It was like...I recognize that painting..and the sofa..and hey, I know, that desk clerk!! 
We even stayed in the same room on our last trip.
That is a good thought. And if I do it I was planning on flying to Rome. That way it would only take 2 hours. I'm not big into the overnight train.
I guess I have to really think about this! I can always push italy to my next dream vacation
That is a good thought. And if I do it I was planning on flying to Rome. That way it would only take 2 hours. I'm not big into the overnight train.
I guess I have to really think about this! I can always push italy to my next dream vacation
They really aren't bad if you get a couchette. 
The flight itself might be two hours, but don't forget that it's an international flight, which means be there 3 hours before departure, and at CDG you will need every second of those 3 hours! Also, it's a good hour to the airport from Paris, and an hour to Rome from the airport, so you're looking at 5 hours minimum on top of flight time and that's IF you're not checking bags. Add another hour if you are. So it could easily take you 8 hours total to get from Rome to Paris by air. Rome is NOT all that close to Paris, really. That overnight train might be looking better.
However, if you really want to add another city or country to your Paris trip, I'd vote for London. You can get there on the Eurostar, and it takes you from city center to city center. London is an amazing city. But I guess that's a topic for another thread.
If you do go to Rome, we stayed in the Beehive, which is a small hotel run by Americans who fell in love with Italy and moved there. They also sell organic soaps and serve up vegan and organic fare in the cafe there. Very yummy. It's also just a couple of blocks from Termini, which makes it very convenient to get to other parts of Rome. We took a Segway tour of ancient Rome which was tons of fun as well as informative.
Plus you get the awesome anachronistic photos!
Definitely book tickets for the Vatican museum online ahead of time. That goes for climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa as well. In addition to previously mentioned polite words, such as please, thank you, and excuse me, learn to say "where's the bathroom" and "I would like..." in the local language. If you can say "I would like..." and then point, it really helps communication, whether it's food in a cafe or a spot on a map.
Here's our video of our trip last September. Italy is about the first 2 minutes, and Paris is the last 33 seconds. Switzerland, Austria, and Germany are in between.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHwOld1ViKI
The flight itself might be two hours, but don't forget that it's an international flight, which means be there 3 hours before departure, and at CDG you will need every second of those 3 hours! Also, it's a good hour to the airport from Paris, and an hour to Rome from the airport, so you're looking at 5 hours minimum on top of flight time and that's IF you're not checking bags. Add another hour if you are. So it could easily take you 8 hours total to get from Rome to Paris by air. Rome is NOT all that close to Paris, really. That overnight train might be looking better.
However, if you really want to add another city or country to your Paris trip, I'd vote for London. You can get there on the Eurostar, and it takes you from city center to city center. London is an amazing city. But I guess that's a topic for another thread.
If you do go to Rome, we stayed in the Beehive, which is a small hotel run by Americans who fell in love with Italy and moved there. They also sell organic soaps and serve up vegan and organic fare in the cafe there. Very yummy. It's also just a couple of blocks from Termini, which makes it very convenient to get to other parts of Rome. We took a Segway tour of ancient Rome which was tons of fun as well as informative.
Plus you get the awesome anachronistic photos!
Definitely book tickets for the Vatican museum online ahead of time. That goes for climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa as well. In addition to previously mentioned polite words, such as please, thank you, and excuse me, learn to say "where's the bathroom" and "I would like..." in the local language. If you can say "I would like..." and then point, it really helps communication, whether it's food in a cafe or a spot on a map.
Here's our video of our trip last September. Italy is about the first 2 minutes, and Paris is the last 33 seconds. Switzerland, Austria, and Germany are in between.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHwOld1ViKI
Laurie, after rereading your post (multiple times) you have helped make my decision! I will only be doing paris on this trip. I will keep italy as a dream trip!! I don't want to be rushed through paris, and if I were only going to italy for 3 days, technically I am only going to get 2 days at the most because of the airports!
Can you tell me about the train to London? How long did it take to go there? Can it be just a daytrip?
I will keep italy on my list of places I want to visit
And Brugges is only an hour from Amsterdam, and it's one of my favorite cities in Europe...oooh, I'll stop now. See how easy it is to want to go just one more place! I even wanted to add Brugges onto our trip, but it would have meant cutting a day off Paris, so at some point, you just have to remember that Europe has been there for a LONG time, and it will still be there later, waiting for you. Have fun planning!Yes, those are both Rome, Italy. The Coliseum and the Arch of Constantine.
I know how tempting it is to try to go EVERYWHERE, but it's usually not a good idea. It would be like someone planning a trip to the US and thinking they could visit NYC, Washington DC, WDW, and perhaps one of the major national parks out west, all in a week. You just can't. Well, not and enjoy it
Yes, airports are time-consuming. More than you would think. I'll head over to your Paris thread in a bit and tell you more about what we did there. (I have a cake in the oven right now - lol)
Okay, London. First know that I *love* London; I spent a semester abroad there my junior year of college and still didn't see everything. I went back for 3 weeks when I was 23 and still didn't see everything. I took my family there is '06 and we were there for 9 days, and I felt we barely scratched the surface. But...yes, it can be done as a day trip from Paris. You will just have to pick the things that are MOST important to you. They will not be the same things that are important to me, or to anyone else. Decide what YOU want to see. You will leave early and get back late, but it's do-able.
The Eurostar is very nice and travels at nearly 200mph, so it's about 2 hours to Paris. I think you need to be at the train station 2 hours before departure, but it's easy to get to on the Metro, and it's centrally located in Paris. You need all that time because, unlike with planes, you go through customs and immigration before you board. This means you are legally in the UK when you board the train, and when you arrive in London, you can just...walk away. Awesome.
What I would recommend is flying into Paris and out of London (or the other way around), taking the Eurostar between them one way. A ticket can be as cheap as $60 if you book in advance. Then you can have more than one day in London. You could maybe do 4/3 or even 5/2 depending on how much you want to do in Paris. But, yes, you could EASILY fill 7 days in Paris without even a day trip to the countryside. You might want to consider something like a day trip out to Normandy (if that would interest you) or even down to Nice. Just to see something of France besides Paris.
The downside of not doing London as a day-trip would be having to take all your stuff with you and check into a hotel there. With a day-trip, you would need only your camera, passport, money, etc.
Or...you can get to Amsterdam on the Eurostar in only 1 hour, if you'd like to see canals without going to Venice, and eat wonderful cheese, see Anne Frank's house, and see Dutch masterpieces in the Rijksmuseum. Just a thought.
In a daytrip to London, I would suggest taking one of the Open Bus tours, as you would see the whole city in a couple of hours, with a nice commentary, and then go back to what interests you, whether that's Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, the British Museum (the Rosetta Stone! I was in awe to see it in person!), or taking in a matinee on the West End. Unless you're there when the Queen is not, you can't visit Buckingham Palace, but you can tour Kensington Palace, which is where Queen Victoria was born, and where Diana lived. There is a tea room on the grounds, where you can eat even if you don't want to tour the palace. A ride on the London Eye is amazing, and you could squeeze in a visit to the TOwer of London to see the Crown jewels and the Bloody Tower, if you wish.
Lots and lots to think about! The forums at trip advisor are a treasure trove of help as well.
