Italy vacation
 

We are planning a vacation in March over the spring break. Arrive in Zurich on march 16th and spend 2 days. Leave on 17th by night train to Venice, stay overnight in Venice and leave next day afternoon to Florence for 3 days, to Rome for 4 days and Amalfi coast (Sorrento, Capri) 2 days. Any suggestions on hotels and comments/suggestions on the trip are most welcomed. Thanks.

Can only tell you we stayed at Mamela on Capri. It was very nice and did not break our bank. You did not say what your budget is. It has been so long since I have been to Rome, Florence and Venice, I cannot remember where we stayed without doing research. Happy travels.
Do a little searching on this site and you will probably come up with great suggestions.

Hi I,

>..stay overnight in Venice and leave next day afternoon to Florence for 3 days,..<

I urge you to add a day to Venice and one less day in Florence.

((I))

ditto! re Venice and Firenze

Thanks for your suggestion. Just want to clarify, we are going to be in Venice (arriving at 8:00 am) on the 18th, stay overnight at Gorizia a La Valigia hotel and leave on the 19th afternoon to Florence as planned. Is your suggestion to stay one more night ?

Thanks

Greetings,
We are staying at Hotel Settimo Cielo in Sorrento and www.florent.it in Florence. Are you taking rail in Italy? Tell me what you have learned? Can you buy 1st class tickets ahead?
Have a fun trip
Katsura

Yes! 1 1/2 days i Venice is definitely NOT enough.

Buon viaggio!

Many on this forum love Venice and others love Florence. I am part of the latter group.

When booking more than two nights in Venice - generally when I am travelling with someone who has never been - I always end up cutting the stay short and heading to Florence earlier. Venice simply does not appeal to me as it does to others.

If it were my trip, I would leave out Sorrento and Capri this time around and add a day to Florence and one more to Rome. For some of us, 1.5 days in Venice is definitely enough.

Any thoughts on Valadier hotel in Rome near Spanish steps. They have so called special for $ 263/night for 3 in a room.

Hi again Italytrip,

Everyone has their favorites, and you will discover your own on this trip.

My opinion is just the opposite of kfusto's - 1.5 days in Florence was plenty for me. Although I haven't returned to Florence in 3 trips, I would go back IF I stayed outside the city and did a day trip in.

You'll definitely need to do a trip report when you get back!

I'd suggest skipping the Amalfi Coast this time. The Amalfi Coast is really at it's best in late spring/early summer. Plus it takes nearly three hours to drive to the AC from Rome. Not worth it IMO for two days.

I, too, cut my trip short in Venice and had more time in Florence. I have been back to Italy 4 times in the last five years. Don't care if I ever go back to Venice but it is a personal preference! Four days in Rome should be good but know what you want to see before you arrive so you don't waste time.

Florence...if you want to do Uffizi, definitely do an online reservation so you don't waste time waiting. Just google and you'll find a good resource. I found if you get to the Accademia first thing in the morning the line for people with reservations was longer than the walk-ins but could be hit or miss.

Hi, Please be sure to stay at Positano on the Amalfi Coast as it's the most gorgeous place. You should love it. IT's great for walking around with tons of great restaurants and hotels depending on budget. Let us know if there is a budget etc for accommodation. For transport we used a great company at www.benvenutolimos.com They took care of all our needs and we had the best drive of the Amalfi Coast. ENJOY!

Italytrip,

I have read so much advice on Italy lately, and it seems to me that too many folks push their favorites and assume that they will be other people's favorites too. Your choice may be ok for you.

That said, I would add a day to Venice for several reasons:

All this train travel is exhausting and time consuming.

Venice takes longer to get in and out of than you may be planning for.

Each place has its own attractions. I love ALL of Italy and there are very few places I wouldn't spend a lot more time in if I had the chance.

Florence is great for Renaissance art, wonderful architecture, shopping and food.

Venice is great because it is truly the most unique place in, well, lets just say it is unique. Venice's true charms are little harder to seek out. Churches are very high on the list of things to do. I know a guy that churches, so a long stay in Venice wouldn't be for him.

Finally, if you list your budget for hotels, you'll get a lot of recs. And do search here for hotels in each city.

Thanks. This forum has been very helpful. Our budget for hotels is around $ 150-200 per night knowing that hotels are expensive in Italy. We are looking to have a decent place with a good location so that it makes it easy to get around. We would not mind spending few more buckaroos here and there if it makes travel easier. What site is good for booking advance museum tickets ? I hear that it is a must.

So far we have ( This is in March 2007)
Gorizia a La Valigia in Venice, ($250/night)
Valadier near Spainish steps in Rome
($ 263/night)
Grand Hotel Aminta in Sorrento ($ 200/night)
Florence ( need suggestions)

Most hotels and restaurants on Capri do not open until Easter.

The Valadier get some mixed revues on tripadvisor.com. I think it is generally high priced, and I'm not crazy about the location. You can try the Porotghesi, the due Torri, the San Carlo, the International Montecitorio, the Santa Chiara, all of which are better located and folks here really like.

I am not familiar with your hotel in Venice. Have you checked tripadvisor.com for reviews?

In Florence, I have heard people recommend the Orto d'Medici, the Casci, the Guelfo Bianco, the Morandi all Crocetta... check rankings on tripadvisor, and recs here. We have stayed in an apartment the past several years, so I'm not up to date on hotels.

I will add that I've been to Capri and Sorrento in March, and thought it was not a great time for either place. I was with my daughter's school group and didn't have much choice in the matter, but I would not go back at that time of year.