North Italy

It is doable, but it is very rushed with what appears to be too many two-night stays. With a two-night stay you only have one full day in each location to tour. FYI, it is helpful to plan in terms of number of nights in each location rather than days.

Assisi is not really a day trip possibility from Siena by train or bus. It's 6 hours roundtrip! Rather than add Assisi as a location, target some other day trips from Siena (Florence) add nights to some of your other stops.

For travel times between locations, check our Rome2Rio.com.

Evelyn,
I agree with Laurel in terms of your trip being too rushed & definitely not enough time in each of the destinations on your list.

Have you considered visiting
Venice?

We traveled in northern Italy in 2014 & visited Verona (day trip to Lake Garda), Padua,( day trip to Venice), Ravenna, Varenna( Lake Como) & Milan in 14 days & my mom thought our trip was too rushed...

Edit: Check this websites for train schedules:http://www.trenitalia.com

You have 16 nights (Apr 28 to May 14)
Make Bologna a base as well as Siena ...

Bologna - 5 nights (for Ravenna, Parma, Modena, Ferrara)
Assisi - 2 nights
Siena - 5 nights (for San Gimignano, Volterra, Montepulciano)
Cinque Terre - 2 nights
Milan - 2 nights

Thank you very much Laurel and Pricillia for your kind suggestions. This is my 2nd trip to Italy. I did Milan, Venice & Lake Como(day trip) Florence, Pisa and Rome (1 night) in 2013.

I have a passion for Italy, hence am visiting again this spring.

Thank you Dips for the below itinerary is a very good suggestion. If I make Bologna as a base, does it means I do day tours by some tour agency to Ravenna, Parma, Modena? Ferrara was told not much there.

May also skip Assisi as getting there via public transport is a hassle. I read Viator have a day tour to Assisi.
Siena to Cirque Terre: how to get there via train or bus.
Cirque Terre to Milan: have to travel by train via Florence?

You have 16 nights (Apr 28 to May 14)
Make Bologna a base as well as Siena as...
Bologna - 5 nights (for Ravenna, Parma, Modena, Ferrara)
Assisi - 2 nights
Siena - 5 nights (for San Gimignano, Volterra, Montepulciano)
Cinque Terre - 2 nights
Milan - 2 nights

Please help again. Am getting nervous as days gets nearer as I had paid for my Singapore Airlines ticket in early Oct, but procrastinated. Never knew I could reach out to forums for advice.
Thanks all who helped.

After a long flight (and jetlagged) I would not try to get to Ravenna on arrival day. Take into account that you are likely to be below par on your second day, getting adjusted to the time difference. Start in Bologna or Parma instead. I don't know why you chose those locations for overnight stays. You may find it easier to stay in Bologna and take day trips to Parma and even to Ravenna.

Assisi is not served by fast trains so it's a minimum 2-3 hour train ride from just about anywhere. Then you need to get from the train station up to the old town, by bus or taxi. Unless you are on a guided tour, it's not a feasible day trip.

Parma and Ravenna are all so close to Bologna it makes no sense to change hotels, which will cost you at least half a day of vacation for each move. Rent a car.

Thanks for the replies.

I will skip Assisi and join pilgrimage tour for my third visit to Italy. I know it is not doable and I don't drive.

Emily, thank you for your reply.

Is it a good idea to do day tour via tour company to Ravenna and Parma?

Ravenna has a very good Tourist Informstion center, you can easily tour it on your own, since most sights reflect a specific historic period and theme. Make it a daytrip from Bologna.

I love Ferrara, and it is also an easy daytrip from Bologna.

For your third trip, think about Assisi and other places in Umbria.

I think that Modena is actually a better option than Parma. We rented a car and that worked well for us. I can't comment on a day tour.

Zoe - SHHHH about Ferrara (I love it too).

Hi Evelyn,

Assisi is a place of religious pilgrimage, so unless you are strong of Christian faith then I would consider other options. Verona, Mantua, Vicenza, Padua are other places to consider in northern Italy - all wonderful.
Is this your first time to Italy? I would think not, as you do not mention Venice, Florence or Rome.
You still have nearly 3 months til you travel, so you do need to finalise your plans and make some bookings, but no need for panic stations yet. I have flown a number of times with Singapore Airlines to Barcelona from Brisbane via Singapore and Milan. It's a long flight, but reasonably comfortable with a good airline.

Cheers, David

Sorry, Emily. I couldn't help it.

Emily....ssssshhhhh about Ferrara with Zoe. I love it too.

Maybe Vicenza instead of Assisi.

Vicenza - 3 nights (for Verona, Padua)
Bologna - 4 or 5 nights (for Ravenna, Parma, Modena, Ferrara)
Siena - 4 nights (for San Gimignano, Volterra, Montepulciano)
Cinque Terre - 2 or 3 nights
Milan - 2 nights

All of these places are well serviced by cheap and frequent local trains.
The station ticket kiosks are easy to use. All you need to organise is a guide book and a good map.
(and how to order a coffee in Italian)

Thank you David for valuable advice. yes, am Catholic, hence am interested in Assisi, but will do with as a pilgrimage.

Your suggestions seems pretty good.

To recap,
Vicenza should be my 1st stop, do day tour to Verona and Padua?
Bologna, siena, Cinque Terre, Milan?

May I ask, how to get from Siena to Cinque Terre?

I almost bought my train ticket this evening from Milano Centrale to Bologna Centrale. Please confirm I should 1st buy Milano C to Vicenza?

I plan to buy tomorrow morning as it's night in Singapore now.

Yes, I do know how to order coffee in italian. it's con caffe latte. Cheers!

Dear David,

I will be staying with Airbnb. I have very good stays in Paris (my first attempt) and Barcelona.

Will do Airbnb again as it really gives a very good home cultural feel, which I need. Hotels are sterile.

Best regards,
Evelyn

Dear David,

from Milano Central to Vicenza. Which train station should I alight, seems to have two train stations in Vicenza.
need to buy train tickets tomorrow.

My sincere apologies so many questions.

There is only one station in Vicenza. The fast trains running between Milan and Venice stop there.
Cinque Terre to Milan is easily done with a direct IC train from Monterosso which by way of Genoa. If you are staying in one of the other towns in the Cinque Terre, just take the local train to Monterosso and connect there.

Vicenza is a lovely small town with lots of important architecture.
It has only one main train station. Are you looking at trenitalia ? http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en
I wouldn't be booking a train ticket for your first day, when you are off the plane, just in case of delays etc.
Go to Milano Centrale and purchase a ticket for the next service.

I would travel in this order ... Milan > Vicenza > Bologna > Siena > Cinque Terre (Monterosso) > Milan
Milan > Vicenza has DIRECT services
Vicenza > Bologna is with a change in Padova
Bologna > Siena is with a change in Firenze SMN
Siena > Cinque Terre (Monterosso) is with changes in Empoli and Pisa (and maybe La Spezia)
Cinque Terre (Monterosso) > Milan has DIRECT services

Most of your distances are not that great, so you can use cheap regional trains, with no need to book ahead - the exception may be your last leg from CT to Milan.

Please make sure your accommodation is CENTRAL to both the station and the town/sights.

Dear David,

May I ask how do I travel by train from Cinque Terre to Milano Centrale? I will need to book this portion of train ticket now as I heard that it is very full.

Look forward to your advice.

Thank you and have a great weekend!
Evelyn Loy

Evelyn,

You can book your train ticket from Monterosso to Milano Centrale on this website:http://www.trenitalia.com

Your best option is to choose the direct Intercity train (travel time 3 hours)

Dear David,

You had mentioned that from Bologna to Siena, there's a change in Firenze SMN. May I check at this change in Florence, do I have to get down from the existing train from Bologna and catch another train from a different platform to arrive at Siena?

Same from Siena / Milano Centrale, there's also a change. Do I transfer to another platform for this change?

Kindly assist. Should I buy my train ticket now from Siena back to Milan? I am skipping Cinque Terre. Might just do a day trip from Siena via Viator.

Thanks for your valuable help so far. Looking forward to this Thursday, April 28 departure to Vicenza.

With best regards,
Evelyn