France and Italy: Best 2 to 3 week itinerary for first-time visitors
France and Italy make for a perfect first visit to Europe, but there are so many potential places to visit that planning well is extremely important. Of the two, Italy is a bit more straightforward because it has a “Big 3” of tourist cities consisting of Rome, Florence, and Venice. France, on the other hand, has Paris, but beyond the capital it can be hard to know where you should go.
These two countries contain several of what I consider to be the best cities in Europe to visit for anyone, so it’s just a matter of narrowing down where to go and how much time to spend in each place. In the article below you’ll see the best option to string together a tour of these countries in two or three weeks. There will be options and decisions you’ll have to make based on your own tastes, but no matter how you do it this should be an unforgettable trip.
This article was most recently updated in August, 2022.
How many cities to visit?
This is perhaps the most challenging question when planning an itinerary. Newer travelers always assume that more is better and overly-seasoned travelers always preach that virtually any city anywhere deserves at least a week. As with most things, the best answer probably lies somewhere in between. If you only have two weeks per year it would take a lifetime of trips to explore even half of Europe at the slow pace, so it makes sense for newer travelers to move at a good clip.
There are many reasons why fast travel might be your best option, but only up to a point. With only a few exceptions, 3 nights per city is a good minimum even for those wishing to see as much as possible, or 2 nights in the smaller cities.
If you are going to France and Italy for sure then start with Paris and Rome as the foundation and add cities in between to the degree you’ll have time. France is a deceptively large country so travel will eat up some time unless you are flying or taking the bullet trains.
>>>Going just to Italy?: Here are the best first-time Italy itineraries for 3 days to two weeks
Flying in and out
Unless you are starting from elsewhere in Europe, you’ll want to carefully choose which airport to fly into. It used to be that Paris was one of the cheapest, and it’s still competitive, but it doesn’t rank high on the list of European cities that are cheapest to fly into.
Two one-way tickets is ideal
It used to be that round-trip tickets were always much cheaper than two one-way tickets, but often that is no longer true. Sometimes the one-way flights are exactly half the round-trip fare, sometimes a bit more than half, and other times they are double. It’s hard to predict so it’s worth comparing them yourself.
The first thing to try is this:
- (your city) to Paris one-way
- Rome to (your city) one-way
Compare that to this:
- (your city) to Paris round-trip
- (your city) to Rome round-trip
If the two one-way flights are within US$150 or so of either round-trip, then they are your best option. If the round-trips are much cheaper then your best option is to buy one of those as well as a one-way flight between the cities (for around US$100) for just before you fly home. It would cost more on the train and also take 14 hours, so flying that last part is the way to go unless you are planning on using the last leg of a Eurail Pass on an overnight run.
Getting around once in Europe
Flying around in France and Italy doesn’t make much sense. The flights on low-cost carriers can certainly be cheap, but most major cities are only 2 to 5 hours apart by train, so riding the rails is faster, more pleasant, and far more scenic.
Even on trains, you still have three main options:
- Buying a France-Italy regional Eurail Pass
- Buying individual train tickets in advance
- Buying individual train tickets one at a time when you get there
If you are under 26 you can qualify for the 2nd Class Eurail Pass, which will be ideal for many people. If you are over 25 you have to buy a 1st Class Eurail Pass, and those are probably only best for those with a bit more money to spend.
Best cities in France and Italy for first-time visitors
Paris (minimum 3 nights but even that is rushing it)
Obviously you’ll want to visit Paris, and it makes sense to either start or end your whole journey here. If it’s your first stop you should add at least one extra day to help deal with jet lag, but you should plan on staying as long as possible because the French capital is one of the world’s great (and most beautiful) cities by any definition.
It’s true that you can’t just all of France by just visiting Paris on your first trip, but it’s still not a bad idea because this city is the center of almost everything and even the areas surrounding it are filled with great sights, amazing histories, and plenty of things to do. It’s almost impossible to get a bad meal in the city and most of the food is reasonably priced considering the quality. Be prepared for a small hotel room, even if you pay a lot, so it’s more about paying for the location rather than for a luxurious and large place to sleep.
The sights in Paris are almost all worthwhile, but don’t think you have to spend an entire day in the Louvre in order to enjoy it. In fact, I highly recommend taking the 3-hour double-decker sightseeing tour (run by several companies) on your first day in order to see at least the exteriors of all of the famous landmarks. If you want to go inside at least a few of the big attractions you might consider getting a Paris Pass, which also covers the bus tour and a cruise on the Seine.
Spend at least three nights in Paris itself and if you have extra days you might do a day trip (tour buses are a great choice) of the nearby Loire Valley. It’s filled with famous castles and palaces where the rich used to live outside of the city, and many are available for tours.
Paris to Nice by train: About 6 hours
Provence region (optional 2 or 3 nights)
Probably the most efficient first trip to France along with Italy is to spend a few days in Paris and then head to Nice (see below) to explore the French Riviera, but if the beach scene doesn’t interest you, or if you are coming in the cool months (the beach areas are pretty dead from November through March) you might instead stop in the Provence region. This area is famously where Van Gogh was based and got his inspiration, and also home to a Papal Palace where 7 popes lived during the 1300s.
The main city is Arles and that is probably the best base, although Avignon (where the Popes lived) is also very tourist friendly and could be a good choice. In fact, Avignon is the beginning of the famous Côtes du Rhone wine road, which connects a series of hill towns with amazing scenery and of course wine tasting. Something like this might be better for a second or third trip to France unless you’ve got weeks to spend here. Provence is also known for its cuisine, as it stands out even within a country where the food is amazing virtually everywhere you go.
Paris to Avignon by train: About 3.5 hours
Avignon to Nice by train: About 3 hours
Nice, France (minimum 2 nights)
Nice is the largest (and cheapest) city on the Côte d’Azur (AKA French Riviera) so it’s the perfect base to explore this stunning part of the world for a few days. It can still be quite expensive during July and August, when most French are filling their own beaches, but in other months it’s not too bad.
Nice has a famous beach (made of pebbles rather than sand), but it’s also an important cultural capital with great museums and a thriving food scene. You could easily spend 2 or 3 quick days in Nice alone, but you might also consider spending a few hours in Cannes and/or Monaco, which are both only about 30 minutes away by train in either direction. The cheaper hotels in Nice are near the train station anyway, so that’s something to consider if you want to visit all 3 places in one short trip.
Nice to Milan by train: About 5 hours
Nice to Venice by train: About 7.5 hours
Milan (1 night or just skip it)
Milan is famous, though that alone is not enough of a reason to stop there. If you skip it you won’t be missing much, or you might stop for one night just to break up the journey a bit. On the plus side, Milan has one of Europe’s most photogenic gothic domes at its heart, and it’s the home to Da Vinci’s Last Supper (if you make reservations well in advance).
The down side, however, is that Milan is mostly a business/financial city that isn’t as charming as the rest on this list. It’s one of Europe’s fashion capitals as well, but the casual visitor wouldn’t notice. Worst of all, accommodation in Milan can be insanely expensive if there is a trade fair or event in town. If you are coming through in between fairs and events, hotels can actually be unusually cheap, so it’s worth checking rates if you are considering stopping. Generally speaking, I recommend skipping Milan at least on your first trip.
Milan to Venice by train: About 2.5 hours
Venice (1 night minimum, 2 nights maximum)
Certainly one of the most beautiful and unusual cities on the planet, Venice is something that everyone should see, though it can be a bit tricky. The thing is, between about 10am and 5pm every day of the year, the main walkways in Venice are a slow-moving parade of more tourists than seem possible or even safe. Many of them stay in hotels nearby on the mainland, while many others just come in for the day on part of a bus tour. The point is, Venice is very frustrating during those hours, so to appreciate the city it’s important to work around them at least a bit.
The trick is to stay at least one night, if not two, on the main island itself. Perhaps surprisingly, Venice shuts down early, with most restaurants and bars closed by around 10pm. But in those evening hours as well as the morning hours on the following day, the place can feel magical and like a fairy tale destination. Venice is also quite compact so seeing the main highlights in 24 hours isn’t difficult. Depending on your budget, spend one or two nights on the main island and you’ll be quite satisfied by the time you leave. You’ll be sick of the crowds by then anyway.
Venice to Florence by train: About 2 hours
Florence (2 nights minimum, plus side trips)
With fewer than 400,000 residents, Florence feels more like a small town than the others, even though it’s much larger than Venice. As the largest and most central city in Tuscany, Florence is a cultural capital filled with famous museums, cathedrals, and other sights, but it’s also the ideal jumping off point for day or overnight trips into some of the nearby hill towns.
Whether you are coming from Venice or from Rome, this is the point on your trip that you’ll be able to catch your breath a bit. It’s also the cheapest city on this list so lingering here will be more affordable in addition to relaxing. The cuisine here is, of course, world famous, and it can get even better and cheaper if you spend a day or two in one of the many scenic villages in this part of Italy.
From Florence to Rome it’s only around 90 minutes by train, so another easy and pleasant travel day.
Pisa (a few hours on a day trip at most)
If you are spending several weeks exploring Italy then perhaps you’d want to spend a night or even two in Pisa. But for a quick trip where you are trying to include as much as possible, Pisa is best for a day trip. It’s about an hour by train or bus from Florence, so you can literally do it in half a day there and back. And being honest, the Field of Miracles (which includes the Leaning Tower) is definitely worth a look, but the rest of Pisa doesn’t really stand out.
Regardless of your starting point, you can go to the Pisa Centrale train station and walk about 25 minutes to the Leaning Tower area, or take a train to the Pisa San Rossore train station and 7 minutes to the Field of Miracles. There are also bus tours from Florence that take you all the way there, but those come with the slowness of large-group travel.
Cinque Terre (1 night, optional)
If you were to be spending all 2 or 3 weeks in Italy and saving France for another trip, then you’d want to considering spending at least a day and perhaps a night in this stunning little group of 5 towns perched on rocky cliffs overlooking the sea. They are on the west coast a bit north of Florence, so they are a bit out of the way if you are headed to Rome. Of the 5 towns, Vernazza is probably best for a short visit and it’s definitely the most scenic.
When you see a photo of these villages it’s hard not to be drawn in so if you are in that group you could add a day or two in this area either before or after Florence. Note that the scenic footpaths connecting the towns are partly closed down at times due to instability, so a quick tour by train or even by boat might be a better option.
Florence to Rome by train: About 90 minutes
Rome (minimum 3 nights)
Again, it makes the most sense to start and end your visit in Paris and Rome, and if you are starting in Rome you should add an extra day just to get your footing. Similar to Paris, Rome is crammed with amazing sights too numerous to mention, but unlike Paris, Rome can be a frustrating place to visit. No one regrets their first visit to Rome, but many swear that it’ll also be their last. It’s the traffic and general sense of chaos (multiplied by the summer heat) that wear on visitors.
All of that said, Rome is absolutely a must-visit, although you won’t be blamed for hustling through the city quickly and efficiently so you can spend more time in the relative serenity of anywhere else. The Eternal City is also quite expensive, especially by Italian standards, which is another reason to save only a few days there rather than a full week.
Naples/Pompeii/Sorrento/Amalfi Coast (optional up to 4 nights)
The “big 3” in Italy are Rome, Florence, and Venice, and if you have time for only 3 cities those are the obvious ones to choose. But if you want to dig deeper into Italy and you have enough time, your next best choice will be to base yourself in Sorrento and use it to explore Naples, the ruins of Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and the island of Capri.
Naples is a large and gritty city that has an unfortunate reputation for pickpockets and other street crime. In reality, any daytime visitor who uses the typical precautions will be fine. Naples is also famously the birthplace of pizza and home to one of the world’s best archaeology museums so it’s worth a day trip for sure. The great news is that Naples is very easy to visit from nearby Sorrento, which is a lovely and friendly place where most people know English.
Stay in Sorrento
To reach Sorrento you’ll take a train to Naples and then change for a one-hour local train (known as the Circumvesuviana) to its final stop. Once you are checked into a hotel there, you can take the same train back to Naples, or an even faster boat. Halfway back on the Circumvesuviana you can jump off in front of the stunning Pompeii Ruins. Those in a hurry can spend half a day in Naples and a couple hours seeing Pompeii and be safely back in Sorrento for an unforgettable dinner.
Amalfi Coast and the Island of Capri
Not only is Sorrento the perfect base for a visit to Naples and Pompeii, but it’s also the gateway to the Amalfi Coast and a short ferry ride from the touristy island of Capri. On a quick visit you can hop on the local bus in Sorrento that takes you through Positano and Amalfi to Salerno. You’ll see all the famous and amazing Amalfi Coast views, and you can return either by bus or boat for an ideal day out.
The other main nearby attraction is the famous tourist island of Capri, which is best known for its Blue Grotto attraction. The ferry from Sorrento only takes 20 minutes each way and leaves hourly most of the day. This is another easy and ideal day trip where you can have breakfast and dinner in Sorrento and a wonderful time in Capri in between.
Filling in the rest of your itinerary
If you have only two weeks total then the above minimums will also pretty much be your maximums, give or take a day. But if you have three weeks you will be adding days to these cities or adding new cities altogether. Honestly, if this is your first trip to these countries, you’ll really get the most bang for your buck by adding extra days in Paris or Florence or both.
Rushing around for two weeks can be exhilarating, but rushing around for three weeks can really start to get exhausting. It’s better to plan to go slower and if you are getting bored you can do a day or overnight trip to something nearby. But you won’t get bored, and if you do you are probably doing it wrong.
Cinque Terre photo by World Walk About on Flickr
Hi Roger,
I checked i think i will be skipping Cannes and Monaco and Eze Village. I am venturing Bologna or somewhere to go. Meaning Florence to Bologna to ??? to Nice.
Thanks!
Victoria
Victoria,
It sounds like your itinerary is really coming together now, and I’m sure it’ll be an amazing trip. You’ll like Nice and its food for sure. Cannes is close by (as is Antibes) and they are mainly just examples of posh towns on the French Riviera, and of course many people like to see Cannes because of the film festival, even though there are no cinemas that tourists will walk by. But, Monaco is also nearby and it’s one of the most beautiful cities in Europe so I think it’s worth at least a few hours. It’s only about 22 minutes away by train from Nice, and the view looking out over the harbor is worth the trip alone.
By the way, if you will be doing any side trips from Nice you probably want to stay close to the train station. That’s where many of the cheaper hotels (and airbnbs) are located anyway, and it’s a good area for budget travelers. Bon voyage. -Roger
Thanks Roger! i feel much more confident it will be a good trip now!
Hi Roger, i couldnt find so i had to book somewhere because everything was getting filled up! I managed to book a place in Naples: Via Giovanni Pascoli, Frattamaggiore, Campania. So i think maybe the Sita wont work in my favor?
After much thinking i decided totally drop Piedmont.
Naples and Amalfi Area: 7 nights
Tuscany/ Florence Area: 7 nights
Bolognia and Emilia Romagna Area: 5 days, 4nights
Nice, France Area: 4days, 3 nights
Wow so much to research! OK! i will go and read into Cannes and Monaco as well, but is it possible for 4days 3 nights? Still trying to see what is there in Nice to do, so far i found some nice food spots and walk up to Castle Hill for a beautiful view of the city, the Bay of Angels and of course, the bright blue water that gave the Cote d’Azur its name.
The Alpes Maritimes is unique, nowhere else will you find snow capped mountains and an Azur blue sea along with such a wealth of culture.
With this i think i will skip Siena. Unless i have enough time in Florence/Tuscany to do so.
Thanks!
Victoria
Hi Roger,
Boy am i glad to find your page! Read through almost all the comments since 2013 and this is what i want to ask (thank you in advance for your patience):
1) I have been to Venice and Pisa and Rome as a kid on a tour about 18 years ago so i was thinking of skipping them. This time round i am intending to go to Italy as a food trip to eat and hopefully pick up some skills to bring back to Singapore for my new F&B business venture than a museum/historical/archeological trip although i do appreciate natural and man-made beauty. Would like your input on the traveling, places to visit and if 21 days would suffice or should i be extending the trip? Is May a good time?
2) I did consider crossing over to some other parts since Italy is so near some of the countries and i saw alot of comments on Nice. Should i?
3) My friend suggested Como Lake area but i thought to skip it. Contemplating Sicily and Isle of Elba. What are your thoughts?
4) I noticed your recommendations are usually from the North to the South and not the other way round. I was thinking of doing the inverse as i foresee my luggage getting heavier in the North, buying whatever amazing produce ie wine/ cheese/ cured meats i come across.
5) I was amazed that no one mentioned Greve in Chianti given that i understand Chianti wines are famous? My friend suggested me to go Liguria and Bologna but i did not see much info on the web about what to do there. Any input on this?
6) I noticed alot of recommendations mostly are from lonely planet and the food costs easily 30euros per meal! Any suggestions how else i can go about it without skimping on my food objective?
7) I am 26 during my trip in May as my birthday is in July so i wonder is there a point in the Euro Trail pass or something like that?
8) I read some parts of Italy find that sleeveless/ non covered shoes/ shorts to the knee are not acceptable attire?
9) These are the places i had in mind. My concern i suppose is more of how do i not just skimp through but have sufficient time to embrace Italy properly and visit the places yet not in an overly staying fashion. These are where i intend to go, your input would be much appreciated on the timeline and what should i do. i have found some places i thought of to visit based on the web info. Also any food recommendation is welcomed!!! In what order should i go?
-Sicily?
-Naples and Amalfi Coast: Ischia, Positano, Sorrento, Naples, Pompeii (I understand Sorrento would be a good “base camp”, how do i travel around? train/ bus/ taxi?). What does Amalfi coast mean? because i am trying to picture what does visiting the Amalfi coast mean.
-Tuscany: San Gimigano, Florence, Greve in Chianti (Greve seems like farms so is spread out any advice on this?)
-Bologna the capital of Emilia-Romagna region? Any idea about this? not much web info…
-Liguria and Piedmont and Clique Terre: abit torn about these places. Not sure what to do.
-Milan, Como Lake and Venice to skip?
I will be going solo.
Greatly Thankful,
Victoria
Victoria,
I’m glad you found this page as well. It’s a long list and there are some I won’t be much help with, but I’ll try to answer your questions in order…
1. Yes, I think May is a perfect month because it’s before the summer crowds and the weather is actually nicer. And I think skipping Venice, Pisa, and Rome is wise if you’ve already seen them. They haven’t changed much over the years.
2. If you have time to pop over to Nice for at least a couple days, I think it would be worth it. If there is one country with a more famous food culture than Italy it’s France, and Nice is one of its main hubs so it would be worth having a look.
3. Personally, I think Lake Como is a bit overrated for most visitors. It’s a nice-looking lake with a bunch of pleasant small towns scattered around its edges, connected by frequent ferry service. But there are nice-looking lakes in almost every European country. I think it’s mostly popular because it’s a nice weekend getaway from Milan and other large cities, and more recently it became more famous when George Clooney bought a home there. I’ve yet to make it to Elba, and my first trip to Sicily will be later this month (March, 2016) so I can say more then. However, most people agree that Sicily is interesting and nice, but it’s also remote and not worth the trouble unless you are spending a month in Italy or you’ve been to all of the other main places. The food does have a good reputation though, especially for simple seafood dishes, so that might be interesting for you.
4. I think it’s most common to start in the north and head south in Italy because so many people are coming from France or Austria or Switzerland. As you probably know, the north of Italy is more organized and European, while the south is more chaotic and Mediterranean. You should go in whatever direction you prefer.
5. For some reason, it seems that most people who want to tour wine regions do it in France rather than Italy. I think French wines have a better reputation, whether it’s deserved or not. I haven’t done any winery tours in Italy so I don’t have any more input on this. It sounds like you have enough time so I think it would be a good way to spend at least a couple of days.
6. Sit-down meal prices in Italy are somewhat confusing because the traditional Italian way is to order at least 3 different courses. A starter or anti-pasti at most traditional (not fancy) restaurants will be around €5 to €7, with a pasta course about the same price, and a main course being more in the €8 to €12 range. So if you do order that way it will cost you close to US$30 for each meal, not even including wine (house wine is usually around €3 per glass). But even though I have a fairly large appetite, I never order more than two courses, and it’s always enough food, especially as you always get free bread. During lunch you can often get a 2-course special for around €9 or so if you look around, or you can get a pizza for around the same price, which is meal size. So I think the US$30 meals are for when you want to really do it big and spend two hours dining with friends. In other words, you will have many cheaper options wherever you go, including many excellent meals.
7. The train tickets within Italy are fairly cheap, especially for shorter distances, so you don’t want to get a Eurail Pass or even an Italian rail pass. The key will be to make your onward train reservation as early as you can. If you can buy your onward tickets at least a few days before you want to leave, and you are flexible with travel times (going at 2pm instead of 9am), then you can probably average around €20 between the large cities.
8. As far as I know, the places where you’ll want to have your shoulders and maybe knees covered are when visiting the cathedrals and other religious places. If you go to some nicer restaurants at night, or even some small villages, you might feel self conscious in a skimpy top, but generally Italy isn’t known for prudishness. You might want to check with a female travel blog just to be sure though.
9. I’ll have more to say about Sicily in a couple weeks. Definitely plan on staying for at least 4 or 5 days in Sorrento as a base camp. The Amalfi Coast may be a bit overrated, but it’s still nice. It’s the dramatic steep coastline that faces south, just southeast of Sorrento and Naples. Positano and Amalfi are the largest of the towns, and they are very popular for their more traditional look and local feel. You get to Sorrento by a special train from Naples, and from there you’ll take the public buses that stop in each town along the Amalfi Coast. You can also go by ferry, so many people go down in a bus and come back in a ferry, to see it from different angles.
I’ve spent most of my Tuscany time in Florence and Siena, but the hill towns are popular and obviously it’s a famous food region. I think you can get better advice from someone else on this.
Bologna is another big food destination, though I haven’t been there since a childhood trip.
Of those three, I’ve only been to Cinque Terre, and it’s probably worth going there on this trip. The five towns get extremely crowded in the warm months, and the food scene is quite touristy as a result. If you can stay a day in Vernazza it would be fun, but don’t worry if you skip it on this trip.
Milan is the main transport hub in northern Italy, so you’ll almost certainly be going through it at least once. If you do you might want to stop there for a day or two just to get the feel of it. It’s a big and rich city with a good food culture, although it’s not very Italian because it was part of Austria only 100 or so years ago. Lake Como and Venice will be filled with tourists eating overpriced meals. Since you’ve seen Venice, I’d skip them both this time around.
I hope this helps and let me know if you have other questions. -Roger
Hi Roger,
Apologies for the late reply, the website did not send me a notification!
Thank you for your input, i will remove Lake Como, Clique Terre, Milan, Venice, Sicily out of my list. Your reply has been extremely helpful i feel less stress to cover everything and now i feel i have more than enough time on my hands! Some questions i have lingering:
Any thoughts on Piedmont?
Is there any recommendations for Nice? What to do/ see? Will take your advice on the French wines also because i will be going to a market in Tuscany that already has chianti wines and all to explore. Any idea if there is a train from Italy to Nice?
Where can i buy the online train tickets in advance that you mentioned? Do i need to print out the tickets?
Thank you for the information on attire, food pricing (enlightening about the lunch set!)
Anything you’d recommend for Florence and Siena?
The public buses you mentioned, is the fare paid by cash…..?
Would you recommend for the following and some additional input:
To base camp one week at Sorrento: To see Ischia, Positano, Sorrento, Naples, Pompeii, maybe Amalfi Coast
To base camp one week at Florence?: To see Tuscany: Isola of Elba (TBC)- San Gimignano- Greve in Chianti- San Minato – Florence (Should I go Siena?)
To go Bologna? Piedmont?
To go Nice from Florence? Where to go?
Also, i think there would be a train from Sorrento to Florence?
Sorry but could you also share where did you stay in Sorrento? Because i cant find much Sorrento in airbnb
Greatly Thankful,
Victoria
Victoria,
Sorry that you didn’t get a notification, but there is no problem with the timing of the reply. I’m always here (actually, in Dubai as of now). I’ll try to answer the questions in order…
I haven’t spent much time in Piedmont and there aren’t many obvious tourist spots there, but there are obviously some important cities and wonderful sights. I’d say it’s an area best suited to people who have covered the more famous sights already, which could be you by the end of your trip.
There are trains from big cities in Italy to Nice. Nice is one of France’s biggest tourist cities with great food and many excellent outdoor food markets. There are many museums and a (rocky) beach as well, so you’ll find plenty to keep you busy. And I always recommend people hop on a train for 20 minutes in either direction and visit Monaco and Cannes for at least a few hours each as well.
Here’s the main website for Italian rail. You can buy tickets online and (I’m almost sure) you can store them on your smart phone so you don’t have to print them out.
Florence is always packed with tourists and I’m sure you’ll find more than enough to do. The main Dom (cathedral) is not far from the train station, and it’s a big draw.
Siena is an interesting city with fewer tourists, and many who visit do so on day trips from Florence by bus. The main attraction is the huge main square, which has bizarre horse races a couple times a year. It’s very scenic, although if you saved it for a future trip you might be just as well off.
The Sita (public bus) that runs from the Sorrento train station along the Amalfi Coast can be paid in cash on board. I don’t think you can get advanced tickets.
I think your plan to use those bases sounds pretty much ideal. For Florence, since hotels can be a bit expensive, you might want to stay in the city for part of your Tuscany time and then maybe in a hill town or smaller place for part of your time. But you can reach the popular hill towns in about an hour from Florence, so it might be better to just do day trips unless you really long for some quiet time (because you’ll be surrounded by tourists most of the time).
Bologna is a big food city in Italy, but I haven’t spent time there so it’s hard for me to say.
The only easy way to get to Sorrento is to take a train to Naples and then take the local train (the Circumvesuviana), which leaves downstairs on different tracks, or walk or take a taxi to the port and take a ferry. Naples has a reputation as the pick-pocketing capital of Europe, which can freak some people out. But if you are careful and keep your eyes open you’ll be fine. Just read up on it a bit and take the usual precautions. The pizza there is amazing.
In Sorrento I stayed at a small hotel called the Palazzo Tasso, which is on a small alley just a short walk from the main town square. I’m not a big airbnb fan in European cities because the central places tend to be more expensive than hotels, and the cheaper places always seem to be in remote locations. When I visit European cities I really love to stay near the center of town so I can see everything and make frequent trips back to my room for breaks. If you can find an airbnb in that general area, I’m sure you’ll love it. You’ll want to be within walking distance of the Sorrento train station for sure. Keep in touch and best of luck with this. I’m happy to help. -Roger
Roger,
Having gone through dozens of sites in the attempt of gathering information for our honeymoon, we feel your site and replies have been the most helpful.
My fiance and I are from Los Angeles and plan on traveling in October. We would like to know if our wishlist is logistically doable or recommended.
We have 21 days and wish to visit Paris, Rome, and Santorini. What would you recommend and how should we plan our transportation? Do you recommend additional stops with the 21 days allocated? Thanks in advance!
Tony
Tony,
I’m always happy to hear that people find this useful. Los Angeles is my home town as well, although I’m typing this from the Maldives.
If you have 21 days to spend in Europe, I think the ideal itinerary will contain 5 to 7 stops. Now, on a honeymoon I understand that you’d want to spend more time relaxing and going slow through romantic destinations, but still I’d think about adding at least another stop or two to this.
First off, Paris is gorgeous and amazing, and it’s a really nice place to just wander around in. You could spend a week there and not get bored, although you can see all of the worthwhile sights in about 4 relaxed days.
Rome, on the other hand, is loaded with major sights, but it’s fairly chaotic. For example, traffic is famously crazy and just crossing the street is often times stressful. So it’s very worthwhile to visit Rome and stay maybe 3 or 4 nights, but it’s not very relaxing and not at all peaceful.
I haven’t yet been to Santorini, but I’ve been to other Greek islands and most people visit them to relax in the sun during the day and enjoy food and drink at night. In other words, it could be a great part of a honeymoon trip, although 7 days is pretty long to be that relaxed for some people.
So your wishlist would be very easy to do, just fly to France then fly to Rome then fly to Santorini then fly back to Paris (or London or Rome) for a flight home. But I think in 21 days you can see a few more wonderful things and still not feel at all rushed. I’ll throw out a few more possibilities and you can see what you think and I can help you with more info later if you like.
If you haven’t been to London then it’s another incredible place to consider. You can get between Paris and London in about two hours on the Eurostar train, so you can go for just a couple days if you like, and it’s quite easy.
After Paris you might also consider the south of France on your way to Rome. Nice is the best base, with still very nice weather in October. It’s a very interesting city itself, but it’s also about 20 minutes by train from Cannes in one direction and Monaco in the other. If you went to Nice then you could take a train from there to Rome and enjoy the countryside in between.
In Italy, the “Big 3” (as mentioned in the article above) are Rome, Florence, and Venice. Most people want to see all three of them, and on a honeymoon I’d think that one or two nights in Venice would be high on your list. It’s an unforgettable place in case you both haven’t been yet.
But my favorite base in Italy is Sorrento, which is just south of Naples. It’s a relaxed and tourist-friendly town where most locals speak English (which isn’t true in most of Italy), and from there you are very close to Naples (excellent day trip), Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and the island of Capri. I’d think about spending maybe 3 or 4 days in Rome and then 5 or 6 days based in Sorrento.
If you want to set aside a week or so where you won’t feel pressured to go sightseeing all the time, then Santorini could be an ideal spot for that. Many people also stop in Athens on the way to see the famous sights for a day or two, but there will be time to do that later.
So think about that and let me know if you have other questions. I’ll be happy to help you plan this to make it the ideal honeymoon for what you have in mind. -Roger
Hello again,
This is how my itinerary is shaping up ( considering I only have 12 nights ) .
Paris : 4 nights
Swiss alps : 2 nights
Venice : 2 nights
Florence: 2 nights
Rome : 2 nights
(return flight from Rome)
I wanted to take your opinion on the last 2 cities ( Florence and Rome), 2 days is such a short time , plus moving from one place to another will take time. So, I wanted to consider staying last 4 nights in Rome (instead of 2 nights in Florence and 2 nights in Rome) and then take a day trip to Florence considering its only 90 mins of train ride from Rome… or even take a road trip that way we can visit the country side in tuscany. Would you agree?
Thanks,
Samir
Samir,
You might consider knocking Venice down to 1 night because it’s quite compact and pretty easy to see in a day. As I always say, Venice is insanely crowded from about 10am until 5pm with day-trippers on bus tours so the key is to do some sightseeing in the early evening when it’s somewhat empty and also in the early morning to see a lot in a short time. During the middle of the day it’s so crowded that it’s very tiring. Also, the restaurants all close by around 10pm, so it’s not a late-night town.
As for Florence and Rome, as you say, they are 90 minutes apart by train, so you can check out of a Florence hotel (especially if you stay near the train station, which is quite central anyway) at 9am, and be at your Rome hotel by 11:30am with most of the day still ahead of you. So even if you want to keep Venice to 2 nights, I’d still recommend 2 days in Florence and 2 days in Rome. On one hand, the major sights in Rome are bigger and more spectacular, but Florence is more pleasant and also wonderful.
Your idea of taking a day trip to Florence from Rome could work as well, especially if you buy those train tickets well in advance so they are cheaper. The main sights in Florence are all within a fairly easy walk of the main train station, and you can see them in 8 hours or so. Hotels in Rome are more expensive and it’s also more exhausting because it’s more crowded.
In other words, I think your plan could work, and however you do it you’ll have a great time. Bon voyage and let me know if I can help further. -Roger
Sounds good!
Thanks,
Samir
We are a family of 4 ( 2 adults and 2 kids ages 14 and 9) , and are considering taking a 2 week trip to Europe with France and Italy as the main countries to visit. Do you have any thoughts on package tours like Trafalgar’s European Wonderland that is marketed as a “Family” tour.
Would like to add that we are looking at last 2 weeks on June for the trip. Thanks so much for this site, this page especially simplifies the “planning” for a first timer significantly.
Samir,
I’m not familiar with Trafalgar (or most other package tour companies) because I always focus on independent self-guided travel. Looking at their itinerary right now, it looks like it moves really fast, if we are talking about the one that starts in Rome and ends in London. In other words, I’m no expert on package travel and I generally recommend people do it on their own.
On one hand, a package like that will be way easier and less stressful than planning on your own. I know many people are happy with those sort of packages and continue to do them. I think it’s mostly a matter of personality and preferences. So if you like what you see and you feel you’d be more comfortable that way, then it’s probably your best choice.
On the other hand, you can certainly do it cheaper on your own and you obviously have the freedom to see exactly the things that interest you, and avoid the things that don’t. Again, I’m not familiar with Trafalgar, but the lower-price package tours everywhere in the world are famous for including frequent shopping stops. For example, the day begins at a famous attraction, and your next stop is an overpriced souvenir shop for almost an hour because the tour guide gets 10% or 20% of everything you spend there.
Another weakness of package tours is that the provided meals are always in these huge restaurants that do most of their business with tour bus groups. These restaurants have to be able to serve 46 people within an hour, so they tend to be buffets where everything is waiting for you. If you really like to try local cuisine then you’ll get very little of it on a bus tour like that, or at least you’ll get very little that isn’t mass produced a few hours before you get there.
Lastly, it looks like they are visiting 10 cities in 13 days. Several of them are obviously just a few hours as you are going from one city to another, but that’s still WAY faster than most people prefer. It’ll almost be like watching the cities on TV as they pass before your eyes as your bus just keeps moving. Some people like that sort of thing, and if you think you’d be happy seeing 10 cities in your home country within 13 days, then this might be a good choice for you.
I’m just happy that anyone is traveling anywhere like this, so I think you’ll have a good time on this tour or if you plan on your own. If you do decide to book your own trip I’ll be happy to help you sort out some details. Bon voyage. -Roger
Roger,
Thanks so much for your response. Really appreciate you taking the time to provide such a detailed reply.
Yes, I agree with your comments about package tours and the number of cities covered in such a short time. I have not done any such tours before, all our past tours were self planned and have worked well(these have been in my home country though). Since this is my first time going to Europe with family, I was looking at the tour option. But, based on your response and reading similar comments elsewhere, I am now encouraged to plan it on my own and can certainly take your help.
This is my draft plan :
1> Paris – 3 to 4 nights ,
2> Swiss Alps (Interlaken?) – 2 nights
3> Venice – 1 night (may be 2)
4> Florence – 2 nights
5> Rome – 2 to 3 nights
I understand that there is not much time between now and end of June and as such I may be already late with the planning process but I am going to try to make it happen.
I am looking for a good resource to help me with accommodations and transportation. Any recommendations would be helpful.
Thanks again!
Samir
Samir,
I’m happy to hear that you are going to plan the trip on your own. Since you are already an experienced independent traveler I think you’ll do well at this, and probably would have been a bit unhappy on the fast-moving bus tour because those always go at the pace of the slowest person.
And actually, once you have your flights booked you can plan a trip like this starting only a few weeks before you leave. I do recommend booking hotels at least a week or two out, or longer if you can, and it’s probably best to book your train tickets at least a month out in order to get the best prices on them.
Your itinerary draft looks pretty much perfect, which of course I would say because it looks like you are following most of my advice in the above article. Still, I’m sure you’ll be happy with it. And yes, if you want to see the Swiss Alps then Interlaken is definitely the place to go. This article on where to go in Switzerland explains it all in great detail.
And again, you’ll want to do this trip by train once you get to Paris. Here is my article on how and when to buy the cheapest train tickets for Europe. If you buy two or more months in advance you’ll be very pleased with how inexpensive the fares are. The ride from Interlaken to Venice is one of the most beautiful in the world, but it will take about 7 or 8 hours. You’ll want to do it during the daytime, so spending 2 nights in Venice might be wise.
As for hotels, I can help at least a bit. I’ve written articles with recommended hotels in all of the cities you’ll be visiting except Interlaken. You can find links to each article on the City pages on this site. For example, here’s the City page for Rome. You’ll notice in the center column there is a link to another article with recommended hotels. The thing about hotels, though, is that the better ones tend to get booked up early and then raise their rates a bit, so it’s hard to say what is the best value at any given time. In those articles I recommend different central neighborhoods and explain why they are convenient for visitors. So even if the particular hotel I mention doesn’t seem to have a great rate for your dates, you can hopefully at least find another one nearby that looks appealing.
The main thing to take away from those articles is that it’s usually a better idea (at least on quick trips like yours) to pay a bit more for a central location and smaller rooms rather than trying to save money or get larger rooms by booking places out by the airport or in distant suburbs. You can waste a lot of time each day going back and forth, and you end up with very few good choices for dinner in the evening if you are staying out of the center.
For Interlaken I recommend staying in the wonderful little village of Gimmelwald, or the larger town of Murren just above it. It’s all explained in the article. If you stay in Gimmelwald then I highly recommend booking at a place called Esther’s Guesthouse, which is directly above the cable car stop there. In general, you’ll get the best deals on Booking.com in Europe, and they are quite easy to use. They also offer free cancellation, so there isn’t much risk.
As always, let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Roger,
Many thanks!
Truly, this is very helpful. Please let us know how visitors to your site (like me) can return the favor.
Samir
Samir,
It’s always great to hear that this advice is helpful. Actually, if you book any hotels using the links to booking.com from my pages, I get a small percentage and you still get the best prices. That’s one of the ways I make this a full-time job. But please just find the best hotels at the best rates you can, and I’m sure I’ll be fine. -Roger
Roger
Thank you for the pointers. Having driving around Nice, I do agree, it is very expensive to pay for parking and that’s if you can find a place to park. I do have another question regarding trains. I understand the trains from Nice to Genoa is classified as a local and has no amenities and stops a great deal of time causing an extended time in travel? Maybe that’s not a bad thing in place of renting a car for quick off and on to see town’s etc. but is there a different train that can be taken with out local stops? Truly appreciate your views.
Bill,
I’ve not heard that about Nice to Genoa trains, and the one I took quite a few years ago was a normal international train. The fastest one takes a bit over 3 hours these days and it requires a seat reservation for rail pass holders. One thing I can tell you is that the trains between Barcelona and Italy are quite slow and do make many local stops. I don’t believe there are any intercity express trains, partly because there are so many cities of about the same size. -Roger
Good Day Roger.
What a fantastic site to find, only if I had found it about a year ago. My wife and I just came back from visiting Paris, the Champagne Region, Avignon and Nice and thank goodness you could use the TV Euro train since we fit the trip into 12 days. We now wish to travel from Nice to Venice for 14 days late spring and thought about renting a car, wanting to see the beauty along the Mediterranean and see some of the little towns along the way in hopes of ending in Rome for 3 days with possible a side trip to Venice to visit the Glass Factory’s. What are your thoughts in driving knowing it’s for no more than 14 days?
Bill,
I’m always happy to hear that people find this information useful. 🙂
I think renting a car to see small towns and views in France and Italy is a fine idea. The important thing to know is that renting a car to get between and visit large cities in Europe is usually unwise because parking is very expensive and having a car while visiting a large city does much more harm than good. However, for going between and staying in small towns, having a car is pretty much the only good way to do it.
One other thing to be aware of, unfortunately, is that most “small towns” on the Mediterranean were built as fishing villages and parking is still likely to be problematic. You might be able to park in a public lot near the town square for maybe €10 for an hour or two while you walk around and have lunch, but even that might be challenging in some of them because they are crowded and just weren’t built for auto tourism.
In other words, I’d make sure you do some research and hopefully have a good guidebook so you know where you are going and hopefully where you can leave the car for a bit. You’ll find really nice roads with vista turnouts here and there, so I think it will work out well. But it will be quite different from, say, visiting the small towns in the wine regions where free parking is easy to find.
And needless to say, you’ll have to park outside of Venice, probably near the train station on the mainland, and then take the train or a boat to get into the city. So long story short, it won’t be nearly as relaxing as it would have been driving around wine country, but as long as you go in late spring rather than in July or August, it should probably be really enjoyable if a bit stressful. Best of luck with it. -Roger
Hi
do you have any itinerary for Paris london scotland ?
Tashi,
So far I haven’t written a similar article with itinerary suggestions including London and Scotland, but I actually have traveled in that area extensively so maybe I can help out. I obviously don’t know your schedule or goals, so I’ll keep it basic to start.
Spend at least 3 nights in Paris and then take the Eurostar train to London. Spend at least 3 nights in London. If you want to visit other places in England before you get to Scotland the best choices for most people are Bath/Bristol, Oxford/Cambridge, and York. Those are all really lovely places with plenty to see. Unless you are a big Beatles fan I’d save Liverpool for another trip.
If you stop in York you’ll be well on your way to Scotland already. The main thing you want to see in Scotland is the wonderful city of Edinburgh, which really does live up to the hype. Spend at least 2 or 3 nights there. You might also pop over to Glasgow, which has a really nice city center, but otherwise it has few famous attractions.
If you still have more time for Scotland you’ll want to head up to Inverness, which is a really nice town and also the gateway to the Scottish Highlands. From there you can take tours that include the Isle of Skye, with really dramatic scenery all around. Inverness is also very close to Loch Ness, which is really nothing more than a disappointing tourist trap, so I’d skip it.
Now that you mention it, I probably will write a full article about these suggestions and more, but that probably won’t be for a couple months. In the meantime, if you have other questions, please feel free to follow up. -Roger
Hi sorry the reply botton wasnt working up , so putting a separate comment :
Roger will the above mentioned itenary work if I have my tickets already booked in and out of Paris from 7th March to 19th March from India
Tashi,
Yes, that should work well. Is there anything in particular that you are worried about? I’ll try to help if I can. -Roger