I've almost completed our European trip itinerary/booking, but I'm having a hard time with the section between Paris and Rome. Would appreciate suggestions! We want to travel via Switzerland to see the scenery, and I have a ticket to Basel but want to travel further that day. I think, after poring over timetables, that we can fairly comfortably get to Stresa on Sept 29. I need to figure out the itinerary and where to overnight Sept 30 and Oct 1, and then if there are any stops to be made on Oct. 2. We'd like to arrive in Rome by about 3 or 4 o'clock. I had hoped to see the Cinque Terre, and could feasibly spend one night there. I'm considering skipping it, though, because of the time it takes to get to and see the area. I definitely want to see some of the Tuscan/Umbrian countryside and hill towns. We thought we might skip Florence this trip, (because DH will likely get enough art/architecture in Paris/Rome) and perhaps stay a night in Siena and one in Orvieto. However, I notice there are lots of tours originating in Florence, so it might be a good use of our time to stay there both nights and take a tour. (i.e. Best of TuscanySan Gimignano, etc.) I wonder if there are similar tours from Siena? Could we then stop over for a few hours in Orvieto before going on to Rome?
Thanks for opinions, suggestions, alternate routes.
Posted by
OP
Montrose, CO, USA
21 posts
Perhaps I've asked too many questions to be addressed on this forum. I have located what looks to be a very good tour from Siena, so we will spend our two nights there and skip the Cinque Terre this time. Maybe we'll be able to visit another time. So...any suggestions on visiting Orvieto en route to Rome from Siena would be appreciated. Does anyone know if there is baggage storage at the Orvieto train station, or can point me in the right direction to find out? I tried to locate the information on the Italian train site but didn't see it.
Posted by
OP
Montrose, CO, USA
21 posts
Aha! I've read through some more search results, and someone mentioned that there is no luggage storage at the train station, but to check with nearby Hotel Piccio, where they may store luggage for a fee.
Posted by
Chicago
792 posts
Hi Paula! I am a little confused by your question. Are you asking about things to do after you arrive in Italy or are you asking about how to fill the three days between Paris and Rome? That is a long train ride. If you tried to break it up to see a bunch of things, you would not have much time to enjoy it and it may be logistically difficult with time tables. If you truly only have 3 days wiggle room, just head directly to Rome. Spend more time there and take day trips. I fully believe in the Rick Steve's school of thought to always spend at least two nights somewhere.
Posted by
OP
Montrose, CO, USA
21 posts
Hi, Kristen and thanks for your reply. My post wasn't very focused. I had three nights between Paris and Rome to work with. Most of our itinerary will have at least two nights in each location, but there are a few days "road trip" style, with a fairly long train ride, a little time to explore, dinner, a night on the road and moving on the next day. Stresa will be one of those, so that leaves us two nights. I had seen several good (and reasonable) day tours from Florence, but we wanted to stay in a smaller town, such as Siena. I have since located what looks like a very nice tour for our full day there to explore some of the surrounding villages...so that problem is solved.
The next question was what to do with our bags while we took a look around Orvieto en route to Rome. It was suggested to check with a couple of the hotels, which I'm sure would have been a good solution, but what we've decided to do is to spend the night in Orvieto and take an early train to Rome the next morning.