Italy airfare and itinerary

Old Oct 23rd, 2007, 06:20 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 94
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Italy airfare and itinerary

My husband and I are thinking of going on a last minute trip to Italy for a week in Janruary. We would be flying out of NY, into Venice, departing from Rome back to NY. Is $569 a good ticket price? Do you think it will go any lower? This price is on Alitalia.
I also would love some itinerary help. I would like to spend 1 day in Venice and then split up the rest between Florence and Rome (including day trips). I know this is ambitious for a week but I want to make the most of my time there. Any advice would be much appreciated! Also, any lodging tips (no more that $150 a night) would be great. Thank you.
rr229 is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2007, 07:31 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,021
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi RR - Most popular daytrip options from Florence include:

Siena & San Gimignano
Pisa & Lucca
Bologna
Cortona
Orvieto
Assisi
Perugia


In Rome you really need 3 days minimum just to see the main sights.
For planning your sightseeing a good place to start is:

http://www.romaturismo.it/v2/en/main.asp

If you still want to do a day-trip, options include:

Tivoli (Hadrian's Villa, Villa d'Este (fountain gardens)
Ostia Antica
Orvieto
Assisi
Pompeii/Herculaneum/Vesuvius
Naples
Capri
Amalfi Coast/ Positano
Castel Gandolfo/ Lake Albano/ Colli Albani

Hope this helps ...

Steve


Steve_James is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2007, 07:34 AM
  #3  
ira
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 74,699
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi rr,

>I would like to spend 1 day in Venice and then split up the rest between Florence and Rome...

With only 1 week, I would do
A.....3 nights V and 3 nights F
B.....3 nights V and 3 nights R
C.....6 nights Rome
D.....3 nights V, a day in F and 3 nights R

I would fly into Venice VCE and out of Florence FLR, Pisa PSA or Rome FCO.




ira is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2007, 07:46 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,072
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
569 is a great price, snag it. I just paid 959 for a trip right after Xmas and the week of New Years...
flygirl is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2007, 08:01 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,160
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You need to allow extra time in Venice for jetlag. And also allow for relatively short days; sightseeing in the dark is not fun. I agree that 2 stops are better than 3. I'd say skip Florence unless you're great fans of Renaissance art and architecture. If you do 3 cities, forget about excursions. Just not enough time.

You're trying to pack the highlights of Italy into too short a time period. Unless you relax and enjoy "la dolce vita," you'll miss the point.
Mimar is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2007, 08:04 AM
  #6  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 94
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you all for your advice. Is train the best way to get from city to city? How long is the train ride from Venice to Florence and from Florence to Rome? Is there some sort of train website if I wanted to see the schedule or buy tickets in advance?
Thanks!
rr229 is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2007, 09:26 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 715
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Keep in mind that traveling from point a to point b takes time and impacts your time, whether you drive or take the train.

You could always do two days in each city, but then that would mean another day of travel to and from, packing and unpacking.

With just one week, as hard as it might be, my suggestion would be to choose just two locations, with Venice (3 days) and Rome (3 days)being the top choicse since your flight is set...great price on airfare.

For train information, use www.trenitalia.com.

Lodging under 150/night is not easy in the cities.

Good luck!

Lorac1127 is offline  
Old Oct 23rd, 2007, 09:32 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,606
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Well at that time of year there is better chance of nice lodging at that price. You can look for hotels on www.venere.com. We liked the Hotel Lancelot in Rome. I too would recommend that you split the trip into 3 nights Rome / 3 nights Venice. Esp. if you are flying into Venice 1 night is not enough after jet lag. Florence is ART, IMO and not as charming as Rome and Venice. The train takes about 4 to 5 hours from Venice to Rome. Airfare is a good deal IMO. Have a great trip!
suec1 is offline  
Old Oct 24th, 2007, 12:37 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,021
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
For train timetables in English see:

http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

Steve
Steve_James is offline  
Old Oct 24th, 2007, 06:41 AM
  #10  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 94
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks everyone. Are there any overnight flights out of Rome to New York that anyone knows of? I really don't want to loose a full day flying!
rr229 is offline  
Old Oct 24th, 2007, 07:37 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,021
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi R - There are no direct overnight flights from Rome.

For daytime flights from FCO see:

www.adr.it

Hope this helps ...

Steve
Steve_James is offline  
Old Oct 24th, 2007, 07:39 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,021
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
P.S. Flying Rome-New York you only 'lose' about 3-4 hrs anyway due to the time difference ...
Steve_James is offline  
Old Oct 24th, 2007, 08:14 AM
  #13  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 94
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks. In my ideal world, I would like to leave Italy on Monday night and arrive back in NY Tuesday morning...
rr229 is offline  
Old Oct 24th, 2007, 12:22 PM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 23,073
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
A flight needs to leave Rome at 2am to arrive at NYC at 5am. I doubt many people like those times.

Now, if you go further east first, like to Tel Aviv, then you can have flights that leaves TLV at around midnight to 1am and arrives JFK or EWR 5-6am.
rkkwan is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
thevacationqueen
Europe
9
Sep 29th, 2010 02:00 PM
nycgirl1
Europe
30
Aug 16th, 2007 09:27 PM
neure
Europe
12
Jun 19th, 2004 05:40 AM
Kelly
Europe
9
Sep 24th, 2002 10:50 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -