First timers plans

[dogpoundmike]

Thanks for all of the help so far. With advice here is where we are going. All of our flights are booked. Trains, not yet. Maybe some of you seasoned travelers can help me fill in the blanks. Museums, restaurants etc. There are 6 of us. 5 adults and a 13 yr old. I am encouraging everyone to pack in one backpack to carry on all flights, trains etc.
Regards, Mike


London for 3 days.
Rugby? Pubs etc... What were your highlights?

Train to Bruges for 3 days.
Not sure of best rail passes yet. Still looking into it.
A day trip to Antwerp to visit friends.

Train to Paris for 3 days.
Louvre and Versaille?

Fly from Paris Orly (Terminal Sud) To Rome Ciampino on EasyJet

Rome 3 days.

Train to Naples for 2 days.
Pompei?

Fly Naples to London Gatwick on BA

Last night in London.
Back to San Diego!

Thanks!!!

[Eagle]

dogpoundmike, (interesting user name, BTW). A few thoughts on your questions......

- London - 3 days There are so many things to do in London, it's difficult to make recommendations, especially for 5 adults and a 13-year old; the interests will differ. What are you most interested in seeing? Some of the usual sites - Buckingham Palace (changing of the Guard only takes place every second day - ask your Hotel whether this happens on odd or even days), British Museum, Imperial War Museum, Tate Britain or Tate Modern Art Galleries, HMS Belfast, Tower of London, etc. You won't have any trouble keeping busy in London for 3 days, but it would be advisable to pre-plan your touring so that you don't waste any time when you get there! I'm not a Rugby fan, so don't have any information on that, but Pubs are always a good spot in the evenings.

- Bruges - 3 days Just enjoy touring the city (there's good Beer in Belgium also). As you'll be spending one day in Antwerp, that will reduce your time somewhat. As far as rail options, not sure about your budget but EuroStar from London St. Pancras to Brussels, and then train to Bruges is about the most direct route AFAIK.

-Paris - 3 days Again, there's LOTS to see in Paris, so plan your touring carefully. If you're planning on seeing the Louvre, a Paris Museum Pass is highly advisable. IMO, there's no way you'll be able to see all three wings of the Louvre (Denon, Sully & Richelieu) with such a short time. You might concentrate on the Denon wing, as many people like to see the Mona Lisa and Venus diMilo. Many people find the Musee d'Orsay more interesting and a richer experience than the Louvre. It's located in an old Railway station and it's a magnificent building, with many excellent works of Impressionist art. There used to be a Hotel adjacent to the station and it's now part of the gallery; the Grand Ballroom and Dining room are beautiful! With only three days, my preference would be to save Versaiiles for another trip (with the travel time, that would use one full day, leaving only two days for Paris). There's also the Eiffel Tower, Invalides Museum, Arc de Triomphe and other sites (the Museum Pass can be used for many sites, which makes it a good value).

-Rome - 3 days Again, lots to see - plan your touring carefully. I can't recall if I mentioned this in an earlier post, but if you're planning to visit the Colosseum, the best method is to buy a combo ticket on Palatine Hill. This avoids the "scammers" in front advertising "English language tours" and also avoids a long queue for tickets. I would highly recommend the "official" tour inside; as I recall it was only about €3.50 and very good value!

-Naples and Pompeii - 2 days You won't have time to see much more than Naples and Pompeii.

BTW, what time of year will you be travelling?

Which restaurants to use will to be determined to some extent by which part of each city you're staying in. London is very expensive, so using "pub grub" on occasion is a good way to save a bit of money. Which area of Paris and Rome are you staying in? If you have access to Guidebooks for each of the cities you're visiting, they have restaurant listings. I often just sample the restaurants in the area that I'm staying.

Your plan for "packing light" is a good travel method. Unfortunately, that's a concept I'm still perfecting so I usually have to check my main Backpack. Although it's supposedly "carry on size" with the Daypack removed, it's usually bulging at the seams and too heavy because of the Camera gear I pack along.

Hope this helps? Happy planning!

[dogpoundmike]

Thanks Eagle! We are going in March. In Paris we are staying by Notre Dame and in Rome we are west of the Vatican. I realize we are trying to pack a lot in but we don't stress much about what we do not get to see. I purchased our Eurostar from London to Bruges already. Is it safe to assume that all other train tickets could be purchased over there, or should we get those in advance as well?
I wish you all a Merry Christmas!!
Regards, Mike

[WillTravel]

With staying west of the Vatican, make sure you have good public transport options. I know the prices there can be much cheaper, but it's often hard to get around.

[Eagle]

dougpoundmike, regarding your question on the rail tickets.....

As you've already purchased EuroStar tickets, you only have a few rail trips (Brussels to Bruges, Bruges to Paris and Rome to Naples). With that in mind, IMO it wouldn't be worthwhile to get a Rail pass. You can certainly buy P-P tickets in Europe. I usually buy tickets for the outgoing journey when I arrive in a particular town. Note that on routes the use high speed trains (ie: TGV in France), reservations are mandatory! There is a charge for these and with P-P tickets the reservation fee is included in the cost of the ticket (Rail pass users have to pay separately for the reservations).

You might find it worthwhile to read the "Rail Skills" section in the Rick Steves Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door.

Another point regarding restaurants in London. If you just want a quick lunch, many of the train stations (ie: London Victoria) have small supermarkets. They offer pre-made sandwiches and other items, and while it's not "gourmet quality" it's a good way to eat cheap! There are of course the usual McDonald's, Burger King, etc. However, with the chain restaurants, the meals aren't as cheap as they look. A good "rule of thumb" is to compare costs dollar-for-pound. In other words, if a Big Mac meal costs $ 7.00 at home, it will likely be close to £7.00 in the U.K. (which is about Cdn$15.00 for me!!!). I also found small deli's in the area I was staying in London (Chelsea / Belgravia) and the prices for soup & sandwich seemed quite reasonable.

One other point to note is that there are often no rubbish bins in the public areas of the stations, so give this some thought when you're buying food or other items with disposable wrappers (there may be some in the restaurants).

Cheers!