Bologna, Florence, Venice 5 days
 

Will be arriving Bologna Airport on a Sunday 4:20 PM, departing the following Saturday 1:25 PM.

Planning to see Florence and Venice, probably not enough time for Bologna.

How should I divide the time and how should I get from place to place?

Example

Day 1 (Sunday) Arrive Bologna Airport 4:30 PM take bus to Bologna, walk to Bologna train station take train to Venice, stay Venice.
Day 2 See Venice, stay Venice.
Day 3 See Venice, take night train to Florence, stay Florence.
Day 4,5,6 See Florence stay Florence.
Day 7 (Saturday) Take early train Florence to Bologna, take bus to Bologna airport, fly home.

I've been to Venice for one day 23 years ago, never been to Florence. My wife has been to neither place.

Do you think I should try to squeeze in some time in Bologna? Should I do 4 days Florence 1 day Venice. Should I just base my self in Florence and make a day trip to Venice.

Thanks in advance.

>>Do you think I should try to squeeze in some time in Bologna?<<

Yes, but you don't really have the time so . . . no.

>>Should I just base my self in Florence and make a day trip to Venice.<<

Absolutely not. A day trip to Venice is a bad idea -- you would only have a few hours in Venice and that would be when all the other day trippers are filling the place.

If it was me -- I'd even add an additional night to Venice. But in any case don't try it as a day trip.

On which airline did you get your cheap fare ??

I wouldn't have Venice as a day trip. It takes 1,5 to 2 hrs from Bologna. And you'll miss the unique experience of a late evening stroll when the city is quiet.
Personally I find Bologna a more agreeable city to stay than Florence. It's a journey of just 35 mins on the high-speed Frecce train. Bought in advance (on www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en) those tickets are around EUR 15 single journey instead of the normal price of EUR 26.

Bedar, TAP $749/PP, admittedly, it requires traveling on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, but to me the savings is worth it :)

janisj, Are you saying 3 days Venice 2 Florence?

It's an old debate... More time in Florence or in Venice?

For me, it's always Florence. For you, it depends on your interests, and only you can figure out which city you'd want to have more time to see. The fact that you arrive on Christmas day obviously impacts what you can see/do in your first destination. If that would be your only day there, your sightseeing will be almost entirely limited to outdoors. Even the next day (Monday), not everything will be open. You should make a list of your sightseeing priorities in each city and then research what days and hours they will be open that week.

>>janisj, Are you saying 3 days Venice 2 Florence?<<

No - I'm saying 3 <i>nights</i> in Venice which nets you 2 days.

It really depends on your interests. I thought 6 days insufficient for Florence. IMO, you need to decide what YOU want to see and experience and plan your time accordingly. Good luck!

There is no night train between Venice and Florence. The last train leaves at 7:25 PM and arrives at 9:30.

Also, there is a train from the airport in Bologna that arrives at the train station. In makes other stops in the city, but if you just stay on the bus, the last stop is the train station. No need to walk anywhere.

How to split the time depends on what you want to see and do. I would make a list for each city, and then you'll have a better idea of how much time it would take.

There is no right answer for the time-split stay in each city. If I were you, I'd plot out what I'd like to do/see in each city, and allot the time in each city accordingly.

If you're the wing-it type, OK. Then just take a guess on the time split.

If you have purchased your air tickets, you've made Bologna your base. Stay there. It's a great place for tourism with day trips to Pisa and other northern attractions. The airport bus runs to the train station, which is not downtown but on the edge of the central district. To do a second big city in a week, you should fly into one city and home from another using a multi-destination search. But Bologna is worth the stay and renting an apartment for a week gives a bigger selection to choose from.

>>>Arrive Bologna Airport 4:30 PM take bus to Bologna, walk to Bologna train station <<<

The bus that runs from the airport to the train station is frequent and drops right outside the entrance. It's a large train station with several underground levels so if you do book a train in advance, you need to leave enough time to locate your train (might be on the lowest level).

>>There is no night train between Venice and Florence. The last train leaves at 7:25 PM and arrives at 9:30. <<

I don't think the OP meant an actual 'night train' since he posted >>Day 3 See Venice, take night train to Florence, <u>stay Florence</u><< . . . So I just assumed he meant an late-ish train.

Revised destination itinerary (2 days Venice, 3 days Florence):
Day 1 (Sun) Arrive Bologna Airport 4:30 PM take bus to Bologna Central train station take train to Venice, stay Venice.
Day 2 (Mon) See Venice, stay Venice.
Day 3 (Tues) See Venice, take evening train to Florence, stay Florence.
Day 4,5,6 (Weds-Fri) See Florence stay Florence.
Day 7 (Sat) Take early train Florence to Bologna, take bus to Bologna airport, fly home.
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Being as I already saw Venice for a day, 23 years ago, I think I'll want to spend more time in Florence. I'm even thinking 4 days Florence, 1 day Venice.
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Southam, It's tempting to base myself in Bologna; we don't like packing and moving. However, looking at the cost of train fares, I'd spend at least an extra 180 Euros going return, Bologna to Venice/Florence, an extra 3 times.
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If I'm reading it right, the first train from Firenze SMN to Bologna Centrale, on Dec 31, is 8:30 AM arriving 9:07 AM. Being as my flight is 1:25 PM, I may need to stay in Bologna on the last night. What do you think?

To make it less hectic, and being as we'll be jet lagged on Sun, what do you think of this itinerary?

Revised destination itinerary:

Day 1 (Sun) Arrive Bologna Airport 4:30 PM, stay Bologna.
Day 2 (Mon) Train to Venice, see Venice, stay Venice.
Day 3 (Tues) See Venice, stay Venice.
Day 4 (Weds) Train to Florence, see Florence, stay Florence.
Day 5 (Thurs) See Florence, stay Florence.
Day 6 (Fri) See Florence, evening train to Bologna, stay Bologna
Day 7 (Sat) Bus to Bologna airport, fly home.

Looks OK to me. Florence is pretty compact so you should be able to see/do a lot in a couple of days.

I dislike one-night stays, so I wouldn't stay the one night in Bologna on arrival. Being Christmas, it's pretty much a "lost" day, it will be dark when you land, etc. I'd rather push on to Venice and have a late dinner there. Make reservations before you leave home.

With this itinerary, I'll even get to see a little of Bologna; a piazza or 2 at night and maybe the market in the morning, before leaving for Venice.

Another advantage, I can leave the bulk of our luggage at the Bologna hotel, to which we'll return on the last night, and travel lighter to Venice and Florence.

This will be my shortest European vacation, but it's shaping up to be a memorable one.

Wow, that is a GREAT airfare. I wouldn't have thought of using TAP to go to Italy ! Doesn't matter which days you have to fly, just the cost. On which site did you find this fare ?

<i> I don't think the OP meant an actual 'night train' since he posted >>Day 3 See Venice, take night train to Florence, stay Florence<< . . . So I just assumed he meant an late-ish train. </i>

I realized that, but I didn't think a train at 7:25 PM was even "lateish".