Paris to Tuscany to Rome... Train, Car? Any General Travel Tips?

How would you get from Paris to Tuscany? ONLY BY PLANES I heard there are no trains in Tuscany... then Tuscany to Rome? LIES We're worried about the heat in July. YOU SHOULD TRAVEL IN JUNE OR SEPTEMBER

Take a flight from Paris to Venice, the trains are not direct and they are costly and long. A flight should only be $130-$150. you must see venice it is absolutely beautiful! It is a walking city there are no cars and everything is in walking distance so you only need a couple days. Take the train from Venice to Florence, Tuscany is the region that florence is in and u can drive to tuscany or take a bus easily. Both Florence and Tuscany are a MUST!!! the train ride is about 3 hours, but worth it. Also take the train from Florence to Rome, it is about 2-2 1/2 hours, and in Rome there is the most to see so I recomend staying there the longest. If you have time, shoot down to the Amalfi Coast it is the most beautiful in all of italy, and try to go to Pompeii right outside of naples!!! And Yes, it will be hot, stay in hotels with AC, and try to be indoors around the hottest times of the day, but that is how it is all the time in the summer in Italy. It is also a big tourist time and a lot of attractions will be busy, so beware of GYPSIES! they WILL try to steal from you, i've been with someone whose had their wallet stolen from their front pocket and had no idea. So be careful, get a passport carrier that can go under your clothes. but definately use the trains in Italy, and have an amazing time!!!

Well I hope I can help you. I went in the exact opposite direction through Europe a few years ago :) Tuscany is a general area in Rome. Trains do go through there but if you really want to enjoy the area you have to get off the beaten path a little. I took a train from Rome to Florence, then deviated over to Venice for a while before eventually taking a train from Geneva (in Switzerland) to Paris. Eurail.com is a great site for planning trips by train, and I've included it in the sources. Since you only have two weeks, if you want to save time and energy then I would recommend flying from Paris to Rome on a cheap airline. RyanAir and EasyJet are two super low budget airlines, think Southwest taken down a couple pegs. For example, you can get cheap flights from Paris to Venice, Pisa / Florence or Rome. Just as an example, I randomly picked flying from Paris to Pisa on July 8th and the cost was 10 euros. How ridiculously cheap! From the Florence area (the heart of Tuscany) you can take relatively short train or bus trips to Venice or around the countryside. As far as the heat goes, yes it will be hot, but if you are splurging for nice hotel rooms everything should be air conditioned. Usually the high-speed trains have AC as well, but some of the cheaper ones and the buses will not. You really might want to look into renting a car when you get to Florence (for example), that might give you the best flexibility and travel comfort. I didn't do that last time I visited but I was trying to save money. My parents usually rent cars when they get over there though. I will note that August is usually the worst month, and that the evenings are usually cooler in July and it's really nice. I would stay inside or tour museums or whatever in the middle of the afternoon but then you should be able to walk everywhere without too much trouble the rest of the time. For general travel tips I would say this: traveling around Europe is easy if you have money - doing it on a budget is a little trickier. Usually it is the hotels that get you though. Trains aren't too expensive, and sometimes like I mentioned earlier you can find cheap flights. Don't hit all the touristy spots, do some wandering on your own. Although if you think this is the only chance you'll ever have to travel in Europe then you have to see the big sights in Rome and Paris of course. If you are a good walker then I would recommend taking the metro across town for long distances but walking anywhere that is less than an hour away. In Rome you can cross the entire "old city" in about two hours, and the main part of the old city in 45 minutes. Just walking everywhere is a great way to get a feel for the culture as well as the architecture and history. Walking Tours are in abundance in Italy, and there are some in Paris as well but it's a bit bigger than most Italian cities. Also, please get a money belt. You wear it under your clothes, usually around your waist or neck, and I'd keep credit cards, passports, and any large amounts of cash in there. Pickpockets aren't too prevalent but they do tend to pick on the obvious tourists, especially in crowded areas like metros or inside attractions. This is extremely long already but if you have any questions please feel free to email me at [email protected]. I would love to help!