14 Day Trip to Italy

Old Nov 8th, 2015, 05:50 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
14 Day Trip to Italy

I am planning a 14 day driving tour with my daughter starting in Venice; going to Verona, Pisa, Florence, Rome; then the Amalfi coast and then back to Rome to fly back. Am I trying to pack too much into two weeks? Is this doable? How do I find hotels along the way? Is there a trip planning service? This is our first time in Italy...
dstrathadam is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 06:04 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,609
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Why are you driving?
thursdaysd is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 06:06 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 25,489
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
what time of year?

Car no use in central Venice, Pisa, Florence and probably Verona while in Rome it will be just a pain.

Hotels along the way use bookings.com I'd either book with the chance to cancel if I really wanted to wing it or if in a quiet month I might only book Venice and the last place (Rome) and then wing it the night before movement.

Time, it depends on how long you want in each place. If I did it it would look like

Fly in (jet lag?)
Venice 2 nights
Verona 3 nights
Florence 3 nights (Pisa day trip)
AC 2 nights
Rome 4 nights

which is 14 nights so 15 days, something has to give and I suggest Verona loses one night.

Yes a bit much as the packing/unpacking/train thing kills half a day and the time of year does affect plans, so I'd not go to AC in August for love nor money.
bilboburgler is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 06:20 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,969
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Same questions are the previous posters. Have you come to the conclusion to drive after you have considered pros and cons of using other means of travel? Or have you just decided to drive, because that is what you do at home and assumed traveling in Italy is like moving around at home?

If these are the destinations, it would be PITA as well as expensive to super expensive with a car especially if you wondered into restricted zones in several of these cities.
greg is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 06:23 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,609
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Oh, and taking bilbo's schedule I would drop Verona and add two nights to Venice and one to the AC. (Actually, if it were me I would drop Florence, but I know that is a minority opinion.)
thursdaysd is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 06:31 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,672
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Don't consider driving with this itinerary. You have an impossibly short time in each of your destinations and driving will eat up even more of your time.

You are definitely trying to include too many destinations no matter what your mode of travel. I would eliminate either Verona or the Amalfi coast and choose no more than 4 destinations. If you really want a road trip, I would change my itinerary and consider Tuscany and Umbria. Otherwise, I would take trains.
mamcalice is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 08:25 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
IMHO in 2 weeks 4 destinations (hotels) is the most you can really visit and see much of anything - and that assume you means a full2 weeks - from a Friday night to the Sunday two weeks later. If less time than this you are really pushing it.

You need to list each day out showing wher you will start, any travel that day (at least 1/2 day to get from one city to the next) and where you will sleep. By just listing cities at 3 nights or whatever people often end up double counting cities.

As for driving - this is NOT a good road trip. We love driving in europe and ave done more than 20 road trips there - some including Italy. But they were trips that focused on countryside and smaller towns - not just hopping from one city or resort to the next. For this trip train will be much more efficient and cost less (renting a car is expensive, gas is expensive and it will cost you about $40 per night to park a car in a garage - street parking is not an option where you will be staying) and you simply can;t use a car to get around these cities so it will just sit in the garage most of the time.
nytraveler is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 08:35 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,552
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
If you really want to do a driving tour change the destinations to smaller hill towns and or farmstays in Tuscany, Umbria, the Veneto and Le Marche. You could have a lovely trip by car perhaps starting with several days in Rome or Venice if that's what you want to do but it wouldn't be to most of these destinations. If you go this way Karen Brown has great itineraries and hotel suggestions.

I have to say I think you have too many places for a 14 day trip. Don't worry it's a normal part of the planning process to whittle it down. Think about what you want to see in these places, how many days do you need to spend there. Some people like a fast pace but many here will advise against. What kind of travel do you like?

If you are planning a high-end trip it may well be worth hiring a travel agent, otherwise I think you may be best planning on your own. Personally I'd drop the Amalfi and stick to an itinerary into Venice and out of Rome or vice versa.
welltraveledbrit is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 09:53 AM
  #9  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We are leaving on a Friday, May 28; arriving Saturday and leaving Sunday, June 12th. I was looking at Venice - 3 days; Verona - 1 day; Pisa - day trip on the way to Florence - 3 days; Rome - 3 days and Amalfi Coast - 4 days; fly back from Naples. I wasn't going to pick up the car until we leave Venice. This is the first time in Italy but I've traveled extensively in France and Greece. You are all probably correct in saying that it's too many stops. I've never traveled by train and wouldn't even begin to know how to plan that way so any input or suggestions on websites to plan a trip by train would be appreciated. We plan on going back to Italy again so we were thinking of hitting the high spots in slightly off season.
dstrathadam is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 10:06 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,609
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
For great info on train travel start here: seat61.com
thursdaysd is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 11:28 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,067
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You most certainly do NOT want to drive this trip. Trains in Italy are sooooo much nice and easier and cheaper than in the US. No comparison. You do not need to be able to speak Italian.

The seat61 website is a great place to start to read up on how to travel by train. The trenitalia site (Italy's major train website) is very easy to use. http://www.trenitalia.com/ First change the language to English (upper right corner). The only main thing to know is you need to put in the Italian spelling of the towns. So while Verona is the same, most towns are not (Rome is Roma, Venice is Venezia, etc.). You also need to know the name of the station as in most of these towns there is more than one.

Venezia S. Lucia
Verona Porta Nuova
Firenze S. M. Novella
Roma Termini
Napoli Centrale

Once you get started people on this site are very knowledgeable and can answer technical questions.
isabel is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 11:37 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,991
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It is easier to travel by train from city to city in Italy than anyplace else I have been. In all the cities you mention, the train station is in the city center or very, very close to the center.

Of course, no cars in Venice, and Florence and Rome both have ZTL zones where you are not allowed to drive without a special permit. It is easy to accidently drive into one of the areas, which has many cameras, and get a big fine months after returning home.

Cost of car, gas and parking on the outskirts of the city will be much higher than taking the train.

Pisa is not a good stop on the way from Venice to Florence because it is not on the way. You pretty much have to go through Florence to get to Pisa or follow a convoluted plan. It works better to do it as a day trip from Venice. You could include Luca as part of that trip.

You have traveled in Europe already, so perhaps you are keeping travel time in mind when you list days in each place, but it does not seem so. Allow time to get from hotel to train station, travel time, time to get from station to new hotel. When you lay out your trip accurately, you can see that even cutting Verona, you do not have quite the time you list for most places.

This is what you probably have.
Venice - 2 & 1/2 days
Florence - 1 & 1/2 days
Pisa - 1 day
Rome - 2 & 3/4 days
Amalfi Coast - Evening plus 3 & 1/2 days

May 28, depart home
May 29, arrive Venice, airport to hotel. Walk, get over jet lag (1/2 day sight seeing)
May 30, Venice - whole day
May 31, Venice - whole day
June 1, travel to Florence (1/2 day travel, 1/2 day sight seeing)
June 2, Florence - whole day
June 3, day trip from Florence to Pisa
June 4, travel to Rome (1/4 day travel, 3/4 day Rome)
June 5, Rome - whole day
June 6, Rome - whole day
June 7, travel to the AC (at least 3/4 day) evening on AC
June 8, AC - whole day
June 9, AC - whole day
June 10, AC - whole day
June 11, travel to Naples, depends on departure time on the 12th.
June 12, depart for home


You can always change things, but it is such a pip getting to the AC, I would not cut time there. If you are going to the trouble to get there, take time to enjoy it!

Getting to Verona is easy from Milan or Venice, even Florence, so you are more likely to get back there sometime. That is why I cut Verona. Also, the AC is so different, it gives you more variety.

Usually, you need to stay in your departure city the night before, but if your departure is late in the day, depending on where you at staying, you can stay the night of June 11 on the AC and hire a car service to get you to the airport on the 12th.

You have, IMHO, cutting Verona, a pretty good plan and it should be a lovely trip. It is not off season though. It is at the very end of shoulder season, verging on high season, so will likely already be crowded.

I like arriving in Venice because it is a great place to ease into Italy and get over jet lag. Have you looked at flights from Naples already? Naples airport is small and user friendly, so I prefer it, but people sometimes have to return from Rome. If you do have to do that, it would be best to see Amalfi Coast after Florence and Rome at the end.
Sassafrass is online now  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 01:50 PM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 4,497
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
My suggestion for Verona would be to do it as a day trip from Venice by train. The train takes an hour each way, from the station in Verona get a taxi to Piazzle Bra, the centre of Verona. A taxi will cost about ten euro, saves a bit of walking through the business district of Verona.
Peter_S_Aus is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 04:05 PM
  #14  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you so much for all your help. It's a good start to what I hope will be a memorable trip for my daughter and I. I will take your advice on traveling by train but rent a car in Naples to do the Amalfi Coast. Is there a good town/place to use as a base for our four days on the AC?
dstrathadam is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 04:17 PM
  #15  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you so much for all your help. It's a good start to what I hope will be a memorable trip for my daughter and I. I will take your advice on traveling by train but rent a car in Naples to do the Amalfi Coast. Is there a good town/place to use as a base for our four days on the AC?
dstrathadam is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 04:19 PM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,067
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I wouldn't rent a car for the Amalfi portion either. Traffic there is horrible in high season, parking expensive and hard to find. By that time the ferries will be running and that's a delightful way to get around. They aren't very frequent but you can easily do day trips using them. The bus is very frequent - and cheap. But it can be crowded and some people get motion sick. However, you could get motion sick in a car as well. Still, the bus and the ferry are the way most people get around .

I prefer Sorrento as a base - I like the town and it's got the best transportation connections. You take the local train from Naples to get there, then ferries to Capri, Amalfi, Positano, etc. Or the bus to Amalfi and Positano. Pompeii is on the way between Sorrento and Naples. Others prefer to base in Positano or Amalfi. Certainly Positano is the most drop dead gorgeous of the towns as viewed from the water or the road slightly out of town (although I feel it is not as nice as either Amalfi or Sorrento once you are in it). If I were going to stay in one of them it would be Amalfi, however, after three trips I keep basing in Sorrento.

But where ever you base, I still think you'll be happier without a car.
isabel is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 04:24 PM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
There is only one road on the AC - a very narrow 2-lane cliff road with mostly no shoulders with a top speed of about 10 mph in high season. Most hotels do not have parking and street parking is practically non-existent. Car is an even worse idea here than in the cities.

If you want the most convenient place or making day trips look at Sorrento - not on the AC but around the conner on the Bay of Naples. It has train connections to Pompeii and Naples as well as ferries and hydrofoils to Naples, Capri and the smaller towns down the AC. Also the end point of the SITA bus which is the main transport along the AC.

To determine what makes the most sense you need to determine how much time you want sitting on a beach (pebbles or even rocks) versus day tripping for sight seeing.
nytraveler is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 04:44 PM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
As for planning train trips go to bahn.de for schedules for all train lines in europe. This is the best way to plan - and look carefully for time via the high speed train. When you are ready to buy tickets (in advance for discounts on high speed trains) you will need to use the trenitalia site.

All of the trips you're looking at have very frequent trains - at least once an hour.
nytraveler is offline  
Old Nov 8th, 2015, 04:44 PM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,991
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The Amalfi Coast is the last place I would rent a car, especially at the beginning of high season, when traffic is slow with bus and car fumes, and driving might be a nail biting experience, even for the passenger. Read more questions about it before making the commitment to that. Traveling by ferry and seeing gorgeous cliff side towns like Positano from the water is fantastic.

OTOH, if it was off season, you enjoy driving extremely curvy roads atop cliffs, and could rent a beautiful red Frarari convertible, so driving becomes the experience, then go for it. My preference would be the addition of an experienced (hopefully handsome) Italian driver. If that isn't possible, then stick with ferries.

As to a trip planning service or travel agent, I have not talked with a single one who knew as much about Italy as most people on this forum. You will get a wide variety of opinions and advice even here, but several live in Italy or have lived there before or traveled there many times, so advice from here will be based on real experience, not the often limited experience of travel planners.
Sassafrass is online now  
Old Nov 10th, 2015, 03:45 AM
  #20  
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I toured Italy last year and used the train system. It was very easy to travel by train. We booked some of our tickets ahead and other we just purchased as we went. We flew into Milan and flew out of Rome. We visited Milan, Lake Como, Cinque Terre, Florence, Capri, Positano and Rome You can read my blog as it will give you ideas. http://winenchocolate.com/
vacationlady is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -