Our hotel check in time is 2 pm and we r reaching Florence at around 10 am. We have requested for an early check in if possible, but in case it does not happen, if we leave at 2:30 for Cinque terre and return around 10:30 pm (our hotel is walking distance from Santa Novella is it safe to walk then) will it be worthwhile? Or should we keep our luggage and leave immediately for cinque terre and come back before 7 pm (have to pay extra if we check in after that).
Thanks in advance
Even if you can’t check in early most if not all hotels will hold your bags til room is ready, so you can actually “check in” when you arrive at 10
You will just get your room key later
Just drop your bags and go —no need to wait til 2
Ditto to the above advice; and it is safer than most places in America
Christine's plan should work fine to leave bags at the hotel, but failing that, there is also a bag storage office at SMN train station.
Our place of stay is a small studio apartment type accommodation with no front desk (as I have learn from tripadvisor review). So I don't think dropping the bags and going will be possible. So, what is your suggestions in that case? Is 3 hours good enough time to see some parts of Cinque terre?
That’s the problem with apartment rentals
Your post did say hotel so that’s what I based my answer on
I guess store bags at train station is your best solution and make sure you return with plenty of time to retrieve them find your apartment before 7
Never been to CT myself but I’d say no
3 hours not enough time
Do you have another day to do a CT trip? We spent 2 nights there, and it was amazing, but I think 3 hours is not enough time considering the travel time to get there. If you have a limited time in Tuscany, I'd concentrate on closer sights. This is just my opinion, but the CT is very crowded in summer and having only 3-4 hours at peak hours would be tough to really enjoy it. If you can get 5-6 hours, it might make more sense...maybe do what another suggested and leave bags at the station, head to CT as soon as you get to Florence?
You can ask your apartment hotel whether they can recommend a spot nearby to store luggage, or use an app like nannybag to find one....or store at train/bus station you will be using for CT journey.
Depending where you are coming from, it may not be worth it for 3 hours. If arriving from North America that morning, I would not undertake the trip. If from a different city, going immediately might result in more time, but it will be during the height of cruise and tourist daytrippers. Doing the later trip might provide some break from the masses.
Let your accommodation know your situation and they may be able to work with you.
What has Rick Steves done to Americans?
He got them so hooked on the Cinque Terre that now no American tourist can go to Italy without visiting the place, even those who clearly have no time or whose itinerary is totally out of the way.
I am waiting for the question on this forum:
“I’ll be visiting Sicily for a week. Do I have time for a quick day trip to Vernazza?”
How much time do you have in Florence? I don't see why a very long day trip would have to occur on this day. Store your luggage at the train station and enjoy the city. Do the day trip another day (it is really questionable if it is worth it to spend so long on trains for this trip--if you are avid hikers, come back and do it on another trip when you can stay on the coast if your time is limited).
If you posted your complete itinerary, it could allow the forum to make suggestions on how to best use your time and if CT might fit in better at some other time in your trip.
From seeing your other post it appears you have a too ambitious plan for this trip
Are you still 'planning' or have unchangeable reservations been made for this trip, whenever it is?
Would not be concerned with 'safety' getting to your lodging at 1030PM
will it be worthwhile?
With the given info, I think you would make better use of your time in Florence ( especially in light of your plans listed in your other post)
Your question is, would it be worthwhile spending almost 6 hours on trains to spend 2-3 hours in Cinque Terre. My opinion is that 2-3 hours is definitely not enough time to enjoy Cinque Terre. You'd only be able to walk through 1 or 2 towns and wouldn't have enough time to hike between towns. You don't say how long you'll be in Florence, but maybe a day trip on another day would allow for a less rushed visit.
The best time to be in CT is overnight, when the other tourists go home. Stay there 1 night and take your baggage with you. :)
Are you planning to do this day trip right after arrival in Europe after flights from the U.S.? If that's the case, I would not recommend a day trip to the Cinque Terre.
In any case, even if it is feasible I don't think a day trip to the Cinque Terre with a 14:30 departure from Florence is realistic. Travel time is going to be about 2.5 to 3 hours in each direction with one or two changes, which won't leave much time to actually see anything. If you want to see the Cinque Terre, I'd recommend spending a full day on that so that you can see all five towns.
The other complicating factors are luggage storage and checking into your flat before 19:00 so as not to incur extra charges. If you depart Florence at 14:30, there's no way you can be back before 19:00! There are a number of luggage storage places in the vicinity of Firenze S.M. Novella, but that process takes time, especially if walking is involved. You'd also have to determine the hours of operation of the luggage storage place.
Hi I am from India and we are arriving Florence that day from Rome on the fast train. We are staying there till 3rd morning when we are leaving for Venice on the morning train. So we have 31st, 1st and 2nd to see Florence. The Sunday we are keeping to see the two museum s and Boboli Gardens. Must see places in our list are Sienna, San Gimignano, Pisa and Cinque Terre. We are family of four (two teenage sons, hubby and me) and we will be with my sister-in-law and her daughter (in her 20s).
So please suggest an imaginary.
And thanks for ur help.
pimni,
Thanks for the additional information as that clarifies the picture to some extent.
First a few questions......
In any case, if you leave Florence in the afternoon, it's not going to be enough time to see much of the five towns, especially as some of your touring would be in the evening when the light is diminishing. If the Cinque Terre is a "must see", then I'd still suggest allocating a full day for that, and leave Florence in the morning. You might find it interesting to have a look at my suggestions in another thread - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/cinque-terre-or-amalfi-coast-or-venice-for-our-honeymoon-in-october .
A few comments on the other places you mentioned.....
One other important point to mention is that if you haven't used trains or other public transit in Italy, there are a few potentially expensive caveats to be aware of. If you need further information on those, post another note here.
"So please suggest an imaginary"
I'm assuming that's a typo and you meant an itinerary. I'd have to give some thought to an Itinerary that would work in this case.
Thank you so much for the suggestion. After taking in suggestions from other question I posted, I am thinking whether we can make an evening trip to Sienna and San gimignano which seem to be nearer. And keep the whole day for Pisa and Cinque Terre.
As for my odd timing, the check in starts at 2 PM in our accommodation. We haven't heard from them yet 😔😔.
We r traveling by train mostly within Italy and even taking the overnight train from Venice to Paris. So far, we have booked that train ticket and the ticket between Rome to Florence and Florence to Venice.
We are leaving India on 27the May (just 9 days left!!) And returning on 7th from Paris. We r staying in Rome from 28th May to 31st (leaving in the morning for Florence) and leaving Florence on 3rd. We r not staying in Venice, will be keeping our luggage and see the city (just roam around) and the overnight train is at 7 pm. From 4th to 6th we r in Paris.
We r staying in Rome from 28th May to 31st (leaving in the morning for
Florence) and leaving Florence on 3rd.
Pimni, so you only have 2 full days and part of another for Florence. IMHO, you are trying to do too much. Realistically you have time for 1 day trip out of the city and no, I wouldn't try to do the CT if you can't leave Florence until 2:30 PM. I wouldn't try to do Siena and San Gimignano in an evening either. Try and do all this and you're going to see a whole lot of train/bus stations and not much of anything else. There's definitely no flex for working around weather either, which you can't count on being favorable on any given day.
I also wouldn't try to do "the two museums" (I assume you mean the Uffizi and Accademia: did you already order tickets?) and Boboli Gardens in one day. And what about some of the rest of Florence's treasures?
The Cinque Terre is a FULL day trip, although you might be able to sneak in a look at the tower in Pisa on the way: leave early in the morning. The CT will be very busy so getting around to the various villages will take some time once you get there.
Or choose Siena/San Gimignano for your day trip, although the majority here would tell you that Siena deserves a full day. I just don't see it being feasible or enjoyable to try and squeeze Florence, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano and the CT into 2.5 days.
Thank you so much for the advice. No we haven't bought any tickets. We had planned for Pisa on 31st, 1st for sienna/san gimignano and 1 day for Florence. Then we saw video of Cinque terre and now we r so divided!! And my hubby is lamenting why didn't he add one more day to Florence!!
No we haven't bought any tickets.
If you haven't done so for the Uffizi, I HIGHLY recommend doing so now. That is a long ticket line that you do not want to waste time standing in. I'd do the same for the Accademia.
https://www.uffizi.it/en/tickets
Note you have to choose a a specific day/time from what's still available, and that you can purchase a combo ticket for the Uffizi, Boboli and Pitti.
Then we saw video of Cinque terre and now we r so divided!
If the video you saw is more then a few years old, the CT shown no longer exists. Projections predict twice as many tourists will flock there this year. It’s overrun, made much worse by day tripping cruise ships. It would be a huge time suck from Florence. You’ll spend far more time traveling than being there.
Overall, you are trying to do way too much. You can’t see it all no matter how hard you try, so slow down and spend quality time.
I agree with Roberto. It seems like 95% of inquiries here want to go to CT. It’s being turned into Disney World at its worst.
I totally agree with Kathy. I have been to Italy 3 times and each time stay longer in Florence, which I realize is not an option for you at this point. So far, I have not been to CT or Pisa-they aren't must-sees for us. If I were you, at most, I would only do a day trip to Siena. Spend enough time in Florence to soak up the atmosphere-it's such a fun place to just walk around. I have always felt totally safe walking around by myself, even at night. Honestly, to me, your proposed itinerary would leave all your destinations, including Florence, as just a blur in your mind when it's over. Walk around Florence and have enough gelato to decide which one you think is best. It's your vacation-leave yourself some time to relax!
CT is very overrated. It is packed with cruise ship tours. It is a tourist trap and has lost its charm.
Please spend time in places, not on buses and trains. Too many people try to cram in every single site and end up with breathless moments trying to snap a quick pic of the monument and miss out on the charm and ambiance of the site. Italy is a place of piano, piano -- slow down. Take a couple of hours for lunch on a patio and savor those moments. Meals are to be savored, not gulped. Piazzas are to be places to rest and enjoy the monuments, not rushed through with a guide.
I hope you and your family enjoy your time in Italia. I sincerely hope that you push the "pause button" and skip Pisa -- it is also a tourist trap that can be skipped.
Wow, you aren't giving yourself enough time to see Florence — much less Siena, San Gimignano, and Pisa, and Cinque Terre *certainly * doesn’t fit!!
What is the point of going to Florence if you're not even going to see it?
Yeah we dropped CT. So on 31 st we r going to Pisa and roam around in Florence. Since I can't climb spiral staircases (i feel dizzy) we don't think we r spending that much time in Pisa.
As for the next two days, 1st June we will see Sienna and San gimignano and 2nd Florence.
Now the problem is, we r leaving Florence very early on 3rd and being an extreme believer of Murphy's law, my husband don't want to go out of city on 2nd. And that being a free day we can't buy tickets even if we want to!!
As for standing in line, we Indians are used to it. 😋😋😋😋😋. Given our population, we stand in one every day just to buy tickets to our daily ride in subway!! As long as it is moving and no one is cutting in, we r good.
pimni,
In reading over the replies you've received so far, I think the general theme of the replies is that you have too much planned for the very limited time you have available. With that thought in mind, it would probably be a good idea to pare your list down somewhat and skip a few of the "must sees" that you've listed. It would be a shame to see Italy only from the windows of a train or bus, and not really enjoy it.
Which sites to skip is up to you, but I agree with the previous reply from Texas Girl about Pisa, so that's one that you might skip.
EDIT: We were typing replies at the same time, but I'll leave my comments as-is for now.
There's so much to see in Florence, it's well worth staying there the whole time.
However, if you must do a day tour, this Walks of Italy Tuscany Day Trip covers Siena and San Gimignano and includes lunch at a Chianti farm. It's a bit pricey and takes 10 hours, but it's worth every minute and every Euro cent. I did a very similar Walks tour a few years ago. There was plenty of time at each town and the lunch was delightful. An advantage of doing a tour like this is that you're assured you will get home.
Note that there is a 20% off sale showing for us in the States right now. I don't know if you'll see that if you click on the link, but the sale ends here at midnight central daylight time 20 May. The promo code is MAYSALE20 and it is for all Walks tours.
Part of the charm was driving through Tuscany on the bus. But, it was a breathtaking view from San Gimignano that made me understand why the area is so magical.
The CT is part of the Rick Steves Village Italy tour. I agree that it is overrated and over crowded. I won't return to the area with its 5 towns, gladly leaving a spot for someone else.
Now the problem is, we r leaving Florence very early on 3rd and being
an extreme believer of Murphy's law, my husband don't want to go out
of city on 2nd. And that being a free day we can't buy tickets even if
we want to!! As for standing in line, we Indians are used to it.
😋😋😋😋😋. Given our population, we stand in one every day just to
buy tickets to our daily ride in subway!! As long as it is moving and
no one is cutting in, we r good.
Pimni, I'm not sure I understand what Murphy's Law has to do with a day trip out of Florence on the 2nd instead of the 1st, and I believe you are seriously underestimating the queue at the Uffizi on ANY high-season day let alone free days (Sunday, June 2nd is Republic Day and a national holiday). The Accademia will very likely be mobbed as well: online tickets are sold out for the 31st and 1st, if that's any indication. As the museums can only hold a certain amount of people at a time, those lines may not move steadily, and you don't really have hours to waste standing in them.
Interestingly, the Pitti and Boboli do not appear to be free on June 2:
https://www.uffizi.it/en/magazine/12-free-admission-days-as-an-opportunity-to-reflect-on-cultural-heritage
They are selling online tickets for both on the website.
IMHO, Pisa can be skipped with so little time for Florence, and the suggestion for booking the Walks of Italy Tuscany trip is a good one as it will eliminate figuring transport for 6 people, keep you on schedule plus provide narration. I see they offer this tour on both the 1st and 2nd of June. With an escorted tour, there's no reason, really, not to move your day trip to the 2nd so you could order Uffizi tickets for a remaining time slots available on the 1st .
But concerning the Uffizi, there's no need to see it at all unless you are keenly interested in art. Florence is full of art - particularly Renaissance art - so there are other opportunities for visitors with just passing versus deep interest for getting a look at some priceless works without spending hours in a free-day queue.
