Europe trip....

T

TheFied

2,500+ Posts
My wife & I have been talking about doing a trip to Europe and we are saving up right now. Likely end of July or August (gotta do it before football season).

I think we are going to try to fly out on Thursday to Rome, spend 3 days in Rome, somehow get to Paris and spend 3 days in Paris and fly back to Austin on THursday the next week.

So I am looking at flights. Any advice as to get good deals on flights? And what is the best way to get from Rome to Paris or vice versa?
 
Sounds exciting! i am jealous. Just an observation:

You are only going for one week, so, would you consider just missing one UT football game? Say UTEP on the road (9/6) or Rice at home (9/20) and go in September?

Paris and Rome are VERY CROWDED in July and August. Plus, hotel rooms and flights are at their priciest during this time, too. September is a better month for Europe. Maybe the best month of the year.

I know, i know.. sacrelige on the whole missing a Texas game and all..
hookem.gif
 
I was in Cancun when we played at Baylor and that was the 1st time in over 15 years that I wasn't either at a game or watched on tv (I make alot of road games). I would consider missing UTEP on tv (not going) but need to see how much cheaper....

I found an airline that flies from Rome to Paris (with a connection in Vienna) at not a bad price. Looks like $3200 for 2 for flights from AUS to Rome, Rome to Paris, Paris to AUS. I can live with that.
 
I talked to a buddy of mine who went to Paris and Rome recently. Not much help on the flights, he just used expedia but he did recommend the hotel they stayed at. Hotel Cicarone (sp?). I looked it up and it looks to be in a good area and close to stuff.

Now I need to find a hotel in Paris...
 
wow, that seems pricey actually. But it has been awhile since i travelled to Europe.

I would maybe consider a train from Paris to Rome, maybe via Bern or Geneva to get some of that beautiful countryside and small towns in between. You get a totally different view of Europe, especially considering you will be concentrated in two of the largest cities in Europe.

Rome to Paris via Vienna seems funny to me. I know distances are short, but Vienna is not really close to either of those two cities. That's like leaving Austin to Atlanta to get to Denver
 
Dallashorn is right. Pick one or the other and spend 4 to 5 days in the city and do a few day trips. I would recommend France, but that's just my preference. You could do side trips to Normandy, Reims (Champagne country), etc.

You will also lose the better part of a day if you fly between locations and a whole day if you do it by train.
 
I disagree with those who say you need more than 3 days in either place. Of course you could spend weeks in each, but you'll see plenty in 3 days.

I agree with the posters who say it will be crowded and hot. Rome has gotten too crowded and too hot in the summer, and the combination really sucks. I love Rome but I will not go back in July and August. If you can swing it in any other months, pick them.

There are now a ton of cheap airlines operating within Europe. One place to check is ryanair.com. You should be able to get from Rome to Paris nonstop for much less than $100 each.
 
In addition to the cheap airlines like RyanAir, the major carriers are now offering lower fares for regional trips just to compete. But often round-trip tickets are cheaper than one-way on the major carriers, so check into those. We flew Alitalia from Prague to Milan for like $150 round-trip last summer, and just never used the return trip. The one-way fare was close to $500!

I'd definitely suggest flying from Rome to Paris if those are the two cities you definitely want to see. One week is a very short time for a European trip, so you want to maximize the time you spend in your destinations rather than traveling.

And I also echo those who say avoid July/August if you can. The crowds and prices are pretty crazy.
 
Sadly our work schedules prevent us from going before July and football starts in September...

I found an airline that has a great price from Rome to Paris that I think I am going to use. A friend of mine recommended a hotel in Rome and I think I found the one that we will get in Paris. Saint James & Albany Hotel.
 
Yes, its going to be hot. You're from Texas, you can handle it.

Don't take the trains. Yours is a short trip and trains take forever. Venice to Paris is 12 hours on the fastest one.

The price you quoted seems reasonable to me. I'd just check to see if you can find anything cheaper for AUS > Rome, Paris > Austin and then find a separate cheap flight from Rome to Paris.

Paris and Rome are each others only sister cities:

Seule Paris est digne de Rome; seule Rome est digne de Paris
Solo Parigi è degna di Roma; solo Roma è degna di Parigi

Only Paris is worthy of Rome; only Rome is worthy of Paris

Buon viaggio!
 
I would do one because you will not have three days in either place. You will leave Thrusday, arrive in Rome in the middle of the day Friday. If you spent three full days there, that would mean going to Paris on Tuesday. By the time you arrive and check into your hotel, It will be the middle of the day on Tuesday, which will give you a couple of hours then and all day Wednesday (not three days). Paris will take less time to get to, so I wopuld go there. With five full days, you will be able to do a great deal. Most of the big sites in Paris are pretty close to each other. At the same time, try not to do too much.

Check outThe Link Te discussion boards there are the best resource for plannin a trip to France or Italy. As someone who has been several times, I cannot recommend the site enough.
 
I talked to some friends and co-workers also and got some good feedback.

Leaving Thursday around noon, getting to Rome at around 7am Friday morning. 3 nights in Rome. Flying around 2pm on Monday for Paris, landing around 8pm. Staying 4 nights in Paris. Flying back Friday around noon and getting to Austin around midnight Friday night...

3 full days in Rome (although we will likely be a bit of out of Friday) and 3 full days in Paris with 1 day traveling in between...

We don't have kids and who knows if we are going to Europe ever again. Especially the dollar devalued and cost of gas high as ever. This trip is not going to be cheap and I'm not sure when we'll do that again. Hence, we wanted to go to 2 cities in 7 days. I think we'll be fine. Honestly we could spend a week in 1 city and still miss plenty.
 
It will be a good time. Enjoy yourself.

check out that website. It will offer many suggestions on how to make the most out of you vacation from helping you find great places to stay and eat to managing your limited time.
 
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