casacruz1111

In mid June 2017, I will be traveling with my wife and 7yr old son to Italy. Please note, my wife and I went once 10yrs ago. We have 7 nights to spare here. Our trip will start with a quick stop in Pisa. Then, we will head to over to our highlight of the trip Cinque Terre (I've been dying to see it in person).
Cinque Terre- 2 nights
Portofino- day trip or stay overnight?
Milan- 2 nights
Venice- 2nights

The only place we have been of all of these has been Venice and we are going back because we loved it and really want our son to see it. Please note, we live in Miami, FL. Prior to our Italy stay, we will be arriving from a week stay in Spain (Madrid & Barcelona).

Thank you in advance and Happy Holidays!

Safe travels,

Casa Cruz

StCirq

Cinque Terre is absolutely overrun with tourists in summe. Google for images of Crowds Cinque Terre Summer. Wouldn't be my choice, though it was gorgeous 25 years ago before Rick Steves found it.

Why two nights in Milan? Why ANY nights in Milan? Nice city, but not a top attraction for a vacation - more for European travelers on business or people wanting to buy high fashion. I'd scrap a night there or all of it and add it to Venice.

Where are you flying into and out of? How are you traveling around?

Kathie

Remember that two nights is just one full day.

isabel

Why are you going to Milan? Unless something specific that's very important, for this short trip I'd take those two nights and add one each to CT and Venice. As it is, after allowing for travel you barely have one day in each. Three nights/two full days in each is pretty minimal. It would allow you to do the day trip to Portofino.

Yes, CT is VERY crowded in summer. But if you really want to see it, don't let that stop you. For some reason the crowds are really bad only in the center of the villages, just wandering the back streets or starting some of the trails (and there are many, not just the 'main' one) and the crowds thin out.

Another way to see the CT is from the water. My last trip to the area I stayed in the town of Rapallo and loved it. I did a boat trip to the CT towns. Other towns in the vicinity are S. Margarita and Camogli (up by Portofino) and Portovenere (south of CT). Lots of options in the area, but you need more than 1 or 2 days.

PalenQ

How about a week in Switzerland then fly out of Zurich -head to the Alps for something different from Florida -ice and snow at hi altitudes. The Jungfrau Region around Interlaken is fantastic - about a 5 hour train ride from Milan or less.

casacruz1111

StCirq, thank you. Due to our son's school days, we are limited to summer but also the reason why we are going in the early part of June to try to avoid the chaos. Good point on Milan and well noted. Perhaps, Lake Como instead?
We are coming in from Barcelona and ending our trip in Venice. Home- back to Miami from there. In Italy, my intention to drive a part of it and train (to Venice).

Thanks again!

casacruz1111

Isabel, thank you for the information! I guess it's settled, we will not stay in Milan.

casacruz1111

As of right now, all that we have booked is a flight to Madrid- return from Venice.
15 days total.

Rubicund

Portofino is a tiny village in a small cove with expensive shops, not really worth the trip IMO. Although it's a pleasant enough place, it's not outstandingly beautiful-it's just pleasant.

How do you intend to get from Barcelona to the Liguria area? Flight to Pisa then train to CT? I'm not trying to be a killjoy but again IMO, the CT is pleasant, nothing more and the trails may be closed depending on how the weather has been. If you must see it then fine, but in all honesty lots of people are disappointed after the Rick Steves build up. Ironically, he's contributed to the fact that the place has lost its appeal.

Maybe after Barcelona I'd do this:

Pisa or Florence
Bologna
Lake Garda
Venice

vincenzo32951

I'll let you decide where to go and what to omit. Just some comments on the places you've mentioned:

Milan: I like it. I think it's underrated and often disparaged by people who haven't spent a lot of time there. But given the amount of time you have, skipping it might not be bad idea.

CT: You can get your fill of it in about two days. Rather than go to Portofino, I'd suggest taking the ferry that stops in each CT town and ends in Portovenere, where you can hike up to the fort that overlooks the harbor. The ferry ride will give you some nice views of the coastline and a chance to stop in each of the towns.

The lakes: Maybe, but it will be crowded and maybe overkill if you've stayed in CT. If you go to Como, I'd stay in Varenna and use the ferry/hydrofoil to visit other towns. Varenna is easy and inexpensive to get to via train.

PalenQ

though it was gorgeous 25 years ago before Rick Steves found it.>

still gorgeous but crowds even in June negate that - but the CT has been a tourist magnet since Roman times I read. Rick Steves may have added to the crowds but to credit (or discredit) him for making it a tourist swamp is not really correct IMO -why are Portofino and Bellagio similarly swamped -because of Rick Steves?

I was in CT before Steves hyped it and it was still crowded.

StCirq makes a good point - in summer crowds negate the inherent charm - no matter who is responsible for the mobs.

If you really have wanted to see it go for it but expect to be disappointed.

We stayed in nearby Santa Margharita Ligure and day tripped into CT - walked the seven miles between mobbed villages and loved it but would not have wanted to stay. If you stay chose perhaps Monterosso as it has about the only nice sandy beach- kids always love that.

StCirq

I'm not dissing Milan - going there next week - but I think a 7-year-old would enjoy one of the Italian lakes a lot more (Garda has, among other things, an enormous waterpark, if I recall correctly) and it's a nice change of scenery from the Mediterranean.

dwdvagamundo

Bologna, or add two nites to Venice.

joan

Just went to CT for the first time this fall (mid September). Yes it was crowded - yes we loved it anyway. We were prepared for the crowds and structured our days accordingly: early up and about, rented a small boat to get around, long lunches people watching, then back to the room (with terrace!) for nap and cocktails on the terrace (we overlooked the beach). Also some late afternoon swims from the "new" beach in Vernazza. After dark it was not crowded and gorgeous all lit up. We even caught an opera performance in the tiny church. IMO what makes it overly crowded is the fact that cruise ships that used to call on Florence now offer CT as an excursion - en masse. Not Rick but cruise ships....

I would stay 3 nights in CT and 4 nights in Venice. Take the train between. Or carve out a night or two for Florence - unforgettable and on the way to Venice.

Have fun deciding!

PalenQ

(Garda has, among other things, an enormous waterpark, if I recall correctly>

Yes Gardaland-one of Italy's most popular theme parks:

https://www.gardaland.it/en/

And Lake Garda was my favorite among Italian lakes.

uhoh_busted

I think Cinque Terre is gorgeous, and deservedly so. I agree that Montorosso would be the best place to stay. You can do nearly a whole day walking the trails/riding the train between places (depending on which trails are open to you) and then take a boat back. If the weather is great, it will always be crowded -- with Italians if not tourists.

I think you'd get some real variance by stopping in Parma, and Mantova or Verona on your way to Venice.

PalenQ

If the weather is great, it will always be crowded -- with Italians if not tourists.>

Yes when I was there one September it was mainly Italians mobbing the towns -unless they were Italian-speaking Americans -I did see a few Rick Steves Books but to credit Steves with the torrent of tourists is I think not true - added yes to a heavy tourist trade for eons now.

casacruz1111

Thank you all for such wonderful insight. You have definitely given us plenty to think about.
CT is definitely a must for me. We will def go there. I'd like to be able to see it for myself and form my own opinion after the fact. If I don't love it, at least I would be able to say so after having been; that's the beauty of traveling and life itself.
Joan- thanks for your feedback and suggestions. Florence I will skip this time as we've been there and Tuscay before.

Thank you!

annw

I agree to visit CT if your heart is set on it. When a friend and I went (pre-floods) it was April and definitely mostly Italian/European tourists. We did a combo of trains, walking, and boats between the towns. We stayed in Monterosso at Villa Steno, with lovely little balconies. I am eager to go back so my husband can see the area. It was a delightful visit!

I wonder about CT, added day in Venice, and Lake Garda. Though I love Bellagio and Lake Como, it seems an "older" area, though you child might enjoy lake travel by hydrofoil.

Garda is closer to your stop in Venice. At Lake Garda, Sirmione and the castle may be worth a look as well --
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirmione -- also in the area is the Grotto of Catullus, again, might be interesting. But the waterpark might be more of a hit!

kybourbon

>>>We have 7 nights to spare here.<<<
>>>Cinque Terre- 2 nights
Portofino- day trip or stay overnight?
Milan- 2 nights
Venice- 2nights<<<

Do you have 7 nights in addition to your itinerary listed or 7 nights total? If 7 nights total, you need to pick two locations only as you really don't have time for more. Since CT and Venice are your must sees, those are your two locations.

Day 1/night - fly from Barcelona to Pisa, visit Pisa, travel to CT
(The day will be mostly travel)
Overnight CT

Day 2/night - CT

Day 3/night - CT

Day 4/night - Travel to Venice (will take about 6 hours)
Overnight Venice

Day 5/night - Venice

Day 6/night - Venice

Day 7/night Venice

Day 8 - fly home

That gives you 2 days to sightsee in CT and 3 in Venice.