Getting around for the elderly

Can you clarify "a week's visit"? Meaning how many full days on the ground (minus time spent in flight)? This seems like an incredibly hectic schedule even for pretty vibrant people, never mind the elderly. You have to factor in travel time in between all these places as well. You would need approximately 9 full days just to see Rome, Florence, and Venice. Even the Rick Steves tour of these three cities is set for 10 days (and tours are generally more efficient than people traveling independently for the first time because there's no learning curve).

Day 1: Fly into Rome

Day 2: Rome

Day 3: Travel Rome to Sorrento

Day 4: Sorrento

Day 5: Travel Sorrento to Positano

Day 6: Positano

Day 7: Travel Positano to Florence

Day 8: Florence

Day 9: Travel Florence to Venice

Day 10: Venice

End of Day 11: leave venice

That is all the time we have. If it's too much, then suggest what I leave out?
We are not interested in art galleries/museums. Mainly interested in scenery.

Couple comments. You are doing too much even not considering that one of your group is older. You aren't considering how much time you will lose traveling.

Positano is nothing but steps. We were there two summers ago and tired of the steps and we are much younger. I would skip it.

I wonder about Florence if you are not interested in museums.

Beth

Have you really factored in travel time? It will take about 5 hours (or more) to get from Positano to Florence. It seems like most of your locations are only getting 1.5 days before you're planning to depart somewhere else. This is way too much, even for a solo energetic traveler. Try to pick an itinerary where you are actually staying put for three full days at each location. Trying to corral several family members to pick up and move so often will really be tiring on everyone, believe me.

If you want primarily "scenery", then can you focus on a smaller geographic range that doesn't have you zigzagging so much? Maybe just Rome and Amalfi Coast? Or just Tuscany? The Amalfi Coast and Positano are full of stairs and steep geography. Also, most flights back to the States from Venice are very early in the morning, so ending your trip with Venice also has pitfalls.

If I had an "elderly" person in my travel group I would spend the whole week in one place, or two at the most. I am 'only' 61yo and I already find transit days fatiguing - the days spent transferring between destination, whether by car or public transport.

I feel quite guilty about a couple of visits that my mother-in-law made to see us here in Oz, from the UK, when we thought we ought to really 'show her the sights'. She was game and did her level best, but I realised later that we overdid it. On subsequent visits, we incorporated quite a bit of down time and she enjoyed it much more.

Have you discussed this with your senior?

With 2 nights in each place, that only gives a full day there. Skip Sorrento and Positano, too far to go for such a limited amount of time. Add a night to Venice and Florence and two to Rome. That way, when you get home, it will not all be a blur.

Venice S.L, Florence S.M.N, and Termini are all terminal type stations with no real steps to deal with. In fact I know that Venice S. L. has a nice ramp to cover the short rise from the Grand Canal quay up to the platforms.
You might want to stay somewhere you don't have to cross bridges. The vaporetto boarding is all by ramps with no steps except maybe that 6 inches onto the boat. A lot of bridges in popular areas like Piazza San Marco have ramps these days. Not so much when you get into the interior of the islands. In fact, a round trip on the No 1 vaporetto from the train station to S.M. Elizabetta is a great sight seeing junket, sitting on the fantail.

Florence and Rome you can use taxis to get around.

10 nights total.
3 Venice
3 Florence
4 Rome
That is the only sane allocation, especially with an elderly person.
You don’t have time for Naples Area (Sorrento Amalfi Coast) unless you can add 4 nights to your vacation.

James, several of those locations are very hilly even for normal walkers. I'll mention that in hotels, the first floor is one flight of stairs up. So, you will need to confirm with all of your hotels that there is an elevator. I haven't seen too many elevators in hotels where I've stayed so don't assume there's one.

Would your group be happy going to something like this where the transportation time would be much shorter, and the towns aren't as hilly: Venice, Verona, Stresa (fly home from Milan). Verona & Stresa w/ beautiful Isola Bella island to explore would be a much easier and less stressful trip.

Venice-to-Verona by train is 1 hour
Verona-to-Stresa by train is 2 1/2 hours
Stresa to Malpensa Airport by Alibus is 1 hour

Day 1: Fly into Rome

Day 2: Rome

Day 3: Travel Rome to Sorrento

Day 4: Sorrento

Day 5: Travel Sorrento to Positano

Day 6: Positano

Day 7: Travel Positano to Florence

Day 8: Florence

Day 9: Travel Florence to Venice

Day 10: Venice

End of Day 11: leave venice

Other people have already weighed in with suggestions on how to alter this travel plan. I'll just add my two cents here. I can get about just fine, but that schedule would not only leave me exhausted, I would never have a sense that I'd seen or experienced anything except a bus or train between point A and point B.

I'd stick to Rome, Florence & Venice. You'll still see the sights and landscape between these places. It will be a wonderful orientation to Italy for future travels.

Whatever you decide, good luck & have a great time!!

I agree that you should skip Sorrento and Positano. You don't have time for them.

Because of the very early flight issues returning from Venice, it would probably be better to arrive in Venice and leave from Rome.

I'm a little confused about the choice of major cities when scenery is your main goal and you don't like museums. Having said that, I had a lovely view of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica from the apartment I rented near it last summer in Rome. I also had a great view of the Venetian Lagoon and Cemetery Island from the apartment I rented in Venice.

Spoiler alert: both apartments were up lots of stairs. You don't say how many "a large amount of stairs" is or how far "long distances" are. As you progress with your planning, make sure that your lodgings have elevators from the ground floor to the floor you will be on.

I'm 72 with bad knees and a medically lowered heart rate. I can go up and down stairs and inclines, but I am slow. Your elderly family members may be similarly challenged.

And yes, there are lots of stairs, inclines and rough walking surfaces in Italy. Getting on and off trains, buses and vaporetti is also no piece of cake, especially with too much luggage, so packing light is essential. Each person will need to be able to manage their own luggage.

I don't consider any of the challenges of getting around in Italy to be a deal breaker. They are simply part of the experience of being there.

It would probably be a good idea for each member of your traveling party to identify what they want to see and do in each place you want to go.

To help with the logistics, Trenitalia is a major resource for train trip planning. Booking.com is a good resource for finding lodging. Be realistic about what is doable for your group and have fun with the planning.

For learning how to pack light you can't beat this Travel Tips section on it, this video about it and this forum with questions and answers about packing.

This plan you have is horrible for anyone who is not young and strong .

Two nights is only one full day .

You are jumping around way too much !!

Rome , Florence , Venice for such a short visit !

Yikes, James! That really is an exhausting schedule with too many moves within a short time, and Positano is ALL uphill; a poor choice for anyone with mobility challenges. Sorrento is flatter but you're going to have problems if exploring other coastal towns so I'd scrap Sorrento/Positano and put all of your time into the three cities.

I'm unsure what it is you plan to do besides "scenery" - or how you personally define "scenery" - in your chosen locations? Skipping the museums is fine if you have other interests to fill your time but, well, "scenery" usually involves a fair amount of walking. Understand that there are areas of Florence (and some in Rome) which are entirely pedestrianized as is ALL of historic Venice; worth the mention as "they can still walk OK" could mean 2 blocks or 2 miles.

The restrooms in quite a number of restaurants are down steep flights of basement stairs, and just as many hotels do not have lifts. If your family member really cannot do stairs, you're going to need to exercise caution when booking accommodations. As Sam said, you can take taxis to most hotels in Florence and Rome from the train stations, and try to choose a hotel in Venice that doesn't involve crossing a lot of bridges. To make things easiest, pack lightly in the smallest bags possible. Rome and Florence also have ground transit systems (buses and/or metro) for covering longer distances but some of Rome's metro stations could involve stairs.

Lately there has been quite a bit of chatter on here about mobility-challenged folks. Not wheelchair-bound, but walking slow and not able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Hell, I'm 60 myself, not in the best of shape anymore and for our trips we certainly factor in the walkability, although as long as we're not rushingrushingrushing, we can sanely traverse plenty of ground daily and get good exercise in as well. You know, the iPhone mobile app that logs the number of steps--if you ain't doing 10,000 a day, you ain't doing it!

So, just from my observances in three trips to Italy, I've found, in no particular order:

--take Pompei slow & easy. Assume you're going to turn an ankle and maybe you won't. And eschew the sandals, it's not 79 A.D. The place is worth the uneven surfaces for anyone, however.

--in Rome, the bus is your friend. Yes, it's crowded even in off-season, but just because someone tells you, 'ah, geez, you can walk from the Vatican to Piazza Navona' doesn't mean you should actually do it. If there for a few nights, get a weekly bus/Metro pass (and a laminated transit map) at Termini or any tabacchi shop for 24 Euro. Walk and ride, you'll still get your steps in.

--cobblestones in Florence. Bad for feet, bad for spinner suitcases, really bad for people that walk backwards, as I do/did while talking to my wife while ahead of her. Easy to trip and fall that way. Be careful so you don't walk into the Uffizi with a head wound.

--in Sicily, pick your spots. In Taormina, we stayed at Hotel Villa Schuler, which was only a short grade down from the main drag, Corso Umberto. Other hotels would require a system of pulleys to get me back and forth. Be smart & logistically-sane when booking.

Enjoy your planning!

Sam and Roberto have given excellent advice. I want to reinforce that. The "Big 3" have train stations that are easy enough, taxis are plentiful, lots of sights and sites to enjoy. Slow the heck down and enjoy your 10 nights in 3 places. You might just make some memories.

What does the 'elderly' person want to do? Does this person prefer a rest in the afternoon? I would go with what ever the 'elderly' person wants to do as the rest of you can return to Italy and see it at your own speed. I imagine this will be the last time this one family member will travel to Italy. I suggest only two locations so you can at least see a location decently. For contrast I would pick Florence and Venice, but it could be any combination of two. If you think you'll be bored, take day trips and the 'elderly' person can go or not. Your present schedule is ridiculous for the most energetic person not on a tour, slow down and enjoy your trip. If you take a tour, then this schedule would be fine as the transport is then relaxing.

PS, Can you tell I hate the term elderly?

I will join the chorus. This is an absolutely awful schedule. You loose at least a half day and often more when changing locations. With four changes that is at least two days out of a very short time frame. And if someone has limited mobility then travel days can be exhausting. Second you are inconsistent with your statement --- We are not interested in art galleries/museums. Mainly interested in scenery. You may need to explain scenery since you have chosen at least three major cities full of galleries and museums.

As other suggested, you should drop Sorrento and Positano because they are built on hill sides (cliffs). I would even consider dropping Venice because of the stairs to get over the canals.

If you stick to this schedule, then I would reverse it. Far easier to fly into Venice and come home from Rome.

However, if you are truly interested in scenery (at least by my definition) I would fly into Florence, pick up a car and stay seven nights in an agriturismo outside of Florence. Use the car to hit some of the small hit towns and wineries in C Terra. Massive amount of scenery with lots of flexibility. And then use you final three nights in Rome and return home from Rome. Given what you have stated this makes more sense than what you posted earlier.

Good luck.

I like Frank's plan, for what it is worth.

James, Despite what you may (hopefully not) consider a discouraging tone to the collective posts when taken as a whole, please accept all the advice being offered as sincere concern about the viability of your first two itineraries with an elderly person who has some mobility issues. None of the previous posters is trying to rain on your parade, they are simply trying to offer workable alternatives so you do not have to "...consider not going if it's that hard...". Granted, a week is a limited amount of time, but your trip can proceed and be a successful one if you simple pare back the places you visit and the amount of moves you make. A great deal of time is "lost" every time you change locations. In addition to actual travel time, there is also the time to pack up, check out, get to the train station, find the new hotel, check in, unpack, and such. You want great memories of Italy that are not cluttered up with memories of train stations and rushing to and fro. Suggest you pick out two places that everyone thinks they will like and just go there. Once you make your final selection of locations, folks on the forum will be happy to help with questions about the details. Also, if your air tickets have not been purchased consider flying into one city and back from another.

James, I'm with the chorus here also...too much traveling without any experience to the town/city you are visiting. Let's analyze this to visiting america.. Italy is a leg with Rome as the knee. Overlay Italy on the eastern US and you will go from Boston (venice) to Richmond, VA (Positano). You will be on a train 7 times and a bus at least twice (Sorrento/Positano). The train from Sorrento to Florence is at least 5-7 hours (Sorrento to Naples, switch in Naples to Florence). The train from Florence to Venice is a few hours too, not counting get to the stations, etc. Do you think this would be a good vacation?

We on this forum are all big advocates of staying at the very least 2 nights once you arrive somewhere, me personally I never stay less than 3 nights and use day trips. Rethink this time so you enjoy the trip!

None of the previous posters is trying to rain on your parade, they
are simply trying to offer workable alternatives so you do not have to
"...consider not going if it's that hard...".

Well put, TC. None of us mean to be harsh AT ALL, just realistic with some pointers so that you all have a good time without dealing with a lot of mobility stress. :O)

Frank's suggestion nails it.

In fact, if you do that, may I come along please?

Yep, Frank's suggestion is right on. And if you don't want to drive in Italy, there is still plenty to see and do in Florence and Rome. I love Sorrento, but agree your trip is way too ambitious. Stick to two cities, whichever two call to you the most.

And I suspect that most of the folks on this tour are probably what you would call "elderly," and most of us do just fine. But as many others have noted, lower your sights. You have way too much time traveling from place to place. You're going to want to relax, enjoy the good food, and just marvel at being in Italy.

I also want to reaffirm: all the suggestions you've received here are meant to be helpful. Most of us have "been there, done that," and know not to do it like that again.

I have the feeling that this was not the responses James was expecting and most likely will not be back. Too bad. Also, amazing, was the degree of uniformity in the responses.

I also would skip Sorrento and Positano, but if you do go there, then I see no reason to change hotels. Sorrento is a fine home base with trains to Pompeii for one day trip, and buses or ferries to Positano and Amalfi for another day trip. I did not find Positano particularly interesting. There are some nice shops, but climbing up and down hills for comparison shopping of heavy ceramics is not going to make it fun. I'd be happy to just drive by, using ferry one way and bus the other way.

Many train stations don't have elevators but that won't be an issue for these destinations. [Roma Termini](see https://www.romatermini.com/en/map/) and Napoli Centrale both have some escalators. Florence SMN and Venice S. Lucia are both dead-end, level entry stations. Sorrento and Pompeii are small stations that might have one flight of stairs to enter and exit, though I don't actually remember from my visit last year. Hotels near Rome, Florence, and Sorrento trains stations are good options, but Venice has less (not zero) selection in that neighborhood.

Guys, this is a post from last February.