Hi,<BR>I am just starting to plan a trip to Italy...<BR>what is the best way to travel around Italy...Rome , Florence, Venice, Capri, Tuscany, Siena...except by car....<BR>where would I find distances between these places..<BR>thanks

Can't answer your question on how the best way to get around. I'm sure someone else can. I am enclosing a link that will help you with the distances. <BR>http://www.mapquest.com/directions/europe.adp

Hike? Hitchhike?

If you don't go by car your next choice is most likely by train (except for Capri).<BR><BR>You can go to www.trenitalia.com for train schedules.<BR><BR>From Venice to Florence is about 3 hours. Same from Florence to Rome. Rome to Sorrento is about 2 hours to Naples and then an hour to Sorrento by commuter. To Capri is about 40 minutes by boat from Sorrento.<BR><BR>If the best were the cheapest, it would then become the most popular and then the most expensive. The law of supply and demand.<BR><BR>Hope this helps.<BR>

go in the winter....everything is cheaper <BR><BR>take trains ....i paid 8 dollars to travel from florence to pisa and back <BR><BR>people met us when we got off the trains<BR>to try and talk us into staying at their hotels or hostels.....we stayed in 2 star hotels for 18 to 25 bucks a night and they were nicer than some 60 <BR>dollar hotels that i have stayed at in the states<BR><BR><BR>than

Otis<BR>What trains did you take from Pisa to Florence.....and how did you find out <BR>about 18 to 25 dollar hotels&gt;<BR><BR>thanks everyone for your advice...

we did everything as we went....i saw an add for a day trip from florence to pisa by bus for a little over 50 bucks<BR>and my girlfriend suggested we walk to the train station and see how much it would cost if we went by ourselves...they said 8 bucks and we said sold.....when we got to pisa we walked to the tower in about 15 minutes and had a great time<BR><BR>we went to rome,florence, pisa and venice and made no prior arrangements ....we did it all on the fly....we were met at each train station by many people from various hotels and hostels trying to get us to stay at their places.....i'm sure that this never happens in the summer but in the winter they don't have enough tourist... so they tried to get our business by offering low prices at the train station <BR><BR>we went in february and the weather was in the sixties<BR><BR>i hope that this helps ya

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Blemke<BR><BR>One way ticket to Pisa from Florence costst 4.85 euro. The round trip therefore costs 9.70 euro. Not too far from the "8 bucks" price Otis wrote about.

Look into a eurorail pass - it makes everything so easy. Just hop on a train whenever you want and you can go on several trains in one day and they'll only put one punch in your ticket. Best way to travel by far, especially to keep your plans flexible and travel on the fly (which in my opinion is the best way to travel europe).

My son travelled through europe for 7 weeks by train. we were to meet him in florence, he was travelling from munich. luckily for him, the train agent in munich informed him thet the italian trains would be striking the day he was lanning on traveling so he left a day early. aparently the strikes are sheduled as to when and for how long so you can make arrangements but be aware that they happen.

i thought about using a eurail pass but i am glad that i did not....i traveled through italy and central europe for a little over a month and stayed in each city for 2 or 3 days .....i would have spent double the amount that i spent on train fare if i would have paid the money for the pass <BR><BR>it would be a good deal if you plan on staying for 2 or 3 months and wish to change cities nearly every day....that would be the only way that i would advise buying one<BR><BR>trains are very inexpensive in europe

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Do not get a railpass for Italy. Point to point tickets would be a lot cheaper. You can go to www.bahn.de Click on Travelservice on the left and get all the schedules with travel times.