PalenQ

Day 4 Florence
Day 5 Florence - Daytrip to Siena
Day 6 Florence - Daytrip to San Gimignano or Tuscan tour*>

Yes I'd do one day trip out of Florence as you have really only 1 1/2 days in Florence itself and there are so many neat things to see and do (besides museums)- like trekking up to the Piazza Michelangelo; Fielsole hovering high above town and the scene of stellar Roman ruins; an un-godly number of neat historic churches and of course the Uffizi and other main museums plus exploring Oltrano and other neat districts.

peebee28

Hello All,
After reading the replies, I have made this rough itinerary for 12 days. We couldn't resist but include Sorrento for two nights to bring in my birthday. Hoping it doesn't rain or get too chilly. We would love to do Siena and the Tuscan tour.
Day 1 ARRIVE in Venice (2 night)
Day 2 Venice
Day 3 Venice to Florence (4 night)
Day 4 Florence
Day 5 Florence
Day 6 Florence
Day 7 Florence to Sorrento (2 nights)
Day 8 Sorrento
Day 9 Sorrento to Rome (3 nights)
Day 10 Rome
Day 11 Rome
Day 12 RETURN Home
Do let me know if this trip plan is better for a first timer so we could squeeze in as much as we could suggestions welcome

dwdvagamundo

Better than the first, I think. A lot depends on the details.

If I were you, I'd take a late train from Venice to Florence so that you'd have most of two days in Venice.

One day trip from Florence, and skip the CT on this trip.

I'd try to see Pompeii while around Sorrento, and I note you're first plan does this. Sorrento is lovely, and Pompeii is a world-class archaeological site. You could visit on the way back to Rome if you're taking the train, as the Circumvesuviana runs right past Pompeii ("Pompei Scavi" is the stop). You can check your luggage there, I understand.

Not really enough time in Rome--presuming your flight is early in the monring, but any time in Rome is better than none.

Buon viaggio!

hebaseheart

Peebee28,

I am not sure how long they are running this sale, but Trenitalia is running a sale right now for 2 tickets for the price 1 on Saturday trains. I don't know what days you will be traveling but I just used it for 2 tickets on September 24th for Venice to Rome and saved 75 euros! Might be worth looking into once you have locked down your schedule.

Here is the link: http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en/Of...-Special-Offer

alandavid

Day 8:
If you can swing it, hire a private driver to take you down the Amalfi Coast. Public transportation will consume 1/2 your day & a car with a knowledgeable driver is about the only way to hit most of it in a day.
Visit one of the villas in Ravello if you can.

PalenQ

Private driver from Florence to Amalfi would cost a ton of money - but taking the train to Naples or Salerno from Florence with those discounted tickets and then having a private driver meet you could be nice - trains from Florence to Naples are a lot faster than driving in any case.

alandavid

I wasn't suggesting a driver from Florence. High speed rail for sure.

We hired a driver to pick us up at our hotel in Sorrento for a full day tour down the Amalfi Coast. He knew how long to spend in each village and had inside info for dining locally.

PalenQ

If you can swing it, hire a private driver to take you down the Amalfi Coast.>

Sorry alandavid - but I carelessly read down TO the Amalfi Coast but along it makes total sense.

Many people here use private drivers also to go from Naples to Sorrento and beyond or Salerno (both with train service from Rome) to an Amalfi destination.

Sorry about that!

BumbleB6

You can see Florence's main sights in two full days, imo. You could take a day from Florence and add it to Sorrento - especially if you want to see Pompeii AND the Amalfi Coast, I don't see how you'd do that all in one day and still be able to eat lunch, dinner...

Full disclaimer - I have not yet been to Sorrento or AC, but everything I've heard/read indicates each of those activities in one day would be a very, very hectic and rushed day.

PalenQ

there is nada to see in Sorrento, a well-equipped watering hole catering to tourists. At least I stayed there some days and saw little of interest in the town itself

now yes conveniently located -Pompeii just a short train ride away and Capri and Ischia easy by boat- much better services to those places than from Amalfi usually.

Loacker

"PalenQ on Sep 26, 16 at 10:51pm
there is nada to see in Sorrento, a well-equipped watering hole catering to tourists."


Sorrento and Positano are all about enjoying the views, not hopping from one museum to another.

janisj

I'm late to the party -- but the beginning of all the various versions is bad IMO.

>>Day 1 ARRIVE in Venice (2 night)
Day 2 Venice
Day 3 Venice to Florence (4 night)<<

The will give you ONE full day in Venice. You will likely arrive mid day or later, and by the time you get to your hotel and get checked in/settled it will leave a few, jet lagged hours on day one and then the next day.

I'd add one more night to venice

peebee28

Sorry for the delayed reply. So our tickets have been finally booked and we arrive in Venice on 20th October Thursday mid day and leave Rome on 30th October Sunday early morning so this leaves us with 10 nights. We lean more towards Florence and Sorrento so was wondering how to go about this? Also is October end a good time to spend more time at Amalfi? Or should I cut one day from Florence and add it to Rome? Confused. Please help I want to make my 30th a special one
Day 1 ARRIVE in Venice mid day (2 night)
Day 2 Venice
Day 3 Venice to Florence (4 night)
Day 4 Florence
Day 5 Florence
Day 6 Florence
Day 7 Florence to Sorrento (2 nights)
Day 8 Sorrento
Day 9 Sorrento to Rome (2 nights)
Day 10 Rome
Day 11 Early morning return flight

bvlenci

How do you plan to spend your time in Florence? What do you want to see in Rome? You certainly don't have enough time in Rome to see what everyone calls "the main sights". However, if you just want to stroll around the city, it's probably fine.

SoFarAway

Hi,

To travel from Florence to Sorrento for only 2 nights, and then to travel to Rome for two nights, is way too much. The distance between Florence and Sorrento is over 500km while the distance between Sorrento and Rome is 260km. That is too much distance to cover in just 4 nights, with Sorrento being south of Rome, meaning you are passing Rome on your way to Sorrento. Leave the Sorrento/Amalfi coast for another trip so you can fully enjoy the entire peninsula.

To me, you should spend one night less in Florence (3 nights), then stay in the Tuscan countryside for 3 nights (maybe near Siena or San Gimignano) then stay two nights in Rome.

The travel time from Florence to either Siena or San Gimignano is short, so you will not waste too much time travelling between destinations.

PalenQ

Yes drop Sorrento and add days to Rome- if you want to see something like Pompeii then a short metro ride from Rome takes you to Ostia Antica- ancient Rome's port and today an archaeological site that IMO rivals Pompeii:

https://www.google.com/search?q=osti...w=1920&bih=950

peebee28

Hello,

Is there a particular tour that we should probably look at for the museums in Rome and Florence? Or any particular site where I could probably do the booking in advance to avoid the queue ?

Thanks
PeeBee

HappyTrvlr

In Florence, look at Artviva for tours.
In Rome, book tickets online from govt. website for monuments, Colosseum, Roman Forum.www.coopculture.it

peebee28

Ok thanks. Does this Artviva tour include trips to Tuscany as well? Or is there something else to explore the vineyards in Tuscany?

PeeBee

bvlenci

If you have only two nights in Rome, I wouldn't suggest going to any museums. Even if you've bought your tickets in advance, you can end up waiting an hour to get inside the Colosseum, because often the number of people already inside exceeds the security limit.

You'd spend the time better just taking a self-guided walk around the city. You can see the Colosseum and a good part of the Roman Forum from the outside, then you can stroll from the Spanish Steps to Trevi Fountain, to the Pantheon, and to Piazza Navona. Then go to St. Peter's Square, and if the queue isn't too long, go into the Basilica. Finally, go to Trastevere for dinner. This will occupy a full day.

If you have time on the day you arrive, you could do the ancient Rome part of this on the first day, and start your full day by walking through the Villa Borghese park. From the park, you can walk down to Piazza del Popolo and from there to the Spanish Steps, and then proceed as above.