This will be our first venture to Europe, aiming for Sept/Oct 2017. Yes, I like to research things ad nauseum! We are recently retired, early 60's, and pretty healthy/active.
I think I have narrowed down this trip to northern Italy-Venice, Florence, CT being at the top of my list. We are interested in seeing the natural beauty of the region, eating authentic food, and of course wine and gelato! :) interested in architecture, but not necessarily museums....we like to be outdoors as much as possible.
Is 10 days (excluding travel days) adequate?
Can we accomplish traveling to the above locations by train/bus to avoid renting a car?
Advantages to arriving/departing in particular airports from the Midwest US?
Details of our trip are very open-ended at this point....we have cruised a lot, and arranged all of our shore excursions-have never been on a ship excursion! We originally thought we wanted to do a cruise to Italy as our first trip, but I am finding them expensive, and stopping at ports we are not really interested in. I researched land tours a bit, and again, they stop at places we would not choose, and it seemed a lot of time would be spent on a bus watching the scenery from a window.
I am overwhelmed at this point in my research, so I am hoping you can steer me in the right direction! If I am totally off-base, better to find out now, as opposed to a year from now! Ha.
One more rookie question....we flew to Maui last year... The red-eye home nearly did in the hubster-we were in coach seating, and he is 6'2....pretty cramped. Is it necessary to upgrade transatlantic flight seats, or are these planes much "roomier" than the typical plane?
Sorry for the basic info concerns, but we all have to start somewhere, right?!
Posted by
Seattle, Wa, USA
663 posts
Coach is pretty much the same regardless of destination. You might want to upgrade to seats with more leg room!
Is 10 days adequate? Once you get to Italy, you probably wont think so. My first trip was 12 nights, and it was extremely rushed. My second trip was 17 nights. Now I'm trying to convince hubby dear that we really need 3 entire weeks for the 3rd trip! Although he wants to add in things like Paris and a bit of Austria.
September/October is a great time of year to go, and Venice is an excellent place to start. Consider staying a MINIMUM of 3 nights in each place you visit. In fact, you might add a few nights to Florence so you can day trip to Tuscany (Siena and Pisa are super easy and quick to get to from Florence). Plan to fly into one city and out of another (look for multi-city option when buying airfare) so you dont waste time and money back tracking to your original city. Rome or Milan are both great to fly out of... add 3-5 nights to your itinerary for Rome or 1-2 nights for Milan.
Yes, all those places you mention are easy to get to by train. In fact, unless you plan to stay outside of Florence you are far better off avoiding a car rental.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Angela's advice is sound. You could add Lucca as part of your Pisa daytrip, very easy (have lunch in Lucca instead of the tourist-trapped restaurants around Campo dei Miracoli).
Enjoy your research, I like to plan ahead, too, even if I change my mind a dozen times before I actually leave!
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
15534 posts
I will also add my vote to Angela's regarding the coach seating. I usually fly Delta and I have found the international flights have less space than some of the domestic flights I've been on. I'm not a person that knows which plane is which so someone that does can probably explain that. Nevertheless, go for the Comfort Plus or whatever your airline calls it for the International leg. I don't usually spring for it for any domestic segments (and laughing because the little plane out of my local airport is all one class.) The Comfort seating, on Delta at least, gets you boarding earlier as well.
Since you are retired, if you can afford to take more days, do. Are your 10 days including travel days? If so you will leave on day 1 and arrive on day 2, then leave on day 10 so that will just give you 7 days to play with.
Have a wonderful time!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32456 posts
jill,
You're certainly getting an early start on your planning! No need to be overwhelmed as you have over two years to work out the details. A few thoughts on your questions.....
- Best time of year - I'd suggest September to mid-October if possible. Weather can be an issue in some places in late October (Cinque Terre).
- With "authentic food", don't forget to try Pesto in the C.T., where it was invented.
- Time frame - whether 10 days is adequate will depend to a large extent on how much you want to see. I'd suggest more time if possible, but not shorter than 14 days (excluding travel days). Italy is best enjoyed "slowly" and that won't be possible with a rushed Itinerary.
- YES, you can absolutely enjoy those locations without a rental car. Train service in Italy is excellent, but there are a few potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when using public transit in Italy. I can provide information on that later if you're interested.
- I'd suggest allocating a bit more time in Florence, as it's a great "home base" location for day trips in the area. Some examples are Siena, Lucca or Pisa.
- I noticed that Rome wasn't on the list?
- Once you have a list of cities more defined, it will be easier to offer suggestions on the most efficient route.
- As the others suggested, using open-jaw flights would be a really good idea.
- I don't have any information on the best flights from the midwest, but I'm sure someone in the group here will be able to help with that. It would help to know what your "home airport" is?
- Regarding flights I can well appreciate the comfort factor for larger people. As someone else mentioned, you might consider opting for "Premium Economy" (or whatever your airline calls it) as that provides more comfortable seating and more legroom. I'll be using that again on my next trip (although it wasn't cheap).
- In order to maximize your touring with sights that interest you the most, I'd highly recommend buying a copy of the Italy guidebook. The 2016 version should be available in a few months and I doubt much will change in 2017. The RS guidebooks have an enormous amount of information on sightseeing, transportation, hotels, restaurants and lots more. Note that the guidebooks area also available as E-books in a variety of formats (Kindle, iBooks, etc.). The 2015 Kindle edition is currently listed on Amazon for $10.74, so it wouldn't cost much to buy a copy now to start your research. If you don't have a Kindle Reader, no problem as they offer a free reader for PC's, Mac's, Smartphones, iPads and iPods.
Good luck with your planning!
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
If you are getting into October I would look at substituting the Amalfi Coast for Cinque Terre. You will be more certain to have beach weather still. In addition to the stunning coastline you get Naples and Pompeii to explore. I agree with others that 14 days would be a preferable minimum - you said recently retired so what's the rush?
Rome 3-4 nights
Amalfi Coast 4-5 nights
Florence 3-4 nights
Venice 3 nights
Posted by
North Carolina
2514 posts
Lucca is a great choice of day trip for those of us who like to walk around outdoors a lot - the tops of the city walls were turned into a public park, and you can stroll (or bike!) completely around the town on them, admiring the town within and the beautiful Tuscan hills without. For lunch, I recommend Trattoria Leo.
Posted by
OP
Columbus, Ohio
142 posts
OP here....thanks so much for your valuable insights! Time isn't the main concern, as we are retired, however, son #3 will officially complete med school in June, 2017, so budget will be the determining factor in the length of this trip!😉 I am sure to have more questions, and I am happy to have found such a helpful group!