Please sign in to post.

Itinerary Advice - Venice/Bologna/Cinque Terre/Florence/Rome - in 11 days!

Posted by (Boston, MA) on

Here's what I planned so far and would to get some feedback. My husband and I are travelling in mid-May. We are more foodies than vinos, and prefer history over art. I've put the day of the week just in case it matters since some places are closed on certain days:

  1. Tues - Venice (Get a 1 day vaporetto pass, do Grand Canal tour with RS audio guide, Murano/Burano, hang around St Mark's at night)
  2. Weds - Venice (Mercato Rialto for an early lunch, Doge's Palace) then train to Bologna
  3. Thurs - Bologna (Italian Days food tour)
  4. Fri - Bologna in the morning, travel to Pisa, visit the tower. Stay in Pisa (Option 2: travel to Florence and stay there)
  5. Sat - head to Cinque Terre and return to sleep in Pisa (Option 2: Explore Florence)
  6. Sun - train from Pisa to Florence (Option 2: Day trip to Pisa and Cinque Terre either by self or with Italy on a Budget Tour, since there seem to be fewer things to do in Florence on Sunday)
  7. Mon - Explore Florence (maybe do a cooking class with a market tour)
  8. Tues - Explore Forence/Tuscany (Italy on a Budget tour also has a couple tour options for getting into Tuscany)
  9. Weds - travel Florence to Rome
  10. Thurs - Rome (old Rome)
  11. Fri - Rome (Vatican) Sat - departure

Questions:

  1. Recommendation for a reasonable place/area to stay in Venice? Seems quite expensive!
  2. Is it better to use Pisa as a base or go all the way to Cinque Terre on Friday night? What if it rains - will CT be miserable?
  3. As you can see, what to do in Florence is still a bit sketchy. We would love to explore Tuscany more but are hesitant to rent a car and drive ourselves...what have been people's experiences? (we only drive automatic)

I've incorporated quite a bit from what I've learned from this forum into my planning, but there's still so much to figure out! I appreciate any advice or comments you can give based on your experiences. Thanks!

Posted by
21407 posts

I would eliminate Cinque Terra, you're just checking it off a bucket list. Add one day to Venice, its worth it.
Mid May is prime time in Venice. You should be able to find something for under $200 US/ night. I'll let others chime in on that. Everyone seems to have their favorite place in Venice.

Posted by
8056 posts

Two years ago, we found the 3-day Roma Pass to be an exceptional value - free admission to the first two sights, discounts on others, plus our tram/bus/metro fares were covered for the duration of the pass, but we were there for a whole week.

A 2-day Roma Pass is available, but includes no Vatican sights, so might not work for you, unless you include some Rome sightseeing on the day you arrive from Florence.

Posted by
16895 posts

I would stay in the Cinque Terre instead of Pisa. You see more of it if you have two nights and a full day there, allowing you to explore the five towns and to be there before and after the daytrip crowds. Pisa is easy to see on your travel day to Florence, since most of the popular attractions are collected in one spot, and the train station does have luggage storage.

Posted by
14 posts

I didn't realize there was a Roma Pass - thanks for the info! I will look into that.

Also thanks for the suggestion of just staying in Cinque Terre and seeing Pisa on the return trip. Is there a place or village in Cinque Terre that you would recommend in particular?

Also, just listened to RS audio guide about Tuscany/Umbria and learned about agri-tourism. That actually might be interesting to us - are there farm B&Bs out there that you would recommend that is close enough to Florence to be accessible by public transportation?

Thanks!

Posted by
11613 posts

Most agriturismi are not convenient to public transportation, they are farms. So you may find a bus stop near one, but I would make sure about that before you book.

Posted by
316 posts

I did this same itinerary last September. However, we went for 17 days. I think is't a lot for 11 days. With that said, The Rialto market is a fish and produce market. There isn't any food cooked there. The restaurants around the Market cater to the tourist. We ate there one night, the worst meal in 17 days. Visit the market it is awesome, eat somewhere else.

In Bologna we did the Italian days food tour with Alessandro. Worth twice the price we paid. An amazing day. You will eat more food in that one day then the rest of your entire trip. The factories were great. Bring your credit card. You can buy DOP cheese and 25 year old Balsamic vinegar.

We went to the Cinque Terre from Bologna. Went through the Florence and Pisa train stations to get there. We stayed in Monterosso. You could catch Pisa on your way there or back.

In Florence they have the Mercato Centrale. It is a huge food market but again, no place to really eat.

Florence has some of the most beautiful and amazing basilicas. The Santa Croce , the Duomo and the Santa Maria Novella.

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.