Cinque Terre, Lake Como or Venice? Help
 

We arrive in Pisa on a Sat and need to be in Florence on Tuesday night. Must choose what to do/where to go between. Have narrowed it down to Cingue Terre/Portofino/Santa Margarita Ligure; Lake Como or Venice. Please help w/decision. Overwhelmed. j

Whichever way you go- it won't be wrong. Wait till you land and see where the spirit moves you!

Help us help you by telling us what interests you the most, etc. I love Lake Como but if one goes there for the frantic nightlife of the usual sort they'll be bitterly disappointed unless George emerges from his Menaggio villa.

Cinque Terre is my vote. It's closer to Pisa and Florence then your other options. Also, it is so amazing and picturesque. Riomaggiore was my favorite. We didn't have a hotel reserved, but when we arrived, we walked up the street, and a man greeted us and asked if we needed a place to stay. He showed us a small apartment with a view of the sea for about $45, and we loved it. Restaurants are amazing. You see them catch the seafood, and 15 minutes later, it's on your plate. Wine is great and very inexpensive. Some of my favorite traveling mementos are from Cinque Terre. Villages built into the cliffs are amazing, and they are all connected by hiking paths and by train. SO getting around is fun and easy.

I must be the only person who looks at the question, thinks of a map of Itlay, and gets a headache.

As you no doubt already know, dawgheels, Pisa is only 30 minutes from Firenze by train. However, Pisa is about 5 hours from the scenic towns of Lago di Como. At least 5 hours from Venice by the time you find your hotel.

Cinque Terre/Santa Margherita Ligure is 2 hours by train from Pisa. Will you be happy going there if it is raining?

What time of year are we talking about and how long were you planning on staying in Firenze once you arrive on Tuesday night?

Do you have any interest in seeing the historic and artistic treasures of Pisa? Do you have any interest in Siena? Lucca? Other historic medieval cities?

I suggest that you get a hotel room in Pisa, see what the weather is like and how you feel, and do day trips from there. You might enjoy renting a car and exploring the Tuscan countryside.

If you are talking about the high summer, be aware than CT will be mobbed.

PS: You might also consider going directly to Firenze and doing day trips from there. Or just staying in Firenze! Is there some reason you think you won't like it? Why are you going at all? Why do you want to go someplace else? What are you hoping to see?

I ask because Rome is closer to Pisa than Venice.

Having been to all of your options, I recommend Venice. Venice is a little out of the way but it would not be difficult to get a train to Venice from Pisa, via Firenze - about a 4-hour trip. If you have never been to any of these places, Venice is a must-see and the amount of time you have available would be just right for a first visit.

There is no such thing as a universal "must-see" and like the above poster, I've been to all the destinations mentioned.

You might not enjoy Venice at all, especially in such a short period of time and especially if you are going in the high season on a strict budget.

Why not tell us more about what you, personally, are trying in exchange for spending lots of money abroad?

Thanks for all of the comments. We are going in 2 weeks, end of April. We will be staying in Florence for 4-5 days and then on to Tuscany for several days. So it is just the first few days after we arrive in Pisa that we are trying to make a decision about. We are very interested in seeing the coastline area, from Cinque Terre to Santa Margharita Ligure but now concerned a bit about the weather. What kind of weather should we expect at the end of April? Also, had thought of renting a car to go up there, should we do that or just take the train? Thanks everyone

Just returned from trip to Italy this week. Started in Rome, rented a car, toured Tuscany, then drove to CT. Two thoughts about CT--I was shocked at how crowded it was last week and can only imagine that it will get worse. No way of predicting the weather but the day we arrived it was overcast and I was disappointed. The next day we awoke to sunny skies and gorgeous weather, not too hot, not too cold. I must say that it wouldn't have been nearly as spectacular if we didn't have the sun.