Europe - how many destinations?

[jem6]

H and I are planning to go to Europe next summer (getting an early start on planning so we know how much vacation time to use this trip). We are definitely going to France (Paris, and maybe to H's family's place about 6 hours south) and Germany (near Frankfurt), but H also wants to go to Italy as well.

Since he used to live in Germany, and I've never been to Europe, I'm sort of trusting his judgement more, but to me, that seems like a lot to cram in to a 10 - 14 vacation.

Assuming we do try to do all 3 countries, what do you think the best timeline/breakdown would be for it? Where would be the best places to see in Italy that would fit in that plan? What's the best way to travel in between these places?

[mdgirl]

For one thing, I wouldn't go along with whatever your husband says as far as how many days to spend in each place precisely because he used to live in Europe. Maybe he's been there done that regarding some places, but you'll want to stay longer. I would especially not rush cities likes Paris, where there are a lot of sites to check off, but it's also great to just hang around parks or smaller neighborhoods and just sort of enjoy the atmosphere.

Second, where does he want to go in Italy? That will make a big difference. A couple days in Lake Como will be a lot easier to fit in than Rome/Florence/Venice.

[Susie]

At a pace of 3 countries in 10-14 days, you're really not going to see a representative sample of those countries, you'll just see a city or two in each. You will need to decide if that's ok with you. What kinds of things do you want to do and see? Where are those things located and how would you get between them? Do you want to immerse yourself in a particular country/culture, or do you just want to check out a couple cities?

As far as Italy is concerned, I couldn't tell you what the "best" city to visit is. Totally depends on your interests. We spent about 12 days there, and stayed in Corniglia (Cinque Terre), Florence, Venice, Siena, and Rome. Lots of people love Rome, but it was my least favorite. I really enjoyed the others, for different reasons.

In any event, don't just trust your husband to pick. Do some research on your own and figure out what interests you and what you'd like to see and do. Calvin & I definitely don't always agree or have the same priorities, but we jointly plan trips we'll both enjoy.

[hz80408]

We just did our first trip to Europe and had 16 days on ground (excluding travel to/from Europe/US) for 4 cities and I wouldn't push it any more than that.

Would the 10-14 days include traveling from US to Europe and back?

If 10 days would include your flying to/from Europe, I would only do 2 cities; maybe a small side trip.

For 14 days if it includes travel, that's still not enough time to add in Italy, IMO. However, it depends where you'd want to go, north/south, etc. Even travel from Paris to Frankfurt would take up at least half a day with checking in, flight, customs, etc.

(Although I suppose I'm bias bc we're currently planning to go to Italy in 2014 and spend 2+ weeks in just Italy)

[jem6]

You all bring up some good points. I think my H wants to see Italy the most because he's never been there, so it would be new for both of us. I'm more relying on his opinion because I'm not too picky, I just want to go to Europe and I'd be happy with several destinations, which I know we'd never be able to see in one trip anyways.

I think he's just trying to cram too much into the time we have, and I'd rather take my time in a few destinations than rush through several. I'm just not sure what might constitute too much in that time frame (which includes all our travel time, I'm shooting closer to two weeks, but we'll see how our budget works with that). Also, I think the biggest reason H is trying to cram a lot is because this will likely be our last opportunity to go for several years since we are planning to TTC when we return from this trip. (not that you can't take kids to Europe, but we've decided to wait until they're old enough to appreciate it. We'll probably be doing more Disney/beach trips while they are small)

[sunshinedaydreams]

IMO, that's too much to cram into 14 days. Unless, like PP mentioned, you would just go to Lake Como or one destination in Italy rather than expecting to see it all. We did 14 days in Italy alone and didn't feel like that was enough. And we are typically whirlwind, cram-it-all-in travelers.

[Deleted]

I'd plan to visit a few cities/areas in France and Germany this trip, and save Italy for it's own trip. While 3 days may be enough to enjoy some cities, don't underestimate the toll of travel time/delays/check-in and out, etc. I think 10-14 days is best spent exploring 1-2 countries factoring in travel time. We recently did 7 days split between Milan and Venice (then later went on to the Greek islands) and while I felt like I got a good taste of both cities, I don't think I would have been up for another whirlwind visit to a third or fourth city.

[GilliC]

Buy the DK Eyewitness guides to Paris and Italy, and flip through looking at the pictures. Figure out what looks interesting, and start to consider how much time you'll need for them and what you'll be able to fit in. You definitely don't have time to see too much of Italy, so you would need to start thinking about which places you most want to go.

[anna7602]

Aug 7, 2012 18:03:21 GMT -5 jem6 said:

Also, I think the biggest reason H is trying to cram a lot is because this will likely be our last opportunity to go for several years since we are planning to TTC when we return from this trip. (not that you can't take kids to Europe, but we've decided to wait until they're old enough to appreciate it. We'll probably be doing more Disney/beach trips while they are small)

Traveling post-kids is definitely a different experience than traveling pre-kids. I get that. However, I have found some European cities to be quite manageable with DD, particularly when she was really little and was happy to spend long periods of time in a carrier.

Just wanted to throw that out there so you don't feel too pressured to cram it all in. In your case, I would focus on what you really want to see and try to figure out how much time you need in each city to do that. Then plan from there. It's good to keep in mind certain restrictions imposed by certain places. For example, a lot of great restaurants in Paris are closed on Sundays and many of the small boutique shops are closed on Mondays. So if you were only going to spend 3 days here, a Sunday-Tuesday may be hard if you like to eat good food and shop.

Good luck with your planning!

[pittpurple]

If the 14 days includes travel days, you're down to 12 days. And obviously you budget will be easier to manage the fewer times you have to change location - each time you go to a new country you'll obviously have travel expenses. Personally, with 12 days I would stick to a Paris/Frankfurt plan - they aren't that far apart and you can look at a side trip along the way (maybe train it from Paris-Frankfurt and find somewhere to stop for a couple days? You'll be close to Belgium and Luxembourg for a start. Italy is really in a totally different direction.

If you do choose to go to Italy, definitely look at open-jaw tickets so you'd fly into Frankfurt/paris and out of Italy. They are often not any more expensive and you'll save a whole day. Any time you fly (from Paris-Italy for example), you're basically going to lose another day and for a short trip I don't think it's worth it.

Have fun planning!

[juliabug]

We did 14 days in just Rome & Paris, but it was over the Christmas and New Years holidays so some days everything was closed. To save a day of travel between cities, we took a night train from Rome to Paris. Also consider how the travel and time change affect you. My DH gets terrible jet lag so our first few days we take it easy.

[ktkl09]

That is way too much for 14 days! Choose between Paris/Germany or Paris/Italy. Where do you want to go in Italy? Rome/Florence could be done in 7 days, but Rome/Florence/Venice would be too much.

[dulcemariamar]

For a 10-14 trip I would just pick two countries and stick with that plan. However, since you said in your OP that you want to visit Paris and city 6 hours south of Paris that is going to take up a large part of your time in Europe. I think you would need to spend 3 nights in Paris so you can actually see and enjoy the city.

I agree with Anna. You have to be careful when you arrive because things do close on Sundays and/or Monday and in some places things are quite dead during the month of August.

Dont forget that traveling between countries will take up a lot of your time. If you are going to fly, most airports are located about an hour outside of the city, plus you usually have to get there 90 minutes before your flight. Basically, you are going to lose one day because you are going to traveling between countries. Just take that into consideration.

Is you heart really set on France? I absolutely adore Switzerland. It is so easy to travel by train. You get to experience different cultures/food because they have a French/German/Italian parts and it is so easy to visit northern Italy once you are there.

[Deleted]

It's totally up to you. For a 2 week trip, I'd plan 2-4 cities/regions. I know people who can spend 2 months of vacation in Paris alone, and I also know people who'd get bored if they don't move on to a new city in a week.