Hi everyone!
My boyfriend and I are looking to explore the East Coast of Italy (we've done already Milan and Rome so we want to concentrate our trip East). We would rent a car to explore between Trieste/Venice and Otranto.
Where should we land and take off so we can get better prices on flight tickets and still be convenient to start and end our trip?? (Is it still better to arrive at Rome's airport??)
Thank you so much!!
Ariane
Why not fly into Venice/Venezia and start your drive south? You can end your trip in Puglia then get a flight out of Brindisi. You might get a better price into Milan or out of Roma, but the inconvenience needs to be considered and it is a long drive to Roma from Otranto.
What is your home airport? Where are you coming from?
The cities you choose will depend on what you like to do.
How many nights do you have? Seven or nine?
What time of year?
Try to fly into Venezia. You could visit Padova, Ferrara, Ravenna (even as daytrips from Venezia before you pick up a car) and then drive south.
do you want to drive along the coast or spend some time inland?
When you've had a chance to dig into the details, I think you'll find that you won't have time to do justice to the entire area you're thinking about, so I wouldn't rush to buy the plane tickets. The entire trip could be concentrated in the north (Trieste, Venice, Padua, Vicenza, Verona, Ferrara, Ravenna...) or in the south (Puglia and Matera).
There are airports serving Trieste (an hour north of it) and Brindisi (north of Otranto). So, if you really are driving the whole Adriatic coast, fly into one and out of the other. If those are expensive, look at the next closest airports (Venice instead of Trieste, and Bari instead of Brindisi).
As for flight prices, there is no rhyme or reason any more - you just have to check for your dates and home airport.
I agree with acraven - first decide what you really have time to see. In 8 days, there's no way you can see more a tiny fraction of the places between Trieste and Otranto. Then decide on which airports are most convenient for the area you want to see, then check prices and see if you need to modify the airports to get a better deal, taking into account how much you'll spend in time and inconvenience to get from the "cheap" airport to where you want to be. For instance, if it's "cheaper" to fly round trip to Rome, how much time and money will you spend getting from Rome to Trieste and from Otranto back to Rome? With only 8 days, that probably won't work well.
We have flown into Bologna. With a rental car and bikes we have explored north to Venice and South to Ancona. To the west, too. We have stayed in Rimini twice. Island from Rimini is very nice on a bike. We do not tan and swim the ocean. There is a nice beach pathway for walking.
Thank you so much everyone for your replies and tips!!
(For Roberto) My home airport is San Diego but i'll fly to Montreal at the end of the trip to see family cause this is where I'm from.
I think I will follow your advice and stay North then.
(For Zoe) We have 7 nights and this if for October. We were thinking about staying close to the coast but we're really open to anything interesting and beautiful!! And we love to learn and explore!!
So if we're concentrating on the North, then we should land in Venice and departs from Abruzzo airport then?..
Finally, what are your favorite cities? (I prefer to trust people's advice that have traveled than just reading about places...)
Again, THANK YOU so much for your time :))
Ariane
We are doing the east coast as well. Here is another facet to consider. Fly into Rome - rent car and travel perhaps 3 hours stop at hotel then on to Matera next day stay 2 days. Then drive to Lecce-3 days (use this as your base,) explore Gallopoli, Otranto and Lecce. Travel to San Cataldo (short distance from Lecce) then up to Brindisii and fly home. Since you 8 days, I have only accounted for 7 so you can check this area out to see if there another place you might like to visit. This is some of the route we are taking next May.
If you have more time you could consider Alberobello (truilli houses) Polignano a Mare and then fly out of Bari home.
Just a suggestion.
Check out Agriturismo Le Volpi, north of Padova. They have an online site. Beautiful setting, they make wine and olive oil. Rooms include breakfast and are very reasonably priced. You can get to some beautiful small towns, like Este, Arqua Petrarca, and others in a couple of days and still have time for Venezia, Padova, and Ravenna (base in Venezia).
