Hi. My 16 year old daughter and I will be in Bologna for 2 or 3 days and then on to Florence on a Sunday for 2 or 3 days before flying home early (6:00am) on Wednesday. We have our hotel booked Sunday - Wednesday in Florence. I'm beginning to wonder if it would be worth a quick trip to Venice for a few hours on Monday when the Uffizi and Academia is closed or if that's just too much running around. We could possibly take one of the Bologna days (Friday) for a quick day trip, but she will only be getting there Wednesday afternoon and we have a busy Saturday, so I do want her to see Bologna. So, I think my two most likely itineraries would be as below: Itinerary 1: Wed afternoon - Sunday morning in Bologna Sunday afternoon - early Wed in Florence Itinerary 2: Wed afternoon - Sunday morning in Bologna Sunday afternoon - Monday morning in Florence Monday morning - Monday late afternoon/early evening - Venice Monday evening - Wednesday early Wed in Florence In Florence, we will be doing a combination of museums, churches, eating and, for her, shopping. I want to break up the museums with down times like shopping and walking around. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks,
Tim
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15238 posts
Take one day from Bologna to go to Venice. One day in Bologna is plenty, you don't need 3 and a half. Also Bologna is already half way between Florence and Venice, therefore it makes sense to visit Venice from Bologna since Bologna is 45 min closer to Venice than Florence. One hour and 25 min and you are in Venice from Bologna. First high speed Freccia train departs at 9:10am from BO Centrale. Last Freccia back departs at 7:25pm from Venice. Florence also has much more to offer and 2 days, Mon and Tue, are hardly enough. I would go to Venice on Friday from Bologna and actually I would go to Florence a day earlier on Saturday. If you need a break from Florence, you can always take a day trip and go to Siena or the Chianti hills on Monday. Wed afternoon and all day Thu in Bologna are more than enough.
Posted by
SF Bay Area, CA
2030 posts
I agree with Roberto -- see Venice and spend more time in Florence. If you are going in the summer peak tourist season, both places will be crowded and may be a challenge to deal with, but still definitely worth seeing.
Posted by
Cesena, Italy
791 posts
I agree. I would skip Bologna alltogether but if it's a must for you then 1 day. Both Florence and Venice are worth more days than you have.
Posted by
OP
Columbus, OH, USA
6 posts
Thanks to all for your tips. I'll be in Bologna for a film festival (June 29 - July 6), and my daughter will be getting there on the 4th, but it seems like the consensus advice is that we take Friday and go to Venice. I appreciate all of the help and will let you know how it goes. Best,
Tim
Posted by
St Louis
411 posts
We're in Bologna right now and loving it here. Keep in mind that everytime you change lodgings you basically lose half a day. Doing Venice as an all day trip from Bologna would make the best use of your time. Check out the train schedules and plan on taking an early train to Venice and taking a late train back to Bologna. There was Venice in a day type itinerary in the Rick Steves Italy guide the last time I looked that was doable. Your daughter will love Bologna. With the University here it has a hip young vibeyet retains the old world charm. I was REALLY surprised that Bologna isn't covered in Rick's Italy guide. (Though perhaps that's why it's not as "touristy" as other cities here. PS Check out the new Italo trains. They are running specials in the North== we had seats in Prima going from Firenze to Padova for less than the cost of 2nd class tickets on Trenitalia. The trains were very clean and comfortable.
Posted by
San Francisco, CA, USA
6 posts
Venice can be seen, conquered and loved in 1.5 days. Florence needs at least 3 days (to do it "right") in my opinion.
Posted by
NY, USA
500 posts
Venice cannot be "conquered" in 1.5 days. Major sites can be seen yes, but Venice was only conquered once, by Napoleon.
Posted by
NYC
922 posts
Lisa, excellent comment! So true.