The wife and I are planning a trip to Europe for our 30th birthdays in late March/early April and are trying to finalize our accommodations & itinerary.

So far the plan is fly into London - spend 3 nights. Going to try to catch the Chelsea vs Tottenham game. Anyone have any tips for trying to get premier league tickets for a reasonable amount?

Flight from London to Pisa and take the train over to Cinque Terre. 2 nights in Cinque Terre exploring the 5 villages.

Train from CT to Florence - 3 night in Florence. One day to explore Tuscany, one day to explore the city.

Flight from Florence to Paris - 2 days, 1 night there. Flying back out of Paris.

I would really appreciate any hotel or food recs, general advice, things to see and do! Has anyone done any winery tours in Tuscany? Any advice on which village to stay in Cinque Terre?

It's been a struggle trying to balance wanting to see as much as possible but also having enough time to enjoy and experience each city. We already had to cut Venice out of the equation for this reason.

The travel day from London to CT will likely be the most difficult but after looking at plane/train times we should arrive by 1 or 2 PM that day.

Paris really wasn't part of our trip but we found a great deal using Amex points to fly business class back to Houston so figured we might as well spend a night there.

Trying to allocate most of the time to Florence and London.

TravelAg makes good points. I would spend my time in London and Paris or Central Italy. There is just so much to do in each location. My family (including class of '86,14&16)went to Tuscany this summer. We did 5 nights in farmhouse outside of Montepulciano, 3 nights in Florence then my wife and I went to Cinque Terre and we flew out of Milan. We were in Italy for 12 days plus 2 travel days. While in Tuscany we went to wineries in Chianti, Montalcino and Montepulciano regions. Lots of great wine, food and scenery. Tuscany was more laid back and we drove throughout countryside. Florence is like a smaller Rome. I would recommend staying in historic area so you can walk to everything. My wife and I stayed in Vernazza in Cinque Terre. We loved it. A little smaller and quieter. If you want more nightlife then Monterosso Al Mare would be a good spot. We stayed in CT 3 nights and hiked to all 5. Amazingly beautiful views along the hikes.

Lots of information. Let me know where you decide to go. My son is on Texags also and he may have some good insight for you also.

FYI we went to Italy for my wife's and my 60th birthday.

Hotel De La Ville in Florence is walkable from train station and pretty much all of the sights you will want to see. It is a beautiful old-school vibe property (and has a relaxing library like bar for the end of the day).

I'd recommend Siena over Florence and make sure you get to see Montalcino as well. Both towns are more authentic Tuscany without the Florence crowds.

I also agree with other posters that you're going to spend more time in transit than you will seeing the sights.

London: Recently was in London and we stayed at Batty Langley's. It was a pretty cool space, decorated with British Antiques and has some character, but I didn't find it super compelling. We had the room with the "Victorian Bathing Machine" and while it was a neat gimmick, I would have preferred a modern shower. I enjoyed being in Shoreditch though. Can't make other personal recs on hotels there.

As for Premier League Tickets, one option that may be of use is to go through one of the authorized resellers hospitality tickets. There are some interesting rules for football matches, and if finding tickets through other channels is difficult/sold out, the hospitality brokers will probably be able to help. I used Huw with Events Hospitality for tickets to a concert at Wembley that were sold out and while it was pricey, the experience was great.

Paris: We stayed at La Fantaisie, but only for a night. It is impeccably designed and in an interesting but slightly off the main tourist path neighborhood. I would recommend it but hard to say if the value is there for a 1 night stay.

Just got back from Florence. We did this wine tour through Grape Tours and I would highly recommend it. They cap the group sizes, the driver really knew his stuff and the three wineries they picked out were incredible and intimate experiences. Happy to talk more about it if your interested.

You are young, I advise going the route of a traveler and not treating the travel experience as a tourist.

In that way you don't feel inclined to go the shotgun approach of attempting to hit several cities/countries/regions in a condensed amount of time. Select maybe one city/region (per week) and absorb as much culture as you can from the experience. With intentions on returning to Europe and experiencing other cities/countries/regions that you didn't experience the first trip.

Just my five cents...

You do you.

But hopping from European lily pad to European lily pad is going to be a beating...even at 30 yo. Yes, the trains are easy. But you still have to get to the station, ride the train, get off, find a car/taxi, etc. Doing that every day would be a PITA.

2 nights in CT is like, what, a day or day and a half of exploring 5 cities?

One day to explore a region the size of Tuscany (9,000 square miles) is too little. If you have a car - or even just a taxi - you'll find and explore a small town, have a bite to eat and glass of wine in the piazza, and maybe hit one more before your day is shot. Also, a city with so much history, art, and culture as Florence done in one day is bonkers.

I'll admit that I haven't done London and Paris. But I've done Italy. You can spend hours walking through a tiny Italian walled village in the hills sampling the food and wine, exploring the duomo, visiting a family winery, and simply soaking up all the peaceful beauty. I did a week in Umbira - just SE of Tuscany - and only scratched the surface.

Florence is a beautiful city and some of the architecture is incredible. But maybe the most touristy city i've ever been to. Be prepared to stand in line, especially for David statue, the main cathedral duomo, uffizi, etc.

Be sure to look up and check out the wine windows scattered throughout the city. Super cool