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Things not to miss in Austria and Italy

I have been writing here about my trip to Austria and Italy with my husband next month that is May 2013.. Following are the cities we will be staying in: Austria Vienna Salzburg Italy Venice Florence Chianti Amalfi Capri
Rome Would really appreciate suggestions on things to do and places to visit in these cities. Also ..Any great places to eat..or pubs or cafes' which are not to famous(tourist wise) but are the not to miss kinds. Some must do things which first time tourists always miss out on. Thanks a ton

Posted by
32345 posts

Saguna, Could you clarify one point. In your other Thread you indicated that the time frame of your trip is 18 days. Are you planning to visit the eight locations you listed in that time? Have you considered the distance and travel times from Vienna to Amalfi? Cheers!

Posted by
13 posts

Ya see we cannot afford a longer trip so have tried to plan within these days. we land in Vienna stay there for 3 days then drive down to Salzburg and stay there for 2 days. From there we take a train to Venice a day and night there.
Train to Florence..Then 2 days in florence then drive down to Chianti one day and night there. Then we take a train to amalfi 3 days there .. boat ride to Capri..2 days there Then a train to rome and 4 days in rome If we were prolonging our trip it was getting to be too expensive. Also couldnt take more days off work.

Posted by
15777 posts

This is what it looks like to me: 1. Vienna partial day after arrival flight (and jetlag?) 2. Vienna 3. Vienna 4. drive to Salzburg - if you aren't spending the day sightseeing along the way, why drive? 5 Salzburg 6 Salzburg (night train to Venice ?) 7 Venice 8 morning - train to Florence, afternoon in Florence 9 Florence 10 rent car in Florence, drive to somewhere Chianti, return car there (are you sure this is possible?) 11 train from ??? to ??? on Amalfi Coast (no train service to the town of Amalfi) - 1/2 day in ??? 12 somewhere on Amalfi Coast 13 somewhere on Amalfi Coast 14 capri 15 capri 16 am train to Rome, pm Rome 17 Rome
18 Rome partial day before flight home Where are you finding 2 more days for Rome? Car rental takes time too. Offices may not be open before 9 am and by the time you fill out the paperwork, it's 10, almost noon before you get anywhere. Then you have to wait until 9 am the next morning to return the car before going to your next destination. Now work backward - to be at the rental office at 9, leave the hotel at 8.30, get up at ?? to pack, eat breakfast, check out. You've got one day in Venice, only 1-1/2 in Florence, you will barely see a couple of the main sights. I could give you lists of wonderful things to see and do any of your destinations, but you won't have time for more than one or two. Forgive me for sounding harsh, but it is itineraries like this one that cause first-time tourists to miss out on so much.

Posted by
13 posts

Thanks a lot for all ur inputs.. Anyways we are just doing the best with the time we hv..
As for train to Rome its an overnight train.. N we have pre booked all trains n car rentals online.. So lets see how it goes.. Its the first time not the last :)

Posted by
6788 posts

Three bits of advice... This is an 18-day trip? Including arrival and departure days? So honestly, a 16 day trip at best. 1. The overall pace seems quite unrealistic and misguided - and I say that as someone who travels very fast (way too fast for most people here). Your itinerary MAY be physically possible (some parts may not, actually) but will not be enjoyable. I would urge you to prune your plans a bit. 2. Capri? Capri would actually be one of the first things I'd cut from your itinerary to make it more survivable, but lets say OK, you really want to visit Capri. Capri warrants at most half a day. There is no reason I can imagine to spend 2 nights there. Make Sorrento your base for the Amalfi coast (it's the only place on the Amalfi coast that's well connected by rail) and take a 1/2 day trip to Capri like all the other quickie tourists - believe me, that will be plenty. Sorrento is your best base for this area.
3. I don't see any reason for you to rent a car anywhere on this trip. Vienna to Salzburg is best done by train. You do NOT want to drive the Amalfi coast - take the bus for a day-trip from Sorrento to Amalfi. 3. What's the appeal of Chianti, other than being a nice cheap wine available in most Italian restaurants? You should get out a calendar and plan where you expect to be each day and night - I don't think you have as many days as you seem to be expecting. I would strongly suggest you take the advice you're getting from many helpful and very experienced travelers here. Hope that helps.

Posted by
13 posts

Thanks a lot David..
As u n Ken both are very rightly saying I will look at my trip again and replan..

Posted by
32345 posts

saguna, Thanks for the additional details. I'm assuming you won't have any issues with jet lag, as you'll be flying west and the time difference is only 3H:30M. What time does your flight arrive in Vienna? A few comments and questions..... > I agree with previous replies. Unless there's a specific reason you want to drive from Vienna to Salzburg, travel by train will be faster and a more efficient use of your VERY limited holiday time. > Are you planning to travel from Salzburg to Venice in the day or night? > Chianti is a region rather than a town (AFAIK). Which town were you planning to stay in? > I'm assuming you're planning to rent a car in Italy. A few important caveats to be aware of..... For driving in Italy, EACH driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an I.D.P. if requested can result in fines on the spot! You can easily obtain an I.D.P. at any CAA / AAA office for a small fee (Passport photos required). You'll also need to be aware of the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas, which are becoming increasingly prevalent in Italy ( especially in Florence). Passing through these zones can result in expensive fines! Recent posts here would seem to indicate that authorities in Italy are becoming more aggressive in collecting the fines from foreign drivers using Collection Agencies based here. There may also be charges from the rental car firm for providing renter information to law enforcement. > Are you planning to travel to the town of Amalfi, or somewhere on the Amalfi coast? > I agree with other comments that 2 days may be too much for Capri. A full day trip from Sorrento would be a better use of your time. Cheers!

Posted by
3642 posts

Just a comment on the Chianti to Amalfi Coast part of your plans. Someone asked whether it was even possible to use trains. It's a question you should investigate thoroughly, because the answer is more complicated than you might assume. I know because last year we needed to go from near S. Gimignano to Sorrento. Using a train would have meant driving to the Florence airport to return the car; taking a bus to the train station; catching the train to Naples, and changing to the Circumvesuviana. Too many components, and not inexpensive. Driving the entire way was out because our travel day was a Saturday, and the car rental agency in Sorrento closed too early for us to be able to get there in time. Also, returning in Sorrento doubled the rental price; AND we would have had to keep the car 'til Monday, as well as pay for parking. Our best option was to drive to the Naples airport, turn the car in there, and take the Curreri bus to Sorrento. You can get the information you need for decision-making on the autoeurope website (try different drop-off places and be sure to check hours of operation) and trenitalia's site.

Posted by
331 posts

The other posters have the important information about your schedule covered, so I will offer my suggestion on what not to miss in Italy. Gelato!! Eat it Night and Day and enjoy it. There is Nothing in the world quite like it.

Posted by
13 posts

Thanks Ken and Rosalyn.. I am re-planning sum stuff according to your advice.
and thanks Sylvia.. I love Gelato.. It would be great if ppl would me more such little little things to make my trip more fun.. Hey James pls write only if you have sum stuff which can help.. I thought this platform is for that only..

Posted by
33760 posts

saguna, the shotgun approach to posting really gets you few benefits and confuses other posters. You would do well to remove your duplicate and triplicate posts. You have lots of threadage on your main post, clearly that is where the answers will be.

Posted by
11613 posts

Saguna, your hotel or the tourist information office (across the street from the front of the train station) in Florence can help arrange a wine tour to the Chisnti area, or you could take public transportation to Montepulciano or Montalcino for a daytrip. Another daytrip if you had more time in Florence would be Siena. If you want to spend a night or two in the Amalfi Coast area, the town of Ravello is up the hill trom Amalfi (you can get there from Amalfi by local bus). If you prefer to base in Sorrento you can do the Amalfi Coast and Capri as daytrips. If you had more time in Venice I would recommend taking the vaporetto (buy the pass for as many days as you'll be there, it really saves money; remember to scan it before you board each time) to Torcello, the original settlement of Venice; Burano and Murano. If you combine Florence and Chianti, and Amalfi and Capri, you could spend a
little more time in Venice and Rome and still visit the places on your list. Have a great trip.

Posted by
11613 posts

James, read the community guidelines.

Posted by
33760 posts

The local library, the local bookstore, the internet cafe... There's nothing wrong with that statement - I agree with it. Maybe not the most tactful presentation but the sentiment is right. What all first time travelers needs is comprehensive research. The thing to do is to study good guidebooks and understand what is being conveyed. As saguna says in the OP, Some must do things which first time tourists always miss out on. That is precisely where those guidebooks come in. And you can plan with them, and take them along for when you are offline. Or if you don't want to buy them, can you borrow them?

Posted by
13 posts

Hey everyone don't ret so personal n rude n judgmental..its a discussion about a holiday lets keep it fun n interesting.. I did wat i had to and I planned.. I asked sumthing cos i want value addition some good ppl are doing that.. If anyone else can pls do.. Else dont comment.. N let me tell u one thing.. Every city has sum secrets which no guidebook or internet can tell only the ppl in it can.. So I jus asked.. If I can fit those things in my trip I will .. If I cant i will next time.. Or tell other who might b traveling.. But pls lets keep talk here in good spirits..
No reason we get so negative

Posted by
441 posts

Saguna, Something which really helps me is to study the history of the places I go. That way I can understand what I'm looking at. The Doge Palace in Venice and David in Florence, for instance. Have a great trip.

Posted by
13 posts

Thanks Larry..
Ur right.. Im an architect actually so I have studied the architectural history of Italy quite a bit

Posted by
3642 posts

Since you mentioned that you are an architect, while you are in Venice you might want to visit Vicenza, to see the many examples of Palladio's work there. It's a reasonably short train ride.