My 20 year old daughter and a friend are landing in Rome in late May and will have 2 full days before their Study abroad class begins and they want to travel to Florence. Can anyone tell me the best way for them to do that-- get there and back and stay, and will it be safe for 2 girls to do that?
Posted by
340 posts
Train is fast and easy to get there and back.
The place to stay depends on their budget.
It will be safe for them if they would be safe traveling in and enjoying another American city. (In other words, if they're wise/smart enough to be on their own in an American city, they should be fine.)
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7304 posts
How long is their study abroad program? Will they have time to travel a bit during the term?
They might be wiser to spend their first days in Italy getting oriented to where they will be studying, then plan a weekend trip to Florence( and other places in Europe if possible)
My daughter spent a term in Barcelona at age 20 and managed to get to Amsterdam, Dublin, Madrid, Prague, Lisbon, somewhere else? Cheap flights
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32392 posts
Mel,
That's a very easy trip. Tell them to go to Roma Termini and buy tickets for either the Freccia or Italo high speed trains. Departure station will be Roma Termini and arrival station Firenze S.M. Novella. The high speed trains travel at up to 300 km/h and make the trip in ~90 minutes. There are numerous trains on that route each day.
Tell them to visit the local Library and have a look at the Rick Steves Italy guidebook as there are lots of suggestions for good hotels in Florence. It might be a good idea to pack along a copy of the book as it will be a valuable resource to plan sightseeing during their study abroad trip.
Posted by
Rural Georgia
2213 posts
Have they been to Italy before? How long is their program?
I agree with Christine. What does “full days” mean? Will they have to travel any part of those days? I really think they’d be better off getting the lay of the land in Rome. They will be jet lagged.
BTW, we are in London on business right now. We also met up with our grandson, who just finished a year in college in Paris.
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
There are thousands of study abroad students in Florence each semester. Florence will be safe for them and they'll likely meet other students their age who plan to study in Florence rather than Rome. As mentioned in the posts above, trains are safe and efficient, but they're not necessarily cheap. Full fare ticket is 64 euro from FCO airport to Florence, about 50 euro for the return to Rome. Return fares on Italo trains might be lower.
Posted by
California
14 posts
Is this their first time in Italy? suggest they orient themselves first with navigating Rome for their study program. Was in Florence two weeks ago. Loved the city and I am sure they will too. It is a 90 minute train ride from Rome. They can do this as a weekend trip.