Europe, plan your own or tour? (1 Viewer)

[TxBuckeye]

I'm trying to start planning a trip to Europe a year from now, a last hurrah before my wife retires and we can no longer afford it. We bought some magazines and books (Rick Steves Best of Europe for example). There is just so much info, so much to do and see. It seems really daunting for a DIY project. But I know people that have done it, so I'm sure it is in fact doable. But I'm just wondering, for those that have been from the States, did you do it yourself? Go through a travel agency? Sign up for a tour?

I was going to use a travel agent. But Rick Steves runs tours. Everything is planned out for you. I'm sure you pay for convenience, but man it sure seems an easy way to go. I'm just wondering if I would be over-paying so badly that it would be insane? Or if maybe the mark up really isn't bad and is well worth it?

Anyways, for those that have been, how did you go about it? Plan it yourself? Travel agent? If travel agent, did you tell them where you wanted to go exactly, or let them handle it? Or did you book an orgianized tour?

 

[Ilov80s]

It's very doable, but it depends on how much you have traveled and how comfortable you are with it. If it is less stressful for you to use some kind of a planned tour, then go for it. Where in Europe are you thinking?

 

[jamny]

It's really a personal preference. We travel a lot and I do all the planning because I enjoy it. There's so much info online, especially with tripadvisor that it's easy to do, imo. If you're the type that doesn't mind someone laying out a great plan for you, go for it. It's not something I could ever do because the planning is one of the highlights of a trip for me. We did a one day bus tour in Ireland and I won't do it again. Just too confining for me.

 

[Judge Smails]

absolutely on your own. plenty of people will help. just figure out where you want to go

 

[comfortably numb]

I like rick Steves. Curious as to what charge would be in comparison to other agents.

 

[Don Quixote]

I've used Globus for tours of Italy and Ireland in the past couple of years. In part, we got a bit overwhelmed with planning for the trip (such as with finding hotels). We also found it more efficient on the trip itself, allowing us to get more in, that we probably wouldn't be able to do on our own. When I had posted in here about what we were hoping to do in two weeks in Italy, most people thought we were being too over-ambitious and we'd have to scale back, but we were able to do all that on the tour.

I think the cost is pretty comparable, or at least fairly reasonable for what you are getting (between hotels, tour director, bus driver, some meals included, and some local tour guides). Hotels are nothing fancy, but I probably save money there, since if I gave my wife a choice, she'd probably pick the more expensive options.

YMMV though. Some people enjoy planning trips, and view getting lost in the country as part of the experience. I'm more the type that likes not to have to worry, and see as many of the museums/sites that I can.

 

[NutterButter]

They have motel 6 type hotels throughout europe? I love them. So ridiculous to waste money on hotels when you should hardly be in the room.

 

[bierfiend]

my wife's first trip was with her HS singing group (late 80's). every trip we have done over there has been planned on our own. frankly, i love doing the research. if it is a year out, you have some time. figure out how much time you can spend out there (try 3-4 weeks if you can). start seeing which cultures and sites interest you the most and start narrowing things down to cities and towns. we have done it by car and by train. we prefer doing it by car. pick a good "zone" and do it well. we have done a germany/switzerland/austria (dipping into como very briefly), germany/northern italy, france (briefly in germany). watch videos and read about the areas. things will stick....

have fun with it.

 

[jamny]

They have motel 6 type hotels throughout europe? I love them. So ridiculous to waste money on hotels when you should hardly be in the room.

Totally disagree. Staying at great hotels is a highlight of our trips. Coming back at night, maybe having a bottle of wine on a great patio overlooking the city or just feeling like being in an amazing home or apartment in a foreign city can't be beat. We don't use the spa but there are so many other features of a luxury hotel that make the money worth it. That's what vacationing is all about, imo. I guess if you have kids it might not matter as much but we look for romantic getaways. Something you won't get at a Motel 6.

 

[NutterButter]

They have motel 6 type hotels throughout europe? I love them. So ridiculous to waste money on hotels when you should hardly be in the room.

Totally disagree. Staying at great hotels is a highlight of our trips. Coming back at night, maybe having a bottle of wine on a great patio overlooking the city or just feeling like being in an amazing home or apartment in a foreign city can't be beat. We don't use the spa but there are so many other features of a luxury hotel that make the money worth it. That's what vacationing is all about, imo. I guess if you have kids it might not matter as much but we look for romantic getaways. Something you won't get at a Motel 6.

To each his own. What kind of hotel we talking about where you get a "great patio overlooking the city"? Sounds crazy expensive. Regardless, you been throughout europe, have you seen budget hotel chains there?

 

[Tick]

Europe's huge - pick an area and focus on it IMO.

If you're a history guy, make it Italy/Greece. If you're a hipster, make it Belgium/Netherlands. If you're a partier, do Spain/Portugal. For scenery, do the Alps. For countryside, France.

 

[johnnycakes]

Planning it is half the fun for me.

 

[jamny]

They have motel 6 type hotels throughout europe? I love them. So ridiculous to waste money on hotels when you should hardly be in the room.

Totally disagree. Staying at great hotels is a highlight of our trips. Coming back at night, maybe having a bottle of wine on a great patio overlooking the city or just feeling like being in an amazing home or apartment in a foreign city can't be beat. We don't use the spa but there are so many other features of a luxury hotel that make the money worth it. That's what vacationing is all about, imo. I guess if you have kids it might not matter as much but we look for romantic getaways. Something you won't get at a Motel 6.

To each his own. What kind of hotel we talking about where you get a "great patio overlooking the city"? Sounds crazy expensive. Regardless, you been throughout europe, have you seen budget hotel chains there?

Couldn't tell you about budget hotels but yes, crazy expensive describes it. Here was our patio last week in Nice. There was a bottle of wine and fruit and chocolates waiting for us when we checked in. Didn't even leave the hotel for our first hour there. Just hung out and enjoyed the view and watched the sun set. I was out there as often as possible for our 3 day stay.

 

[NutterButter]

They have motel 6 type hotels throughout europe? I love them. So ridiculous to waste money on hotels when you should hardly be in the room.

Totally disagree. Staying at great hotels is a highlight of our trips. Coming back at night, maybe having a bottle of wine on a great patio overlooking the city or just feeling like being in an amazing home or apartment in a foreign city can't be beat. We don't use the spa but there are so many other features of a luxury hotel that make the money worth it. That's what vacationing is all about, imo. I guess if you have kids it might not matter as much but we look for romantic getaways. Something you won't get at a Motel 6.

To each his own. What kind of hotel we talking about where you get a "great patio overlooking the city"? Sounds crazy expensive. Regardless, you been throughout europe, have you seen budget hotel chains there?

Couldn't tell you about budget hotels but yes, crazy expensive describes it. Here was our patio last week in Nice. There was a bottle of wine and fruit and chocolates waiting for us when we checked in. Didn't even leave the hotel for our first hour there. Just hung out and enjoyed the view and watched the sun set. I was out there as often as possible for our 3 day stay.

Ok, that's a balcony, not a patio. Makes more sense.

 

[jamny]

They have motel 6 type hotels throughout europe? I love them. So ridiculous to waste money on hotels when you should hardly be in the room.

Totally disagree. Staying at great hotels is a highlight of our trips. Coming back at night, maybe having a bottle of wine on a great patio overlooking the city or just feeling like being in an amazing home or apartment in a foreign city can't be beat. We don't use the spa but there are so many other features of a luxury hotel that make the money worth it. That's what vacationing is all about, imo. I guess if you have kids it might not matter as much but we look for romantic getaways. Something you won't get at a Motel 6.

To each his own. What kind of hotel we talking about where you get a "great patio overlooking the city"? Sounds crazy expensive. Regardless, you been throughout europe, have you seen budget hotel chains there?

Couldn't tell you about budget hotels but yes, crazy expensive describes it. Here was our patio last week in Nice. There was a bottle of wine and fruit and chocolates waiting for us when we checked in. Didn't even leave the hotel for our first hour there. Just hung out and enjoyed the view and watched the sun set. I was out there as often as possible for our 3 day stay.

Ok, that's a balcony, not a patio. Makes more sense.

That's true. The patio in Aix en Provence was sick though. Even for us, it was overkill. Or is that a deck. I don't know.

 

[NutterButter]

They have motel 6 type hotels throughout europe? I love them. So ridiculous to waste money on hotels when you should hardly be in the room.

Totally disagree. Staying at great hotels is a highlight of our trips. Coming back at night, maybe having a bottle of wine on a great patio overlooking the city or just feeling like being in an amazing home or apartment in a foreign city can't be beat. We don't use the spa but there are so many other features of a luxury hotel that make the money worth it. That's what vacationing is all about, imo. I guess if you have kids it might not matter as much but we look for romantic getaways. Something you won't get at a Motel 6.

To each his own. What kind of hotel we talking about where you get a "great patio overlooking the city"? Sounds crazy expensive. Regardless, you been throughout europe, have you seen budget hotel chains there?

Couldn't tell you about budget hotels but yes, crazy expensive describes it. Here was our patio last week in Nice. There was a bottle of wine and fruit and chocolates waiting for us when we checked in. Didn't even leave the hotel for our first hour there. Just hung out and enjoyed the view and watched the sun set. I was out there as often as possible for our 3 day stay.

Ok, that's a balcony, not a patio. Makes more sense.

That's true. The patio in Aix en Provence was sick though. Even for us, it was overkill. Or is that a deck. I don't know.

Where's the city view?

 

[jamny]

They have motel 6 type hotels throughout europe? I love them. So ridiculous to waste money on hotels when you should hardly be in the room.

Totally disagree. Staying at great hotels is a highlight of our trips. Coming back at night, maybe having a bottle of wine on a great patio overlooking the city or just feeling like being in an amazing home or apartment in a foreign city can't be beat. We don't use the spa but there are so many other features of a luxury hotel that make the money worth it. That's what vacationing is all about, imo. I guess if you have kids it might not matter as much but we look for romantic getaways. Something you won't get at a Motel 6.

To each his own. What kind of hotel we talking about where you get a "great patio overlooking the city"? Sounds crazy expensive. Regardless, you been throughout europe, have you seen budget hotel chains there?

Couldn't tell you about budget hotels but yes, crazy expensive describes it. Here was our patio last week in Nice. There was a bottle of wine and fruit and chocolates waiting for us when we checked in. Didn't even leave the hotel for our first hour there. Just hung out and enjoyed the view and watched the sun set. I was out there as often as possible for our 3 day stay.

Ok, that's a balcony, not a patio. Makes more sense.

That's true. The patio in Aix en Provence was sick though. Even for us, it was overkill. Or is that a deck. I don't know.

Where's the city view?

Unfortunately, that appealed to those that like their gardens. Not really for me. Barely used it. The room was killer though.

 

[Sand]

Anyways, for those that have been, how did you go about it? Plan it yourself? Travel agent? If travel agent, did you tell them where you wanted to go exactly, or let them handle it? Or did you book an orgianized tour?

So much more flexibility if you do it yourself. The major things you have to accomplish are flights over, hotels, and internal country travel. Flights are pretty easy, hotels are, as well (just did a trip with 7 hotels in Ireland and used booking.com for all of them to keep the itinerary straight and it worked great). Internal country travel can be anything from a rental car to just using public transport (If you do Rome or somewhere similar this is all you need).

Both big travel trips I've been on I've looked at the folks being herded around in buses and would hate that kind of trip. Obviously some folks like it, as they seem to be popular.

First off - how long do you want to go? Second, where do you want to go? (I'd recommend not trying to do 4 countries in 8 days - that can be tough. Pick a place or two. For some big cities like Paris and Rome you can easily spend a week and stay in one place and have tons and tons to do).

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I've never done a tour, but I can't imagine I would enjoy it. I'm lucky in that I enjoy planning things, but with a whole year I would put the time in, learn about things, and plan the trip yourself.

Every time I've talked to someone during a trip who was on a tour and they tell me their itinerary it just sounds dull to me. Not to mention the rigors of being constricted to a schedule. If you had a late night or need a breather you still have to catch the bus the next morning at 6am. If you're enjoying sitting out on a patio and want to just grab a bottle of wine and spend the afternoon there you can't, etc.

I also like that planning leaves you with a lot of knowledge about the area before you get there, which can really help during the trip.

To each their own, of course, but I'd certainly prefer to plan it myself.

They have motel 6 type hotels throughout europe? I love them. So ridiculous to waste money on hotels when you should hardly be in the room.

True in terms of quality (though budget hotels in Europe can mean a twin bed in a tiny room with no A/C) but location is often very important, with many European cities being walking-centric.

To each his own. What kind of hotel we talking about where you get a "great patio overlooking the city"? Sounds crazy expensive.

Here's the sweet balcony we had in Positano. It was a VRBO place that was cheaper than most hotels in the city. Not that a tour would likely ever have you staying in a place like Positano in the first place.

Pic 1
Pic 2

We did a month in Europe on that trip and our favorite thing may have been getting a pizza and some wine and taking it back to that balcony for the night.

 

[jamny]

I've never done a tour, but I can't imagine I would enjoy it. I'm lucky in that I enjoy planning things, but with a whole year I would put the time in, learn about things, and plan the trip yourself.

Every time I've talked to someone during a trip who was on a tour and they tell me their itinerary it just sounds dull to me. Not to mention the rigors of being constricted to a schedule. If you had a late night or need a breather you still have to catch the bus the next morning at 6am. If you're enjoying sitting out on a patio and want to just grab a bottle of wine and spend the afternoon there you can't, etc.

I also like that planning leaves you with a lot of knowledge about the area before you get there, which can really help during the trip.

To each their own, of course, but I'd certainly prefer to plan it myself.

They have motel 6 type hotels throughout europe? I love them. So ridiculous to waste money on hotels when you should hardly be in the room.

True in terms of quality (though budget hotels in Europe can mean a twin bed in a tiny room with no A/C) but location is often very important, with many European cities being walking-centric.

To each his own. What kind of hotel we talking about where you get a "great patio overlooking the city"? Sounds crazy expensive.

Here's the sweet balcony we had in Positano. It was a VRBO place that was cheaper than most hotels in the city. Not that a tour would likely ever have you staying in a place like Positano in the first place.

Pic 1

Pic 2

We did a month in Europe on that trip and our favorite thing may have been getting a pizza and some wine and taking it back to that balcony for the night.

Great pics, beautiful patio/view!

Excellent point about how doing the research gets you to know the city. It's great to go in and have a visual in your head of the street layout and points of interests beforehand. Even just researching the hotels will help get you familiar with the different neighborhoods. You'll probably see a lot of the top tourist sites if you have someone plan it but it'll never really be personalized to your tastes.

 

[jon_mx]

If you would answer the following it would help:

- What time of year do you plan to go?

- How much time do you have? 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks?

- What is your budget?

- What kind of activities do you enjoy? Types of food? Drinking? Beach/Snorkling? Guided Tours? Driving?

- What kind of sites do you like? Ocean? Mountains? History? Architecture? Churches? Parks? Museums?

Some people just like to relax and capture the atomsphere of one or two locations. Some people want to go balls out and see every possible thing they can. Europe has so much to offer and is so diverse.

ETA: If you travel with another couple it might be more enjoyable and you can rent very 2-bed apartments in most places for much cheaper than a hotel that will give you a better experience than a hotel too, IMHO.

 

[eoMMan]

Depends. Sometimes it's cheaper and much better organized if you go with a touring company. They will definitely show you things that maybe you thought you wouldn't want to see (or vice versa).

There's pros and cons with each.

 

[Mad Cow]

I have a thread recently here where FBGs helped me plan an Italy trip. Did it without tours and it was great. I saw my fair share of tours while there and it was mostly old people following people with signs like a herd of cattle.

 

[TxBuckeye]

Thanks for the replies so far guys. Here are details I left out.

We want to do either Italy, or a multi-country plan. If I plan it myself, it would likely be just Italy, though maybe Spain too. We have two weeks for the trip (20 Sep 15 - 4 Oct 15). We bought the Rick Steves book as I mentioned. If I do it myself, I'll probably mainly use that. We like to see "stuff". Monuments (like the Colisseum), some art (David), love the view of mountains and stuff (wine country, the Aps). We'll walk and hike some, but aren't looking for real stenuous stuff. Walking tours where they talk about the history of the city are cool with us. We love to end the day with a great dinner, watching the sunset with a bottle of wine. We want to see stuff, but want some down time too. Honestly, this is ikely a one time deal as my wife is retiring, so while I won't say money is no object, I'm not going to be chincy either.

Here are links to the three tours we are considering. The price is per person, and does NOT include airfare. You need to get yourself to the starting point. So for those of you that have been, you can tell me how that is price-wise. It includes hotels, breakfast, tours, transpo and maybe lunch. I forget. The first one is our favorite, though it sounds busy. The last one is our likely other choice.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/europe/europe-14-days

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/heart-italy

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/venice-florence-rome-2014

 

[Ilov80s]

It's very easy to get around in Europe and the people are very helpful no matter where you go. I've been to quite a few countries and have enjoyed them all. You can't go wrong.

 

[NutterButter]

It's very easy to get around in Europe and the people are very helpful no matter where you go. I've been to quite a few countries and have enjoyed them all. You can't go wrong.

Other than those nasty Parisians.

 

[Ilov80s]

It's very easy to get around in Europe and the people are very helpful no matter where you go. I've been to quite a few countries and have enjoyed them all. You can't go wrong.

Other than those nasty Parisians.

I haven't been to Paris, planning on a trip on 2 years. I've heard from some that the Parisians were fine. I'm learning French so I am hoping to avoid any trouble.

 

[17seconds]

I would feel really weird doing an entire European trip planned by a company. It's a lot of fun to plan it yourself.

Definitely recommend day tours if there's some historic area or site you really want to dive into, you'll learn more that way. But I think it's best to plan the overall trip yourself. Just don't fall into the trap of overplanning where you have to hit 2 or 3 things every day. It's good to have some days with no real itinerary.

 

[17seconds]

It's very easy to get around in Europe and the people are very helpful no matter where you go. I've been to quite a few countries and have enjoyed them all. You can't go wrong.

Other than those nasty Parisians.

I haven't been to Paris, planning on a trip on 2 years. I've heard from some that the Parisians were fine. I'm learning French so I am hoping to avoid any trouble.

Imagine a NYC attitude with an added language barrier. That's really all it is.

 

[NutterButter]

It's very easy to get around in Europe and the people are very helpful no matter where you go. I've been to quite a few countries and have enjoyed them all. You can't go wrong.

Other than those nasty Parisians.

I haven't been to Paris, planning on a trip on 2 years. I've heard from some that the Parisians were fine. I'm learning French so I am hoping to avoid any trouble.

Paris is awesome. The people blow. I know a little french. I think me attempting to speak their language may have offended them.

 

[jamny]

It's very easy to get around in Europe and the people are very helpful no matter where you go. I've been to quite a few countries and have enjoyed them all. You can't go wrong.

Other than those nasty Parisians.

I haven't been to Paris, planning on a trip on 2 years. I've heard from some that the Parisians were fine. I'm learning French so I am hoping to avoid any trouble.

Imagine a NYC attitude with an added language barrier. That's really all it is.

Been to Paris 3 times and haven't run into anyone overly rude. Great city.

 

[Ilov80s]

It's very easy to get around in Europe and the people are very helpful no matter where you go. I've been to quite a few countries and have enjoyed them all. You can't go wrong.

Other than those nasty Parisians.

I haven't been to Paris, planning on a trip on 2 years. I've heard from some that the Parisians were fine. I'm learning French so I am hoping to avoid any trouble.

Paris is awesome. The people blow. I know a little french. I think me attempting to speak their language may have offended them.

I'm aiming for a lot of French. I spend 30 mins a day, have some people on HelloTalk App I converse with and work in a high school so I talk with the French teacher a lot. I'm already pretty much totally able to handle a restaurant setting, shopping, directions and basic conversation and I still have two more years.

 

[jamny]

Those tours do cover a lot of ground and you'll probably get your money's worth. It's definitely not for us since we're not really "people" people. We like to be off on our own without a timeline or overly specific plans. I'd hate to be in a museum on a beautiful day and then walking the city in the rain. It's nice to just be flexible.

 

[bierfiend]

Thanks for the replies so far guys. Here are details I left out.

We want to do either Italy, or a multi-country plan. If I plan it myself, it would likely be just Italy, though maybe Spain too. We have two weeks for the trip (20 Sep 15 - 4 Oct 15). We bought the Rick Steves book as I mentioned. If I do it myself, I'll probably mainly use that. We like to see "stuff". Monuments (like the Colisseum), some art (David), love the view of mountains and stuff (wine country, the Aps). We'll walk and hike some, but aren't looking for real stenuous stuff. Walking tours where they talk about the history of the city are cool with us. We love to end the day with a great dinner, watching the sunset with a bottle of wine. We want to see stuff, but want some down time too. Honestly, this is ikely a one time deal as my wife is retiring, so while I won't say money is no object, I'm not going to be chincy either.

Here are links to the three tours we are considering. The price is per person, and does NOT include airfare. You need to get yourself to the starting point. So for those of you that have been, you can tell me how that is price-wise. It includes hotels, breakfast, tours, transpo and maybe lunch. I forget. The first one is our favorite, though it sounds busy. The last one is our likely other choice.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/europe/europe-14-days

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/heart-italy

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/venice-florence-rome-2014

of these, i say do the first one..... on your own. use that as a guideline and break away from it a little here and there.

 

[Sand]

Thanks for the replies so far guys. Here are details I left out.

We want to do either Italy, or a multi-country plan. If I plan it myself, it would likely be just Italy, though maybe Spain too. We have two weeks for the trip (20 Sep 15 - 4 Oct 15). We bought the Rick Steves book as I mentioned. If I do it myself, I'll probably mainly use that. We like to see "stuff". Monuments (like the Colisseum), some art (David), love the view of mountains and stuff (wine country, the Aps). We'll walk and hike some, but aren't looking for real stenuous stuff. Walking tours where they talk about the history of the city are cool with us. We love to end the day with a great dinner, watching the sunset with a bottle of wine. We want to see stuff, but want some down time too. Honestly, this is ikely a one time deal as my wife is retiring, so while I won't say money is no object, I'm not going to be chincy either.

Here are links to the three tours we are considering. The price is per person, and does NOT include airfare. You need to get yourself to the starting point. So for those of you that have been, you can tell me how that is price-wise. It includes hotels, breakfast, tours, transpo and maybe lunch. I forget. The first one is our favorite, though it sounds busy. The last one is our likely other choice.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/europe/europe-14-days

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/heart-italy

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/venice-florence-rome-2014

of these, i say do the first one..... on your own. use that as a guideline and break away from it a little here and there.

Agreed. How many people are going? For 14 days I'd be very tempted to look into an apartment rental in Paris and then one in Rome and use those as home bases to do day trips all over. Instead of the linear hotel-hotel-hotel a base and spoke approach works very well in the right places. With an apartment you have a kitchen if that's your thing.

And for those two places you should be able to not get a rental car, so your major costs are airfare, hotels, food, and sights. You can kinda figure out what these things cost and compare to your package deal.

BTW, for a place like the Vatican I'd really want the ability to go where you want to go and spend time as you want. There is so incredibly much to see that I'd hate to be herded. And not on that list in Rome is the Borghese - you gotta go see that.

 

[Judge Smails]

Thanks for the replies so far guys. Here are details I left out.

We want to do either Italy, or a multi-country plan. If I plan it myself, it would likely be just Italy, though maybe Spain too. We have two weeks for the trip (20 Sep 15 - 4 Oct 15). We bought the Rick Steves book as I mentioned. If I do it myself, I'll probably mainly use that. We like to see "stuff". Monuments (like the Colisseum), some art (David), love the view of mountains and stuff (wine country, the Aps). We'll walk and hike some, but aren't looking for real stenuous stuff. Walking tours where they talk about the history of the city are cool with us. We love to end the day with a great dinner, watching the sunset with a bottle of wine. We want to see stuff, but want some down time too. Honestly, this is ikely a one time deal as my wife is retiring, so while I won't say money is no object, I'm not going to be chincy either.

Here are links to the three tours we are considering. The price is per person, and does NOT include airfare. You need to get yourself to the starting point. So for those of you that have been, you can tell me how that is price-wise. It includes hotels, breakfast, tours, transpo and maybe lunch. I forget. The first one is our favorite, though it sounds busy. The last one is our likely other choice.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/europe/europe-14-days

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/heart-italy

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/venice-florence-rome-2014

I'd kill myself with that itinerary. 4, 5, 7 and 8 hour bus rides?????? No freakin' way. And most people recommend fewer cities, not more. That looks JAMMED. If this is a once in a lifetime trip, Paris is a must if you've never been. Fly into Charles De Gaulle. Stay there 3 days, 4 if you want to go to Versailles. Fly from Orly to Pisa on EasyJet. Cheap. Base in Florence for 5 days, sounds like Tuscany is exactly what you're looking for. Take the fast train to Rome for another 4 days, fly home. Completely doable. All subways/trains - no driving. Walkabout Tours in Tuscany for a day to see other cities (Siena, San Gemingnano). Just not getting the mountain/Alps if that's important to you.

 

[RUSF18]

Wife and I are heading to Rome Sunday night, arriving Monday morning, train to Naples Thursday to stay in Positano through Tuesday, then a quick flight to Barcelona and back to NYC on Saturday. Flights and train booked, AirBNBs booked in Rome and Barcelona, and a beautiful hotel in Positano with a balcony view like shown earlier. There's a couple dinners we have in mind and a couple likely day trips when we're on the Amalfi Coast, but that's pretty much it. We like flexibility, the ability to wander, and don't particularly feel the need to "see everything" if it means we're enjoying the city instead.

 

[jon_mx]

Wife and I are heading to Rome Sunday night, arriving Monday morning, train to Naples Thursday to stay in Positano through Tuesday, then a quick flight to Barcelona and back to NYC on Saturday. Flights and train booked, AirBNBs booked in Rome and Barcelona, and a beautiful hotel in Positano with a balcony view like shown earlier. There's a couple dinners we have in mind and a couple likely day trips when we're on the Amalfi Coast, but that's pretty much it. We like flexibility, the ability to wander, and don't particularly feel the need to "see everything" if it means we're enjoying the city instead.

Been to Barcelona a couple times. Great city. Rome I have only spent a day in, which was not really enough to experience it. Metro in barcelona is really easy and English friendly. Gets you close enough to all the sites. I had an apartment and would get fruits, veggies, and fresh sea food from the market. The must do of course is go to La Sagrada Familia. Parc Guell is a cool place to see. Walk around the old town and see the Cathedral and Picaso Museum. You can also talk a nice walk and see a lot of Guadi's architecture, but going inside Casa Batllo and some of the others are pricey for what they are. Very cool to see some of the stuff, but 27 euros for something you can walk thru in 30 minutes? Go to the beach and enjoy some Sangria's. Drinks in Spain are cheap. Some of the free walking tours are not a bad way to spend a couple of hours and get some background on the city. Free means you should tip about 10 euros, although alot of people tip less.

 

[Dentist]

1) I did mine on my own and really enjoyed it... i took a few guided tours I found on Viator once I got there, but I planned what I would do when when I would do it on my own.. It takes a lot of time, if you don't enjoy that type of research and planning then it might not be worth it.

2) why is your wife retiring if it would put you in a financial situation whereby you would no longer be able to afford anything cool anymore?

 

[johnnycakes]

1) I did mine on my own and really enjoyed it... i took a few guided tours I found on Viator once I got there, but I planned what I would do when when I would do it on my own.. It takes a lot of time, if you don't enjoy that type of research and planning then it might not be worth it.

That's typically how we do it... you get the best of both worlds this way... with the guided tour you can make sure you hit the popular "touristy" things but you don't have to spend your whole trip seeing every touristy thing a place has to offer. Instead, you have lots of time to go at your own pace to get a feel for the place without being part of a big group. Plus, the tours generally don't book the kind of accommodations a proper FBG would expect.

 

[comfortably numb]

I have been to Portugal a dozen times mainly as a kid couple times as an adult and to France once.

Any advice to any youngersish people reading,.....try to travel as much as possible when you are young and single.

-If money is tight, find a way, save, look for jobs that allow travel or have temp jobs oversees, travel on off seasons for better rates

-If you live at home and and in between jobs take that time to do it even if for a week to a south american country

-don't wait on going with a friend or group for that awesome vacation, go alone and just be a tourist

-don't wait for that lone sabbatical to back pack through Europe for 8 months

-Just get out and go every year or 3 if possible

Life throws so many curveballs to your regular plans that if you like traveling in any way, get it out as much as possible when you are on your own.

It will be my one big regret in life that i did not travel as much as I wish i did.

 

[Rick James]

If at all possible, I'm not renting a car ever again. If you're in Europe for two weeks, that's going to be another $500-$700 saved (depending on your rate). I would rather spend extra money on a nicer hotel that is centrally located, and be able to take the metro, than rent a car. Rental car agencies are evil. Also, it is common for hotels to not offer free parking. So tack on another $20/day for that. And toll roads are everywhere over in Europe.

I spend 10 days in Madrid without a car and it could not have been any easier. Even took a train and a bus to Toledo and Segovia. It was a breeze.

 

[Sand]

If at all possible, I'm not renting a car ever again. If you're in Europe for two weeks, that's going to be another $500-$700 saved (depending on your rate). I would rather spend extra money on a nicer hotel that is centrally located, and be able to take the metro, than rent a car. Rental car agencies are evil. Also, it is common for hotels to not offer free parking. So tack on another $20/day for that. And toll roads are everywhere over in Europe.

I spend 10 days in Madrid without a car and it could not have been any easier. Even took a train and a bus to Toledo and Segovia. It was a breeze.

I agree, for the most part. In Ireland we needed a car - just location dependent. Even then the car was hideously expensive. They make you get the super cover insurance, gas prices are sky high, etc.