Help with details for my 2 weeks in March/April....

Posted by KRS (MD) on 02/06/22 12:13 AM

It was suggested that I start a new topic to address the next step of planning my trip, which makes sense, so I copied and pasted from my old thread below. Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.

Here's my plan so far. I'll do a rapid PCR test Sunday March 27. I fly out of Dulles on March 28 in the evening. I'm not good with technology etc. Other than my passport, vaccine card and tickets, I need to have my PCR results, right? Do I download them from the email or paper results they give me? Do I carry a copy in hand? Are there other forms I'm supposed to have either in hand or on my phone? I'm flying American.

I've got several KN95 and N95 masks set aside. I land in Rome (FCO) around 8am on the 29th. From there, I'll take the trenitalia to Florence. I can buy tickets when I get there, right? I don't want to get the ticket in advance in case my flight is delayed or it takes me longer than planned to navigate the airport. That will be okay, right? Once I get to Florence, I'll get settled in for my 7 day stay. I'm planning to see Uffizi and Academia, the Duomo and other spots. Should I get tickets for the museums in advance? From what I'm reading lately, there aren't really lines, but I'll keep an eye on that as it gets closer. I want to do day trips to Siena, Lucca, maybe short stop at Pisa and I want to see Fiesole. I think I can get bus and train tickets the day of my outings though, correct?

On April 5, I'll take trenitalia back to Rome where I settle in until I leave on the 11th. I want to see the colosseum, Sistine Chapel and the other typical sites and I plan to do a day trip to Orvieto. I'll have to get a Covid test on the 10th at a pharmacy. That's my plan so far. What are your thoughts? What am I missing? What should I consider changing? I think there was one response on my other thread, so I'll go back and read that again. Thanks for being so great about helping me. I'm glad I found this forum. :)

Posted by Kathy

Minnesota 🎒

02/06/22 02:05 PM

16662 posts

Hi KRS -
Just to answer a couple of your questions.... :O)

I land in Rome (FCO) around 8am on the 28th. From there, I'll take the
trenitalia to Florence. I can buy tickets when I get there, right?

Sure can. Do it when you arrive. You could also purchase tickets in advance that allow changes.
https://www.trenitalia.com/en/offers/the_base_ticket.html

I'm planning to see Uffizi and Academia, the Duomo and other spots.
Should I get tickets for the museums in advance?

Recent forum reports are that crowds have been pretty thin. I would expect them to be heavier by end of March but you might still be OK purchasing on the day you arrive in Florence. Just keep an eye on current ticket sales and how busy they look to be? If it looks like they're rapidly picking up, then go ahead and book 'em. Same is true for the biggies in Rome (Colosseum, Vatican Museums and Galleria Borghese). Let us know if you need to official websites for any of these?

I want to do day trips to Siena, Lucca, maybe short stop at Pisa and I
want to see Fiesole. I think I can get bus and train tickets the day
of my outings though, correct?

You bet! Just remember that when using regionale trains (they don't have assigned seats) and buy paper tickets at the station, you need to validate them before boarding. You'll need to validate your bus tickets when you board the bus to go to/from Fiesole.

Hopefully someone else will have advice on COVID testing stuff. Who knows, mandates could also change by the end of March.

You are going to have a FABULOUS time!