Italy itinerary help
 

Hello all and thanks for the help in advance!
I am in the beginning phase of planning a month long trip to Europe in May 2009 when my boyfriend and I graduate from college. The first stop is Italy and here is what I have in mind so far:
Day 1. Fly
Day 2-5. Rome
Day 6. Day trip to Ostia Antica
Day 7. Travel to Florence
Day 8. Florence
Day 9. Day trip to Cinque Terre or Siena
10. Travel to Padua with stop in Bologna
11. Padua
12. Day trip to Venice, night train to next destination.

Does the time seem right for each location? Is Cinque Terre too far away for a day trip from Florence? I know my time in Venice is short but being on a budget makes is hard to stay there. Also has anybody been to Padua? It looks really neat but is hard to find information on cheap hotels, B&B's, hostels, etc. We are trying to stay under 75 euro for a double. Also, how long do we need to explore Padua? If it is more then a day we can cut out Bologna.

Hi Lindy,

Great fun. Sounds like you are on a train. Your Italy time will give you a quick overview of Italy.

If you like history and buildings then spend more time in Rome. If you are into art then more time in Florence.

Cinque Terre is hard to do in a day if you are planning on hiking, and it is a place that should not be missed. There are plenty of places that fit in your budget there. Vernazza has tons of lodgings in peoples houses... just knock on doors with rental sign (no problem being full that time of year). If you prefer reservations this place is within your budget. http://www.giannifranzi.it/.

I have not been to Padua. When we go to venice we stay in Mestre, which is less expensive and a 10 minute bus ride into Venice. Villa Grazilla is also within your budget. http://www.villagraziella.com

I have an idea for you:

How about getting off the plane and and grabbing a hotel in Ostia? (It's only 9km for FCO. You can reach it by public transporation, so don't pay a huge taxi bill.)

Next day, when you're not jet lagged, head into Roma (again on public trans).

You can't really do le Cinque Terra as a day trip from Firenze. Siena, si.

Why are you stopping in Bologna?

I would do Padova as a day trip from Venezia. To see the Scrovegni and the Duomo, have a walk through the historic center and a coffee is about five hours. Seven if you have lunch and leave before teatime.

But I wouldn't try to do touristing in Bologna and Padova on the same day.

I would NOT stay in Mestre for a first trip to Venezia. You can find a place within your budget if you look hard and book early.

Hi L,

>10. Travel to Padua with stop in Bologna
11. Padua
12. Day trip to Venice, night train to next destination.<

I would stay n Venice with a daytrip to Padua.

Padua needn't take up a whole day.

Venice is much nicer at night when the daytrippers have gone.

((I))

lindy,

I take back my idea about going directly to Ostia. You need a nice day to tour Ostia Antica. Better to head right into Roma, which has plenty of things to do to wait out a rainstorm.

lindy,

Congratulations - you've got the makings for a memorable trip.

As suggested by Zeppole, a day trip from Florence to the Cinque Terre is not recommended. Indeed, I think anything less than two days and nights in the CT would leave you disappointed, regretting that you didn't allocate more time. By all means, try to work in at least two days for this marvelous seaside corner of Italy.

If you'd like, check out some photos my summer of '07 trip to the Cinque Terre at explorerbear.blogspot.com

As regards Padua, this city has two must-see sites, Scrovegni Chapel (featuring marvelous frescoes by Giotto) and St. Anthony's Basilica. To my mind, Padua works best as a day trip. As an alternative, consider staying overnight in Verona. Like Padua, it's part of the Veneto, yet it's a more charming place than Padua and a refreshing change of pace from the urban hustle of Rome and Florence.

Best of luck.

So I'm thinking of either:
1. Adding a stay in the Cinque Terre for 2 nights, and getting rid of Padua/Venice and spending more time for day trips from Florence.
2. Getting rid of the Cinque Terre and going to Siena instead and staying in Venice and doing Padua as a day trip.

Any ideas on either of those ideas? I'm afraid Venice/Florence/Rome will be too many big cities.

If you can't find accommodations in Venice within your budget, staying in Padova is a good alternative. It's about 45-50 minutes away by train, and the last direct train from Venice to Padova leaves at 11:30 p.m. which gives you the opportunity to experience Venice in the evening.

My niece studied in Padova for more than a year. We stayed with her twice and went into Venice for the day a few times.

But check the various hostel websites. Although they book up early, there are options within your budget in Venice. Here's one:

http://www.youthhostelvenice.com/

Regarding your latest thoughts...

I wouldn't drop Venice to add time to Cinque Terre.

I wouldn't sleep in Florence and Venice but spend the days tripping to other towns.

There's nothing wrong with choosing small towns over big cities, but you should decide your priority for this trip. You currently have 9 full days and 2 partial days. (Unless you arrive on Day 1; if so, add one day to these calculations.) Now, deduct a half day every time you move to the next hotel, and you're left with the days you actually have to work with.

I once stopped at Padova on my way to Venice from Florence and I wasn't impressed by it.

Have you consider stayed in a convent in Venice? They're inexpensive and nice.

Castellenese, did you go to the Scrovegni when once stopped in Padova?

lindy27,

Nobody can advise you -- or at least I can't -- without knowing what you want out of this visit to Italia.

Siena and le Cinque Terre are wildly different places. They couldn't be more different! One is a medieval walled city -- with a particularly hard history at that -- and the other is a collection of fishing villages.

A lot of people if you go anywhere in Europe you should follow a checklist. Therefore, no matter how badly you want to be by the beautiful mediterranean and enjoy nature, and relax -- you should go to Venezia.

On the other hand, you're the one paying for this trip, and if you hope leave there having grasped something about the history of art, architecture and the intersection of Europe and the Near East, or experience the claustrophobia of a medieval walled city, then don't go off to Cinque Terre.

But a lot of people really need a mix -- a few days soaked in art, and a few days soaking in a hot spring or the sea.

But geography and budget are going to force you to make hard choices, so tell us what you most want for the money you're going to spend.

Typo alert:

I meant to write:

A lot of people think if you go anywhere in Europe, you should follow a checklist. Therefore, no matter how badly you want to be by the beautiful mediterranean and enjoy nature, and relax -- you should go to Venezia.

I also wanted to add:

Don't be afraid to drop Venezia -- or any city -- from your destinations if you think a trip of all big cities is going to leave you feeling like you missed something important about Italy.

Like someone posted earler, you have the makings of a great trip already, and Italy is filled with treasures at every step, in big and small towns.

Although it can be expensive to stay in Firenze and day trip, it can also be nice to be in Firenze at night when you are young. And after at least half the tourists are gone or back at their hotels for the night.

Thanks for all the help so far!
I am definately looking for a place in Italy where we can take a break from the larger cities. Whether it is a day trip or a longer stay depends on the location. I know we want to see at least 2 of the 3 major cities (Rome/Florence/Venice) and Rome is for sure. I also would like to keep it to 3 hotels. I would also love to have the last stop be a smaller town worth a day of sightseeing and then a possible day trip.

We are traveling by train and are trying to limit distances along with travel time. I would love to see the coast but can't seem to find anything worth seeing as a short daytrip from Rome or Florence, any ideas? We also need to get to a location with a night train to Munich on the 12th day..these cities are Venice/Bologna/Florence.

Italy has only a few brief stretches of spectacular coastline, and none of them easily fit into your plans. The destinations nearest Roma are really beach vacations for Romans. They are places to go and enjoy a few days in hot weather, not really worth your while as destinations. And the Italian Riviera (which includes le Cinque Terre) just doesn't work with your itinerary.

I'm tempted to suggest that you consider substitute staying in Ferrara, between Bologna and Venezia, for your small town experience. From Ferrara, you could also take a very impressive day trip to Ravenna.

So your trip would be:

Day 1. Fly
Day 2-5. Rome
Day 6. Day trip to Ostia Antica
Day 7. Travel to Florence
Day 8. Florence
Day 9. Florence -- Day trip to Siena
10. Travel to Ferrara
11. Ferrara -- day trip to Ravenna
12. Travel to Venice, stow luggage at train station, wander through Venice, night train to next destination.

I can already hear the Venezia lovers howling, and you might howl too if you glimpse Venezia and fall in love with it, but if you want to stick to 2 cities plus one small town, then either Venezia or Firenze has to go.

In October we are staying in Venice at a b&b that is inexpensive and has good reviews on tripadvisor. We stayed in a more expensive hotel our last trip to Venice but we are going to try this b&b. You can email them directly for availability and maybe a better rate than what is on the website.
http://www.bbvenezia.com/pages/english.htm
[email protected]

Some info on Ferrara:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Ferrara

http://historictravel.suite101.com/a.../italy_ferrara

http://goeurope.about.com/cs/liechte.../a/ferrara.htm

I'm not suggesting you lockstep into this Ferrara touring guide, but it will give you some idea about Ferrara

http://tinyurl.com/ferrara

and some pictures of Ferrara:

http://tinyurl.com/ferraraPIX

You have not said how interested you are in art/architecture/Roman history. If these are important to you I would concentrate on the Rome/Florence/Venice itinerary with side trips built in and cut out Cinque Terre. On my first trip to Europe in college I started out in Florence and felt that I had stepped into the pages of my Fine Arts textbook.

Another place you could consider staying for an overnight away from the bigger cities is the Umbrian hill town, Orvieto (population around 22,000). Many people visit it as a day trip from Rome and it is on the train line to Florence.

Ostia Antica is probably not a long day trip from Rome for most people --maybe 6 hours--so you can plan more Rome sight seeing on that day. If you feel really overwhelmed by the city (wonderful as it is) you might want to go out to the Appian Way park area on one of your days in Rome, too.

I agree with zeppole that the cathedral, the historic center and especially the Giotto frescoes in Padua are well worth visiting. It is also a university city. I would stay in Padua and take the short train trip to/from Venice over staying in Mestre, but if you can find somewhere in Venice that is affordable I agree that staying there so you can explore in early morning and evening hours is better.

I know you are planning to take a night train from Italy to Munich but I would recommend considering a day trip if you are not going to be spending time during the rest of your trip in the Alps. The views of the mountains are spectacular

Whatever you decide to do, I am sure you will love Italy

Okay so I'm getting rid of the Cinque Terre for this trip.

We are into architecture/history but have actually been to Florence in the past and went to the major art museums so we are skipping those this time. My boyfriend is not really into art musuems, but we like historical and sculpture musuems.

We currently have no time in the Alps. I thought about stopping in Innsbruck but then didn't hear very good things about it so we scratched it. Maybe there is a Northern Italian city between Venice and Munich worth a stop?

So I will look into cheap places in Venice but will also research other neighboring cities like Ferrara (it looks pretty neat so far), Padua, and Verona (I looked here before but it might be too far from Venice)

If the boyfriend really isn't into museums, I'm going to change my advice and suggest you drop Firenze from your itinerary. And I'll suggest you add Orvieto as a day trip from Roma.

And I'm going to toss out that you explore the possibility of taking a scenic train to Switzerland, and catch a train onward to Munich from Switzerland. I've not done this, but I think you want to look at the route of the Bernina Express, but I don't know where in Italy is the best place to catch that train.

I'm tossing out:

Day 1. Fly
Day 2-5. Rome
Day 6. Day trip to Ostia Antica
Day 7. Travel to Ferrara
Day 8. Ferrara, day trip to Ravenna
Day 9. Venezia
10. Venezia
11. travel to town for scenic train following morning (near Bergamo?)

If the scenic train doesn't appeal, I suggest you keep the above schedule and either add a day in Roma to do a day trip to Orvieto, or add a day to Venezia, to either visit Torcello, or Treviso or Verona. Head for Munich from Venezia.