Hi All,

3 women traveling:
Venice to Florence (2 nts)
Florence to Pisa (3 nts)
Pisa to Lucca 1/2 day in Pisa, 1 nt in Lucca
Lucca to Rome (3 nts)

Now, how do we get from A to B to C to D....

Thanks,

D.

You take the train.

Is there some reason you are electing to uproot yourselves so often? Florence, Pisa and Lucca are all within easy reach of each other, and often people do Pisa and Lucca as day-trips by train from Firenze. While enjoy the city of Pisa, most people without a special interest in art and architecture run out of things to do in Pisa after seeing the leaning tower and its adjacent monuments, very easily accomplished in a day. Lucca can be very nice, and a relief from all the motor traffic in Firenze, but you would simplify your trip enormously if you just slept every night in Firenze, since it is only 90 minutes from there without train changes to Rome.

You can use trains for the entire itinerary--easy, peasy! But why are you spending so much of your time in Pisa?

train

www.trenitalia.it for schedules and pricing, although you will need to wait to purchase as the site has some problems with US credit cards.

Many people feel that 2nd class is the better buy with very reasonable amenities.

In Italy buying point to point tickets is chepaer than passes.

there are I believe several discussions here on the logistics of buying at Italian stations. You can also google for more how to info.

You'll have the advantage of Venice Santa Lucia as your first station, relatively small and user friendly. If your dates are locked in, you may purchase all your travel tickets there for all your connections.

I agree. We went to Pisa. Once seeing the leaning tower and the Church....that is it. Florence is a wonderful city and there is so much to do and see there. Day trips are so easy by train.
Don't forget to go to go to villa d'ESte in Tivole, Italy.
It is just beautiful. Very close to Roma

I think everyone is thrown off by the OP's unconventional way of listing the trip. Here's How I read it:

Venice (2 nts)
Venice to Florence
Florence (3 nts)
Florence to Pisa
1/2 day in Pisa
Pisa to Lucca
Lucca (1 nt)
Lucca to Rome
Rome (3 nts)

Which makes perfect sense, though as others have said, I would not relocate for one night in Lucca. I'd daytrip from Florence, especially since a train to Rome will probably pass through Florence on the way to Rome.

And as others have said, this entire trip is easily done by train.

So Ellenem, you think we should forego our night stay in Lucca and travel back to Florence, then from there go to Rome.

I guess I do not know logistically the distance between these places...we will be in Venice (Arrive 11:00 am) Fri-Sat, Flor Sun-Tues, Pisa/Lucca Wed, Rome Thur-Sat, fly home Sun early a.m.. Just thought a night's stay in Lucca, walled city, would be quaint...maybe not. Just a day visit to both Pisa and Lucca and back to Florence to head to Rome....I'm getting frazzled now. Trip dates are Sept 24-Oct 4, 2009.

Where is Firenze? I really should have researched this better, huh?

Should we just keep Venice,Florence and Rome hotels and do a day trip to Pisa for the tower, that is all we are going there for anyway and then picked Lucca, just seemed like a neat place, is there somewhere else to go, duh, I am sure...it's Italy. Love wine tasting, gardens...it's me, my sister and mom, just creating a memorable trip...we're up for ideas....we're clueless...help, anyone.

Agree just to stay in Venice (Venezia), Florence (Firene) and Rome (Roma) and do Pisa and Lucca as day trip. Much easier than adding another hotel and all the logistics involved,.

Firenze (with a 'z') is what Italians call Florence. It is important to know when you are looking for trains, and to be spell it correctly if you use the internet to look up train schedules.

Be aware that Firenze has more than one train station, as does Pisa. Be sure you get off at the right stops. Any good tourist guide book will help you with that.

Thank you. I feel really dumb. Just realized, thanks to nytraveler that Firenze IS Florence......I am slowly but surely getting it, ha!

Thanks again...

D.

To take a train from Lucca to Rome you will have to change trains at the main train station in Florence. I would not check out a hotel, drag my luggage to Pisa and then to Lucca and check into a new hotel just for one night, especially if I have to return to Florence the next day anyway. I'm not a fan of one-night stays. Lucca is a nice place and does have those walls, but it's not the dreamlike scenery of a town on a hill. Only you can decide if the change of location for one night is worthwhile.

You can check all the train schedules here.

http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/homepage_en.html

For your itinerary--average trip duration:
Travel Day 1: Venice to Florence--3 hrs
Travel Day 2: Florence to Pisa --1 hr 10 min; Pisa to Lucca--30 min
Travel Day 3: Lucca to Rome-- 3 hr 40 min (change at Florence after 1 hr 25 min)

Eliminating overnight in Lucca--average trip duration:
Travel Day 1: Venice to Florence--3 hrs
Travel Day 2: Florence to Pisa --1 hr 10 min; Pisa to Lucca--30 min; Lucca to Florence 1 hr 25 min
Travel Day 3: Florence to Rome-- 1 hr 35 min

I think it might be time to invest in a guidebook.

I personally would just do Pisa as a daytrip and spend more time in Lucca, which is lovely.

Thank you all so much.

Ellenem, I will definitely eliminate the overnight in Lucca. You have laid this out perfectly. Day trip only to Pisa-Lucca and back to Florence.

I do have a guidebook, just need to read and PAY ATTENTION more to what I am doing....thank you all so much.

Okay all, I am working this out. I think I take the train from Venice to Florence. Florence to Pisa, a local bus from Pisa to Lucca, right? Surely not the train for a 30 min ride. Then the train from Lucca back to Florence. Train from Florence to Rome.

Whew.

D.

Why not a train rather than a bus. for me, it would depend on departure times and locations. There are more than one train station in Pisa.

K. Just wasn't sure. Will do train.

Thanks.

Sorry--I got called away and hit "submit" without rereading.

The Pisa train station closest to the Fields of Miracles where I assume you are headed to visit the Duomo and Leaning Tower is just a short five-minute walk from the Pisa San Rossore train station which is on the line to Lucca. From there the ride takes about 30 minutes. From the closest bus stop, I believe the bus ride takes 30-40 minutes as well.

I would go to Lucca first from Florence (bus or train - they take about the same amount of time - 70 minutes). Tour Lucca, have lunch, train to Pisa (get off at S. Rossore), tour Pisa, train back to Florence (probably from Pisa Centrale which is a short bus ride from the tower).

If you hope to climb the tower in Pisa, be sure to make a reservation.