Travel Ireland By Train
How long to visit Paris + Spain and other cities at New Year's? Not the ideal time but that's when we have.
Mom + Dad + 2 college kids will travel - have 2 weeks in Europe - December 28th - January 10th. We don't want to ski nor snowboard nor participate in other winter sports. We're Americans. None of us have ever been to France nor Spain (have been to Germany quite a bit, Italy, the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands) and have lived and traveled overseas for 15 years. A couple of us speak passable Spanish but no French. We like traveling by trains and boats (and other public transport); we like museums, historic buildings, beautiful natural scenery, and walking; we like eccentric hotels not new ones with cookie cutter rooms. We are thinking of Paris first, then possibly Avignon for New Years, then on to Barcelona and Madrid, but not sure. How long would you recommend staying in various cities and where would you go?
You have about 12 days, for 4 towns, that is 3 days per town, take away the time you will spend getting from one to the other, and you keep 2 1/2.
That is not enough for Paris, nor for Barcelona and Madrid. The only place you could cut is Avignon, (it is smaller) but as you are there for New Years eve, several museums and such will be closed. (I am not sure but would be surprised if everything is open.)
But it is what you have so you will have to do with it.
(Do not try to add more towns, as you have a buzy schedule already.)
If you are not bend on seeing France as well as Spain, just go to one, spend more time in the big town (say 4 or 5 days, and spend the rest in smaller towns where you will have the change to go for a hike.
Buy a good guidebook, (Lonely Planet: Western Europe or France and Spain) and book hotels from the book.
This is holiday time in Europe too, so book ahead.
2* or 3* hotels are more likely to have personality, 4* hotels have good standards but tend to be more uniform.
In Paris, Barcelona and Madrid use a bus tour, (maybe a hop-on hop-off bus stopping at all famous sights,) and do all of them in one go.
If you want to go to the big museums, (Louvre, Prada) be there at opening time on your second day in town, you will be fresh and the crowds will be less and the lines outside the shortest.
Make a list with the (other) museums you want to see, and make sure that you will have time to go there. Many sights in Paris have long opening times, (often to well into the evening,) so check all opening times before you make your plans for the day.
Take your last (half) day to wander round, get of the main boulevards and see the little side streets.
About language, if you smile when you come in, say Bonjour (good day) and if you know a few more French words, try them, but if you speak slowly and clearly most people in Paris are willing to help you.
I do not speak French but I have been traveling in France for many times, never met a rude person. I did meet some people embarrest because they could not speak a language I could understand, but I always found that trying helps a lot.
If you get stuck, have them write it down, often it helps.
A Good Day for the West of Ireland: reopening of Limerick-Galway train line on March 29, 2010
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