Hey

I’m planning my first backpacker trip to Europe, and need advice on my itinerary. I have roughly 14 days to spend in France and Italy (followed by a week or so in the UK, then back to Paris for flight home).

I would prefer to visit Paris at the end of the week, say a Wednesday to a Sunday, instead of being there over a weekend, and monday, tuesday, since a lot of the must-see museums are closed on either a monday or a tuesday.

The other requirement is that I have to be in Rome over a weekend; a friend is joining me from London, and that’s only possible over a weekend.

Any suggestions for what to see and where to stay in Provence would also be welcome. (And where do you see lavendar?)

So far my itinerary looks like this:

13 Sep Sa – Arrive in Paris 6:15. Take train to Avignon/Nimes.
14 Sep Su – Go to Arles or St. Remy de Provence. (Either rent car from Avignon, or use trains?)
15 Sep Mo – Aix-en-Provence
16 Sep Tu – Nice. Take over night train to Italy, either Florence, Milan or Venice.
17 Sep We – Florence/Milan/Venice
18 Sep Thu – Florence/Milan/Venice. If staying in Florence, day trip to Pisa.
19 Sep Fri – Rome
20 Sep Sa – Rome
21 Sep Su – Rome
22 Sep Mo – Venice or Florence
23 Sep Tu – Venice or Florence or Milan, depending on what I chose on prev. We/Thu Then take overnight train (or cheap flight?) to Paris.
24 – 28 Sep Paris
28 Sep Su – Paris to London.
4 Oct Sa – London to Paris
5 Oct Su Paris to home.

I’m thinking of skipping Venice totally, and rather take day trips to Pisa and Siena from Florence, and see La Scala in Milan.

Also, my friends would like to rent a car from Rome to towns in Italy – any ideas about this vs. trains?

It feels like I’m missing something, as if the itinerary is a bit awkward with the overnight train from Italy to Paris… but what are the alternatives?

Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions and sharing your experience!