I am heading to visit my sister in Paris from 4 September to 18 September (2 weeks). We are planning to travel to a few places in France and Italy.
The places we would like to go as follows:-
Paris (2/3 days)
Nice (2 days)
Florence (2 days)
Rome (2 days)
One more city (2 days)
The questions as follows:-
Which order should we go in?
How to get there?
Where to stay?
What places to see?
Where to get goodies to bring back home?
We are on a budget. So how much would it roughly cost?
Appreciate all the help I can get. :)
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IMO it seems you have too many places to see in a very short time frame.
I would cut it down to 3 places if you can. The places you plan to visit have long distances between them so you will be traveling every 2 days by train or plane loosing valuable time and you won’t be able to enjoy your trip. You will also be exhausted from your long international flight. And if you plan to go on a budget all of the moving around will at up and can get costly.
Paris can easily take 2 weeks to see it all, so 2/3 days really doesn’t do it any justice, maybe do 4 to 5 days. Rome isn’t as big as Paris but does deserve more time then 2 days, consider doing 3 to 4. Florence can have the highlights seen in 2 days and in Nice you can spend 2 days in the beach or walking around, but again 2 days really doesn’t give you the opportunity to really get to know a place, just to quickly see some of it’s highlights.
To figure out exactly how many days to spend in each, research each city, see what monuments you want to visit and other things you want to see and do. Once you narrow down what places you will definitely see then you can figure out in what order and you also have to consider if you are going back to Paris. Then you can also figure out how much you plan to spend.
As for getting around, you can fly from Paris to Nice through AirFrance or EasyJet airlines or take the TGV train. From Nice you can fly to Rome through Alitalia or Blu Express airlines, I don’t believe there are direct flights from Nice to Florence or even nearby Pisa, so in Rome you can take a train to Florence. From Florence you can fly back to Paris through Alitalia or AirFrance, from Pisa you can fly to Paris through EasyJet which will probably be a lot cheaper then the other options out of Florence.
In Paris and Rome you can easily get around on foot, metro or bus, in Florence and Nice on foot and bus, so transportation won’t be too expensive. What will add up or the trains and plane prices. For train prices you can check www.raileurope.com . As for flights, you can find deals between 30-200 euros, just depends the airline, the city and the date you will be flying.
For a daily budget you can expect to spend from 40 to 100 euros, just depends what you eat, what attractions you will see and how you will get around. I would say to stay at a hotel that includes breakfast, and for lunch and dinner look for special menu prices (anything from 15-25 euros for a 3 course meal and sometimes includes drinks) or you can do a picnic and buy your own things at a nearby market or go to like a sandwich shop and spend about 5 - 10 euros on a meal.
As for where to stay, on a budget look into these places:
Paris - www.excelsior-paris-hotel.com
Nice - www.villa-la-tour.com or www.hotel-rex.com
Rome – www.hoteldelcorsoroma.com or www.hotelgoldenrome.com or www.3coinsbb.com or www.albergottocento.it
Florence - www.gigliobianco.it
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Thank you so much for the advice. Below is the revised plan.
Paris (2/3 days)
Fly to Rome (4days)
Train to Florence (2/3days)
Back to Paris (Fly or train?)
My sister would like to visit her friends in london, so where to squeeze that in the itinerary, if possible.
Since I am heading there in September, would the weather be cold and rainy?
What things to pack?
Regards.
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Personally, I still think you have too little time for these cities. Try to fit in some time every couple of days to take things slowly or you will be extremely exhausted.
The best way to visit London would be from Paris taking a ferry or train.
Getting back to Paris the most practical way would be on a flight, look up the website for the Florence and Pisa airport to see what carriers fly to Paris (sometimes Pisa has better prices and it’s not far from Florence).
The weather during that time should be nice, during the day it will probably be around 20 and in the evenings 13.
As for packing take 2 pairs of broken in comfortable walking shoes, a mixture of cool clothing for the day and something a bit warmer or at least to cover up with at night, an itinerary, guidebook, notebook/journal with pen, band aids for blisters, small packet of tissues to carry in your purse, copies of your passport (you can leave the original in the hotel safe or carry with you and hide the copies in your luggage or take a copy with you in case your passport gets lost or stolen), zip lock bag of detergent to wash your clothes, and any toiletry you are use to using (although you can buy it there if needed like soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc).
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Hello,,
I think 4 days in Rome is fine, but, you should also allow four days for Paris. I would skip Florence myself( I have seen it and it was not really worth more then 2 days to me,, but understand everyones tastes are different) and I would travel to Paris via Eurostar. Buy that ticket now, online,, the sooner the better for a deal,, and travel on a tues, weds, or thurs, as those tickets are often cheaper then fri. sat, sun or mon.
Nice is ok,, but you should definately forget about shoving so many places in on this trip.
I would try and purchase an open jaw airline ticket,, fly into London, see friend, Eurostar to Paris( buy a return ticket , they are usaully cheaper then a one way ticket, strange but true) then fly on a cheapo airline to Rome, then fly home from Rome.
I know two weeks sounds like alot of time , but you will be so tired the first day from jet lag,, and then adding alot of travel in, well you time will fly by and if you are not careful you will be too hurried to enjoy what you are seeing.
I rarely bring souvenirs home, it is usaully a waste of money as most people really aren%26#39;t into souvenirs from other peoples travels( of course children like gifts though) .
I do find I can buy serveral nice silk scarves in Paris( good for female relatives or friends) , for a decent price, and they are so easy to pack home and take no room in the luggage.
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There%26#39;s been changes.
My trip is now from 4 Sept to 23 Sept.
My mum will be coming to Paris from the 15 Sept to 22 Sept.
So basically itinerary will be as follows:-
Arrive in Paris 4 Sept
Depart to go to Rome and Florence from 6 Sept til 13/14 Sept.
From 15 Sept onwards to spend time in Paris.
How many days should be spend for each?
Cheers.
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