France & Italy - 28 Day Trip

MrsHarris323

We are planning to Fly into Paris and from there travel south and down to Italy and see Torino, Milano, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Tuscany and Rome. Has anyone else done a trip like this? Advice? Must see places? Last time I was there I was 13 and didn't appreciate it like I would now. Thanks!

alithebride

similar but it was 19 nights and staying only florence, tuscany and sicily. we stayed for the first nights in florence then a week in radda in chianti in tuscany and explored other towns and then the week in sicily-catania and selinunte. we'd been to italy before. when are you planning to go? tuscany is a large area and you already have 2 cities ont he list which are IN tuscany. do you mean explring other towns?

TravelingJen

Several years ago I spent 4.5 weeks in France. Two years ago I spent 14 days in Italy.

I have entries in my travel blog on all the places I visited on those two trips below.

France:

Paris

World War I Sights of Verdun and Reims

Alsace

Burgundy

Annecy

Chamonix

Lyon

Provence: Orange, Cotes du Rhones wine villages & Vaison la Romaine

The French Riviera (Antibes, Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, & Monaco)

Provence: Minerve, Pont du Gard, Avignon, Arles, Saintes-Maries, Les Baux, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Roussillion & Gordes

Languedoc (Cahors, Albi, & Carcassonne)

The Dordogne

Loire Valley

Brittany (Cancale, Emerald Coast, Saint-Malo, Dinan & Fougeres)

Normandy: Balleroy, Coutances, Granville, Villedieu-les-Poeles & Mont St. Michel

Normandy: Bayeux, Caen & the D-Day Beaches

Normandy: Giverny, Honfleur, Rouen & Etretat

 

Italy:

Venice (Accommodation & Dining)

Venice (Sightseeing)
Islands of the Venetian Lagoon (Burano, Murano, & San Giorgio Maggiore)

Milan (Sightseeing, Dining, and Accommodation)

Cinque Terre (Sightseeing, Dining, and Accommodation)

Florence (Accommodation, Dining, and Nightlife)

Florence (Sightseeing)

Tuscany (Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa)

Rome (Accommodation, Dining, & Nightlife)

Rome (Sightseeing)

 

alithebride

Nest Cayla:

I LOVE Italy! It's probably the most magical place I have ever been to. Here are my suggestions off the top of my head:

While in Rome, if you are there for multiple days, take a day trip to Pompeii! ALSO, try your hardest to take at least a day trip to Capri (it's the most magical place I have ever been to). To get to Capri you will need to take the train from Rome to Naples and then you get on a 30 min ferry ride from Naples to get to Capri. 

In Florence I will never forget this sandwich shop (it was probably the best food I ate while in Florence) called Antico Noe -- you MUST go here! It's a little hole-in-the-wall and I about died because my entire family ordered a sandwich and we were stealing each other's food it was that delish! 

Florence is such an enjoyable city, you can walk every where! 

Pisa, don't spend any more than an hour here... there's only one thing here to do/see and that's The Leaning Tower of Pisa... 1 hour and you're done, nothing else to do

Keep us posted on how your trip goes!!!! 

And take pictures of everything you eat! You'll love having a food diary too to look back on (I did this and my family loved me for it... we flip through a thick book of photos of all of our meals and we talk about all of the memories that surrounded those breakfasts, lunches and dinners!) 

there's FAR FAR FAR more to do in pisa. It's disappointing to see someone say spend an hour only on one thing and then leave.

alithebride

I didn't read what you wrote that way but ok. 

Anyway the cathedral and the baptismal right next to the tower are gorgeous and shouldn't be missed. The town is RIGHT there and just walking in a few blocks will lead you to great restaurants, architecture, building facades etc.   check out trip advisor for some places that appeal to you. 

lasposa425

I don't really have any specific advice but it sounds like it will be a great trip no matter where you go---have fun and enjoy!

amyelise25

We just got back last week from 2 nights in Florence, 3 in the Cinque Terre, and 4 in Tuscany.  I don't know about Torino, but I would recommend trying to get around without a car in Milan, Rome, Florence, and Venice.  Those are easy to do on foot or using public transportation.  There is a train station in Pisa a mile from the leaning tower.  The trains are really reliable in Italy (just remember to validate your ticket before you get on... they are tough about this and I always see a tourist that didn't know to do this).

I LOVED driving around Tuscany.  We stayed in the southern part outside of Montelpulciano and visited Siena, Cortona, Montelcino, Pienza, Greve in Chianti, and Rada in Chianti.  Along with lots of beautiful driving.  If we return to Tuscany, I think I might want to stay in the Chianti area.  It was so beautiful.  But my husband loved the wine better down by Montelpulciano/Montelcino. 

We were in Florence for 48 hours and got a lot accomplished (Duomo, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, Ponte Vecchio, Acadamia, another musuem that starts with a B, the Pitti Palace, hike through the Boboli Gardens then over to the Piazza Michaelangelo).  Plus some great dinners, lemoncello, and an opera in a church! 

We saved a lot of time getting tickets ahead of time for the Academia.  I have also saved a ton of time getting tickets online during a prior trip for the Ufizzi.  I saved time on a prior trip by having tickets ahead for the Collesium.  I have heard that same for the place in Milan that has the Last Supper (I can't remember the name of the place). 

I also agree with a prior poster that it would be great to do some side excursions from some of the cities you are in.  I have heard amazing things about Sorrento.  Capri is GORGEOUS.  I loved the Cinque Terre (you could hit a couple of towns in a day).  Verona (not far from Venice) is a really pretty city that could be done in an afternoon. 

Enjoy!!!

 

mckenzie915

I loved aix-en-provence. I also really liked Nice and Cannes. They are expensive but fun if you're just staying one night or have the funds.