hello all,
I am currently reading Rick Steve's Italy guide book and just wanted some seasoned travelers input on my current 'rough' and i do mean very rough itinerary for 6 days in Italy. To preface, my husband and I haven't been to Italy before so yes we are trying to see a few different places within this time frame. I fully understand it might be a faster pace and limited time in each but want to know logistically if this makes sense. First off my husband and i are in are early 30s, and are going to be living in Germany for 3 months this summer. we enjoy outdoor activities, hiking, and also good food and wine. on our way home, we are planning a 6 day trip to Italy before heading back home to U.S.
Logistically, we were hoping to fly from cologne to Tuscany(Pisa) airport. we plan to spend a few days(2) in Tuscany- looking at staying in Montepulciano or Montalcino. next we plan to take the Italio train from Florence-tuscany to Rome and spend 2 days in Rome. i have a day tour planned. our last leg of the trip is still questionable. we both really want to head south to Amalfi coast, Positano.. but as such realize this will take longer to get to. Would Cinque Terre make more sense for less travel time and more sight seeing.? clearly i know there will be large differences in our views and what we actually do, we mainly want to be near the water, do some hiking and just stroll around. we did find that from Rome to Salerno train we can take. any suggestions would be appreciated! again we are a little flexible on the tail end of the trip, we can possibly add an extra day for travel time back to the states if needed.
Posted by
Costa Mesa, CA, USA
503 posts
Could you do this? Yes. However, with 6 days, that is far too much when you account for travel time, hotel check ins/check outs, etc., etc. IMO. Even on a "fast pace" this leaves you little to no time to see what you are traveling to see. Since you mentioned you want to be near the water and do some hiking I would recommend dropping Rome entirely. Spend 3 nights in Tuscany (2 full days) and 3 nights (2 full days) in in the Cinque Terre.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
While you are in Germany, look into a long weekend on the coast of Italy or at one of the northern lakes. For this trip, I would spend three nights in Tuscany and three nights in Roma. Or go to Tuscany and Cinque Terre, and save Roma for a weekend from Germany.
Posted by
Boston
209 posts
Hi, if you are flying into Pisa, you should go directly to Cinque Terre as it is a short trip (a little over an hour). Amalfi is quite a distant and would require much travel time. After Cinque Terre you might consider towns such as Lucca, San Gimignano and Volterra then proceed to Florence and Transfer to Rome.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16739 posts
... are going to be living in Germany for 3 months this summer...we
are planning a 6 day trip to Italy before heading back home to U.S.
Just in case you haven't read up on this, you are aware that you're only allowed 90 days out of every 180-day period in the Schengen without a visa?
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html
"As a U.S. citizen, how long can I stay in the Schengen area without a visa?
With a valid U.S. passport, you can stay up to 90 days for tourism or business during any 180 day period. Do not overstay! You must wait an additional 90 days before applying to re-enter the Schengen area.
To stay longer than 90 days, you must have a visa. Apply for a visa through the embassy of the country where you will spend most of your time."
Just making sure that those 6 days in Italy fall within the total 90-day count (Gemany+ Italy).
Posted by
OP
15 posts
thanks Kathy for the info about Visa, we will be cutting it close at 85 but predicted that from the beginning of our trip.
Posted by
OP
15 posts
thanks all for the suggestions and helpful info. now that i am reading more about cinque terra vs amalfi coast i do think it makes the most sense to start there(cinque terra) and proceed to Tuscany. we can always fly directly to Rome for another long weekend trip. appreciate the suggestions. :)
Posted by
Green Bay
21324 posts
Another weekend idea, the Dolomites for hiking, and Lake Garda for windsurfing. That's what the Germans do.
Posted by
NYC
490 posts
Six days: Florence 1 Rome 2-3, Ischia 2, fly home. Ischia is the perfect combination of hiking, historical sights and spas/ really accessible sandy beaches. Into Florence out of Naples, or save Florence for another time if beaches and hiking are more important just do Rome/Ischia.
Enjoy
Posted by
Washington DC
28462 posts
I'd be very careful about including Ischia or another island on such a short trip unless I could fit it in near the beginning. Boats do occasionally get canceled because of weathRf, and missing the flight home because you were marooned on Ischia would be very costly.
In addition, I don't think you can get to Ischia from Rome, so you're talking about a train to Naples, a transfer to the port (or to Pozzuoli), then the 60- to 90-minute trip to the island. And thst's just one way. By the time you build in a buffer at each step to be sure y ou catch the desired ferry, it's going to cost about half a day. I wouldn't want to spend a day going to and from an island where I was going to spend only 1 or 2 nights. It would be different if the plan were to visit Naples+Ischia rather than (potentially) Rome+Ischia.