kristymorrison5037

Hi all
Planning a birthday trip with a group. Probably around 10 adults give or take. We'll have 10 or so days likely.
Wanting to fly into Milan. At least three days in Milan.
Head west to the coast visiting Genoa and the Cinque Terre. Spend a few days here.
South to visit Pisa - this is probably just a hop on/hop off - then finally to Florence for a few days.

Curious - do you think doing Genoa and the Cinque Terre together is doable? Making perhaps one spot the home base and seeing the rest as day adventures via train? I've been to the Cinque Terre but never Genoa so not sure it that would be doing the area justice or rushing it too much. Anything worth staying in Pisa for? I'd not heard great things from a recent visitor but think they have been tarnished from exhaustion after traveling for weeks with their kids. Worth a stay or better as a hop on/hop off experience via train?
Should we skip any of that? Or are we missing anything you consider a must-see?

tuscanlifeedit

I won't speak to all of your questions but this past year I did in depth research for a short stay in Genoa, and had to change my plans. I had been looking forward to it and I'm still sorry we couldn't make it.

Jean

What time of year? There are certain months of the year that I wouldn't visit the CT even if the trip was free.

Are you traveling entirely by train?

Lots of people visit Pisa as a "drive by." Whether it holds enough to interest your group for more than a day is up to you to determine, but it would be difficult to see much beyond the Piazza dei Miracoli in a short visit, esp. if any/all want to climb the Leaning Tower (timed reservations required), eat lunch away from the piazza, etc. Most of the original statues and some artifacts from the cathedral and baptistery are now housed in the National Museum located on the banks of the Arno. FWIW, I liked Pisa more than Genova, but both are interesting.

Have most in the group been to Florence before or would most want to hit all of the major sights? If your days in Florence include Sunday/Monday, you'll have to plan the sightseeing carefully. Not all of the most popular things are open every Sunday and/or Monday.

almesq

As for the Genoa/CT question, we were in that area this past September and used Rapallo as a base as we found that gave us the best ability to see the entire area. We took a day trip to Genoa by train (easy train ride, maybe an hour) and then did CT as a day trip one day (about a 45 minute train ride). Both were great day trips and were very easy. Also did a day trip to Portofino (walked there, took a couple of hours and then ferry back).