Northern Italy Itinerary

That is way way way too much driving for 8 days on the ground. That is absolutely crazy. I don't know what you want to cut, but I wouldn't book your trip unless I truly hated myself. My rule of thumb when I travel is to stay at least 2 nights at the same hotel, better if 3. Unless it's the night before flying back, in which case I might need in the city where I'm departing from. You have 8 nights in Italy. Choose 3 stops and stay in those locations 2 or 3 nights each. Add one last night for Milan (or 2 nights max). Flights to the US are in the morning, therefore you need to be in the Milan area the night before departure. Changing hotels too often wastes a lot of time in the checking in/out and packing/unpacking process. Take trips from the same locations, especially if you have a car. For example if you choose the dolomites, choose one spot, stay there 2 or 3 nights, and take day trips from there by car. I don't care too much about Bolzano, but it's central to many destinations in the Dolomites.

What time are you getting in Milan? If you want to, I can let you have a quotation for private transfer between Milan and Como and help you organizing the trip.
I go to the Dolomites every year. I would stay in Selva (Freina hotel) and since you will drive there, you can take a car tour from Selva to Cortina. Views are fantastic, food's even better!

I am amazed at how often I see topics that relate to my upcoming trip :-) I would say there are too many one night stands in this trip without time to see much except road side stops or train window scenery. I am excited to see the Dolomites and drive the Great Dolomite road. We are planning three nights in Castelrotto. Then 3 in Venice, 3 in Tuscany and 3 in Cinque Terre, and maybe one night in Milan (or mabye Lake Orta) -- so a very similar Northern Italy itinerary. In 10 days I would skip Lake Como but visit Lake Garda on the way to Castelrotto and stay two nights there with round trip to Cortina on the one full day you would have. Then in or near Florence for two or 3 nights with day trip to Sienna. Then return the car in Pisa or La Speiza before train to CT for two nights. Depending on when you touch down you could be in Castelrotto the first night but jet lag may hit you worse than it does me. Enjoy the trip!

Why do you all plan to stay in Castelrotto? It is nothing special compared to many other places n the Dolomites.

Hi Anna, While I've only been to the Dolomites from your list, I agree it's way too rushed. I'd pare the list down, as stated earlier, to a max of 3 locations/bases. As it is now, you have just one full day in the Dolomites. Bolzano is a city and not in the Dolomites. As for Castelrotto, again I agree with picking a place in at least the Val Gardena (Ortisei, St. Christina or Selva). Castelrotto is on the outskirts of the Dolomites, not amongst them. As for the "Great Dolomite Road", it's not necessary to drive this route as planned in guide books. A few of the best drives and passes are in the vicinty of the Val Gardena, such as the Gardena, Sella and Pordoi Passes. We have our own "Best of the Dolomites Loop Drive", which is easy in a day while based in the area (I'll use the Val Gardena as the starting point): Drive the Gardena Pass to Corvara. Take the Campolongo Pass to Arabba. From Arraba take the Pordoi Pass towards Canazei. Before you get to Canazei, take the Sella Pass. From the Sella Pass get right on the Gardena Pass back towards the Val Gardena. There's a cafe/restaurant/rest stop at the "top" of the Gardena, Sella and Pordoi Passes. There's a cable car trip on the Pordoi Pass. You'll also notice a few small places to park along the passes to get out and walk among the Dolomite peaks. The Gardena Pass is our favorite drive. If possible, pick up the car in Milan on arrival and drive to the Val Gardena. It's mostly straight forward highway driving. You could also arrive in Milan, train to Bolzano, stay the night and look into renting a car here. The Val Gardena and Dolomites in general are less than 45 minutes away. If you like to walk, hike and enjoy amazing scenery, the Dolomites are perfect. Hope this helps. Paul

I agree with Paul. I've done the same tour in winter either skiing and by car and I'm sure you will enjoy it so much! I suggest you stay in selva. I know these places as I vacation there during winter brake since I was born, so that makes it 24 years. This is where I usually stay http://www.hotelfreina.com/en/index.html fantastic family runned hotel. Food is great, as well as spacious rooms and fantastic wellness area!

Sounds like you really want to see the Dolomites. Skip Como if it is only to get over jet lag. take a train to Bolzano: You can nap on the train. Spend the night in Bolzano, rent your car the next AM and move on. Go to the Val Gardena -- Ortisei, Selva, or Santa Cristina -- stay three nights. (Castelrotto is NOT in the Dolomites so go deeper and see the real beauty. Get a Val Gardena card for use on the lifts/gondolas.) So something like this: Day 1 - Arrive Milan, train to Bolzano; sleep Bolzano Day 2 - Rent car drive to Val Gardena; Sleep here 3 nights Day 3 - Val Gardena hiking or driving trips Day 4 - Val Gardena hiking or driving trips Day 5 - Drive to Siena; sleep here 2 nights Day 6 - Siena Day 7 - Train to Cinque Terre, stop in Pisa if you must (but I don't think it is worth the time); Sleep CT 2 nights Day 8 - Cinque Terre
Day 9 - CT train to Milan; sleep Milan Still a little fast for my taste/style, but you can cover some of what is most important to you.

Are you aware that it takes forever to get from CT to milan by train?!

Wow, thank you for all the help. I definitely have some things to research to make sure I am making the best choice (like the train from CT to Milan). Thank you for talking me into keeping the Dolomites on the itinerary and THANK YOU for letting me know a better way to see the Dolomites. I am very excited now. It's a lot of driving in a short time, but sometimes the journey is half the fun. Thank you all for you honest feedback. I really appreciate it.
Anna

Anna, I have booked some travel with Cristina. She is WONDERFUL!! If you have a need for a car and help with travel in Italy she is more than accommodating!!

Hi Anna, You may want to look at these links for the Dolomites: http://www.val-gardena.com http://www.valgardena.it/en/lifts/page65.html http://www.valgardena.it/en/walking-and-trekking/page50.html Paul

I would not call 3 1/2 hours "forever." If you leave Vernazza, for example, at 12:20 PM, you would change trains in Sestri Levante and be in Milano by 15:50.
Check out options at Trenitalia.com.

I think you are bouncing around too much. One day in the Lake Cuomo area really doesn't cut it. FIrst, I wouldn't drive all the way back to Milan to get the car. Pick up the car the first day. The town of Lake Cuomo is okay but I think there are nicer towns in the area. I really like Bellagio and Verenna. You need more time than one day in this area. If you can spend a day in Milan it is worth it. See the Last Supper and the Castle. One day in Florence, than to Sienna and than to Pisa is a bit insane. I would take two days in florence. Bottom line is you are doing way to much in a short period. We had a similar situation in our last trip so we just decided to make more trips back to Italy :). In our first trip we did Rome, Florence and the Almalfi Coast areas. In our second trip we did Milan, Lake Cuomo, Cinque Terre and Venice. I am glad we spilt it the way we did.

Thanks Terri! Always so kind! Any way, I would never consider as an option having to change 2/3 trains depending where you are knowing it's really hard for trains to be on time these days, plus consider you have luggage to carry around. It's not as easy as it seems. But I understand I am a lazy person that likes to get to places the quickest and most comfortable way ;)

Anna, Regarding the travel time from the Cinque Terre to Milan, that's a trip I make just about every time I'm in Italy. The travel time and other details will depend to some extent on which of the five towns you're departing from. For example, there are some direct trains (no changes) from Monterosso to Milano Centrale with a travel time as short as 2H:55M. Those are usually the trains I choose. There are also others with changes. AFAIK, the shortest trips are from Monterosso. Regarding your Itinerary, I just had a brief look at it, but my impression was the same as others have mentioned. That's WAY too busy for such a short time frame. I'd suggest using a rental car strategically only for places not well served by public transit, and use trains for the rest. Travelling on the high speed Freccia trains (which run at 300 kmH) is a more efficient use of your VERY limited time. Happy travels!