Italy vacation help
Oct 2nd, 2016, 01:44 PM
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Italy vacation help
I am traveling to Italy end of May for 14 days or so. Here is my itinerary
Venice 2 nights
Florence 6 nights with several day trips
Assisi
Cinque terre
Wine tasting Tuscany
Mt Verne
Sorrento 4 nights with day trips
Amalfi
My question is to do Capri or Naples
Also how to get from Florence to Sorrento and Sorrento to Rome where I fly home
Thoughts on this itinerary are greatly appreciated
Venice 2 nights
Florence 6 nights with several day trips
Assisi
Cinque terre
Wine tasting Tuscany
Mt Verne
Sorrento 4 nights with day trips
Amalfi
My question is to do Capri or Naples
Also how to get from Florence to Sorrento and Sorrento to Rome where I fly home
Thoughts on this itinerary are greatly appreciated
Oct 2nd, 2016, 02:03 PM
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Also how to get from Florence to Sorrento and Sorrento to Rome where I fly home>
Trains are the fastest and best IMO - direct trains Florence to Naples then from the Naples station hop the CircumVesuviana commuter train to Sorrento - ditto to go to Rome - train Sorrento to Naples then change to train to Rome Termini.
Venice to Florence train too.
Check www.trenitalia.com for schedules and fares and deep discounted tickets on sale about 90 days ahead of time, more or less. for lots of great info on Italian trains check www.seat61.com - superb info on discounted train tickets; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.
Capri is a great one day trip from Sorrento- Naples is a neat old town but one that may take longer to ferret out its gems - do both if can.
Trains are the fastest and best IMO - direct trains Florence to Naples then from the Naples station hop the CircumVesuviana commuter train to Sorrento - ditto to go to Rome - train Sorrento to Naples then change to train to Rome Termini.
Venice to Florence train too.
Check www.trenitalia.com for schedules and fares and deep discounted tickets on sale about 90 days ahead of time, more or less. for lots of great info on Italian trains check www.seat61.com - superb info on discounted train tickets; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.
Capri is a great one day trip from Sorrento- Naples is a neat old town but one that may take longer to ferret out its gems - do both if can.
Oct 2nd, 2016, 05:11 PM
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How many days do you have on the ground - not counting the day you arrive and the day you leave? An do realize that you need to be in Rome the night before you fly out, assuming it is a morning flight.
If you actually have 12.5 days on the ground you have already used up more days than you have.
Suggest you lay out this trip day by day, listing where you will start, any travel that day and where you will sleep. Allow time for transit (train time plus an hour at each end for getting to/fro hotel and checking in an out).
Then figure how much time you need to see the sights that are your must dos.
Also suggest you get a good map and see how your trip will lay out, as well as train timetables as bahn.de, which has schedules for all of europe.
If you actually have 12.5 days on the ground you have already used up more days than you have.
Suggest you lay out this trip day by day, listing where you will start, any travel that day and where you will sleep. Allow time for transit (train time plus an hour at each end for getting to/fro hotel and checking in an out).
Then figure how much time you need to see the sights that are your must dos.
Also suggest you get a good map and see how your trip will lay out, as well as train timetables as bahn.de, which has schedules for all of europe.
Oct 2nd, 2016, 08:04 PM
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If your are flying into Venice, consider 3 nights there. It is a good place to deal with any jet lag and there is more to do and see than most people take advantage of. You could do a trip to the islands, Burano and Torcello or day trip to Vincenza, if you feel done with Venice.
Were you planning on day trips to Assisi and CT from Florence. Both are a bit far for good day trips. Assisi will be 2&1/2 hours each way, so 5 hours of travel that day. Since those places are not really near your base of Florence, and Mr Verne is not easy except by car (or possibly a tour), consider staying some nights at a base closer to the places you want to visit and consider renting a car.
CT will likely already be crowded. Do you mind? You will be seeing the gorgeous AC while in Sorrento, so why not skip the CT? Consider instead doing a day trip from Florence to Siena or another Tuscan hill town or walled town. Luca or more time for Assisi?
Naples and Capri - so different, there is no way to advise one over the other.
Naples is a busy city with all the noise, traffic and bit of grime associated with cities, but also with much local charm, exuberance, food, sublime art and museums.
Capri is a rocky outcrop island topped with umbrella shaped green trees and surrounded by blue sea. The Main Street is lined chock-a-block with shops to take your money and filled brim to brim with tourists. You have to somehow get away from that to enjoy being above the sea.
Hope while in Sorrento you will have gone to Positano and/or Amalfi by ferry one way at least, so you have a great look at the beautiful AC.
You will need to return (probably by train) to Rome the night before your flight. You could leave Sorrento early on the Circumvesuvianna train, stop and store your luggage at the entrance to Pompeii, tour Pompeii and go on to Naples. Catch the train to Rome from there. That would be a good use of the day.
Were you planning on day trips to Assisi and CT from Florence. Both are a bit far for good day trips. Assisi will be 2&1/2 hours each way, so 5 hours of travel that day. Since those places are not really near your base of Florence, and Mr Verne is not easy except by car (or possibly a tour), consider staying some nights at a base closer to the places you want to visit and consider renting a car.
CT will likely already be crowded. Do you mind? You will be seeing the gorgeous AC while in Sorrento, so why not skip the CT? Consider instead doing a day trip from Florence to Siena or another Tuscan hill town or walled town. Luca or more time for Assisi?
Naples and Capri - so different, there is no way to advise one over the other.
Naples is a busy city with all the noise, traffic and bit of grime associated with cities, but also with much local charm, exuberance, food, sublime art and museums.
Capri is a rocky outcrop island topped with umbrella shaped green trees and surrounded by blue sea. The Main Street is lined chock-a-block with shops to take your money and filled brim to brim with tourists. You have to somehow get away from that to enjoy being above the sea.
Hope while in Sorrento you will have gone to Positano and/or Amalfi by ferry one way at least, so you have a great look at the beautiful AC.
You will need to return (probably by train) to Rome the night before your flight. You could leave Sorrento early on the Circumvesuvianna train, stop and store your luggage at the entrance to Pompeii, tour Pompeii and go on to Naples. Catch the train to Rome from there. That would be a good use of the day.
Oct 2nd, 2016, 09:14 PM
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I suspect your day count is off. Something will have to give.
If you fly into Venice, I hope you didn’t count the day of arrival as one of the two days you list. Nor the day of departure. Neither counts as “a day in Venice” where you have to mostly walk, or wait for the public boats called “vaporetti” to get you somewhere, and nothing happens quickly. Venice is great for those who have a bit of time, and wasteful for those who are in a rush.
This is how it could look, realistically:
Day 1 - flight to Europe.
Day 2 - arrive in Europe (Venice?)
Days 3 and 4 - spent in Venice.
Day 5 - morning train to Florence. Half-day in Florence.
Days 6 and 7 - Florence.
Day 8 - if you can get up early and make the 08:02 train, you can be in Assisi at 10:49, and take the 19:17 back that gets to Florence at 21:48.
Day 9 - if you can get up early and make the 08:28 train, you can be in Manarola (Cinque Terre) at 11:05, and take the 19:22 back that gets to Florence at 22:02 (there are others late in the day - see www.trenitalia.it).
That leaves days 10-13 for the South, day 14 to fly home
On Day 10 - if you can get up early and make the 08:08 train, you can be in Naples at 11.00, switch to the Circumvesuviana rain and be in Sorrento around lunchtime. So - a half day in Sorrento.
Now see how much else you can fit in before you need to be at your airport of departure to go home.
If you fly into Venice, I hope you didn’t count the day of arrival as one of the two days you list. Nor the day of departure. Neither counts as “a day in Venice” where you have to mostly walk, or wait for the public boats called “vaporetti” to get you somewhere, and nothing happens quickly. Venice is great for those who have a bit of time, and wasteful for those who are in a rush.
This is how it could look, realistically:
Day 1 - flight to Europe.
Day 2 - arrive in Europe (Venice?)
Days 3 and 4 - spent in Venice.
Day 5 - morning train to Florence. Half-day in Florence.
Days 6 and 7 - Florence.
Day 8 - if you can get up early and make the 08:02 train, you can be in Assisi at 10:49, and take the 19:17 back that gets to Florence at 21:48.
Day 9 - if you can get up early and make the 08:28 train, you can be in Manarola (Cinque Terre) at 11:05, and take the 19:22 back that gets to Florence at 22:02 (there are others late in the day - see www.trenitalia.it).
That leaves days 10-13 for the South, day 14 to fly home
On Day 10 - if you can get up early and make the 08:08 train, you can be in Naples at 11.00, switch to the Circumvesuviana rain and be in Sorrento around lunchtime. So - a half day in Sorrento.
Now see how much else you can fit in before you need to be at your airport of departure to go home.
Oct 3rd, 2016, 06:03 AM
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Florence 6 nights with several day trips
Assisi
Cinque terre>
The Cinque Terre is a longish day trip - OK if you just want to see the seaside villages accessible by train but little time for hiking, etc. Consider staying overnight.
Assisi
Cinque terre>
The Cinque Terre is a longish day trip - OK if you just want to see the seaside villages accessible by train but little time for hiking, etc. Consider staying overnight.
Oct 5th, 2016, 03:36 PM
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Perhaps this St Francis sight in Tuscany--La Verna
https://www.discovertuscany.com/casentino/la-verna.html
https://www.discovertuscany.com/casentino/la-verna.html
Oct 5th, 2016, 06:07 PM
#10
If it is La Verna, the location is too remote for a day trip from Florence using public transportation. It isn't anywhere near Assisi.
adcdancer12, just so you know, the travel time between Florence and Assisi is not just the length of the train ride. The train station is below the town. After you arrive, you wait for a bus, then it's another 15 minutes before you reach the basilica. For me, more than six hours of travel in a day (using public transportation) puts Assisi too far from Florence.
I probably wouldn't go to the Cinque Terre either for the same reason. I'd pick destinations easier to reach from Florence. There are many options: Siena, San Gimignano, Bologna, Montecatini Terme, Lucca, Pisa, Arezzo, Modena, Ferrara.
adcdancer12, just so you know, the travel time between Florence and Assisi is not just the length of the train ride. The train station is below the town. After you arrive, you wait for a bus, then it's another 15 minutes before you reach the basilica. For me, more than six hours of travel in a day (using public transportation) puts Assisi too far from Florence.
I probably wouldn't go to the Cinque Terre either for the same reason. I'd pick destinations easier to reach from Florence. There are many options: Siena, San Gimignano, Bologna, Montecatini Terme, Lucca, Pisa, Arezzo, Modena, Ferrara.
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