Cruise Trip To Italy and Greece

Hi there, Sandy, and welcome to the forum!!!
How exciting that you were able to negotiate a trip!!! :O)

Before recommendations - and I'm sure you'll receive many good ideas - it's best to start with a realistic look at how much time you actually have to work with. That should be counted in number of nights, not days, you'll have on the ground in Italy so it shouldn't include the date of your departure flight (from the U.S?). Arrival days are partials that can have a traveler in a jet-lagged fog so they're not great for planning anything ambitious. Additionally, the day you have to be in Civitavecchia to start your cruise will be a partial.

Actual dates, if you know them, would be even more helpful: what date will you be arriving in Rome and what date will you be boarding your ship?

Congrats on getting hubby to go! It took me years and years to get mine to go and now he is almost as hooked on travel as I am! We even ended up living in Italy for several years!

As to your dilemma, at least you realize you cannot see and do it all. Since your cruise tour will only give you a glancing blow at Florence, why not take the train directly there upon landing in Rome? Do you a
Have 4 nights or 5? If 5, spend 3 nights in Florence, get over jet lag, take a wine tour with Tours By Roberto, then move to Rome for 2 nights. If you only have 4 nights, then split it 2 and 3. Not ideal but you’ll get more Tuscan flavor than the cruise will give you.

OR you could spend the entire time in Rome (more relaxing) and get a reasonably in-depth look at that fine destination.

I would forget the Amalfi Coast. It take quite a bit of time and effort to go there and you have so little time.

If I were in your position, one of my major goals of this trip would be to set a pace my husband would enjoy so he would be excited about going back. I don't know what that pace is, but I imagine you do.

It's hard to go wrong with Italy unless you try to cram in so many different places that you spend almost all your time sitting on trains and buses. I know it's hard to accept, but sometimes a fourth or fifth day in a major destination like Rome is better than one or two days somewhere else, because there's no wasted travel time.

Thank you for the lovely welcome...;)...I had high hopes this was the best route to go...thank you for verifying that choice was correct!

We board the cruise on a Sunday evening with a plan to begin the trip the Tuesday before. We are flying from the US, arriving Wednesday morning....although where to is still undecided. This gives us 4 nights total before the cruise and 2 half days. I am sure the jet lag will be pointing it's ugly finger at us, although I hope to sleep on the overnight flight...just a bit...and hit the ground running! To know me you would grasp that I am a bit of a energetic sole....that said I make up for my hubby...:) I agree with the statement to make it enjoyable and memorable for him....I smiled at the comment as this truly is my secret plan! I know once he experiences the trip he will love it as much as I will and want to return.

I'm a bit disappointed as I was so looking forward to seeing the AC, although I am beginning to realize there truly is not enough time and I must choose. Question, if we settle on Rome, Florence and the surrounding cities as suggested, which ones do you recommend? Is there a small town or village we simply should not miss? Tuscany.....I know is a given....we visit Pisa on the ship...and research has enlightened me to a few amazing jewels...I am searching for the hidden little gems....:) Grazie Mille!!

Lucca is great and I think could be easily visited during your Pisa port call. But I haven't cruised so I really don't know how the timing works.

Just my two euros worth. You will always loose more time changing locations than anticipated. Having said that, here is my suggestion to eliminate that lost time.

Fly into Venice and spend the time before the cruise there. It is a truly unique place -- like none other we've ever been. There is also the possibility of a day trip to Verona. Or, spend the entire time in Rome with a day trip to Ostia Antica. Believe me, you will not run out of things to see and do if you have twice that amount of time to spend there.

We've spent a good bit of time in both places, so feel free to ask away.

With only 4 nights, and with the last one having to be in Rome because of embarkation the next day, you really have to be ruthless with yourself. Pick 1 place to visit. Very hard to do, I know; but you have to be realistic. Your arrival day will be jet lagged, and your last day will be spent either getting to or in Rome. That really only leaves you with 2 (and a half?) usable days to see anything. It would be REALLY time consuming just getting to and from the Amalfi Coast.

You could fly into Venice, spend 3 nights there and then train down to Rome (frequent direct trains - 3 hr 45 min). It's a magical way to start an Italian visit. Buy a multicity flight ticket: into Venice and home from Rome. Or you could fly into Rome and go directly to Florence by train. Stay there 3 nights, with perhaps a day trip to Siena and/or a winery/ hilltop villages tour. OR just stick with Rome. There is no way you can do more than scratch the surface of the Eternal City in that amount of time.

Your cruise will be filled with short day trips where you won't get to see much of the Ports. Why not at least start the trip getting to know one place a little better, and at a more relaxed pace?

I like Laurel's plan. There's a lot to see in both Florence and Rome and Florence is an easy train ride from Rome.

Tuscany.....I know is a given....we visit Pisa on the ship...and
research has enlightened me to a few amazing jewels...I am searching
for the hidden little gems....:)

Sandy, honestly, there are few 'hidden gems' (if there are even many of those left) that can be conveniently done with very little time. I'll also go along with concern that your Other Half may be unhappy and therefore unwilling to take a future stab at Italy if forced into breakneck itinerary, especially as you've indicated that your energy level is not exactly his? If you want him to love it, giving him TIME to be able to do so, at his own pace, may be more important than exhausting the man with too many moves?

Regarding Rome and Florence, tourists who've expressed a dislike for both often haven't given them time needed to balance the 'must-see' landmarks with exploration away from the hordes in-and-around them. Compressing top attractions into a short amount of time places you squarely in the middle of the biggest crowds all day. That can become so tiring that it can be difficult to appreciate what you're looking at! Being able to balance one BIG tourist magnet a day with less-visited spots not only gives you a deeper perspective but helps manage crowd exhaustion.

So, that's the argument for just spending all of your time in Rome. A day trip to Orvieto is a definite possibility from that base.

But if Tuscany is a must, then you could fly into Florence or Pisa and make Florence your base. Spend the balance of arrival Wed. just walking about to stay awake but NO big museums: you may be ready to hit the ground running but your D.H. may be dragging! At most, maybe climb up to Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato for a look at the church and a terrific view over the city. Spend Thursday on the "Tours By Roberto" Laurel has suggested or take a day trip on your own to Lucca or Siena. It's very possible Lucca could be done when your ship is in port near Pisa (Livorno?) but I've no idea what sort of time you'll have.

Friday will be the tough decision. You can stay in Florence and do one of the day trips mentioned above or head to Rome. Whatever the case, you'll want to be in Rome by Saturday but that would give you very little time for a city with a LOT to see.

Editing to add: if flying into Florence or Pisa doesn't work, then fly into Rome and take a train directly to Florence.

For your five free days, I would stay in one location in Tuscany and rent a car to explore the area and other villages. Look at Panzano, Radda or Castellina in Chianti region, or Pienza or Montalcino to the SE. They are all charming, filled with vineyards, and fulfill your wish of seeing villages while not overloading your husband with too much history or art. The cruise days in port will be very intense so relax in Tuscany and get a real feel for Italy first. Rent your car through AutoEurope.com and get an International Drivers License at your local AAA before you leave home..
When we go to Florence it is all about art, a fabulous city for history art. It tends to get very crowded too.
Amalfi Coast? Your cruise stops in Messina Sicily and you will be able to go to Taormina which I thought was prettier than the Amalfi Coast. You do not want to stretch yourselves thin on a first trip to Italy. We didn't go south of Rome until 7th trip to Italy. Once you visit Italy , you will want to return!

Welcome!

I think more background information would help us point you in the right direction. You said hubby is not a big international traveler. Where has he been before? How often has he travelled? Why has he been hesitant to visit Italy? What is it about cruising that got him to agree to this trip? Have you traveled to Europe before?

IMO, you should regard this as a scouting trip. Sadly you’ve gotten the short end of the stick - you want have enough time before the cruise and cruises by nature don’t allow for in depth exploring. Therefore, your limited time should at least not antagonize your husband and at best will whet his appetite for a more in depth return trip.

How good are you at logistics? We absolutely loved our stay in Tuscany and visited almost all the small towns mentioned earlier, but you really don’t have enough timeday to return. I found driving in Italy easy but I’m adventurous and was motivated.

I have two suggestions. The first is to stay in Rome and make one day trip. A great way to start would be to fly in, check into your hotel, grab a bite at Piazza Navana and take the Walks of Italy evening stroll. They leave from there. It’s a relaxing walk with a small group. Then spend the rest of your time not doing a mad rush “touristy” types of things because that’s what you’ll be doing on the cruise.

The other suggestion is to head directly to Orvieto and spend Wednesday and Thursday night there, returning to Rome Friday morning. That give you the rest of Friday and Saturday in Rome.

Finally, I guess you could fly into Florence. Check to see if doing open jaw would be more expensive. We did open jaw into London and out of Paris. You could then take the height speed train to Rome Saturday afternoon. Do t try to do both Florence and Rome, choose one or the other.

I have a few more questions for you, so we can tailor the advice further.

1) Where would you be flying from? "Best" flight options are very dependent on where you are starting from in the US, as well as where you will be going in Italy. You are quite right not to book airfare until you know your itinerary.

2) Do you live in a big city, suburb, small town, etc? And how does your husband feel about these various types of places? How you will feel about Rome is partly determined by how familiar and comfortable you are with big cities in general (although of course, experience with New York or Chicago in some ways prepares you well for Rome, and in other ways is no help at all!).

3) Your husband is not an international traveler, but have you traveled domestically much? Which kinds of places did he enjoy and not enjoy? As DougMac asks, is his resistance to travel in general, or to international travel, or to travel to places other than Disney World, or something else?

I do agree that, as inexperienced travelers, you'll have a much better time if you make it easy on yourselves logistically. Lots of trains, buses, car rentals, etc will cause a lot of stress and tension. This is even more true, if for instance, you've never taken a train before but will need one in Italy. And I also firmly agree that, paradoxically, people who try to avoid "big city stress" by having a short visit to a place like Rome or Florence actually make the visit more stressful, by having less time to cram in the big sights and not having enough time to slow down and find the quieter places in these cities (and yes they do exist - if you're not running from the Colosseum to the Forum to St. Peter's to the Vatican Museums in two days).

Hello everyone! Let me begin by saying how helpful all your advise has been...yes...once again! It is clear that many of you have been in this same situation..of that I am sure. Your suggestions truly made planning this adventure not so frightening...:) To offer such helpful guidance with the true intentions of helping a stranger was amazing and I took all your advice to heart.

We have decided to fly into Rome Wednesday and take a train to Florence right away. We will enjoy that area fitting in as much as we can...returning to Rome late Friday afternoon. That gives us 2 nights and one and a half days in Rome before getting to the ship on Sunday...a short time I understand...although I am still thankful. I discovered a few shore excursions that I had not explored yet with the cruise line...one being a bus tour and day trip to the Amalfi Coast!!...I will take it! We are still working on what to explore in the other ports, the holidays took priority over my time this past few months. I am looking at the cruise lines activities and shoretrips.com...and of course Tours by Roberto! I so want to do a wine tour and visit a few of the small towns everyone mentioned.

Thoughts on these Firenzecards and Roma Passes I am finding?...are they worth the money or just a waste of time visiting random sites? We purchased something similar on a vacation to California a few years back here in the US and it was very helpful and was a great guide to follow.

Secondly.....restaurants!! I always say "Ask the Locals"...in this case...I'm asking you all...the locals and the experienced for that favorite place that does not scream "Tourist"...I plan on eating my way through..:)

Lastly, I was hoping for a few good hotel recommendations in Florence and Rome?...we would prefer to be by the train station...although a safe area is a must. I'm not a Five Star Gal...although a reasonably price memorable quality stay is a must for this adventure.

Thank you again for all your guidance...I truly take everyone's advice to heart and those ideas I can make work are added to the list!!

Happy New Year!!

Been to Italy several times and done cruises that visited several Italian cities.

My advice is ROME, ROME and ROME, it is amazing, filled with lots of history, art and great food.

The main draws in Rome are the Vatican and the Roman ruins/ buildings. I have been to Rome twice and spend about 11 days there and still want to go back and see stuff that I missed.

The Sistine Chapel is the most amazing work of art in the World.

With regard to a hotel in Rome here is a place you should check out even though it's not real close to the train station. We have stayed at Hotel Fontanella Borghese many times and have always been pleased. While it is not "luxury", it is very nice and the location is great. The staff is very friendly and helpful. You can walk to Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Nuvona, even Vatican city. They also have a sister hotel closer to the Pantheon called Hotel Due Torri. We always send an email directly with our request for a booking and we get an answer back in 24 hours or less. Ask for a room overlooking the courtyard as rooms overlooking the side street can get noisy. The web site is www.fontanellaborghese.com. Check it out and see what you think.

Thoughts on these Firenzecards and Roma Passes I am finding?
We have decided to fly into Rome Wednesday and take a train to
Florence right away. We will enjoy that area fitting in as much as we
can...returning to Rome late Friday afternoon

Sandy, the Firenze card will be a waste if you only have 1.5 days in Florence (much may be closed by the time you reach the city and get settled in). It's only worth the price if you have 3 FULL days to use it. With the very little time you have, you'll need to be selective about what you want to see, and order tickets in advance for the couple which have the longest queues, like Uffizi.

....2 nights and one and a half days in Rome before getting to the
ship on Sunday.

You would have to see the Vatican Museums on Saturday (not open most Sundays) and the Roma Pass doesn't cover that one anyway. If the Colosseum is on your list, I'd just order advance tickets through the coopculture website for Sunday morning. One caveat, though: you'll want to make sure that the Sunday you have to work with isn't the first Sunday of the month. It's a fluid situation but most national museums are still free on first Sundays, and that is NOT a day you want to try and do the arena as it'll be even more mobbed than usual. Tickets/tours are not available for free Sundays.

You will have to choose a specific open time slot for both the Colosseum and Vatican Museums.