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Arriving in Italy in 3 weeks. What to book now from the US and what to book once arrive?

Posted by (Ohio) on

I am arriving in Venice with my daughter June 4. Itinerary includes 2 -4 nights each in Venice, Cinque Terre, Rome and Positano. We travel from Positano back to Venice on June 18 and fly home (to Ohio) on the 19th. I am trying to decide what to book before now, what we can book a day or 2 ahead once in Italy, and what we can just do spontaneously.

Specifically- train tickets from Venice to Vernazza and from Vernazza to Rome. Also:
1)Segway tour of Rome as well as tours of the Vatican and St. Peters, the Colosseum, Pantheon (any recommendations welcome!)
2) a boat ride along the Amalfi Coast / to Capri
3) take bus or hire driver to travel the scenic road along the Amalfi coast
4) take a cooking class somewhere
5) gondola in Venice
6) dodge palace and Saint Marks in Venice
7) hiking at Cinque Terre and Path of the Gods
Lastly, we have to decide the best way to travel from Positano to Venice (we have a room reserved close to the airport for the last night in Italy). Looks like we could fly EasyJet from Naples to Venice for about $60 (1 and 1/2 hours travel time) vs train travel which is almost 6 hours and just as expensive. Of course we have to get from Positano to Naples before we do either.

Any advice or comments welcome!

Posted by
32405 posts

Andy,

A few initial thoughts.....

  • Train tickets - you can easily buy train tickets at local stations but if you're willing to commit to specific departures on the high speed trains, buying advance tickets can save some money. Buying tickets at the time will provide greatest spontaneity. Tickets for Regionale trains are best purchased in Italy, as there are no price breaks.
  • Hire driver for Amalfi Coast - that would best be done in advance, especially at that time of year.
  • Hiking in Cinque Terre - you don't need to arrange anything in advance for that. One point to note is that only two of the Sentiero Azzurro trails are currently open (park pass required to hike those, which you can buy at the small booths at the start of the trails).
  • Travel from Positano to Venice - the easiest solution would be to take a Taxi or Bus to Salerno or Naples, and then the high speed train from there. Using a flight from Naples will most likely take considerably longer, when all is considered (travel to & from airports, check-in, security, waiting times, deplaning, etc.). A flight will certainly be more of a hassle than a relaxing ride on the train.
Posted by
11852 posts

Book a tour of the Vatican in advance. We favor Walks of Italy's "Pristine Sistine" tour.

Also consider booking a tour of the Colosseo, Foro Romano and Palatine Hill. It is a fascinating and complex area. A private guide can move you around quickly and tailor the tour to your interests, You will also get through security faster at the Colosseo. Sonia Tavoletta ([email protected]) is our recommendation.

Pantheon you can easily self-tour. It's lovely early in the morning before the hordes descend.Rick Steves' guidebook has a good self-tour in it.

Ken has given you great advice. I woudl probably book the Venice to Florence or Milan leg of your transfer to the Cinque Terre as you can save some $$ buying the highspeed tickets but as he says, you are then committed to the schedule. Buy your ongoing tickets from Florence or Milan to Vernazza before you leave Venice.

Ditto Vernazza to Rome. Buy the La Spezia to Rome segment now, taking care that you have enough time to get to La Spezia to catch your train. If you try to leave too early in the morning the regional trains that connect Vernazza and La Spezia might not suit your connection. You can check all schedules on line at Trenitalia.com.

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