Italy or Paris/London

[Skysooner]

I lucked into a conference in France this summer. We are going to be near Cannes for 3 days and then have 10 days after that to see what we want to see. I'll be very close to Italy and thought maybe a leisurely tour down the boot (maybe Florence, Rome, etc.) would be a good idea. Some other people have mentioned that a good first trip to Europe is to hit London since it is less "foreign". My wife and I have spent weeks at a time in Mexico, and the language barrier was never really a problem, so I'm not sure it is an issue.

Our travel agent sent us a package deal taking the trane to Paris for 3 days and then over to London for 5 days.

I wondered if anyone had any advice on recent travel conditions and what would make a good vacation. We are generally warmer weather people, so the Italy thing sounded better than London with its weird weather.

[Mongo]

My brother lived in Switzerland for almost two years. He said some of the best times were in Spain. Spain had some great beaches, and the women beat France hands down.

He liked London, but thought Italy was the best route. Consider Spain, the pics he had are great. Plus you can catch a bull fight.

[Octavian]

San Sebastian, Spain.....on the northern coast.


Its an amazing place...give it a google.

[SleestakSooner]

I would get the hell out of France quick as ya can. I spent a few days in Italy. Gaeta was nice, Rome was amazing and of course there is always Venice if your sweetie is with ya.

Spain was also really nice and the beaches were fine. I lived in Greece for a year and if you had a bit more time and it were easier to reach from France I would say go to Crete! But to be honest, any way you go don't be concerned about how "foreign" it is. That is what makes it worth the visit.

[TopDaugIn2000]

get a Euro rail pass and see it ALL.

oh wait, you said leisurely

[KC//CRIMSON]

If you only have ten days I would do France, Belgium, and Amsterdam. I was over there for two and half weeks and barely scratched the surface.

Paris is AWESOME. I could have spent the entire trip there and been happy.:cool:

[Mongo]

If you only have ten days I would do France, Belgium, and Amsterdam. I was there for two and half weeks and barely scratched the surface.

Paris is AWESOME. I could have spent the entire trip there and been happy.:cool:


This advice coming from a pothead, prostitute lover:D

[olevetonahill]

This advice coming from a pothead, prostitute lover:D
A DAM the only thing you need to Know :cool: :twinkies:

[PhxSooner]

I've spent a chunk of time in London and a little in Italy. London is great, and to see Westminster, the Tower, St. Paul's, etc, is something you need to do. But Florence and Sorrento/Capri (on the coast) knocked my socks off. We really didn't find language to be a problem in Italy. Rome is great, of course, but much more spread out than I expected.

[Shamrock]

I spent a year (1985) in London during college, and travelled most of Europe. I also spent the summer in Europe after graduating before reporting to my first Army training.

I spent almost a week in Italy, and saw all the sites, but never really got into being there. I much preferred Paris over Rome. It really is an individual choice though, as preferences differ on what one deems most interesting.

Theatre? Museums? History?

Romantic places for you and the wife? Venice and Paris get the nod there.

I was never a "tour" person, just bought the rail passes and went. Day tours of a city (like London, Paris, Rome) for a few hours are good to get your bearings, but the strictly organized and timed coach tours are junk. Read up and find out what interests you, then just go see it on your own.

London and Paris have the best subways (or at least in the 80's they did).

The beaches of Spain are the best, with good weather. South of Barcelona (we stayed in Torredembarra) has some GREAT beaches. Good food too. Paella and Sangria.

[BajaOklahoma]

Spain.

[ouflak]

I'm living in Europe now and have for the past 4 years. See what you can in France and go whereever you like. Don't worry about a language barrier. It exists, but it's hardly important if you're just going to be there for a few days. So if you want to see Itally or Spain, definitely go. London is a nice city to visit with lots of attractions, but I think I personally would like to see something a bit more exotic. Also London is just a bit expensive right now, if budget is a consideration. You'll almost certainly pay less for hotels and travel staying on mainland Europe. Good luck. Have fun!

[Skysooner]

Budget isn't much of an issue, but London was definitely the most expensive place on the places recommended to us.

We like museums and history, but I think Paris or Italy would suffice for that. I guess ultimately we will probably do Italy just because it is so close, and we can take a car and do whatever we want. My wife of 15 years will be with me, and I was thinking Venice, Florence, and Rome would probably be good. Spain does sound intriguing though, and Barcelona has been a place I always wanted to visit. I speak reasonable Spanish.

[King Crimson]

Barcelona is a great city. the Prado in Madrid is a killer museum. i liked Florence a lot as well.

[Widescreen]

I loved Italy. The history in Rome alone made our trip worthwhile. Plus the chicks are HAWT. Seriously.

[BigRedJed]

Haven't been to France or Italy (yet). I loved England, FWIW. And England doesn't have to be just London. Bath is amazing. So is Oxford. I highly recommend the Cotswolds (http://www.the-cotswolds.org/).

If you spend time in London, don't miss The National Gallery (http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/). The Tower of London, while touristy, is pretty awesome, especially for putting things into a historical perspective.

Hope that helps.

[Rondo]

get a Euro rail pass and see it ALL.

oh wait, you said leisurely

The trains are getting ridiculous, in terms of cost.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I enjoyed London more than Paris for sure. Paris just seemed kind of nasty to me.

[GottaHavePride]

Really? I thought Paris was a lot more interesting than London. I actually thought that minus the language difference Paris (and Orleans) seemed less "foreign" than London. Possibly because in London you think that since they speak the same language stuff will be mostly the same as here, and it isn't.

[OCUDad]

I second the recommendation of the Cotswolds. Mrs. Dad and I honeymooned there. Beautiful little towns with great scenery and interesting names. Don't miss Lower Slaughter.

[KC//CRIMSON]

Budget isn't much of an issue, but London was definitely the most expensive place on the places recommended to us.

We like museums and history, but I think Paris or Italy would suffice for that. I guess ultimately we will probably do Italy just because it is so close, and we can take a car and do whatever we want. My wife of 15 years will be with me, and I was thinking Venice, Florence, and Rome would probably be good. Spain does sound intriguing though, and Barcelona has been a place I always wanted to visit. I speak reasonable Spanish.

FYI. Speaking from experience, that's a really bad idea. So much so, that Hertz won't even let people drive into Italy with out jacking your insurance so high you won't want to rent a car.

The driving/drivers over there is INSANE. It's not like it is here, it's very dangerous. Plus, Italy has a car jacking/GTA rate that is like fifty times worse than any other place in Europe. Get a Euro-rail pass.

[Octavian]

The Europass is awesome if you've got plenty of time....if you're not going to be there for very long and you'd like to cut your travel time down, try Easyjet.


If you plan ahead, you can take Easyjet all over the continent and not spend much more than you would with a Europass.

[Octavian]

and if you're only flying to one or two places....Easyjet could be cheaper, depending on where you're going.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Go to Sicily...skip France...most of em treat you like crap anyways!

[Skysooner]

Okay, good news to know about the cars. The plan now is to leave Nice, and take the train to Rome, spend 2 days, take the train to Florence, spend 3 days and then take the train to Nice, staying again 2 days and then to Milan to fly home.

[SleestakSooner]

That sounds like a wonderful plan, hope you two have a great time!

[47straight]

Was there for the fall. Given the choice I would go to Italy. Cheaper, better food.

[ouflak]

Okay, good news to know about the cars. The plan now is to leave Nice, and take the train to Rome, spend 2 days, take the train to Florence, spend 3 days and then take the train to Nice, staying again 2 days and then to Milan to fly home.
http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif

Make sure you *reserve* your seats on those trains well in advance. Also travel 1st class if you can. If you plan it out far enough ahead of time, it's usually not that much more expensive at all.

[47straight]

The Flak speaks the truth, ESPECIALLY italian trains in summer.

[Skysooner]

Total switch in plans. My wife and I are more of a "do our own thing" kind of people, and Italy wasn't going to work for that (with all of the train travel, etc.). I took some posters advice on here, and we are going to......southern Spain (all booked now). Barcelona, Valencia, Alimante, Granada and Malaga with a car for most of that to check out all of the good points in between.

Is visiting Africa for a day worth it? I would think that it might not be the safest place at this point.

[Mongo]

Total switch in plans. My wife and I are more of a "do our own thing" kind of people, and Italy wasn't going to work for that (with all of the train travel, etc.). I took some posters advice on here, and we are going to......southern Spain (all booked now). Barcelona, Valencia, Alimante, Granada and Malaga with a car for most of that to check out all of the good points in between.

Is visiting Africa for a day worth it? I would think that it might not be the safest place at this point.

Good choice on Spain.

Africa= the quickest place to get full blown AIDS. I would not step foot on that place unless I had a full body condom or multi layers of body armor.

[GottaHavePride]

Somehow I think he meant more like Morocco or Tunisia kind of Africa, not the Congo or Sudan. ;)

[Mongo]

Somehow I think he meant more like Morocco or Tunisia kind of Africa, not the Congo or Sudan. ;)

Sudan...Congo...who gives a ****? If a fool sneezes on you, you can get AIDS.

AIDS, or getting your head sawed offf. And yes, I threw in the extra F to get my point across.

[GottaHavePride]

Heh. I'm just saying, extreme northern Africa is a LOT different from mid and southern Africa.

[Mongo]

Heh. I'm just saying, extreme northern Africa is a LOT different from mid and southern Africa.

I agree, yet all the regions have thier faults.

Southern=apartheid reactions
Central and Eastern=muslim hate
Northern= choking on couscous

[GottaHavePride]

bwahahahaaaaa. :D

[Skysooner]

Morocco was the place I had in mind. I just wasn't sure if it was worth the day of travel it would require back and forth.