Hi there...wondering if this is too ambitious of an itinerary?
May 21 arrive in Venice - stay 2 nights (traveling from Canada)
May 23-Ravenna
May 24-26 - Monterosso
May 27-28 - Florence
May 29-June 2 - Positano
June 3-Rome -1 night
June 4 Travel home
We are planning to travel by train.
Thank you!
You have only 2 weeks including arrival & departure days, so 12 days on the ground. Without knowing your interests, it's hard to advise what your priorities should be, but I do think your plan is a little on the rushed side.
Ravenna is great if you are seriously into the Byzantine period. But why 2 nights in Monterosso? (And do you mean the Monterosso in the province of Ancona, south of Ravenna and San Marino? There is another Monterosso in the north, between Venice and Verona -- and one in Sicily, for that matter.) Similarly, why 5 nights in Positano but only 1 in Rome?
If you really don't care for cities, then you may want to eliminate Florence. Two things I would not change are (a) spending at least 2 nights in Venice upon arrival so you can shake off the jetlag, and (b) staying in Rome the night before your flight so you will not be at the mercy of any transport disruptions trying to travel to the airport from Positano or elsewhere.
Thank you....Ravenna is a stop for family research....Monterosso al Mare (La Spezia) Cinque Terre ... and we picked a bit longer here and in Positano to explore the surrounding area and for some down time; but perhaps we don’t need that long. I am wondering if we need another night in Venice...I’ve explored Rome before also. We want to explore as much as we can but also want some R&R.
I think you do need another night in Venice. That first (arrival) day may not be worth much, as far as sightseeing goes. A lot of people don't accomplish much more than staying (barely) awake on their arrival day.
Lucky you to be able to do family research in the gorgeous town of Ravenna!
It's about 3 hours on the train (and one change) from Venice to Ravenna - plus the time to pack, check out, get to the train station, then to your Ravenna hotel to check in and drop your luggage. That's half a day, more if you add time for breakfast in Venice and lunch in Ravenna. That gives you a couple of hours in the afternoon. Ravenna to Monterosso is 5-6 hours on a total of 4 different trains. That gives you a short morning in Ravenna.
Florence to Positano is another very long travel day. My best route would be train to Salerno (4 hours), then bus to Amalfi and another bus to Positano (at least 1.5 hours) or maybe by ferry would be a little faster. Positano to Rome is the same route, but only 2 hours. Add in transfer time . . . maybe lines to board the bus or ferry.
You'll have to manage your luggage too - I don't think there's luggage storage on the Amalfi coast buses, or the locat train to Monterosso.
Certainly you need more than two nights (one day) in Venice. Venice takes a bit of getting used to, navigation is not that easy.
Ok, I obviously need to rethink our schedule. I think 3 nights in Venice (May21-23); 2 nights in Ravenna (May 23-24); then perhaps travel to Monterosso for 3 nights (May 25-27) or I see from some posts that people do day trips from Florence...maybe this make more sense if we are heading to Positano? Or are there a ferry/boats that run from Monterosso to Amalfi Coast area if we were to bypass Florence altogether? That would be 7 nights between Cinque Terre/Amalfi?
Thank you for your advice, wish we had another week!
Ok, I obviously need to rethink our schedule. I think 3 nights in Venice (May21-23); 2 nights in Ravenna (May 23-24); then perhaps travel to Monterosso for 3 nights (May 25-27) or I see from some posts that people do day trips from Florence...maybe this make more sense if we are heading to Positano? Or are there a ferry/boats that run from Monterosso to Amalfi Coast area if we were to bypass Florence altogether? That would be 7 nights between Cinque Terre/Amalfi?
I think you should consider dropping Positano in favor of a better experience overall, less rushing about. A daytrip to the Cinque Terre is long and not very fulfilling nor relaxing. There is no ferry from Monterosso al Mare to Positano: It is a long trip any way you cut it. Alternatively you could cut Monterosso al Mare and go to Positano. Pick one seaside location or the other.
I would travel in this order, putting Florence between Ravenna and your seaside choice.
Venice - 3N
Ravenna - 2N
Florence - 4 N (day trip potential into Chianti or to Siena)
Monterosso al Mare OR Positano - 4 N (a relaxing end to your trip)
Rome - 1 N
Sounds like you are spending a lot of time rushing on trains to remote areas so you can get "down time" -- how about you pick ONE of Cinque Terre or Amalfi Coast? (After four trips to Italy, including one for a month, we have still not gotten to Cinque Terre. )
Laurel is spot on with her itinerary. Add to that Chanis' tip to train Florence-Salerno, look at the 10:24 train, then ferry ( 1hr15m) to Positano and you'll have a much more relaxing trip.
Ferry schedule
Edited for train time.
Thank you all...now to decide between Cinque or Amalfi Coast 🙂
Definitely voting for CT.
Much easier to employ the 'keep it simple' principle, by keeping the geography more compact.
