Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Europe
Reload this Page >

Need advice: any recent return travelers?

Need advice: any recent return travelers?

Old Dec 2nd, 2008, 05:16 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Need advice: any recent return travelers?

A colleague of mine is headed to Italy in he next few weeks with several family members and children. They have already made reservations for where they will be staying and are using trains as means of transportation. Please reply with your opinions on their itinerary:
Dec. 22-26th Dec-Rome
Dec. 26-29th-Florence. 29th we plan to go to Pisa
Dec.29-30-Venice
Dec.31-1-Rome
The kids are 4 and 9 years old.
Our interests are more historical and open to art.
Mille grazzie a tutti!
Michèle
Bonjour_Voyageurs is offline  
Old Dec 2nd, 2008, 05:23 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I'm a little confused.

On the 29th you seem to be in Florence, in Pisa and in Venice. That's a lot of toing and froing with luggage and 2 small kids.

And then it looks like you hve only 1 day in Venice befor you return to rome.

You're moving very quickly for so few days - and several of them holidays - when trains may be very crowded.
nytraveler is offline  
Old Dec 2nd, 2008, 08:24 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,572
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
This is one of those trips that make us wonder why they didn't do the right thing earlier and check with this website or anyone else who could have told them how inadequate their plan is- it's too late now, obviously.

But - for one thing, why leave from Rome? They should have booked the flight into one city and out of the other, preferably into Venice and home from Rome (not only because it rhymes...).

And why rush around trying to see four cities in such a short time, poor kids who have to tag along, in winter when it is much harder to travel light because it could be cold and wet...

So for anyone else who is wondering what's wrong with this plan, for one thing they should have gone to Florence via Pisa, from Rome up the coast on the train line that goes through Grossetto. Can be done in 3 hours, they could have been there before lunch.

Pisa would have made a nice two-to-three-hour stop, there is a luggage check at the Pisa Centrale station, the walk to the leaning tower takes about 20 minutes and is a welcome activity after sitting on the train. After a stroll back through the old town on the way to the station, and a leisurely lunch somewhere along the way, another hour on the train would have taken them into Florence, well before dark

They can't be serious about the Venice schedule - on the same day as they go from Florence to Pisa (which is in the opposite direction from Venice) they also want to be in Venice (12-29), and on the 31st they want to be back in Rome?

Here's what that looks like: Early morning check-out of the hotel in Florence, rushing to take an 8AM train to Pisa (or thereabouts), hurry to the leaning tower, hurry back to the station, catch a train like the 11AM that requires two changes, one in Genoa with 11 minutes to spare (no time for lunch), another in Milan (15 minutes), to get into Venice as after dark at 5:40PM. Or the 11:44 from Pisa that requires a change in Milan and gets to Venice long after dark at 7:10PM. Or take the regional train back to Florence (takes one hour0 and pick a fast train to Venice (takes 2:40). No matter which way they do it, the day is gone by the time they get to Venice.

All this time travelling and rushing around and money spent to get one day in Venice.

Then most of the 31st is taken up by the trip to Rome. The quick trains take 4:27 hours - book early, it's a crazy day, New Year's Eve!

Poor kids is all I can say.
DalaiLlama is offline  
Old Dec 2nd, 2008, 08:36 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 10,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
<<Here's what that looks like: Early morning check-out of the hotel in Florence, take an 8AM train to Pisa (or thereabouts), hurry to the leaning tower, hurry back to the station, catch a train like the 11AM that requires two changes, one in Genoa with 11 minutes to spare (no time for lunch), another in Milan (15 minutes), to get into Venice as it gets dark at 5:40PM. Or the 11:44 that requires a change in Milan and gets to Venice long after dark at 7:10PM.>>

To get from Pisa to Venice, the Trenitalia site recommends taking the train back to Florence where they can connect with a direct train to Venice--no need to go through Genoa and MIlan. Some trains might also require a change and Venice Mestre. The trip takes anywhere from 4 hrs 15 min to almost 5 hours depending on the train category. Even so, a train leaving Pisa just before noon, with a connection in Florence, would arrive in Venice at 16:47--just after sunset.
ellenem is online now  
Old Dec 2nd, 2008, 08:42 PM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,572
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Ellenem, what is your point? I also said "Or take the regional train back to Florence (takes one hour) and pick a fast train to Venice (takes 2:40). No matter which way they do it, the day is gone by the time they get to Venice."

So we agree - they will see nothing of Venice by the time they get there via Pisa - that is the point, yes?
DalaiLlama is offline  
Old Dec 2nd, 2008, 08:53 PM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
i don't see any reason to go back to rome on the 31st (you were in rome from 22-26)why not make it another day in venice since they will only have one day there because the 29 is eaten up by pisa and traveling
and by leaving venice on the 31 to go back to rome they will have traveling time before they leave rome im assuming on the first

If they didn't already book things (hotels and such), i think this makes more sense

but if they already booked it perhaps they just wanted to see venice and say that they went....
(i have one trip where i wish i spent one day there instead of a whole week...FYI: Los Angelos, Cali ) but i am sure venice is nothing like la but was just saying!



jw0721 is offline  
Old Dec 3rd, 2008, 01:29 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
If you are planing to go up to the tower in Pisa, you'll have to pre-book the tickets http://boxoffice.opapisa.it/Torre/index.jsp.
The only problem - the only 9 years old can go up.
Matroskin is offline  
Old Dec 3rd, 2008, 05:37 AM
  #8  
LJ
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,759
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
This plan is such a disaster in the making for traveling with little kids that I am not sure it CAN be put right...will any colleague who is capable of this degree of mismanagement of holiday time react well to you trying to intervene?

Sounds to me like your colleague will find out for himself, the back end is just not doable. Myabe she/he and the rest of the family will make en site revisions as they go along when they see how impractical it all is.
LJ is offline  
Old Dec 3rd, 2008, 06:39 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 10,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Dalai--sorry I missed your next sentence--I should read more slowly. I guess I was so surprised by the suggestion to go via Milan.
ellenem is online now  
Old Dec 3rd, 2008, 06:48 AM
  #10  
ira
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 74,699
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi BV,

Since the reservations are already made, I think that it is a very good plan.

I hope they enjoy their visit.

((I)
ira is offline  
Old Dec 3rd, 2008, 07:27 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I would skip Pisa completely and go to Siena instead. Pisa's just a big tourist trap anymore, and I think Siena would give you a nice smaller-town break from frantic Florence.
Myownheroine is offline  
Old Dec 3rd, 2008, 11:00 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,572
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Ellenem - no worries. The Milan route is just one of the train options, not much worse for an already crazy schedule...

Myownheroine - how would you suggest they fit in a visit to Siena into their crazy schedule? That takes more than half a day. I agree that it is a worthwhile target, but...?
DalaiLlama is offline  
Old Dec 3rd, 2008, 11:10 AM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 79
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It's a packed schedule, of course it can be done but with 2 kids it might be a little hectic. I don't know what the more experienced travellers would think of you dropping a day trip to the Pisa in on the 28th, that way there isn't so much hectic travelling on the 29th + there's no worries about luggage check.

I advise taking the bus to the Pisa. It's a hike there and if you're worn by all the sightseeing in the days before it's not worth it.
nysmom is offline  
Old Dec 3rd, 2008, 11:42 AM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 97,137
Received 12 Likes on 11 Posts
If he's leaving in a few weeks and they have already made all the reservations, it's a little late for this question (imho)! I don't like the itinerary - it's too rushed especially traveling with little kids and returning to Rome is a waste of time.

Were we starting from scratch my suggestion would be:

1. Purchase the air tickets "open jaw" and fly home from Venice.

2. If you must fly in & out of Rome for some reason, a least do not split the time in Rome, rather put all the days at the beginning or at the end of the trip, which would avoid one extra hotel move, check in & out.

3. Trying to start in Florence, do Pisa, and get to Venice all on the 29th will too much for one day.

suze is online now  
Old Dec 3rd, 2008, 01:08 PM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 24,817
Received 4 Likes on 3 Posts
I agree with everything already said, especially the observation that "you only have one day in Venice." I'd drop Venice and travel back to Rome at a more leisurely pace, perhaps spending a night or two in Siena.

But this trip is already booked, and our opinions at this point are useless.
Jean is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
sanka
Europe
10
Mar 7th, 2015 08:59 AM
rr_0608
Europe
6
Jun 30th, 2014 09:45 AM
rywith22
Europe
18
May 23rd, 2011 09:44 AM
bottlenoses
Europe
5
Aug 26th, 2008 06:06 AM
trippster
Europe
20
Mar 7th, 2005 04:21 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -