Italy itinerary advice
May 10th, 2014, 04:42 PM
#1
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Italy itinerary advice
Hi Everyone,
We have not been to Italy for 8 years. We are meeting friends there in late Sept. (20-21) thru Oct. 8 who have never been there before. This is what they have suggested as an itinerary...Italy is part of a 5 week European trip for them...
9/20-23 Venice, then train to Rome
9/23-25 Rome
9/26-27 Rent car, travel to Amalfi Coast - Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii
9/28-10/1 Drive to Tuscany - various day trips...maybe base in Florence - see Lucca, Sienna, Pisa
10/2-5 Drive to Provence (they wanted to spend a few days there)
10/6-8 Drive to Milan and leave from Milan
Our questions are:
Do you think this is doable?
What, if any, changes would you suggest?
Any suggestions on where to base in Tuscany, in Provence and the Amalfi Coast and what town/sights to highlight.(Tuscany/train, Provence&Amalfi Coast/car)
Any suggestions on accommodations? We would like to have a central location, clean, and reasonably priced (how are the prices now - what would be realistic?) in Venice, Milan, Rome, Provence?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much.
We have not been to Italy for 8 years. We are meeting friends there in late Sept. (20-21) thru Oct. 8 who have never been there before. This is what they have suggested as an itinerary...Italy is part of a 5 week European trip for them...
9/20-23 Venice, then train to Rome
9/23-25 Rome
9/26-27 Rent car, travel to Amalfi Coast - Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii
9/28-10/1 Drive to Tuscany - various day trips...maybe base in Florence - see Lucca, Sienna, Pisa
10/2-5 Drive to Provence (they wanted to spend a few days there)
10/6-8 Drive to Milan and leave from Milan
Our questions are:
Do you think this is doable?
What, if any, changes would you suggest?
Any suggestions on where to base in Tuscany, in Provence and the Amalfi Coast and what town/sights to highlight.(Tuscany/train, Provence&Amalfi Coast/car)
Any suggestions on accommodations? We would like to have a central location, clean, and reasonably priced (how are the prices now - what would be realistic?) in Venice, Milan, Rome, Provence?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much.
May 10th, 2014, 05:54 PM
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If you really want to go up and down the country there is a high speed train system. Driving is slower and more expensive unless you are a family of 5, and even then I would take the train. Provence is way out of this circuit. I would suggest you either start in the north and work your way south or fly into rome and go north. Don't go up and down because you will waste what looks like limited time. Your friends have alot of time but you don't so don't so don't waste time retracing your path.
May 10th, 2014, 06:06 PM
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You do not want a car on the AC in Sep.
Train to Sorrento and use a private driver from there.
See Florence as Florence and then see Tuscany as a seperate destination for 4 days---instead of Provence which makes no sense in this itinerary.
Train to Sorrento and use a private driver from there.
See Florence as Florence and then see Tuscany as a seperate destination for 4 days---instead of Provence which makes no sense in this itinerary.
May 10th, 2014, 06:48 PM
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This seems like a kind of crazy itinerary to me, as if your friends have not looked at a map. They are starting out way to the NE Venice), then to the middle, (Rome), then to the SW (Amalfi Coast), back to the middle (Tuscany), then NW to France, then back E to Milan.
It should be a more linear trip. There are several options, depending on flights.
1. Arrive in Venice, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi Coast, fly to Provence from Naples, depart from Provence. If you can't get a good flight from Naples to Provence, then go to the AC before Rome and fly to Provence from Rome.
2 Arrive Naples, Amalfi Coast, Rome, Tuscany, Venice, fly to Provence, fly home from Provence.
3. If you are already booked and stuck with tickets out of Milan, then
Arrive Venice, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi Coast, fly to Provence from Naples, fly to Milan from Provence, fly home from Milan. Same advice as number 1 about switching Rome and AC.
4. Some better plan from someone else - I hope.
Some of the days are very rushed and not practical. When listing them, do not count the same day in two places. Example: The 23rd is listed as Venice and also Rome. It is part travel and part one or the other. Lay out the travel days.
Where do you plan to base on the AC? Consider your time carefully. It. is easy to visit Pompeii from Sorrento and to visit Positano from Sorrento, but it would be difficult do both in a day without a private driver.
The only place you need a car is in Provence.
It should be a more linear trip. There are several options, depending on flights.
1. Arrive in Venice, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi Coast, fly to Provence from Naples, depart from Provence. If you can't get a good flight from Naples to Provence, then go to the AC before Rome and fly to Provence from Rome.
2 Arrive Naples, Amalfi Coast, Rome, Tuscany, Venice, fly to Provence, fly home from Provence.
3. If you are already booked and stuck with tickets out of Milan, then
Arrive Venice, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi Coast, fly to Provence from Naples, fly to Milan from Provence, fly home from Milan. Same advice as number 1 about switching Rome and AC.
4. Some better plan from someone else - I hope.
Some of the days are very rushed and not practical. When listing them, do not count the same day in two places. Example: The 23rd is listed as Venice and also Rome. It is part travel and part one or the other. Lay out the travel days.
Where do you plan to base on the AC? Consider your time carefully. It. is easy to visit Pompeii from Sorrento and to visit Positano from Sorrento, but it would be difficult do both in a day without a private driver.
The only place you need a car is in Provence.
May 10th, 2014, 07:43 PM
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We used http://www.francescomarrapese.com/ as a private driver for AC and he was wonderful! HIGHLY recommend him. Very knowledgeable and personable.
May 11th, 2014, 01:02 AM
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As often happens, I know nothing about your interests. I myself would never suggest spending more nights in Venice than in Rome, and can only suppose that your friends' interests are entirely different from mine. And yours? Without more information, I can't give any useful advice.
Except to agree that there's too much backtracking and that for great parts of this trip, I wouldn't want a car. On the Amalfi Coast, if you don't want to use a private driver, you could stay in Sorrento and visit Pompeii by train and Positano by boat or bus. However, you seem to have only one full day (two nights) there, so it may be hard to manage to see both. If you were staying on the Amalfi coast for more than a few days, a car might make sense, because you would run out of things that could be seen easily by bus, train or boat. In your case, that wouldn't be a problem, so the many disadvantages (parking, traffic, narrow cliffside roads) of having a car there would outweigh other considerations.
Except to agree that there's too much backtracking and that for great parts of this trip, I wouldn't want a car. On the Amalfi Coast, if you don't want to use a private driver, you could stay in Sorrento and visit Pompeii by train and Positano by boat or bus. However, you seem to have only one full day (two nights) there, so it may be hard to manage to see both. If you were staying on the Amalfi coast for more than a few days, a car might make sense, because you would run out of things that could be seen easily by bus, train or boat. In your case, that wouldn't be a problem, so the many disadvantages (parking, traffic, narrow cliffside roads) of having a car there would outweigh other considerations.
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