2 weeks in Europe what would you do?

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
21

You really can’t go wrong with any of the options you’re considering. The only thing I’d throw out there is this: unless you’re totally opposed to it, consider spending some time (3 - 4 days) in Barcelona — it is simply awesome (and this is coming from someone who loves Paris and who enjoyed Rome the one time I went).

22

It seems ultimately I need to decide if I camp out in 2 places (Paris and Rome) for one week each or I do 4 nights each in Rome and Paris and then split some other nights off in other places like Normandy, Florence, Venice etc.

Either that or I can just take a month off, go broke and then get fired. Decisions, decisions. flirtysmile

George

23

Sounds like a plan! Besides, college degrees are over-rated.

24

The real trouble starts when you start to price out tickets, or look for award tickets. Fly to Paris, return from Rome. Fly to Rome, return from Paris. These are the easy equations. [wink.gif]
You can fly to Paris - stopover - fly to Rome, then return home… and on and on. My friends would have fun spending hours and hours researching the multiple combinations. Oh, and don’t forget to check booking 1 way tickets. [drinkers.gif]

25

Agreed. I can get direct ORD to CDG and then FCO to ORD on AA. Isn’t too bad to purchase. WIfe and I are both Platinum so upgrades are possible. Points are out of the question as it is high season and it is just a stupid use of points for a free ticket. I would probably take a Ryan air or some low cost European carrier between Paris and Italy unless prices on the major airlines drop quite a bit, (which I doubt they will)

26

I just booked LHR-ORLY, returning CDG-LHR roundtrip on BA for next month. $193 pp airfare, plus $153 taxes pp. As an AA Plt flier, BA and other One World carriers are much less restrictive regarding baggage allowances (I’ve neve been charged for excess weight or numbers of bags), which can even out the costs with deep-discount carriers pretty quickly. As Plt fliers, you will also have access to One World business class lounges, as well as expedited check-in, security, and immigration lines when you fly one One World carriers.

27

Thanks Mark - Believe me I know all the benefits that comes with Status. Sometimes the intereuropean carriers are dirt cheap even with the restrictions. I will take all of that in to consideration.

George

28

You suggest London to Paris and then drive to Normandy/Brittany. We were thinking of London to Normandy then on to Paris. My son is into WWII and i thought it would be cool to do it that way. Plus Paris is so…big and a bit daunting to my non-french speaking family. I thought we would work our courage up as we got closer. Comments???

29

Chris,
The alleged rudeness of Parisians toward non Parisians is a canard. My French is embarrassingly non-existant considering how much time I’ve spent there and I’ve never encountered any problems. Quick story: The first time we took our children was in 2002 and they were 18 and 15. My 18 year old son came out of the Metro and was confused as to which way he should turn on the Rue du Rivoli. So he walked over to a liveried hotel doorman (probably the Westin, at the time) and said, “excuse me, sir, but do you speak English?” The doorman eyed my son up and down like he was some sort of insect, sniffed in that Gallic way, and replied, “It depends.” He then proceeded to give my son precise directions to his destination. Treat people with respect and they will do likewise. Even in Paris…

My wife and I did a similar trip two years ago. We couldn’t get the car rental we wanted in Calais (despite the agencies’ online availability, be sure to check with a live agent, we couldn’t rent in Calais and drop in Paris). The Eurostar goes to central Paris, which is further than CDG to Normandie. So we flew LHR to CDG, picked up a car and drove to Honfleur, stopping along the way for an afternoon in Monet’s garden in Giverny. Well worth the stop. Spent two nights in Honfleur, then three nights in Port en Bessin/Bayeux while touring the WWII beaches and the Memorial in Caen. We then drove down the coast into Brittany, staying two nights each in Cancale, Trébeurden, and Saint-Anne-la-Palud, using those towns as bases to explore the coast of Brittany, which was wonderful. Our trip was a long one, so we spent another 10 days driving up through the Loire before we reached Paris, where I dropped off the car in town. Bring a gps unit with you, loaded with France maps and pre-load your hotels. I have a Garmin that has paid for itself many times over and saved my marriage countless times.

We’ve driven across much of France the past 10 years and this was one of our favorite trips.

30

I speak zero French but never had a problem. I find if you at least say hello, good bye, please thank you etc you will have no issues. People are very patient as long as you are polite.

Last time I was in France I wanted to by my brother a real lagauvuille corkscrew and the little shop that had the best selection was run by a woman who spoke absolutely no english. It took a while to figure out what I wanted but we figured it out. She was amazingly nice and patient with me. I have always found this to be the norm rather than the exception.

George

31

When my kids were 16 (girl) and 14 (boy), we took them to Paris. Some things they really enjoyed were: the D Day beaches and other WWII stuff in Normandy, Versailles, the Assyrian and Egyptian stuff at the Louve, French desserts (like souffles and Napoleons), going to the Eifel Tower and walking through Paris, going to a big loud Brasserie.

I have not taken kids to Rome (my daughter has been there as an adult). But I if you go there I recommend taking a day trip to Pompeii. Italy should be pretty easy for food for boys that age - I have to assume they will love the pizza and pasta.

32

Howard,

Thanks for the feedback. My kids are pretty good with food, I think the plan right now is fly in to Paris, fly out of Rome. Normandy and Pompeii are definitely on our list.

George

33

Planning something similar with my nephews - both age 16. Given all of the choices, they had two requests: Pompeii/Rome and Paris. Please report back so I can learn from your experience!

34

We have done lots of trips to Europe with the kids - when they were younger than yours and also the same age. They liked it so much one moved to Amsterdam and the other lived in Denmark for a while. And they both did semesters in Europe. They both (girls) liked London and Rome/Tuscany the best. The best part of London is that they would just go off by themselves and explored all over. No language problem and the Underground took them where they wanted to go. We usually rented an apartment for at least a week. They really liked to explore Rome and Tuscany. My younger on also took Latin for 4 years and got a lot out of translating for us in Italy.

35

Paris for a week, definitely. Our experience with Parisians has been very positive. One word of French from me and they are extremely helpful (it may be that they do not wish to hear any more butchered French).

Venice and Rome are great. It sounds like at least part of your trip needs to be in Rome to address your son’s interest. Honestly, though, I’d echo Brian’s suggestion regarding Barcelona. It is just awesome.

Cheers,
Doug

36

I think your basic plan of a week in each city is good. Renting an apartment is a nice way to combine eating out and buying local food to prepare yourself.

I think you should be wary of dashing about trying to visit as many cities as possible. You’ll just end up with lots of photos and blurred memories and no real feel for them. However, I think you can add some diversity by travelling in a leisurely way from Paris to Rome, either by car or by train. You could pass through some pretty interesting places, such as Dijon, Avignon, Aix, Nice, Florence, Sienna …

Barcelona is cool but it’s hardly en route. Save it for another time. Also you have 50% chance of getting your passport and/or wallet stolen there, which could ruin the rest of your trip.

I’d also advise trying to combine the cultural/historical city days with some less hectic days involving beaches, rivers, scenery etc.

37

2 out of 3 listed requirements wins it for Italy, imho.[/quote]
I would second this and add that the people of Italy appear to happier and friendlier - this might make this trip even more fun.
Enjoy.

38

I love to visit Venice and Rome.I am planning to visit these cities…

39

So it looks like 2 weeks in Italy wins. Combination of a lot of things that made the choice easier.

We are able to get a phenomenal Villa on the Amalfi coast for a week.I have been working directly with the owner and he has been amazing.The villa is right on the Sea with a pool and direct access to the Sea. This will allow us to relax, snorkel and spend some time on the water which we really love. It will also be a great base to explore the nearby towns of Capri Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and of course Pompei. The best of both worlds… a beach vacation in Europe.

We will then spend the remaining 6 nights in Rome. Obviously plenty to do there working on where to stay now. Maybe a day trip up in to Tuscan or Umbria if we have time.

Direct round trip flights to Rome from Chicago really helped make the decision.

George

40

We had a guide at Pompeii. Worth every cent