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Help traveling around Italy for our Honeymoon

Help traveling around Italy for our Honeymoon

Old Aug 12th, 2012, 08:51 AM
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Help traveling around Italy for our Honeymoon

Hello all,

My soon-to-be wife and I are going to Italy for two weeks on our honeymoon. We have booked all of our hotels and locations, but we are now struggling to figure out the best way to get from point A to B, to C.

I'm hoping some people out here may have some advice for us.

Here is our itinerary for October 2012:

1) Land in Milan, Italy
2) 3 nights in Venice
3) 3 nights in Vernazza, Cinque Terre
4) 3 nights in Spello (Umbria)
5) 3 nights in Rome
6) Head back to Milan for flight back to US

Map of exact locations:
http://bit.ly/P4mWtu

We are trying to figure the best way to get from each location to the next. Train, car, bus? I'm imagining it will differ on each leg.

We ended up replacing Florence with Cinque Terre after hearing mixed reviews about Florence.

Thank you so much! Any advice would be appreciated.

Dan
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 08:58 AM
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Congratulations on the nuptials!

You probably don't want to hear this at this point, but here are some things I would have done differently:

1. Booked a flight into Milan and out of Rome so you wouldn't have to circle back to Milan.

2. Checked on transportation between places before booking hotels.

3. Checked on weather in the Cinque Terre in October, which is rainy season.

But, unless you can change plans at this stage, I'd just start booking trains. There's no need for a car unless you want to, say, roam around Umbria a bit from that base in Spello. In the rest of your destinations, a car is useless or a liability.
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 09:05 AM
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thank you! no, I like the criticism

We booked the round-trip flights from Milan just because they were about $1k cheaper at the time and needed to save some money.

Definitely agree on your second and third point. Although, we can still cancel our hotels in Cinque Terre, and Spello. The only ones we can't change are Venice and Rome which are at the beginning and end of our trip
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 10:03 AM
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Can't imagine a $1k difference as I've been monitoring flights in and out of these cities for years and it's always less than $100 difference.

I would drop CT or at the very least take a day off of it. I would add Florence back in and take a day trip to Siena (by bus).

Train from Milan to Venice. Train from Venice to Florence (it really takes too much time to go to CT). Pick up a car leaving Florence and drive to Spello. Drop car in Foligno and train to Rome.

You can visit some places around Spello by train or bus, but it's just easier to have a car.
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 10:09 AM
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We have done RT in and out of Milan before because our frequent flier miles allow us to get flights on any airline but must be round trip. Not ideal, but not the end of the world either. Just want to mention that if you have an early flight out of Milan, Hotel First is very close to the airport and a pretty decent hotel for your last night in Italy. Train from Rome to MIlan is about 4.5 hrs. We left Rome at 2:30 so plenty of time to enjoy the morning there and have a good lunch before heading to the train station.
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 10:49 AM
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If you decide to add Florence back in as Kybourbon suggests - what made a world of difference for me was a very central hotel. I made the mistake of not being in the central core my first visit, I was on the other side of the river and down the road a ways (Hotel David - which would be nice if you had a car to stash). I came back later that same trip and had a much better experience primarily because of the location. That second time, We stayed at Hotel Davanzati - very friendly and you could pop back in during the day easily.

We enjoyed Siena too.
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 10:49 AM
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thanks for the advice.

We actually have the ability to adjust certain parts of the intinerary. The only things that are locked are the beginning and end of our trip (3 nights in Venice, 3 nights in Rome.) Everything in between is refundable and we can change. We could extend time in either Venice or Rome and skip Cinque Terre, add Florence back in, or other options. I supposed the round trip out of Milan isn't helping things.

any suggestions knowing this?


Read more: http://www.frommers.com/community/fo...#ixzz23MKvjqSj
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 12:18 PM
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"Can't imagine a $1k difference as I've been monitoring flights in and out of these cities for years and it's always less than $100 difference."

I agree with kybourbon . . .if you were looking at the "multi-city" option for tickets, I also believe there would have been little different in price.

(If you were looking at two one-way tickets, which is the incorrect way to book such tickets, you would probably find that $1k price difference.)

Yes, for your itinerary you might benefit from having a car in Spello--otherwise stick with the train.
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 12:33 PM
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I strongly encourage you to rethink Florence. It is my favorite city in Italy and perfect for your October time frame. Some people find it hot and crowded during the summer but it should be less so in October. While we loved Cinque Terre, we have been only once, in May. We have returned 7 times to Florence. If you are going in late October, you definitely risk a rainy CT and there is nothing to do there indoors.

I, too, am surprised at the difference in fare for the open jaw flight unless, of coursse, you are using miles or something. Normally it will be less than the train fare back to Milan.
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 02:23 PM
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Whatever you end up doing, don't cancel the Spello/Umbria portion of your trip. Umbria is spectacularly beautiful, great food and wine, lovely people - truly the real Italy. As St. Cirq suggested, this is the one place on your itinerary to consider a car, and I strongly recommend it. It is easy to get around between the hill towns, the roads are good and well-marked. Wish I was going back.

Where are you planning to stay in Spello?

Have a great time!
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 02:33 PM
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danzaman,

I really like kybourbon's advice. Skip CT this time, add a day to Rome and see Florence if you want. Otherwise add a day each to Venice and Spello.

Definitely get a car for Spello. You will love exploring this part of Italy!

Congratulations!
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 04:52 PM
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I'm thinking of adjusting our trip based on the feedback here and over on the Frommer's forums. What are your thoughts on this instead:

Original Itinerary:
1) 3 nights in Venice
2) 3 nights in Cinque Terre
3) 3 nights in Spello (Umbria)
4) 3 nights in Rome


Revised Itinerary:
1) 3 nights in Venice
2) 2 nights in Florence, day trip to Siena or Montepulciano
3) 2 nights in Spello, day trips to Assisi and other
4) 4 nights in Rome
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 04:55 PM
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*oops, made a typo. original itinerary was actually still "2 nights in Spello", not 3
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 06:08 PM
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Is there any way you can switch your Venice/Rome nights (not drop them, just change them around)to other nights? Do you have a night for Milan before your flight home?
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 06:13 PM
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unfortunately when I booked the Venice and Rome portion months back, they were non-refundable

It seems like I could've booked this much more efficiently!

I did book a hotel in Milan (Uptown Palace Hotel Milan) which looked to be a few miles from the airport.
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 06:14 PM
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do you guys recommend booking trains in advance or waiting until you get there?
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 07:10 PM
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Florence is my favorite city in Italy. However, as much as it pains me to say this, I think your itinerary would work better without it.

It's unclear how many days/nights you have, but this is generally what I suggest:

Day 1. Arrive Milan. Depending on what time you land, stay the night or train immediately to Venice. The train ride Malpensa-Venice would take about 4 hours, and the last departure from Malpensa that connects with a fast train is at 7:30 p.m.
Day 2. Venice
Day 3. Venice
Day 4. Venice
Day 5. Rent car and drive to Spello (about 4.5 hours)
Day 6. Explore Umbria, stay Spello
Day 7. Explore Umbria, stay Spello
Day 8. Return car at Foligno (15-20 minutes from Spello), train to Rome (about 2 hours)
Day 9. Rome
Day 10. Rome
Day 11. Rome
Day 12. Train Rome-Milan/Malpensa. Depending on your departure time, you may need to train to Milan the night before. Rome to Malpensa is about 4.5 hours (assuming no delays).

If you've got another night, I would add it to Spello/Umbria.
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 07:26 PM
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Not knowing your exact dates, you'd need to verify that the rental offices in Venice and Foligno are open on the right days to do the above.

The Uptown Palace Hotel Milan that I found is IN Milan on Via Santa Sofia. If this is your hotel, it's not near any of the main sights of Milan and not near the central train station (for the train to Venice). But now I'm wondering if you're landing at Linate because this hotel is in fact "a few miles from the [Linate] airport."

If your departing flight at the end of the trip is out of Linate, you'd train Rome-Milan and then I suggest taking a taxi to Linate.

I don't book trains in advance, but there are possible discounts on some routes/trains if you do. If you decide to head to Venice on arrival, I would buy those tickets after you land in the event your plane is late.
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 07:33 PM
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thank you Jean! here is some more detail around what I've booked. The "Venice" part of the trip has to stay at the beginning and the "Rome" has to stay at the end due to the non-refundable hotels I booked. Everything in between or if we wanted to add on to Venice and/or Rome is still fair game:

Itinerary:

Land in Milan on 10/9/12, train straight to Venice
--
3 nights in Venice:
Hilton Molino Stucky Venice
--
2 nights in Florence/Tuscany Day Trip:
Hotel Berchielli
--
2 nights in Spello/Umbria Day Trip(s):
Hotel Palazzo Bocci
--
4 nights in Rome:
Artemide Hotel
--
1 night in Milan, due to early flight in AM:
Uptown Palace Hotel
photos:
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Old Aug 12th, 2012, 07:34 PM
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ps - our flight lands around 11:30AM in Milan on 10/9 ^^^
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