Greetings Forum!
You have all been so helpful to me in planning past trips that I hope you assist me in figuring out a route that makes sense.
My mom and I will be in the Amalfi/Sorrento area, then I need to figure out the best way to get to:
1) Lucca from there for a few days
2) Then, to Munich from Lucca
Most of this is fairly flexible and won't be on tight deadlines, if that helps.
Thanks!
Todd
Amalfi/Sorrento area
Exactly where- Sorrento OR Amalfi?- they are opposite sides of peninsula
What time of year?
From Sorrento- local train to Napoli Centrale- fast train to Florence (Firenze SM Novella)- then regional to Lucca
From AC towns- ferry, bus or driver to Salerno- fast train to Florence, then regional to Lucca
From Lucca to Munich I would fly - check flights from Florence
Todd, do you know about the Rome2Rio Website? It’s not always perfect, but can give you a good idea of your options, including the fastest, cheapest, and “best” way to get from one place to another. Unfortunately, Sorrento, Lucca, and Munich aren’t just down the road from each other, and there aren’t fast, easy, or super-cheap direct flights.
Naples is the closest practical airport to Sorrento. Pisa is fairly close to Lucca, and has an airport. But flying from Naples to Pisa takes time. Then, you still have to get from Pisa to Lucca. Rome2Rio suggests that going by train from Sorrento to Lucca is your best option, for time and cost, but it will mean changing trains twice, and will take more than 6 hours, total. Driving yourself is supposedly faster (not including rest stops), but do you want to spend 5+ hours in a rental car, and have to turn it in at a different rental car office than where you picked it up?
Even Lucca to Munich isn’t completely straightforward, either. Apparently the best option is a train to Florence, then a flight from Florence to Munich.
The Amalfi Coast and Sorrento is about 200 miles south of Rome, and most people take a local train Sorrento-Naples. Then they take a fast train up to Rome Termini and on to Florence. You'd change trains in Florence to go to Lucca. Some local trains go thru Pisa where you'd change trains and some trains go directly to Lucca.
Lucca is a very peaceful and popular place, and you should really enjoy it.
The best way to get from Lucca to Munich would be to take a train back to Florence and catch an Air Dolomiti flight to Munich. Otherwise, it's a series of trains that take 9-10 hours.
Or, go to Plan B and go to different places. It's not easy taking the route you're want to go on. Many people go to the Cinque Terre which is NW of LaSpezia instead of going all the way to the Amalfi Coast. That's not far from Lucca. You could catch a train up to Milan from there and take a cheap flight on EasyJet up to Munich out of Malpensa Airport.
Pisa airport is closer to Lucca. Also check Easy jet and Lufthansa for PSA-MUC flights. https://www.skyscanner.com/
Many people go to the Cinque Terre which is NW of LaSpezia instead of
going all the way to the Amalfi Coast. That's not far from Lucca. You
could catch a train up to Milan from there and take a cheap flight on
EasyJet up to Munich out of Malpensa Airport.
An even easier way to travel from Cinque Terre to Munich is the direct overnight train from Monterosso to Munich.
Thanks everyone. My proposed itinerary does sound like a pain.
Maybe we skip Luca and use Florence as a base. I will review Rick’s book but any good day trip ideas from Florence?
Todd, Lucca is a charming town, smaller than Florence, and without the knockout Renaissance art museums, but we enjoyed our visit 2 years ago. We stayed in the Rick Steves recommended La Boheme B&B. Bicycling or walking on the wide pathway atop the Renaissance walls that encircle the old town is a unique activity.
If you choose big-time Florence instead, daytrips include Sienna by train, or Fiesole, a neighboring town in the hills just beyond Florence. Our same trip, in October 2022, we went on a truffle hunt tour for a day from Florence with a dog and its trainer, followed by a lunch that featured truffles. We also took 2 cooking classes in Florence itself.
