My husband and I are planning our first trip to Europe. It is very last minute because we did not know that we would have an opportunity to travel until recently.
We are flying into Paris on Aug 17 and departing Sept 9 (a little over 3 weeks). We want to spend the first 4-5 days in Paris and then travel to Bordeaux for 2 days, then to Barcelona and Ibiza for 5 days, Provence for 2 days, Florence and Venice for 5 days and then back to Paris for the remaining 4 days.
Does anyone have any advice regarding travel time? How long does it take to travel by train from Paris to Bordeaux? I expect that we will have to travel by night train to go to Barcelona, Provence and Florence. Should we skip Provence and travel directly to Italy from Barcelona? Should we rent a car in any of the cities?
I looked at the Eurail website but it doesn%26#39;t look like they have a pass to suit our needs. The regional pass allows unlimited travel between only 2 countries and for only 15 consecutive days. Would it be too expensive to buy individual passes between cities? Is there any advantage to buying ahead of time?
Any advice would be very much appreciated, thank you.
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www.bahn.de and click on %26quot;Internat. Guests%26quot;
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Travel takes longer than you think. My first thought is that this is an ambitious itinerary. Paris to Bordeaux is easy - the TGV train makes it a quick trip. Not trying put a damper on your travel plans, but you%26#39;re doing a ton of stuff in a short period of time. One of the delicious things about being in Europe is that time slows down so it can be savored. You need to allow yourself a travel day between each of your destinations. Check www.raileurope.com for train maps and schedules. There are good train connections to Barcelona from the south of France - Narbonne is the typical connection for trains into Spain. If you take a night train, the couchette is worth the extra price. I did the night train from Venice to Avignon in 2nd class, and I wouldn%26#39;t do that again! Because your itinerary is ambitious, you might try flying between Venice and Barcelona. Otherwise, you will spend the 2 days you%26#39;ve allotted for Provence just on the train, moving across the south coast of France. Florence to Venice is a nice drive that can easily be done in a day, with a lunch stop in Bologna - known for it%26#39;s food. And you can brag that you drive in Italy! Also, you might try open-jaw and fly home from Venice instead of going back up to Paris. The added expense of the airline ticket is probably the difference between the train fare from Venice back to Paris. That would also give you time to stop in Nice for a day, or Aix-en-Provence. Avignon and Arles are also favorites. If you were traveling in a low period - Oct - Mar - I%26#39;d say buy your rail tickets locally. Since you%26#39;re not, you should have reservations, especially for anything you can%26#39;t play by ear. It%26#39;s more expensive, but you%26#39;ll be where you want to be when you want to be there! Barcelona is my favorite city! Enjoy your time. Don%26#39;t try to do everything. Your experiences should fill you with so many memories that you%26#39;ll ache to go back. Then do!
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