Looks good MNtraveler. Where you from in MN as I am a fellow Minnesotan. I think you should have a blast on your trip although I might spend a day and a half in Cinque Terre and a day and a half in Florence. Hope this helps!

I think if you take a night train to Paris, then head out to the beaches, you will be exhausted. You will have to head out to the beaches very early, which are an hour or two from Paris, then find a way to get to the beaches to see them and then return.

Also, remember that it is winter and there is far less day light to see things.

Perhaps switching Versailles and Normandy would be a good idea.

Overall, this seems pretty rushed — particularly for Paris. Frankly, I’d just do your day trips and take a picture of the eiffel tower on arrival day. Save really sightseeing in Paris for your next trip. You can always get back to Paris.

Normandy beaches is a tough day trip from Paris — most of the tour companies do it as an overnight and "Europe by Eurail" (which thinks almost ANYTHING is a doable day trip: Venice from Milan and Florence from Rome) recommends Normandy as an overnight. I’m sure you could find a 1 day tour, but it would be a killer after not really sleeping on an overnight train and followed by an early morning trek to the airport for your flight home — you’ll need to leave your digs in Paris about 4 hours before flight time.

Does it make more sense to go to Florence between Venice and Rome?

I really doubt you’ll catch all the beauty of Cinque terre in November… I would go to Siena or Pisa from Florence.

Does anyone else have opinions about Cinque Terre in late November?

I’m considering cutting out Venice so I can have more time to see France (particularly the beaches of Normandy). I really want to see the Rome and Florance and Venice is my third option. Is that a mistake?

Is there a tour someone can recommend from Paris to the beaches?

Jon – I live in Maple Grove…

Thanks for all the help!

quote:

I’m considering cutting out Venice so I can have more time to see France (particularly the beaches of Normandy). I really want to see the Rome and Florance and Venice is my third option. Is that a mistake?

In my opinion that’s not a mistake, I would take Rome or Florence or Normandy over Venice any day.

If you do cut out Venice, You could perhaps consider taking a flight from Paris to Rome and then work your way up to Florence. It will save some time and may actually be cheaper. Perhaps EasyJet or Ryanair fly that route (I’m not sure).

You could also consider doing the Normandy tour on 11/25 and see the sights of Paris on 12/4, then you are not going out on a tour right after coming back on a night train like Sickboy has mentioned.

Otherwise, if you are able to pull it off that looks like a pretty full itinerary for 12 days, I think you’ll have a blast!

MNtraveler NO WAY!! I live in Plymouth! SO is this a wife and kids type of trip?

Skip Versailles unless you LOVE museums and the like. If you feel you must do it, it most likely will not take you a whole day.

In late November, the weather might be rainy, so be prepared to be flexible; for example, eliminate Cinqe Terre if the weather is cold/rainy.
If you’ve never been to Paris before, you’ll be rushed but, if you’re well-organized, you can see a number of the major things in a day. On the other hand, at least for me, a large part of seeing Paris consists of meandering along and looking in shop windows, or sitting at a cafe and people-watching.
Venice is controversial on this discussion site—- some people feel that you need to stya in Venice overnight to really savor the experience, and possibly this is true, but for me, it’s someplace that I think I could see in a half-day.
Versailles can also be seen in a half-day, so you might be able to save a little time here and there on your trip to allow for some slower-paced days. Believe me, after a while, things like museums start to blur together unless you’re keenly interested in art. For most of us, it can seem like a forced march past endless rows of paintings and statues…

Skip Versailles? No way! I think Versailles is a great day trip and it will require a big chunk of the day to see it all (including getting there and back). Not sure how the gardens in the back will look in November though….

When does the weather in Cinque Terra turn to crap?

I’m traveling with my wife and we are both in our 30’s. Hostels don’t sound too appealing to us. I’m thinking about reworking my itinerary so I’m not so rushed and pre-booking hotels so I eliminate any lodging concerns. I’m obviously eliminating flexibility to the sake of security. I am very risk adverse!
I’m thinking of saving Venice for another trip and hitting Paris, Rome, and Florence. Thoughts?

I love Venice, but it’s really pretty small. You can get the feel of the place in a day, so 1 night there would be plenty. It’s about 3 hours by train from Florence and 4 1/2 from Rome do you could easily get in 1 afternoon and most of the next day touring Venice with 1 night there.

BTW — my rule of thumb for reservations:
2week (or less) trip — reserve every night
3 weeks — reserve 1st and last night and other parts of the itinerary that you’re absolutely sure of
4 weeks or longer — reserve 1st and last nights and anything (e.g. Oktoberfest in Munich, resorts in August) that may be a problem.

OK. I’ve reworked my trip based off comments received to date. I decided to skip Venice and stay longer in Florence. This will allow me to see Cinque Terra and all the art in Florence at a more comfortable pace. I’ll save Venice for my next trip. Here’s what I have for now:

11/24/2004 PARIS – arrive in the morning, sleep, get orientated
11/25/2004 PARIS
11/26/2004 PARIS – day trip to Versailles
11/27/2004 PARIS
Overnight train
11/28/2004 (SUNDAY) ROME
11/29/2004 ROME – (Vatican)
11/30/2004 ROME – morning train to FLORENCE
12/1/2004 FLORENCE – late train to MONTERROSSO
12/2/2004 MONTEROSSO (Cinque Terre)
12/3/2004 MONTEROSSO/PISA/FLORENCE
Overnight train
12/4/2004 PARIS
12/5/2004 PARIS – Return home

Thoughts???

Does anyone have experience canceling hotel reservations? What should I expect if I want to make some changes during the trip?

I really appreciate all the help!!!

A nice plan, if the weather won’t be appealing yopu can always cancel the trip to Cinque Terre and stay longer in Rome. As for hotels, for a paid reservation cancellation they usually charge the 1st night as I know. You aren’t going in the high season – I personally don’t think reservations are really necessary.

Hey another Minnesotan chiming in! Technically I am from St. Paul because that is where all my stuff is…currently in Portland.

MNTraveler…I just wanted to add that if the weather is bad (and "bad" for a Minnesotan is pretty bad) that you could add a little time in Florence since it is such a beautful place with excellent museums and relaxing street-strolling opportunities. Not to mention that if you try to go back there in the summer it will be more expensive and not nearly as enjoyable…really hot and crawling with tourists. Good on you for going to Italy in the winter.