Italy in
#1
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Italy in
ok guys I am traveling to italy this october. I fly into Rome on October 14th from the US ( reaching around 11 am). this is how I have planned my trip. need your suggestion on how many days to spend in each place. suggestions/critiques welcome. This is my first solo trip and I am 28 years old, so I want to make sure I can squeeze in the highlights. I don't want to feel rushed but I would love to be on the go while I am in Italy.
ROME - Reach 14TH october 11 am - 3 days in rome - leave on 17th
Florence - 3 days (17 th afternoon to 20th morning )
Cinque Terre - 1 day (20t aft afternoon to 21st afternoon)
Venice - 3 days - 21st night to 24th morning - take there 1 pm flight out to paris
Thanks....
ROME - Reach 14TH october 11 am - 3 days in rome - leave on 17th
Florence - 3 days (17 th afternoon to 20th morning )
Cinque Terre - 1 day (20t aft afternoon to 21st afternoon)
Venice - 3 days - 21st night to 24th morning - take there 1 pm flight out to paris
Thanks....
#2
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Some of your timing is a bit off. You are overestimating the days in places. Are you into art? If not cut a day from Florence and give it to Rome or do a day trip from Florence. Are you into hiking and really want a bit of coast? If so, CT is fine, but keep it open so you can cancel if it is rainy. I don't like seeing the time broken up into an afternoon or evening, a night, then part of the next day. It means traveling days in a row, with smaller chunks of sightseeing time, so harder to fit things together.
New layout so you see what you really have and can exchange or alter to your liking.
Oct 14, arrive Rome, 1/2 day for bit of walking exploring
Oct 15, Rome, whole day
Oct 16, Rome, whole day
Oct 17, Rome, 3/4 day, early evening train to Florence, sleep in Florence
Oct 18, Florence, whole day
Oct 19, Florence, whole day or day trip
Oct 20, travel to CT, 1/2 day Ct
Oct 21, CT
Oct 22, travel to Venice, arrive early afternoon, few hours in Venice
Oct 23, Venice, whole day
Oct 24, depart Venice (by time you get to airport, etc. not much time in Venice unless you get up super early.
New layout so you see what you really have and can exchange or alter to your liking.
Oct 14, arrive Rome, 1/2 day for bit of walking exploring
Oct 15, Rome, whole day
Oct 16, Rome, whole day
Oct 17, Rome, 3/4 day, early evening train to Florence, sleep in Florence
Oct 18, Florence, whole day
Oct 19, Florence, whole day or day trip
Oct 20, travel to CT, 1/2 day Ct
Oct 21, CT
Oct 22, travel to Venice, arrive early afternoon, few hours in Venice
Oct 23, Venice, whole day
Oct 24, depart Venice (by time you get to airport, etc. not much time in Venice unless you get up super early.
#3
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CT in late October may be a wash out - iffy weather for hiking - I'd skip that and add a day to Rome, Florence ofr Venice. You can also take an overnight train to Paris from Venice (www.thello.com) - save daytime travel time and the cost of a night in a hotel - can score discounted tickets on this official site.
Buying well in advance train tickets can save a ton of money - www.trenitalia.com is the official site of the Italian Railways but discounted ducats are I believe non-changeable non-refundable and as sold in limited numbers must be booked in stone weeks in advance (like NOW) - some fares are as low as 9 euros regardless of distance!
For lots of good stuff on Italian trains check www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.
Again early bird gets the worm - and you have everything buttoned down - ticket in hand and just show up for the train and hop on.
Buying well in advance train tickets can save a ton of money - www.trenitalia.com is the official site of the Italian Railways but discounted ducats are I believe non-changeable non-refundable and as sold in limited numbers must be booked in stone weeks in advance (like NOW) - some fares are as low as 9 euros regardless of distance!
For lots of good stuff on Italian trains check www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.
Again early bird gets the worm - and you have everything buttoned down - ticket in hand and just show up for the train and hop on.
#4
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Consider going to le Cinque Terre directly after Rome, then Florence, then Venice. The trains work a little better that way. Also, book something in le Cinque Terre that you can cancel if it is raining there, or don't book in advance at all. It's not just that it rains along the coast during October -- it can absolutely storm, and you can't walk the trails, take boats or even sit outside. If it is sunny -- fine. It's lovely. But if it is raining, go from Rome to Pisa instead. Or book an extra night in Florence. You can find something last minute in either city.
#5
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PS: Or just stay in Rome another night.
However, if you want to buy your train tickets in advance to get a discount and save money, any ticket you have from Rome to le Cinque Terre will take you through Pisa. So if it is raining in le Cinque Terre and you don't want to go, then get off the train in Pisa. You can either spend the night in Pisa, or you can put your luggage in the train station, go see the famous tower, and then move on to Florence for the night if you prefer.
However, if you want to buy your train tickets in advance to get a discount and save money, any ticket you have from Rome to le Cinque Terre will take you through Pisa. So if it is raining in le Cinque Terre and you don't want to go, then get off the train in Pisa. You can either spend the night in Pisa, or you can put your luggage in the train station, go see the famous tower, and then move on to Florence for the night if you prefer.
#6
If you are 'into art,' try not to plan your Florence days for Sunday/Monday when some of the main sights are closed. If that's how the timing works out, plan your days carefully. Whatever the days, make reservations wherever possible (Uffizi, Accademia, Brancacci, etc.).
#7
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You can look up train schedules here using italian city names:
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...005817f90aRCRD
Add and hour at either end of a journey when changing hotels. CT [ e.g., Monterosso] involves a lot of travel time, no matter how you do it.
Buying tickets on the spot, the machines take ATM cards with a 4-digit PIN, or cash. They are not date-specific and need to be validated using one of the stamping machines.
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...005817f90aRCRD
Add and hour at either end of a journey when changing hotels. CT [ e.g., Monterosso] involves a lot of travel time, no matter how you do it.
Buying tickets on the spot, the machines take ATM cards with a 4-digit PIN, or cash. They are not date-specific and need to be validated using one of the stamping machines.
#8
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Guys , thanks a lot for your replies.
this is what I am going to do. Rome - florence - CT( if it rains il spend an additional day in Florence)- Venice - fly to Paris
quick questions
- should I book my train/flight from rome to florence (and florence to Venice)
now or when I am in Italy ? i have heard last minute flight deals are very cheap.
- since I will be traveling alone, i would want to stay in a hostel but hostelworld.com doesn't give me an option to select a bed from say a 2 bed room. the room says 40 usd a night but when i select it total automatically is 80. is there any other site i can look into ?
thanks again
this is what I am going to do. Rome - florence - CT( if it rains il spend an additional day in Florence)- Venice - fly to Paris
quick questions
- should I book my train/flight from rome to florence (and florence to Venice)
now or when I am in Italy ? i have heard last minute flight deals are very cheap.
- since I will be traveling alone, i would want to stay in a hostel but hostelworld.com doesn't give me an option to select a bed from say a 2 bed room. the room says 40 usd a night but when i select it total automatically is 80. is there any other site i can look into ?
thanks again
#9
For your train Rome/Florence and Florence/Venice, go on a look for discounts on Trenitalia and book them if you are sure of your travel times. For Florence/CT, buy when in Florence as these are mostly served by slower regional trains and there are no discounts or reserved seating.
I prefer to book directly most places than through an OTC (it's often cheaper booking directly). For Venice, you might try Santa Fosca.
http://www.ostellosantafosca.it/
http://www.foresteriavenezia.it/
For Florence, try some of the various hostels or convents. Check reviews and that locations are convenient.
http://www.ostellofirenze.it/
http://www.ostellosantamonaca.com/?lang=en
http://www.ostellogallodoro.it/index.php
Rome has at dozens of central convents and some hostels.
http://www.the-yellow.com/
You might check Eurocheapo for all three cities and perhaps the Lonely Planet website.
http://www.eurocheapo.com/rome/
I prefer to book directly most places than through an OTC (it's often cheaper booking directly). For Venice, you might try Santa Fosca.
http://www.ostellosantafosca.it/
http://www.foresteriavenezia.it/
For Florence, try some of the various hostels or convents. Check reviews and that locations are convenient.
http://www.ostellofirenze.it/
http://www.ostellosantamonaca.com/?lang=en
http://www.ostellogallodoro.it/index.php
Rome has at dozens of central convents and some hostels.
http://www.the-yellow.com/
You might check Eurocheapo for all three cities and perhaps the Lonely Planet website.
http://www.eurocheapo.com/rome/
#10
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If you want to stay alone in a smaller room in a hostel you will have to pay for both beds. The 40 euro price per bed will apply only in the larger dorm rooms that are shared with multiple people.
If you book the smaller private room they won't just rent the other bed to a stranger - so unless you pay for both beds they are out the money.
If you book the smaller private room they won't just rent the other bed to a stranger - so unless you pay for both beds they are out the money.
#11
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Oh - and the travel time between those cities in Italy are way too short for planes rides - train is the sensible way to to go. For faster trains the best rates are far in advance. For slower trains you can walk up - but then the trip will take much longer.
#12
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- should I book my train/flight from rome to florence (and florence to Venice)
now or when I am in Italy ? i have heard last minute flight deals are very cheap.>
should be last minute deals can be very cheap IF seats remain and they often do not - booking well in advance, like on trains, is highly suggested to get the dirt-cheap fares.
now or when I am in Italy ? i have heard last minute flight deals are very cheap.>
should be last minute deals can be very cheap IF seats remain and they often do not - booking well in advance, like on trains, is highly suggested to get the dirt-cheap fares.