Need Some Italy Planning Help
Nov 25th, 2014, 01:44 PM
#21
I forgot to mention... If you were planning to go to the Leaning Tower in Pisa, you should make timed reservations 20 days in advance. You can do it online.
http://www.opapisa.it/en/plan-your-visit.html
If you want to see the Last Supper in Milan before you fly home, you need reservations for that too. I don't think ticketing for April 2015 starts until January 2nd, but tickets will sell out fast.
http://www.vivaticket.it/index.php?n...&SiteVersion=1
http://www.opapisa.it/en/plan-your-visit.html
If you want to see the Last Supper in Milan before you fly home, you need reservations for that too. I don't think ticketing for April 2015 starts until January 2nd, but tickets will sell out fast.
http://www.vivaticket.it/index.php?n...&SiteVersion=1
Nov 25th, 2014, 03:41 PM
#22
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I would skip the car entirely. It's your first trip to Italy and for most of what you want to see a car is not a good idea anyway. There certainly are times when a car is necessary in Italy, and driving there is not that hard, but it does add a level of complexity that you don't need on such a short trip. Trains are really wonderful in Italy. Why bother with the hassle of picking up, dropping off, ZTLs, etc.
I don't think it really matters whether you do Rome or Florence first. If you want to see something of a smaller Tuscan/Umbrian hill town you can easily do a day trip from Florence to Siena, San Gimignano, or Lucca. You can also do one from Rome to Orvieto. And by doing day trips you can 'save' them for a good weather day and if you get some rain you can stay in the city and do 'inside stuff' (museums, churches, etc.). You actually have much more flexibility doing it this way. A trip to Tuscany to see several hill towns is a wonderful vacation, and for that a car is best, but you don't have time for that so it makes more sense to just stick to the two cities you are most interested in and know that if you get there and still want to get a 'taste' of a hill town you can do it as a day trip.
I don't think it really matters whether you do Rome or Florence first. If you want to see something of a smaller Tuscan/Umbrian hill town you can easily do a day trip from Florence to Siena, San Gimignano, or Lucca. You can also do one from Rome to Orvieto. And by doing day trips you can 'save' them for a good weather day and if you get some rain you can stay in the city and do 'inside stuff' (museums, churches, etc.). You actually have much more flexibility doing it this way. A trip to Tuscany to see several hill towns is a wonderful vacation, and for that a car is best, but you don't have time for that so it makes more sense to just stick to the two cities you are most interested in and know that if you get there and still want to get a 'taste' of a hill town you can do it as a day trip.
Nov 25th, 2014, 05:31 PM
#23
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Start by relaxing and getting rid of jet lag--take taxi (ordered from your hotel) Malpensa to Varenna, a small town on Lake Como, very Italian and picturesque. Stay at the Albergo Milano
(3 star) or Hotel du Lac (small lovely 4 star), both with rooms on the lake. I'd stay 2 nights, but you could stay one. Varenna is on train side of city so you can take the train to Stazione Centrale (watch your pocketbooks) then head on to Venice (no car traffic, don't stay near train station or right on Piazza San Marco--we like the Dorsoduro neighborhood), then go to Florence, with day trip to Sienna, then on to Rome. Consider a one way flight from Rome to Milan with Alitalia--not too expensive, will save lots of time.
I've given up telling people not to see all three great cities on first trip---they're too irresistible (also were for me on mine). Florence will be least appealing for your kid, so you might allot your time accordingly. I'd go heavier on Venice than Rome, but I'm prejudiced. I was married in a small town on the Riviera, we went to Venice for our honeymoon and have been returning ever since. The trick with Venice is to make sure you don't spend much time in heavily trafficked corridor from San Marco to Rialto Bridge. If you are there on a Sunday, go to San Marco for mass. Midmorning croissants and hot chocolate at Cafe Florian are well worth high prices they charge.
Buon Viaggio!
(3 star) or Hotel du Lac (small lovely 4 star), both with rooms on the lake. I'd stay 2 nights, but you could stay one. Varenna is on train side of city so you can take the train to Stazione Centrale (watch your pocketbooks) then head on to Venice (no car traffic, don't stay near train station or right on Piazza San Marco--we like the Dorsoduro neighborhood), then go to Florence, with day trip to Sienna, then on to Rome. Consider a one way flight from Rome to Milan with Alitalia--not too expensive, will save lots of time.
I've given up telling people not to see all three great cities on first trip---they're too irresistible (also were for me on mine). Florence will be least appealing for your kid, so you might allot your time accordingly. I'd go heavier on Venice than Rome, but I'm prejudiced. I was married in a small town on the Riviera, we went to Venice for our honeymoon and have been returning ever since. The trick with Venice is to make sure you don't spend much time in heavily trafficked corridor from San Marco to Rialto Bridge. If you are there on a Sunday, go to San Marco for mass. Midmorning croissants and hot chocolate at Cafe Florian are well worth high prices they charge.
Buon Viaggio!
Nov 25th, 2014, 05:35 PM
#24
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If you are doing just two cities, reconsider doing Venice and Rome. Leave Florence for an anniversary or more grown kids.
Just skimmed other posters. We don't understand why others don't fly more within Italy.
Just skimmed other posters. We don't understand why others don't fly more within Italy.
Nov 26th, 2014, 08:00 AM
#25
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We don't understand why others don't fly more within Italy.>
which flights would be quicker all told than the train not involving Sicily or southern tip of Italy - why folks don't fly between say Venice and Rome or Florence is because the train is quicker no doubt overall and cheaper. What flights are you on about?
which flights would be quicker all told than the train not involving Sicily or southern tip of Italy - why folks don't fly between say Venice and Rome or Florence is because the train is quicker no doubt overall and cheaper. What flights are you on about?
Nov 26th, 2014, 08:46 AM
#26
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<We don't understand why others don't fly more within Italy.>
The only time I would fly within Italy would be if landing in one city and want to immediately go to another and can get a quick flight, say landing in Milan and there is another flight to Naples within an hour or so.
Other than that, trains usually take you directly from city center to city center, with no security check or long wait time after check in. You can often walk or take a quick taxi to your hotel. Good example: Venice to Florence - both train stations are minutes to city center - I often walk to hotels in both cities. With less time getting to the station and no wait time for checkin, given the short distances between many cities in Italy, taking a train is often faster.
You can buy train tickets last minute, so do not have to book far ahead.
Trains go to many small towns where there are no Airports.
Many more trains than planes, so easier to schedule.
Trains are more comfortable, bigger seats, more leg room, etc.
The only time I would fly within Italy would be if landing in one city and want to immediately go to another and can get a quick flight, say landing in Milan and there is another flight to Naples within an hour or so.
Other than that, trains usually take you directly from city center to city center, with no security check or long wait time after check in. You can often walk or take a quick taxi to your hotel. Good example: Venice to Florence - both train stations are minutes to city center - I often walk to hotels in both cities. With less time getting to the station and no wait time for checkin, given the short distances between many cities in Italy, taking a train is often faster.
You can buy train tickets last minute, so do not have to book far ahead.
Trains go to many small towns where there are no Airports.
Many more trains than planes, so easier to schedule.
Trains are more comfortable, bigger seats, more leg room, etc.
Nov 26th, 2014, 10:24 AM
#27
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For most routes in Italy, even where flights are a possibility, the train is consideably faster, and often cheaper. For example, Milan to Rome in less than 3 hours, €82; Venice to Rome a little over 3 hours, €68. When you consider the time and cost to get to and from the airports, you can see that you can't beat that by flying.
It's different, as Sassafrass says, if you're arriving at a major airport and can get a domestic connection to your destination. In this case, the cost is usually not much more than the fare to the major airport, and you save the time of getting to the airport, checking in, and often even the time of going through security.
It's different, as Sassafrass says, if you're arriving at a major airport and can get a domestic connection to your destination. In this case, the cost is usually not much more than the fare to the major airport, and you save the time of getting to the airport, checking in, and often even the time of going through security.
Nov 26th, 2014, 11:05 AM
#28
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I disagree that trains are best in all cases. If one is in Rome and needs to fly out of MXP the next morning, I don't see how a train to Milan can beat the direct late evening flights from FCO to MXP.
We also have flown from Naples to Linate.
tbrenk: I think that because you included Florence in your original post, the thread took a different direction than it might have.
Do you know where you want to go in Tuscany? Some areas will be more of an arduous drive than others.
We also have flown from Naples to Linate.
tbrenk: I think that because you included Florence in your original post, the thread took a different direction than it might have.
Do you know where you want to go in Tuscany? Some areas will be more of an arduous drive than others.
Nov 26th, 2014, 11:11 AM
#29
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Naples to Milan could make sense but nothing shorter than that and what do you want to see just a few tourist cities like Rome and Florence and Venice or also the Italy that lies in between them - better than just seeing airports and tarmacs and touristed cities IMO.
Nov 26th, 2014, 01:19 PM
#31
i just lost my last post - trying again.
i would do something like cmstraf, but putting the Lake/s at the end so that you are in the right place for going home on the 12th. So i would get the train straight to venice and stay 3 nights, the absolute minimum IMO to enable you to get a flavour of the place, and to recover from jet lag.
Then get the train to Rome where you and your son can have a wonderful 3 days [4 nights] exploring the "Bigness" that is Rome. [our 14 year old son just adored Rome saying that it redefined the word "Big" so that's a good omen I suggest]. Then for your last 3 nights head to Lake Como for a rest before you go home.
You won't run out of things to do in any of these places and you won't have spent too long on the trains! you will also have had a pretty varied trip that may have you coming back for more another time, when you can do Florence and Tuscany.
i would do something like cmstraf, but putting the Lake/s at the end so that you are in the right place for going home on the 12th. So i would get the train straight to venice and stay 3 nights, the absolute minimum IMO to enable you to get a flavour of the place, and to recover from jet lag.
Then get the train to Rome where you and your son can have a wonderful 3 days [4 nights] exploring the "Bigness" that is Rome. [our 14 year old son just adored Rome saying that it redefined the word "Big" so that's a good omen I suggest]. Then for your last 3 nights head to Lake Como for a rest before you go home.
You won't run out of things to do in any of these places and you won't have spent too long on the trains! you will also have had a pretty varied trip that may have you coming back for more another time, when you can do Florence and Tuscany.
Nov 26th, 2014, 01:32 PM
#32
I would do something similar to cmstraf, but put the lake at the end, so that you are closer to the airport for flying home.
venice is a wonderful introduction to Italy, so inline of flying there, I would get the train straight from Milan to Venice, stay 3 nights [the absolute minimum to get a feel for the place and to recover from jet lag] then get the train to Rome, and spend 5 nights there.
venice is a wonderful introduction to Italy, so inline of flying there, I would get the train straight from Milan to Venice, stay 3 nights [the absolute minimum to get a feel for the place and to recover from jet lag] then get the train to Rome, and spend 5 nights there.
Dec 8th, 2014, 05:25 PM
#34
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Another idea-we were in Florence and wanted a taste of Tuscany. We had a really fantastic day on a tour with Tuscany Car Tours. Private van, wonderful driver, stops in Sienna, San Giminagno, Monteriggioni, and a Chianti wintery. May be a solution to the "do we get a car to see Tuscany" question?? I agree with everyone who said stick with trains-and I'd make just the two stops vs. adding in Lake Como-there's so much to see and enjoy in Rome and Florence! (even though we loved Lake Como, I wouldn't think there would be as much interest for a 13 yo). Enjoy your trip!
Dec 9th, 2014, 08:06 PM
#35
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The interest in Lake Como for a 13 yo is boats--going across the lake from Varenna to Bellagio.
But you make a good boy. I think with a teenager, I'd spend 2 nights (just one day) and leave the very next morning OR depending on when your flight arrives, 1 night and relaxing day, leaving for Milano Stazione Centrale and Venice after late lunch. There is something to climb up at the top of the village but I forget what.
But you make a good boy. I think with a teenager, I'd spend 2 nights (just one day) and leave the very next morning OR depending on when your flight arrives, 1 night and relaxing day, leaving for Milano Stazione Centrale and Venice after late lunch. There is something to climb up at the top of the village but I forget what.
