Where to start

[chrua]

your itinerary is way too rushed. i would suggest staying in spain and france during your trip or a two country maximum. italy is way way too rushed. if you have to fly out of rome then you could do

Madrid 3 days
San sabastian 2 days
Barcelona 4 days
Paris 4 days
Southern France 4 days
Cinque Terre 2 days
Rome 4 days

I think, not positive, that you have to stop in Paris from Barcelona to Southern France. I found Paris to be an awesome city and would recommend every one to go there. If you really dont want to stay that long you could skip it and add those days to somewhere else.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by chrua

your itinerary is way too rushed.

How do you figure it's "way too rushed"? The only place that seems like it could use another day or 2 IMO is Florence.

As for Carcassonne, I loved it there, but don't think you need much more than a day or 2.

I'd recommend going there from Barcelona and try to arrive at night. The view when we rounded that last corner and saw the fortified city was priceless. It was still neat in the daytime, but that view at night was top 5 experiences ever for me.

Like I said though, the only place I might try to add at least another day if you can would be Florence. It really is a beautiful city, and if you get bored, there are tons of wonderful daytrips from there.

And definitely stop in to Pisa on the way from Cinque Terre. A few hours to wander the Field of Miracles is all you need, but definitely worth it in my opinion.

[jill]

Remember, you dont get full days. some are traveling, and preparing to travel, and settling in after traveling, then there are the days for getting lost, then a few for getting found. Then full days for sitting in the cafe and watching the city walk by! Those are priceless!

[Mark from Georgia]

Mike's comment about Carcassonne brought back bittersweet memories, and maybe michael949 will profit from it....
Back in the days before the internet, I travelled solo and without much prior planning and research. I was in Narbonne, France, just enjoying the canals and small-town atmosphere. I had a Eurailpass. I bought a postcard of Carcassonne and thought "Wow, love to see that place someday" and didn't realize until I was in Germany that I was so close (probably about 50 km) from Carcassonne. I have yet to see it, but I will go there someday. The lessons are that prior planning, guidebooks, and research are vital. And, with info like Mike's night arrival with the lights bathing the white walls of the castle (am I right?), each traveller with the right sense of adventure will still get to experience those memorable "ahh" moments.

[michael949]

Thanks for the help so far guys
Im trying to find a good stop between Carcassonne and cinque terra or should i just travel through?

[Mike]

Originally Posted by michael949

Thanks for the help so far guys
Im trying to find a good stop between Carcassonne and cinque terra or should i just travel through?

Nice/Monaco would be ideal between Carcassonne and Cinque Terre

[ariel444]

i was gonna say a day or two extra in florence as well...

[michael949]

Im planning on bringing a I Phone and charger i need a good link to the correct addapter im clue less on electricity

[Kayling05]

michael, I got a voltage converter/plug adapter set at Wal-mart for like $20. It's in the travel section (usually the aisle with luggage, etc). It gives you a "box" for voltage converting, and several different adapter plugs for the wall. It came with Europe, Asia, UK, and Australia/Oceania plugs I think. (it says on the plug which country/continent it's for) THIS is the one I have. It says it's not available online at this time, but I would check your local store.

Travel stores like REI probably carry them too, but don't know about the prices there.

[michael949]

Also another quesion i have is what rail ticket do i need??
And iv been watching the ticket prices its been about 1200 This week it changed over to about 1000 do you think i should order tickets now or give it 2 more weeks ? See if they get cheaper