Hi, I was wondering if someone could give me some opinions on the following trip schedule. In particular, whether or not we should be traveling by car or train, if this is too much ground to cover, etc. <BR><BR>We are flying into Venice. Planning on spending 2 nights in Venice. Then either driving or taking the train to Cinque Terra (Monterosso). Spending 3 nights in Monterosso. Then moving on to Lake Como area (again either by train or car). Spending 3 nights in Lake Como, 2 in Verona area and then flying out of Venice.<BR><BR>I appreciate any suggestions. Many thanks!

Hi Sally. First of all, your choices all sound excellent (haven't been to Lake Como or Verona yet, but we were in Venice and Cinque Terre this spring, and absolutely loved both places.) <BR><BR>Anyway, Venice to Cinque Terre will be your longest trip of the the four, so that might be better by train. Also, if you're going to stay right in the Cinque Terre area the whole time, you really won't need a car there (although parking shouldn't be a hassle since, I believe, Monterosso has a large pay parking lot.) <BR><BR>As far as the other segments go, if you like to drive -- and especially stop along the way at your leisure -- then renting a car might be worth it. Whether you might want a car while you're in the Lake Como area and Verona would probably depend on what you're planning on doing (e.g. a trip to Lake Garda from Verona) and someone else who's been in both of those place could better answer how advantageous a car might be.<BR><BR>Personally, since we spent seven days in Venice I'd find only two days way too short for such a fascinating city but, on the other hand, there's always a trade-off between seeing more places and spending more time in fewer places. You seem to have nice mix and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.

sounds like a good itinerary to me. if you don't already have it, pick up a copy of rick steves italy book. lots of info on the cities you are visiting. i have been to all the places you mentioned except verona. i agree that you may want an extra day in venice, i was there twice, and still feel like i could go back a hundred times and see something new. it is fascinating. just wander around! in the cinque terre, our favorite town was vernazza, you can catch a ferry to get there and the other towns. there is a great restaurant up near the castle. in monterosso - we watched the italian men play bacci at night, there is a court in town. on lake como, we stayed in varenna at the albergo olivedo in a room with a balcony and an amazing view. not expensive, close to the train and ferry. in my opinion, this area is one of the most beautiful in italy. you'll love it! and it is very relaxing, a good place to slow down and enjoy "la dolce far niente". (the sweetness of doing nothing!) have a wonderful trip! <BR><BR>re: travel method. we travelled by train only. (first class rail pass) it was easy. pack light, the hardest part is carrying the bags on & off the train!

Hello Sally,<BR><BR>As Capo says, Venice-Monterosso is your longest trip, - 6-7 hours by train. Unless you want to do some sightseeing on the way, you could do this overnight and save a day.<BR><BR>Steve

OK- at this point we have decided that we can do all of this trip by train. But we are confused, should we buy the train tickets ahead of time? Buy them all in Venice? I have checked out the trenitalia.it web site, but it will not allow me to purchase tickets. Thanks for the help!

Sally,<BR>We did a similar trip last summer and did not have any trouble buying tickets when we were there. I think I used a travel agent (AAA) to buy one particular journey ahead of time, but many shorter trips we did at the station. In some stations, you will find lines for the ticket sellers, but there are often many ticket machines, with instructions in English, where you can purchase tickets with coins or a credit card. This was a very simple thing to do, once you got the hang of it. In the Cinque Terra, which is like a national park, you can buy a day pass, which comes with a map, and lets you on and off the trains between the 5 towns all day long. The hiking is absolutely magnificent, so, if you're a hiker, let me know if you'd like some additional info. I would definitely recommend train over car. You will have beautiful trip!

Stay longer in Venice. We stayed 2 nights in Venice and it was way too short. We stayed 3 nights in Como and it was too long.