2 weeks in Italy
Oct 30th, 2006, 06:39 AM
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2 weeks in Italy
My husband and I are starting to think about taking a 2 week vacation to Italy. I have wanted to go for a few years now. I'm trying to figure out how much we are going to have to save up before we travel. When is the best time to visit? We are from NJ, so we can fly out of Newark, JFK or La Guardia (which ever will give us the most affordable flight). Do we fly into Milan or Rome? I love taking photos, so I want to see as much as I can. I definitely want to visit Florence, Venice and Rome. At one point I found a website with multiple 2 week itineraries for Italy, but I can't find it. It had suggestions for flying into Rome and Milan. Any suggestions would be helpful. I'm feeling overwhelmed by all the info online and I'm not sure where to start.
Oct 30th, 2006, 06:55 AM
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You should get an open jaw ticket, posibbly flying into Rome and out of Venice (or something similar depending on your itinerary). These flights tend to cost about they same as roundtrip, and then you don't have to backtrack.
Probably the busiest, and priciest times to go are the summer months. We last went in late March. The weather for the most part was delightful (warm and sunny with the exeption of Venice, which was a little rainy and cool). There are still crowds even then, but not as bad as the high season.
You should plug in some different dates in expedia to price airfares, and see what's the best timing and city combo.
Over 2 weeks you don't have to rush. Spend at least 3 nights Venice and FLorence amd 5 Rome. You can easily add a night or 2 to any of these. You may also want to add a couple of nights in a smaller city or town (Sienna, Lucca, Orvieto, ...). If you want to see Pompeii, you should spend a night or 2 in Sorrento. I love taking photos also. You will have a field day with that in Italy.
Probably the busiest, and priciest times to go are the summer months. We last went in late March. The weather for the most part was delightful (warm and sunny with the exeption of Venice, which was a little rainy and cool). There are still crowds even then, but not as bad as the high season.
You should plug in some different dates in expedia to price airfares, and see what's the best timing and city combo.
Over 2 weeks you don't have to rush. Spend at least 3 nights Venice and FLorence amd 5 Rome. You can easily add a night or 2 to any of these. You may also want to add a couple of nights in a smaller city or town (Sienna, Lucca, Orvieto, ...). If you want to see Pompeii, you should spend a night or 2 in Sorrento. I love taking photos also. You will have a field day with that in Italy.
Oct 30th, 2006, 06:58 AM
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This may help to prioritize:
BOB the NAVIGATOR’S FAVORITE ITALY ITINERARIES
UPDATED AUGUST, 2006
After 23 trips to southern Europe, and having developed more than 160 customized TRIP PLANS for others, I am now older and hopefully wiser. Here is an updated version of my favorite itineraries & my “Bella Italia” photo gallery. I hope you enjoy.
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3827
1. BELLA ITALIA: Five destinations in 15 days—car & train travel
* Arrive in Milan[MXP] & depart from Venice[VCE]or vice versa.
* Itinerary to include the Italian Lakes, Ligurian coast, rural
Tuscany, Florence, & Venice. Suggested timing is 3-2-4-2-4.
* Option: Drop the coast & rent a villa in Tuscany[ 3-7-2-3].
* Best time to go: May & June or Sept. & Oct.
2. LA DOLCE VITA: Three destinations in 12 to 14 days-car & train
* Arrival & departure from Rome[ FCO] or arrival in Naples
* Itinerary to include Rome, the Amalfi coast, and Tuscany
* Best time to go: Easter to end of October
* Option: Fly into Naples & stay at 2 locations on the coast
3. CLASSIC ITALIA: Three destinations in 12 to 14 days-car & train
* Arrival & departure from Rome—may start trip in Florence
* Destinations to include Florence, Rome & Tuscany/Umbria
* Best time to go: Anytime, but May & Oct. are my favorites
* Option: Consider a weekly rental in Tuscany/Umbria
4. SICILIAN CHARMS: Five destinations in 15 days—car travel
* Connections to Catania & Palermo via Rome or gateway city.
* Itinerary to include Taormina, Siracusa, Palermo & more.
* Best time to go: March to November—May is best for flowers
* See: http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=634
5. THE VILLAGE SAMPLER: My favorite venues for those who enjoy natural beauty and quaint, small villages. Arranged north to south.
* Arrive Milan & depart Rome—car travel-- 3 nites per location
* Itinerary to include Lago Orta, Castelrotto/ Ortisei[Dolomites],
Portovenere[Liguria], Montalcino[Tuscany], & Spello[Umbria].
* Best time to go: May to October for the lakes and Dolomites
* Option: Pick 3 out of 5 and stay longer in Tuscany/Umbria.
BOB the NAVIGATOR’S FAVORITE ITALY ITINERARIES
UPDATED AUGUST, 2006
After 23 trips to southern Europe, and having developed more than 160 customized TRIP PLANS for others, I am now older and hopefully wiser. Here is an updated version of my favorite itineraries & my “Bella Italia” photo gallery. I hope you enjoy.
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3827
1. BELLA ITALIA: Five destinations in 15 days—car & train travel
* Arrive in Milan[MXP] & depart from Venice[VCE]or vice versa.
* Itinerary to include the Italian Lakes, Ligurian coast, rural
Tuscany, Florence, & Venice. Suggested timing is 3-2-4-2-4.
* Option: Drop the coast & rent a villa in Tuscany[ 3-7-2-3].
* Best time to go: May & June or Sept. & Oct.
2. LA DOLCE VITA: Three destinations in 12 to 14 days-car & train
* Arrival & departure from Rome[ FCO] or arrival in Naples
* Itinerary to include Rome, the Amalfi coast, and Tuscany
* Best time to go: Easter to end of October
* Option: Fly into Naples & stay at 2 locations on the coast
3. CLASSIC ITALIA: Three destinations in 12 to 14 days-car & train
* Arrival & departure from Rome—may start trip in Florence
* Destinations to include Florence, Rome & Tuscany/Umbria
* Best time to go: Anytime, but May & Oct. are my favorites
* Option: Consider a weekly rental in Tuscany/Umbria
4. SICILIAN CHARMS: Five destinations in 15 days—car travel
* Connections to Catania & Palermo via Rome or gateway city.
* Itinerary to include Taormina, Siracusa, Palermo & more.
* Best time to go: March to November—May is best for flowers
* See: http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=634
5. THE VILLAGE SAMPLER: My favorite venues for those who enjoy natural beauty and quaint, small villages. Arranged north to south.
* Arrive Milan & depart Rome—car travel-- 3 nites per location
* Itinerary to include Lago Orta, Castelrotto/ Ortisei[Dolomites],
Portovenere[Liguria], Montalcino[Tuscany], & Spello[Umbria].
* Best time to go: May to October for the lakes and Dolomites
* Option: Pick 3 out of 5 and stay longer in Tuscany/Umbria.
Oct 30th, 2006, 07:14 AM
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I second MFNYC's suggestion of an open jaws ticket, especially when time is limited. With 2 weeks or more, you could see something beyond the big 3 cities. I suggest getting some guidebooks with lots of pictures of Italy, something like the Eyewitness series. (I get them from the public library.) Look at pictures of Tuscany, Cinque Terre and the Italian Riviera, the Italian Lakes, the Amalfi Coast. See what grabs you.
Another question: do you plan to do any driving? Tuscany and Umbria in particular lend themselves to driving tours. But certain cities there are reachable by train and/or bus.
As for itineraries, you can look at those used by tours, just to get an idea. Plus Rick Steves has itineraries as does Fodor's. Michelin has driving tours.
Happy planning!
Another question: do you plan to do any driving? Tuscany and Umbria in particular lend themselves to driving tours. But certain cities there are reachable by train and/or bus.
As for itineraries, you can look at those used by tours, just to get an idea. Plus Rick Steves has itineraries as does Fodor's. Michelin has driving tours.
Happy planning!
Oct 30th, 2006, 07:53 AM
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Two weeks in Italy will be wonderful. Don't get overwhelmed by the choices, as they are many. Definitely do an open jaw ticket, as everyone else has said. You don't want to waste precious vacation time back-tracking.
Do you have any mileage accumulated to get free airfare? If so, that's obviously a big savings, and seat availability may dictate your timing and airports. I always start with the airfare when planning a trip, as it's the biggest expense and usually the least flexible purchase.
My advice would be to read all the threads here on Fodors' to get ideas for itineraries. Bob gave you some great ideas above. Try not to over-estimate how much you can see in two weeks. You will want to be able to savor the beauty of Italy.
My daughter and I spent 15 nights there this past May. It was early May and was perfect timing for us, as it was before the big tourist crunch, and the flowers were in bloom (especially on the Spanish Steps in Rome). We had weather in the 70s everyday, and only one morning of rain in Rome. It was glorious. I'd avoid the heat and crowds, for sure.
We spent three nights in each of these cities, in this order: Rome, Florence, Venice, Santa Margherita Ligure (to see Cinque Terre), and Nice. I flew home from Nice, on United Mileage Plus seat. I posted trip reports on each town here.
I will say that three nights' stay is my minimum, and it barely brushes the surface. The reason we moved around that much was because my daughter had studied in Florence that semester and was taking me to her favorite places (except she'd never been to Nice). So, I had my own personal 'travel guide' in her, and we didn't waste time trying to figure out subways, trains, museums, etc. She had that all figured our already.
I would have preferred more time in Rome, maybe only two nights in Venice. But, however you do it, you can't go wrong spending two weeks in Italy, so long as you do some planning and research up-front. Ask specific questions on this Forum, for hotels, restaurants, museum questions, etc. You will get loads of great info.
Have fun planning.
>-
Do you have any mileage accumulated to get free airfare? If so, that's obviously a big savings, and seat availability may dictate your timing and airports. I always start with the airfare when planning a trip, as it's the biggest expense and usually the least flexible purchase.
My advice would be to read all the threads here on Fodors' to get ideas for itineraries. Bob gave you some great ideas above. Try not to over-estimate how much you can see in two weeks. You will want to be able to savor the beauty of Italy.
My daughter and I spent 15 nights there this past May. It was early May and was perfect timing for us, as it was before the big tourist crunch, and the flowers were in bloom (especially on the Spanish Steps in Rome). We had weather in the 70s everyday, and only one morning of rain in Rome. It was glorious. I'd avoid the heat and crowds, for sure.
We spent three nights in each of these cities, in this order: Rome, Florence, Venice, Santa Margherita Ligure (to see Cinque Terre), and Nice. I flew home from Nice, on United Mileage Plus seat. I posted trip reports on each town here.
I will say that three nights' stay is my minimum, and it barely brushes the surface. The reason we moved around that much was because my daughter had studied in Florence that semester and was taking me to her favorite places (except she'd never been to Nice). So, I had my own personal 'travel guide' in her, and we didn't waste time trying to figure out subways, trains, museums, etc. She had that all figured our already.
I would have preferred more time in Rome, maybe only two nights in Venice. But, however you do it, you can't go wrong spending two weeks in Italy, so long as you do some planning and research up-front. Ask specific questions on this Forum, for hotels, restaurants, museum questions, etc. You will get loads of great info.
Have fun planning.
>-
Oct 30th, 2006, 08:08 AM
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Laguardia is not an international airport, so you will find no flights between there and Italy. From JFK or Newark, you can fly non-stop to Rome, Milan, or Venice. (There are fewer flights to Venice, so if you want this flights it pays to book well ahead.) There are also many one-stop flights via London, Paris, Frankfurt , and other European cities as well as via Milan and Rome, that will allow you to arrive in some of the smaller Italian airports like Pisa, Florence, Bologna, Torino, Bari, Naples . . .
Oct 30th, 2006, 10:55 AM
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Here's a thread with some other 2 week Italy ideas http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34890897
Oct 30th, 2006, 12:56 PM
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Unless I'm mistaken, there are no non-stop flights to Venice from Newark, only from JFK.
In general, if you live in New Jersey, trying to fly out of JFK makes for a VERY long transatlantic travel experience, especially now that security requires you to be at the airport at least 3 hours before your flight.
There is a shuttle that goes from Newark airport to JFK, however, if you end up seeing a bargain airfare to Venice you can't resist.
All that said, even you don't want to go to Milan itself, but want to start your trip in Venezia, it can be worth it to make the trek to JFK.
For instance, non stop from Newark to Milan requires to the Newark airport 3 hours early, a 7-hour overnight flight, taking a one hour bus to Milan Centrale Station, and then a 3-hour train trip to Venice. (Or else waiting in Milan airport for a connecting flight to Venice.)
By contrast, getting to JFK from New Jersey means at least 3 hours travel time, 3 hours at the airport, 7hour flight -- but then you are there.
Given what you want to do in Italy, I think the best air configuration is to fly non-stop from New Jersey to Roma, train to Florence, train to Venice and fly home non-stop to JFK.
Because Italy's clock is six hours ahead of America's, taking a 1-stop flight back home rather than a non-stop is not all that painful. It saves money -- but it also risks losing luggage in a transfer.
hope all that info doesn't overwhelm you further!
I like to use Orbitz to figure what options I have for flying.
In general, if you live in New Jersey, trying to fly out of JFK makes for a VERY long transatlantic travel experience, especially now that security requires you to be at the airport at least 3 hours before your flight.
There is a shuttle that goes from Newark airport to JFK, however, if you end up seeing a bargain airfare to Venice you can't resist.
All that said, even you don't want to go to Milan itself, but want to start your trip in Venezia, it can be worth it to make the trek to JFK.
For instance, non stop from Newark to Milan requires to the Newark airport 3 hours early, a 7-hour overnight flight, taking a one hour bus to Milan Centrale Station, and then a 3-hour train trip to Venice. (Or else waiting in Milan airport for a connecting flight to Venice.)
By contrast, getting to JFK from New Jersey means at least 3 hours travel time, 3 hours at the airport, 7hour flight -- but then you are there.
Given what you want to do in Italy, I think the best air configuration is to fly non-stop from New Jersey to Roma, train to Florence, train to Venice and fly home non-stop to JFK.
Because Italy's clock is six hours ahead of America's, taking a 1-stop flight back home rather than a non-stop is not all that painful. It saves money -- but it also risks losing luggage in a transfer.
hope all that info doesn't overwhelm you further!
I like to use Orbitz to figure what options I have for flying.
Oct 30th, 2006, 12:57 PM
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Sorry for a typo! I meant to write:
"All that said, even IF you don't want to go to Milan itself, but want to start your trip in Venezia, it can be worth it to make the trek to JFK."
You might like Milano!
"All that said, even IF you don't want to go to Milan itself, but want to start your trip in Venezia, it can be worth it to make the trek to JFK."
You might like Milano!
Oct 30th, 2006, 01:01 PM
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And I meant to add that even if you can't fly back home from Venice non-stop, you might be able to find a good deal wherby you fly from Venice to some other airport in Europe (even Milano) and then catch a flight to Newark. You can also take a train from Venice to Milan your last night in Italy and fly the next morning non-stop to Newark.
Oct 30th, 2006, 01:26 PM
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After thinking it over further, I think we may decide to do 10 days instead of 14. I think we want to fly into Rome first then head to Florence and Venice. I'm trying to figure out if we have time to see Milan. Would it be easier to fly out of Venice or out of Milan? Is there a train that goes from Florence to Venice (how long is it?) We have no issue getting to JFK. From where we live in NJ, it would probably take 2 hours. If I could get a better deal by going through JFK, I would definitely do that. I think we are planning on going in either Sept. or Oct. Whichever time frame is cheaper, I guess. We will not be renting a car. I want to take the trains.
Oct 30th, 2006, 02:23 PM
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If you want to fly to Rome, it's still better to leave from Newark.
Flying home from Milan, as opposed to Venice, usually means taking the train from Venice the night before so you can spend the night in Milan, or near the Milan airport, in order to catch your early morning flight. Hotels in Milan are usually very expensive, so unless you really want to see Milano, it's better to try to find a flight out of Venice.
I've never flown out of Venice so I don't know how easy it is to get to the airport for an early morning flight or how much that costs.
In Milano, there is a bus that leaves from the central train station and takes an hour to get to the airport for under 10 euros. There is a train that leaves from another (nicer) part of town that costs 14e. It takes about 30 minutes.
Taking trains between Rome, Florence and Venice is very easy, much easier than renting a car. I can't remember how how long it is from Firenze to Venezia, but someone else will stop by to say I'm sure. I'd advise you to take the Eurostar, and buy your ticket when you get to Italy.
Flying home from Milan, as opposed to Venice, usually means taking the train from Venice the night before so you can spend the night in Milan, or near the Milan airport, in order to catch your early morning flight. Hotels in Milan are usually very expensive, so unless you really want to see Milano, it's better to try to find a flight out of Venice.
I've never flown out of Venice so I don't know how easy it is to get to the airport for an early morning flight or how much that costs.
In Milano, there is a bus that leaves from the central train station and takes an hour to get to the airport for under 10 euros. There is a train that leaves from another (nicer) part of town that costs 14e. It takes about 30 minutes.
Taking trains between Rome, Florence and Venice is very easy, much easier than renting a car. I can't remember how how long it is from Firenze to Venezia, but someone else will stop by to say I'm sure. I'd advise you to take the Eurostar, and buy your ticket when you get to Italy.
Nov 3rd, 2006, 07:18 AM
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Where can I go to get a rough estimate on how much airfare will be in Sept/Oct 2007? What are the best airlines to take from either Newark or JFK to Rome? How much can I expect to pay for lodging? I'm trying to figure out what we can do in 10 days. I'm thinking of seeing Rome for 4 days, Florence 3-4 days (would like to take a mini-trip to Pisa if possible) and Venice 2-3 days.
