Continue with Recommended Cookies. Ill cut out the Lake Como part as you suggested Planner, and get there hopefully as part of a future trip to Italy. However, if you have only 7 days in Northern Italy, I would probably only stay 1-2 days. With regional buses you can typically reach small towns, while with Flixbus, youll mostly be limited to cities. Venice 2 Nights. Thank you for suggestions. I wasnt even aware that outlet shopping had spread to Europe, but according to the internet, it has! If youre planning on taking a train around northern Italy, read all my Italy train travel tips so you know exactly how to prepare. We can speak French but not Italian. I would love do my shopping at the outlets -which should I visit for the outlets? -Roger, Hi Roger. On the plus side, Milan has one of Europes most photogenic gothic domes at its heart, and its the home to Da Vincis Last Supper (if you make reservations well in advance). It probably is reasonable for me to be able to go back to (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? 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. Again, it makes the most sense to start and end your visit in Paris and Rome, and if you are starting inRomeyou should add an extra day just to get your footing. The Hotel b design & Spa was the hotel of our choice in the Provence. It is doable without any problem. -Roger. 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 Or you could fly down to Sicily for a few days. Notwithstanding that, I have never seen a more beautiful vineyard landscape on my Piedmont trips than here in the Langhe wine-growing region east of Alba. I love creating free resources for your travels and personally responding to your questions over chat and email. Southern France and Northern Spain itinerary - Road English is also more widely spoken there than most other Italian cities, so its less stressful in some ways. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions. Discover more specific destinations for loved-up travelers on the map: Italian food is in a league of its own, but youll soon find out when visiting northern Italy that the traditional dishes are not pasta and pizza. Not only on this thread, but also having read so many other conversations on this forum, I came across many helpful tips. Head west to Turin, a financial and cultural hub like Milan, stylized by Baroque-style architecture and the famed Mole Antonelliana. On the other hand, Southern Italy is great for those looking for a slower pace of life, gorgeous coastal areas and plenty of ancient ruins. But first and foremost, we think of a specific region to go. In the time to come, you will find reviews of the luxury hotels we stayed and the Michelin (starred) restaurants we dined. As for other places in December, Nice is about as good as it gets, although itll be fairly quiet as well. I prefer Lake Garda over Lake Como (which I visited twice) because the towns of Lake Garda are prettier, and it is more affordable and Regardless of your starting point, you can go to the Pisa Centrale train station and walk about 25 minutes to the Leaning Tower area, or take a train to the Pisa San Rossore train station and 7 minutes to the Field of Miracles. France and Italy: Best 2 to 3 week itinerary for first-time While the town of Santo Stefano Belbo seems to be a pleasant place to live, it is not necessarily a must-do for travelers. On our way home, we made a stop south of Lyon (Vienne), too. Naples is also famously the birthplace of pizza and home to one of the worlds best archaeology museums so its worth a day trip for sure. 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. The other main nearby attraction is the famous tourist island of Capri, which is best known for its Blue Grotto attraction. Either option is great for a road trip of Italy. 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. This epic northern Italy itinerary begins in Valle DAosta, the smallest and most underrated of the regions. This is a hilltop stone village below the ruins of an old castle. Its a really nice uncrowded town with an amazing location. Venice is another interesting one. It is located near Alba, the truffle capital. I would love to hear your suggestions for an itinerary and how long to spend in each place. And it brought us to northern Italy (Piedmont and Liguria) as well us to southern France (Nice metropolis Cte dAzur and Provence). However, if youre flying from within Europe, you may want to consider flying into Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport, which is a hub for Ryanair flights. So we had decided to opt for a luxury hotel a bit further away from the sea but with views of it. I recommend for anyone visiting the Italian Alps either rent a car or plan to book a tour that handles transportation throughout the days activities. Or I might just stick with France only on this trip. I think the general plan would be to fly into Paris and spend 4 or 5 days there, perhaps allowing time for a day trip or two to the Loire Valley or some wine regions. We took a bus that goes around to the small towns around the lake. This sounds OK? Take a train from CDG to Avignon from 13.00 onwards. 3 hours is the the recommended time to allow between flight arrival and train departure. Book With only a few exceptions, 3 nights per city is a good minimum even for those wishing to see as much as possible, or 2 nights in the smaller cities. Check out the map with extra suggestions: I could go on and on about all of the beautiful places to visit in northern Italy, but this post would then be at least 10,000 words. We are considering a trip to France and Italy. If you don't go to Italy on this trip, do you know where you will spend that time? Train to Cinque Terre 3 nights Train from Annecy to Paris, stay in Paris (?what area) (1 nt), Sep 2 - flight leaves from Paris at 11:00 am. 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. I found it hard to narrow down the areas that we want to go to. The post Northern Italy & southern France in style, a 11-day road trip itinerary first appeared on Swiss Traveler, Your email address will not be published. We are not opposed to flying in and or out of any airport as long as it makes sense. And this time, you encounter here the gentle hills full of vineyards. If But you also said that there were other destinations in Italy that you were interested in. Visit Sirmione for its enchanting castle and Limone sul Garda for its quiet charm. Of course there are many ways to travel. 10 Day Northern Italy Itinerary Breakdown. We enjoyed the peaceful walk up to the castle with great views of the town, the lake, and mountains. However, the travel time is the longest. And another good point from tradeform about your arrival in Paris. >>>Going just to Italy? Its definitely worth looking, but my hunch is that any Airbnb that is fairly close to the Eiffel Tower is going to be very expensive, even compared to nearby hotels. I will not go into it in this overview article. People. Its about an hour by train or bus from Florence, so you can literally do it in half a day there and back. On the other hand, youve got the time it seems so it could be a good place to slow down for a bit. Northern Italy is a diverse landscape: mountains, sea, lakes, floating cities, metropolitan centers, food-rich countrysides. That is interesting and I wish I could offer some advice. 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. The Provence is known for its stunning landscapes full of river valleys, gorges and old villages. Planning the best order of visiting these places will depend on what airport you end up flying into, as well as what day your business meeting falls on! And the Italian lakes regions really deserve more time then 2 nights. Be prepared for a small hotel room, even if you pay a lot, so its more about paying for the location rather than for a luxurious and large place to sleep. Its 45 minutes away by highspeed rail and the town has a lot more to see including a major cathedral. which months would you recommend? Before I go any further, Id love to hear whether you feel any parts of this potential plan do not make sense! We really took it easy here, walking in the town, shopping at the small market, swimming in the pool at our accommodation, and we went out for a really nice dinner where we had local wine, great food, and ate outside with views of the vineyards. Roughly said, most of Italy's "classics", including Venice, Milan, Florence, Cinque Terre, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, are all located in the north (see the Northern Italy map on the right), whereas the sunny gems such as Naples, the Amalfi Coast and Sicily, are in the south. Read about all the best towns on Lake Garda. For two weeks in France, I would spend 5 days in the Luberon, then 3 days near either St Remy or Vaison. In fact, Nice used to be a winter resort because the weather is mild compared to the other big cities. But like I said to see more or to discover more, you need to drive on those smaller roads but they take more time. My experience in Italy is that some people with limited English speak good French, so you might be able to use your French there. I have been to Ba If you are coming through in between fairs and events, hotels can actually be unusually cheap, so its worth checking rates if you are considering stopping. Rognonas is about 10 minutes by car from Avignon TGV station. I'm usually the first to warn people of driving when jet-lagged, but for such a short One minute trip to Venice | Triptile | Firebird Tours Watch on Thanks also for pointing out the long distances and shorter 2 nt stays can make it harder to have time for the small towns. The choice fell on Alassio, a Ligurian seaside resort west of Genoa. Driving time: 2 hours (190 km/118 miles) from Even on trains, you still have three main options: If you are under 26 you can qualify for the 2nd Class Eurail Pass, which will be ideal for many people. Bus can also be a flexible and inexpensive option for airport transfer. Now to some information about the individual places visited on our northern Italy and southern France journey and where to stay and dine in style. Required fields are marked *. I will do some more internet research before deciding, thank you all again for your suggestions. From Florence to Rome its only around 90 minutes by train, so another easy and pleasant travel day. 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 Those in a hurry can spend half a day in Naples and a couple hours seeing Pompeii and be safely back in Sorrento for an unforgettable dinner. -Roger. I usually use Rentalcars.com to compare prices for a rental car and book the best deal. No regrets. Book trains on sncf-connect/en-en . My husband found most of the driving was fun (Im glad he was driving, hes a confident driver whereas Im more of a nervous wreck kind of driver). That is up to you and the flexibility of your travel dates! Its small and always crowded, especially from about 10 AM until 5 PM most days. Really appreciate any comments/suggestions you have. If you can afford another 3-4 days, then the plan looks much more sensible. My question is to kick off the trip, which city should I start with from your itinerary (flying to Europe from Los Angeles)? and with a nice historic alleyway parallel to the sea. Lake Como is a must stop also for mountain lovers: the peaks soaring above the lake are breathtaking. Stop to explore Nices Old Town on your own before returning to your hotel. If you want to go inside at least a few of the big attractions you might consider getting a Paris Pass, which also covers the bus tour and a cruise on the Seine. And in recent years I even like better staying longer (1, 2 or 3 weeks) in less bases doing day trips to discover all around every day. Thank you both for the suggestions, tradeform and Planner. Ok, I will plan for 3-4 hrs from the arrival time at CDG to the time for the departure w In reality, any daytime visitor who uses the typical precautions will be fine. The Perfect Northern Italy Itinerary: 5 Ideas For The Trip Verona 2 Nights. It comes from Valtellina, a valley in Lombardy bordering Switzerland. You are spending a relatively large amount of time on the road vs seeing things. The big 3 in Italy are Rome, Florence, and Venice, and if you have time for only 3 cities those are the obvious ones to choose. All of Italys regions offer something unique and in this guide, the spotlight is on the north. It should be a nice change of pace between the city visits. My experience in Italy is that some people with limited English speak good French, so you might be able to use your French there. Making your way from the Western Alps, youll cross Milan, Lake Como, and Bergamo in the Central Alps. Comment* Good way to wind down after busy trip? The ferry from Sorrento only takes 20 minutes each way and leaves hourly most of the day. No itinerary in Northern Italy should not leave unvisited Around Gare de Lyon can also be an option since it's one stop away from the RER B. Provence is also known for its cuisine, as it stands out even within a country where the food is amazing virtually everywhere you go. More about the accommodation (my post) and the activities to take here can be found soon on my blog. While the drive from Annecy to Barolo is long, two of viaMichelin's suggested routes are quite scenic. The drive across the Alps via the Col de Lar ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-112592926', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Europe and France in particular has such a concentration of things to see and do that every 15 - 30 km you will find a new village, town, castle, abbey, a natural beauty of some sort. Hi Michela, I would love some suggestions on a 14 day itinerary to Northern Italy. In addition, I will go into what to do in the particular places. We walked down little streets and paths and steps all the way down to Camogli where we took a short but sweet passenger ferry ride- you could go to further locations but we got off at Punta Chiappa. Find here my Google Map of our journey. Generally speaking, I recommend skipping Milan at least on your first trip. Instead the meals are heartier, which reflect the lifestyle of people living here: industrial workers or those living in the Alps having to face long winters. If you skip it you wont be missing much, or you might stop for one night just to break up the journey a bit. Going in, say, April would probably be better, but if your choices are staying in Paris the whole time or also going to Nice for a couple days, I would go to Nice. That said, I totally see the point about moving around to too many different accommodations and having just 2 nights at a location is generally too short (I knew it was not the best plan even while planning it, but I just couldnt narrow down my focus at that point on our first trip to europe and couldnt shake the feeling that we might not be able to go back for at least several years). Qantas Money/Cash card, what do you think? featuring the one Michelin starred Restaurant Le Saint-Martin. In fact, I highly recommend taking the 3-hour double-decker sightseeing tour (run by several companies) on your first day in order to see at least the exteriors of all of the famous landmarks. Northern Italy vs Southern Italy | Part Here are the most romantic places in northern Italy: Portovenere is an underrated, hidden gem on the coast of Liguria. in Italy - 5 Unique Itinerary Ideas If the two one-way flights are within US$150 or so of either round-trip, then they are your best option. Since they are very concentrated in northern Italy, I would suggest flying roundtrip in and out of Milan.
northern italy and southern france itinerary