Good weekend trips from Florence
 

Hi everybody! I'll be studying abroad in Florence this fall for 3 months and I'm trying to get some ideas for weekend trips me and my 3 friends can go on. We can leave Thursday night or Friday morning and we have to be back on Sunday. We really have no idea where we want to go, it is a first trip to Europe for all of us. Thanks!

I know a student who studied in Rome this past spring. Because Europe is small and budget airlines make it smaller, she was even able to visit other countries on her weekends.

Within Italy: from Florence, a 4- to 5-hour train ride will get you all the way to the northern borders (think Torino, Lake Como, Verona, Venice . . .) or well south of Naples and the Amalfi coast, even as far as Puglia. Depending how much travel time you want to spend, anyplace in italy will be fair game for a long weekend.

Obviously any place in Italy - Rome, Venice, Cinque Terre, etc. but also with night trains to practically anyplace in Europe - night train to Paris, stay there Fri Sat Sun take night train back to Florence, etc. Or places in Germany, Switzerland. If undere 26 strongly look at the Eurail Select Youth Passes or Eurail Youth Flexipasses which would cover the train fare for the night trains though not for the sleeping accommodation - about $30 for a berth in a couchette on hotel trains such as those to paris or nothing if you want to sleep in regular seats on night trains to many other local. I suspect you may also have weekends when there are holidays stretching the days or will be able just to miss a day as you would back home. For a good idea of night trains, rail travel, etc. a great primer on using European trains and destinations like you ask i'd go to www.budgeteuropetravel.com and on their home page ask for their free European Planning & Rail Guide which gives travel times, itineraries, etc. as well as all youth pass prices and special tips for youth travelers. If over 26 you can still do the Eurail but just at a bit higher price (Youth passes are 2nd class; regular Eurail passes are first class. Then there's the two country passes - France and Italy for example lets you travel to Paris, French riviera, provence (Avignon) as well as all around Italy. Eurail passes are marketed only for non-Europeans thus not readily obtainable once in europe. For passes i always recommend BETS, cited above, for their great service in my dealings with them. www.ricksteves.com also has good rail info for novices as does www.euraide.com and on this Fodors web site, which has many European rail experts!