angelac

Traveling to Italy again and this time I am asking for your help first. The couple we are meeting will be finishing a german river cruise and we are going to meet them in Italy and travel around for 10 days. I would like to travel with my husband to Sicily for a week before we meet them. Fly from San Diego to Catania and go to Taormina and surrounding areas then fly to Rome or another city in Italy to meet them. They bought airfare through the cruise line but they have one diversion so they can choose any city to meet up in, but they have to fly out of the same city.
How does this sound:
Meet in Rome, take train to (euro rail passes) Naples with transfer to Sorrento and use that as a base for a couple days, maybe spend one night in an Amalfi coast town. Transfer back to Naples then onto high speed train to Florence. Use Florence as a base stay at least 3 nights there, suggestions. Then take a train to Venice and spend a few days there, take the high speed train back to Rome. They have never been to Italy. We have seen most of the tourist sights but only briefly. She has had relatives do a Globus tour but I do not want to be on a bus when the trains are so great. Thinking we can hire drivers to take us places. They are open to anything. Hopefully I can do a better job planning than a bus tour. (this is keeping me up at night) I'd appreciate suggestions, transfer driver recommendations, tour guide recommendations, anything. Thanks. Time of year May 17- ???

suze

I'm not sure a "euro rail pass" is needed or best for the train travel you describe. Don't buy one without doing the math to compare using regular point-to-point 2nd class tickets instead.

I'm also not following how long the part of the trip with your friends is meant to be? It's hard to tell since you said "a couple" and "a few". Is this what you're thinking and how long you have?

Rome - 1 day (overnight?)
train to Naples on to Sorrento - 2 days
Amalfi coast - 1 day
Naples - 1 day
train to Florence - 3 nights
train to Venice - 2 days
train to Rome - 1 day

janisj

euro rail passes (assuming you mean Eurail) would be of no use at all for this itinerary.

yorkshire

Yes we needs some clarification on the number of days. Also specify what you plan to do on the Amalfi Coast and in the region (e.g., Pompeii?), as you can likely put your whole stay together.

PalenQ

third echo - no Eurailpass - even Eurail Italy can be cost-effective for this trip. Instead book own train tickets for long-distance trains well in advance at Acquista il biglietto con le nostre offerte - Trenitalia or www.italotreno.com - 2 competing rail companies running trains on same tracks and into same stations. www.seat61.com has lots on booking own train tickets at cheapest fares - general info what to expect and trains in general also BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

Jean

If suze has laid out your plan correctly, I think it's too much moving around, too many hotel changes.

If you'd be coming from Sicily, you should meet your friends in Naples rather than Rome, otherwise you'd be backtracking. They can take the train from FCO or Rome to Naples, and then you can spend 2 nights in Rome together at the end.

I wouldn't split the hotel nights between Sorrento and an AC town. I'd stay in one place that is most convenient to all that you want to do, whatever that is. Three nights equates to only two full days. Changing hotels would eat into that two days.

In Venice and especially in Florence, not everything you might want to do/see is open every day. Once you know the start date for your trip, you should plan your days in each city and check the open/closed days and hours. It may be that you need to visit Venice before Florence in order to put you in Florence on the days of the week that work best for your sightseeing. Make entry reservations in Venice, Florence and Rome for anything that offers them.

suze

I have no idea if I understood correctly but was just trying to put it in the form of an itinerary to better understand what they have in mind.
I agree it's too many places in too little time unless I underestimated what "a few days" means.

angelac

Hi all, thanks for the input. I am rethinking and do agree to much moving around. We want to do 10-14 days of travel (4 of us) together. Maybe we meet them in a northern city and just tour the north. What city should the couple that is coming from their cruise fly in and out of. My husband and I have been to Milan, Florence, Lake Como, Venice, Sienna, and San Gimignano but only briefly so am willing to definitely revisit Florence and Venice and other Tuscan towns. Open to suggestions on itinerary. The other couple did want to see Cinque Terra and I would like to stay a few days in Lucca. We are an active group. Will take your advise on the train tickets too.

Jean

If the other couple wants to see the CT and you want to stop in Lucca, you could meet up in Florence and spend a couple of days there as well. Then, I think you already have the beginning of an itinerary.

Are you willing to rent a car and drive in the countryside? If so, there are lots of options. You could explore parts of Tuscany you haven't already visited (Chianti, Val d'Orcia) or head to Umbria. You could tour a couple of lakes, although temps could still be a little cool. If you'd rather stick to trains, you could stay in Florence longer and make day trips to several towns.
Or go to Bologna, explore the city, and do some day trips by train in Emilia Romagna. There are many so possibilities, but you'd have to tell us what the interests of your group are and whether driving is in the cards.

You'll be in the country during the Giro d'Italia bicycle race. The route will be announced in a couple of weeks, but it will end in either Milan or Rome on June 2nd. Depending on your interests, you may want to be near or avoid the race.

angelac

Thanks Jean. I'm going to talk it over with the group and get back to this thread. Thanks for the heads up on the Giro d'Italia. I'll ask my son in law about that, he is an avid cycling fan.

annhig

<<We want to do 10-14 days of travel (4 of us) together. Maybe we meet them in a northern city and just tour the north. What city should the couple that is coming from their cruise fly in and out of. >>

Forgive me but doesn't this rather depend on where their cruise ends? As for what you do before that, I don't see why you shouldn't stick to your original plan of flying into Catania if that is easy to do from where you are in the US but rather than going to Taormina [which can get horribly swamped by cruise visitors] I would suggest going to Siracusa and staying in Ortigia which is really lovely and would be a fantastic place to start your trip. Then move to one of the Baroque towns like Modica or Ragusa and fly out of Catania to which ever city in you are meeting your friends. That would easily fill a week.

angelac

annhig, thanks for the idea on our pre trip to Sicily. The other couples cruise ends in Germany and they bought their air fare through the cruise line. They can fly to any city in italy and then out of the same city in italy to fly home to the U.S. once our travel around Italy is complete.

Mimar

The OP is flying from the US West Coast to Catania, a time difference of 9 hours. And that's a long, multi-leg flight. I think going to Taormina or maybe Castelmola and relaxing a bit to get over jet lag would be a great start to their trip. We stayed in the Hotel Villa Schuler in Taormina, overlooking the coast but with easy access to the town center through a garden off the back. Quiet, with great views. Taormina has a gondola going down to the beaches.

We liked Ortigia too but felt we had more touristic obligations there: the Greek Theater (there's one in Taormina also), the Archeological Park, the Duomo in Ortigia, etc.

Christina

The other couples cruise ends in Germany and they bought their air fare through the cruise line. They can fly to any city in italy and then out of the same city in italy to fly home to the U.S. once our travel around Italy is complete.>>

I'm still not following this. If they bought their air fare already, don't they have their ticket and it can't be changed? At first I thought you meant a short flight to/from Italy to Germany or wherever they are flying into, but you say they want to fly from Italy home. So I don't understand at all.

But in general, it seems they would have an opinion as to cost and what flights are available to them to get back to wherever home is. But I would guess Milan might make sense. Maybe Florence, but I imagine more flight options to US from Milan. There are nonstop flights to/from Milan from NYC and Miami but none to Florence or Bologna from the US.

suze

I'm guessing the most flight options would be Rome, Florence, Milan, or Venice, right?

annhig

<<annhig, thanks for the idea on our pre trip to Sicily. The other couples cruise ends in Germany and they bought their air fare through the cruise line. They can fly to any city in italy and then out of the same city in italy to fly home to the U.S. once our travel around Italy is complete.>>

angelac - if they have to fly out of the same city into which they fly, it makes sense for them to work out the most convenient airport for their flight home. For example, many transatlantic flights from Venice Marco Polo take off very early in the morning so if that would apply to your friends and they don't like early flights it would be best avoided. how easy your flight home would be is also something to consider. but if the flights work Venice could be a great place to start - if your friends have never seen it then that could be an option. You could then think about getting the train to Bologna [a great place and very different to Venice, not too overloaded with tourists, unlike Florence] and from there get a train to Lucca from where it would be very easy to get back to Venice.

Or from Rome as you start and end point you could do Florence, Lucca and back to Rome again.

<<And that's a long, multi-leg flight. I think going to Taormina or maybe Castelmola and relaxing a bit to get over jet lag would be a great start to their trip. We stayed in the Hotel Villa Schuler in Taormina, overlooking the coast but with easy access to the town center through a garden off the back. Quiet, with great views. Taormina has a gondola going down to the beaches. >>

Mimar - IMO Taormina has the disadvantage of being tourist central and Castelmola [where we stayed 2 years ago] is both very difficult to get to [the road is a killer] and quite isolated once you get there. the drive up there so terrified and exhausted us that we left the car in the hotel car park until it was time to leave. the hotel did have a minibus but you had to book it. Honestly I felt that Oriygia was much nicer, the Piazza del Duomo is beautiful at day and night, the food was amazing, the sunsets extraordinary and there's no need to do sites unless you want to. DH and I didn't want to leave.

angelac

annhig, and all,
Now I am told they have to fly into Rome and out of Rome, so that changes things a bit. We could do the Rome, Florence, Lucca and back to Rome. I agree going to Venice will be just to much train time going and then having to go back to Rome. We can visit Tuscany from Florence with a day trip. Last time we rented a car when we traveled in the north of Italy but my husband would prefer we hire drivers this time. Any suggestions would be appreciated. My husband and I have decided to do Sicily another time.

Traveler_Nick

Florence is the capital of Tuscany.

Florence is well connected to the major towns in the region. Either by train or by bus.

Land in Rome and take the train to Florence that day. It saves you a hotel change over staying twice in Rome.

Mimar

Re: Taormina. Hopefully nobody's arriving jet-lagged and driving to either Castelmola or Taormina. I'd fly into Catania and take a taxi to my hotel. Agreed Taormina's very popular with tourists but the views of the coast are very beautiful, night and day. I'd relax in the hotel and at the beach. And work my way around the edges of town during the day. The one must-see, the Greek Theater, can be visited first thing in the morning (for early rising jet-laggees) or in the evening.

We took a train from Siracusa to Taormina, actually Giardini Naxos, having dropped our car in Siracusa. It was quite a nice modern train. The OP could do the reverse.

greg

>>> but they have one diversion so they can choose any city to meet up in, but they have to fly out of the same city.
>>> Now I am told they have to fly into Rome and out of Rome,
>>> I agree going to Venice will be just to much train time going and then having to go back to Rome.

It would be prudent to research exactly what the cruise company allows. Have you actually looked at the terms or are you only relying on your friend's interpretation of what the cruise company allows?
First, where are they ending their cruise in Germany? There are different logistics and options involved. If it is a Danube cruise, the ending point in Germany is probably Passau which is at least 2 hours away from the MUC airport.
Is this an all or nothing deal? Either do a detour to a specific allowed airports or none at all?
What happens if they use any other airport? Do they void the entire cruise company airfare offer or do they have to pay a supplement to somewhere else more compatible with your itinerary? If it is the latter case, then you can do additional computation on the difference between had they flown to, for example VCE, vs. ground transport to get there. You can do a same exercise with other destinations with good connection from somewhere unstated Germany.