Hey everyone! My sister and I are in the beginning stages of planning our trip to Paris for next spring. We of course want to utilize or time over there and travel around to Spain and Italy as well. We have a total of 10 days. What is the easiest way to get around? Does anyone have experience with travelling between countries?
Also what are some things that are a must to do/see around those areas. Pretty open to any ideas! TIA

Tanya Endall
That's a lot to pack in. I would choose what you think you want to see. For instance, I took my mom earlier this year and she wanted to see the Eiffel tower, so we made sure to see it. My mother could not have cared less about the Louvre and she only went because I wanted to. Most people would say the Louvre is can't miss. We went to Sacre Coure for the view.
Trains will take time so you may want to price flights. There are lots of cheaper European airlines. Check google flights. You say Spain and Italy, but they are both large countries. Are you thinking Barcelona or Madrid or somewhere else in Spain? Italy might mean Milan, Florence, Rome, etc. You might want to narrow down what you want to see.
I'm not sure about your budget, but a cruise might be something to consider. Perhaps from Rome to Barcelona and then you'll see a few places between but not have the hassle of changing rooms and trains or flights.

Thanks for the tips! As for the countries we haven’t narrowed down which cities specifically. I’m just looking for advice on must see places in all 3 so I can narrow down what’s best
I was also thinking an overnight train here and there to get between cities? If not then a flight is doable for sure. Just need to figure out which cities we should see before I decide on which route to take!

Do not underestimate Paris traffic is horrible what you think you can do in a day multiply that by 2. I bought airline tickets to Spain to fly from Belgium to Spain online in Edmonton directly from airline cheap cheap. Train tickets cheaper if you buy directly from Eurostar. I bought mine way in advance to Paris and London glad I did cause buying there was way more expensive. Eurostar opens sales to tourists first online and the left over after go to the public at a certain date and to tourist that buy last minute hence why my sister paid way more then me. In Paris don’t take the red tourist hop on off they stop running by seven pm and never on time use the green coloured hop on off bus. I was there in July

Very helpful! Thank you for that

The must see cities (I have also generalized the vibe on each place to help).....France: Paris, french culture and size....so much to see there....
Italy: Rome for history; Florence, for art and culture; Milan, for cosmopolitain and fashion; Venice for Relaxation and unique vibe. The south of italy can be really nice too....but for first time travellers stick to safer easier locations...
For Spain, Barcelona is the go to city for all things....but the country has a ton of other places places to visit.
Depending on your budget....I would seriously look at something like NCL western Mediterainian cruises.... You get all three countries with a tropical island thrown in....and you don't have to fly or train around....it actually ends up overall cheaper....spend some time in Paris....fly into Rome or Barcelona and join the cruise. Have fun!

Thanks so much!

We went to Paris and Spain this last August and Yes Train is the way to go
We went to Granada, Cordoba and Malaga in Spain and Paris...If you are planning on doing those cities in Spain go to the Alhambra palace...absolutely beautiful place. We mostly walked in Spain n Paris we took the train...lots n lots walking though...keep good walking shoes

I don’t plan on spending most of my time in Paris. Maybe a day or 2. We booked the trip with a flight deal so if we could get out of the city for the remaining 7-8 days then I would prefer to go elsewhere

I use kayak to find my intereurope flights

We did this last summer. 4 countries, 3 weeks. I would never do it again. You end up spending so much time on the train instead of vacationing. The closest Italy city from Paris was Milan at I believe 9 hour train ride. Rome (where I wanted to go) was over 13 hours and many train transfers. Planes are the best route to go. And super cheap and easy to book. Just pack light, they are strict on the carryon size. Have fun. I loved Paris. 4 days was not enough time there at all

I agree 10 days for 3 countries will hardly leave time for much of anything. Why not see a couple of places in France plus Paris?

Yeah. That wouldn’t leave much for sure. Never mind all the different languages and buses to get used to. We struggled with this stuff and left us frustrated a bit on the first day in the new country.

I did 5 countries in 30 days and that was rushed. I would recommend just doing France. My opinion Italy needs 10 days easily if not 2 weeks. There is so much to see there. You will be running and not really enjoying.

Maybe just do Spain and France then , not much time. Barcelona is awesome, Check out sagrada familia ( book in advance) same with park guell. La rambla is a cute area.

Oh and if you can get an amazon Visa card is green before you go highly recommend. Any other type of cc will charge you conversion fee plus exchange rate. Can get very expensive. I saved tones plus got cash back that I’ve used to buy online. I only used it for large purchases train, plane, hotel in London. I also called my bank found out my daily limit and took out money from ATM in Europe in euros at a bank or airport only the equivalent it only cost me 5 bucks Canadian the two times that I did.

easyjet Or ryanair is the best bet. Super cheap and much faster than the train. We did that this past summer. 3 countries, 3 weeks and it was amazing. Four of us from Amsterdam to Venice was only €100 and then from Venice to Paris was about the same.

Fly either easy jet or ryan air! So much quicker then a train and i also found it more cost effective. I did 2 months in Europe last year and felt like i was gouged when i took a train, not to mention, with such a short trip and multiple cities you need to be aware of time constraints. Trains are great if you have time and money...

We did the train to Italy over night so we slept on the train. So much to see in all 3 countries maybe pick 2. Loved Paris and easy day trips around France.

It's true! The Louvre is massive. You could spend days there. Train is affordable and easy to get around in the city and between countries. But, it's also pretty affordable via easy jet to fly in Europe.

I think the Louvre is closed one day during the week...keep that in mind...and if you do the hop on hop off bus in Paris, (highly recommended), that’s one of the stops.

Musee d’Orsay is my favourite museum in Paris. Also, make time for Sainte Chapelle (beautiful) and Sacre-Coure (great views of the city and usually some live music happening on the stairs). I agree with everyone else’s comments re: Metro and travelling Europe by train. Most efficient way to get around. Have a great trip!

We are going to Paris in the Spring too...flights to Lisbon and Amsterdam one way were $50 without checked bag fees and a train to London is $99 depending on when you book.

The louvre is huge. Get the info brochure/map and look through it to pick what is a must see. Plan your route and you’ll see plenty of art along the way.

The train is your best bet but 3 countries in 10 days won't be much of a vacation. More like a mad dash from country to country.

ryan air is super cheap for flights! Sometimes the flights go out of smaller airports rather than the main one so pay attention to that as well

We flew from Paris to Florence and then took the high speed train to Venice. Fly in to Paris and out of Venice.

Take the train. Fastest and easiest way to move around Europe

For the places you want to see in 10 days, it's probably easiest and may be cheapest to fly between cities.

Totally agree.

Train hands down. Super efficient and reasonably priced. Easy to use.

The subway is easy safe and amazing, like Montreal

Paris alone could take 10 days....you might want to play it by ear and let the weather of the day decide your itinerary

Airplane the cheapest, ryanair and Easyjet.

If you go to Italy, Rome and/or Florence are a must if you have such little time frame

Pick one country.

You can by cheaper flights IN Europe...

agreed the train system there is second to none

I did 13 countries in a month with a "eurail pass". Try googling it.