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Does this itinerary make sense?

Posted by on

I posted some itineraries earlier but I realized they were a big mess. We tried to cover too many regions. So I condensed somethings. How does it look now? I have two versions. They are basically the same route but in opposite directions. I'm going with friends. We are trying to avoid tourist spots, get some good food and also see a bit of nature. We are trying to avoid driving if possible, but I know that might be difficult in some places, I'm assume?

I am wondering if we are overdoing it. Should I reduce it further? Is there something I did not consider? Should I be spending less time in some vs others?

VERSION 1
Route: Bordighera → Lucca → Garfagnana → Parma → Modena

  • Day 1
    Fly into Milan
    Train to Bordighera ~3 hours 4 mins

  • Day 2–3
    Bordighera

  • Day 4
    Train: Bordighera → Lucca (~5 hrs)

  • Day 5–6
    Lucca

  • Day 7
    Train: Lucca → Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (~1 hr 20 min)
    Return to Lucca or should I stay overnight?? A couple of days?

  • Day 8
    Lucca

  • Day 9
    Train: Lucca → Parma (~3 hrs)

  • Day 10–11
    Parma

  • Day 12
    Train: Parma → Modena (~1 hr)

  • Day 13–14
    Modena

  • Day 15
    Departure via Bologna (~40 min) or Milan (~2–3 hrs)??? Whatever is cheaper ticket I guess.

VERSION 2
Route: Modena → Parma → Lucca → Garfagnana → Bordighera

  • Day 1
    Fly into Bologna or Milan
    Train to Modena

  • Day 2–3
    Modena

  • Day 4
    Train: Modena → Parma (~1 hr)

  • Day 5–6
    Parma

  • Day 7
    Train: Parma → Lucca (~3 hrs)

  • Day 8–9
    Lucca

  • Day 10
    Train: Lucca → Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (~1 hr 20 min)
    Return to Lucca or overnight

  • Day 11
    Lucca

  • Day 12
    Train: Lucca → Bordighera (~5 hrs)

  • Day 13–14
    Bordighera

  • Day 15
    Departure via Milan (~3–4 hrs)

Posted by
120 posts

For your Parma/Modena visit, I would suggest you just stay in one or the other so you don’t have to change hotels. It’s very easy to do a day visit from one to the other.

Posted by
13461 posts

If you fly home from Milan, you are taking a HUGE risk by spending the night before somewhere other than Milan.

Flying home from Bologna with the night before being in Modena is not a problem.

When planning your moves, do not omit adding time for hotel check-out/check- in process and getting between hotels and train stations.

Posted by
165 posts

Bordighera is the one destination that adds a lot of travel time to your itinerary. If you're looking for a location on the sea, maybe try a coastal town in Tuscany? Maybe Verragio or Forte dei Marmi instead?

I would maybe use Bologna as a base and replace either Parma or Modena.

Posted by
9197 posts

What time of year is this?
Why Bordighera? So far out of the way

Too much time in Lucca- is there a reason for that?
Lucca can be full of tourists and honestly not much to do or see there
Not a good base for exploring Tuscany as it is too far north and west

Bologna is called the foodie capital of Italy

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