I am travelling to italy next year. Is it econmical to fly (we will be leaving from boston) into rome and out of florence if we are visiting both areas or does it make more economic sense to fly in/out of same city? thanks. also i am thinking of getting an apartment in florence for a little more than a week and doing day trips to coutryside and sienna and then an apartment in rome for several days to visit that city. is using florence as a base for day trips to tuscany (ie:sienna) a sound plan? thanks for your help.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Gwen, we've flown into Florence but not out. It's a smaller airport and you can expect to depart early for a major hub for your connection to a U.S. carrier going non-stop to the U.S. Still, I like your idea of basing out of Florence. If you can put up with the small airport stuff.
Next, you will have fun booking a 3-way flight from Boston. United will first fly you to Newark where they will put you on a Continental non-stop to Rome. Coming home, they will fly you on Lufthansa to Munich and then to Boston. $1,032. Other U.S. carriers will do much the same.
One airline that will do this at a higher fare is Alitalia. They will fly you non-stop from Boston to Rome. You depart at 5:45pm and arrive at 7:45am in Rome. Not bad. At Florence, you depart at 7:15am for Rome-FCO where you change to a non-stop for JFK where you change for a commuter to Boston. You arrive in Boston just before 9:00pm. $1,534 as I saw it on the website. One very nice thing about this flight is that you avoid the 2.5hrs of security check-in at FCO (at least I think you do).
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1003 posts
I flew in and out of Florence last fall, it is a small and easy airport. Then again I had no problem flying out of Rome a couple years ago either. The problem with it being small is that there aren't that many direct flights in and out. And if you're considering Pisa, it's not that much different than going back to Rome.
On the other hand, if you can get the direct flight from Boston to Rome (I've flown that route, the other way around), it might be worth taking the nonstop round trip only because the thought of stopping over always makes me nervous and I always fly nonstop if it's a reasonably-priced option. But that's just me. The train between Rome and Florence is short enough so that it's not a huge inconvenience either. You can always split your stay in Rome in two and not waste an immense amount of time (especially if you're willing to take the train early or late).
honestly I'd just do whatever 1) you feel best about and 2) what's most reasonable. When thinking about price, think about the additional Florence-Rome train you'd be taking (which isn't cheap), etc. Might be best to track flight prices for a while since it sounds like you have time, then just pick the best option when you see it.
Otherwise I think using Florence as a base is a great idea! just make sure you spend enough time in the city itself. I'm biased, I think I could live in Florence and never get bored :)
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
25 posts
Gwen, first of all, enjoy Italy! A couple years ago we rented a farm house (agritourismo) about 45 miles SSW of Florence in Col Val d'Elsa. We paid less for a week than we did for a night in Florence, something to consider. From this area, it was 45 minutes to Florence, 1.5 hours to Siena and about 2 hours to Assisi. Because the accomodations were so inexpensive, we did stay 1 night in Florence getting in early in the morning and staying until afternoon the next day which was plenty of time (but I'd go back). Flying out of Florence can either be from Florence or Pisa which is a short train ride or about an hour by car. British Air to London and back to Boston. If you only need a hotel in Florence or end up doing something like I described, consider the Hotel Maxim ** on Via De Medici, 2 blocks from the Duomo and maybe 4 from the Uffizi. Consider Rome first then Tuscany/Florence or depending upon flight options the other way. I wouldn't drive in Rome to save my life and Florence while better presents serious parking challenges, otherwise, no problems if you rembember the rules: yield when entering traffic circles and all of the rest are just suggestions.
Posted by
Diamondhead, MS
132 posts
Last fall, we flew in and out of Rome (Nov)
We got through customs etc about 8:00 or 8:30. Bought train tickets at the airport, train station. Transferred trains in Rome and were settling in out Florence hotel by mid afternoon. It is doable and both are options.
I liked staying in Florence, rather than one of the other towns. There's plenty to see and do there.
We opted for bus tours of the area. (I can see the attraction to staying in places like Sienna or San Gimagnano.)
Have fun, what ever the option you take.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4415 posts
Gwen, my experience with shopping for open jaw tickets (in and out of 2 different cities)is that it's always exactly 1/2 the price of a round-trip to each city. Ex: DFW>>FCO $40 (in MY dreamworld) and CDG>>DFW $80
Open jaw DFW>>FCO, CDG>>DFW = $60 ($20+$40)
You HAVE to book them as open jaw, NOT as two one-way tickets!