Hey! I've never travelled before so I'm in over my head planning a Europe trip for February. We want to visit Venice, Paris and London. I plan on buying a ton of stuff on Oxford St so I thought London should be last so I'm not lugging my loot around. We plan on going for 2.5 weeks. No idea what order to do the cities or how to begin to budget. We want to stay in cool hotels in Paris, Vice Versa and Hotel Seven. But otherwise inexpensive places by tourist attractions I think. Any tips appreciated!

Could be cold and wet that time of year especially Paris and London

True. But it's ok. I hate busy places so it equals out lol

We were in Paris at the end of Feb/early March this year and it was fantastic. It was cold - colder than back in Vancouver and I actually ended having to buy a warmer coat. However, the weather was pretty clear for the most of our week there. It rained a little and snowed a little. I think the temp never rose above 4 Celsius. It was a great time to be a tourist there as there were very few crowds. We never waited in line to go anywhere. We also got the Paris Museum Pass which saved us time and money.

Do Venice first. Paris. Then London. Only need like 4 days in Venice, stay near the square. Bring good walking shoes. If at all possible bring a backpack not rolling luggage. Much easier In Europe then buy a cheap bag for all your London souvenirs. It'll be great. In the timeframe you could add a three day stop in Dublin or Rome. I did three months in Europe tho but the only place I needed more than four days was Barcelona and Parts of Greece. Have fun!

That's great advice. So do two back packs and no luggage at all? Itd be cool to add in Spain. Thoughts ??

Blaine Bluth to add Spain you need at least three weeks +++ not 2.5. But Spain is my fav of the 23 countries I've been to. Barcelona and Valencia namely Granada too. Def no luggage on wheels, it's all cobblestone and trains and stairs - you'll thank me! Venice is the most unique place but after awhile it's all the same. Could save some time there.

Oh and eat a cheap quick but great sandwich at Pret Manger in London when you're on the go.

Ugh. I hate back packs. Oh well. Glad I know now.

I brought a luggage around Europe with no problems. It's just personal preference. Either way, back pack or luggage, it will spend majority of the time in your hotel.

I disagree. Do London, Paris then Venice. Makes most logistical sense. Book round trip London, train to Paris, then fly to Venice and back to London form there to go home. I did exactly this 2 years ago, with other stops in between.

Go to the huge Primark on Oxford St if you need more cheap luggage at the last minute - and if you love fun cheap clothing and accessories

Totally primark is a gem there

Rachel we Brits love a bit of Primarni

Haha it's like old navy but a dollar store and better man

Rachel so much better! I have some Primark dresses that have lasted me years but then some stuff is virtually disposable, but you're right they have some gems

Totally

Definitely consider Airbnb over pricey hotels. You can get amazing places and save a ton!
I'd recommend staying in the Marais in Paris. And I honestly liked Florence so so soooo much better than Venice (I'd skip it, honestly)...
I have a referral code to get a discount on your first Airbnb if you want to check it out

I'll look at both cities for sure! Thanks so much. Yeah send it for sure! [email protected]

http://www.airbnb.ca/c/kwilson31
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Venice you can do in two days I agree it did get to be samey samey but it is beautiful

Two days was perfect amount of time for us too. We were ready to move on

Pro tip:
Download offline maps on your smartphone. Tripadvisor makes a city guides app too that can work without data. Especially handy when trying to navigate Venice.

Smart! Will do. Do you have to buy a data package of you want to use your phone or just depend on wifi??

We just used wifi, it's pretty easy to come by. Then we turned off roaming but left cellular data on (no charge) and you can use maps in realtime. It's great!

I really liked Florence too^^^ but you should see Venice of its on your bucket list if even just to "see it" ya know? She's right tho...

Really want to go on a gondola

My husband felt the same way, so we bit the bullet and did it. Two nights was plenty! Burano island is beautiful too!

Let me clarify I didn't have "a problem" with the suitcase it was just annoying on the cobble stone lol.

Try flying into Amsterdam or Frankfurt, then take cheap inter Europe flights to fly to Venice then to Paris and finally London - Venice - carnival will be on from about Feb 11 to 28, so things could be quite busy and expensive. Try staying out side Venice in some of the smaller towns like Mirano (its a 30 minute bus ride into Venice) - then fly to Paris, Eurostar is only a 2.5 hr train trip from Paris to London or you could take a cheap flight (but count on most of your day being eaten up by travel to and from airports and hang time there) Some sites to use to help figure things out are https://www.rome2rio.com/ - to see different travel options and edreams.com (for cheap flights)
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Oh yeah I remember reading about the carnival. What do you think of the overnight trains?

Hi Blaine! I lived in Italy for school and have been to Venice a few times including for Carnival Mardi Gras. It was amazing! I would highly recommend it. There's a great hostel (with option of private rooms) in Venice called Generator. It's on a smaller island so you will need to take a short vaporetto ride. The trains have all been great in my experience!

2.5 weeks isn't enough... so much to see and do... I spent 3 weeks in Berlin alone and it did feel like long enough.

Hmmm ok. Good to know.

It's enough if you do only London Paris and Venice. You'll be fine

Just came back from Britain in June, extremely expensive!!! Stayed in the Marylebone area of London, easy bus to Oxford St, Theater district etc, 2.5 weeks is not a long time and our first trip like that 9 years ago was just over 3 weeks and we were absolutely exhausted by the time we returned - but it was a lot of fun!

Yeah I want to make sure we plan rest days for sure.

Britain isn't expensive, just London is. It's also the least British city in Britain. I recommend hopping on a train to Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham or Sheffield if you really want a taste of England.

Florence is amazing!!! Amsterdam was also a blast. Got to rent some bikes and explore. If you want cheaper, consist hostel internationals? They're the nicest

Doubt we'll do hostels. Checking out Florence instead for sure.
Reply to Jessica
Gail Kirkpatrick
A small rolling suitcase worked fine for me. Venice, Florence, Rome, and Paris. Stay in Venice if you can afford it, lots of pensionnes. It's just nice to be there in the evening and night. Less is more, don't exhaust yourself. Look at coach house rentals in London. I like south Kensington shopping over Oxford Street. Uni globe and TK Max - great bargains. Like winners. Def Pret for take-away.

Ok cool. Yeah we are planning a ton at all.

It is extremely expensive in London we were there in May

It will be cheaper in February right?

Blaine Bluth lol no! Our dollar sucks compared to the British pound!

Yeah I looked it up yesterday. Yuck.

I've been to all 3 places, if you have any specific questions feel free to pm me. Definitely take a backpack over a rolling suitcase tho!!!

Ok cool thanks

oxford is extremely expensive so count on spending 4 times what you would pay in Canada

Yeah for sure. Thanks

I didn't have a problem with a rolling suitcase. As long as you have any health issues and you don't bring a huge suitcase you should be fine.
We were in Venice and London back in May. We stayed in an Airbnb apartment in Venice. Our host was amazing as he told us where to save money (like don't eat near the main square as it is the most expensive and to watch the price of drinks as they can be extremely high when the food prices seem reasonable). He also picked us up from the airport and brought us back for a fee less than the cost of a taxi.
As for London it is VERY expensive. The closer to central London the more money you will pay for accommodations however you may find it more reasonable given the time of year. Buy an Oyster card for the tube but if you don't cash it out in the city and try to do it at the airport they won't let you unless you have a UK bank acct. they will then tell you it never expires and you can use it next time or give it to a friend. They also take a 5 pound deposit on it that they won't return either unless you do it in the city. Make sure you bring an umbrella as it rains there more than it does here. We got caught in a downpour while visiting Buckingham Palace and was soaked. Buy tickets to see a play but make sure you are buying it from an authentic vendor. Visit Hampton Castle, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, British Museum (all govt museums are free), Jack the Ripper walk, and eat in pubs as the food is better there and less expensive.

Oh and for Paris go to the Louvre, take a cruise on the Seine, climb the Eiffel Tower using the stairs, climb the Arc de Triumph, eat at a bakery for breakfast (cheap option) and if you can take the train I would.highly recommend visiting Versailles. Learn about it before you go if you are not familiar with it. The grounds are massive and the line up to get in can be quite long so go early. We rented an apartment through Cobblestone Apartments and was very happy with it. We visited Paris in March a few years ago so the price wasn't bad at that time. Stay away from DisneyParis. It will leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Awesome !!! That's so much. Wasn't planning on Disney Paris at all.

Thanks *

Look into City Pass. They are great for express lines.

I dunno why you picked Oxford for shopping (unless you have won the lottery or look for store closing up due to bankruptcy--really good deals) by all means if shopping is a main goal then go Slovakia--Bratislava best ever shopping experience ever and if you stay out of Venice every thing is affordable but within a core island its very expansive. February is a low tourist seasons so hopefully you'll have lots of fun....All the best

I work for Lush cosmetics and our flag ship is there. The rest of the time will be window shopping it sounds like
Thanks so much for the tip.

Venice ,Paris then take train thru chunnell to London

Have you done an overnight train ??

Overnight train takes about 14 hours and costs anywhere between $130 to $260 US per person depending on the type of cabin you get.

Also, note that almost all night trains require a compulsory reservation

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In Venice we stayed at Casa Saint Andrea for 325E for two nights the room slept 4. Good location. Since no cars on venice you don't want heavy luggage, hence the backpack. Saw so many struggling with luggage over all the bridges and stairs. Have a great time

Some notes about first European visit - rooms are often very small and basically equipped as compared to NA standards, i.e. 12 to 14 in TV as opposed to 40", no coffee making station, internet may be available in lobby but not in rooms, English TV channels limited; check to see that there is ensuite bathroom, otherwise you may need to use a shared BR down the hall; if it is a concern, check to see if there is an elevator(lift) in the hotel; check in is sometimes in a different building than where the rooms are located (this especially if you are booking one of the less expensive hotels); check to see if breakfast is included in price(usually continental only and can be billed 15 Plus Euro per person for inclusion; Ist floor room is what we would call 2nd floor (ground floor room is labelled as 0); get an all day transit ticket, can usually be used on buses and metro; consider a Hop-on Hop-off bus for your first day, a bit expensive but gets you to all the tourist spots and gives you a good idea of the lay of the land, includes a audio tour so you get a bit of history - then you can goo back on your own to the places out want to really see in more depth; museums can be massive so don't expect to see it all - i.e., if seeing the Mona Lisa is on your wishlist, then only visit the wing of the Louvre that contains it; pre-buy Museum ticket or get multi day passes that let you skip the line; consider purchasing passes that include transportation and museum entrance fees - these usually come in single and multi-day options - Paris (Paris Museum Pass) and London (London Pass) both have them - Hope tis helps prepare you for your upcoming adventure - it will be fun, frustrating, overwhelming and totally awesome - take sometime to journal your thoughts at the end of each day, you will enjoy reading your in-the-moments thoughts in the years to come.

We did 10 weeks thru Europe last year. I've used backpack on other trips and definitely say roller suitcase. No lugging through airports and train stations. Check sizes for easy jet and the like if you are hopping around. Take a collapsible bag for your shopping at the end. Checked bags are expensive on the cheapie airlines. You can gat decent hotel near padding ton stn in London for about $100/night. Check booking.com for deals. We got some great places thru it. Also get the London pass. It had great stuff in it.
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just came back from a short stay in London and Paris. PM me if you like.