Hello! I am planning a trip to Italy this upcoming fall and was hoping that you can offer some advice to see if this itinerary is reasonable or if more time/less time is needed at each location.
5 Days in Rome (this is including arrival day and the day before departure, as I was planning to go back to Rome from Venice the day before I fly back home)
3 Days in Florence
1 Day trip to Siena
1 Day trip to San Gimignano
1 Day to go Truffle Hunting
1 possible extra day in Tuscany to visit wineries
2 Days at the Cinque Terre and was hoping to visit Pisa on our way there from Florence. Is another full day at the Cinque Terre recommended?
3 days in Venice
Thanks for your help. I was planning on traveling by train, but was considering driving from one of the towns in the cinque terre to Venice as there is no direct train and we would go back to Florence.
Posted by
Seattle
343 posts
Have you considered flying into Venice and out of Rome? That way you're not back-tracking.
Posted by
Maryland
931 posts
You list 4 "day trips" but from where and how? Where are you planning to spend the nights? I assume 3 nights in Florence, and then if that is a base for the day trips in Tuscany you would add 4 additional nights in or around Florence. How will you do the day trips? Siena is easy enough by public transport, but San Gimignano, Truffle hunting, and Wineries are not. Maybe you want a second Tuscan location and a rental car to get to all of them for only several days. A car doesn't work for the Cinque Terre. My suggestion would be to plan your days (AM and PM slots) and overnights in the desired locations and then check the transportation options. We stayed at a rural Tuscan agroturismo on one trip that featured truffle hunting as one of its activities as well as being well located for wineries and Volterra/San Gimignano. but we needed a car. Have fun.
Posted by
OP
USA
2 posts
Yes, I have considered flying into Venice, but there are no direct flights there from Florida. I wish that there were.
I was considering taking the train from Rome to the Cinque Terre, Cinque Terre to Florence and then Florence to Venice. I am not sure where my base should be in Tuscany, outside of staying in Florence. Any recommendations. I was planning on renting a car while there.
Posted by
Denver
827 posts
In terms of flying into and out of different cities, I would suggest flying into Venice and out of Rome, even if you need to take a connecting flight. That will save you more time than traveling back to your originating city (also, if you do take a multi-city / open jaws trip, I have heard that the Venice flights leave very early, so preferable to fly into Venice and out of Rome).
Re truffle hunting, September is not really truffle season and based on the locations you mention, those aren't really the truffle areas of Italy.
Think of your trip in terms of nights, not days. It makes it easier to plan.
Make a list of why YOUR group wants to go to the places you have on your list. For example, if you love ancient Roman history, then maybe spend more time in Rome. If you like Renaissance art, spend more time in Florence. Perhaps give up some day trips; there's plenty to do and see in the cities that you mention. And you have listed a lot of locations; you may decide to drop one, so that you are not moving around quite so much.
Between the big cities, traveling by train is the best. Getting around in Tuscany is easier by rental car. (San Gimignano is cute but PACKED with day-trippers during the day; I love Siena and it's bigger, so it doesn't seem as full of tourists.) I've driven to the Cinque Terre, and it's an ok drive, but parking in the Cinque Terre can be a hassle. It would probably be more efficient to get from the Cinque Terre to Venice by car.
Posted by
Denver, CO USA
591 posts
Too much jumping around.
Try an itinerary where you sleep in the same bed for ≥4 nights.
Slow down. Spend more time walking less doing transport (car, bus, train).
Enjoy life.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7778 posts
How many nights do you actually have on the ground in Italy?
Have you already booked flights?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
491 posts
Sounds similar to our first trip to Italy. I think renting a car for some of your Tuscan and Ligurian travels will serve you well.
We rented a car for a week starting and ending in Pisa, to travel to Lucca (one night), Cinque Terre (two nights), and then a “base” countryside inn (four nights, near Certaldo) from which we ventured to Siena, Colle di Val d’Elsa, Volterra, San Gimignano and a drive through Chianti to briefly sneak back into Florence to see frescoes in one more church that we missed.
We took trains from Rome to Florence to Venice to Pisa, so I think you have a reasonable plan. Car and staying in Florence do not really go together. Train from Pisa (rather that CT) to Venice, via Florence, should work.
To my way of thinking, three days in Florence may be one day too little, but overall your choices sound pretty good. I’m not sure how all your day trips work and whether those are all based out of Florence, but I suspect you have explored all that.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12365 posts
I have considered flying into Venice, but there are no direct flights there from Florida.
Having a one stop flight from Florida to Venice is a lot better ( more time efficient) than backtracking from Venice to Rome
If r/t flights to Rome have already been purchased and cannot be undone, I suggest you consider heading on to Florence or Venice on your arrival day, and do all your Romes nights at the end. Saves on a hotel change that eats up time.
And as asked earlier knowing how many nights you have in Italy would be helpful in being able to offer useful suggestions on how to use your time.