Mahesha

Hello All,
I'm planning to take my wife to Europe this december between Dec
26th-jan 1st.
We would like to make all our arrangements ourselves instead of group
trip.I was keen on visiting Italy and France this time. We live in
Central New jersey in USA.It would be great if some one could give us
guidelines and tips on the following questions.

1.Is it possible to visit Italy and France both in 6 days.
2.Is it a good time to visit these countries around this time.
3.I'm planning to book a round trip flight ticket to Paris. Spend a
day or two in Paris and then take a train to Italy.Once we are done
with touring Italy we would like to go back to paris , catch a flight
back to New jersey.
Is this a decent plan?
4.Do I need to take different Visas to both France and Italy.? Or is
there a common visa which lets me visit both the countries.
5.Most of the vacation packages from US comes with Flight+Hotel
combination.
Is it a good idea to book both together? In that case they would give
us accomodataion in 1 hotel for 5-6 nights?
6.Finally, I would like to know the places which we should not miss in
these places. I'm going to get a italy Guide anyways...It would be
great if some one who has already been there could give us their tips.
Best Regards,
Mahesha

Foucart-Dever

"Mahesha" <> a écrit dans le message de news:
...
    > Hello All,
Hello Mahesha,

    > 1.Is it possible to visit Italy and France both in 6 days.
At least seen from Europe, it is just as easy as to ask for visiting
California, Utah and Arizone in one week... ;-)
So, you will have to limit yourself A LOT !

    > 2.Is it a good time to visit these countries around this time.
It is winter and a lot of people will be on holidays. You will still enjoy
some of the magic of Xmas... It whole depends of what you want to visit. For
cities, it is probably OK. If you want to ski, it can be great. If you want
walk in the mountain, it can be snowy.

    > 3.I'm planning to book a round trip flight ticket to Paris. Spend a
    > day or two in Paris and then take a train to Italy.Once we are done
    > with touring Italy we would like to go back to paris , catch a flight
    > back to New jersey.
    > Is this a decent plan?
OK, here is the beef. What I could recommend is to fligh into Paris, spend 2
days in Paris, fligh again (won't be more expensive than the train and
definitely faster) to either Venice or Firenze, spend also 2 days in one of
the two cities, then rent a car or take a train to Rome where you can also
spend 2 days and fligh back home from Rome.
    > 4.Do I need to take different Visas to both France and Italy.? Or is
    > there a common visa which lets me visit both the countries.
I don't think you need Visas from US to France and Italy (but you need to
check this). A valid Passport should make it.

    > 5.Most of the vacation packages from US comes with Flight+Hotel
    > combination.
    > Is it a good idea to book both together? In that case they would give
    > us accomodataion in 1 hotel for 5-6 nights?
No, you can easily book every single piece separately on the internet,
without any problem (I do that several time per year)

    > 6.Finally, I would like to know the places which we should not miss in
    > these places. I'm going to get a italy Guide anyways...It would be
    > great if some one who has already been there could give us their tips.
See my answer on Q3.

    > Best Regards,
    > Mahesha

you are welcome,

Rita

On 19 Oct 2003 05:48:31 -0700, (Mahesha) wrote:

    >Hello All,
    >I'm planning to take my wife to Europe this december between Dec
    >26th-jan 1st.
    >We would like to make all our arrangements ourselves instead of group
    >trip.I was keen on visiting Italy and France this time. We live in
    >Central New jersey in USA.It would be great if some one could give us
    >guidelines and tips on the following questions.
    >1.Is it possible to visit Italy and France both in 6 days.
    >2.Is it a good time to visit these countries around this time.
    >3.I'm planning to book a round trip flight ticket to Paris. Spend a
    >day or two in Paris and then take a train to Italy.Once we are done
    >with touring Italy we would like to go back to paris , catch a flight
    >back to New jersey.
    >Is this a decent plan?
    >4.Do I need to take different Visas to both France and Italy.? Or is
    >there a common visa which lets me visit both the countries.
    >5.Most of the vacation packages from US comes with Flight+Hotel
    >combination.
    >Is it a good idea to book both together? In that case they would give
    >us accomodataion in 1 hotel for 5-6 nights?
    >6.Finally, I would like to know the places which we should not miss in
    >these places. I'm going to get a italy Guide anyways...It would be
    >great if some one who has already been there could give us their tips.
    >Best Regards,
    >Mahesha


You have six days. Travel between Paris and Italy by train takes a
full day -- there are night trains but your travel time, either way, is
going to eat up a big part of your six days. You will hardly be able
to "tour" Italy in this time frame. At best you would get a short look at
Paris and a short look at some city in Italy.

I can't see the point in even going to Paris if you are going to
spend at most two days there. You will barely get settled in your
hotel and time to leave. Then you will do the same thing in Italy.
There is plenty to do in Paris for six days, and you could take
a sidetrip or two. I spent six days in Paris in the winter and kept
myself well occupied. I took along some long silk underwear so
I would be warm walking around as it was rather a cold winter
there that year.

You may enjoy hopping in and out of a city, but I, and most
experienced travelers, find it unsatisfying. There are night trains
between Paris and Rome or Milan, so you could save a bit of
time that way, but still it is a tight schedule to accomplish in
six days. Getting oriented in any city, figuring out the public
transporation takes some time.

Mason Barge

On 19 Oct 2003 05:48:31 -0700, (Mahesha) wrote:

    >Hello All,
    >I'm planning to take my wife to Europe this december between Dec
    >26th-jan 1st.
    >We would like to make all our arrangements ourselves instead of group
    >trip.I was keen on visiting Italy and France this time. We live in
    >Central New jersey in USA.It would be great if some one could give us
    >guidelines and tips on the following questions.
    >1.Is it possible to visit Italy and France both in 6 days.

Possible but not advisable, especially starting from Paris.

    >2.Is it a good time to visit these countries around this time.

Not really. Paris is beautiful at Christmas, like New York only more
so, but it is cold and you can get snow. Also, it is quite a bit
father north than New York and the days are very short.

    >3.I'm planning to book a round trip flight ticket to Paris. Spend a
    >day or two in Paris and then take a train to Italy.Once we are done
    >with touring Italy we would like to go back to paris , catch a flight
    >back to New jersey.
    >Is this a decent plan?

I hate to say just "no" but it really this is something I would not
advise. Six days is a short time, considering how much time you waste
getting across the Atlantic, recovering from jet lag, etc. I really
wouldn't want to add two more days of travel.

If you want something a bit warmer, different from Paris, and closer,
how about a train to the Provence/Riviera area for a couple of days?
You can get a train (TGV Mediterinee) to Avignon that will arrive in
less than three hours from Paris, and Nice is only an hour or two away
from Avignon.

As an alternative, and something I would think would work out better
in mid-winter, can you get a nonstop flight to Nice for a good price?
That would leave you with an option to get to Florence, Italy, for a
day or two without too long a trip.

    >4.Do I need to take different Visas to both France and Italy.? Or is
    >there a common visa which lets me visit both the countries.

It depends on your passport, I think. If you have a US passport you
need no visa. If not, someone else needs to advise you.

I would guess that one visa would be okay, but I'm guessing.

    >5.Most of the vacation packages from US comes with Flight+Hotel
    >combination.
    >Is it a good idea to book both together? In that case they would give
    >us accomodataion in 1 hotel for 5-6 nights?

Sometimes you can save money like this.

    >6.Finally, I would like to know the places which we should not miss in
    >these places. I'm going to get a italy Guide anyways...It would be
    >great if some one who has already been there could give us their tips.

Italy and France are both big countries. France is about the size of
Texas, about four times the size of New York State. Italy is smaller
but distances are long due to its shape.

I would not try to visit "Italy" in less than three or four weeks,
personally. So you see the problem -- there is a LOT to see and do
in Italy or France. Really, six days in Paris would not be too many
for most people.

Mason Barge

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
-- Abraham Lincoln

Terry Richards

"Mahesha" <> wrote in message
news:...
    > Hello All,
    > I'm planning to take my wife to Europe this december between Dec
    > 26th-jan 1st.
    > We would like to make all our arrangements ourselves instead of group
    > trip.I was keen on visiting Italy and France this time. We live in
    > Central New jersey in USA.It would be great if some one could give us
    > guidelines and tips on the following questions.
    > 1.Is it possible to visit Italy and France both in 6 days.

It is certainly *possible*. Whether it is a good idea is another question

    > 2.Is it a good time to visit these countries around this time.

It's not the best time but any time in Europe is a good time

It really depends on what sort of thing you like to do. Museums etc. can be
visited any time of the year. Sunbathing & swimming are not recommended in
December! Weather in Paris will be slightly milder than NJ at that time of
year - significant snow is unlikely but it won't be warm. Italy should be
even milder but still not exactly warm.

    > 3.I'm planning to book a round trip flight ticket to Paris. Spend a
    > day or two in Paris and then take a train to Italy.Once we are done
    > with touring Italy we would like to go back to paris , catch a flight
    > back to New jersey.
    > Is this a decent plan?

If you insist on doing both countries, you should look into an "open jaw"
flight. Land in Paris and leave from Italy. That will save you a day and
some travelling costs that you can put towards the extra cost of the
flights.

    > 4.Do I need to take different Visas to both France and Italy.? Or is
    > there a common visa which lets me visit both the countries.

If you have US passports, you don't need to get a visa at all, just fill out
the provided form on the plane. There are no border controls between France
& Italy.

    > 5.Most of the vacation packages from US comes with Flight+Hotel
    > combination.
    > Is it a good idea to book both together? In that case they would give
    > us accomodataion in 1 hotel for 5-6 nights?

No it's not a good idea for this trip. If you were just going to one place,
it might make more sense.

    > 6.Finally, I would like to know the places which we should not miss in
    > these places. I'm going to get a italy Guide anyways...It would be
    > great if some one who has already been there could give us their tips.

It really depends on your tastes. What do you like to do?

My wife & I live in central NJ. Take a look at our web site
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~terryr999/ .
There's contact information there if you want to talk about it.

Tile

Italy and France both belong to the Schengen area, where there are no more
borders.
that is why you will not cross any passport check between the two countries.
you will be granted a SCHENGEN visa..
not a visa to france or to Italy

second..
there are a lot of low cost airlines flying between France and Italy
with prices as low as eur 20.00 plus taxes.
a train will be much more expensive.

as to 6 days..

they will be barely enough if you want to limit yrself to visiting paris,
monuments and museums.
of course. you can take a tkt around the world in 6 days..

i go to Paris at least once a year..
In 3 days you can just run around the most famous
monuments.. if you are lucky and if you do not find
huge lines
( Louvre.. tour eiffel. )
I recommend taking the boat that allows you to hop in and out with the same
ticket all the day long..
and the bus that does the same service.
at least you will be taken near the most important monuments.
"Mahesha" <> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:...
    > Hello All,
    > I'm planning to take my wife to Europe this december between Dec
    > 26th-jan 1st.
    > We would like to make all our arrangements ourselves instead of group
    > trip.I was keen on visiting Italy and France this time. We live in
    > Central New jersey in USA.It would be great if some one could give us
    > guidelines and tips on the following questions.
    > 1.Is it possible to visit Italy and France both in 6 days.
    > 2.Is it a good time to visit these countries around this time.
    > 3.I'm planning to book a round trip flight ticket to Paris. Spend a
    > day or two in Paris and then take a train to Italy.Once we are done
    > with touring Italy we would like to go back to paris , catch a flight
    > back to New jersey.
    > Is this a decent plan?
    > 4.Do I need to take different Visas to both France and Italy.? Or is
    > there a common visa which lets me visit both the countries.
    > 5.Most of the vacation packages from US comes with Flight+Hotel
    > combination.
    > Is it a good idea to book both together? In that case they would give
    > us accomodataion in 1 hotel for 5-6 nights?
    > 6.Finally, I would like to know the places which we should not miss in
    > these places. I'm going to get a italy Guide anyways...It would be
    > great if some one who has already been there could give us their tips.
    > Best Regards,
    > Mahesha

Ryan B

"Mahesha" <> wrote in message
news:...
    > Hello All,
    > I'm planning to take my wife to Europe this december between Dec
    > 26th-jan 1st.
    > We would like to make all our arrangements ourselves instead of group
    > trip.I was keen on visiting Italy and France this time. We live in
    > Central New jersey in USA.It would be great if some one could give us
    > guidelines and tips on the following questions.
    > 1.Is it possible to visit Italy and France both in 6 days.
    > 2.Is it a good time to visit these countries around this time.
    > 3.I'm planning to book a round trip flight ticket to Paris. Spend a
    > day or two in Paris and then take a train to Italy.Once we are done
    > with touring Italy we would like to go back to paris , catch a flight
    > back to New jersey.
    > Is this a decent plan?
    > 4.Do I need to take different Visas to both France and Italy.? Or is
    > there a common visa which lets me visit both the countries.
    > 5.Most of the vacation packages from US comes with Flight+Hotel
    > combination.
    > Is it a good idea to book both together? In that case they would give
    > us accomodataion in 1 hotel for 5-6 nights?
    > 6.Finally, I would like to know the places which we should not miss in
    > these places. I'm going to get a italy Guide anyways...It would be
    > great if some one who has already been there could give us their tips.
    > Best Regards,
    > Mahesha


You must be kidding. I would hope by six days you mean six days in Europe
and not two days over and back and four days in Europe. Paris to anywhere
in Italy will involve two days travel there and back robbing you of two more
days of your trip. To only give yourself a day or two in Paris is almost
criminal. If you must do Paris and Italy at least consider flying open jaws
which is to say fly into Paris and home from Rome or the reverse. The cost
difference if any is very minimal if you use one airline for all segments.
I would recommend visiting only Paris and maybe take a day trip or two from
there to places like Rouen (spectacular cathedral, Joan of Arc execution
site, great old town area with half-timbered houses etc), Normandy Coast,
Giverny if you like the artist Monet, or someplace in the Loire to visit a
couple of chateaus. I would suggest staying in Amboise. You can take
mini-van trips to the chateaus from Amboise. Get all the details for such a
day tour at the Amboise tourist information office. Any of these day trips
are 1 1/2 hours or less from Paris.

Ryan

Miguel Cruz

Mahesha <> wrote:
    > 1.Is it possible to visit Italy and France both in 6 days.

Technically? It's possible to visit them both in 5 minutes. The question is
whether you'd want to.

    > 2.Is it a good time to visit these countries around this time.

Many things are closed down for the holidays. The end-of-the-year holiday is
much more disruptive in Europe than in the USA. Museums will be open many of
those days but the cities will be quiet in general. Some restaurants will be
closed for vacation the entire time.

    > 3.I'm planning to book a round trip flight ticket to Paris. Spend a
    > day or two in Paris and then take a train to Italy.Once we are done
    > with touring Italy we would like to go back to paris , catch a flight
    > back to New jersey.
    > Is this a decent plan?

I think it is a very hectic plan. But if you just want a taste, you're not
much affected by jetlag, and you don't mind being on the run all the time, it
might work. If it were me, on a trip that short, I'd pick just one place.

    > 4.Do I need to take different Visas to both France and Italy.? Or is
    > there a common visa which lets me visit both the countries.

Based on your name and the fact that you live in central New Jersey I am
guessing that you are from India or Sri Lanka. In that case you will need a
visa, but the same visa is good for both countries. You are supposed to get
it for the country that will be the "principal" destination of your visit
(provably France in this case since that's where you're flying to).

    > 5.Most of the vacation packages from US comes with Flight+Hotel
    > combination.
    > Is it a good idea to book both together? In that case they would give
    > us accomodataion in 1 hotel for 5-6 nights?

Sometimes it can be a better deal. But the only way to know for sure is to
compare the specific prices.

miguel

Jenn

In article <>,
(Mahesha) wrote:

    > Hello All,
    > I'm planning to take my wife to Europe this december between Dec
    > 26th-jan 1st.
    > We would like to make all our arrangements ourselves instead of group
    > trip.I was keen on visiting Italy and France this time. We live in
    > Central New jersey in USA.It would be great if some one could give us
    > guidelines and tips on the following questions.
    >
    > 1.Is it possible to visit Italy and France both in 6 days.
    > 2.Is it a good time to visit these countries around this time.
well sure -- you could add spain too -- but I wouldn't do it.
with 6 days the best thing to do IMHO is pick one city and do that. I'd
make it Paris or Rome and leave it at that. Big cities tend to be good
winter spots to visit. Paris is a delight that time of year -- with
outdoor ice rinks, wonderful food in shops, many musical events and
Paris is beautiful at night [which are long of course that time of year]
the time you have is barely enough to scratch the service of Paris one
of the most beautiful cities on the planet -- and it is filled with
wonderful places to visit and things to do



    > 3.I'm planning to book a round trip flight ticket to Paris. Spend a
    > day or two in Paris and then take a train to Italy.Once we are done
    > with touring Italy we would like to go back to paris , catch a flight
    > back to New jersey.

a days is spent traveling on each end and a day recovering from the
night flight over -- so you haven't got a couple of days in Paris with
this scenerio -- and you can't 'tour Italy' in a couple more days.

it is a big mistake to spend all your time packing and unpacking and
getting to the airport and checking in and out of hotels when you have
so little travel time -- go somewhere, settle in and enjoy it.

    > Is this a decent plan?
    > 4.Do I need to take different Visas to both France and Italy.? Or is
    > there a common visa which lets me visit both the countries.

If you are an American you don't need a visa for fewer than 90 days in
these countries

I believe for those who do need visas that you get a visa [Schengen
visa ] for the first country you visit and it is good for the others --
but I am not an expert on that, so you need to check with the web sites
of those country's consulates.

Barbara Vaughan

Mahesha wrote:
    >
    > Hello All,
    > I'm planning to take my wife to Europe this december between Dec
    > 26th-jan 1st.
    > We would like to make all our arrangements ourselves instead of group
    > trip.I was keen on visiting Italy and France this time. We live in
    > Central New jersey in USA.It would be great if some one could give us
    > guidelines and tips on the following questions.
    >
    > 1.Is it possible to visit Italy and France both in 6 days.

I would say that it's not. Your first and last days are pretty much
wasted in travel and other logistic details. Getting between France and
Italy will also consume a considerable amount of time. If you plan on
returning to France for your departure, it will consume two days, if not
more. So you really will have about two full days left. What do you
expect to see in two days?

    > 2.Is it a good time to visit these countries around this time.

    > 3.I'm planning to book a round trip flight ticket to Paris. Spend a
    > day or two in Paris and then take a train to Italy.Once we are done
    > with touring Italy we would like to go back to paris , catch a flight
    > back to New jersey.

At the very least, try to fly into Paris and out of some Italian city.
It shouldn't cost much more than a roundtrip to Paris. But even with
this time saving, you would see very little in six days.

    > 4.Do I need to take different Visas to both France and Italy.? Or is
    > there a common visa which lets me visit both the countries.

If you are an American citizen you just need your passport.

    > 5.Most of the vacation packages from US comes with Flight+Hotel
    > combination.
    > Is it a good idea to book both together? In that case they would give
    > us accomodataion in 1 hotel for 5-6 nights?

How are you going to see two countries if you stay in the same hotel the
whole time?

    > 6.Finally, I would like to know the places which we should not miss in
    > these places. I'm going to get a italy Guide anyways...It would be
    > great if some one who has already been there could give us their tips.

The places you shouldn't miss are far more than you can see in such a
short time.

Barbara