Solo travel to Europe...

I saw Paris on my own, but went to Italy on a 16-day tour.

I'd highly recommend Paris for traveling solo. As someone already noted, the Metro is easy to navigate, even for non-French-speaking people like me. Lots of walking in Paris, but it sounds like you're up to it. Plan on 1.5-2 days for the Louvre, just to see the top highlights. (I think Sunday is a free day.) Of course, there are many other great museums there, too...the Orsay (very close to Louvre, in an old train station, wonderful place)...the Rodin museum...the Orangerie (sp?) with Monet's waterlilies, etc... Too much art to see in one trip, frankly. There are great local double-decker tour buses that you catch 1 blk. from le Tour Eiffel. Pay one fare, jump on and off at all the major spots at will, another comes along every 15 minutes. The bus has commentary in all major languages by headphone, too. Buy a ticket for the bus with the most stops.

Northern Italy is wonderful! The problem is, most tours just hit the major tourist spots. You may not see many small towns. Of course, you can always go off on your own, provided you know where to meet up with the group later. Now, as far as towns I've seen that I would recommend...Ravenna is a must. You'll want to see St. Apollinare (in Classe, just down the road) and San Vitale for sure. Circa 500 AD mosaic work is just transcendant...just as bright and colorful as if it was new. These churches are like jewel boxes.

And don't miss the lake towns! Malcesine on Lake Garda (in the east) is just gorgeous with palm trees and tons of flowers in a protected mountain valley. A little farther up into the mountains, and you can be in a bilingual Tyrolean city, Bolzano/Bozen. Fascinating place, half-Italian, half-Austrian. Innsbruck is only an hour away.

And the Lake District in the west is, of course, legendary. It's a short drive from Milano. Lake Como is like a dream...and Bellagio is every bit as gorgeous as you've heard. Lots and lots of beautiful little towns around all these lakes. Can be treacherous driving, though. The mountain roads are narrow and not for the faint of heart. I wouldn't drive it myself, I'd go with a group or find a local driver.

Lessee, you've seen Pisa and Siena already...

Ah, Assisi! Extremely dramatic terrain. Otherworldly, it is. Perfect spot for a monastery, really. The whole place feels very mystical.

Need to go look at a map and see what else I've left out...

Hope this helps.

I was checking out the Rick Steves website. He has a tour of small town Italy
http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours07/product.cfm/rurl/code/VIT07/

So this is my number one tour choice. Paris is my number one solo, on my own choice.

So I'm thinking that this independant trip would be very healing and enjoyable. But if I go with a girlfriend then I could enjoy the evenings better. If I go alone though, I'm sure I'd be too tired to go out at night.

Or I could take a friend and split hotel and transportation costs and still agree to have days to ourselves.

marty, I'm not sure how you can share transportation costs in Paris, unless you're talking about taxis. Otherwise, I would recommend using the Metro.

Yeah, I meant taxi's. But I guess I wouldn't need to use them too often if the Metro is just as convienent

You see less when going by Metro :wink:

OK, I've been checking airfares. In and out of Paris seems to be the cheapest so far at about $800.00 RT. I don't want to spend all of my time in the same place and would like to take the train to other cities or countries.

I also would rather stay in small family run places than big hotels for cost reasons as well as getting to know the locals. Any favorites that you all would like to suggest?

Try chambres d'hotes = B&Bs.

This site has collected quite a few from various places around Paris.
(Personally, I rely mostly on Gite de France)

In Paris (including suburbian Paris), I've only stayed in hotels of various chains (mostly in suburbs), outsite Paris Gite de France.

I have stayed in some nice Gites, too.

If you make it to Bavaria in Germany, you will find nice family-run places everywhere.

I made another step towards my adventure and bought CD's on how to speak French. Paris, here I come!

A friend of mine from work decided to join me. So I need tips on the highlights of the places we are going and surrounding areas.
London,Paris,Vienna.

Does anyone know when the lavendar is in bloom? I'm sure April is probably too early. Any favorite must see places and small quaint pubs??

Thanks

From mid June to early August, the lavender fields are in bloom ... but not to be found really where you want to go :wink:

London, Paris and Vienna - well there certainly a couple of 'must see' places (and personal favourites).

It all depends on what your interests are, what you really want to see etc etc

I'm just wondering if I'm getting a little over zealous with planning. There are so many places I want to see but now I have to consider my friend. I don't want her to feel that she's just tagging along but planning this trip as well. Is it practical for two weeks to squeeze in London,Paris,Vienna,Prague and some of the places in between? I don't want to miss some of the highlights of these large cities but don't want to be a typical tourist either. I just want to hang out and enjoy the surroundings and experience something different. In other words I want an escape from my world for two weeks. The most important thing I want to do though is a visit to the Louve and some winery tours.
What do you think??

Thanks for keeping me updated Walter!

Of course, you can do what you want and how you like it, especially, when you are finally there. The above is more my personal ideas (I haven't been in the Louvre besides one short visit 35 years ago .... but x-times in Paris afterwards (twice this year).

I don't know about your budget for that trip - all by train or by airplane in Europe?
When you would go e.g. from Paris to Vienna/Prague by train, you could get at least an idea of various other contrysides, I mean.

Thank you so much for the advice. I'm listening to every word you say and taking it into consideration. As far as the wineries, is the region perhaps on our way from Paris to another destination??

There are (organised) bus tours from Paris ...

My suggestion: go by train from Paris to Strasbourg and add Alsace to your list. That would give you another idea about Europe (you even can catch an idea how Germany looks like) ... and visits to vineries are easily to arrange.

Walter, I didn't see a link to read this site in English. Now that a friend is joining me I think we are skipping Vienna. We are going to fly into London and out of Milan or Rome. Personally I don't think we have time for Rome as we may discover in our planning but she mentioned that she really wants to go there and after all I did invite her.

Your map of the wine areas was helpful and we may stay at a B&B in Alsace and try some of the local wines before heading towards Italy. The Cinque Terra is a must see for me as I'm an avid hiker

Link to gites in France

Gites de France website

Private accomodation


Look - especially re the flights London-Paris-Italy - at European sites for tickets! (If you don't get a cheap round-tour ticket from the USA, that is. [But at least compare it. :wink: ])

Champagne Tarlant has a very inexpensive B&B but unfortunately when I inquired about reservations they will not have the rooms open next year

I would love to stay at a vinyard but if I can't find one with lodging we will still be visiting a local wineries on out way to Northern Italy.

Any one know of any vinyards that have B&B's??

I don't know that B&B but that region (and the actual villages):

Maurer

Schlosser

Wohleber

Martybarker

Travel on your own in dead easy, as long as you're sensible.

Well - I'm not even that sensible, but I've travelled on my own around quite a bit of Europe on public transport - and one trip with a car.

As you can see, I have to travel a fair distance just to get there, but I absolutely love it.

General advice - from about 8 trips from here to there:

Don't be too ambitious on this trip - you'll make another - starting planning as soon as you get back!

Aim to spend about 3 days in each place - otherwise the travelling itself just gets too tedious. This in a holiday - not a forced march.

Allow some flexibility. When I'm just rambling by myself, I seldom make reservations. As I've got older I've started to see there is some advantage in knowing where you head will rest at night - but I still like some unplanned time - and I've found some great places in those times. Other travellers you meet always give you good ideas.

Some language is useful - my high school French (with a refresher course) has served me in Spain, Germany, Italy - and, on occasions, in France. (I murder the French language so much, with my Aussie accent, that even the French feel English sounds good!).

I'm noting all the Italy suggestions for next year's trip. Lucca has just come onto my radar (wasn't there something in the New York Times a week or so ago? I get their travel newsletter)

As a nice, easily managed area - the Champagne area of France is good - and you get to drink some bubbly as well.

Having said all this - I haven't faced travelling at all in USA - it just seems all too dangerous!

Just go and have fun!