Heres a more in-depth look at how to get around northern Italy: There are both national train lines and regional train lines, meaning you are well-connected between the major cities and there are also options to reach smaller towns. They are all just so filled with Europeans during July and August that it can be frustrating, so going just before or after those months is ideal. Duration: 14 days. After all, this nation is the cradle of European civilization established by the Roman Empire and carried on by the Roman Catholic Church. Leave a comment! Train (TGV) at ? Best for: history, sightseeing, nature, small towns, food & wine. 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. Arrive on an empty stomach! And Nice has great museums and food as well. Bologna 2 Nights. We are coming from the West Coast of the US (California). You can go more off-the-beaten-path and deep dive into the culture, taking the slow travel route. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. As we live in times of Corona, we only opted for lodging that comes with foodie hotspots, too. Roughly said, most of Italy's "classics", including Venice, Milan, Florence, Cinque Terre, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, are all located in the north (see the Northern Italy map on the right), whereas the sunny gems such as Naples, the Amalfi Coast and Sicily, are in the south. 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 youll have time. But first and foremost, we think of a specific region to go. English is also more widely spoken there than most other Italian cities, so its less stressful in some ways. To reachSorrentoyoull take a train to Naples and then change for a one-hour local train (known as the Circumvesuviana) to its final stop. Let me know if you have any other questions. Train to Nice 2/3 nights Make it easier to visit using my Lake Como budget tips, but dont be afraid to indulge in visiting its most romantic places like Villa del Balbianello and the town of Bellagio. France Then head over to the Dolomites: the most unique of mountains with jagged grey peaks surrounded by the absolutely stunning valleys and green hills of Trentino Alto-Adige. Gondola ride for two? In these two months you get the best weather, the very beginning or the tail end of the busy summer tourist season, and if you book ahead, you can get great deals on reservations for rental cars and accommodation. But you wont get bored, and if you do you are probably doing it wrong. Id fly into Paris and spend 3 or 4 night there and then take a train down to Nice for 2 nights there. Bergamo is big in size, but quaint in spirit. It comes from Valtellina, a valley in Lombardy bordering Switzerland. Love planes & trains so both total options! I hope this helps a bit and let me know if you have any questions. Bologna 2 Nights. All of that said, Rome is absolutely a must-visit, although you wont be blamed for hustling through the city quickly and efficiently so you can spend more time in the relative serenity of anywhere else. Naplesis a large and gritty city that has an unfortunate reputation for pickpockets and other street crime. Going in, say, April would probably be better, but if your choices are staying in Paris the whole time or also going to Nice for a couple days, I would go to Nice. Northern Italy Itinerary So one option could be to leave Italy for another trip to be able to give it the time it deserves. Id say 2 or 3 nights would be enough, but if you get out in the morning and then again in the evening, Venice is much nicer and its stunning. But they are small villages and I think 2 nights might be enough there. Read about all the best towns on Lake Garda. Stop to explore Nices Old Town on your own before returning to your hotel. The areas you are planning to visit are all obviously very well established and there arent many pitfalls to worry about if you plan it yourself. Take a train from CDG to Avignon from 13.00 onwards. 3 hours is the the recommended time to allow between flight arrival and train departure. Book 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. That said, I totally see the point about moving around to too many different accommodations and having just 2 nights at a location is generally too short (I knew it was not the best plan even while planning it, but I just couldnt narrow down my focus at that point on our first trip to europe and couldnt shake the feeling that we might not be able to go back for at least several years). Train to Positino 5 nights Your email address will not be published. Then probably your return transfer from your hotel to the Rome or Naples airport and then probably a flight to Paris and then a flight home. This was the first time in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Days 5 6: Zermatt, Switzerland. Before coming to it, there is one more thing to add. Im planning a 2 and half (possibly 3 weeks) week trip for next summer (or September); based off of your Itinerary, I basically would be going to all the cities except Provence, Milan, and Cirque Terre. That meant spending the nights at luxury hotels and having meals in Michelin restaurants, as long as they are worth the money. The water was beautiful and warm and we spent a couple of hours out there going in and out of the water. So relax and savor Paris, Mont-St-Michel, Chardonnay, or Cannesamong other alluring destinationssaving the rest for another day. Not sure of best way to fit Venice in the plans. 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. possible route via Orange and Sault (Lavender fields); or just Youll be sick of the crowds by then anyway. We also visited a small town called St-Quentin-de-la-Poterie. I prefer nearby la Morra, and there are other nice villages too. 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. Were hoping to stay very near to the Eiffel Tower. Those beaches should be great in June and September. We enjoyed the peaceful walk up to the castle with great views of the town, the lake, and mountains. Italy and Switzerland in 2 weeks At the castle we took a tour and visited the grounds. Do you have any suggestions? We also went to the Pont du Gard where we spent half a day, with walking around admiring the site, taking the tour which included walking through the top part, went through the museum, had a picnic lunch, and waded in the water. Yani. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions. Provence is also known for its cuisine, as it stands out even within a country where the food is amazing virtually everywhere you go. Milan is bustling, crowded, the energy is always high. Consider? Some of these links are affiliate links. As to your itinerary, I wouldn't do so much driving in such a short time either. Then take a train to Florence for 3 nights and you can visit Pisa as a half-day trip. Suggested Itineraries in France Hotel rooms in Paris (especially in prime locations) tend to be quite small, and Airbnbs will be small as well, although not as small as hotel rooms. The big question when planning a trip is always: how long you should spend in northern Italy? Its true that you cant just all of France by just visiting Paris on your first trip, but its 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. You can easily do day trips to Naples, Pompeii, Capri, and the rest of the Amalfi Coast. My husband and I came here for the sea, although not for lying on the beach. I know you wanted to go to Italy. No regrets. More about the accommodation (my post) and the activities to take here can be found soon on my blog. We chose to take on ): Piedmont: at least 2 nights (Piedmont is a large region, so depending on how much you want to see, you could easily extend this a couple of nights) Lake Como: at least 1 night Bologna: at least 1 night Florence: at least 2 nights Verona: at least 1 night Lake Garda: at least 1 night (or even a day trip from Verona & you stay in Verona 2 nights) Dolomites: at least 2-3 nights. Rognonas is about 10 minutes by (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Hopefully all these options make clearer what is at the top of your northern Italy bucket list! We have a total of 12 nights. And the Italian lakes regions really deserve more time then 2 nights. Southern Italy Road Trip: Stop 4 Sicily Itinerary. Many do advise against driving a car right after a long flight. I have done it plenty of times for both personal and business trips. I find that I Let me know if you have any other questions and Ill be happy to try to help. Book your stay in Milan and spend time exploring the city, while using the next few days to visit Cinque Terre and Lake Como. Yes, its a tourist experience, but its also still incredibly unique and wholesome to run away to the city and get lost in its alleys for a few days. Train to Florence 2 nights But in general, when you want to explore small towns and villages and see the countryside and tale scenic routes, you need to take the smaller roads. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Luxury hotels, Michelin dining & things to do along the route: Northern Italy & Southern France 11-day road trip itinerary, From place to place in northern Italy and southern France, 5. 3 hours is the the recommended time to allow We were very relaxed on this trip, which is what we wanted. I cant begin to thank you enough for your input and detailed info with links. All of your tips are very helpful. Im going to re-think the middle We walked around the area, and out to the point on this huge rock where there were steps going down so you could go for a swim. The drive from Avignon to Barolo is very long - see http://www.viamichelin.com for itineraries, driving times and costs. Itinerary for Italy and Southern France - Italy Forum This trip should include Pari, the south of France and the Amalfi coast definitely. And last but not least, there is a luxury hotel with gourmet restaurant here that caught my attention. WebIf youre looking for a 4-day France road trip itinerary, check out this post. And long road trips are indeed possible. Any of these itineraries can be turned into a road trip itinerary like I said, the country is best experienced by road trip! The trick is to stay at least one night, if not two,on the main island itself. Flying around in France and Italy doesnt make much sense. 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