catj

Hi,

We got most of our itinerary (mid-May, 2016) planned but are still deliberating where to spend the remaining 2 nights.

Fixed: Landing late in Venice, departing late from Milan (MXP)

We think that traveling by train is better than by car, but are open to suggestions.

We wish to spend:

Venice: 3 nights

Cinque Terre: 4 nights

?: 2 nights

Our thoughts are, should we stop on the way from Venice to CT and spend there 2 nights?

Since we are not museums / churches / art type of persons, we didn't see Florence as a major attraction.

Parma and Bologna look nice, but we're not sure what to do there 2 nights.

We thought of going from Venice to CT, and then from CT to Varenna (Lake Como) and spend there 2 nights, but it'd mean spending another 5 hours on the train to get to Varenna.

Please share your ideas and remarks.

Thanks a lot!

PalenQ

Between Venice and CT you can stop at Lake Garda - two railheads on southern end of lake or Verona - a city that can easily occupy a day and maybe do a day trip to Lake Garda or v.v. Verona does not have famous museums but a neat outdoor market and a general old-world look.

If going from Venice to CT and wanting to do Lake Como - better do that first or you backtrack - to me Lake Garda has everything Lake Como does (even a Bellagio in Sirmione!) and is right on the rail line.

Or from CT take a train to Pisa and then to Siena, a wonderful Tuscan hill town which would make a neat base for a few days - could day trip by bus to nearby San Gimignano,known for its many medieval towers. Then train from Siena via Chiusi to Rome.

Trains are best for large cities and cars are not even allowed into most of the CT - for train fares and schedules check www.trenitalia.com (you would be taking mainly regional trains under the scenarios I propose - no need to buy in advance and a dirt-cheap flat fare - just buy at stations as you go) - for general info on Italian trains check www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com- check the latter's free online European Planning & Rail Guide's Italian chapter for more ideas on places to go on your general route.

and forget about any train passes for your plans - not cost effective, especially when using regional trains.

PalenQ

Or, you may want to drive from the CT to Rome via rural Tuscany, stopping in such neat hill towns as Siena, San Gimignano or Montepulciano and Orvieto - a good place to return the car and take the train into the Rome metropolis. You could easily stop by Pisa's Leaning Tower en route.

Lake Garda can easily be done by train and boats that scoot all around the lake. Verona is best without cars.

So one of the neatest places to drive in Italy - Tuscany could give you a sweet driving tour where trains and buses are not all that good a way of touring around (though you can get to anywhere by bus or train but to travel thru Tuscany would be hard).

bvlenci

These people don't have time for Tuscany or Rome. They have two nights unaccounted for between their planned stays in Venice and the Cinque Terre.

I do like the idea of stopping in Verona (or on Lake Garda) for two nights. This stopover wouldn't take you far out of your way. If you get to Verona early in the day, you could see most of what there is to see that day. I think the ancient Roman arena is the most interesting thing to see there, but it's also a very attractive small city.

Then the next day you could go to Lake Garda, and maybe take a boat excursion on the lake. The boat all the way up the lake takes two to three hours each way, or you could take a shorter trip. Someone else may be better able to advise on this than I am. There are train stations at Desanzano and at Peschiera,and it's a very short train ride, but I don't know how near the train stations are to the ferry docks.

PalenQ

I would take two days off the Cinque Terre and then do perhaps a 4-day motoring trip thru Tuscany - but yes if not two days is not enough to merit renting a car and all it entails - two-day rentals may cost a lot - so many options.

catj

Hi,
Thank you very much!

I have been researching Lake Garda before.
The towns on the northern part of the lake looked to me so much more attractive than the southern ones, which made me feel like it's better to visit Lake Garda on another trip, since with just 2 nights we won't be able to see its northern part.

On the other hand, Lake Como towns look much more colorful (Varenna, Bellagio), and are very nearby MXP Airport (Milano).


You think that it'd be crazy to do Venice (3ngt), CT & Italian Riviera (4ngt), and Lake Como (2ngt) in a single trip without a car? since we will be spending 2 half days on the train.

catj

Hi PalenQ, I just saw your last reply, thank you very much.

The Italian Riviera seems to have to much to offer (CT, Portofino and its surroundings, Portovenere and its surroundings), that we could see ourselves spending there 3 full days.

PalenQ

You think that it'd be crazy to do Venice (3ngt), CT & Italian Riviera (4ngt), and Lake Como (2ngt) in a single trip without a car? since we will be spending 2 half days on the train.>

easily done. Boats go all around Lake Como - get a boat pass and it has good train access to Milan Airport - take the Nord de Milano train right from Como Nord station (by the boat dock) to an interchange with the Nord de Milano trains to the airport- about as quick as taking the train from Milan.

catj

Hi,
Thank you very much Palen!

We have finally decided.

We will stop in Bologna on the way from Venice, and will stay there 2 nights.

We will do a day trip from Bologna to a nearby town.

Are you familiar with nearby colorful towns that are nice to just stroll around there streets and markets?

Thank you

KTtravel

We loved the day trip we took from Bologna:
http://www.italiandays.it.
The guide leading it was so enthusiastic, you couldn't help but have fun.

PalenQ

We will do a day trip from Bologna to a nearby town.>

I liked Parma a whole lot. A real sleeper.