I am in the planning phase of a trip to Italy. I can't figure out in which order I should visit these places: Amalfi Coast, Venice, Dolomites, Lake Maggiore & the Cinque Terre. I am planning to visit in late August & early September. I thought it would probably be best to start up north first & work my way south to the Amalfi Coast since it will probably be a little cooler in the north part of Italy in late August. It probably doesn't make much difference but this is my thought pattern. So, how would you put these places into an order that makes sense & minimizes backtracking? I am planning to fly open jaw (into one city & out of a different one) so my choices for airports would be Milan, Venice or Naples. Thanks so much for your input.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
The most obvious thing is, your departure airport will be Naples. If the lowest airfare is a consideration, then your arrival airport will be determined based on airfare (if there is a material difference) and cannot be determined at this time. And it makes a difference because if your arrival airport is Venice, then the sequence is straightforward and does not involve backtracking. However, if your arrival airport is Milan, then then you have to decide whether to start with the CT or with Lake Maggiore and in some backtracking will be unavoidable, if your arrival airport is Milan. If your arrival airport is Venice, then it's more straightforward: arrive Venice, then Dolomites, then Lake Maggiore, then CT, then way south to the Amalfi, then north to Naples for the departure airport.
Posted by
OP
Alta Loma, CA, USA
1446 posts
Hi Kent. I am planning to fly using frequent flier miles therefore I can hopefully choose which airport I want to fly into & out of & not have to worry about the cost however the availability of flights using my miles might be another issue but I'm trying to determine the order of visiting these places that would be optimal & I'll shoot for that first. Thanks so much for your input.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Given what you said in your 2nd post, I suggest you fly into Venice and do the itinerary in the sequence given in my first post.
Posted by
OP
Alta Loma, CA, USA
1446 posts
Thanks Kent. That makes perfect sense. I appreciate your input.