Hope to go for 2 weeks and am wondering in which order to do these 4 places. We will stay a few days with family north of Venice (Belluno)...but should we go there first or last? And what is the shortest route to CT? So far the plan is 3 nights in Siena with a day trip to Florence, 3 nights CT, 3 or 4 nights in Belluno. Should we start in Rome and end in Venice or vice-versa? As for Rome, I am mainly interested in seeing the Vatican.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11333 posts
Order depends a little bit on the time of year. If it's fall, start north and work south so you catch the last bit of warmth in Venice and the CT. (We did Venice/Tuscany/CT/Rome in that order in October, for example.) If it's July, it doesn't matter what order in terms of weather. In terms of ease of transportation, you are going to have some long transfers to the CT no matter what you do. Venice to the CT, 3 trains, 6 hours. Venice to Siena, 2 trains, 4 hours, Siena to CT, 3 or 4 trains, 3.75 hours. I thin that's OK as long as you are staying at least 3 nights in the CT. Just plan for the transport times. It's also almost 5 hours between Rome and the CT. Hopefully you can spend 4 or 5 nights in Rome. While you say you are mostly interested in the Vatican, I think you'll find as many people do that Rome is just a great city to walk around, poke into churches and museums, hang out in a piazza, and EAT great food. 4 days flew by for us. We spent one whole day at the Vatican and I left with a longer list of places/things I want to see/do than I had when I arrived there!
Posted by
Fort Mill, SC, USA
70 posts
Laura, Do you have Rick Steves' Italy guide book? He has lots of helpful information about trains. Unfortunately, there are no fast trains to CT or Siena. The fast trains run between Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome. Unless your heart is set on seeing CT this time, I'd save it for another trip. It will take you forever to get there from Venice, and it's not easy to reach from Siena, Florence or Rome, either. Renting a car won't work, as a car is a liability in CT. We are planning a similar trip, but fly in and out of Milan, which is much closer to CT. We're going to rent a car to tour Tuscany, including Siena, and then we'll drop the car off in La Spezia for a 10 minute train ride to CT. When we leave, the train to Milan is about three and a half hours. I wish there were an easier way to suggest for you...
Posted by
OP
Illinois, USA
97 posts
We will try to go at a less busy time....April or October, for instance. We are not really "museum" people when it comes to sightseeing.....more into countryside, food, outdoors, experiencing the "real" Italy, rather than touristy places. Therefore, weather IS pretty important to us....would not even consider the summer as it is too crowded and hot (I hear). I want to keep train travel between destinations to the least possible. That is why I'm asking for the best routes to take.
Posted by
OP
Illinois, USA
97 posts
Yes, I absolutely want to go to CT! Because of the cost, I think this will be our one and only trip to Italy. I am even considering eliminating Rome and just doing Belluno (north of Venice) to meet family, Siena/Florence, and CT. That way, we could spend more time in each location and less time traveling between them. Perhaps adding Milan as either an arrival or departure city would be better? If so, would it be better to start in Milan, end in Venice....or the opposite? Thanks for the advice so far....keep it coming!