1

Nuts, especially your last 3 days.

Please read the post on th Western Europe branch (the 2nd or 3rd one) that says 'itinerary or budget question- Read this First'.

You are making all the usual mistakes.

2

Do I understand you will travel 8 days in total? And you will visit 4 countries in these 8 days? I understand that you want to see as much as you can if you think you'll never be in western Europe again but at this pace your memories will be of miserable exhaustion and train stations.

I don't know where you're flying in from so it's barely possible you won't be terribly jet-lagged. But let me tell you what my first day in Paris would look like, coming from N. America. I'd probably get in at about 8:00 AM from a red-eye flight. I'd be pumped. I'd have to dump my bags at the hotel because I can't check in until after noon but I wouldn't care because I'm so excited to be in Paris.I'd find a cafe close to my hotel, very French, and have a cafe au lait and a croissant and pretend I could read a local paper.

The I'd wander around the neighbourhood I was staying in, soaking up the local flavour. As shops started to open I'd pop in to some of them, the ones that looked odd and interesting. But as the caffiene started to wear off I'd start to wind down and I'd probably end up heading back to the hotel befor they said I could check in. Or I might make it to lunch if I could find a quiet park to hang out in. Then if I could make it to lunch I'd find a lovely prix fixe place for lunch and have my first real Parisien mean with wine and all. Afterwards, of course, I'd be a basketcase of exhaustion, staggering back to my hotel for what would likely end up being a 3 hour nap.

Waking up it would be 5-ish so I could shower and spruce up and hit the town. More walking around soaking up sights and sounds, maybe popping in to a bar for an aperitif, keeping my eye out for the perfect place for dinner. Maybe I'd look in to Nore Dame or St. Germain or another beautiful church.

My point is that the best part of travelling is hanging out and discovering cool stuff you never read about. Seriously, you'd go to the Louvre on a day that you're also seeing the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees, the Place de Concord? What do you plan to do at these places? Take a photo and run?

Nnjk5, you and your friends need to slow down. Pick your 4 must-sees and leave it at that. Spend the rest of your time travelling, eating, booking in to hotels, buying tickets for things, standing in line for things, etc. and hopefully you'll have sometime left over for just hanging. Best of luck.

3

If you spent all 9 days divided between only Rome, Florence and Venice, you would still be cutting things very very short.

This sounds like a holiday intended mainly to show the folks back home a bunch of nifty photos--rather than say a holiday during which you might actually enjoy yourselves.

At this pace, you'll get a whiff--not even a taste--of any and all places you visit. No sane, experienced traveler would attempt it. Nor should you.

In travel, as in the Method School of Acting, less is more.

Pick your 4 must-sees and leave it at that
4? If they're major cities, I'd say 2.

4

Can i ask..how old are you and your friends?

Do any of you have terminal illnesses?

Other than that....all has been said above.Sheer madness........

5

ps agree with Craig....2 big cities is plenty for that timespan.

Even Paris alone for a week would be a great experience...far better than that 'plan' above.

6

Unbelievable.

No Cinque Terre???

7

surely this is a troll

8

if looking for assistance in our trip....go to the next travel agency.

9

Looks fine to me, but I would definitely try to squeeze in a day in Greece if possible.