nkluedke

Hi all -
I'm planning a honeymoon to Italy for June of 2007, 15 days long. I've been reading through many of the posts and they are so helpful. Wanted to get advice on our tentative travel plans - we'd like to fly into Florence and tour Tuscany for about a week and fly out of Venice (and stay there for about 2 days?). In between, we wanted to visit Bologna, Parma, maybe San Marino.

So my question is - does it make sense to fly in and out of those cities? Is the timeline I laid out reasonable? Do we take trains (my idea) or rent a car (my fiances idea) to go between cities? And do you recommend making reservations at hotels or flying by the seat of our pants once we get there?

Any insight or "don't miss" cities, hotels, restaurants would be GREATLY appreciated. and being a new grad - i'm definitely on a budget. Thanks!!

Dayle

Hi N,

I have not been to Bologna or Parma in my 3 trips so can't comment on those cities.

I would say, spend one or two nights in Florence, then pick up a rental car for your days in the Tuscan countryside.

I also think you will definitely want one more day in Venice.

Based on the other cities you plan to visit inbetween, pick a location to drop the car and train to Venice.

Personally, I think I would fly into Venice and do Venice first, but you will get many different opinions on that!

Congrats & buon viaggio!

GBC

Flights into one city and out of the other are a good idea.

I would want to incude Assisi which will take you through Umbria. Tuscany and Umbria are probably best by car.

As noted, you might want to save three nights for Venice. I would. And finally, I think you want to include one of the lakes. Probably, Lake Como.

It is best to work out your itinerary and then ask about the lodging and restaurants, etc. I would make reservations. It will take a lot of the stress out of your trip and increase the enjoyment of Italy.

plafield

From my reserach (going in May 2007) you had better decide and make your hotel reservations soon! The best places at the most reasonable prices book very early, especiaally in Venice and Florence. Some places are already fully booked for May and June!

I don't know what your budget is, but after a ton of research on this board, trip advisor and other many resources, we've deiced on Hotel Casci in Florence (150 euros a night, very friendly, small family run) and La Calcina in Venice (203 euros for a canal front room.)

These hotels are simple, great locations and great, included beakfasts, clean as a whistle but nothing really fancy. I'm convinced, though, that they are the best for the money available. Since it's your honeymoon, you may be splurging on more opulant hotels but you'll pay big bucksin Florence and Venice. Personally, I always prefer to spend the big bucks on really special meals and experiences (like excellent tours, boating excursions etc.) and just have a clean friendly comfortable place to lay my head. Again, it's your honeymoon, so if you can afford to splurge, go for it!

have a great time!

ira

Hi nk,

For touring Tuscany, I think that you will want to rent a car.

I would fly into Venice and out of Florence or Pisa.

I would spend at least 3 nights in Venice, especially on a honeymoon.

I think you would want to devote a week to visiting Tuscany.

Any particular reason for Parma?

ira

PS,

>do you recommend making reservations at hotels or flying by the seat of our pants once we get there? <

June is high season. How much time do you want to spend looking for a hotel room?

Fairhope

Before you decide your entry/exit cities look at the flights leaving Venice. They are often early and mean that you have to arrange expensive private transport to the airport

suze

I would definitely make reservations in Venice (plus I'd add another day at least). www.lacalcina.com is my suggestion.

LuvToRoam

Ditto to reservations ahead of time, especially in Venice. We stayed at B&B Sandra (attic room with terrace) and loved it. Also ditto on more than 2 days in Venice. We did an open jaw our last trip (arrive in Milan-get a car and take off) and that worked quite well, we just dropped our car (and excess luggage) at the airport in Venice when we arrived and then departed from Marco Polo after our stay. Tuscany does require a car and there are many wonderful little towns to explore while in that area. We did a day trip to Florence on a previous trip and that was enough for us. Enjoy your honeymoon! What a beautiful country you have chosen to celebrate your future life together. Shirley

2Italy

I would definitely rent a car to explore Tuscany; many of the towns do not have good train access. I also agree with the above poster about flying out of Venice. Most flights out are very early in the morning, and getting to the airport from Venice can be both a hassle and expensive. I'd fly into Venice and go from there.
I would definitely make reservations at hotels, and don't miss Il Ghibellini restaurant in Florence for VERY good and inexpensive food. You can email me for the address and directions.
[email protected]

zootsi

Sounds like a good basic plan. Fly into Florence, maybe spend a night or two there. Then rent a car for exploring Tuscany. You really do need a car to see this beautiful area. Some of our favorite towns are Montepulciano, Orvieto, Siena, & Pienza (there are lots more!) You can then get rid of the car in either Florence or Bologna, and use the train to get to Venice. Without a car, you may need to save San Marino and Parma for another time, but you will easily fill 15 days without them. We just came back from Bologna, which is a real fun city, but one word of advice - if you go during a convention week, the hotel prices will shoot up dramatically. We stayed there on an 'off' week at the Albego Drapperie and it was 75 Eu a night for a this well located, pleasant hotel.

tdyls

You probably can do Parma OR San Marino, but not both. Parma is wonderful -- excellent food, no crowds, no tourists. It will be a stark contrast to what you will be overwhelmed with in Florence and Venice. Plus, there's enough to keep you occupied but not so much that it overwhelms you.

Logistically, flying into Florence and out of Venice makes sense, especially if your favorite airline has a direct flight from Venice to a major airport (I assume in the US? Delta, for example, flies VCE-JFK and is fixing to fly VCE-ATL in May, I think.) Florence has a small airport which does not accommodate jumbo jets. If you're flying to or from North America, that will mean an early morning (~7:00) flight and a change at a major European airport - Heathrow, CDG, Frankfurt, Rome, etc.

JeanneB

Your "basic" outline sounds good. I would also suggest flying to Venice first to avoid that early A.M. departure at the end of the trip. Spend 3 days there, then train to Bologna to pick up your car.

You can store your things in the car, spend some time in Bologna and then head out for Tuscany. Plan your car return around your departing city. If Florence, spend the last couple of nights there. You can also get intra-European flights from Bologna and Pisa to the major hubs mentioned above for the flight home.

Jed

We just flew into Venice (non-stop from Philly) and were to fly back from Florence, but our early morning flight was cancelled (never found out why). We were bussed to Bologna and flew back from there.