Side Trip Hustle…

When we have traveled overseas in the past we haven’t ever gone long enough where we could visit several places in one trip. We always tried to focus on our love, Paris, and then split the rest of our time between one or two list toppers like Rome, Milan, Amsterdam, etc. The beauty of this trip is we will have the freedom to check off a few more cities and possibly see some lesser known, but equally beautiful and exciting places close by. I’m hoping to be able to take the boys on 1 or 2 short weekend getaways while we are there, even if it’s just to a little town a short train ride away; I want us to be able to see the other parts of France and its neighboring countries. 

Over the last few weeks, we really started to focus in on what cities we wanted to visit while Daniel is in town, with the finalists being Naples, Rome, Florence, or Venice. Getting back to Italy was definitely a must for us both and having the boys taste real Italian pesto would be a dream come true—especially for Len (he’s a tiny bit obsessed with Disney’s Luca). Below is a bit of my planning process, a breakdown of the potential getaways, and how I work through what I think are going to be the best and most cost-friendly options.

Family getaway trip goals-

5 days, 4 nights

Accommodations that sleep at least 3

Needs to have good transportation system to get around (no car seats, avoid taxi/uber cost)

Extra cost factors- food, fun budget, local transportation, diapers (minimal room/no checked bags on flight)

Overall cost: under $1000

GETAWAY OPTIONS-

Naples

5 days, 4 nights

Round trip from Paris to Naples -$105 x3

Accommodations – $100-120 per night

Transportation- Bus/walk

Florence 

5 days, 4 nights

Round trip Paris to Florence- $133 x3

Accommodations- $120-150 per night

Transportation- Bus/walk

Venice

4 days, 4 nights

Round trip Paris to Venice -$111 x3

Bus from airport to island- $8 x4

Accommodations- $150-180 per night

Transportation- Water taxi/walk

Florence- Venice

Florence (3 nights)

Venice (2 nights)

Flight to Florence, train to Venice, flight to Paris

Flights- $139 x3

Train Florence to Venice- $20-35 x4

Accommodations- $120-180 per night

Transportation- Water taxi/walk

WEEKEND TRAIN TRIPS (Just me and the boys)

3 days, 2-3 nights

Accommodations that sleep 2

Needs to have good transportation to get around solo with stroller (no car seats, avoid taxi/uber cost)

Extra cost factors- food, fun budget, local transportation 

Amsterdam– 3hr 20min

3 days, 3 nights

Train- $172 total for all 3

Accommodations- $88-$115 per night

Transportation- Tram/bike/walk

Bike rental- $28-$33 per day (bike with carrier for both boys)

London– 2 hours 30 min

3 days, 3 nights

Train- $277 total for all 3

Accommodations- $110-$130 per night

Transportation- Bus/walk

Marseille- 3 hours 30 min

3 days, 3 nights

Train- $177 total for all 3

Accommodations -$88-$130 per night

Transportation- Bus/walk

Annecy– 3 hours 45min

3 days, 2 nights

Train- $153 total for all 3

Accommodations $110-140

Transportation- Bus/walk

After doing my research and putting together several possible options, we have decided to go with Naples, and then I will take a separate weekend trip with the boys to Marseille! I was really torn about trying to include Rome in our family Italy trip, since Daniel and I loved it there so much. But with the boys, we really want to get a taste (literally!) of what Naples has to offer and don’t want to be rushing around.

When trying to narrow down a weekend trip for me and the boys, Amsterdam was kind of the front runner, since again, I loved it there so much. Given the unpredictable weather in the spring, I wasn’t willing to commit to the possibility of having to see the city in the rain or being trapped inside for the weekend. The south of France really pulled at my heart though, since I’ve never been there. The weather in May is 70°F on average, and it’s pretty much the same distance and cost. But, I still am hopeful that when we get settled in Paris, I’ll be able to squeeze in a short trip, even 2 nights, to Amsterdam, since we love it so much and would really love the boys to see it as well.

We are now about a month out and everything is REALLY starting to set in and feel VERY real! I have started to make a list of all the things I need to purchase to bring over, pre-planning the suitcase situation, and starting to think about must-have items to set aside to pack. Before we know it, we will be zipping up bags and headed to the airport! Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks, I’ll be posting my Day Trips from Paris ideas and planning!

More to come…