Suggested Italy Itinerary

Old Jan 22nd, 2017, 11:03 AM
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Suggested Italy Itinerary

My wife and I will be visiting Italy for six nights on a self guided trip. We are not experienced overseas travelers, and the planning is proving a bit daunting. We're hoping someone can help suggest an itinerary. We depart the USA on a Monday, and land in Milan the following morning. We have five nights booked in Montecatini, and one night in Milan the day prior to our departure on Sunday.

Florence is a must, as is Venice, which we think may take two days. We depart from Milan and have an overnight there the day before our departure. We have a rental car, but I'm thinking it may be easier to skip it and travel by train. My thought was to spend the travel to Venice on Friday and overnight, then spend most of Saturday there before travel from there back to Milan for departure.

Can anyone help fill in the gaps with must see destinations and any helpful travel tips. The trip is to celebrate our 20th anniversary, so I want to make it something special for my wife and I. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Wulfmann00 is offline  
Old Jan 22nd, 2017, 11:44 AM
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We have a rental car, but I'm thinking it may be easier to skip it and travel by train>

Yes indeedy -cars are a liability in Italian cities - not even able to drive into their centers usually.

For lots of train info: www.trenitalia.com - official site of Italian State Railways -book your own ducats - book early to get limited in number discounted tickets; www.seat61.com - www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

I am flummoxed by your booking 5 nights in Montecatini - why not Florence for a few days -day trip by bus to say Siena - one of those iconic Tuscan hill towns -then take train to Venice for 3 days

Montecatini though I guess could be a good base if only wanting to spend a day in Florence - most would want to do more - but Montecatini is a short train ride from Lucca - a gem of a medieval walled town dotted with an inordinate number of towers and Pisa as well as a day or I guess two day tripping to Florence.

What are you exact plans for those five days in Montecantini - one of Italy's primo spa towns but not the idyllic old-world typical Italian towns - to me it's more like a huge park dotted with thermal establishments

I'd suggest basing in Florence and spending a few leisurely days there and maybe a day trip and spend the next days in Venice before the last night in Milan.
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Old Jan 22nd, 2017, 12:46 PM
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If you do not already have tickets or could change them, even if it costs more, you could utilize your very limited time better by arriving in a place you want to see (Venice?) and departing from the last place you really want to visit (Florence?) so your last evening is still sight seeing, not on a train backtracking. Unfortunately, you may be thinking to save money, but the cost of your last night, the extra hours on the train and the costs of the train (though maybe cheap) all add up to time used and money spend with no benefits. Your first day, by time you arrive, get luggage and travel to Montecatini will be pretty much shot. Wouldn't it be nice on your last evening to be in Venice or Florence, walking, having dinner, and the next morning have a short trip to the very close airport? I realize It seems as if I am piling it on, but your plan could be so much better.

You say 5 nights in Montecatini, 1 night in Milan and 1 night in Venice. That is 7 nights, not 6. Exactly how much time do you have? Six nights gives you five days, but some will be used up traveling.

Assume you mean Montecatini Terme. As PalenQ said, Montecatini Terme is a spa town. Are you just wanting to relax or do you want to see things? I enjoyed a stay there, but it is not the most interesting place to see, and certainly not convenient (nearly 2 hours) to Florence. Have you looked at travel times and distances.

Venice is too far for a day trip from Montecatini Terme, so you are right to think overnight.

If you can't change tickets, think about changing hotels and itinerary. Take the train from Milan as soon as you arrive - straight to Venice. Spend 2 nights (afternoon plus 1 whole day).
Take an early train to Florence. Spend 3 nights (2 whole days plus 2 half days) with 1 day trip or rent a car for 1 day.

Take a late train to Milan for 1 last night. If you actually do have more nights, add it to Florence and do 1 or 2 day trips.
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Old Jan 22nd, 2017, 04:14 PM
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You barely have time for Venice and Florence---why Montecatini.
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Old Jan 22nd, 2017, 06:21 PM
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If you must fly in and out of Milan, may I suggest the following:

Day 1 (Tues). Land Malpensa; train to Florence (3 hours).
Day 2 (Wed). See Florence.
Day 3 (Thurs). See Florence; train to Venice (2 hours).
Day 4 (Fri). See Venice.
Day 5 (Sat). See Venice; train to Milan (2.5 hours).
Day 6 (Sun). Fly home.
Jean is offline  
Old Jan 23rd, 2017, 08:15 AM
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Yep, to make best use of your very short time you need to be based on or near major train stations. The spa town is lovely but really not the place to be for the sort of holiday you describe. Advice above is fantastic.

If you really need a spa you could look for one right near Venice (just south of Padua) while the town of Padua is lovely it is not Venice.

So, no I think you need to break your hotel booking.
bilboburgler is online now  
Old Jan 23rd, 2017, 11:18 AM
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If you want to spend a good deal of time at an Italian spa, then Montecatini Terme is not at all a bad choice. Not everyone wants to visit all the famous sights with a Baedecker in hand.

Montecatini Terme is only about 50 minutes to Florence, not 2 hours. Wulffmann didn't say Montecatini Terme, just Montecatini. There are two different train stations; the other is Montecatini Centro. They're not far apart.

The train to Venice, from either station, would be faster than driving, and a lot less hassle.

The thing I'm not understanding is this: You say you have five nights reserved in Montecatini and one final night in Milan, and that you will be in Italy for a total of six nights. How would you spend two nights in Venice? Would you take them from Montecatini?

Most people would be horrified at my next suggestion, which would be reasonable only if you really want five nights in Montecatini:

If you could get yourselves up early, you could catch a 7:15 train from Montecatini, and change in Florence for the 8:30 Frecciargento, which gets to Venice at 10:35. Then you could get a 19:02 train from Venice to Milan, arriving at 21:15. This would give you a bit over eight hours in Venice. You could leave your bags at the station left-luggage facility and pick them before going to Milan. (Allow plenty of time for this.)

If you do this, you could visit Florence as a day trip while you're staying in Montecatini. A variation would be to visit Florence as a day trip en route to Venice, in which case, you'd really need to spend at least one night in Venice.
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Old Jan 23rd, 2017, 12:49 PM
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The most useful travel tip is go where you want to be. And you're going to Montecatini while wanting to be in Venice or Florence or elsewhere.

Your plan makes minimal sense and would have you driving in Italian cities where Italians drive. Italian drivers make New Yorkers look civilized and make Bostonians seem laid-back.
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Old Jan 23rd, 2017, 01:53 PM
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Italian drivers make New Yorkers look civilized and make Bostonians seem laid-back.>

and the zillions of scooters and mopeds dashing in and out of traffic everywhere.

Skip the car and hop the train!
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