krystle920

We are taking a trip to Italy next month for 11 days and since this is our first time, we are pretty excited. We are flying in and out of MXP because those were the cheapest tickets we can find from New York. Anyway, it would be great to receive recommendations on our itinerary below. It would also be great to receive tips on hotels as well as places for lunch and dinner - cheap to moderately priced meals. Thanks in advance!

Thurs, Sept 16
-arrive in Milan (already booked)
-take bus to central station and drop off bags at nearby hotel - Four Points
-go to Bellagio - what is the best way of doing this?
-back to Milan for aperitivo dinner
-explore Navigli district

Fri, Sept 17
-Last Supper - reserved for 1115 am
-Duomo
-Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
-La Scala
-Cimitero Monumentale di Milano
-take train to Florence in the early evening
-any hotel recommendations? budget is less than $100 per night for 2 adults with private bath in convenient location

Sat, Sept 18
-Best of Tuscany tour - 80 Euros, includes trip to Siena, Pisa, San Gimignano, and picnic lunch - worth it?

Sun, Sept 19
-lunch in Florence - I Fratellini or Mario
-Uffizi
-Galleria dell'Accademia
-Duomo
-any wine tasting places near or in Florence?

Mon, Sept 20
-train to Venice in the morning
-any hotel recommendations? budget is less than $100 per night for 2 adults with private bath in convenient location
-Basilica di San Marco
-Palazzo Ducale
-Rialto
-should we get Rolling Venice card?
-dinner in Venice - Cantinone Gia Schiavi or similar

Tues, Sept 21
-exploring Venice

Wed, Sept 22
-take early morning EasyJet flight to Naples (already booked)
-any hotel recommendations? budget is less than $100 per night for 2 adults with private bath in convenient location
-Museo Archeologico Nazionale
-Pompeii
-Naples underground
-dinner at Da Michele

Thurs, Sept 23
-Capri - Monte Solaro chairlift
-Amalfi Coast
-trip to Potenza to imagine ancestors - how to get there without a car? Is it better to do this the previous day and stay overnight at an agriturismo? In general, we are a bit confused on how to arrange the whole Naples/Pompeii/Capri/Amalfi/Potenza trip

Fri, Sept 24
-take early morning train to Rome
-buy Roma Pass
-check in at Westin Excelsior
-Vatican
-Pantheon

Sat, Sept 25
-Colosseum
-Roman Forum
-Capitoline Hill
-Palatine Hill

Sun, Sept 26
-exploring Rome

Mon, Sept 27
-take early morning EasyJet flight to MIlan (already booked)
-fly back to New York (already booked)

Other Questions:
-I heard you can't book Trenitalia tickets online using a US credit card. How do we book it in advance then to take advantage of the 30% off promo online?
-Any other must do places that we missed? We decided against Cinque Terre since it seems so far

krgystn

You have a 3 week trip planned here. You will be running around like crazy and not see much of the cities you have chosen. For example, you will be in Bellagio for a few hours and will be sleeping on the way to and fro. In Florence you cannot realistically do both museums in one day.

Similarly, many of the other days are rushed. I would pare down the activities if you can. Maybe even skip Florence and train directly to Venice. And when you are down south pick Rome or Amalfi coast, not both.

How about 2 nights in Milan (skip Bellagio)
Venice 4 nights
Amalfi Coast 3 nights
Naples 2 nights

cherrybomb

Agreed, too much stuff, though it looks like you have all segments booked other than Florence, I'd skip it and go straight to Venice since you are taking the train and hopefully have not booked tickets and you have to fly out of there to get to Naples. Can you skip Capri and the Naples as well and go straight to the Amalfi Coast?

Also your days are really jam packed, you will be exhausted at the end of the trip.

pookymimi

Just going for the day to Bellagio got my head spinning!
Milan to Bellagio means you need to take train to Como then hop on a Ferry to Bellagio, 2hrs trip one way at least.

pookymimi

Also Naples to Pompeii is about 1hr Circumvesuviana train ride, then about 3 hrs in Pompeii.

Capri and AC would be crazy to attempt doing it the same time, unless you just see AC from a ferry before 18:00 when they stop running.

Too much planned, too little time.

cherrybomb

Sorry that would keep it to:
Milan
Venice
Amalfi Coast
Rome
Milan-->home

Delaine

Wow, you will be busy.

Sept. 16
I don't think it is worth trying to go to Bellagio for part of a day, especially on the day you arrive. I wouldn't even try that with a private car, much less public transportation.

Sept. 18
Regarding the value of the Best of Tuscany tour, is the price you mentioned total or per person? Depending on the answer, you may be able to get a private driver for a little bit more. What is included other than transportation and lunch?

Sept. 19
I disagree with the previous post that you can't do the Accademia and the Uffizi in one day. However, you will have to make sure you have advance tickets so you don't have to stand in line, and you will have to look more quickly. I think you will have to give up the idea of wine-tasting, period, unless it is something you will do in the evening.

Sept. 24
Are you going to Capri from Naples and then back to Naples for the night? I don't see how you will have any time to visit parts of the Amalfi Coast if you do a day-trip to Capri.

Jean

Too much. Too little time. And with so much booked already, too late for itinerary recommendations.

But, FWIW, I'd skip Bellagio and everything south of Rome on this trip and I wouldn't take any day trips from Florence.

krgystn

I think it is still salvagable

annhig

Ditto what all the above have said.

slow down and you might see something.

that said, if you prebook you CAN see the accademia and uffizi in one day, we did it easily. I suggest making early morning reservations for the uffizi, and a 2pm one for the accademia, then get the bus up to Fiesole from the nearby piazza san marco and spend the afternoon up there. in the time you've got in Florence that's probably enough of a day trip!

chicknpig6

For a fun day excursion from Florence to see the Chianti wine region in Tuscany via bicycle (~13 mi, you can ride in van if you get tired), wine tasting and lunch, I can recommend http://www.tuscany-biketours.com/ 75€ p.p.

chicknpig6

As I've posted before, regarding the TrenItalia website...

We too had trouble purchasing our tickets, they do not accept most CC from US. I bought our tickets for Venice-Florence and Florence-Rome on Italiarail.com. 2 years ago, it was $231 for 2 adults, 2nd class, reservation inclusive (we chose the high speed EuroCity train, highly recommended). There was a $15 DSL shipping fee, but worth the price for the comfort of having those major legs of our trip planned.

sam86

From the fact that you include sights of historical and artistic interest, it's clear that you are interested in them. If that is the case, then you really aren't doing justice to that with this itinerary.

I think the Uffizi and Accademia can be done in one day, but yes, do pre-book. In Rome, book your visit to the Vatican.

My advice is to at least leave out the Amalfi coast. You haven't booked stuff (it seems) in Florence or Venice so, if you can convince yourself, perhaps leave one of those out too and spend more time in the remaining places.

I do understand the wish to see everything though = )

hamlet

Lots of good advice above...

I think you need to cut out a lot to make the trip enjoyable. Since you are flying EasyJet I hope you are light packers, but you won't even have time to handwash clothes and hang them up to dry in the hotel room.

Pass on the Tuscany tour. If you are so inclined pick one of those cities for a daytrip, but more time in Florence should work too!

Naples-Capri-Amalfi-Potenza-Naples is a reaallly long 24 hour day. No car needed if you have a private boat or helicopter. (Don't do it all!)

Are you comfortable flying from Rome to Milan (hopefully to MXP?) in the morning before departing for your return home? I would worry "what if..?"

Glad you didn't include Cinque Terre to this itinerary! That was a good decision!

cherrybomb

Sam86:

The OP has flights booked already out of Venice to Naples. The Florence and Venice trains are not booked, but she has to get to Venice to get a flight to Naples then from Naples to Rome. She either has to Leave in Amalfi or Naples and leave in Venice. She could keep Florence in I suppose, or better, just go straight to Florence when she arrives to Milan and skip the city other than as a transit hub from the states. Or just stay overnight and train in the morning to Florence.

That would leave her at (OP original in italics, my suggestions in regular font.):
Thurs, Sept 16
<i>-arrive in Milan (already booked)</i>
-Train to Florence
-Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
-wine bar (would fulfill wine tasting)
-dinner
-consider being jet-lagged

Fri, Sept 17
-Uffizi
-Duomo
-Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
-
Sat, Sept 18
-Galleria dell'Accademia
-Duomo


Sun, Sept 19

-<i>Best of Tuscany tour - 80 Euros, includes trip to Siena, Pisa, San Gimignano, and picnic lunch - worth it?</i> Instead:Get a picnic lunch of wine, cheese and bread and head to Fiesole.


Mon, Sept 20
-train to Venice in the morning
-any hotel recommendations? budget is less than $100 per night for 2 adults with private bath in convenient location
-Basilica di San Marco
-Palazzo Ducale
-Rialto
-should we get Rolling Venice card?
-dinner in Venice - Cantinone Gia Schiavi or similar

Tues, Sept 21
-exploring Venice

Wed, Sept 22
-take early morning EasyJet flight to Naples (already booked)
-Go to Amalfi coast



Thurs, Sept 23
-Amalfi Coast
<i>-trip to Potenza to imagine ancestors - how to get there without a car? Is it better to do this the previous day and stay overnight at an agriturismo?</i>

<i>In general, we are a bit confused on how to arrange the whole Naples/Pompeii/Capri/Amalfi/Potenza trip</i>
Pick one place and stay there for the 2 days, I suggested Amalfi, you could choose Naples, but only choose one and plan to come back to Italy to visit what you did not choose this time.

Fri, Sept 24
<i>-take early morning train to Rome
-buy Roma Pass
-check in at Westin Excelsior
-Vatican </i> Put Vatican someplace else - preferably in the morning <i>
-Pantheon

Sat, Sept 25
-Colosseum
-Roman Forum
-Capitoline Hill
-Palatine Hill</i>. Split this up and put Vatican in the morning, move one of the other items to Sunday and 1 to Friday if you have time.

Sun, Sept 26
<i>-exploring Rome</i>
See my above comments

Mon, Sept 27
<i>-take early morning EasyJet flight to MIlan (already booked)
-fly back to New York (already booked)</i>

sam86

Cherrybomb - Ahhh, right, I totally missed the flight out of Venice. I do like the new itinerary you have outlined here = )

krgystn

The OP has a reservation to see the last supper in Milan on Friday, Sep 17. I say bag Florence.

franco

So sorry, krystle, but this plan is positively crazy. The time you have assigned to Bellagio, rural Tuscany, Naples, Pompeii, Amalfi, Capri and Potenza is so incredibly unrealistic that you'd need a private helicopter to hit at least half of those places. Time for Venice and Rome is sorely insufficient, too; not too speak of Florence, where time is so short in your schedule that it's not even worth going there.
So what I would suggest is:
16, 17: Milano
18: Bellagio/Lago di Como
19-21: Venice (still, four days would be preferable there, so think about skipping Bellagio and going straight to Venice)
22: Naples (the Museo Archelogico Nazionale alone will need a couple of hours, and going to Pompeii would need a whole day, so there's no time for Pompeii on this trip, nor for Capri - try to explore a little bit of Naples after the museum)
23: Potenza (IF you rent a car, then you could take in some glimpses of the Amalfi Coast on your way back, IF you don't mind driving really narrow, steep and winding roads that are also very congested now in high season from what everybody is reporting - I don't go there in high season, so don't know first-hand)
24-26: Rome (necessarily, since the flight from there is already booked) for a totally superficial first impression, knowing that you will have to come back - and that's why I wouldn't focus on the crowded sights only that everybody is visiting. Try to mix some "famous" with some totally unknown sights in Rome - and you'll be surprised that the totally unknown are by no means lesser sights, and in fact, very often much better than the so-called "must-sees".

franco

Ah yes, and by the way: much as I love già Schiavi, it's not a place for dinner - they don't serve anything like dinner there. No seats, no hot dishes; just extremely delicious but also extremely tiny snacks, and wine, wine, wine.

screen_name_taken

I understand your enthusiasm and excitement at your first trip to Italy.

But, ...

I hope you take to heart the advice already given. Otherwise, I doubt you will enjoy the trip you are so excited about!

For starters, forget Florence (you WILL return to Italy, save it for the next trip, along with the Cinque Terre maybe?) and extend your stay in either Milan or Venice.

btw, if you have not booked any hotels yet, what are you waiting for? It will not be easy to find many available rooms, and even harder at your price range. Good luck!