I am going to Italy the first time and wondering if anyone had ideas on where I should go. I arrive in Venice the morning of 3/14 and depart Rome the morning of 3/23. I'm thinking Venice, Florence (with day trip to Lucca and Pisa), Rome, and the Amafili Coast. I also think it would be awesome to go to Cinque Terre. There is a lot I want to see but I don't have much time. Anyone have ideas?
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32212 posts
Danae,
Based on the fact that you have about nine days for your trip, I would most definitely reduce the number of destinations. You'll need to plan very precisely, and I doubt you'll have time to see all the places on your list.
In the same circumstances, I'd probably structure things along these lines:
Mar. 14 - arrive Venice (jet lagged, but try to get some touring in that day)
Mar. 15 - Venice (buy train tickets & reservations if required from travel agent near Piazza San Marco - details listed in the Italy book as I recall)
Mar. 16 (morning) - train to Florence - don't forget to validate tickets in yellow machine prior to boarding train (if you're interested in visiting the Uffizi and/or Accademia, ask your Hotel if they will help with reservations at the time you book your room - visit one of the Museums that day).
Mar. 17 - either more touring of Florence or day trip to Lucca / Pisa - I'd suggest focusing on Lucca as I'm not sure the extra travel time to/from Pisa is an efficient use of time when you're on such a tight schedule).
Mar. 18 - Florence touring (buy P-P tickets & reservations if required at Firenze SMN station as well as tickets from CT to Rome)
Mar. 19 (morning) - train to Cinque Terre via La Spezia (choose which village you want to stay - plan your touring well so that you don't waste any time.
Mar. 20 (afternoon) - train to Rome (choose direct train to Roma Termini, very easy trip -suggest staying in Termini area as it makes getting around easier).
Mar. 21 - Rome touring (again, research your touring well so that you don't waste any time).
Mar. 22 - Rome touring
Mar. 23 - take Leonardo Express from Termini to FCO (about 30 min. trip).
There are no doubt many ways this could be arranged, but this is what I would do. I normally pack Italy Guidebook along, so that I have it available for reference.
Happy travels!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Good advice from Ken: you have only 9 full days, 8 if you don't count your first day (arrival, jetlag, etc). Even at 9 days, it's not feasible to do the 7 destinations you list in the 8 to 9 days you have.
Posted by
Sheboygan, Wisc., USA
934 posts
I think Ken is right on with his advice with one other thought.Stay 2 days in Florence and add day in the CT.Then stop in Pisa on the way to LaSpezia.That way if you arrive in the CT late in the day you have a full day to visit the 5 towns.
Posted by
Munich, Germany
7 posts
Consider using the The Original Walks of Florence. They are an excellent English language walking tour company. I have been to Italy many times and love their tours. Very informative. The website is www.artviva.com
There is also an excellent walking tour company in Rome- website www.romewalks.com Their group tours are limited to around 12, but the truth is we never had more than 5-7 in any tour we did with them and my last trip to Rome was in JULY- hello tourism central. So March should be perfect for low numbers. We took their tour of the Vatican with one other couple. Imagine- 4 people with a guide who had a photographic memory for anything she could read. It was incredible, just like a private guide we hired for the day.