Something like this might be better for a second or third trip to France unless youve got weeks to spend here. Your email address will not be published. Best for: history, sightseeing, nature, small towns, food & wine. Its 45 minutes away by highspeed rail and the town has a lot more to see including a major cathedral. Lake Como is a must stop also for mountain lovers: the peaks soaring above the lake are breathtaking. A Foodies Northern Italy Itinerary. complete with the Restaurant Guido da Costigliole, a Michelin star dining-spot. Curious for more ideas? 10 Day Northern Italy Itinerary Breakdown. All about our stay here later on my blog. Nights 10-11: Annecy, France. Niceis the largest (and cheapest) city on the Cte dAzur (AKA French Riviera) so its the perfect base to explore this stunning part of the world for a few days. I wouldn't tell you not to do it but you need to be careful. Its almost impossible to get a bad meal in the city and most of the food is reasonably priced considering the quality. Youll see all the famous and amazing Amalfi Coast views, and you can return either by bus or boat for an ideal day out. Driving in France is such a pleasure. Perhaps surprisingly, Venice shuts down early, with most restaurants and bars closed by around 10pm. We really took it easy here, walking in the town, shopping at the small market, swimming in the pool at our accommodation, and we went out for a really nice dinner where we had local wine, great food, and ate outside with views of the vineyards. This is the enchantingVilla della Pergola, located a bit above town in a gorgeous botanical garden. We did not venture far, to neighboring Italy and France. We also visited a small town called St-Quentin-de-la-Poterie. Or cut the Lago di Como and stay longer along the Mediteranean and around Barolo and cut to Annecy through the Aosta Valley or come back to France near Brianon and continue your journey. The towns are all fairly similar and in April or May they will still be rather quiet, especially in April. I think Id do that and fly out of Rome. The day we checked out we were headed back to France, on our way we made a stop on the way for a couple of hours in Aosta, Italy, before driving through the Mont Blanc tunnel. Trains are generally easy to navigate, so tourists shouldnt be intimidated. Itinerary for Italy and Southern France - Italy Forum Id fly into Paris and spend 3 or 4 night there and then take a train down to Nice for 2 nights there. On the other hand, youve got the time it seems so it could be a good place to slow down for a bit. But in those evening hours as well as the morning hours on the following day, the place can feel magical and like a fairy tale destination. And we wanted to stay and dine in style. We had a northern Italy and southern France trip in mind. No one regrets their first visit to Rome, but many swear that itll also be their last. Avignon to Nice by train: About 3 hours. If you only have two weeks per year it would take a lifetime of trips to explore even half of Europe at the slow pace, so it makes sense for newer travelers to move at a good clip. Or you could fly down to Sicily for a few days. Franciacorta is a territory between Bergamo and Brescia that produces sparkling wine or spumante, mostly Prosecco, Italys version of Champagne. This is another easy and ideal day trip where you can have breakfast and dinner in Sorrento and a wonderful time in Capri in between. Take a train from CDG to Avignon from 13.00 onwards. 3 hours is the the recommended time to allow between flight arrival and train departure. Book Renting a car in Italy is the most flexible yet most expensive option for traveling around northern Italy. WebIf youre looking for a 4-day France road trip itinerary, check out this post. My impression was that it was a pretty busy place with a lot of groups in for wine tastings and such. We are coming from the West Coast of the US (California). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I might not choose the town itself to stay, but someplace outside the town or a smaller town or village, which might be more relaxing. But I will inform about other options to travel around, too. I loved it in Eze, it was so beautiful in the morning as it was quiet and not crowded and the Jardin Exotique was amazing, with unforgettable views. Days 5 6: Zermatt, Switzerland. Youll find both French and Italian are spoken here because of how close the two countries are. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-116190854', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Europe for my husband and I, and we had an amazing time on this trip. I highly suggest taking a look at the embedded maps to discover places worth adding to your itinerary based on the amount of time you have available. Heres a more in-depth look at how to get around northern Italy: There are both national train lines and regional train lines, meaning you are well-connected between the major cities and there are also options to reach smaller towns. The best things to do in France; A summer guide to Chamonix, France; My first Via Ferrata in Nax, Switzerland and a night at Hotel DAngleterre in Geneva; The best things to do in the Dolomites, Italy Play with the http://www.viamichelin.com chosing prefered route and discovery route and see what it offers you. And this is true for our first destination, Lake Orta. In Paris, however, youd probably only consider doing this for breakfast, and even then it might not be ideal. I have been to Barolo town only once and on a day trip. Its definitely worth looking, but my hunch is that any Airbnb that is fairly close to the Eiffel Tower is going to be very expensive, even compared to nearby hotels. Northern Italy & southern France in 11 days: luxury hotels One of the most popular seaside towns in the area is Alassio with a 4 km/2.5 mi long stretch of beach. Your email address will not be published. And Nice has great museums and food as well. Florence to Rome by train: About 90 minutes. The thing is, between about 10am and 5pm every day of the year, the main walkways in Venice are a slow-moving parade of more tourists than seem possible or even safe. I love creating free resources for your travels and personally responding to your questions over chat and email. Not sure if buying a package or just make our plan since we have budgets to meet. Train travel in Italy is the perfect way to get between all of the locations in this Northern Italy travel itinerary. I will go into it in more length at a later point of time (what to do in Orta San Giulio). You can easily do day trips to Naples, Pompeii, Capri, and the rest of the Amalfi Coast. Barcelona, Southern France Then take a train to Rome for 3 or 4 nights and fly back to Paris and then home or straight back home if you can get a cheap enough ticket that way. We have already done Positano and loved itnot sure if we should do Capri insteadTrying to do a lot however we have already done Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome and Positano last time. Keen to get your thoughts on this itinerary: Let me know if you have any other questions and Ill be happy to try to help. Once you are checked into a hotel there, you can take the same train back to Naples, or an even faster boat. I find that I get exhausted easier as I got a bit older. Quite the contrary, it makes part of the Italian lake region. Both these cities will be your home base on this kind of itinerary. and with a nice historic alleyway parallel to the sea. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-112592618', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');car right after a long flight. We do like road trips and are accustomed to doing very long distance drives (in North America). Day 8: Italian Riviera via Monaco. I was wondering if you had any travel agent or agency recommendations that could best assist with booking the itinerary you laid out for France and Italy? Then youll head to Venice, from which you can do a day trip to the Dolomites. Required fields are marked *. Also visited the hilltop town of Gourdon which was beautiful and we relaxed there and had snacks and lemonade at a cafe, wandered the streets and the shops. Because at this point going to the Lago di Como is a little out of the way from the rest of your itinerary. If you can afford another 3-4 days, then the plan looks much more sensible. Verona is the ultimate city of romance in Italy: the setting of Shakespeares Romeo & Juliet, made up of rose-hued buildings and castles nestled over the Adige River. It might be best to just consider any of them and look for a hotel or resort that you like the look of and that fits your budget. As you can see, the drive from Puglia to Sicily is a long one. That is up to you and the flexibility of your travel dates! Those in a hurry can spend half a day in Naples and a couple hours seeing Pompeii and be safely back in Sorrento for an unforgettable dinner. I prefer Lake Garda over Lake Como (which I visited twice) because the towns of Lake Garda are prettier, and it is more affordable and We returned the rental car on arrival and walked to our accommodation which was very close by. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. As a resident of northern Italy, I can share with certainty that the best time to visit is either June or September. The most famous among the latter is probably Les Baux-de-Provence. I will not go into it in this overview article. Glad I found this article- Planning to visit Italy and France for 2 weeks- would like to visit Paris, Nice, Venice, Florence, Pisa and Rome. Of course there are many ways to travel. This will be our first time in Europe. WebDepending on the length of your trip, and taking geographic proximity into account, here are our recommended priorities: 3 days: Paris, maybe Versailles 6 days, add: Normandy 8 So you won't really have time to explore small towns and countryside. In regards to returning to the states, would you recommend I fly out of Naples? I live in northern Italy, so the area not only has a special place in my heart, but Ive also happened to travel all around it! When you see a photo of these villages its hard not to be drawn in so if you are in that group you could add a day or two in this area either before or after Florence. This trip should include Pari, the south of France and the Amalfi coast definitely. The water was beautiful and warm and we spent a couple of hours out there going in and out of the water. This is a hilltop stone village below the ruins of an old castle. Thank you! Let me know if you have any other questions. Generally speaking, I recommend skipping Milan at least on your first trip. Your last stop on this itinerary is tapping into a bit of central Italy territory, but it is a must stop for foodies. Leave a comment! Day trips 1) Arles and Le Baux; (2) Avignon and Pont du Gard. Milan is bustling, crowded, the energy is always high. Northern Italy is a diverse landscape: mountains, sea, lakes, floating cities, metropolitan centers, food-rich countrysides. Second, I became aware of a hotel with restaurant here on our Turin journey in 2019. Where would be most logical place to insert? For this trip we are interested in exploring mainly small towns, countryside, mountains. People. Region covered: Occitanie and Provence-Alpes-Cte dAzur. That could be another option. Yet it was such a great experience after so many Switzerland staycations! Its better to plan to go slower and if you are getting bored you can do a day or overnight trip to something nearby. It is housed in a building typical for this region, a so-called mas. Drive to the Luberon . The car was our chosen mode of transport. So expect suggestions for high-end accommodations, gourmet dining-spots and things to do, especially short walks (details on the latter in separate posts to follow). Some of these links are affiliate links. Staying & dining in style at Villa Crespi on Lake Orta/Italy, staying and dining at Chteau Saint-Martin. Thanks sooo much for the above itinerary you have created! Southern France Northern Italy Itinerary suggestions Can anyone suggest an itinerary and logistics for 22 days..Fly into Nice out of Milan in May Would like to go Aug 20 Flight from Ottawa to Paris overnight. Unless you are starting from elsewhere in Europe, youll want to carefully choose which airport to fly into. Last stop for lovers: Venice! We spent time also at the Mas, which was lovely, where we barbecued our dinners and we swam in the pool and enjoyed the relaxed setting. Hi Roger, On our way home, we made a stopover south of Lyon, Frances third largest city. Spend at least three nights in Paris itself and if you have extra days you might do a day trip (tour buses are a great choice) of the nearby Loire Valley. in northern Italy also love their local ingredients. Discover more day trips from Milan to beef up your itinerary. We enjoy walking, dining, exploring, and just being at places that takes you away from it all. Life moves just a little bit slower, especially up in Citt Alta, an UNESCO World Heritage site and the medieval, historic old town that rests on a hilltop overlooking the more economic center, Citt Bassa.