So I am planning my Honeymoon in Italy and would like to run a few things past more seasoned travelers. We will be traveling in late March through early April and we will total 11 nights in Italy. So far I have us flying into Venice, arriving around mid-day and spending that night and the following night there. We are planning on working south west down Italy from there, taking the rail to Florence. My first thought for the last 9 nights is to spend 4 in Florence (taking a day trip to Sienna) and 5 in Rome (taking a day trip to Naples/Pompie). I am now considering possibly taking a Florence night to sleep in Sienna instead. What do you think? Also what would be the best way to secure rail trips between Venice/Florence/Rome/Naples?
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8603 posts
You could easily split your Florence time between Florence and Siena, depending how much you want to see, you could even do two nights in each. I think that your trip is paced well, I prefer to move around a bit myself as opposed to parking myself in one spot.
As for Rail tickets, wait until you get there, no sense trying to buy ahead or get a rail pass. You might consider getting each ticket a couple days ahead, sometimes cheaper than last minute. For the Florence/Siena hop, the bus is actually handier, leaves from the main Florence Train station,and takes you right to Siena city center. If you do not mind a little longer travel times, on the main routes, the cost of regional trains are about half the cost of the fast trains, though a day trip to Naples is best done on the fast train. If you want to check out schedules, at least current ones, go to http://www.trenitalia.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ad1ce14114bc9110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, USA
306 posts
Buy your rail tickets point to point. Meaning when you arrive in Venice at some point go to the train station and buy your ticket to Florence. You can even wait until the day you leave but give yourself enough time to catch the train.
If this is your first time in Italy I suggest you at least consider taking some time to get off the Venice/Florence/Rome circuit. It is extremely popular with tourists and it is always nice to go to a smaller town and get a breather. Not necessarily a breather from tourists but from the pace of places like Venice, Florence, Rome, etc... I think you would really enjoy a night or even two nights in Siena. Siena at night is great.