Help first time in Italy
Mar 24th, 1998, 11:13 AM
#1
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Help first time in Italy
Will be traveling to Cannes in late October or early November; plan to spend 1 week in Cannes visiting our daughter in school and would like to spend one week in Italy. We are thinking of visiting Cinque Terre Region; Florence, Siena, San Gimignano; Venice and Lake Como area -- are we giving ourselves enough time? Better to rent a car or take the train? Any great B&B's; villas; small inns; great places to eat? Also anyone know of a great B&B or villa to stay in Cannes? We are unsure of an itinerary in that area also, so any help would be great! Thanks!!
Mar 24th, 1998, 08:00 PM
#2
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I would stay you are bitting off a bit too much. You can easily spend 3 days in Florence seeing this beautiful city. Also Pisa is nearby. Siena is a day trip from Florence. Venice needs a good 2 days. Train travel is great in northern Italy but a car is useful if you want to visit many small towns. Parking is a nighmare in Florence. So I recommend limiting yourself to Cinque Terra & the Florence area unless you want to spend all your time on the road.
Mar 24th, 1998, 08:02 PM
#3
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I would say that, off-hand, your time is limited in seeing the sights in Italy. Over a 7-day period, you can count on the equivalent of 1 full day (14 hours) of travel. Now, you're down to six. Most people spend about 2 days each in Venice and Florence. Siena/San Gimig. can be done in 1 long day but not recommended - given the sights. I would suggest cutting out the the lake and/or coast area of Italy (since you'll be in Cannes) and focus on the places I cited - especially Venice: one of the most uniques cities in the world. Otherwise, add an extra two days (minimum) to see either Cinque Terre or Lake District. Feel free to e-mail me directly w/ any other time concerns.
Mar 25th, 1998, 04:39 AM
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Heed their advice! It's too much. I would go directly from Cannes to Venice and IF you can tear yourself away then I would make a stop in Florence. But don't count on it Venice is very seductive. Go there first just to make sure you spend as much time as you would like. If you would like to see a small town then do Venice then Bellagio on Lake Como. Both are my favorite towns in the world and I'm leaving for Italy in three weeks! Have fun and DON'T MISS VENICE!
Mar 25th, 1998, 07:09 AM
#6
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Cheryl, You can do a max of 3 destinations in that
time. Having planned many trips in that area, I
would opt for CinqueTerre, the Lakes[but probably
Maggiore/Orta rather than Como], and either Venice
or Florence---but not both. A car is a must for this trip. I would stay in San Remo my last nite
assuming the Nice airport. Let me know if you need
further help. Given 9 days would make a difference in your options.
time. Having planned many trips in that area, I
would opt for CinqueTerre, the Lakes[but probably
Maggiore/Orta rather than Como], and either Venice
or Florence---but not both. A car is a must for this trip. I would stay in San Remo my last nite
assuming the Nice airport. Let me know if you need
further help. Given 9 days would make a difference in your options.
Mar 26th, 1998, 05:21 AM
#7
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Cheryl,
I agree with all the posts to cut some things out. After travelling in Europe many times, my rule of thumb is to stay no shorter than 2 nights in a town, 3 nights preferably -- even in the small towns. For instance, if you stay 2 nights: the first day you spend a good portion getting there, the next day you have a full day of sightseeing, and the following day you have to leave. So you really only get one full day of sightseeing. Unfortunately, there's a lot of time that gets devoted to actually travelling between towns. If you go to Venice, which is a GREAT city, I suggest staying 3 nights. You still won't see everything because there is so much to see there, but it's better than 2 nights. I've been there 3 times and still haven't seen everything. As for where else to go, it's all personal preference, and you have some great places on your list which I haven't had the opportunity to visit. However, I have been to Bellagio on Lake Como and loved it! It's a small town and very relaxing. There won't be a lot of sightseeing in terms of museums, etc. It's a town where you take long walks, shop, take boat rides, etc. Last summer I took a trip to Europe which included Bellagio and Venice, and we put a travelogue together with photos if you're interested (www.lunadesigns.com/travels/). Have fun!
I agree with all the posts to cut some things out. After travelling in Europe many times, my rule of thumb is to stay no shorter than 2 nights in a town, 3 nights preferably -- even in the small towns. For instance, if you stay 2 nights: the first day you spend a good portion getting there, the next day you have a full day of sightseeing, and the following day you have to leave. So you really only get one full day of sightseeing. Unfortunately, there's a lot of time that gets devoted to actually travelling between towns. If you go to Venice, which is a GREAT city, I suggest staying 3 nights. You still won't see everything because there is so much to see there, but it's better than 2 nights. I've been there 3 times and still haven't seen everything. As for where else to go, it's all personal preference, and you have some great places on your list which I haven't had the opportunity to visit. However, I have been to Bellagio on Lake Como and loved it! It's a small town and very relaxing. There won't be a lot of sightseeing in terms of museums, etc. It's a town where you take long walks, shop, take boat rides, etc. Last summer I took a trip to Europe which included Bellagio and Venice, and we put a travelogue together with photos if you're interested (www.lunadesigns.com/travels/). Have fun!
