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Travelling between cities in Italy and Spain

Hi guys,
I'm travelling to Italy and Spain. I've done the hotel reservations, but needed some advice on how to travel between cities. I'm travelling with my wife. My luggage would comprise of 2 big rucksacks and maybe a suitcase trolley.

Here is my itinerary:

19th April: Land in Milan (need to travel from airport to city)

21 April: Milan to Venice

23 April: Venice to Florence

26 April: Florence to Rome

28 April: Rome to Sorrento

30 April: Sorrento to Naples

1 May: Naples to Barcelona (flights already booked)

4 May: Barcelona to Granada (flights already booked)

6 May: Granada to Seville

8 May: Seville to Madrid

I am not sure if a Euro rail pass would be useful for me. Would really appreciate any help/suggestions. Also I'll be visiting various tourist attractions, if there are any tour passes that offer complementary travel, might look into as well.

I know it's a lot of cities in a short amount of time. But I've already booked my accommodations. Any tips to help me plan this trip better would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Posted by
3904 posts

Between Barcelona and Granada: Fly
Between Granada and Sevilla: ALSA Bus
Between Sevilla and Madrid: AVE high speed train

Make sure to stop at Cordoba for a few hours (on the same rail-line between Sevilla and Madrid) to check out the Mezquita de Cordoba, one of the top 5 sights of Spain.

Posted by
7837 posts

No need for a Eurail pass this trip I recommend this site for advanced (like book them now) train tickets in Italy (as it list all both Trenitalia and ItaloTren trains) and also Spain https://www.thetrainline.com/?redirected=true

I like the ALSA bus also as I used it about two months ago to go between Granada and Seville
https://www.alsa.com/en/web/bus/home

Looking at your itinerary I would book tourist sites piecemeal and decide if you want a guide at each.
If you are trying to go to the Alhambra you might want to look at booking those today if they are still available.

Posted by
6113 posts

Wow, you are going to need a holiday to recover from this pace with only one full day in most places!

You are arriving over Easter weekend, so check what is closed. Most transport will be running reduced schedules.

Posted by
5262 posts

One day in Rome? I'd skip Naples and Sorrento and add it to Rome.

Posted by
11156 posts

Granada to Cordova to Seville. Don’t miss Córdoba and the Mezquita.

Posted by
27111 posts

That itinerary is a real problem. You're going to spend a lot of money traveling to all of those places but not really seeing much. It will be absolutely exhausting--mentally as much as physically, because you're going to be thinking constantly about all the things you haven't been able to see in the current city as you're rushing to the train station, bus station or airport to get to the next one.

And if you don't already have tickets to the Alhambra it may be too late to get one from any source, in which case going to Granada on such a compressed trip is not a good idea. At this point your hotel in Granada may be the best place to look for tickets. If no luck there, it's down to paying $$$ for a tour. But be sure the tour includes the Nasrid Palaces. There's at least one company that has sold tickets to the "Alhambra" without making it clear that the top sight wasn't included.

Posted by
11179 posts

That is an aggressive pace, and given it is your honeymoon ( per other post), looks more like an endurance test.

As others have already said, a rail pass is no benefit for where you are traveling.

What is a 'big rucksack', ( dimensions) ?

What size is the 'suitcase trolley'. Presumably you mean a wheeled bag?

Since everything is booked, just be sure you have a well defined list of what you are doing at each location.

Good luck

Posted by
172 posts

If you are a Senior ( it was over 62) you can buy a carte del oro for Spanish trains. Unlike other European countries, it was not expensive. In 2015 it cost 5 euros. We used just for the high speed from Seville to Madrid. The almost 40% discount made it well worth the cost. The agent in Seville did not volunteer discount info. even though my hair is all gray, you have to ask and then they will take care of you, hopefully. Buen viaje, Hank, Novato, Ca

Posted by
15582 posts

I also think a more enjoyable trip would be fewer stops. Your itinerary would be possible on a guided tour, with a bus from hotel to hotel and a guide to lead you to the top spots without getting lost or waiting in line. But it's going to be very different on your own. Every time you move, you have to go door-to-door with your luggage, including packing time and travel to/from train stations. To go from Rome to Sorrento, you need a train to Naples, then transfer to the s.l.o.w. local Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento.

I would skip Milan, unless there is something really special you want to do there and continue by train to Venice, staying at least 3 nights. Venice to Florence is a couple hours by train, Florence to Rome a little less. Stay in Naples and day trip to Sorrento and anywhere else you want to see (there's a day's worth of sights in Naples plus the very excellent archaeology museum).

If you are going to Granada to see the Alhambra, do you have tickets yet? I hope so, since they are sold out for May.

Posted by
12 posts

I'll be watching the Inter Milan vs Roma game in Italy on the 20th.
Also haven't booked Alhambra tickets, what can I do now?

Posted by
12 posts

Thanks Scythian. I've booked all my trains using loco2.
Unfortunately my itinerary is set and hotel booking have been done. I can't change anything, but maybe your suggestions can help me plan my days accordingly.

Posted by
12 posts

Thanks Carlos,
I've booked ALSA bus from Granada to Sevilla. Got a 50% discount for some reason. So that was great as well.
Will try my best to visit Cordoba