From Florence to Venice. Please advise!
 

So I started a new thread...
We are renting a car in Florence to Venice. We have two nights on the road between the two for some exploring. Any wonderful places to visit and stay for a couple of nights?
We had originally decided on Perugia but it is not on our way.
Thanks!

Hi V,

What do you expect to see between F and V that would be better than 2 nights in either?

((I))

Hi Ira--want to get a feel for "small town Italy". We are already doing 5 in Rome, 3 in Florence and 3 in Venice.

Stop in Bologna. It is not small town but it is totally different from Florence or Venice.

Use the time in Florence to day trip to Siena and Lucca.

Try to get a copy of Rick Steves' "Italy" DVD. On it are 8 episodes from his popular TV series. We've only watched 3 episodes as of today but he covers the less-touristy cities and area around Venice (the Veneto). We checked it out from our local library. Good luck.

Hello Venezuela, I would spend one night in Padua and the other night in Bologna. Both are on the way to Venice. Wishing you a beautiful time in Italy.

Will do Sockman!
Thanks LoveItaly!

Sounds great. One concern is traffic and getting around in Bologna. Any advice? And we will be there mid January. How are the roads that time of year and will it be freezing cold?

Both are cities and you do not want a car in either. There is little reason to drive to Venice.

<<There is little reason to drive to Venice. >>

Especially if you plan to stop in Bologna or Padua, which are on the direct train lines.

I like Verona, but again, you wouldn't need a car to get there. A drive that might take you a bit more off the beaten path would be to Ravenna.

Thanks all--
The idea is to pick up the car in Florence and drop it off in Venice. I thought the two day road trip would be nice but I'm going in January--wondering about road conditions...
My husband suggested skipping the whole car thing and just taking the train straight through to Venice--no stops.
This way we could add the two extra days to either Rome, Florence or Venice.
What do you all think? I wanted to explore a little...

He is right. See my comment above about day trips from Florence.

I would skip the car also. I'd add the two days to Rome.

I'm with bobthenavigator! Take a day trip (1.5 car ride more or less) to Lucca or Siena - Siena is EASY on the bus. Both are wonderful towns. SO just spend more time in Florence/Venice. From Venice it's also a VERY short train ride (30 minutes) to Padua where the wonderful Scrovegni Chapel is...the town is also very picturesque.
Train/car Venice>Florence is only about 3 hours so it just makes sense to get to one or the other and take easy day trips.

OK - I'm now sticking with my original post but agree that cars are a TOTAL nuisance in ROME, FLORENCE and VENICE..you can't have a car in Venice anyway. So skip the car rental and take the TRAIN. There is also a direct train from Florence to Lucca...we took it. It leaves from the center of Florence and the Lucca station is within a relative short walk to one of the many entrances into the old town inside the wall.

One night in Ravenna - the byzantine mosaics are astounding, and so different from all the old-Roman or Renaissance styles you see elsewhere.

Then move up the road a bit - for a night in Chioggia - it's like training wheels for Venice, check it out!

Skip car rental. I agree with an earlier poster - add those two nights to either Florence or Venice.

If you are wanting to experience small town Italy - plan another trip and base yourselves in Tuscany and rent a car...perfect for exploring Italian hilltowns.

hmmmm, we are planning a similar expedition in Oct 2009.... yes, we understand that you should avoid cars in Rome etc., but we have 8 adults landing in Civitavecchia after a cruise, and plan to rent 2 vans and drive the 6 hours etc. to Venice, (where we'll spend 2 full days before flying back to Canada) stopping along the way for a nice lunch. We will totally avoid Rome. We know we'll need to return to do Florence and Tuscany properly in another visit. The trip should only take 5-9 hours, depending on traffic and stops, similar to a drive from Toronto to Montreal ?

I just think taking the train (which requires heading back into Rome,) we wouldn't see as much of the country side ?

nuts or what ?

cheers

Your large numbers make the vans more useful. Also, to catch a train to Venice you'd probably have to go to Rome. With the van you can just get on your way. However the train does give you a view of countryside the entire way to Venice aside from brief stops in cities.

O.K. So I am the outlier here.. We spent one night in Lucca in 2007 and loved the small town. Could have easily spent another night.

Anna Roz

I'd like to throw a related question in here. We are traveling Venice-Florence RT by train, in addition to using train to Pisa. We'd like to stop at Bologna for a quick look and a meal (I've heard it's a great place to eat, yes?). When you buy your train ticket, are you allowed to make stops along the way or do you have to buy Florence to Bologna, and then Bologna to Venice? Thanks in advance.

If you are traveling on the faster all-reserved trains (ICplus, ES, AV) you must buy two separate tickets since your ticket comes with an assigned seat on a particular train, like on an airplane.

If you are traveling on slower trains (R, IC), these don't have assigned seats--just get on any train of that type between your starting point and your destination, so you can actually get off along the way. HOWEVER, just before you first board the first train, you must "validate" (time punch) your ticket in the yellow box on the train platform. You must complete your trip within 6 hours of validation.

Ellenem, you seem so knowledgeable about Italy: would you take a bus or train to Pisa, and I was planning on going to Lucca, as was previously suggested. Does that make sense to you and would it take up a day? Also, is Sienna an entire day trip? If we stop at Bologna, will we pay more than we would non-stop?

From Florence I like trips to Lucca & Siena ...nearer Venice, I loved Padua and would also love to see Vicenza some time. I loved Ravenna but not sure it works with your itinerary.

And I've done many of these trips via train and would endorse the suggestions to use train/bus between Florence and Venice and whatever towns you end up seeing.

Hi gif,

You can take the train to Pisa S. Rossore station, which is closer to the Tower than Centrale, and then another to Lucca from either S. Rossore or Centrale to Lucca.

There are direct trains between Lucca or Pisa and Florence, so you can do the visit in either direction.
See www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

It costs almost the same to take a train from "A to B to C" as it does for "A to C via B", so buying two tickets allows you to visit the intermediate town for as long as you wish.

Siena can be as short as 1/2 day, or as long as two days. Depends on your interests.

I would take the SITA bus from the Via Santa Caterina da Siena (near the SMN train station) to Siena. The bus takes you right into town. The train doesn't.
See http://tinyurl.com/aps5yt

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

I agree that if you are looking for a drive through scenic small-town italy, then go to Siena and south of Florence, then turn in the car and take the train to Venice.

But if you like food, it is hard to not recommend a night or two in Bologna. Italy is full of great food, but Bologna is really a notch above. Food you will daydream about for the rest of your life. Its the town we want to go back to the most.

So I think either option would be great.

I have visited Pisa, Lucca, and Siena. I think Pisa and Lucca work well by train, and could even work on the same day, precisely for the reason ira described--they are on the same train line. Each could also make a full day, depending on your interests. I don't like to rush, so I'v done them on separate day trips.

Siena as a daytrip is better by bus, since the train station is somewhat outside the city while the bus stops right in the center.

Yes, the costs to buy two tickets to break your route is slightly more, but not appreciably so. I did this when traveling with a niece, breaking our trip from Venice to Rome with 8 hours in Florence. I preferred having two tickets because it meant that we had reserved seats on the fastest trains, and we could spend a good amount of time in Florence without watching the clock. One can see a surprising amount in 8 hours--and have time for a great lunch.

ellen, ira, cap and ann, thank you so much. I think you've solved that part. Now I just need to sit with a calendar and plan the four days. While I'm working on Florence, are there any tours, walking or otherwise to recommend? I believe one of you mentioned elsewhere tours out of Florence, easily available, but I'd really like to have my arrangements made before we leave. again, many thanks.