Advice re travel to London, Paris, Rome, Zurich

[Nosheen]

Hello, 
I want to travel to Europe this year and need some advice. I am going to be traveling with my one year old daughter and husband. 
Would like to see London, Paris, Rome and Zurich. So basically visit 4 countries in Europe. 
We need advice as far as places to see, things to do and eateries. Want to make the most of our 2 week whirlwind tour of Europe. 
Please share when is a good time of the year to visit Europe, also not very expensive time to visit as our dates are flexible. 
I would prefer to stay in nice/clean cottage then a traditional hotel. Also would like to know about traveling from country to country within Europe.
Thanks!

[BuzzInRome]

Hello, I'd suggest you to split up your 14 days as follows: 4 days each for the three capitals, 2 days for Zurich which is by far the least interesting of your destinations.

 

There are low cost flights between Rome and London and Rome and Paris. The train is the best option for the London-to-Paris trip.

 

The cheapest months are the coldest and hottest: January after the end of the Christmas holidays and August.

 

In Rome you should see

on the first day the Roman Forums, the Palatine hill, the Colosseum and the Capitoline hill with Piazza Venezia

on the 2nd St. Peter's, the Vatican museums and Trastevere

on the third have a walk from Piazza del Popolo to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Navona Square, Campo de Fiori, Piazza Farnese, Via Giulia.

the 4th day depends pretty much on your personal preferences: it can be more museums or other churches, contemporary art galleries (public and commercial) or more archaeology sites, shopping or city parks, art/photography exhibits (in which case you should check out my blog http://www.buzzinrome.com) or interesting boroughs such as Monti, Coppedè, Aventino, Testaccio.

 

 

 

[girasolereale]

Ciao I agree with BuzzinRome! 4day each city...but what you like to do? Do you prefer beach, or wine testing or cooking class....? I will check on ryanair or easyjet are the cheapest airflight company for Europe flight but you will need to be carefull with the luggage weight.

If you need nice accommodation in Testaccio  visit my website girasolereale.com

[David KAFARI]

Hello Nosheen,

You can travel with your baby without any problem. London and Paris are 3 hours far from each other by Eurostar. Rome is around 1 hour flight from Paris. Same for Zurich. How many time do you have to visit those cities ?

For Paris, and I think it will be the same in London and Roma, I would say March and the beginning of April. Crowds are not here yet and you can visit museums ( Louvre for example or Musee d'Orsay ) and castles ( Versailles palace ) without being hundreds in each rooms.

After April, this is high season in France so hotels are around twice more expensive. No problem to travel from one country to another in Europe. Many train connection or cheap flights are available ( Ryanair, Easyjet... but also Air France )

[Anil]

I will give you some contrarian advice: Because it is important that you are aware of the possible impact to the overall experience of your travel to Europe.

1. Have you traveled with your one year old daughter on a plane before ? and for how long ?

On a recent trip (JFK-MEX) a baby in the bassinet cried the whole 5-1/2 hour flight, for reasons that could be ears popping, the unfamiliar low grade sound/noise to a whole slew of things. Apart from inconvenience to other pax, your daughter's discomfort may cause your start of the trip to go off schedule. It could disrupt your tight schedule and other plans.

2. two weeks four countries ? A bit rushed.

No brainer for a solo or a couple traveling. But with a one year old, it can get dicey. A child in unfamiliar surrounding can get tired very soon, and then you have to either improvise or re schedule your appointments and re organize your daily itinerary. Stroller ? No stroller !! Still you have to consider the implications. This following photo illustrates the point:

[ A tourist looking a TajMahal while the boy is fast asleep]

3. Cities are not villages. They are urban bustling machines.

There are no nice/clean cottages in those world class cities. So if you meant B&B then you might get them, but forget it. You are not staying for that long in one place anyways - A traditional hotel has more resources to deal with you and your child's sudden needs than a six-room B&B. B&Bs tend to be converted walkups and previous grand apartments, with really squeezed and cramped in facilities. 

If you want a nice clean cottage, then you are planning a wrong trip, and a wrong kind of a vacation. Trust me, there are beautiful cottages in Provence, FR; Shropshire, GB; Positano, IT. I've stayed in all three places, all idlic, all very slow paced stays. 

4. Time Time Time.

Since you  are flexible, you could look at Eurorail passes, but it aint that cheap, and it eats into your time. Time is what you do not have plenty of. There are LCCs (Low Coast Carriers) but you will have two issues, airports are far, and carriers have addons for everything including milk bottle for your one year old daughter. No advantage in terms of over all time to destination. 

Sorry to be a purveyor of gloom. Read a lot, get atleast two guide books, Plan Plan Plan - then multiply by 1.5 to 2, the time you spend in each museum, zoo, place to see.  Pace yourself, and drop a city if you can. 

Enjoy Europe. It is lovely in late spring, before the hordes of College students from US descent upon every city town. If I were you'll I'd do this -  Fly into London, Train to Paris, Train to Belgium, train to Amsterdam and back home. 

[PS: Take this all with not just a pinch, but spoonful of salt :) ]

[Juan Martinez]

All the advice on this page is very good, and I want to ask a question: Must you see all four of these cities in one short trip? It would be much easier AND more fun to just visit London and Paris. They each deserve a week. And if you must see a third great city, I'd make it Amsterdam or Brussels, which are in between L and P. 

[Tony Humphrey]

Wow! you really want to do this all in just 2 wks ...and with a 1yr old....don't.....but if you really have to...

London has both the Queen's Jubilee and Olympics...both great to see and do but expect huge crowds and expensive stuff.

Cottages are out of the city and require busy and expensive commuting in rush hour if you want a full day.....city bus and river tours are great in all cities... food .... buy from supermarkets and have great 'on the road' picnics in parks...rivers...lakes...but certainly have a pint two of real ale in a good pub.

Paris...flying may be cheaper inter-city but book well ahead for the train from L to P...downtown to downtown..and you may get a deal....bus  and river tours.... fresh baguettes and cheese and wine by the Seine or tourist site.

Rome...city tour... some nice b&b's in the city... again buy fresh food at a store and sit by a ruin!

Zurich...no knowledge of the city ...only the mountains for hiking ....great train system...very expensive

btw...if you are from across the pond or further afield.....jetlag is miserable and you can lose a few quality days....now down to 12 days of touring????

 

 

[Francesca Troilo]

Hi Nosheen,

I pretty much agree with Buzz in Rome, except on the point of cheapest months. From Easter (April 8th this year) until the end of October it's our high season.

In May you'll enjoy the longest daytime; October is one of the loveliest times of the year in Rome, but also November can offer nice sunny days.

At the moment, it's hard to believe, we're covered in snow!

Should you need more tips on Rome, you're most welcome to check our website out: www.romeasyoulikeit.com

Best Regards + Happy Travels!

Francesca

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We have really enjoyable tour packages;

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http://www.turkeytravelbazaar.com/282,guided-istanbul-tour-package-...

 

We customize the tour packages according to our clients' time, budget and interests.

[DR Bush]

Nosheen, Listen to Anil, the advice is right on!  We've traveled all throughout our childrens' childhoods and it's definitely not the same as taking off on your own.  I know peers advice is important, but I can't suggest strongly enough that rather than trying to figure it all our yourself, you spend your energy finding a good travel agent who specializes in family travel. 

If you choose not to do that, please at least consider delaying your visit to two of the cities for another trip.  Also, although flying is much quicker, if you limit your destinations you'll have the time to travel in much more leisure and pleasure, by train.

Please let us know what you ultimately decide.

Grandma Dee

[Steven Jones]

Well if you are looking for a package deal i can suggest you

http://www.flightandroom.com/package-holidays.htm

Here you can find cheap packages to all your finalized places.