# A few days in France, a few days in Italy...



## KauaiKris (Jan 17, 2008)

My husband was fortunate enough to have done an excellent job last year, earning him a trip from his employer to their "Leaders Conference" which is a cruise from Barcelona to Nice in mid May.  Coming all the way from Seattle, it seems to make sense to take a few extra days to see other sights.  

We spent a few days in Paris 8 years ago and loved it, and would be delighted to go back.  But we have NO IDEA where to stay and what would be a reasonable budget.  We'd also like to go to Italy, but once again, no idea where to go, what to see or where to stay.  It seems time share units are a bit hard to come by in France & Italy, especially for less than a full week. 

We stay mainly at Gold Crown resorts -- I'm not sure I can afford that level of comfort over there these days, considering the dollar is worth next to nothing.  But if anyone has suggestions, would like to share experience or wisdom, or otherwise generally be helpful, I would really appreciate it.  

Thanks.


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## hibbeln (Jan 17, 2008)

By all means go back to Paris.  Then you could split the time with Rome if you like history.


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## beejaybeeohio (Jan 17, 2008)

*LCC*

It is so easy to go from one major city to another in Europe using a low-cost carrier such as RyanAir or EasyJet that all you need to do is chose those you most want to see.

I would return to Paris in a heartbeat and would go back to Rome in cool weather.  How about Vienna, Venice, Salzburg, Budapest, Prague?

4 nights in a city is just about perfect!  Enjoy!


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## Conan (Jan 17, 2008)

Since the cruise ends in Nice, why not take the opportunity to see the south of France - - Nice, Cannes, Aix, Arles, Avignon?
[and a few miles east of Nice there's the Italian seaside resort of San Remo]

You can see the route on the bottom section of this map:


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## KauaiKris (Jan 17, 2008)

These are helpful ideas.  I'd never even considered towns in southern France.  I'm not even sure what I'd see!  I will be hampered somewhat by my lack of language skills.  

Venice has appealed to me, as well.  We're not wine connoisseurs, so some of the activities that many people look forward to in France & Italy won't interest us as much.  I like history, my husband loves art.  

Thanks for these ideas and suggestions. Any additional info or ideas is most welcome.


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## Carolinian (Jan 18, 2008)

I would consider Venice, Florence, and Rome, all easily reached by frequent high speed trains.


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## hibbeln (Jan 18, 2008)

Boy, if you like art, then Paris is sure the place to go....the Louvre, the D'Orsay, the Pompidou, the Rodin Museum, the Picasso Museum, the L'Orangerie........it's art heaven!

Rome would be a nice second city for a "beginner" to Europe.  Plenty of English is spoken.  It's easy to navigate.  You're familiar with what is there to see (the Coliseum, Vatican, Spanish Steps, Forum....).   Food is easy to order and familiar.  GREAT history!  Taking the train to Pompeii is an easy daytrip from Rome and it is fascinating for anyone even mildly interested in history (and any male loves it, nothing like a big volcano going boom and burying people!).


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## Quilter (Jan 21, 2008)

We're heading to Nice in June.   I've gotten 3 new travel guides for the area  and my favorite is Rick Steves.   We're planning on 3 nights in B&B's or inns in the Luberon area after Nice.   My son got us Pimsler's French One.  He found it at our local library.   It's all on CD's and very easy to keep in the car for my little trips around town.   My husband is listening to them during his communte to/from work.  We're having fun practicing on each other.  I picked up a French dictionary and phrasebook at the library to help with the lessons.

This is a link to a thread I posted a while back.  Maybe some of the responses will help you too:

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59949


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## dmharris (Jan 21, 2008)

Prepare to walk LOTS where ever you go, so buy the best walking shoes you can afford. I bought a pair of Naots for $150 and they carry me nicely.

Since you've been to Paris why not expand your horizons? Florence is where the Renaisance began and is known for art not only in the buildings, but the buildings themselves, statues everywhere, the food and clothes are art. It oozes charm. 

I agree that the south of France that time of year would be magnificient. Charm, romance and beauty; it's all there.  What surprised me the most was the ancient remains of the Roman Empire in the south of France.  Now that's history!


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## PStreet1 (Jan 23, 2008)

We've used Priceline.com for hotels in many cities in Europe.  We've ALWAYS gotten 4* hotels in great locations for $100.00 (yes, that's dollars) a night or less.  Do your research on www.biddingfortravel.com    The first listing under any city is the hotels Priceline uses at each * category in each part of the city.  Then, go back and read the forum and see what bids Priceline is currently accepting for the *level you want in the part of the city you want.  We've stayed at some very, very nice hotels and paid much, much less than the hotel asks--and our prices were in dollars, not pounds or Euros.  

It's true you won't know exactly which hotel you'll get, but you will know the location within a few blocks and the *level--there's really no way to lose if you bid for a 4*; none of them are bad.


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## BarCol (Jan 24, 2008)

Just a thought, but why not consider eiterh www.holiday-rentals.co.uk or www.vrbo.com for rentals in Paris or Venice or Rome.
Our Venice trip this coming summer is using this place http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/Italy/holiday-apartment-Venice-area/p63751.htm#unitRates amd for Rome, this one http://www.vrbo.com/108288

Although there are so many really fabulous looking ones.  Another website you might want for Paris is this one http://www.parisperfect.com/

Sounds like a great opportunity for you and your husband.


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## Dunk (Jan 24, 2008)

You can take a train down to the Cinque Terre on the coast of Italy. Very reasonable food and accomodations.






http://www.cinqueterreonline.com/


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## KauaiKris (Jan 28, 2008)

These are all great suggestions.  Thank you!  So very helpful.  I'm sure more questions will come as I start making the plans.


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## bhodgson (Jan 29, 2008)

Here are a couple of suggestions for places to stay. We spent a week in Paris in June and stayed with Cecilia who is absolutely delightful and her rates are very reasonable. You may want to look at her website. If you are interested, email her directly and ask for pricing. It is a short train ride to the Eiffel Tower and she is most helpful. Our room had a small fridge, stove top and after spending the day sightseeing we would stop at the butcher and pick up fresh fruits and veggies or a roasted chicken for our supper and in the morning would go to the neighborhood bakery for breakfast goodies which were very yummy. Her place is not fancy but it is clean and she is wonderful. Every time I go back I will try to stay with her. I got her name from my niece who has stayed with her a couple of times. If you write to her, tell her that the Barbara and Ed from Chicago say Hi! She gave wonderful instructions for using the train and underground and we had an easy time getting around - we even went out to Versailles one day. 

http//www.ceciliasguesthouse-iledefrance.com.

This one is in Venice on a canal and is a delightful Boutique hotel - very nice and reasonably priced compared to many other places. It was immaculate and the people were great. 
Palazzo Cendon Piano Antico booked through booking.com

This was our experience - our trip started with a cruise and we ended up in Europe for a month and loved it although I found the crowds in Italy  especially Rome and Florence,  almost overwhelming. 

Good luck with your choices - you should have a wonderful time


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## pwrshift (Feb 1, 2008)

I recommend touring the Nice to Paris area too.   Forget Rome for this trip as the sites in Italy are spread out all over the country - so much so that Italy should be a separate trip IMO.

But Cannes, Monaco, French & Italian Rivieras, the driving trip and Paris - great memories.

Congrats ... make the most of it.

Brian


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## m61376 (Feb 14, 2008)

No one else suggested this so I will- fly in a few days early and spend them in Barcelona. It is a beautiful city to tour and you'll be right there. We did an Eastern Med. cruise several years ago and spent 3 days in Barcelona afterwards and we all were VERY glad we did so.


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## stmartinfan (Feb 14, 2008)

I'd second the comment about spending time in Barcelona.  A lovely city with lots of interesting things to tour, especially the buildings designed by Gaudi.  Even if you don't want to tour but just hang out, it's a great city to walk.  We rented a small apartment there for several days using one of the online rental places; we've done that in several European cities and it has really added to our stay. Usually, you're in a real neighborhood - instead of the more touristy area when lots of hotels are, so you can enjoy the small restaurants and shopping in the local stores.  We confirm that we're close to the subway or other transportation, so that it's still convenient to get around.  We usually travel with two kids, so apartment rentals are often cheaper for us than hotels that can accommodate 4 people in Europe.


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## glenmore (Feb 28, 2008)

BHODGSON - I tried to look at the website you mentioned:  http//www.ceciliasguesthouse-iledefrance.com
but it did not work . . is this the correct one? Thank you . .


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