Trip Planing for October 2015

The first thing that strikes me is the driver for 7 nights. You don't need one. Rent a car and drive to the cities you want to visit. Be sure to read up on Italian driving laws before you go. Beware of limited traffic zones (ZTL's). You won't be able to drive into any city but there is parking outside most with easy access into the cities. You'll need an international drivers permit along with your license in order to rent a car and drive in Italy. You can get one at the AAA for around $20.

Get a guide book or two to help you decide what you want to see and help you plan out your days. I would pick up the car in Florence and return it after your week in Tuscany. After that you can take the train to your other destinations.

Donna

With 10 people you'd probably have to rent at least 3 cars or maybe 2 minivans, not sure you could rent anything large enough for 10 people w/o some kind of special license. I'm assuming the driver you spoke of is for a van/bus that seats at least 10. Or do you intend to split up into groups going different places?

The first part of your trip seems reasonable – 2 nights in Venice and 7 nights at the villa near Greve. Pisa is very close to Lucca, so it would make sense to combine those 2 cities into one day trip. I’d suggest stopping for a couple of hours in Pienza on your way to or from Montepulciano. I’d also suggest including Siena as one of your day trips.

The last 3 days of your trip seem overly ambitious, as the places you mention are geographically spread out. I’d suggest either 2 days in Cinque Terre and last day in Milan (skipping Verona and Como/Lugano), or 3 days in Milan with day trips to Verona and Como/Lugano (skipping Cinque Terre). Keep in mind that the trains to Lugano stop in the town of Como, but Como is on the opposite side and further down Lake Como from towns like Varenna and Bellagio. I think you’d be rushed to see all 4 of those places in one day, and careful planning to coordinate train and boat schedules would be required to pull it off. Also keep in mind that, due to travel time to Milan from Greve or Cinque Terre, both of the above options allow only limited time to see sights in Milan.

12 days on the ground, 2 in Venice, 7 in Greve, 3 in Milan. When are you going to have time to visit all the other places you mention? From Milan you will be able to hit Lake Como for a day by train.

You list twelve nights. That's a lot of moving around for a group of ten. You will only move as quickly as the slowest person.

Seven days in Tuscany seems like a lot compared to the size of your list. Can you streamline a little? Or choose three or at most four bases.

Will tour group be together all the time? Having several cars will give your group flexibility. Every driver needs the International Driving Permit and their state license.

I want to thank all of you who have responded for your comments and guidance.

Regarding the driving aspect of our trip we have engaged drivers before with van's who can accomodate 10 people. With this type of arrangement we all get there at the same time and if you want to have a glass of wine for lunch/dinner no one has to worry about any consequences.

I realize that the second part of my trip planning needs a great deal of thought and refinement. Our group is really interested in staying for 2- 3 nights in Lake Como coupled with a day trip to Lugano, Switzerland. We would travel by train from Florence to Milan and then have a driver take us to Lake Como. I am looking for advice on which area to select or hotels to stay in the Como area

After leaving Como, we would finish up in Milan for 2 nights for sightseeing in that area. Again looking for hotels and perhaps a day trip. We would fly from Milan to the states.

Thank you for your thoughts and I have to say this forum is great.

Hotels in Milano: Berna or Garda are highly recommended by poster here, a few minutes' walk from the train station. For a day trip, I loved Bergamo Alta (buses from train station to the old city leave every few minutes). About an hour from Milano.

It's easy to take the train from Milano to Lake Como, you can take the ferry to some of the towns on the lake.

As described, this sounds like more of a "road trip" than anything else. Be sure to check the weather in the north along with the sunrise and sunset times in October, especially if you are going later in the month. These may affect what and how much you can do as well as when, not to mention what clothes you bring. As someone else said, research the distances and time to travel them between the various places you list, both by train and by van. Some are farther apart than you may expect in terms of travel time and perhaps harder to get to and from in terms of logistics.

To follow what Lo's advised, use viamichelin.com for driving times and distances. I'd probably add some time to that, since a van may be a little slower in places and with a large group, plan on bathroom breaks.

ohoey,

Your plan is ambitious, to say the least. It's also somewhat unrealistic and some parts will simply not be possible (IMO). I doubt very much if you're going to be able to see all of the latter destinations (Verona, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Como and Lugano), whether you hire a driver or not.

A few thoughts.....

• Flying inbound to Venice is reasonable, although only two days will not allow much recovery from jet lag. You may find that at least some members of your group are not moving too quickly. It would be a good idea to build some rest breaks into your touring time there.
• I assume you're meeting your driver somewhere close to Firenze SMN station? Is your Villa close to town, or will you need the Van each time you want to go into Greve for dinner or whatever? If part of your group is using the Van, the rest of you may be stuck at the Villa.
• The main problem in seeing the latter five places on your list is the fact that the majority of your very short 12 days will be spent in Greve. That doesn't leave much time for anything else!
• Are you planning on seeing any of the sights in Milan, or just using it as a "home base" for day trips? If you spend your last three nights in Milan, do you plan to take a day trip each day?
• Some day trips are easily possible from Milan, and using trains would likely be the quickest and most efficient method. Here are a few possibilities to consider.....
• VERONA - Travel time will be ~1.5H each way from Milano Centrale. Many of the trains on that route are FrecciaBianca high speed trains, which will definitely be faster than by car, as they travel at ~125 kMH.
• PISA - The shortest travel time from Milan will be about 3.25H each way. I'm not sure that's worth the effort, so this would a good destination to cross off your list. You could go there by Van while in Greve (about 2 hours each way), but I'm still not sure it's worth the effort.
• CINQUE TERRE - Travel time to Monterosso from Milan will be about 3H each way. There are a few direct InterCity trains on that route, and that would be the quickest and easiest method. Other trains are a combination of Freccia, InterCity and Regionale and involve changes, which will make the trip more of an ordeal. A day trip there is certainly possible, but I'd suggest making it a full day so that you'll have time to look around the five towns. Use the local trains to get to each town. For example, you could use a direct departure at 06:10, arriving Monterosso at 08:59. Plan to have a fine meal there in one of the many restaurants and then return to Milan in the evening. The last direct train from Monterosso back to Milan appears to depart at 18:55, so it would have to be an early dinner.
• LAGO DI COMO - This is easily possible as a day trip from Milan (I know, as I've done it). I'd suggest visiting the town of Varenna, which is on the east shore about mid-lake area. If desired, you could take the short (20M) Ferry ride across to the posh resort of Bellagio for a few hours. Travel time from Milan to Varenna is 1H:03M and once you arrive there, it's easy to walk to the main part of town. There's a lakeside promenade from the main part of the town to the Ferry dock, and that's a great place to just relax for a few minutes and watch the boats going back and forth.
• LUGANO - again, very easy from Milan. There are departures about every two hours, usually at "25 past the hour", and the trip is 1H:07M each way. When you arrive in Lugano, you can take the Funicular down to the main part of town, and once there it's easy to get around. Probably a good idea to make sure you have your Passport with you for that trip. There are cruises on the lake, but not sure how frequent those will be in October. You could also take the trips up Monte Brè or Monte San Salvatore for a great view of the lake and city.

Good luck with your planning!