6 weeks in Spain and Italy
Dec 22nd, 2011, 01:30 PM
#21
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Okay everyone, I have compiled a more detailed itinerary including travel time
I'm sure there are some unrealistic things on this plan and i would greatly appreciate you pointing them out to me
Also, it is clear that 52 days is longer than I expected going for.. I am less interested in relaxing on a beach sipping a martini than getting lost in a back alley and finding some small historic church. Can I snip some days off of some locations? Or do away with somewhere completly? Love some advice please...
1. Arrive in Madrid (as early as possible)
2. Madrid
3. Madrid
4. Travel to Toledo and stay the night there
5. Toledo
6. Travel to Seville that morning
7. Seville
8. Seville
9. Seville
10. Travel to Cordoba that morning
11. Cordoba
12. Travel to Granada that afternoon
13. Granada
14. Granada
15. Basically all day traveling to Barcelona
16. Barca
17. Barca
18. Barca
19. Barca
20. Barca
21. Barca
22. Travel to Venice (will taker most of day)
23. Venice
24. Venice
25. Venice
26. Travel to Florence
27. Florence
28. Florence
29. Florence
30. Day trip to Siena (Florence)
31. Day trip to San Gimignano (Florence)
32. Day Trip to Lucca (Florence)
33. Florence
34. Travel to Rome (as early as possible)
35. Rome
36. Rome
37. Rome
38. Rome
39. Rome
40. Rome
41. Travel to Naples
42. Naples
43. Naples
44. Naples
45. Leave Naples in morning, travel to Pompeii and then to Sorrento
46. Sorrento
47. Amalfi Coast Drive to Salerno
48. Salerno
49. Salerno
50. Salerno (Paestum)
51. Drive Back to Rome
52. Fly Out of Rome
I'm sure there are some unrealistic things on this plan and i would greatly appreciate you pointing them out to me
Also, it is clear that 52 days is longer than I expected going for.. I am less interested in relaxing on a beach sipping a martini than getting lost in a back alley and finding some small historic church. Can I snip some days off of some locations? Or do away with somewhere completly? Love some advice please...
1. Arrive in Madrid (as early as possible)
2. Madrid
3. Madrid
4. Travel to Toledo and stay the night there
5. Toledo
6. Travel to Seville that morning
7. Seville
8. Seville
9. Seville
10. Travel to Cordoba that morning
11. Cordoba
12. Travel to Granada that afternoon
13. Granada
14. Granada
15. Basically all day traveling to Barcelona
16. Barca
17. Barca
18. Barca
19. Barca
20. Barca
21. Barca
22. Travel to Venice (will taker most of day)
23. Venice
24. Venice
25. Venice
26. Travel to Florence
27. Florence
28. Florence
29. Florence
30. Day trip to Siena (Florence)
31. Day trip to San Gimignano (Florence)
32. Day Trip to Lucca (Florence)
33. Florence
34. Travel to Rome (as early as possible)
35. Rome
36. Rome
37. Rome
38. Rome
39. Rome
40. Rome
41. Travel to Naples
42. Naples
43. Naples
44. Naples
45. Leave Naples in morning, travel to Pompeii and then to Sorrento
46. Sorrento
47. Amalfi Coast Drive to Salerno
48. Salerno
49. Salerno
50. Salerno (Paestum)
51. Drive Back to Rome
52. Fly Out of Rome
Dec 22nd, 2011, 05:29 PM
#24
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OK, Day four: If you leave for Toledo early in the morning, that day will be plenty for Toledo. It is only about half an hour from Madrid. The town is tiny. Visit the cathedral and museum, spend the night (if you really want to change hotels for just a night) and leave early for Seville. I like Toledo at night, but I might just do a day trip from Madrid, and stay as late in Toledo as I could - have dinner there. You do not need day five in Toledo. So, one day saved for something else.
The same thing is true in Cordoba. Leave Seville early in the morning. The trip is only about an hour. Spend the day and the night in Cordoba. Leave the next day for Granada. So, another day saved for something else.
Glad you are putting a second day in Granada. It is a lovely city with more to see than most people take time for. Great food also.
Can you fly from Granada to Barcelona, save part of another day? Four days would be plenty for me in Barcelona, but there is lots to do and see, and you could always do a day trip if you finish sightseeing there early.
Are you flying from Barcelona to Venice?
Venice to Florence should take only half a day. You could take away that fourth day in Florence after all the day trips, though there is plenty to see in Florence. It carves out a third day though for something else without even feeling rushed.
Are you going to Pisa? Do consider spending a night in Siena or Luca.
Rome is a very short ride from Florence, so you will still have most of the day in Rome. Never too much time in Rome and you can do day trips easily.
I love Naples, but two days would be enough unless I was visiting Herculaneum from there.
You really don't need a day for anything in Sorrento. I am saying this because, though I love just hanging out at a pool in Sorrento and looking out over the Bay of Naples, you seem to want more sightseeing and wandering in churches, etc. Sorrento has some charm, but is mostly just a great base for touring, and nice in the evening.
Have to agree on why Salerno? Just stay the night if you want to see Paestum. That is it.
What about Positano or Amalfi?
My plan has easily carved out five extra days for you without feeling at all rushed, IMHO. You could use these for some other places. The Lakes (2-4), Cinque Terre (2-3), Verona, Bologna, Assissi or more places within Southern Spain. These are all places within short travel distances of your current itinerary. I am sure other posters could offer even more/better suggestions. I would not include another country with all the travel involved, but expand on what you have already created, which is really, really good.
I know this is long and I know each person wants/needs different things at different times from travel, but I hope it is helpful as you put together what looks to be a fabulous trip to my two favorite countries.
The same thing is true in Cordoba. Leave Seville early in the morning. The trip is only about an hour. Spend the day and the night in Cordoba. Leave the next day for Granada. So, another day saved for something else.
Glad you are putting a second day in Granada. It is a lovely city with more to see than most people take time for. Great food also.
Can you fly from Granada to Barcelona, save part of another day? Four days would be plenty for me in Barcelona, but there is lots to do and see, and you could always do a day trip if you finish sightseeing there early.
Are you flying from Barcelona to Venice?
Venice to Florence should take only half a day. You could take away that fourth day in Florence after all the day trips, though there is plenty to see in Florence. It carves out a third day though for something else without even feeling rushed.
Are you going to Pisa? Do consider spending a night in Siena or Luca.
Rome is a very short ride from Florence, so you will still have most of the day in Rome. Never too much time in Rome and you can do day trips easily.
I love Naples, but two days would be enough unless I was visiting Herculaneum from there.
You really don't need a day for anything in Sorrento. I am saying this because, though I love just hanging out at a pool in Sorrento and looking out over the Bay of Naples, you seem to want more sightseeing and wandering in churches, etc. Sorrento has some charm, but is mostly just a great base for touring, and nice in the evening.
Have to agree on why Salerno? Just stay the night if you want to see Paestum. That is it.
What about Positano or Amalfi?
My plan has easily carved out five extra days for you without feeling at all rushed, IMHO. You could use these for some other places. The Lakes (2-4), Cinque Terre (2-3), Verona, Bologna, Assissi or more places within Southern Spain. These are all places within short travel distances of your current itinerary. I am sure other posters could offer even more/better suggestions. I would not include another country with all the travel involved, but expand on what you have already created, which is really, really good.
I know this is long and I know each person wants/needs different things at different times from travel, but I hope it is helpful as you put together what looks to be a fabulous trip to my two favorite countries.
Dec 22nd, 2011, 08:03 PM
#25
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Let me start by again saying I think you’ve developed a wonderful plan. I offer only some very minor tweaks for your consideration.
Amalfi Coast: I love Salerno, which I think is vastly under-rated. Still, I would probably give it only 2 nights at most. That will give you enough time to savor Paestum (a wonderful addition to your plans!), enjoy Salerno's lungomare and medieval core, visit the cathedral (with it magnificent ambos) and, depending on your interests, maybe even the museum (with its incredible ivories). Your statement that you like “getting lost in a back alley and finding some small historic church” definitely makes me think of Salerno, although the historic church is not all that small. I managed to see all these things with just one overnight, but at a faster pace than I would have preferred. I did not spend any time in Sorrento, so I might not be the best person to speak about it, but my sense is that many people who recommend Sorrento want a single base from which to see Naples AND the Amalfi Coast. If you are using 2 bases for the area, I would think you would want your 2nd destination to be more central to the core sights of the Amalfi Coast (Capri, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, …) That’s why I suggested Amalfi, from which you can, in June, easily get to everywhere else. And much as I love Naples, if you’re looking to cut days, I think you can probably manage with 3 days in Naples, including your time in Pompeii (unless you plan to visit Capri from Naples, in which case you’ll probably want that extra day for Naples).
Andalusia: I think it is wonderful that you are allocating as much time as you are to these wonderful places, but if you want to cut days, you might want to consider cutting a day fro Granada. I spent 2+ full days there, and have no regrets, but in comparison to other places on your itinerary, I would think you could manage with 2 nights/1.5 days. And personally, I would go with 2.5 rather than 3.5 days in Sevilla to free up time for elsewhere, but that wouldn’t include any day trips from Sevilla; add a day or more if you plan to use it as a base.
Barcelona and area: I haven’t been there yet, so definitely take what I say with a handful of salt. I have, however, frequently considered a visit there, and generally conclude that I will want 3-4 days for the city and 2-3 days for side trips. I don’t know how that fits with your plans.
Cinque Terre: I see that you’ve dropped it, and can understand that you had to drop something! But I will say that I think you would find it very different from the rest of your trip. I spent only 2 nights there (about 1.5 days), and am so glad I did! The weather prevented me from hiking all 4 main trails, but I hiked all the parts that were open and I got to all 5 villages. Whether to add it back into your itinerary should probably depend not only on your interests, but also when you’ll be there – I’ve read that it can be quite busy, perhaps unpleasantly so, during high season.
Rome: If I’m reading this plan correctly, you’re giving Rome more than 6 days. Wonderful! But I’ll admit that I would, with some reluctance, consider cutting a day from Rome, not because there isn’t enough to warrant the time – you’ll only scratch the surface, even if you give it all the time you currently plan and more! – but because I think I’d rather sacrifice a 6th full day in Rome for a day somewhere quite different. But that’s just me. Rome is definitely one of those cities that merits many long visits!
Again, I think you’re going to have a wonderful trip whatever choices you make in this fine-tuning stage.
Enjoy!
Amalfi Coast: I love Salerno, which I think is vastly under-rated. Still, I would probably give it only 2 nights at most. That will give you enough time to savor Paestum (a wonderful addition to your plans!), enjoy Salerno's lungomare and medieval core, visit the cathedral (with it magnificent ambos) and, depending on your interests, maybe even the museum (with its incredible ivories). Your statement that you like “getting lost in a back alley and finding some small historic church” definitely makes me think of Salerno, although the historic church is not all that small. I managed to see all these things with just one overnight, but at a faster pace than I would have preferred. I did not spend any time in Sorrento, so I might not be the best person to speak about it, but my sense is that many people who recommend Sorrento want a single base from which to see Naples AND the Amalfi Coast. If you are using 2 bases for the area, I would think you would want your 2nd destination to be more central to the core sights of the Amalfi Coast (Capri, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, …) That’s why I suggested Amalfi, from which you can, in June, easily get to everywhere else. And much as I love Naples, if you’re looking to cut days, I think you can probably manage with 3 days in Naples, including your time in Pompeii (unless you plan to visit Capri from Naples, in which case you’ll probably want that extra day for Naples).
Andalusia: I think it is wonderful that you are allocating as much time as you are to these wonderful places, but if you want to cut days, you might want to consider cutting a day fro Granada. I spent 2+ full days there, and have no regrets, but in comparison to other places on your itinerary, I would think you could manage with 2 nights/1.5 days. And personally, I would go with 2.5 rather than 3.5 days in Sevilla to free up time for elsewhere, but that wouldn’t include any day trips from Sevilla; add a day or more if you plan to use it as a base.
Barcelona and area: I haven’t been there yet, so definitely take what I say with a handful of salt. I have, however, frequently considered a visit there, and generally conclude that I will want 3-4 days for the city and 2-3 days for side trips. I don’t know how that fits with your plans.
Cinque Terre: I see that you’ve dropped it, and can understand that you had to drop something! But I will say that I think you would find it very different from the rest of your trip. I spent only 2 nights there (about 1.5 days), and am so glad I did! The weather prevented me from hiking all 4 main trails, but I hiked all the parts that were open and I got to all 5 villages. Whether to add it back into your itinerary should probably depend not only on your interests, but also when you’ll be there – I’ve read that it can be quite busy, perhaps unpleasantly so, during high season.
Rome: If I’m reading this plan correctly, you’re giving Rome more than 6 days. Wonderful! But I’ll admit that I would, with some reluctance, consider cutting a day from Rome, not because there isn’t enough to warrant the time – you’ll only scratch the surface, even if you give it all the time you currently plan and more! – but because I think I’d rather sacrifice a 6th full day in Rome for a day somewhere quite different. But that’s just me. Rome is definitely one of those cities that merits many long visits!
Again, I think you’re going to have a wonderful trip whatever choices you make in this fine-tuning stage.
Enjoy!
Dec 23rd, 2011, 02:13 PM
#26
personally, I think that you could spend the next 6 months tweaking this trip, and never come up with anything half as good.
the search for perfection has been the death-knell for many a trip.
just go for it!
the search for perfection has been the death-knell for many a trip.
just go for it!
Dec 23rd, 2011, 02:23 PM
#27
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I agree with Annhig.
You have included time for travel which is a large omission many people make. You can go crazy with trimming here or adding there but for the most part it is fine.
We once re-arranged a trip of Portugal for a one day festival in Amarante. We were supposed to arrive on a Sunday and read that on the Saturday before there is a centuries old tradition where young men and women exchange bread in the shape of phalluses to demonstrate interest. The town was filled with marching bands and vendors selling these breads in all sizes. That is the type of tweaking that is worthwhile.
You have included time for travel which is a large omission many people make. You can go crazy with trimming here or adding there but for the most part it is fine.
We once re-arranged a trip of Portugal for a one day festival in Amarante. We were supposed to arrive on a Sunday and read that on the Saturday before there is a centuries old tradition where young men and women exchange bread in the shape of phalluses to demonstrate interest. The town was filled with marching bands and vendors selling these breads in all sizes. That is the type of tweaking that is worthwhile.
Dec 23rd, 2011, 06:58 PM
#28
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Wow, such a wonderful adventure you have planned. Good to start in Madrid, consider a day trip by train to Toledo and Segovia rather than an overnight. Toledo is only 35 minutes from Madrid by train and you don’t want to waste time. Spend your nights in Madrid for the convenience.
Six days between Seville and Cordoba, might be a bit too much, but if you are looking for history, you will find it. You are fortunate to have the luxury of time, so 4 nights in Seville will give you an opportunity to enjoy more than just the sights. I do agree you should consider flying from Granada to Barcelona and save a day.
Don’t even consider cutting time from Barcelona as some have suggested, you will regret it. There are two day trips to consider from BCN, Tarragona and Montserrat. Possibly even Girona. Montserrat is a must, Tarragona is interesting.
Have fun! I envy your 6 weeks.
Six days between Seville and Cordoba, might be a bit too much, but if you are looking for history, you will find it. You are fortunate to have the luxury of time, so 4 nights in Seville will give you an opportunity to enjoy more than just the sights. I do agree you should consider flying from Granada to Barcelona and save a day.
Don’t even consider cutting time from Barcelona as some have suggested, you will regret it. There are two day trips to consider from BCN, Tarragona and Montserrat. Possibly even Girona. Montserrat is a must, Tarragona is interesting.
Have fun! I envy your 6 weeks.
Dec 27th, 2011, 06:30 AM
#29
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If you want to shorten this trip, you could take a day off Naples and a day off Barcelona.
I note you said Drive back to Rome on day 51. So for what part of this trip are you driving? I think it could all be done -- and done better -- by public tranportation. Wonder what the traffic is like on the Amalfi Coast drive in June? Lots of buses for sure. And it's so easy to take the train back to Rome from Salerno -- as opposed to dropping a rental car in Rome.
It takes a lot of stamina to keep your touristic interest up in such a long trip. Set aside a day every now and then to rest up, wash clothes, lay around, sit in a sidewalk cafe and people-watch.
I note you said Drive back to Rome on day 51. So for what part of this trip are you driving? I think it could all be done -- and done better -- by public tranportation. Wonder what the traffic is like on the Amalfi Coast drive in June? Lots of buses for sure. And it's so easy to take the train back to Rome from Salerno -- as opposed to dropping a rental car in Rome.
It takes a lot of stamina to keep your touristic interest up in such a long trip. Set aside a day every now and then to rest up, wash clothes, lay around, sit in a sidewalk cafe and people-watch.
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Oct 15th, 2011 07:53 PM
