Hello fellow travelers! We will be visiting Italy in March and will be starting in Rome, travel to Florence for a couple days, travel to Venice for a couple days, then back to Rome for our flight home. Any recommendations for the best way to travel, how to book, any other tips? Thanks!
Posted by
Green Bay
22195 posts
Train. http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en
You can buy your tickets now and print them at home. Super Economy tickets will be the cheapest, but nonrefundable and non-changeable. Seat reservations are included with the tickets.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Trains. For your trips, Roma to Firenze is only a couple of hours, Firenze to Venezia Santa Lucia a couple more, Venezia to Roma (there may be a train that goes directly to the FCO airport from Venezia), four hours.
You might consider going immediately to Venezia, then to Firenze, then to Roma, since you probably will have to be there the night before your flight anyway, group all your time there together.
Posted by
Green Bay
22195 posts
If you go Venice first, you will need to buy full fare (Base) tickets as you cannot predict if your flight lands on time or if there will be delays getting baggage and through immigration. If you do Rome first, you can get the nonrefundable discount tickets for all the other trip legs.
Posted by
Chicago
9000 posts
It is a mistake to fly into Rome and then do Rome first. Land in Rome -- buy a ticket at the FCO airport for Venice or Florence (yes it is more expensive than 3 mos out, but you don't have to worry about a late flight) OR buy cheap tickets 3 most out and roll the dice -- leaving 3 hours or so from ETA and departure of the train from Termini. You arrive in Rome before hotels do check ins anyway so use that first miserable jet lag day to get to a further point. Florence is only 90 minutes away so if you land in Rome at 8 you will be in Florence by noon. Then go to Venice and from Venice back to Rome -- those tickets can be bought cheaply 3 mos out. Then finish your trip in Rome and you don't waste your second to last day rushing back to home base. Gives you an extra usable day with little effort and expense and you don't end up using up your good holiday relaxed feeling by rushing back the day before your flight and fiddling with hotels and all.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Just looking for advice on traveling between the cities. The itinerary is already set. Thanks!
Posted by
Chicago
9000 posts
If you are stuck with this itinerary then book trains and do it 3 mos in advance for good prices.
Posted by
Mpls, MN
1005 posts
I know you said your itinerary is set but for future trips you may want to consider flying "open jaw." We pretty much always fly "open jaw"--into one city and out of another as it saves time & $ in back tracking. We usually do 2nd class on the high speed trains & 1st class on Intercity trains. Have also used the fairly new ITALO train system a number of times with positive experiences. Have a great trip!
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
17133 posts
Also check ticket prices on Italotreno:
http://www.italotreno.it/en
Italo is a private rail line offering high-speed service between larger Italian cities, and prices are comparable or even better, sometimes, to Trenitalia trains.