Andy C

All, <BR> <BR>I am taking my family (wife and parents) to Rome, Venice, Milan and then through Paris and finally 3-4 days in England. Please forward, what to see, where to stay and most importantly how to get around, especially from Milan to Paris. Thanks so much for your help.

Bob

I would fly into Rome and see that by using public transportation and tours. At end of Rome stay, rent a van and use it to drive through Tuscany and up to Venice. Stop in Florence. Park in the Tronchetto and enjoy Venice. Then drive to Milan and on to Paris. You may enjoy the lakes area of Italy more than Milan. Check out Bellagio in your books. Close to Milan. Dump the van in Paris and then on to London by train. No car needed or wanted in either Paris or London. You will see more and enjoy more if you can do some driving and not have to hassle bags on and off trains. <BR> <BR>As to what to see? Check out a good tour book and do some research. That is the fun part of travel. In any of these cities a good grey line tour will give you a great overview of the area.

patrizia

Or...take a train from Milan to Paris...there is a TGV (train a grand vitesse) that lets you enjoy the beautiful country-side and it doesn't take that long! Enjoy your trip!!! And don't rush and try to see everything or else you won't enjoy it!!

Beth

Andy, My only thought is to do a little more research and think about what you want to do in Milan. I would suggest seeing Florence( or some other part of Tuscany such as San Gimgnano)and leave off the Milan portion. That leaves you getting from Venice to Paris which you might check out the train schedule if you don't wish to drive. I would check out the sleeper cars to do an overnight or maybe a flight from Venice to Paris. You will be seeing all the amazing places that way, have a great time. www.raileurope.com for train info.

Rex

I did a trip very much like this in 98, and it was very interesting how much it saved to fly into and out of London. Of course, a lot depends where you are originating. <BR> <BR>London can be good for adjusting to "Europe time" - - especially for travelers who are not experienced with French or Italian. Then you can move on to "the continent" on day three, for example. <BR> <BR>Moreover, you can return to London cheaply for your flight back home - - we chose to spend two more days OUTSIDE London as a "dessert" to our trip. Once again, for those NOT very comfortable with a language other English, this was a nice little treat, and provided a great transition to going home. <BR> <BR>An open jaw flight from London to Rome (or Milan), with a return from Paris to London can be purchased (today) for as little as $183.90 (checking some dates in May 2001, for example). I would recommend flying into Rome, then you can make your own choice about how and where to allocate your "intra-Italy" transportation between train and rental car. <BR> <BR>You can end up in Milan (or even closer to France, such as San Remo or Ventimiglia), and get back to France any number of ways. Consider flying back from Milan to Brussels on www.virgin-express.com (they could also get you from London to Italy cheaply) - - either connect directly onward to Paris on the Thalys, or spend a pleasant day in Belgium. Alternatively, you could meander THROUGH France to get back to Paris, soaking up some of Provence (by rental car or by train) - - but you probably only have enough time for a "good big chunk" of Italy or of France - - but not of both. <BR> <BR>Of course, you could extend your time in England to all at the beginning (and simply book your flight home from Paris) or all at the end. <BR> <BR>With three full weeks to spend, I encourage you to build in a good-sized chunk of time in smaller towns; Europe is so much more than its well-known "big name" cities. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex