Can you guys please help?
We are planning a trip next year, for about 10-12 days. We wanted to visit Italy(3-4days), France(3-4days) and the UK.(4-5 days).We are kind of on a budget, so any suggestions as to that will be appreciated. Also, should we go from Italy to France to Uk or Uk to France to Italy.
Any suggestions about places to visit in the above mentioned places are welcome.
Also, we need accomodation in Paris and Toulouse. We have relatives and friends in Rome and London, with whom we will be staying.
Right now our itinerary looks like this:
Day1- Arrive in Rome, late evening.
Day2- Rome
Day3- Rome
Day4-Rome to Toulouse
Day5-Toulouse to Lourdes. After seeing Lourdes, onwards to Paris.
Day6- Paris
Day7-Paris
Day8-Paris- London
Day9- London
Day10-London
Day11-London
Day12- London-Home.
Thanks in advance!!
2
The see the highlights of cities like London, Rome and Paris takes approximately 5 days per city, so London, Rome and Paris together take 15 days.I would stick to London and Rome and skip France (or maybe skip Paris and keep Lourdes). You add a few day trips from London and Rome (believe me, there are a lot of interesting sights around Rome and London) and you are done.
3
http://www.bahn.co.uk will give you a train timetable.Basically Rome to Toulouse via train will take an entire day - absolute minimum of 14.5 hrs, and possibly as much as 19 hours.
Via car it's minimum 13 hrs (145 euros fuel burn, 105 euros tolls + a one way dehire in a foreign country penalty fee).
Your only choice therefore is to fly (and it's cheaper anyway). Pick between Air France and Easyjet, but watch the terms and conditions carefully (e.g. maybe having to print out your own boarding passes at home, luggage allowances etc). They strictly enforce their rules and failure to comply is expensive.
Toulouse to Lourdes is 1:40 by train, but they're infrequent (every 2 hrs). Pick from 06:00, arriving 08:24 or 08:36 arriving 10:15. The last train of the day that's direct to Paris leaves at 17:38, arriving 23:33, so you'd not have that much time in Lourdes, or if you do take the 6am train, it's a helluva long day. Search and book via http://www.voyages-sncf.fr.
Personally I don't think 2.5 days is sufficient for Rome (cos that's what it'll be), not even allowing for downtime socialising with your friends. I also don't think 2.5 days is sufficient for Paris - more like 4 - and the same for London - only 3.5 days.
Your trip is doable, but it'll be flat out and you'll only skim the surface of each place you're in. You should book your travel within Europe as early as possible to get cheapest prices, because they rise the closer to the actual travel date you get.
As for comparing Rome, Lourdes and London with Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, that's like comparing chalk and cheese, they're substantially different in almost every possible way.
6
Well, thanks guys for all the help. We were thinking of late May-early June, and yeah, let's forget the Singapore-Thailand-Malaysia thing. Also, we wanted to visit all these places, because it's a once in a lifetime thing. Our holidays never coincide as a family, so we're getting this one rare opportunity, and we never know if we'll get a chance again and/or we'll have the funds to travel again.Again, any suggestions as to hotels in Paris and Toulouse are welcome. We're looking for budget hotels or mid-range, but with good amenities and rooms.
As for budget, our entire trip budget come to around 7,700 Euros. I know that's not a lot, but it's all we have to go about with right now.
Please suggest things to do in Rome, Paris and London.
Interests- pretty much everything. History, art, music, culture, gastronomy, monuments, wildlife etc.
Thanks,
Cyper
Edited by: cyper
