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Travel planning: need recommendations for 2014 Northern Italy, Southern France, Northern Spain trip, suggestions?

• My wife and I are planning a trip for 2014 to Northen Italy, South of France and Northern Spain, arriving in Milan and departing from Barcelona. Ideally it includes several days in Cinque Terre. We are planning on going for 11 to 14 days. Our Questions: 1. What towns, cities should be on our list for this trip? 2. When is the best time to go to avoid crowds and still have decent weather? 3. Where is the best source of information to uncover quality and authentic food joints, outdoor activities (hiking, biking, etc), local events, and wine tastings? 4. How can I get tickets to soccer games in both Milan and Barcelona? 5. I want to stay in VRBOs in the country as much as possible, and nice hotels when in the city, any recommendations? 6. What's the better mode of transportation, train or rental car? Any insights, recommendations and resources would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Jim

• Answer:

  Wow, quite an ambitious plan! I'm not sure where you and your wife have already been but there are a ton of amazing places in the regions you're traveling to. I've lived in southern France and traveled to many places all throughout Europe. Barcelona is absolutely worth a visit! 1) Here I'm going to list a few destinations I believe worth visiting: https://utrip.com/plan-travel/spain/barcelona/: Spend at least 3 full days there. Some highlights include the Picasso Museum, the magic fountain of Montjuïc, Park Guell, Sagrada Familia and so many more. https://utrip.com/plan-travel/italy/milan/: Depends on whether you are into high fashion/design stuff. Not a super huge tourist destination. https://utrip.com/plan-travel/france/nice/ & https://utrip.com/plan-travel/monaco/monaco/: Very nice luxury travel destinations. There are plenty of water sports you will have easy access to. But due to popularity, the best beaches are actually found in nearby villages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hy%C3%A8res: A personal favorite! It's a tiny coastal town on the French Riviera. Take a short boat ride to nearby islands where you can enjoy the outdoor activities like biking and hiking or simply relax on the beach and take in the gorgeous scenery. https://utrip.com/plan-travel/italy/rome/: A fantastic city! Spend at least 4 days here. It's got so much to see and experience. The food is exquisite, too. I never had a bad meal in the city. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinque_Terre: I've never been but it's on my bucket list. Rick Steves books have some great hiking trails he suggests. Even though there are 5 towns, they are relatively close to each other and trains are very accessible. https://utrip.com/plan-travel/italy/florence/: The Tuscany region is fabulous to travel to. It's one of the best food capitals in the world and there are vineyards around the region. 2) I'd say from around Easter to late May (before kids finish school) is the best time to visit. You will miss the summer vacationers and the weather will be really nice. 3) The travel market is massively fragmented, unfortunately. I'm afraid there's not just one place you can go to get all the information you want to find. TripAdvisor is generally really good for attraction, activity, or restaurant recommendations. http://About.com is a good source for local events and festivals, and here's an example for all the http://gospain.about.com/od/spanishfestivals/a/spain_festivals.htm. If you're not sure where to go, http://Utrip.com is a great source to discover European destinations and you can plan day-by-day travel itineraries on there, too. 4) http://www.viagogo.com/ is the largest ticketing service in Europe. You can find tickets to live concerts and sports games on there. 5) Sorry, I don't really have much expertise but I'd check out sites like Expedia and Airbnb. 6) It'll largely depend on where you and your wife decide to visit. Trains are convenient and practical when you travel between cities. Sometimes buses (for shorter distances) and flights are better deals though. In most major cities, public transportation is great. You'd probably want to figure out the number of days you'll be staying in each city first and then do a little research on each city's metro/bus system. Hopefully this helps. Hope you guys have a wonderful vacation! :)