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Raileurope.com: See Europe by train
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Old 05-20-2008, 12:33 PM   #1
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Default 8 Weeks in Western Europe

Hey everyone, been reading up on all the posts and there's a lot of solid information there. Hoping I can get some of that good advice before I solidify my plans.

I'm traveling with my little sister after she finishes up a quarter studying abroad in Florence. It's not our first time in Europe, but it is our first time traveling on our own, so I wanna make sure I get it right, make it a good time This is the tentative schedule:

7/28 - Barcelona - 3 nights, train out to Lyon morning of the 31st.

7/31 - Lyon - 2 nights

8/2 - Avignon - 2 nights

8/4 - Nice - 2 nights

8/6 - Italy - 12 nights. The sister really wants to hit up Milan, Venice, Rome, Florence, Pisa, La Spezia, and Naples; I'm looking to trim that list. Any ideas on where we can skip out on? I don't want us to get too burned out.

8/17 - Greece - 10 nights - Having a little bit of trouble with this part, as well. We were initially gonna book a cruise deal, but it's a little out of our price range. Any tips here would be welcome, too.

8/26 - Back home.

We've been planning most of our traveling to be through trains, but picked up here that that's not always the best way to go? I'm open to any suggestions there, too. I know the France bit's a little tight.

Thoughts? Thanks for the help.

Tim
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Old 05-20-2008, 02:27 PM   #2
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i'm no professor, but that looks like 4 weeks.
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Old 05-20-2008, 02:37 PM   #3
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Haha, damn it, more of a professor than me. You're right, it's four weeks.
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Old 05-20-2008, 06:17 PM   #4
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ok, now that that's settled... i don't think you should trim down italy if your sis really wants to see those places. i've spent a total of a month there and feel like i've just scratched the surface. it's my favorite country in europe. where in greece do you plan on going?
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Old 05-21-2008, 08:56 AM   #5
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Mostly wanted to bum around the Cyclades in Greece, maybe stop by Athens. Not as set in stone, because we just decided we're not gonna do the cruise down there.

I definitely don't want to skip out on too much in Italy, maybe we could cut into the time in Greece. I'm just worried that it's too many places to see in too little time. Most of my previous vacations I've been dragged around hitting up everything there is to see and I'm looking forward to doing something a little less hectic, you know?

Gonna defer to your expertise, are there can't-miss places in Italy that aren't on the list of cities above? Is train travel the best way to go in Italy? Heard something on the radio this morning about Naples having an insane garbage problem, that something to watch out for?
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Old 05-21-2008, 10:52 AM   #6
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i understand not wanted to rush around. italy is a very laid back country and is a good place to take it slow and relax.

i've been to rome, florence, venice, perugia, naples, pompeii, siena, and bucine arrezo.

rome you can see in 4 days. i spent 5 days there on my first trip and 3 days on my second. i saw the same amount on both trips, but the 3 day trip was faster paced. i'd say 4 days is perfect.what i did was wake up early, see 3 or 4 sights, have a nice lunch, take a nap and then walk the city at night. you'll want to reserve at least half a day for the vatican if you want to see it.

florence is a small city and i wouldn't suggest more than 3 days there. i rented a car here and headed out into the tuscan countryside and stayed in bucine arrezo for a few days. the countryside is beautiful and such a different experience from the cities. i also drove to siena and spent a day there. it's got a very old, medival feel to it and i highly recommend seeing it. it's a nice place to just stroll around and enjoy the day. siena can be reached by train i think, but if you have the chance to rent a car and drive there, you should do it.

i only went to naples for a day and i didn't enjoy it. not a very clean city and there wasn't much to see imo.

venice is amazing, it's one of those places you just have to see in order to appreciate it. there are HORDES of tourists in the summer. it's overwhelming during the day. the good thing is that most of them stay outside of venice and leave to go back to their hotels around 5. at night i would walk around a not see a soul for 10 minutes, the difference is crazy.
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Old 05-21-2008, 11:36 AM   #7
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Sweet, thanks for the advice. Sounds like I'll definitely try to stay in Rome for more than a few days, and Venice for a while too. I think we might spend only a day or two in Florence; the trip is right after my sister's summer quarter studying abroad, and she's doing that in Florence. Don't think she'll mind if I just have a quick look around.

Might skip Naples from your description. Only reason I really wanted to check it out was for the pizza, haha.

If you don't mind my asking, how much is it to rent a car in Italy? We're on a tight-ish budget.
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