Help w/ Itinerary?
 

My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy in August (after I take the dreaded bar exam) and I was hoping to get some feedback on our trip itinerary.

Aug 11 - arrive in Rome
Aug 11-morning of 14 - Rome
afternoon of Aug 14-morning of Aug 17: Cinque Terre
afternoon of Aug 17-late Aug 19: Venice
taking night train Aug 19 to Naples
Aug 20 upon arrival in Naples, take train to Sorrento
Aug 20-Aug 23 Amalfi Coast
Aug 23 leave for Rome
Aug 24 catch flight from Rome to home.

This is our first ever trip abroad and our first trip together, just the two of us (we'll be over there on our 2nd anniversary and this is also the honeymoon we never got to take). I know we are missing Florence but we only have two weeks and are trying to fit in as much as we can without spending the whole trip on trains and checking in and out of hotels.

Are we missing out on anything we will regret? Are we spending enough time in each city? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated - we are sooo excited!

Thanks,
April

Italy Honeymoon Top 5:
1. Venezia
2. Siena
3. Verona (Romeo & Julia)
4. Rome
5. Florence

Hi C,

Good luck on the exams.

I wouldn't suggest both the AC and CT on the same visit.

In 2 weeks, you could easily

Fly into Venice - 3 nights
Train to Florence - 3 nights,
Train to Rome - 4 nights
Train to the AC via Salerno and ferry to Positano - 3 nights
Fly home from NAP.

You can take a bus from Sorrento to NAP
www.curreriviaggi.it/

Enjoy your visit.

Unfortunately we already have our plane tickets to and from Rome (we now wish we would have flown in Rome and out from somewhere else, but oh well - beginner's mistake).

Why would you not do AC and CT in same trip? I ask b/c I am the one who really wanted to go to CT and my husband watched a special on AC and wants to go there - is Florence really worth changing the plans?
Thanks!

>Why would you not do AC and CT in same trip?< Because the two have much in common.

>is Florence really worth changing the plans?< I think so.

I suggest saving the AC for your next trip; add Florence and/or a Tuscany hilltown or two. Try this sequence - Rome, Florence, CT, Venice, Rome.

Despite not wanting to be 'spending the whole trip on trains and checking in and out of hotels', I think your itinerary does just that (zigzagging far above and far below Rome).

I agree ot to do both AC and CT. You will really want to see Rome, Venice and Florence (with a day trip or to into the Tuscan countryside). Adding either AC or CT to that makes a VERY full trip. To do both - in different directions - when they are somewhat similar (cute coastal towns for relaxing) will defeat the purpose pf the relaxation and make sure you spend way too much time traveling and checking in and out of different hotels.

Part of the beauty of Italy is the relaxed pace, sitting in cafes with a drink and watching a fountain splash, people watching, haveing a gelato on a bench. You won;t have time for any of that with all this rushing about.

Slow down and enjoy - especially in the heavy duty heat you'll be fighting.

Please s-l-o-w d-o-w-n. Like others said, skip either AC or CT. You're moving around a lot, and at the end of your trip, all you'll remember is train stations, trains, and blurred images from looking out of the trains.

You'll be so exhausted - esp the Aug 19/20 itin with you planning to take a night train from Venice to Naples, and then all the way to Sorrento.

Can you check with your airline to see how much it will be to change your flight to make it open jaw? You may have to pay a change fee, but may worth it if you don't have to pay € to buy train tickets to track back and forth.

Good luck on your bar exam.

Hi C,

Ditto all of the above.

((I))

Where will you stay in Rome & Venice? Just curious.

Hi Cinciapril,

I agree! You have 12 days and you would do much better to choose destinations.

One thing that might really help you to evaluate your plans is to get on the trenitalia and mappy web sites and see how much time you will be spending on trains, or driving. Add a minimum of 1/2 hour at each station prior to departure. Also look at schedules, so you can see how long you will have to wait between trains, just in case something goes wrong....

Also, in traveling to the Amalfi Coast in August, add time for traffic jams, full buses that pass you by and buses that don't show up at all, waiting time for next bus, etc. Or, hire a private drive or go by boat.

Hope this helps!

Oops, make that "choose 3 destinations".

Definitely look at the train routes and connections. I think Rome to CT is particularly time-consuming.

Your plan has too many stops. Simplify it, drop one coastal visit. Maybe concentrate on the south of Italy this time. Except August is hot there, I suppose. Or, visit Rome, go to Florence and day-trip from there to Tuscany and CT, then go to Venice, fly back to Rome?? Lots of ways to do it, but I'd definitely pare it down.
:)>-