Will your Italy day trip or itinerary disappoint you as it dawns on you that you're seeing more of the inside of trains and train stations than the sights you paid all that money and went all that way to see? And all because you didn't know the travel times between Destinations A and B before you finalized your itinerary.There are 3 kinds of itineraries:Slower/More RelaxedFaster But Do-ableSo Fast It's Not Fun Anymore Either of the first two types are okay--they're both do-able, that is, enjoyable. The So Fast It's Not Fun Anymore itinerary is a mistake, who would knowingly choose for their trip to be a death march to exhaustion, missing lockout times in hotels, physical exhaustion, mental stress, not having more time to do what you paid all that money and went all that way to see and do.Understandably, first timers often want to see more in less time, so they often prefer the Faster But Do-able approach--you just want to ensure that what you thought was Faster But Doable isn't in actuality an Impossible Too Fast trip. To avoid having this happen to you--and to have the kind of trip you wanted it to be==it's strongly suggested you know the approximate travel times between your destinations before you finalize your itinerary.Travel times within Italy are an unavoidable fact of life and cannot be compressed using merely willpower; "young and energetic" doesn't mean you're immune from geography.Click here to estimate rail travel times:Estimate Rail Travel Times Click here to estimate rental car travel times (rental cars only needed in Italy for exploring Tuscany hill towns & Sicily):Estimate Driving Travel Times
Posted by
gaston, oregon, usa
842 posts
Kent .....wonderful words of wisdom...Thanks!
Posted by
Everett, WA
1299 posts
One way to minimize fatigue on a trip is to try to minimize one night stays. Packing up every morning is exhausting. My husband and I travel at a faster clip than many people on this site, but we do try to keep our one nighters few and far between.
Posted by
Ogden, Ut, USA
118 posts
Kent, I hope you reading my Italy itinerary didn't give you the idea to write this post! I have been looking at rail times all day, I promise! You offer great advice! If you think my Italy itinerary looks bad you should see the rest of my trips!
Thanks
Lindsay:)
Posted by
OP
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Lindsay: No, it wasn't you! I wrote the basic post a year or two ago, after the Regular Repliers were spending so much time saying the same thing to (mainly) newbie travelers. So it's not your fault. You're one of those we don't worry about, because you actually read train schedules, read suggestions, and even modify your itinerary (what?! somebody is actually taking our advice?).
Posted by
Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
251 posts
This is great advice for first time travelers! Again, excellent words from Kent! Also something to keep in mind is Connie's suggestion that it is best to stop in places for more than 1 night. And in terms of the train travel time between destinations, this is especially something to keep in mind for those (the many travelers on this board) looking to go straight from Cinque Terre to Venice or vice versa...it essentially takes a majority of a day, which is a lot, especially if you are only in Italy for a week or two overall. Try to make Florence your in-between destination, or even somewhere in the Milan area if you are planning to visit there. Just something to keep in mind..! Thanks again, Kent!
Posted by
Boston, MA, United States
83 posts
I love the saying "death march". That is my motto: I don't want this trip to be a death march.....My partner and I have traveled extensively backpacking and road trippin in the US but are new to train travel.
Posted by
Norfolk, USA
255 posts
I second that thought about keeping one night stays to a minimum if possible. We did a number of trips that we didn't follow that advice and crammed way too much into the amount of time that we had. Was much younger then and could deal with the tiredness. Probably would put me under now. :)
Posted by
West Palm Beach, Fl., USA
17 posts
Kent- the advice found here- yours especially- is absolutely invaluable for both newbies and more experienced-
Thank you all!
Posted by
Atlanta
3262 posts
This is a great resource! I reminds us all to plan carefully so that our trip is enjoyable!
Posted by
Eugene, Oregon, USA
959 posts
We are planning our third trip in to Italy this year, and our past two were the "lets try and see everything" type itineraries with well thought out time lines. Out of those two trips, the central theme that developed was to slow down and concentrate on one area per trip. What we ended up remembering, and savoring the memory there of, were experiences completely off the guide book path. We stopped seeing places, just to see places. Now, we want to experience places; which is an entirely different mind set.
The first two trips were needed to get to this frame of mind where we did spend a lot of time on Trains, Boats, Planes and Buses. They were part of the learning curve. Now our itinerary is almost entirely open, aside from hard points like airlines and lodging. The rest will be just suggested and somewhat unfocused. Those, "in the moment experiences" are the ones we will always remember as unique.
Posted by
Freedonia
16283 posts
However...if your train trip is through the Alps, Tirols, across Tuscany, along the Rhine, through Provence....I suggest you look out the window.
Why so many have the notion that they have to get from point A to point B as fast as possible to see the sights is beyond me...when some of the best "sights" are going to be outside the train window.
I think it's because RS always talks about seeing things...once you're there. The sights are great....once you're there.
What about on the way? To this day I don't understand why he tells people to take the night train from Munich to Venice...one of the prettiest train rides in Europe.
And that's one of the reasons I never take night trains. If I don't care what's out the window, I fly. And get a good night's sleep in a hotel.
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1003 posts
Frank II (love the name LOL), I think that's really wonderful advice. In Sweden, and from Vienna to Venice, I remember the beautiful train rides just as much as the time I spent in the cities. This fall, I plan to rent a car and explore Tuscany, and I am looking forward to the random sights and sounds and experiences I'll have along the way than actually seeing the towns themselves.