8-day vacation to Europe: travel advice

[jslade]

Hey gents / SF road warriors, I'm planning to take my family on a vacation to Europe in mid-August this year, and wanted both some general and specific advice on where to go. I've sifted through past travel threads and gathered a great deal of information on them, but still am looking for some more specific advice, if that's acceptable. I'm taking my family (parents and kid sister), so obviously destinations like Amsterdam are largely out of the question. My parents only have enough time to take 8 days out of their schedule, so I'll need to fit the vacation within those constraints. It's my first time to Europe, so I think that the experience will most likely be the most fulfilling if I visit the "big" tourist destinations instead of traveling off the beaten path (Hungary, Czech, Romania, what have you). As such, my first debate is whether I should split up those eight days between two or three countries. France is a must, and Italy is a must, which leaves room for possibly one more (assume that Germany is not an option). Switzerland? Spain? Britain? Austria? Or are France and Italy enough to occupy all eight days for a decent experience? Further-more, I'm looking for a list of what you guys consider must-see locations in France and Italy. Locations followed by a question-mark are those I'd like some advice/opinions on.

• France
  • Paris
    • Louvre
    • Champs-ÉlysÃ
      
      es / Arc de Triomphe
    • Sacre Coeur
    • Eiffel Tower
    • Musee d’Orsay
    • Notre Dame
    • Versailles
    • Centre Georges Pompidou
    • Sorbonne?
  • Nice?
  • Lyon?
• Italy
  • Rome
    • Pantheon
    • Colosseum
    • Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps
    • Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
    • St. Peter’s Basilica
    • Piazza Navona
      • Vatican - museums, Sistine Chapel, etc.
  • Naples?
  • Venice?
  • Sicily?
• Possible third country?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for just reading! I'm looking forward to finally seeing all these locations in person that I learned about in my 10th grade Humanities class.

TL;DR: 8-day vacation to France and Italy, need some recommendations on locations / cities to visit. Thanks!

 

[poorsod]

You should decide what kind of vacation you enjoy. Do you like going to as many major sights as you can? Or do you prefer to take your time shopping, strolling and eating? Answering these questions would help you with your itinerary.

 

[coolpapa]

You could probably spend eight days in Paris or Rome and not see everything worth seeing. I would spend more time in fewer places. Go to Paris, Rome/Florence. I would avoid Venice in August. Be aware that August is when Europeans go on vacation and this may impact what you do in that popular places may be closed.

 

[jslade]

That's what I was thinking -- just France and Italy it is, then!

I'll be visiting Europe to take in the major sights, not to shop or to spend all my time attempting to experience the intricacies of the culture there. After all, it'll be with family, and it'll be difficult to find things in that vein that all of us can enjoy. I'll have time for that later on in my life once I graduate and take a personal trip to Europe.

Apart from Paris and Rome, what other cities might you guys recommend at the time of year?

Also, I'll be renting a car to drive from France to Italy, and possibly around the countryside as well. Does anyone have any positive experiences with the major car rental companies in Europe that they would like to recommend? I've come across Europcar, Alamo, Auto Europe, etc., but would like some opinions based off of personal experiences.

Thanks again!

 

[globetrotter]

8 days is pretty good for Italy and France. I'd also probably stick to 2 cities - Paris and Rome, in 8 days. I wouldn't rent a car, I'd just take the train between the cities, having a car is no good in the cities. remember to take time just to walk around and enjoy. I'd read up a little on history before you get there, especially on rome.

 

[Tangfastic]

Watch National Lampoon's European Vacation, it is quite old but still quite relevant on things to do and avoid.

 

[Gus]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

8 days is pretty good for Italy and France. I'd also probably stick to 2 cities - Paris and Rome, in 8 days. I wouldn't rent a car, I'd just take the train between the cities, having a car is no good in the cities. remember to take time just to walk around and enjoy. I'd read up a little on history before you get there, especially on rome.

+1

Try and stop at a cafe and have a nice lunch and a bottle of wine. Relax, take your time, don't rush through your meal and enjoy watching everyone go by. You will be happy you did.

 

[dragon8]

Originally Posted by jslade

Hey gents / SF road warriors,

I'm planning to take my family on a vacation to Europe in mid-August this year, and wanted both some general and specific advice on where to go. I've sifted through past travel threads and gathered a great deal of information on them, but still am looking for some more specific advice, if that's acceptable.

I'm taking my family (parents and kid sister), so obviously destinations like Amsterdam are largely out of the question. My parents only have enough time to take 8 days out of their schedule, so I'll need to fit the vacation within those constraints.

It's my first time to Europe, so I think that the experience will most likely be the most fulfilling if I visit the "big" tourist destinations instead of traveling off the beaten path (Hungary, Czech, Romania, what have you). As such, my first debate is whether I should split up those eight days between two or three countries.

France is a must, and Italy is a must, which leaves room for possibly one more (assume that Germany is not an option). Switzerland? Spain? Britain? Austria? Or are France and Italy enough to occupy all eight days for a decent experience?

Further-more, I'm looking for a list of what you guys consider must-see locations in France and Italy. Locations followed by a question-mark are those I'd like some advice/opinions on.

• France
  • Paris
    • Louvre
      
    • Champs-ÉlysÃ
      
      es / Arc de Triomphe
      
    • Sacre Coeur
      
    • Eiffel Tower
      
    • Musee d'Orsay
      
    • Notre Dame
      
    • Versailles
      
    • Centre Georges Pompidou
      
    • Sorbonne?
  • Nice?
    
  • Lyon?
  
  
• Italy
  • Rome
    • Pantheon
      
    • Colosseum
      
    • Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps
      
    • Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
      
    • St. Peter's Basilica
      
    • Piazza Navona
      • Vatican - museums, Sistine Chapel, etc.
  • Naples?
    
  • Venice?
    
  • Sicily?
• Possible third country?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for just reading! I'm looking forward to finally seeing all these locations in person that I learned about in my 10th grade Humanities class.

TL;DR: 8-day vacation to France and Italy, need some recommendations on locations / cities to visit. Thanks!

I went on one of these escorted tours through London, Paris, Rome in about 10 days. Its important to remember that to alot of these arttractions there is a special line for tours and such and a regular line. The regular line does not move much at all and we were whisked in through the tour/group line.

I would look into some group/tour when your in the Paris and Rome or whatever city you're going to. You don't want to spend 3 hours in line for one attraction.


BTW, its nice of you to take your family on a nice trip.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by dragon8

I would look into some group/tour when your in the Paris and Rome or whatever city you're going to. You don't want to spend 3 hours in line for one attraction.


.

hit the louvre about half an hour before it opens. that will do it.

I've never taken a tour of a city in europe. you can live without that.

 

[Nicola]

You people are nuts.

8 days for Italy and France? 8 days is borderline for some cities.

The train from Nice to Naples is 10 hours. That's using the high speed train.

If he tries to do half that stuff in eight days. He'll be doing nothing but standing around train stations. Worse Mid August is Ferragosto with all the issues that brings.

Are you open jawing the flights? If not it gets even worse.

 

[WildeMan]

Nicola wasn't very gentle, but he has a point. I second the suggestion of those who suggest learning lots about one place vs. seeing nothing by going to everything.

You could start in Paris and spend a few days there. Then, rent a car and drive south to the French Riviera, stopping in the Loire Valley and Lyon. There are great wineries to visit --- very agricultural in feel. Spend a few days in Nice or one of the smaller cities that surround it. You can visit Monaco for a day.

You can then go across the border to Italy, and visit (or stay in) San Remo or Ventimilia (sp?). There aren't a ton of tourist attractions there, but you can visit the markets, eat gelato, pizza, etc.

Then return to Nice and fly home from there.

WRT car rentals, I have been lucky to have had good experiences with all of them. Hertz is considered the best. Auto Europe has good deals.

Can you drive a stick shift? Automatics are much more expensive in Europe. And, pay extra to get a diesel. You'll save money in the end.

HTH. You're a nice guy to take your family.

 

[dragon8]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

hit the louvre about half an hour before it opens. that will do it.

I've never taken a tour of a city in europe. you can live without that.

We got there right when it opened and the line was long already but that was a few years ago so I don't know if anything has changed since then. No waiting for the tour groups though

 

[VelvetGreen]

When in Rome, if the weather is good hop on a train and take a day trip to Assisi. It's lovely.

 

[jslade]

Hey, thanks for all the great help, gentlemen. I'll be taking a few days to craft a more detailed itinerary. I wish that I could move my tentative dates around to a more suitable timeframe for vacationing, but mid-August is the only time where I can get my entire family together and away from their busy schedules. Your advice is well-heard, though: I'll be keeping our vacation down to just Paris and Rome, and most likely be renting a car to drive the distance in between, hopefully all the while taking in the sights of the European countryside. Thanks, WildeMan, for the Hertz recommendation.

If there are any must-visit locations between Paris and Rome that can be seen in around half a day that any of you would like to recommend, please, do let me know.

Would you guys who have toured Italy/France recommend group tours as opposed to individual frolicking? Money isn't so much an object, but time is, and I think the reservations I have with a guided tour is that large groups might move at an overall slower pace than smaller groups would, due to certain members possibly slowing down the overall group. If that makes sense. I'm seeing some conflicting opinions in this topic with regards to group tours, so some further thoughts would be fantastic.

 

[jakejake]

i am also going to a europe trip in july (france-italy- and maybe london) for ~14 days. Any recommendations of where to book the tour? This will be my first time, so I'd like to do a tour. TIA.