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. I havent had a chance yet to delve into the details of the trip yet, but have a rough itinerary. Here are some in-depth guides to help you plan exactly what to do in each destination: Check out this Google Maps Trip Planner with extra itinerary suggestions: Outdoor enthusiasts will fall in love with the Italian Alps. Tour du Mont Blanc - Day Hike Recommendations. And it's that way in every direction. Day 8: Italian Riviera via Monaco. There is an airport in both Venice and Milan so you could start your itinerary in either place. Im glad you have enjoyed the site and Ill try to help. Probably the most efficient first trip to France along with Italy is to spend a few days in Paris and then head to Nice (see below) to explore the French Riviera, but if the beach scene doesnt interest you, or if you are coming in the cool months (the beach areas are pretty dead from November through March) you might instead stop in the Provence region. Sign me up for the newsletter & access to resources from The Travel Library! I had wanted to also visit the Portofino peninsula area and even Cinque Terre, but quickly realized I had too many places and not enough days of vacation!! As announced, my husband and I attach much value to staying and dining in style. And it delivered in this respect. Here we chose Vienne, a town known for its Roman heritage. My friend mentioned it is better to go with inclusive package and I feel that will be too expensive. Also, I would like to catch some nice beach weather, how is the weather in June or early September in France and Italy? The cheaper hotels in Nice are near the train station anyway, so thats something to consider if you want to visit all 3 places in one short trip. With regional buses you can typically reach small towns, while with Flixbus, youll mostly be limited to cities. Aug 20 Flight from Ottawa to Paris overnight. There will be options and decisions youll have to make based on your own tastes, but no matter how you do it this should be an unforgettable trip. But if you want to dig deeper into Italy and you have enough time, your next best choice will be to base yourself in Sorrento and use it to explore Naples, the ruins of Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and the island of Capri. At last, my husband and I set to a first longer trip abroad after the imposed Corona time-out. We have already done Positano and loved itnot sure if we should do Capri insteadTrying to do a lot however we have already done Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome and Positano last time. The stops on this north Italy itinerary include: Youll probably start this itinerary in Milano, given that the most major airports are located just outside the city. We arrived in Eze around 9 am and parked in a big parking lot (you keep driving above Eze, it was a great price and included one pass for the Jardin Exotique. If you can afford another 3-4 days, then the plan looks much more sensible. Then youll head to Venice, from which you can do a day trip to the Dolomites. Not only is Sorrento the perfect base for a visit to Naples and Pompeii, but its also the gateway to the Amalfi Coast and a short ferry ride from the touristy island of Dive deeper into the Val Brembana to the north of Bergamo to visit the villages of Branzi and Cornello dei Tasso. We are coming from the West Coast of the US (California). Id consider basing yourselves in Sorrento, which youve probably been through on your way to Positano. Head west to Turin, a financial and cultural hub like Milan, stylized by Baroque-style architecture and the famed Mole Antonelliana. However, coach bus companies like Flixbus operate throughout the country and Europe, so you could travel between regions using their service. I just find that you will be doing a lot of driving in a short amount of time passing by so many great places along the way. You can pretty much walk into any bakery in Liguria and get an amazing piece of focaccia. The same is true for the nearby Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a museum village. I havent flown out of Naples and Id think youd have way more options and better fares out of Rome and I think there is now a high speed train from the Rome Airport to Naples if you need it. We used flight credits from previously canceled trips (during pandemic) for the flights to and from Paris. Nice is the most convenient for visiting Monaco and other towns in that area, but most of them are on the same local train line and you can go from one to any other pretty easily. Here are the most romantic places in northern Italy: Portovenere is an underrated, hidden gem on the coast of Liguria. All to say, for me, although this trip was wonderful, next time I would go with fewer locations and stay longer at each one. Franciacorta is a territory between Bergamo and Brescia that produces sparkling wine or spumante, mostly Prosecco, Italys version of Champagne. Florence to Rome by train: About 90 minutes. Honestly, if this is your first trip to these countries, youll really get the most bang for your buck by adding extra days in Paris or Florence or both. We also visited a small town called St-Quentin-de-la-Poterie. Later on, I have also discovered that Orta San Guilio is a truly splendid village. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-112594285', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Annecy to Barolo is long, two of viaMichelin's suggested routes are quite scenic. Obviously youll want to visit Paris, and it makes sense to either start or end your whole journey here. With fewer than 400,000 residents,Florencefeels more like a small town than the others, even though its much larger than Venice. This article was most recently updated in August, 2022. Nights 10-11: Annecy, France. The girls really want to spend time on the coast, maybe rent a boat one day. Rognonas is about 10 minutes by (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Yet it was such a great experience after so many Switzerland staycations! These two countries contain several of what I consider to be the best cities in Europe to visit for anyone, so its just a matter of narrowing down where to go and how much time to spend in each place. Read about all the best towns on Lake Garda. Nice to Milan by train: About 5 hours It used to be that Paris was one of the cheapest, and its still competitive, but it doesnt rank high on the list ofEuropean cities that are cheapest to fly into. From the views, to the quiet harbor, to the unreal swimming spots like Lord Byrons Grotto and the untouched beaches of Palmeria Island, its a lovers paradise and exudes Italian charm. The Provence is known for its stunning landscapes full of river valleys, gorges and old villages. For the last night, yes, I will plan for a hotel at the airport. Itinerary for Italy and Southern France - Italy Forum Barcelona, Southern France After heading to the sea, return to the mountains around the area of Bergamo. They are on the west coast a bit north of Florence, so they are a bit out of the way if you are headed to Rome. Between wine, fairytale villages, and intimate vistas, youll be feeling the Italian romance. The flights on low-cost carriers can certainly be cheap, but most major cities are only 2 to 5 hours apart by train, so riding the rails is faster, more pleasant, and far more scenic. The most famous among the latter is probably Les Baux-de-Provence. Hopefully all these options make clearer what is at the top of your northern Italy bucket list! In fact, Avignon is the beginning of the famous Ctes du Rhone wine road, which connects a series of hill towns with amazing scenery and of course wine tasting. When Ive had even those breakfast buffets in Paris the food is almost always amazing. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Then take a train to Rome for 3 or 4 nights and fly back to Paris and then home or straight back home if you can get a cheap enough ticket that way. Id do 3 or 4 nights in Paris, 1 or 2 nights in Venice, 2 or 3 nights in Florence, and 3 nights in Rome. If you don't go to Italy on this trip, do you know where you will spend that time? Italy in Spring guide coming soon!). Total distance: 751 Km, 8.5 hours drive in total. The thing is, between about 10am and 5pm every day of the year, the main walkways in Venice are a slow-moving parade of more tourists than seem possible or even safe. We stayed in the old town in Annecy and really liked it here a lot. Make Avignon a day trip from there. Any of these itineraries can be turned into a road trip itinerary like I said, the country is best experienced by road trip! Venice to Florence by train: About 2 hours. But first and foremost, we think of a specific region to go. Part of the reason we chose this area was so it would be do-able to spend a few hours in Eze on the morning of check-out on our way to Italy. Yani. And the Italian lakes regions really deserve more time then 2 nights. Of the two, Italy is a bit more straightforward because it has a Big 3 of tourist cities consisting of Rome, Florence, and Venice. Halfway back on the Circumvesuviana you can jump off in front of the stunning Pompeii Ruins. Find more info about this and another walk to do in the area in my separate post to follow. Luxembourg, St-Michel-Notre-Dame or Chtelet-les-Halles would be my first pick. Let me know if you have any other questions and Ill be happy to try to help. Your email address will not be published. Those beaches should be great in June and September. To reachSorrentoyoull take a train to Naples and then change for a one-hour local train (known as the Circumvesuviana) to its final stop. 10 Day Northern Italy Itinerary Breakdown. Comment*interested in this itinerary however I would like to include 1-2 nights in Tuscany? The big question when planning a trip is always: how long you should spend in northern Italy? 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 Our first stop was the Lake Orta region not far from the Swiss border to Italy. travel from Cannes/nice to Italy (Rome/Florence/venice), The Originals City Le Village 49 - Angers Sud. WebRe: Rough Itinerary: Southern France, Northern Italy 1 year ago Save Take a train from CDG to Avignon from 13.00 onwards. The sights in Paris are almost all worthwhile, but dont think you have to spend an entire day in the Louvre in order to enjoy it. 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. Its quite different from the rest of Italy so it will feel a bit more exotic, and the weather is milder during most of the year as well. The Eternal City is also quite expensive, especially by Italian standards, which is another reason to save only a few days there rather than a full week. Nights 6, 7: Camogli, Italy (specifically we stayed in Ruta di Camogli which was just above Camogli). 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. A Foodies Northern Italy Itinerary. And the village of Vence here in these hills above Nice and Antibes is a truly picturesque place. A view of the village of Manarola from the Cinque Terre hiking trail Otherwise, I would just stay put in France. I will not go into it in this overview article. This is not our first trip to Europe. Pompeii really IS an amazing place that is worth going out of your way. From Florence to Rome its only around 90 minutes by train, so another easy and pleasant travel day. France and Italy: Best 2 to 3 week itinerary for first-time visitors, best cities in Europe to visit for anyone, many reasons why fast travel might be your best option, Here are the best first-time Italy itineraries for 3 days to two weeks, European cities that are cheapest to fly into, Buying a France-Italy regional Eurail Pass, Buying individual train tickets in advance, Buying individual train tickets one at a time when you get there. Is there something else we should Many do advise against driving a (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Without doubt there are other spots in the Piedmont more worthwhile visiting. Hello, my husband and I are planning a 2 week trip to Paris and then work our way to Rome in June of 2023. I think we made the perfect choice, and this with ChteauSaint-Martin in Vence. This is perhaps the most challenging question when planning an itinerary. This has helped me tremendously! Youll be sick of the crowds by then anyway. Ideally, a robust northern Italy itinerary falls somewhere between 10 and 14 days. Therefore, when looking for places to spend our vacations, we make sure that there are upscale hotels and gourmet dining-spots around. Tour the Villa Ephrussi, a mansion built by a member of the Rothschild banking family, and stroll through the villa gardens. When I have looked in the past, there have been few Airbnbs with really good locations in Paris or most other large European cities. Before going into details about the places we visited, here is the itinerary of our trip. In general, your itinerary looks fine. This will be our first time in Europe. WebThis itinerary takes you to the following destinations in Italy and Switzerland: Day 1: Zurich, Switzerland. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. One minute trip to Venice | Triptile | Firebird Tours Watch on 11 days itinerary for Southern France and Italy Itinerary to explore Barcelona, Southern France and a little of Italy in just 11 days is now live on the blog. complete with the Restaurant Guido da Costigliole, a Michelin star dining-spot. >>>Going just to Italy? Here youll find two specialties: polenta and pizzoccheri. It will probably also be too cool for sunbathing until May or so, in case that matters. It truly is the best way to visit the country and enjoy just how vastly different the landscapes are across the peninsula. Ill stop rambling now and hopefully this is at least a bit helpful. Southern France Northern Italy Itinerary suggestions Can anyone suggest an itinerary and logistics for 22 days..Fly into Nice out of Milan in May Would like to go I will go into it in more length at a later point of time (what to do in Orta San Giulio). 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. And Nice has great museums and food as well. It is located near Alba, the truffle capital. Train to Florence 2 nights If you were to be spending all 2 or 3 weeks in Italy and saving France for another trip, then youd want to considering spending at least a day and perhaps a night in this stunning little group of 5 towns perched on rocky cliffs overlooking the sea. Yes, extremely helpful! This was easy to do and we got off in Menthon-Saint-Bernard. Newer travelers always assume that more is better and overly-seasoned travelers always preach that virtually any city anywhere deserves at least a week. Your email address will not be published. At the castle we took a tour and visited the grounds. Something like this might be better for a second or third trip to France unless youve got weeks to spend here. 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. So one option could be to leave Italy for another trip to be able to give it the time it deserves. The entire area is made up of the Western Alps. Certainly one of the most beautiful and unusual cities on the planet,Veniceis something that everyone should see, though it can be a bit tricky. We took a bus that goes around to the small towns around the lake. If you have only two weeks total then the above minimums will also pretty much be your maximums, give or take a day. I cant begin to thank you enough for your input and detailed info with links. And another good point from tradeform about your arrival in Paris. Pizzoccheri are a mix of short buckwheat tagliatelle pasta, potatoes, cheese, and greens. Then explore Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso, the oldest national park in Italy, before heading north to the tiny town, but skiing haven of Breuil-Cervinia to see Monte Cervino otherwise known as the Matterhorn! The trick is to stay at least one night, if not two,on the main island itself. We did not venture far, to neighboring Italy and France. It belongs to the I Borghi pi belli dItalia (the most beautiful villages in Italy). As you probably know, Florence is the capital of Tuscany and definitely the best place to base yourself. I will do some more internet research before deciding, thank you all again for your suggestions. Venice 2 Nights. The best things to do in France; A summer guide to Chamonix, France; My first Via Ferrata in Nax, Switzerland and a night at Hotel DAngleterre in Geneva; The best things to do in the Dolomites, Italy The Perfect Northern Italy Itinerary: 5 Ideas For The Trip 4 of us (2 couples) heading to France next september.Paris mid september and have 5 weeks touring before returning to Paris mid October. All about our stay here later on my blog. My impression was that it was a pretty busy place with a lot of groups in for wine tastings and such. When getting here, I absolutely fell in love with this unique building in Moorish style. I just wanted to come back and thank everyone on the forum for their helpful replies. Not only on this thread, but also having read so many other c Im so excited to look into Hotel Cler! I highly recommend booking a tour with a local guide for the unique experience of hunting for truffles and do a Barolo wine tasting. WebYou could go from there to Andorra la Vella, then cross into France and visit Tarbes and Pau before heading toward Biarritz, San Sebastin, and Bilbao, then over to Santiago de Compostela and A Corua before heading back through, say, Len and Zaragoza. France I have done it plenty of times for both personal and business trips. While in Paris we will stay 4-5 nightswhat are your thoughts on an airbnb vs a hotel? After crossing the boarder between Italy and France, we arrived on the famous Cte dAzur, also called French Riviera. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Southern Italy Road Trip: Stop 4 Sicily Itinerary. Since they are very concentrated in northern Italy, I would suggest flying roundtrip in and out of Milan. Also take advantage of the linked posts within this article to discover individual destinations in depth and ultimately allow you to plan your trip better. I would love do my shopping at the outlets -which should I visit for the outlets? Then off to the Riveria - perhaps 2 days in St Tropez, and 4 days in the Nice area. If its your first stop you should add at least one extra day to help deal with jet lag, but you should plan on staying as long as possible because the French capital is one of the worlds great (and most beautiful) cities by any definition. If Worst of all, accommodation in Milan can be insanely expensive if there is a trade fair or event in town. We can speak French but not Italian. ?time to Avignon. There is truly so much to do and see that one trip may not be enough, which is why I have curated 5 northern Italy itineraries that play to certain strengths: one for those who want to see the most famous locations, one for outdoor adventurers, one for city-lovers, one for couples, and one for foodies, so you experience a little bit of everything. Northern Italy vs Southern Italy | Part My site is mainly to help people plan and travel independently and for a trip like the one you are considering I think you can do it easily on your own. The whole Italy portion just seems too much like a stretch. Flying around in France and Italy doesnt make much sense. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-112592618', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');car right after a long flight. featuring the one Michelin starred Restaurant Le Saint-Martin. Youll find both French and Italian are spoken here because of how close the two countries are. My favorite hotel in Paris is called the Hotel Cler, which is on a small market street called Rue Cler, just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So expect suggestions for high-end accommodations, gourmet dining-spots and things to do, especially short walks (details on the latter in separate posts to follow). -Roger. Bus travel is also an option, but comes with its own challenges: one, understanding regional bus routes in a short period of time, and two, using coach buses means youll get dropped off in one spot and you dont have much freedom to travel around. Youll see all the famous and amazing Amalfi Coast views, and you can return either by bus or boat for an ideal day out. The ticket machines are in English and easy to navigate. We stayed at the Pullman because of the huge pool, as I wanted to make sure to go for a swim after sitting for hours on the bus and train The next morning we had to leave early for our flights back home. Hire car and stay in a village near Siena 4 nights (day trips in the car) Prepaid French 3G micro-SIM for iPad - it's not a problem! Driving probably as much but on a smaller area. The places we visited in France and Italy were just beautiful, and I cant wait to be able to cross the ocean again one day. Hi Roger, Suggested route: Toulouse Narbonne Arles Camargue Aix-en-Provence Cassis Cannes Nice. There isnt much else to see in Pisa. Its no secret Lake Como is one of the most luxurious destinations in Italy and its exclusivity, plus the incredible views of villas and alpine peaks, makes it an intimate retreat. Especially since you only have 2 nights stays after Provence. Region covered: Occitanie and Provence-Alpes-Cte dAzur. There will definitely be champagne tastings (obviously meant for tourists) in Paris on any given day, but you could also visit the nearby town of Reims, which is the main tourist center of the Champagne region. Of course there are many ways to travel. Your insight is so much appreciated! Let me know if you have any other questions. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Northern Italy is a diverse landscape: mountains, sea, lakes, floating cities, metropolitan centers, food-rich countrysides. As for other places in December, Nice is about as good as it gets, although itll be fairly quiet as well. It should be a nice change of pace between the city visits. 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. The drive from Avignon to Barolo is very long - see http://www.viamichelin.com for itineraries, driving times and costs. Visit Sirmione for its enchanting castle and Limone sul Garda for its quiet charm. I love creating free resources for your travels and personally responding to your questions over chat and email. We would really like to visit Bologna and Florence again and have to add Verona for sure due to business (just 1 day business meeting). Im going to re-think the middle portion of this trip. Rough Itinerary: Southern France, Northern Italy, Re: Rough Itinerary: Southern France, Northern Italy, Get answers to your questions about France, Eiffel Tower tickets to the top smallest wait time. On our last day in Annecy, we took a bus/train combo back to Paris that left Annecy around mid afternoon. Not sure if buying a package or just make our plan since we have budgets to meet. Naplesis a large and gritty city that has an unfortunate reputation for pickpockets and other street crime. All of your tips are very helpful. Nights 8-9: La Morra, Italy - in Piemonte region. I think Id do that and fly out of Rome. Stop to explore Nices Old Town on your own before returning to your hotel. Take a train from CDG to (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Perfect France, Spain And Portugal Road Trip I prefer nearby la Morra, and there are other nice villages too. I usually use Rentalcars.com to compare prices for a rental car and book the best deal. You could probably do all three of those things on a guided trip from Rome. At the time, we dined at the Michelin starred Cannavacciuolo Bistrot (my post) in the Piedmonts capital. They have an excellent breakfast buffet as well, and plenty of amazing restaurants nearby. As the largest and most central city in Tuscany, Florence is a cultural capital filled with famous museums, cathedrals, and other sights, but its also the ideal jumping off point for day or overnight trips into some of the nearby hill towns. Required fields are marked *. 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 is a minimum of 9 nights or it could be 12 nights if you went at a more leisurely pace. Perhaps surprisingly, Venice shuts down early, with most restaurants and bars closed by around 10pm. But if you have three weeks you will be adding days to these cities or adding new cities altogether. This is the enchantingVilla della Pergola, located a bit above town in a gorgeous botanical garden. Hi Roger, Italy does not have a national bus line, so most buses are only regional or city. We had checked out the high-end accommodations directly by the sea, but we came to the conclusion that they are not worth the super high prices. But it takes a lot longer to reach your destination that way. For this trip we are interested in exploring mainly small towns, countryside, mountains. 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. 10 Day Northern Italy Itinerary by Train: Fun Guide From WebDepending on the length of your trip, and taking geographic proximity into account, here are our recommended priorities: 3 days: Paris, maybe Versailles 6 days, add: Normandy 8 Unless you are starting from elsewhere in Europe, youll want to carefully choose which airport to fly into. Your email address will not be published. However, yes, the mas is not far (in Rognonas - Mas Saint Antoine) so we may consider getting a car same evening and heading there the same day, if its available. I hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions. 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. Italy On our way back from the south of France we had been looking for lodging to stay and dine in style. Required fields are marked *. We walked back down and went to the municipal beach where we enjoyed a swim in Lac DAnnecy. So you won't really have time to explore small towns and countryside. That might be a bit hurried for 12 days. You don't say where your mas is south of Avignon, but if not too far I would rent the car on arrival and go there directly if you can add 1 more night. My husband and I came here for the sea, although not for lying on the beach. And this is true for our first destination, Lake Orta. I do think its your best non-Paris option that time if year, and you can still do quick day trips to Monaco and Cannes while you are there. Southern France and Northern Spain itinerary - Road Buses are usually the cheapest option for getting around, as Flixbus tickets are as low as $5. If you have longer, great! It is housed in a building typical for this region, a so-called mas. We cooked our dinners at our accommodation and swam in the pool. WebThe plan would be to fly into Venice for 3 nights, then Courmayeur for 2 nights, then proceed with the original trip (2 nights in Manarola, 4 nights in the Tuscany area, then 3 Check out the map to see this sample itinerary and extra suggestions on where to visit: Some travelers cant get enough of a historic, bustling European city and Italy is rich with them. 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.