Final Itinerary?!

[frankftr]

Ok, so my gf and I leave in 19 days!! ;D Not that I'm counting! haha... Here's the plan, please comment!

6/5 - Fly from Phoenix, AZ to Rome
6/6 - Arrive in Rome
Staying at Legends Hostel
6/10 - Train to Florence
No reservation yet, suggestions?
6/13 - Night train to Interlaken (depart at 23:00)
Staying at Happy Inn
We're planning on doing a canyoneering trip but we're not sure if we should book now or when we arrive. The prices I'm finding on line seem more expensive than people are saying they paid when they made their reservations there...suggestions?
Also, being on a budget we're not sure if we can afford the $150 or so to go to Jungfrau. Should we take the hit? or should we pick another summit?

6/18 - train to Lyon
No reservation
6/19 - train to Carcassonne
6/21 - train to Barcelona
Staying at Hostel New York

12 day Mediterranean cruise w/ Princess
6/22 - Barcelona, Spain
10:00 PM

6/23 - Marseille (Provence), France
8:30 AM
6:00 PM

6/24 Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy
7:00 AM
7:00 PM

6/25 - Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
7:00 AM
7:00 PM

6/26 - Naples/Capri, Italy
7:00 AM
7:00 PM

6/27 - At Sea

6/28 Mykonos, Greece
7:00 AM
2:00 PM

6/29 - Istanbul, Turkey
8:00 AM
6:00 PM

6/30 - Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey
12:00 PM
7:00 PM

7/1 - Athens (Piraeus), Greece
6:00 AM
5:45 PM

7/2 - At Sea

7/3 - Venice, Italy
1:00 PM

7/4 - Venice, Italy
5:00 AM

7/4 - flight to London
Staying at Astor Quest
7/9 - Flight to Madrid
Train to Pamplona
7/11 - Train to Bordeaux
No Reservation
7/12 - Train to Paris
Staying at Hotel Louvre Richelieu
7/17 - Flight home to Phoenix

Both my GF and I are into Art/Architecture as well as people watching! Any specific suggestions on things to do would be great! I have researched quite a bit but any off the path suggestions would help!

The help I've gotten so far has been tremendous, and leaps and bounds ahead of anything I've found on other sites!

[madamtrashheap]

16 days to go now frankftr!

A few things for your consideration:

Florence Accommodation: there have been a couple of Posts recently about places to stay in Florence - have look for those or here's a list for you - Hotel Leopolda, Florence - it's not as central as some hostels and hotels (particularly near the train station), and would be a bit of a walk to the station and centre of town as it's not as close as it seems. There's no need to stay out of town in Florence (unless it's in a villa!), so try hostels & B&Bs near the station and Duomo like Leonardo House Hostel (dorm room), Luna Rossa Gusthouse, Pensione Canada (like a B&B), Hotel Ghibellina (budget hotel, good location), Hotel Fiorita (budget hotel near station, pretty courtyard, security gate and friendly dog!), Florence Room B&B (good location). Over the river near Santo Spirito are places like Soggiorno Pitti (good value hotel) or Hotel Vecchia Firenze (budget hotel). If you still want hotels, look at Albergo Firenze Florence (right in the centre of town), Hotel Della Nazioni (just across from the train station), Viva Hotel Capitol (behind Santa Croce church on other side of town to station, but still good location), Hotel President (not in the centre of town, rooms are basic, but top floor has great views of city and busses run into centre regularly or you can stroll for 15-20mins and get there), Hotel San Lorenzo (10min walk to city centre).

Don't forget to book ahead for the Uffizi and Accademia galleries either, to make sure you don't have to stand in line as it will be busy by then. Also, walk through the San Lorenzo markets (stalls at the back of San Lorenzo church) and right to the end (closest to the train station) for a foccacia at the little shop on the left (wish I could remember the name - just know where it is!) - delizioso!

Interlaken - it is cheaper to book activities once you're there and as you have a few nights you'll be able to book ahead a few days so you don't miss out. As far as cost of going up a mountain, they are all expensive so I guess it's up to you as to which one appeals most. Jungfrau is great, so if your budget can take it then go, you can even get off at Kleine Scheidig on the way back down and hike the path to Lauterbrunne if that appeals. Otherwise the Murren loop is fun for mountain biking and Schilthorn is breathtaking too.

Lyon - there are only 2 hostels in town so you may find they are booked already. Check their sites and see if you're in luck. Make sure you eat in the Old Town area as a three course menu can be quite cheap and the food is very French and very regional. There is a path and a funicular up to the Notre Dame church on the hill overlooking the city that's worth it for views if you get a chance.

Bordeaux - there are a few cheaper hotels in town, try Hotel Bristol.

The cruise should take care of the rest, but if there's something you like the sound of and it not on their itinerary when you're on shore, don't be afraid to wander off by yourselves. Like I've written before, utilise their information but don't feel constricted by all of the schedule. Oh, and have a wander through the Egyptian (Spice) Market in Istanbul for me - I love that place!

Have a great trip!

[frankftr]

SIX DAYS!!!

Thanks for the suggestions again! :-)

One final question. I've been reading a lot about trips to Stonehenge, and it seems like a fairly expensive journey! I feel like the only way I would see it as being worthwhile is to do the Stone Circle Tour, but i'm still not sure we'll be able to make that work. I was wondering if there were any other interesting day trips from London that you guys would suggest. We arrive in London at 2300 on July 4 and were thinking we might just do a journey out that night and return to london the evening of the 5th as we are meeting up with some friends for dinner. We fly into Stansted Airport. Any suggestions would be great!

[herrbert]

You love art but only have two days for Madrid

You will find three great museums in Madrid: The Prado, The Reina Sofia and the Thyssen.

For people watching get to the Lavapies square, or on a night in the weekend go to Chueca (the gay neighborhood). Calle de Lavapies, and the surrounding streets is also the way to go, if you want a good and yet pretty cheap meal. (Last week we had a Indian menu for 2 person for 19.95 incl. drinks, and too much tapas for 23 euros (also for 2 pers), but if you would order 2 or 3 plates (rancionnes) it will be cheaper and still enough.

[madamtrashheap]

Six days (well, probably 5 by the time you read this) - woo hoo!

As for the Stonehenge visit, it's worth doing, either after hours or during the day (check back through some Posts as I've written about this a few times). But as for travelling straight from the airport after 23h00 arrival, that might be tricky depending on where you were planning to go. Again, there have been a few Posts of late about short trips out of London, so have a look back through the Boards for suggestions. As you fly into Stansted, check the train times not only to go to other places, but also to get into the city. I believe the Stansted Express runs until midnight from the airport to Liverpool Street, but there are also bus services to Victoria Station (with National Express, used to run 24hours a day from airport to station or Terravision bus service to Victoria only) which will help if you want to go south east. I have a sneaking suspicion, though, that your best bet is going to be heading into London as transport options at that time of night might thwart other plans.

herrbert's info about Madrid is worth considering too - even if he is biased ;D (welcome back herrbert!)

[herrbert]

madamtrashheap said:

herrbert's info about Madrid is worth considering too - even if he is biased ;D (welcome back herrbert!)

biased me? how did you get idea

Hope to be back in Madrid really soon, but besides that, my point is that as it comes to Art, Madrid has a lot to offer. (and I didn't even mention Toledo and Segovia).

[frankftr]

Yeah, it's a shame we're not able to spend more time in Madrid...but hey, it's just another excuse to have to go back right!?

Thanks for the insight on the trip to Stonehenge...looks like we might not make the sunrise Stone Circle Access but maybe we'll still try to make it!

Thanks again!