European Trip

Looking to travel to Europe at the end of April - early May for about 3 weeks (April 24th - May 14th). I was wondering if I could get some advice on where to go and what to do while I am there.

I'm hoping to do London and Paris each for about a week... I like doing the tourist thing but I also like to hang out and soak up the culture and live like the locals I hate being stressed out trying to see everything and being rushed when I travel.

I will be flying in and out of London... where should I go for the extra week. I was looking into maybe going to Nice or Rome or even the Greek Islands... where else should I consider going?

No real plans right now except for the Bryan Adams concert in London on May 13th, just before coming home... I'm also suppose to meet up with a friend in Paris but has not confirmed yet. I am travelling by myself... so any suggestions on where to stay(hotels), areas to avoid... stuff like that.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

bump

Go to Nice or Canes(sp?) which is right next to it. Nice is about a 5hrs train ride from Paris. There are many little towns along the coast of the Mediterranean for one-day trip. You can even head over to the Italy side.


add... Watch your back since you are travelling by yourself. Common senses go a long wait, like don't hang out too late in a quiet area. Tourists' area is known for pickpockets. But don't worry to much, otherwise you won't have fun. Also, travel light if you can.

Cannes is definitely nice.

Some other nice places in France are Grenoble and La Rochelle. Lyon is pretty nice as well. In Italy, Firenze is my favorite. Rome is jam packed with tourist attractions (just watch out for pickpockets... search the internet for their tactics).

I found that cities away from Paris are less "rude" or at least seem to be that way. Apologies to any Parisians, but when a waiter serves you bread that he picked up at another table that just had patrons is rude (one piece even had a bite in it!!).

When you are travelling, pack what you need then halve the clothes. Your body will thank you. Also, I don't know if you have a proper back pack, but you'll need one. Probably the single most important purchased item. Be ready to drop $100+ easy (I think mine was like $240). Places like MEC are great because they'll show you how to pack, how to wear, and even let you try the packs with emulated clothes and such while you walk around the store.

If you are going alone, I would suggest staying at hostels so you can meet people. The other benefit is that they are cheap. The bunk beds however smell pretty bad (think of 8 travelling guys that don't really shower and have dirty clothes all in the same room).

If hostel's are not your thing, get a travel guide. I think my friend was using Frommer's (sp?). They recommend hotels. We weren't dissapointed with any of them that the guide recommended.

One last thing: if you have a chance to go to the alps, do it. I was amazed by the sheer beauty. Switzerland is definately a place to go if you can!

With only a week, I would really suggest staying in Paris (or checking out the areas north of Paris)... a 5 hr train ride is nothing for a Canadian I suppose.. but, still, there is SOOO much to see and do in Paris alone that it will easily keep you busy for a week..> If you find that the city isn't your think, then you can take quick 1 or 2 hr trips from Paris. This will let you have Paris as your base. I don't have any recommendations for places to stay but from what I hear some of the hostels are decent.

EDIT: Sorry.. I misread your message!!! For the 3rd week, you might want to consider the northern part of Italy if you have never been there. If you have a good command of French though, you might find it better to go down south. At that time of the year it probably won't really be super warm (i.e. I was there in April one year and I didn't swim in the water.. too cold)

buy Lonely Planet's Europe On A Shoestring or Fromer's Guide to Europe