Hi, I am new to the forum and to traveling in general! We are planning on the 10 day trip in September. Has anyone gone on this tour (comments please!) and extended the trip to another city. Would Cinque Terre be a possibility? Thanks for any advice for this newbie!
Lynn
I've not done the 10 day tour, but took the 21BOE tour, which includes a week touring Venice, Florence, Rome and the Cinque Terre. Anything is a possibility, but if you're wanting more, have you considered taking a longer Italy tour than the 10 day one? A couple of them include the Cinque Terre. If you're new to traveling, taking a longer tour might be easier than trying to navigate on your own. The Cinque Terre is amazing and very much worth the visit! I wouldn't want to tackle the hair raising drive to get there, but you can take a train. Others more familiar can give you better advice as to extending your trip. I personally suggest extending to a longer tour.
Venice, Florence and Rome all have great things to see and do! I loved Venice the best. It was great to explore on foot, and as a single woman traveler I felt very safe there, even after dark. I adored St Marks Square and could have stayed there all day and night, just sipping limoncello and people watching! It can be disappointingly crowded in the afternoons, but that's a good time to explore the museums and shops, nap at your hotel or do something else away from the crowds. At sunrise and sunset you get dreamy, postcard Venice. Great city.
I didn't love Florence and Rome quite as much just because I'm a small town girl and found the big cities a bit intimidating. That being said, I did find many things to enjoy. There is so much art and history to explore there! Seeing the David statue in Florence... surreal. I also did a LOT of great shopping in Florence with a fellow tour mate and our impeccably dressed bus driver! We all bought a LOT of scarves. My daughter was due to get married just after my return, so I bought Italian scarves for all the bridesmaids and Italian leather wallets for the groomsmen. We had a lot of fun on our shopping trip! What can you say about Rome? It's ROME! Seeing the Colosseum, the Forum and the Pantheon up close and in person is absolutely... magnificent. I'm not a foodie, at all, but the food and wine in Italy were absolutely delicious. The people were all very kind as well. I also visited Vatican City. I'm not a Catholic, but you don't have to be to appreciate the beautiful art and history there. How many people can say they saw the Sistine Chapel? I can! Italy was the country I was indifferent towards before the tour. But after... Lets just say, I'll be returning to Italy on an RS tour (also in September!) and I'm quite excited about it!
If you get the chance to visit the Cinque Terre, do so. There is nothing to hate and everything to love. If you can't relax there, you'll never relax! Whether you just pick a few feet of beach, keep a drink in your hand and never leave that, or whether you explore all of the local towns, or something in-between, it's all good. The areas are all postcard beautiful, the people charming and eager to please. It's easy to get around and explore in a variety of ways. The pesto... my mouth is watering just writing the word...
However your trip goes, Italy is fantastic and you are in for a wonderful treat! Definitely stay as long as you can. Have a great time!
Lisa
lynn have you considered the strong recommendation to arrive at least a day early in order to help adjust to the time zone change? We were very glad that we took the advice and flew in three days early, to Milan, and spent the time in Varenna on Lake Como, before taking the train to Venice. People who arrived the day the tour started were falling asleep on their dinner plates.
We were pretty worn out by the time the tour ended in Rome, but it would have been easy to add some more time to visit just about anywhere in Italy.
We arrived a day early in Venice and spent two additional days in Rome. One might have been enough. Make sure you pack some mosquito spray for Venice as we slept with the window open and my wife had several bites the first morning. It is a great tour and probably the one tour that I would tell someone to take if they only could go on one tour in their lifetime.
You'll use the better part of a day getting from Rome to the 5 Terre and as much getting back to Rome to spend the night before your flight home.
Plan 2 spend a night or more in Venice pre-tour. After the tour, you could spend a couple nights in Orvieto, much less travel time to/from Rome. You may also want to add days in Rome - there's a lot more to see than what the tour covers.
Welcome, Lynn!
I haven't taken the tour but it's a great idea to spend at least one night before the tour on your own, you may be able to stay that night in the same hotel that the tour will use. A super economy ticket from Milano Centrale to Venezia Santa Lucia (not Venezia Mestre) can be about €10 or less. Last time I checked it was €7, bought up to 120 days in advance; but it is only good for that specific train that day.
If you can add extra nights, I would put most of them at the end of your stay, you will be able to use the travel skills you learn on the tour.
Lynn,
I think the Cinque Terre would be doable after your tour. I suggest getting the RS Italy guidebook to read about places you want to visit. Also, Rick has written Europe Through the Back Door in which he tells you how to plan a trip, how many days/nights and many other considerations for the traveler. Being new, you will find much to consider here.
I went on the RS 17 Days Best of Italy tour this past October which includes VFR and the CT, although spending only 2 nights in each location and your tour includes 3 nights in each city. I flew to Milan and spent 2 nights there before the tour began, in Varenna on Lake Como. I took the train from Milan Centrale station. Highly recommend you arrive at least one day early as you never know when flights can be delayed or other snafus, plus arriving early helps alleviate jet lag.
You will love Italy! I am returning to Rome for the RS 7 Days in Rome tour in March.
Happy New Year!
Judy B
Plan to arrive at least one day before the tour begins -- two will be better if you can arrange it. Not only does that give you a chance to recover from jet lag and become acclimated, it mitigates the effects of a cancelled flight or missed connection. Have known that to happen to at least one couple who finally joined the tour late. Doesn't happen often, but once is enough. Just food for thought.
We're taking that tour in May. We aren't able to add a lot of extra time, but we are arriving in Venice the day before to deal with jet lag. We're also spending the last "breakfast" day of the tour in Rome and flying home the following day, just to work in a few more sights. We took the Best of Paris tour in 2015 and loved it, which is a big reason we signed up for another RS tour. I'll post some reports after we return and pass along any helpful hints, though most of the people on this forum are far more experienced travelers than us.
Great information! Thank you all for your comments! Felice Anno Nuovo!
Hi this was our first RS tour a decade ago. It was so great we have been on four other tours ( three with our kids)
On our first tour we were not able to extend our tour since we had to get back for Halloween with our then young kids not with us. This past tour BOE14 days we ended in Rome & spent an extra day in Rome. There is so much to see. I would suggest staying in Rome. Ditto what the others said go to Venice a day early. We did and it helps with jet lag.
Enjoy your tour.
Just went this past May. It's a busy tour paked with art, history, food and architecture. It is tons of walking & stairs as it is 3 cities.
Because it's all cities, especially these three, your main sites will be crowded. This is where you'll appreciate the RS experience. They are using the whisper ears in the museums for this tour due to the crowds.
They do a great job of getting you in and seeing the highlights with a few surprises from the local guide.
We walked everywhere and used the subway in Rome a couple of times. After the first time I was confident to be off on my own. Watch your belongings ( I use a money belt). Please be able to carry your own suitcase and any other bag
you bring. The men on the tours are always gentleman but it's not their job to take care of everyone else.
Our guide took us to some of the best dining experiences I ever had on any of my RS tours (this was my 5th one). He knew his stuff, had great advice, especially all the great Gelato shops, and knew many locals wherever we went. He kept us organized and together in three cities and it all went very smooth. I ate my heart out everywhere and actually lost weight. A few ladies had fit bits and were shocked at how many steps they walked each day.
In Florence after you visit the Uffizzi, if it's a nice day go up to Micheangelo Square and then up into the Biboli Gardens. The views are amazing up there. Try to get some water and a snack to take with you. There are also some small places to eat away from the Square on your way to the Biboli entrance, too.
My plans changed form CIngue Terre, Tuscany, Naples (Pompeii) and eventually I just stayed in Rome.....nuts I thought.
But I was able to get a personalized guided walking tour of Jewish Rome and history for an entire afternoon, so I gave myself a lazy morning and got myself and stuff together for return travel home. One of my focuses on the 10 day tour was Jewish history so I was glad to have this extra day in Rome. The second day I explored the Capitoline Musuems and area, had lunch at the outdoor cafe there, and did some simple gift shopping in the afternoon. I came home rested.
Two couples went to Tuscany, one couple went to Cinque Terre and another on to Germany.
Thanks for asking this Lynn. I was going to be posting the same question. My husband and I are going on the RS 10day tour of Italy the first of September and it will be our first time in Italy. Unfortunately with our work schedules we won't be able to come in early to Venice but we do have 4 days after the tour and would like to see the coast. There are so many towns that I have read about and RS makes them all sound wonderful how do we choose? Capri looks beautiful and Pompeii sounds interesting. the Amalfi coast looks beautiful and relaxing after 10 days of running. I am not sure how to choose to spend my last 4 days
Julie
Hi, Lynn,
I loved this tour in October, 2014; we had beautiful weather and minimal crowds. I second the recommendation to arrive early to acclimate to the time change; I can't sleep on planes. I flew to Venice 3 days early and stayed overnight at an Airbnb in Treviso, a lovely small town with canals. One of the owners picked me up at the airport with his dog. I then took the train to Padova/Padua for 2 nights. It is a university town with much history and architecture. Then I took the train to Venice and joined the tour group. It's not hard to figure out the trains and ticketing. Pack light and enjoy your trip!
That's exactly what we did after our Venice, Florence and Rome tour. We took the train to Vernazza and spent a lovely 3 nights there hiking. We were there in early October and it was lovely. Highly recommend.
