My husband and I are planning a 3 week trip this September. Looks like we are going to follow the 21 day itinerary. We are very active and just want to make sure that this itinerary is not to aggressive. Also, if there is someone that followed this trip do you have suggestions on trains, buses getting from one city to another. We also are looking into Airbnb. Has anyone tried Airbnb? Enjoying the planning of it all, but need some guidance.
Thanks,
Diane
I do like AirBnB, Diane. I list one of my homes there and have stayed in others at least 10 times. We always go for a private house with kitchen and at least a washer (but a dryer is nice for last minute items). Using these stays to give us time to catch up with laundry and to enjoy some farmer's market shopping, means falling behind the pace set by Rick's 'see-all-the-highlights' itinerary.
So to stay with that plan, it seems best to stay in the places and use the connection options recommended by the book.
In general, I find Rick's suggested itineraries too aggressive, as they have you moving every 2 days or so, for 3 solid weeks. Around the half way point of your trip, you'll want to rest a bit, even if you otherwise are fine with a fast-moving trip.
AirBnB is fine, as long as you understand what you're getting into. Each property is different, and AirBnB is just a listing service; there are no "standards." So you must do a lot of research to make sure each AirBnB is as it's being advertised, and is exactly what you want.
Several times on our past trips to Europe we used the suggested itineraries in Rick's books as guidelines and adjusted the timing to what we were most comfortable with doing. We would possibly spend more time in one place, less in another, or once in a while even skipping a recommended spot all together. We did this for trips to Ireland, England, Scotland and a shortened 21 day itinerary. Have not personally tried AirB&B but my son has had good experiences with a few bookings.
I have not looked at the itinerary specifically, however following any tour's itinerary may be difficult for individuals. Tour companies have all their transportation, hotels and many meals/restaurants setup. Individuals will not be able to travel nearly as efficiently.
I would suggest you go to the book store or library and get a travel guide on Italy. It'll point you to an itinerary that's more realistic. You can also read about travelers' Italian itineraries on this website every week. If you'll notice, many of those commenting will suggest that it's best to take a 3 week slowly.
Italy is so full of culture, art, food and history that it's easy to get overdosed on the trip.
Great European cities like those in Italy are often worthy of more than 1-2 days. There's just so much to see.
Hi Diane,
That itinerary has about 54 hours of chartered bus time. I'm smiling when I write this.....will you two be speaking to each other after 54 hours of car or train travel? : ) My two cents is that you would really enjoy your trip more & also be able to be more active if you stayed at 1/3 of your destinations at least 3 days. We were hiking in the Lauterbrunnen area at Wengen last Sept for 4 days and hated to leave. Paris & Venice also are worth several days of walking 'til you drop.
ddl,
Can you please post the 21 day Italy itinerary?
I cannot seem to find a 21 day Italy tour on this website, only 17 days. Am I missing something?
There is a 'Best of Europe in 21 days'
Thanks!
You can use a tour itinerary as a planning guide, but you probably cannot easily follow a 21-day tour on your own, because tours are fine-tuned to run smoothly without much logistical planning on your part. The bus driver (probably) won't get lost, for example, and you won't have to wait in line at sights or restaurants. You can make advance reservations, of course, but you'll need to do a lot of research before you go. The tour will have a backup plan - will you?
In my opinion, assume that you will spend 20% more time getting around than the tour itinerary, and adjust accordingly to suit your own tastes.
This question comes up all the time with Rick's itineraries: I don't want The Master to see this, but he doesn't read the Forum much--so, Rick himself has referred to these itineraries as "blitz" itineraries. And when he says blitz, he means it.
A common comment here is that blitz is ok for a few days, but trying to do it for 14 or 21 days, well, many travelers reporting in here say they get too frazzled trying to exactly follow Rick's blitz itineraries.
You can try it once, and then see if on the next Europe trip you want to try to keep up with The Master's blitz itineraries.
Or use your judgment.
Based on the responses I guess we go back to the drawing board. So much to see and so little time. Priscilla here is the link for the 21 day itinerary.
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/itinerary
Thanks for the responses and I'll be back for more!
Yes, it's always the problem, so many destinations and only limited time. Rick is fond of saying: assume you'll be back.
I'm looking over that itinerary. Maybe it works for RS because he has been to all these places a bunch of times so he has no need to linger to see the same thing for the 20th time. For us regular people we have to make choices to fit in the things that are important to us in 3 weeks. So what would make a great 3 week itinerary for a first timer? Rome, Florence, and Venice are a must. If you love picturesque costal towns include either the Cinque Terre OR Amalfi Coast. Cinque Terre is famous for its 5 lovely towns, hiking, and pesto sauce. Amalfi Coast also has many lovely costal towns linked by an old narrow road cantilevered over the sea, the ruins of Pompii and Herculaneum, the Isle of Capri, and lemons everywhere. Another choice you need to make would be between lake (Como or Maggiore), and Mountains (Dolomites). To cut down further on hotel changes would be to do Siena and Pisa as day trips from Florence, and Orvieto as a day trip from Rome. Adjust your time in those hub cities as nessassary so you have time for day trips. Assisi is a great place, and I would suggest leaving that in unless it doesn't really interest you. If you fly into Milan, avoid staying there and just go straight to your first destination (one of the lakes or Venice), although the best situation would be to fly straight to Venice if possible and not go to Milan at all.
Try to avoid 1 night stays. If you cant give it 2 nights, then do it as a day trip. Big cities (i.e. Rome, Florence, Venice) try to plan for at least 3 nights, although more is often better. Amalfi coast area also needs a minimum of 3 nights... I stayed 4 nights and found that to be just about right. Smaller towns should have a minimum of 2 nights.
His itinerary is aggressive, even with a dedicated tour bus. On public transportation, I would assume it will take you at least 25% longer than on a tour bus. And keep in mind that public transportation in Italy can present interesting surprises, which can slow you down.
Rather than staying one night in Orvieto, do it as a day trip by train from Rome. Rather than staying one night in Siena, do it as a day trip by bus from Florence. Assisi can be done as a day trip from Florence, but I think it warrants an overnight – and it would be a very long day from Florence. I would also suggest choosing one coastal place – either the CT or the Amalfi coast. The dolomites might be challenging on public transportation, depending on what you want to do there.
Also keep in mind that AirBNB can take a little more time than hotels. You need to connect with the owner, and there won't be a front desk to help you figure out how to get places quickly. You may also have to spend some time in things like inspections of the property. All of these things would vary depending on the type of property you choose.
ddl,
I had another look at that Itinerary and while it's certainly feasible, it would be exhausting and not something I'd recommend for a "pleasant holiday experience". The transportation links for that would have to be planned very precisely, and you'd spend more time looking out the window of a train or bus, rather than seeing the sites. Italy is best done at a "slower" pace.
Travelling from Venice to the Cinque Terre is a very inefficient travel method, as it requires the better part of a full travel day. I can't believe they're suggesting that.
IMHO, the 21-day Itinerary is unrealistic for the average person. I wish they would update some of their suggested Itineraries!
Diane,
Thanks for the link to the 21 day Italy itinerary.
Wow! This would be a whirlwind type of trip!
There are too many destinations & not enough time to explore such destinations.
I agree with Zoe in terms of using the itinerary as a guideline but then tailor it to your own interests & pace.
Angela's advise is spot on!
If I had 21 days & had never traveled to Italy before, my itinerary would look something like this:
Venice (3-4 nights with day trip to Padua-26 mins. by train) > Florence (4-5 nights with day trip to Siena or Assisi) > train to
Cinque Terre (3-4N) with day trip to Pisa/ Lucca > Sorrento, AC,( 4-5 N) > Rome( 4-5N with day trip to Orvieto).
If you want to visit one of the major lakes in northern Italy, you may choose to fly into Milan then head to Varenna ( Lake Como) or Stressa( Lake Maggiore) on the day of arrival as it's an easy train ride that will take you about one hour.
Then you can go to Venice & just carve out 2-3 nights from the rest of your itinerary & add to lake destination.
You are so right-- So much to see and so little time!
Check this website for train schedules: http://www.trenitalia.com
Check this website for detailed info about train travel, how to buy tickets, etc: http://www.seat61.com
Happy planning!
Edit: check this website for transportation options: http://www.rome2rio.com
The itinerary described at https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/itinerary comes from Rick's Italy book, so most of the supporting details that you need are in the book, including descriptions of how many sites you could see in each city in that amount of time and transportation summaries. This is the fastest way to do it; I would not try faster. I've done lots of travel averaging two nights at each stop, which works great for me, but of course it works better with shorter travel distances and smaller cities, and I often have had the time and flexibility to stay longer when I wanted. If I were going to cut something from this list, I might start by cutting Milan and Lake Como, and/or I could cut the portion south of Rome, depending where that falls on your sightseeing priorities.
In addition to Trenitalia, How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it. In general, it shows more regional trains without regard to when they go on sale (one week out), but does not include the Milan-Varenna route. Schedules are currently published through June 13.
