Hello, We have booked following itin. San Francisco Milan (2 days) Venice(2 days) Paris(5 days) I was wondering what's the best way to travel internally? Train or Flights? Thanks a ton!
Mansi
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32329 posts
Mansi, The best method of transportation will depend on the route. From Milan to Venice, high speed train is the best option. From Venice to Paris, a budget flight will be the most efficient method. You might consider EasyJet as they offer flights to both CDG and ORY. As with all budget flights, booking early gets the lowest prices. Be sure to read their Terms & Conditions carefully, especially related to luggage. Also, many budget airlines only allow ONE carry-on item per passenger and they usually DO enforce that. Happy travels!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
To add to Ken's excellent summary, here's how to book the train tickets, from Ron In Rome: http://tinyurl.com/c4t693b. Milan to Venice will have frequent service, so if the base (full) fare is acceptable, you can just wait until you get to Italy. But if you can accept non-refundable and non-exchangeable tickets, and can book early online, you can save a lot of money. To look for flights, use http://www.skyscanner.com/. Beware that Ryanair, in addition to issues with its attitudes towards customers, uses airports farther from Venice and Paris than Easyjet does. So, even if it's cheaper, the difference will be used up in the time and money it takes to get to and from the airports. As Ken said, flight prices only go up the longer you wait, so book as soon as you are sure of your travel dates. Do take careful note of ALL the extra fees and the restrictions. Budget airlines make money by enforcing all rules strictly. If an overnight train between Venice and Paris interests you, here are details, from the Man In Seat 61: http://tinyurl.com/bwx957v. But be aware that the subject of night trains is very divisive. Some like them, but many say "never again." So do a search here to see different points of view.
Posted by
OP
San Francisco, CA, USA
7 posts
Thank you Ken & Harold! I will look up the options mentioned. Also, we have a 4 yr old daughter with us. Are there any suggestions for first timers and with kids? We were debating if to do 1 night milan, 2 rome and 1 venice 2 nights milan, 2 venice and a day trip around venice - a night is enough? milan - 2 or 3 days? lake como- ? 23rd sf to milan
29th paris - 2 june (old school reunion) In between places are yet to be decided. thank you in advance!
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
A two night stay anywhere is only one full day of visit , so anywhere not worth a full day isn't really worth cramming into a schedule, especially with a child, travel can be tiring. I would suggest you only book two night stays as a minimum.. Fly to Paris on either Easyjet or Vueling, I have used both , both are fine, although you must travel light on those airlines. On Vueling you are allowed one carry on plus one personal item( purse, small briefcase , or camera bag), on Easyjet you are allowed only ONE carryon , no personal item in addition. I just cram my purse into my carryon . Avoid Ryanair, the airport they use for Paris is 1.5 hours away !
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
>>venice - a night is enough?
milan - 2 or 3 days? >> You've got it backwards. For most people, Venice is of far greater appeal than Milan. If you have a specific reason to want to spend more time in Milan, fine. But you should research the cities; if you don't have specific things to see in Milan, Venice has a magical atmosphere, so you need not be seeing "tourist attractions" to enjoy it. I actually like Milan more than most do. But it's a large city, and is not what most people expect of "Italy."