Last minute Italy Itinerary review!
 

Hello!

My fiance and I are leaving for our honeymoon next week and the itinerary is as follows.

Leave Chicago April 28
April 29 arrive in Venice- stay 2 night,
April 30 Venice
May 1 Train to Ferrara stay 1 night, (visiting and staying with my sister)
May 2 evening train to Florence stay 3 nights
May 3 Florence
May 4 Florence
May 5 bus to Lucca stay 3 nights
May 6 Lucca
May 7 Lucca
May 8 bus to Pisa - 1 night
May 9 fly out of Pisa Home

We will be traveling by public trans. I'm looking for suggestions for day trips during our longer stays in florence and Lucca? I'm sure we can find plenty to do in both places but I would like to do some exploring of the Tuscan country side when based out of lucca.

This is both our first time to Italy and Europe so any tips/ suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

Colleen

Train schedules and tickets here:

http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

Personally I would cut a day from Lucca and add it to Venice.

I agree 3 days in Lucca seems like a lot

I don't think your options for exploring the Tuscan countryside from Lucca are very great without a car. (They would be better from Florence.) You could take a short train ride (about 30 minutes) from Lucca to Montecatini Terme to see the Belle Epoche spa town below and the historical village at the top of the funicular. Another idea is Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (about an hour by train). Thursday is market day, and it's a good market, but I don't know if you could work out the logistics as you start that day in Florence. There's also a castle which now houses the archeology museum.

If you're interested in things like the Uffizi and the Accademia in Florence, I hope you've made timed reservations. There are other things in the city where reservations are required or recommended, but it doesn't sound like you're spending much time in the city.

If you want to climb the Leaning Tower in Pisa, you need a timed reservation.

I would probably take the night from Pisa and add it to Venice. You can easily get to Pisa and Pisa airport from Lucca so do a daytrip to see the Field of Miracles from Lucca. And, take a night from Lucca and add it to Florence from where it is easier to do day trip(s) to the country side.

Siena and San Gim make great trips from Florence although I would prefer longer than a day in Siena, spent two nights and could have used a third.

And, check into taking the train from Florence to Lucca. You can also take the train from Lucca to Pisa.

Happy honeymoon!

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscan...erfect_day.htm

1:20 from Florence by bus.

if you have extra time in Lucca-- we like Montecatini Terme.... a short train ride. It reminds me of what I imagine Palm Springs was like in the '40s . Lots of seniors staying at the hotels to take the water... playing cards in the front rooms in the evenings. you can arrive by train, take a walk through town and a lovely park.. then take the funicular tram up to Montecatini Alto for a nice view.

by the way... we always try to visit thermal water spots as we travel... but somehow missed Bagni di Pisa when we were there. It might be a fun and relaxing place to stay on your last night in Italy... a little soak after all your hard work being tourists. they get good reviews... don't know whether they have a shuttle in and out of the main piazza.