and less confusing to an inexperienced traveler than it is to be technically/semantically correct.

When an airline, such an Ryanair, says one bag only, it means one BAG only. Yes you can take a coat but you can't take a BAG and a purse. One bag only.

When an airline, like Swiss, says One bag and an extra item, and they list a purse or small bag as the extra item, then they mean you can take one bag and another item that includes a small bag.

Two completely different things. That's why the passenger has to read the carry-on allowance very carefully. Never assume anything in today's world of aviation.

If a passenger shows up at Swiss airlines with a carry-on bag and a purse, they'll be allowed on with both.

If the same passenger shows up at Ryanair with a carry-on bag and a purse, they'll have to decide which one to take on the plane and which one to check.

So when I say some airline have a strict ONE BAG policy, I mean those airlines have a strict one bag policy. Swiss does not have a strict one bag policy--it has a one bag and a personal item that can include a smaller bag policy. Every airline will let you take a coat on as well. Again, a coat is not a bag.

Well said...and you are right. The best thing for people to do is to check the actual airline's website for info and not rely on people here for the answer. Things change daily...and sometimes even more often.

And I had to laugh when you said it really isn't complicated...for you and me and many others. But there are some who try to read things that they wish were there but aren't.

I have taken my purse,, and squished it into my carry on,, then on plane, I take if out. My purse is small, lighweight messenger bag style,, not the huge suitcase bags some ladies like.

Also Mike, look at Vueling. I flew them from Paris to Rome, I did some research and determined they were one of the better quality lo cost airlines,, plus, they use newer planes.. safety counts.. LOL