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Suggestions and advice for my itinerary!

Posted by on

Hi! This is just a rough draft of my travel plan. I will be flying from UK so I won't be concerned much about jetlag. I arrive March 25th and depart April 23rd

Week 1 Athens + Santorini

Week 2 Venice + Dolomites

Week 3 Bologna + Florence + Cinque Terre

Week 4 Naples + Amalfi Coast + (Sorrento?) + (Pompeii)

I have questions regarding Greece. Do i have to bring lots of euros before i arrive? Because many google articles just link back to their economic crisis in 2014/15. Also do they check for valid licenses if i rent an ATV in santorini? B/c a friend that recently went said they didn't check for ID of any kind. I would like to know if 3 days in Athens and another 3 days for Santorini is more than enough to spend in both cities.

Also for Italy, will there be big crowds during this time of the year? I would like to take day trips when in Italy, especially if i can visit smaller cities or visit vineyards. I also want to know about past experience in the Dolomites as I might spend more time there than in Venice b/c i've already visited Venice (but a second time won't hurt!) I would also love to know where to book hostels in certain cities (neighborhoods or just near centre of the city)

I am open to any suggestions and advice whether it's Italy or Greece. Thank you for your help!

Posted by
8371 posts

Greece is just like the other European countries at this time with ATM's available. And most businesses also take credit cards. They have to be traveler friendly because the whole country's economy is mostly based on tourism.
I don't remember having to produce anything except a credit card to obtain an ATV to ride the roads of Santorini. We saw essentially 3/4 of the island in an afternoon.
One day was enough for me in Athens. It was essentially a sea of 4 story flat roofed white concrete cubes--as far as the eye could see. We did enjoy the Parthenon, however. Three days in Santorini would be sufficient for me. We were coming off a cruise ship, and we also loved many of the other islands, but especially Crete and Malta.
We'll be arriving in Rome on a repositioning cruise the day before Easter, 2017. It's going to be a busy weekend, however April and May are great times to travel to Italy. Don't worry about crowds.
I hope you'll be renting a car when you leave Venice to travel north to the Dolomites, down to Bologna and west to the C/T. It's the efficient way to travel and you'll see so much more driving yourself. Just be careful on the causeway from Venice over to the mainland because they have automatic camera/radars nailing travelers there. I'd suggest dumping the rental car in Orvieto on the way south, as no car is needed in Rome or on the Amalfi Coast.
Have a great trip.

Posted by
11851 posts

It is very early for "summer" in the Dolomites. Ski season will be over and summer not yet underway. In our favorite area, the Val Gardena and Alpe di Siusi, the lifts are closed between ski season and summer season. You can still drive the passes and I think you can drive up to the Alpe di Siusi or take a bus from Castelrotto, but no lifts.

The good news is that the weather should be lovely, i.e., not hot yet, everywhere you are going. It is early in season for the Cinque Terre so less crowded than June-Sept.

I do think you have a lot planned for Week 3. You might want at least 10 nights to cover that much territory. 4 nights Florence and 3 each Bologna and the Cinque Terre.

Posted by
8371 posts

I agree completely with Laurel's comments. I forgot that you're going a little early to the Dolomites but you never know how the roads will be. Sometimes the mountains in transition seasons will receive a lot of rain.

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