France in a week for Themla and Louise !

My friend (who speaks French and Italian) and I have a total of 2 weeks to spend in France and Italy. This is my first trip to both places however she has been to both places before for work . We are 2 women approaching 50 and want to have a lovely and memorable time. We are realistic enough to know that hiring a car and plotting out an itinerary is doomed for failure. We both enjoy food (our waist measurements confirm this) and would like to see and experience all we can without it being an exhausting and stressful 2 weeks). What do you think about flying into Paris, spending a day or two exploring and then taking a guided tour to Italy? If so, where are the must go places? To be honest, we%26#39;re really not the museum types, more the long lunch and laughter types I suppose. We plan to go around May this year. Also, perhaps a %26quot;special night%26quot; or event would be terrific. We don%26#39;t have a huge budget but perhaps a special treat would be worth while. Any help is really appreciated

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For starters, I just took my 57 year young mother for 3 weeks to France and Spain. Paris deserves more than a couple of days. We spent 3 nights there and still wish we had more time in the City of Lights. I%26#39;ve spent 4 night there on a prior trip. If I were you, I would book at least 5 nights in Paris and surrounding areas, like a day trip on the TGV to Champagne(1 hour max each way). Or stay the night in a B%26amp;B and spend a few days in that area. Paris is full of things, sights and adventures. You will only see a tiny bit of it with 5 days. Keep in mind, your jet lag will take at least 2 days to adjust to some what normal hours.

I%26#39;m not sure of your travel style, but a guided tour sounds absolutely awful to me. I%26#39;ve never taken one, and getting lost seems to always lead to happy accidents. And REALLY getting lost, is something I%26#39;ll never forget. It%26#39;s an opportunity to see things you probably would never see and meet people you%26#39;d probably never meet. Just book some train tickets and allow for extra time in case you have a problem getting to the train station. Do some research on the forums here and you%26#39;ll be well on your way. Don%26#39;t worry and just go with the flow! Make your trip what you want it to be!

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