After 12 years of saving change in a jar, we only have enough for about 1 plane ticket to Europe with the cost of air travel these days. Luckily, that's not our only source of funds for the trip. And thanks to several generous gifts for Christmas, we are looking pretty good for a 10 day stay this coming summer. Even if airfare doesn't come down and the dollar doesn't go up, though we're really hoping they do.I've done lots of research and planning over the past year, mostly with the help of family/friends' advice and Rick Steves books and videos. There were some earlier and much more expensive versions of our itinerary that also included some combination of Switzerland/Germany/Austria, the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, and a Mediterranean cruise from Greece to Israel and Egypt! With so many desirable locations, I finally had to just make a list of priorities. For us, art and history is the main attraction, not food or nightlife. And we can get more than our fill in the big three cities without having to spend thousands more adding other countries. Here's the plan thus far, with plenty of room for spontaneous additions.
Day:
- Arrive in London in the morning, ride a double-decker bus, and visit the Tower of London.
- Bus tour daytrip to Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Oxford; return to London and see a Shakespeare play at the Globe Theatre.
- Visit Westminster Abbey and the British Museum, then take the Chunnel to Paris and see the Eiffel Tower at night.
- Boat tour of Paris, visit the Louvre, etc.
- Day trip to Versailles, then return to Paris for dinner.
- Visit Musee d'Orsay, etc. before taking night train to Rome.
- Bus/boat tour of Rome, then visit Colosseum and Forum.
- Visit the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica and catacombs.
- See the Capitolini and Pantheon, etc.
- Depart from Rome and return home.
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