Looking for input on itinerary for first trip to Italy

exley,

A few thoughts on your travel plans....

As this is your first trip to Italy, there are a few important things you'll need to keep in mind, both when driving and using trains or other public transit. Here's a brief summary.....

• When driving in Italy, each driver noted on the rental form will need the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll also need to be extremely vigilant to avoid the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas which exist in many Italian towns and cities, as expensive fines will result if you pass through them. DO NOT drive in Florence as the city is just about saturated with automated ZTL cameras.
• When travelling by train and other public transit, there are some "rules" that need to be followed in order to avoid hefty fines which will be collected on the spot. For example when travelling on Regionale trains, buses or metro tickets MUST be validated before boarding on the day of travel. When travelling on the faster trains such as the Freccia high speed, there are compulsory seat reservations which are specific to train, date and departure time. The reservations will be provided with tickets, but those with a Railpass must buy them separately. If you board the wrong train by mistake, you'll be deemed to be travelling without a valid reservation and you guessed it, hefty fines on the spot!

Staying at an Agriturismo in April may or may not be a pleasant experience. I've found that the weather in Italy can be wet and cold, so not the most pleasant experience to be in a location where there are no other activities available.

For travel from Siena (note one "n") to Florence, an easier travel method is to use the Bus, which departs from Piazza Gramsci in the main part of town, and drops passengers close to Firenze S.M. Novella station in Florence. If you use the train, you'll have to take a Taxi or whatever down the hill to the station.

When buying rail tickets, you'll have to use the Italian names for the stations you'll be using. Note that most cities have more than one station so you'll have to be clear on which ones you're using.

For your visit to the Cinque Terre, April should be fairly quiet so you should be able to find accommodations in one of the five towns at a reasonable price. Check the RS Italy 2016 guidebook for lodging suggestions in each of the towns. I prefer staying in Monterosso, as it's the largest of the five, has the most accommodations, restaurants and other tourist amenities and also the nicest beaches (not that you'll probably be using those in April). I'd suggest pre-booking your lodgings there as soon as you've got your dates finalized.

Wow, thanks so much. That's exactly the kind of info I need. And you are so right about getting the International DL. I got one before a road trip to Costa Rica, and we got pulled over three times by police doing 'checks' who assumed we wouldn't have one and was disappointed that he had to let us go.

It's not a license it's a permit. It is used in conjunction with your license. You must have both any time you're driving. The permit is a translation of your license. Be sure to get it before leaving home and have it handy at the rental counter. Most companies are denying rentals if an IDP isn't produced. It's required by law so be sure to keep it, and your license with you. You can get them at an AAA.

Donna

You might want to consider spending the last 2 days of your trip in Lucca rather than Pisa - shouldn't be a problem since it's close and your flight's in the evening.

I agree with previous poster. Two days in Lucca is certainly better than 2 days in Pisa. You can see Pisa sights in 1/2 day. Lucca is very close and easy to travel to Pisa from there. Lucca is one of my favorite cities in Italy. Enjoy your travels!

We like this place in Vernazza for your CT time::

vhttp://www.elisabettacarro.it/

We have flown out of Pisa twice, early afternoon, and both times have stayed in Lucca the night before. Try to stay in the historic center of town, it is surrounded by a wall that you can walk or bike ride around. Close enough to the train station, and it is easy to get to Pisa airport.

In Vernazza, I recommend www.francamaria.com Rooms are near the harbor and have very few steps.

Good for you for not baulking about the IDP. It's never been clear to me why some posters want to resist getting one. The last couple of times we were in Italy, there have been roadside stops, and we were pulled over. It wasn't apparent what they were looking for because they didn't speak English. They did want to see our documents, however; and I was glad I had the IDP.

A few hours in Pisa is enough. Lucca is more interesting and safer.

Wow,, poor old Pisa doesn't get much love. I think we'll take everyone's advice and stay in Lucca. Then head straight to Pisa and the airport. Thanks everyone.

Lucca is lovely and fun, a very livable town. I know many people advise staying inside the town walls, but I must say I found the Hotel Rex, a little outside the walls but right beside the train station, to be very nice, affordable and oh-so convenient, if you are arriving and then leaving again by train. It's a pretty small hotel, nice breakfast, there was no noise from the trains at all that I remember, and it is only about a 3 to 5 minute walk to the gate to go through the walls. The location made travel a snap. When I was there October 2013 the hotel was offering a 10 per cent discount to travelers with the RS book in hand.

Another vote for Hotel Rex. I didn't find staying there to be a problem at all, in terms of getting into the main part of town. It was very comfortable and the location is great for access to trains.

we departed from Pisa but spent three nights in Lucca and enjoyed it. The trip to the airport on the morning of our departure took us like 40 minutes on the train/shuttle, so no big deal. I recommend hiring a guide on your arrival at Lucca, it ws great and helped us sort out the city and opened up many options..we used http://www.luccatours.com/ Wanda ws awesome. We stayed at a B&B (not sure how many are in our group) just outside the gates near the train staion at http://www.alportodilucca.com/, nice place, handy, friendly, give it a look. hiring the tour for me ws one of the smartest things we did on our 7 days in the CT and 3 in Lucca. here is some help with train travel, worked great for us... http://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm#.Vo_pMstIg5t

Another vote for Lucca and Hotel Rex. I found the location to be convenient to the train station and it's across the street from a gate to go into the walled area. They have free bicycles for their customers use. The breakfast had a nice variety of foods.

We loved staying in Vernazza in the CT - so beautiful! We stayed with Giuliano (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187822-d283494-Reviews-Camere_Giuliano-Vernazza_Cinque_Terre_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html). BEAUTIFUL rooms, great view with a terrace, and it was only about $85 a night when we were there a year-and-a-half ago. I would totally check with him.

We liked Monterosso, but we just hiked there and spent a beach day. We found it a lot busier than Vernazza, and a bugger draw for cruise ships. Vernazza is our happy place. :)